Ten Things That I Cannot Do Without This Month
What has been getting me through the glory of May. Concrete floors, car boot gifting, potatoes, Sun In throwbacks, flexible coords, travel plans, good sleeps and hair horror stories. And help, please.
This post is sponsored by Sleep & Glow, the Omnia anti aging pillow that fights sleep wrinkles and morning puffiness whilst you sleep. If you like what you read and want to read more, then I would love it if you would consider becoming a free or a paid subscriber!
I feel as if this month I have been engulfed by eighties nostalgia and I am not complaining about it. I have just returned from dropping Leo to school and Gary Davies on Radio 2 did a compilation of almost every hit from Culture Club’s repertoire of which, I realised, I knew every single word. Every one, from Time right through to the The War Song. I was a BIG Culture Club fan. Yesterday, due to the imminent Eurovision Song Contest, Gary did the same for Bucks Fizz and I was immediately transported back to the joy of batwing sleeved skirt ripping 1981. That was a huge year for the UK (we wouldn’t win again for 16 years and have never won again since) and my bedroom walls were covered in posters of the primary coloured foursome, Madness and Wham. Good times. But in the words of the Fizz, Now Those Days Are Gone and we’re not even in Europe any more ffs so am pretty sure that our mind boggling entry this year, the randomly titled Look Mum No Computer, has as much chance of bringing home the title as Mike and Bobby have of getting into those tight white trousers.
My sister in law, Louise, is coming to stay for a few days this weekend and we are planning relaxation time. Louise is very relaxing company. Last time, we pretty much sat on the sofa for four days chatting and had no qualms about going to bed early after the first night we drank way too much wine and felt the consequences. What is it about that first night excitement catch up that makes you so thirsty that you forget that if you drink more than two glasses of wine and forget to eat properly that you will totally ruin the next two days? The chilled glint of the rose bottle is hard to resist but has a lot to answer for, godammit.
But back to the point and as we start to experience the joy of warmer weather (well, start to anyway - the UK weather gives and then takes away faster than you can get the corkscrew out to sit on the patio), there are many things this month that are bringing me joy. So here are the top ten, in no particular order whatsoever. Happy Saturday! PS: Don’t forget to vote on my knocker poll below, I need your input.
1. My courtyard.
If you’ve been following along on my posts, then you might know that last week, my courtyard was concreted. You may think this sounds rather boring, but for me, it’s extremely exciting. Courtyard, btw, is a very elaborate word for what is basically an 11.5 x 11.5 ft space with walls around it. But it’s already looking very different from when I moved in, when the main event within it was the outbuilding toilet and shed. We (the royal we, aka the builders) took it down and rebuilt the external wall using the bricks and now it is ripe for installation. I have huge plans for this mini space, including a raised sleeper bed and a built in corner tiled bench, so the progress from rank to renovating has been a ‘journey’ but with a flat concrete surface now curing prior to floor tiling, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Particularly since I (royal I) cut all the overhang off the massive fuck off tree behind my house that is threatening to ruin the Victorian drains.
So this is how it looked when I moved in. As you can see, there wasn’t enough space for even a small table and chairs.
And here it how it looks now - the building was demolished, wall rebuilt the groundwork was done, drainage installed (that’s the long strip horizontally across, the matting and tiles will reach the top of this level) and raised planter is in place. Four lights have been added too, one on each wall. Not going to lie, I am DEEPLY looking forward to this space being finished.
And here are my plans. Curing takes around two weeks, then the corner bench structure can be built in and the floor and bench can be tiled. I’ve already bought a mini fig tree from Lidl, the table and chairs arrive this week and the reclaimed terracotta tiles are currently in my kitchen so it won’t be long now. Bring on the sunshine, I am more than ready for it.
2. Potatoes.
Yes, I know, potatoes have made this list before. Since I have been living sans husband, I have had some form of potato for dinner most probably four times a week. I wonder if that’s some comfort food kind of thing, tbh. But either way, jacket potatoes in particular are my absolute favourite. Smashed potatoes too (there are instructions for all my potato recipes on the Food tab here, btw, if you are a paid subscriber). I’ve also started following Poppy Cooks on Instagram after my Mum bought me the one pot recipe book for Christmas who lives a similarly potato loving life and because of this, I am bombarded on all sides by potato recipes in my Explore feed. I am not complaining about it.
