I massively overpack for holidays but my excuse - which even washes, grudgingly, with my husband - is that my daily life is mud and dog hair and endlessly patching my collapsing house, so four days in a city away from the chaos allows me to wear clean, nice clothes, white (WHITE!) trainers, fancy shoes for dinner etc and I’m going to pack every last mother f***ing one of them.
Also I can never guarantee that I won't spill something down myself several times a day.
I never understand why hotels are so mean about not putting retractable washing lines in the bathrooms. Even if you don’t want to handwash your entire packing, you might want to dry your swimsuit after an hour in the hotel spa? 10/10 for the Sofitel at T5. Laundry line, ice dispensers in the corridor, ice buckets in the room.
Only halfway through the column (I have to save half to look forward to later) but totally agree about Rucksack. I live in Marseille and come back to London alot and gave got really good at the 20x30x40. BUT last week bag was bursting a bit because it's old and frankly wass a bit too full. So I bought a WHSMITH carrier bag and shoved a load of stuff in there. 99p (outrageous) versus whatever the fee is equals my fave new life hack. But also WHY is Duty Free baggage exempt!? It makes a massive mockery. Anyway HNY Sophia. Here's to a fabulous one. Xx
Sorry to be clear, it needs to be a Duty Free carrier bag...Like in a 'I have packed my rucksack within the given dimensions but just ended up buying a load of Duty Free' kinda way...*waves WHSmith bag
Great, thanks, I was in two minds whether I wanted to see that film, now I know. Will go to Babygirl instead. I’m off to Colombia for 16 nights with my family fairly soon and the subject of luggage has already come up. The international flights aren’t a problem, but we’re getting a few internal ones and boat trips and there is limited weight allowed on both. Rucksacks or standard rigid bags?! Please could someone tell me. It doesn’t help that we all have massive feet (my husband and son are both size 14UK) so even one pair of spare shoes takes up almost an entire hold of an aeroplane.
Will never see Substance. But am tempted to watch the trailer….
Might it have been, "Life is often sad and sometimes dull, but there are currants in the cake and here was one of them"? Or the part where Fabrice and Linda admit their love to each other, about it being like recognising someone they'd known for a long time:
"Twice in her life she had mistaken something else for it; it was like seeing somebody in the street who you think is a friend, you whistle and wave and run after him, and it is not only not the friend, but not even very like him. A few minutes later the real friend appears in view, and then you can’t imagine how you ever mistook that other person for him. Linda was now looking upon the authentic face of love, and she knew it, but it frightened her. That it should come so casually, so much by a series of accidents, was frightening."
Loved The Substance except for her appearance at the end. Loved We Live In Time because I'm shallow and loved the shots of her kitchen and South London and have been around cancer much too much and identified with her way of dealing with it....I have an equal terror of being forgotten and would probably have to win the Booker prize instead of lying down for a rest. Of course all the awfulness is horrific but give me a turquoise kitchen throughout. As for Love In a Cold Climate I'm obsessed and 2 passages spring to mind....the one about why women get married....as they age they need a pair of diamond studs to help their complexion or this....'And I might offer you a little advice Fanny, it would be to read fewer books, dear, and make your house slightly more comfortable. That is what a man appreciates in the long run.' Probably true....
'This film isn’t good and says nothing' - definitely one for the poster! I've seen people call it a romantic comedy too, I suppose these days they judge it by the aesthetic rather than the plot.
Funny but as someone who lives with stage four aka terminal breast cancer, I absolutely LOVED We Live in Time (I also went along thinking it was a romcom). It almost doesn't matter that it made it look pretty (and she had a buzzcut throughout, which doesn't happen when you lose your hair). It COMPLETELY resonated with me on so many levels, emotionally. (I also loved the Substance). I promise I'm not that easy to please!
OH interesting! Ok I have to slightly rescind the point above then. It just somehow really jarred with me and made me uncomfortable. WHY did we all think it was a romcom too?? I walked out really chuckling to myself about that. But ok phew that we agree on the Substance. Although would you sit through it again? I am quite squeamish and just...bleurgh.
Yes, it was obviously marketed rather badly! I feel like we were deliberately duped with the marketing actually. Maybe I had blinkers on because I sat through it thinking about my own life, but I thought it was beautiful.
I also wonder if this has to do with people's misconceptions of stage four/secondary cancer. People expect all cancer patients to be bald and weak and ugly but in reality when you reach the later stages of cancer, you might have hair because you're not having chemo, you still have ambitions and you still work and want to work. You still want to look good. So, to me, it didn't seem farfetched or sanitised at all - and we don't always want to see the same puking and dying-in-bed scenes we see in every film!
