#24. anniversary edition: secret stationery, awarded coffee shop, semla season and more
february 2023 edition.
secret stationery + the awarded best new coffee shop + semla season + artsy workshops + the hottest installation exhibition + consistency + a letter about resolutions + indian cuisine
“È ora di ubriacarsi! Per non essere gli schiavi martirizzati del tempo, ubriacatevi sempre! Di vino, di poesia o di virtù, come vi pare.”
“Adventure in life is good; consistency in coffee even better.” - Justina Chen, North of Beautiful
WOW, this newsletter is marking its second anniversary!
I know she is two days late for the party, but it’s what happens with the best guests, isn’t it? In an era where we barely complete projects that we start on, it’s a celebration to stay resilient and consistent in keep doing at least one thing in our lives.
2023 started on the right foot: firstly, we had La Vita Bugiarda degli Adulti on Netflix, bringing another Elena Ferrante romance to a 1990s Naples, astonishing actors and Valeria Golino expressing her strong Neapolitan accent, together with a soundtrack mixing Massive Attack in the voice of Tracey Thorn, and the underground corner of one of Italy’s most underrated cities. It almost reminded the rebel spirit of other times.
Talking about Tracey Thorn, Everything But The Girl (EBTG) is also back after 20 years with the sticky hit “Nothing Left To Lose”. Living in the boundaries of Brazil years ago, I would never imagine being so close to them when recording a new album years later, as the couple also lives in North London, a reminder that a dream can go a long way.
I also don’t know if it was the January energy and the traditional renewal atmosphere associated with it or even the Lunar New Year, but I tried South-Indian cuisine twice in a row. If you know me a bit, Asian food is not my thing. I can also blame that I have next door one of the most talked about Indian restaurants in London right now. The Tamil Prince recently opened in one of my favourite corners of Barnsbury and offered me an intense experience with their tasty chicken lollipop and the nostalgic channa bhatur.
Anyway, if we need a sign that we are doing different things because it’s a new year, then January was definitely an excellent start to this new cycle. Remember I wrote about the boredom of the festive season? Maybe the universe also reads this newsletter. In exchange, it brought me a sense of adventure for January that reminded me that, as we expand inwards, the flow naturally expands outwards. I almost see the stars giggling at me, with all my anxiety and my difficult-to-admit-FOMO.
On top of everything, the year is starting without serious commitments apart from one to myself. Instead of being so attached to achieving a goal (it’s only February!), I decided to delete posts about new year's resolutions, celebrate everything I achieved in 2022 and harvest the fruits of my labour. Ironically, when letting go of control of the outcome, it seems that the plans for the year are naturally unfolding.
Instead of after work taking the dark and cold road to work out when my body wants to hibernate and eat carbs and be cosy in my blanket or have an Italian dinner and chat with a date, I extended the freeze in my gym. And when I’m back, I’ll keep prioritising the well-being that my body needs - and this might include not doing a traditional workout that you see on your Instagram feed of what you should be doing - and, instead, going to a dance class once in a while, and spend more time in the jacuzzi instead.
To help beat the winter blues, I’m constantly popping in at Jolene to have a morning cappuccino with semla buns as they are gracefully starting to serve them. Traditionally eaten leading up to and during Lent in Scandinavia, a semla is a Swedish luscious cream-filled cardamom bun dusted with powdered sugar. The fika ritual that I do not intend to share with anyone else.
I’m also being more generous with the deadlines I set for myself. I sometimes think I have high-functioning anxiety, so I usually deliver everything requested before any deadline. I’m always ahead of what is requested. This also means being very committed - read stressed - to send this newsletter on the first of each month. This time I couldn’t, and this doesn’t mean a failure, it just means that it will be slightly delayed, and I’m OK with that.
Reading what I’m writing, I realise that instead of focussing so much on the resolutions for the year ahead, I’m making daily choices that, in the end, are already resolutions themselves.
And if I learned something after reading three books in a 31 days period, it’s that when we let go and let God, it’s easy to know what to do next. For 2023, I’m using this mantra to set my boundaries and have that little extra faith in myself because the universe is unfolding exactly the way it needs, we sometimes forget that. And I’m here to remind you that.
I can’t wait to visit Lightroom, the new home for spectacular artist-led shows located in the developed area of King’s Cross. It’ll launch by bringing David Hockney: Bigger & Closer to the public, using large-scale projection and taking us on a personal journey through sixty years of his art.
I am lucky to have Cass Art next door, the UK’s most prominent art supply store. The highlight was discovering they also host events and workshops, ranging from drawing and painting Islamic geometric patterns to Indian folk art and the forest of honey.
Coffee shop alert: De Beauvoir Town welcomes Batch Baby, one of the city's coolest cafes in the East End. The industrial look will make you enthusiastic about finding a spot to open your laptop and spend your late morning with speciality coffee and good music. They were recently honoured by Sprudge an award for Best New Cafe (in the world!).
Evanescent is bringing enormous glistening bubbles to the famous Cheesegrater building in the City of London. The installation will be open to visitors free of charge every day between noon and 10 pm.
To prove I’m not biased, I’m bringing to this edition a place called Lulu’s in the SE24 zone. This shop and wine bar is a must-go when visiting Dulwich Village.
Sometimes we get so local that we forget that central London can be glorious. Choosing Keeping is a hidden stationery that is so precious that you might meet Harry Potter anytime.
As coffee is part of my daily life and joy, finding a new corner to go to is always a priority. Highbury has a new address when it comes to our favourite drink. Fantail uses Allpress beans and has a green and yellow design that seems an ode to Brazil, especially considering the amount of sunlight that dominates the place. It’s visible that Islingtoners are already being loyal to it.
Ando com tanta vontade de ir pra Londres e sua edição me deixou querendo mais!!! Ah, eu ando viciada na música nova do Everything But The Girl 😍