Anyway, I’m digressing. On Wednesday, I had my friends Alice and Sharon for dinner and Alice is a vegetarian (a full on one, not even a pescatarian ffs) so I made a potato salad. It was from a book by Ben Tish who is the chef at Cubitt House, of which the Hotel I stayed at last weekend (The Grazing Goat) is part of. I mentioned this book on my post on Wednesday but it’s a good one - it’s called Mediterra and each section is based on a different island or shore of the Mediterranean. The recipe comes from the Moroccan section of the book which is very appropriate this week (see point below) and oh, it was a good one. It was super easy, I served it alongside a burrata (a burrata is never the wrong choice), a green salad and sourdough and it was YUM. So I thought I’d share it with you in case you, like Poppy and I, are also potato aficionados. You’re welcome.
Potato Salad With Harissa & Caraway Seeds (from Mediterra, Ben Tish).
You will need: 750g small waxy potatoes (peeled and halved), 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped), 1 red onion (finely chopped), small bunch of flat leaf parsley (leaves finely chopped), 2 tbsp sweet white wine (muscatel or chardonnay), 2 tsps harissa (plus extra to serve), 2 heaped tsp of caraway seeds (lightly toasted), extra virgin olive oil, labneh to serve (I have a super easy recipe for this here on this post or you can buy it ready done in Waitrose).
Method: Bring the potatoes to the boil in salted water and boil under tender. Drain well and leave to cool slightly, then put in a bowl and add garlic, red onion, parsley, vinegar, harissa and caraway seeds. Season well, add two good splashes of olive oil. Mix and leave for 20 minutes before serving. Serve on the labneh with extra harissa to mix in.
3. Good sleep tactics.
The older I get, the more I awake each morning with a creased face. Sigh. Older years, less hydrated skin and therefore, far more likely to incur wrinkles EVEN WHILST SLEEPING. Honestly, sometimes I feel there is no escape. However, this month I have been trialling the Sleep & Glow Omnia pillow which has been, admittedly, a bit of a game changer. It’s an anti aging pillow that fights sleep wrinkles and morning puffiness, meaning that your sleep really IS beauty sleep as you’re helping your skin stay firm.
So how does it work? Okay, so sleep wrinkles are formed when sleeping on your side or your stomach, meaning that the skin becomes compressed and folded during sleep. Wrinkles therefore are prone to appear around your eyes, nasolabial folds and your forehead. Sleep & Glow are the only brand that has clinically proven results. The company has done research in a Barcelona based dermatological clinic with results showing that that wrinkles decreased in more than 87% of patients who trialled it. And within just three months, the face wrinkles reduced by more than double. Game changing, really.
The Omnia is designed by orthopedists and the pillow ensures anatomically correct body position during sleep. Results are amazing - nasolabial sleep wrinkles are reduced by up to 52%, vertical forehead wrinkles by up to 67% and wrinkles around the eyes by up to 61%. Made in Italy, the pillow is memory foam with a Tencel fabric cover (a natural, nano processed material made from Australian eucalyptus wood). It has hypoallergenic and bacteriostatic properties and is suitable for sensitive skin, whilst being smoother, softer to the touch and more breathable than cotton.
So how did I get on with it? It’s incredibly comfortable to sleep on and the most noticeable area that I’ve seen so far on my face is my forehead, where there are categorically less creases when I awake than prior. You move the pillow around depending on which way you sleep (it comes with full instructions) and you can adjust the pillows height as it comes with an extra foam layer that you can insert into the pillow case. And the pillow case itself is rather lovely, fitting perfectly into my bedding combination to look the part, even when I’m not sleeping.
Sleep & Glow have a 20 night sleep trial money back guarantee, plus a three year warranty of all of their pillows, starting from date of purchase and the product life is five years. They’ve given me a discount for you so you can try it yourself with £15 off a pillow or blanket of your choice and 10% off everything else in the collection (this applies across all currencies, too, wherever you are based). Use code lisadawson for your discount when checking out and let me know what you think if you give it a try!
