Simply A Few Of My Favourite Things … In 2022
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favourite things….¹
I was first mesmerised by seeing The Sound of Music on a huge screen in the Strand Cinema² in Belfast when it was re-released at some point in the late 1970s³. As a child, I played the LP to death, mangled videos of it, acted out all the parts and eventually in 2019, achieved my bucket list dream of doing the ‘Original Sound of Music’ tour in Salzburg. I loved the kitschness. My children were less thrilled by a lady dressed in full traditional Austrian goatherd costume singing whilst waving a toy goat in their faces. And so, I really wanted to put my 2022 favourite things to this familiar tune but seeing as I have no lyrical ability and couldn’t get the words to fit neatly, I’m making do with a list instead. There is absolutely no order to this list. I simply trawled through my memories of this year, a year which in many ways has been all about loss, but that is for another day. May some of these encourage, inspire and enthuse you and even possibly give you something to fill the hours during those lazy Twixmas (that limbo period between Christmas and New Year) days. I should also say that I am not affiliated to nor being sponsored by anything below… although S.D. Bells, happy to do some Instagram influencing for you in exchange for sandwiches. N.B. You can find all the links you might need in the footnotes.
1. The White Lotus (Season 2)
I don’t want to give away any spoilers but I am still quite devastated by the final fifteen minutes of ‘Arrivederci’, the season finale. Fundamentally, every character in this series is steeped in self-loathing and seeking comfort in all the wrong places but I will forever love Tanya for not removing her high heels and for saying “I can do this” as she stepped off that boat. It may have slightly broke me but it is my television highlight of 2022.
2. First Aid Kit singing Out Of My Head on Later with Jools Holland⁴
This is my song of 2022. Someone described First Aid Kit’s music as a ‘warm fire during a cold night’. There’s just something about watching talented women perform.
3. Steam Rooms
Once I get over the fear of accidentally sitting down on top of someone else when my visibility is impaired by steam, I start to relax, inhale deeply and appreciate the benefits. I have no idea what the benefits are. I just feel better when I come out. I recommend going at least once a week.
4. Ann Patchett - What Now?
Ann Patchett is one of my top authors but for some reason, I hadn’t got round to reading this until this year. It’s only available in hard cover and is basically the publication of a commencement address she gave to graduating students at the college she attended. For me, this year was all about trying to answer that question - What now? And so, I found it helpful to read someone else’s wisdom about what to do when you come to a crossroads in life.
5. S.D. Bell & Co. Sandwiches
In East Belfast, S.D. Bell’s as it’s known, is a bit of an institution. It also has a bit of a reputation for attracting an ‘older crowd’ (sourdough and avocado is not on the menu) but, if you want a hearty sandwich (complete with side salad and oodles of proper coleslaw) that will do you for both lunch and dinner plus a decent cup of tea via a teapot that doesn’t dribble, it’s the place to go. You’ll have change from a tenner but you’ll want to leave it as a tip because the service will be so good.
6. Reia
Using Reia⁵ products is my best attempt at being more sustainable. Once you buy the glass bottle, you can then subscribe to get refill pouches of ‘body wash’ delivered every two to three months. My favourite part is popping the empty pouches back into the post box. I feel so virtuous.
7. Emma Thompson Writing in The Guardian
Sometimes, there are pieces I wish I had written and this is one of them⁶. Not only is Emma Thompson an Oscar-winning actress, she can also write beautifully. Life isn’t always fair when it comes to distribution of gifts. I have read this over and over again to try to understand exactly why it moves me so much but I think it’s the observations about how roles shift, how quickly the daughter becomes the mother. It’s about three generations of women living in one house, their contrasting bodies and how ‘wordlessly, they recalibrate each other’. It’s also the perfect length.
8. St. Dunstan in the East
If you ever happen to be in the City of London and have a free half-hour, these ruins, bombed during the War in 1941 are well worth a visit. Apparently, they are also a popular Instagram spot.
9. Dirty Martinis
I don’t have one every night and I guess that’s what makes them special. What is in a Dirty Martini, you may ask? The answer is olive brine along with the gin and vermouth. However, the most delicious Dirty Martinis I’ve ever tasted are available in Broker, Belfast⁷ and involve pickle juice…
10. Cauliflower Cheese
When I looked back through my camera roll for 2022, I was slightly surprised to find so many photos of cauliflower cheese - bubbling under the grill, resting on the worktop, owning the dinner table. If you ever want to get into my good books, you only have to mention cauliflower cheese. My husband is very clued in to this… see number 19.
