Things Worth Knowing

In partnership with Universal Pictures UK which allows this post to be free to all There are some things in life that you should always share with others. Personally I think every adult should press a copy of The Outsiders into a young person’s hands. Or leave Frank O’Hara’s poem, For Grace, After A Party on the night table for a lover. But when it comes to women- friends, sisters, colleagues, mothers, nothing beats Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility.

Writing- and getting distracted from writing, everywhere and anywhere. It is 5 am. Even the birds have not yet stirred. I quietly slip out of bed, step over the gently snoring dogs and tip toe downstairs. My routine is always the same: a glass of water, a cup of tea, light a candle, open the door and take in the cold air of the garden. Then prepare to write. I write in my pyjamas with sleep in my eyes. Sometimes on the sofa, sometimes at a desk.

Autumn details I've had on my Pinterest board for years According to the Law of Sod, you will be ready to start investing in cashmere jumpers and a good sturdy coat at the exact moment they have all sold out. This is not an exaggeration. How many times have you felt a nip in the air only to scurry to the Cos website to discover they’ve sold out off black polo necks in your size weeks ago. Who bought them? Who exactly started thinking about leather boots and knitwear in the heat of summer?

The first time I went to Monks House it was a feeble morning in March. Rain-soaked hellebores trembled in the wind, whilst the car park remained empty except for the lone car of the young guide. ‘Welcome to Monks House, the home of Virginia and Leonard Wolff!’ she exclaimed, as I walked in. ‘You have it all to yourself this morning.’ That had always been the intention: to head out on weekday morning at the start of the season to see one of my heroine’s homes.

Me and my wonderful niece in the south of France When my nephew was 4 years old I agreed to babysit him. This was the first time either of us had spent any great length of time together, since I had moved to the other side of the world before he had even learned to speak. This meant he knew little about me other than I was a woman who looked vaguely like his mother and with whom he was forced to spend the next two weeks of his life.

At the beginning of the year I decided that 2026 was going to be my year of rest, relaxation and gardens. The first two are a bit of a struggle truth be told but the last one is going rather well. I will, of course, do a big round-up for you all at the end of the year. A garden is actually how I ended up in Bath last month. Caisson Gardens, to be precise, which is a slightly under the radar garden lovingly built over the last decade by a local husband and wife.

My teeny little study where most of the hard work happens- as well as on trains, airport lounges-basically anywhere where I can grab the time When I was younger and less cynical about the world I believed that anyone could write a book. If you had experience, an interesting point of view and enough patience to sit down and do the thing, then you could get a book published. Of course, you and I both know this is not true.

This week’s newsletter is once again sponsored by Dove whose fabulous new range, Dove Whole Body Deodorant you can find here. That means this week’s newsletter is able to be free to everyone. (FYI- It’s a long one so if you’re reading this in email make sure to press ‘enable full email’ in case Gmail shortens it.) A quick, uplifting dispatch from holiday. Swimsuit is Eres Asia panelled swimsuit and it’s the absolute best. Cap is old Sezanne.

Firstly, how are you all shaping up in this heat? I am on the road in the south of France, about to meet my husband and two (very hot) dogs in Provence. I have three pairs of shoes with me in my suitcase, only one of which I can actually fit into. BUT I have just bought some very very good trousers from American Vintage that are basically like wearing a giant, very stylish balloon because when you walk they sort of lift around your entire body.

This week’s post is free thanks to Dove and the new Dove Whole Body Deodorant Range which you can find here. I get asked about my career a lot. Which is funny because it’s not what I chose to write about here. But it is true that I have had a lucky run when it comes to jobs, having run glossy magazines for many years and now running Substack’s International side of the business. That said, it’s not been without its mess-ups, twists, turns and downright failures.