4. Impetuous decisions.
I mentioned in my post last week that one of the best things I am enjoying about being single is the fact that I have only myself to think about socially (okay, I’ve got Leo but he’s 16 and would rather cut off his own head than come out with my friends and I). It’s just SO liberating not having to consider anyone else. So when my friend Bibi asked me and my friend Karen (long term readers will know Karen as my charity shop trawling partner in crime who has an obsession with the second hand equal only to my own) if we fancied going to Marrakech for a few days, I didn’t even think about it for one millisecond. I have never been to Marrakech. My entire family have each been multiple times (I think even my 81 year old Mum has been three times) but so far, I have not although I have been wanting to for YEARS. We found flights for just over £100 return (although quite frankly the cost of luggage is equal to the flight, ffs) and that, my friends, is that. We are OFF in July for four whole nights and I cannot wait.
None of us have been before so we have been scouring the internet for top tips and I have ordered a guide book. Yes, yes, I know that TikTok could basically give me all the same information but you cannot beat paper in your hand. I am the same with diaries. No online scheduling for me; if it’s not written down, it’s not happening. All I have to do is remember to take it with me. Anyway, if anyone has any top tips or knows of any good Substacks with Marrakech travel guides then PLEASE write them below. What to buy! Where to buy it! Must see museums! And of course, importantly, where to eat and drink and take the most Instagrammable photos. TYIA. I’ll be doing a full no holds barred write up on my return for your perusal to say thank you.
5. Car boot gifting.
One of my main issues of downsizing to a smaller house is having to edit what I bring in. I never had this worry in my old house, I could shop until I dropped in the charity shops of York and there’d always be somewhere to put it, even if I swapped something out and stuck it in the cellar to fit it in. Furniture, rugs, accessories, all the stuff - no worries, I’d stick it all my car and bring it home. But no more. Now, I have to hold back. It’s quite hard. My natural instinct is to pick up pretty coffee sets, full canteens of cutlery, glassware and crockery of all kinds and shapes and endless crocheted blankets but no. I miss those days, but my bank balance and my house are all the better for it.
However, I find it FAR harder when I go to the car boot sale. York has a particularly good one at York Racecourse which has both profesh looking antique style traders but also the people who have cobbled together all the stuff they don’t want from the garage and got up at 6am to display it on a folding wallpaper table. You never know what you are going to find at the car boot sale and that’s part of the fun of it (although Leo wouldn’t agree with me on the multiple times he’s got up early on a Saturday to find golf clubs and balls and found zilch) although you do always know that you WILL find a cup of tea and a bacon roll.
But recently, I’ve realised that even if I can’t buy for me, I can buy for OTHER PEOPLE. Ah, yes. As a result, this weekend my brother in law, Andy, received two offerings purchased from the car boot sale for his birthday which he was really quite happy with. I have known Andy for a very long time - when he first started seeing my sister back in 1997 he moved in with me to my house in Harrow as a temporary lodger - and the one icon that I know that he loves is Princess Diana. Yes, Princess Diana. She may no longer be with us, but that doesn’t stop Andy holding a torch for her for eternity. So you can imagine how happy I was when I found a commemorative mug with her face on to celebrate her marriage to Charles in 1981 (this was during her solid front flick era) for the sum of one English pound. I teamed it with a packet of Waitrose No1 English Breakfast teabags and a bar of Tonys Chocolonely for the ultimate Princess Diana loving moment. This seemed quite a flimsy present though (I mean, a pound is good but a little stingy) so I also found a vintage German ceramic beer stein (£3) which I wrapped with a bottle of Moretti. The thrill of the vintage chase without the cluttering up of my home. The perfect solution.
6. Reminiscing.
Last weekend, my Mum was visiting and my cousins wife, Ruth, came over to visit (stay with me, people). I have only one first cousin and very randomly, he lives with his family in Bootham which is about a 15 minute walk away. Obvs, in true family fashion, we see each other about once every five years but she wanted to bring over some old photographs she’d found and thought that I might like. I love an old photograph and these were proper hardcore old, back to when my Dad was a child - it’s totally fascinating to look and see how similar he was to my own children (Leo is his absolute double, right down to the way that he stands).