Re The Substance, I am also VERY squeamish and had to look away a lot, and I think it went too far towards the end. But I thought the message about the older woman being forgotten and ignored in society was brilliant and I loved seeing it drive her to insanity. I'd actually watch it again but I'd still have to look away, obvs
YES exactly Hannah, this is what I should have said in the first place! And Laura, I can totally see that re stage four and misconceptions about it. When I was looking at the posters of it for the pic I wondered if it was those that made us assume it was a romcom because they're all v romcom-esque...
Sophia! I love, love love your columns. I'm excited as my birthday is on Tuesday which coincides with OASideways day so already planning a nice coffee/cinnamon bun scenario. I normally live in Marseille but am back in West Norwood rerenting my flat out. I've become a bit obsessed with Dennis and have had to restrain myself from trying to see him up in CP park. But apologies in advance if I do bump into you and greet you as my long lost friends 🤣. Also I would love if you could do a piece about dog ownership at some point, I'm 48 (49 Tues🤣) and would really love a dog but scared of lifestyle change etc. does he come with you to have an apero/date etc? Need to try and picture how it could work. Thanks for bringing such cheer. Your new BF in West Norwood X
But… how do you deal with all the lotions and potions?!? I spent 4 months travelling with just a backpack and wore the same thing day after day, but what about my very expensive skin cream , my scalp sensitive shampoo, special suncream and all the rest.
I flew Vueling in mid December from Barcelona to La Coruna (Galicia) to see Rod Stewart perform at the Coliseum there. I was intrigued by the varying dimensions of fellow passengers cabin luggage.
I have a friend who travels dometically with only a handbag but sends her gubbins ahead in flat rate US Postal Service priority mail boxes. When she comes to visit you get six boxes and then she arrives and has to figure out which box has the presents inside so she tears them all apart right in front of of the children. “Mommy, what’s a thong?”
Omg I’m pushed into commenting immediately! I loathed that film - and all its praise . Pushed into sentimentality and pans shining and no blotchy faces . I shifted in my seat til the end. Your comments so apt x
I massively overpack for holidays but my excuse - which even washes, grudgingly, with my husband - is that my daily life is mud and dog hair and endlessly patching my collapsing house, so four days in a city away from the chaos allows me to wear clean, nice clothes, white (WHITE!) trainers, fancy shoes for dinner etc and I’m going to pack every last mother f***ing one of them.
Also I can never guarantee that I won't spill something down myself several times a day.
What I didn't mention (because it's an even more boring, tawdry detail) is that I did do a wash during the weekend, which helped enormously...
I never understand why hotels are so mean about not putting retractable washing lines in the bathrooms. Even if you don’t want to handwash your entire packing, you might want to dry your swimsuit after an hour in the hotel spa? 10/10 for the Sofitel at T5. Laundry line, ice dispensers in the corridor, ice buckets in the room.
Only halfway through the column (I have to save half to look forward to later) but totally agree about Rucksack. I live in Marseille and come back to London alot and gave got really good at the 20x30x40. BUT last week bag was bursting a bit because it's old and frankly wass a bit too full. So I bought a WHSMITH carrier bag and shoved a load of stuff in there. 99p (outrageous) versus whatever the fee is equals my fave new life hack. But also WHY is Duty Free baggage exempt!? It makes a massive mockery. Anyway HNY Sophia. Here's to a fabulous one. Xx
VERY good hack and duly noted. Will pack a carrier bag in every rucksack going forwards. Thank you! X
Sorry to be clear, it needs to be a Duty Free carrier bag...Like in a 'I have packed my rucksack within the given dimensions but just ended up buying a load of Duty Free' kinda way...*waves WHSmith bag
I wonder if India might know the Mitford quote, with her research for Darling?
Agree, ‘we live in time’ was terrible and irritating and full of cliches - definitely avoid.
Great, thanks, I was in two minds whether I wanted to see that film, now I know. Will go to Babygirl instead. I’m off to Colombia for 16 nights with my family fairly soon and the subject of luggage has already come up. The international flights aren’t a problem, but we’re getting a few internal ones and boat trips and there is limited weight allowed on both. Rucksacks or standard rigid bags?! Please could someone tell me. It doesn’t help that we all have massive feet (my husband and son are both size 14UK) so even one pair of spare shoes takes up almost an entire hold of an aeroplane.
Will never see Substance. But am tempted to watch the trailer….
Hahahaha yes have some sympathy on the shoe front. Desp to see Babygirl.
Might it have been, "Life is often sad and sometimes dull, but there are currants in the cake and here was one of them"? Or the part where Fabrice and Linda admit their love to each other, about it being like recognising someone they'd known for a long time:
"Twice in her life she had mistaken something else for it; it was like seeing somebody in the street who you think is a friend, you whistle and wave and run after him, and it is not only not the friend, but not even very like him. A few minutes later the real friend appears in view, and then you can’t imagine how you ever mistook that other person for him. Linda was now looking upon the authentic face of love, and she knew it, but it frightened her. That it should come so casually, so much by a series of accidents, was frightening."