11. Top Gun: Maverick
I have written a whole piece⁸ on this so rather than labour on it, let’s just say that Top Gun: Maverick totally exceeded all my expectations and I’ll probably never experience another cinematic moment like it again in my lifetime. But its legacy lives on - every time I take a flight, I play the Main Titles as we head along the runway and try to ensure that it reaches the crescendo at 1:16 just as the plane lifts off. Yes, I am slightly unusual and this does require a bit of aeronautical expertise in terms of timings.
12. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
This is my book of 2022 and I’ve written about it too⁹. I’ve read 92 books and counting this year so Amor Towles, you should feel incredibly proud of yourself.
13. Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy
This is still available to watch on BBC iPlayer. It was my Sunday evening comfort blanket for a while. Watching Stanley prepare mussels, fix his dishwasher or generally potter about his kitchen on Instagram is incredibly soothing. He has also inspired me to try to eat my way round Italy next summer. Unfortunately, CNN have cancelled the programme so there is no Season 3 planned as of yet…
14. Japanese Maple
Here is a photo of the Japanese maple in my garden. End.
15. Pilates (but only the Reformer)
I was sceptical about Pilates but decided I would try anything when a combination of tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis was driving me up the walls. I am still ambivalent about exercise which involves just carrying in a mat and a head cushion but I am a huge fan of the reformer. When the jumping board is brought out, I’m like a child again. It’s trampolining for adults with creaky knees and bad backs. I highly recommend.
16. The Sagrada Familia
I have been exceptionally fortunate to have travelled quite a bit this year. I’ve squeezed in the Eiffel Tower, Berlin Wall, Alhambra, Mezquita (excuse the name-dropping) but the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona took my breath away. The scale is unimaginable unless you are standing looking up at it, the detail is astounding and I have been struck by how important it is to have the message of the Gospel shared outside the building rather than expect people to come in.
17. Chief Inspector Gamache
As a crime fiction aficionado, I am always looking for new authors. Having devoured everything written by everybody I knew and feeling a little bereft, I was kind of delighted to discover Louise Penny’s Chief Inspector Gamache series set in Quebec and the eighteen titles I can work my way through. There’s also a recently released Amazon series Three Pines starring Alfred Molina. Watch it for the short but stunning rendition of I Believe In Father Christmas early in the first episode.
18. Living
If Bill Nighy doesn’t win a Golden Globe or an Academy Award for this film, I will be incredibly upset. Please watch the trailer¹⁰. It is a beauty in itself and tells you all you need to know about life.
19. My husband
I’m sticking this in here mainly to see if he’ll read this and discover he’s number 19.
20. Dr Hauschka Spruce Warming Bath Essence
This one might be more for the ladies but the smell of this transports me instantly to a forest full of evergreens in Norway.
21. Poems on the Underground - Love after Love
I spotted this poem on the wall of an underground station in London. It’s stayed with me. Remember to ‘feast on your life’.
22. A Pilgrimage to Home - A Week of Alice and The Queen¹¹
Ok, this is my own writing so maybe I’m cheating just a little. Often, I struggle to re-read what I’ve written but I’ve made myself re-read this one and I’m proud of it. I wrote it exactly as I felt it and each time I read it, I re-live it.
And so, that’s it, my 22 favourite things in 2022. Hope you enjoyed!
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[1] ‘My Favourite Things’ from The Sound of Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G6dd7ikrXs
[2] https://www.strandartscentre.com
[3] I just wanted to point out I wasn’t about when it was first released in 1965.
[4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDx2AfAbHgQ
[7] https://www.brokerbelfast.com/cocktails
[8] https://medium.com/@dj-sloan/id-rather-be-a-maverick-my-thoughts-on-top-gun-maverick-89fafb7c8390
[9] https://medium.com/@dj-sloan/my-restless-spirit-and-peripatetic-church-6ad843735faf
[10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2L8CP31-14
[11] https://medium.com/@dj-sloan/a-pilgrimage-to-home-a-week-of-alice-and-the-queen-55ad8433d119