Anyway, the eighties have a lot to answer for. Those who were there are the time will remember that having your hair professionally done in the hairdressers was not only madly expensive (and involved having your hair pulled strand by strand through a cap whilst passing out to the stench of peroxide and ammonia) but also took about seven hours, so the main hair colouring agent of choice back then was Sun In. The aim of Sun In - a spray on hair bleach that took seconds to apply - was to make you look sun kissed and interesting, bleaching your hair to an ashy blonde that looked as if you wouldn’t be out of place prostrate on Bondi. However, the reality was that if your natural hair colour was anything but pure Aryan, you were more likely to wake the next morning looking like a Duracell battery. I give you specimen number 1 for perusal below (it’s worth nothing that my Mum is a natural red head, she she wasn’t involved in Sun In use). Also note: blue eyeshadow and liner, perspex earrings, Henley shirt and fuchsia pink tube skirt. The eighties has much to answer for but honestly, it was SO cool at the time.
If you weren’t into Sun In use then there was always Shaders and Toners. These were in high demand in the Boots on Eastcote High Street - if you were blonde, you’d head for Shaders, dark, you’d head for toners. Good times, although I would debate the claims of ‘amazing shine’ on the packet or, in fact, that the two models have even used the product IRL as they look suspiciously glossy.
The photo bundle also served to remind me of my worst hair experience EVER which is shown here, in specimen 2. I had always had longish hair - as you can see from the photo above, my Mum was a fan of the Carmen roller and from the age of seven, she would roll me up every morning to look like Farrah Fawcett. My Mum cut all of our hair for years but decided, when I was in the last year of Primary school, to treat me to a High Street haircut. Sadly, they absolutely massacred my hair, cutting it short at the sides creating a mullet not dissimilar to Chris Waddle, so bad that they had to cut the whole lot off at the back in order to even it out. I was DEVASTATED (I can recall going to swimming lessons that evening to be told I looked like a boy). Not only that, we were about to depart for a few years to live in Hong Kong so my arrival at a brand new school with the worst haircut in history wasn’t in my plans. I’ve never had my hair short since #ptsd.
7. Knockers.
When I was looking for front door furniture for this new house, it didn’t feel as though there was a massive choice around, if I’m being honest. There’s a lot which is standard, knocker wise, and finding something a little bit special was hard work. I eventually invested in a fish which I love, but I definitely feel as though there’s a big gap in the market when it comes to unique door furniture that is chic and stylish. Front door furniture is so important - it’s the first thing that someone sees when they come to your home and can change even a basic door into something special.
Anyway, my friend Bibi’s partner, Ben, has a local company called The Yorkshire Foundry who cast beautifully handmade knobs and knockers and whilst we were at The Crescent last week listening to Bibi DJ (yes, she’s fab), we got into conversation about the absence of ‘different’ yet quality material knockers that are out there on the market and subsequently, his team came up with some ideas. So I thought I could ask you, my excellent and interior savvy audience, what you thought! I’ll show them below and then I’ll add a poll and you can tell me which one you like the best. Or your views on whether you think these could also work as knobs or even hangers. And yes, as a Piscean sea lover, I ‘may’ have had an input into the fishy theme, ha! But what they’ve done is just glorious. Votes, please, and comments below if you have any.
8. Hayfever skin remedies.
I never, ever had hayfever until after I had kids. So annoying. Also, I find there is no telling when I will or won’t get it. I seem to get it at the most random of times when no one else does and there is no explanation. This month, I have suffered hard. I mean, admittedly it sounds a little dramatic, but when I was in London at the weekend I awoke on the Saturday morning unable to breathe through my nose for about two hours. And my skin and eyes just tingle, not to mention the sneezing (when I was at school in Hong Kong, I can remember when I was 11 during a Science class our teacher explaining the whys and wherefores of sexual intercourse and telling us that an orgasm felt like a sneeze - I’ve never been able to sneeze without thinking about that since). But intercourse aside, my skin has been as dry as a desert thanks to the birds and the bees so I’ve tried a few new products that I thought worth mentioning to you.
I use Weleda Skin Food as a basic (best product EVER, it’s a cure all) but I didn’t know that they also did a huge range of other products - last week, they sent me some including a range of serum drops which are absolute genius. The one I’ve been whacking on whenever my skin seizes up is the Hyaluronic Moisture and it’s brilliant (there are a few of them with different base products). You can use it alone or mix it in with your normal moisturiser but it’s a super reasonable price (currently on offer in Boots at under a tenner a pop) and I keep mine in my handbag for hydration emergencies.