I thought it was probably the latter - but you got to it first!
Loved The Substance except for her appearance at the end. Loved We Live In Time because I'm shallow and loved the shots of her kitchen and South London and have been around cancer much too much and identified with her way of dealing with it....I have an equal terror of being forgotten and would probably have to win the Booker prize instead of lying down for a rest. Of course all the awfulness is horrific but give me a turquoise kitchen throughout. As for Love In a Cold Climate I'm obsessed and 2 passages spring to mind....the one about why women get married....as they age they need a pair of diamond studs to help their complexion or this....'And I might offer you a little advice Fanny, it would be to read fewer books, dear, and make your house slightly more comfortable. That is what a man appreciates in the long run.' Probably true....
OOOOH brilliant Lizzy yes thank you will leaf through the book X
Such DRAMA in that photo of Dennis. 😃
'This film isn’t good and says nothing' - definitely one for the poster! I've seen people call it a romantic comedy too, I suppose these days they judge it by the aesthetic rather than the plot.
Funny but as someone who lives with stage four aka terminal breast cancer, I absolutely LOVED We Live in Time (I also went along thinking it was a romcom). It almost doesn't matter that it made it look pretty (and she had a buzzcut throughout, which doesn't happen when you lose your hair). It COMPLETELY resonated with me on so many levels, emotionally. (I also loved the Substance). I promise I'm not that easy to please!
OH interesting! Ok I have to slightly rescind the point above then. It just somehow really jarred with me and made me uncomfortable. WHY did we all think it was a romcom too?? I walked out really chuckling to myself about that. But ok phew that we agree on the Substance. Although would you sit through it again? I am quite squeamish and just...bleurgh.
Yes, it was obviously marketed rather badly! I feel like we were deliberately duped with the marketing actually. Maybe I had blinkers on because I sat through it thinking about my own life, but I thought it was beautiful.
I also wonder if this has to do with people's misconceptions of stage four/secondary cancer. People expect all cancer patients to be bald and weak and ugly but in reality when you reach the later stages of cancer, you might have hair because you're not having chemo, you still have ambitions and you still work and want to work. You still want to look good. So, to me, it didn't seem farfetched or sanitised at all - and we don't always want to see the same puking and dying-in-bed scenes we see in every film!
Re The Substance, I am also VERY squeamish and had to look away a lot, and I think it went too far towards the end. But I thought the message about the older woman being forgotten and ignored in society was brilliant and I loved seeing it drive her to insanity. I'd actually watch it again but I'd still have to look away, obvs
Laura, thanks for your input - it’s genuinely interesting to hear it from a front line angle as it were. Hope you’re feeling as well as possible x
YES exactly Hannah, this is what I should have said in the first place! And Laura, I can totally see that re stage four and misconceptions about it. When I was looking at the posters of it for the pic I wondered if it was those that made us assume it was a romcom because they're all v romcom-esque...
Was it love in a cold climate or the pursuit of love?
Sophia! I love, love love your columns. I'm excited as my birthday is on Tuesday which coincides with OASideways day so already planning a nice coffee/cinnamon bun scenario. I normally live in Marseille but am back in West Norwood rerenting my flat out. I've become a bit obsessed with Dennis and have had to restrain myself from trying to see him up in CP park. But apologies in advance if I do bump into you and greet you as my long lost friends 🤣. Also I would love if you could do a piece about dog ownership at some point, I'm 48 (49 Tues🤣) and would really love a dog but scared of lifestyle change etc. does he come with you to have an apero/date etc? Need to try and picture how it could work. Thanks for bringing such cheer. Your new BF in West Norwood X
But… how do you deal with all the lotions and potions?!? I spent 4 months travelling with just a backpack and wore the same thing day after day, but what about my very expensive skin cream , my scalp sensitive shampoo, special suncream and all the rest.
Honestly, that bloody 100ml rule is a nightmare
I flew Vueling in mid December from Barcelona to La Coruna (Galicia) to see Rod Stewart perform at the Coliseum there. I was intrigued by the varying dimensions of fellow passengers cabin luggage.
May I recommend Anora if you haven’t seen it . Mikey Madison is mesmerising in it . Apparently she’s shy in real life . And “ A Real Pain “
I thought they were both billed as comedies but I wept quietly in the Everyman at both and thought about them for ages afterwards .
I have a friend who travels dometically with only a handbag but sends her gubbins ahead in flat rate US Postal Service priority mail boxes. When she comes to visit you get six boxes and then she arrives and has to figure out which box has the presents inside so she tears them all apart right in front of of the children. “Mommy, what’s a thong?”
Re we live in time
Omg I’m pushed into commenting immediately! I loathed that film - and all its praise . Pushed into sentimentality and pans shining and no blotchy faces . I shifted in my seat til the end. Your comments so apt x