Next, Mixa Urea Cica Repair+ which I’ve been putting on all over my body every time I get out of the shower. It’s not in the faintest bit greasy and quickly absorbed - particularly good on my legs which after an entire season hidden are resembling crocodile skin and also my heels which are getting used to the outdoors after being hidden in boots for six months. Again, excellent price point and worth having in your skin armoury and a huge pot, too.
I’ve been using this for two weeks now in the morning and am a big fan. I sometimes worry that some of the serums out there are too strong for my skin and am prone to having reactions when they are, plus I find that some take a while to absorb. This one - L’Oreal Age Perfect Micro Collagen Peptide - is for skin over 45 (WELL into this bracket, quite frankly) but it’s not in the slightest bit sticky and absorbs immediately. Using it before moisturiser and make up each day and am liking.
9. Coords.
I’ve got two holidays coming up - one to Marrakesh as mentioned above and the other to Crete in August, and I am keen to be super efficient with my packing this year. I am always in awe of the Substackers who manage to get seven days of outfits into a tiny case yet still look like they’ve just come off a catwalk and last year, I did my best to emulate this on holiday to Kos. I planned out every single outfit for every single evening, including bags, shoes and jewellery and I wore every single thing in my case. I was ridiculously pleased with myself. In fact for your viewing pleasure (lol), here’s a Reel I did at the time:
Anyway, this year I am intending to do the same and have discovered the utter joy of the coord. I mentioned in my Wednesday post that I’d invested in a couple from independent brands Sansom Reed (use code LISA10 for the next month for a discount) and Rosella when I went to the Sash In The Garden pop up last week but my aim is to mix them all up to provide minimum packing. I know, it’s a task, but I am sure I can do it. I’ve also bought a shorts and shirt from Fenwick which will do the job too (although I have checked and in Morocco they say don’t wear shorts shorter than your knees). I’ve looked everywhere and can’t find a picture of the coord together but this comes with shorts and I love the colours.
Free People are the Kings of the coord and I bought this one below last year and it’ll be coming away with me this year - it’s still in stock and in multiple colours. Again, I have worn this separately - top with shorts, trousers with a brown shirt. VERY flexible dressing.
Also hugely tempted by this two piece from Zara. I am a sucker for anything embroidered and this, albeit pricey for Zara, is pretty gorgeous.
And finally this little number, again from Sansom Reed - it’s a skirt with a matching blouse and it’s totally beaut. Also, elasticated waist. No more needs to be said. Coords for the win, I think.
10. The return of Rivals.
I have mentioned this before but I have always been a HUGE fan of Jilly Cooper and as I write this, the second season of Rivals on Disney is about to hit the screen. There is not a single Jilly book that I haven’t read - from Imogen through to Pandora, from Riders through to Tackle, I have read and reread these books time and time again. Even if you’ve never read any of her books, you cannot escape this new series of Rivals - they’ve teamed up with Waitrose for an eighties food range including Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail and Steak Diane crisps and I am SO here for it. I am quite obsessed with both the food and the styling of 1980’s gastronomy and am super happy to see it back in the game. Vol au vents, pineapple and cheese sticks, chicken chasseur, pavlova, sausage rolls - bring them ALL back.
Anyway, I’ve tried both crisp flavours (if you are a Waitrose member you can get a free packet this weekend, I notice) and can confirm that they take me straight back to the Beefeater in Ruislip when the Beefeater was THE place to go for any occasion that warranted a ‘posh meal out’. In the eighties, eating out was a luxury and even just having a takeaway Wimpy was classed as a major event. My parents hosted and attended endless dinner parties every weekend and very rarely ever went to an actual restaurant; entertaining at home was the thing to do and I LOVE the nostalgia that this reminder of quite how cool the eighties were has brought back. Different times, but they were SO good. And really does drive home what an utter shit show we now live in. The bones of our existence may well have been rah rah skirts, Rimmel Twilight Teaser lipstick, vodka and orange and Silk Cut but it was excellent fun. Intending to binge the ENTIRE new series on Saturday night with no apology.
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Fun fact - I went to primary school with someone whose dad invented Sun In. Made a fortune out of it and lived in a huge house we called blow wave mansion (he was a hairdresser by trade) 😂
I would definitely keep an eye on my cousin’s insta - she’s a personal stylist and has just done a trip to Marrakech to see her friend (travel writer), who’s based out there - shopping guides incoming!
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXaGS59CGCL/?igsh=MWdvbzk1N25rY2ptYQ==