Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin. I’m a huge thriller fan and this will keep you on the edge of your seat. By the same author as the super successful Black Eyed Susans, Heaberlin tells the story of Vivvy, a scientist and reluctant psychic who is recruited to find a missing three-year-old in Texas. Of course, there’s conflict with the handsome burly detective Jesse Sharpe who is a huge cynic. It’s a compelling mystery with an unforgettable cast of characters.
During the mid-term break I travelled to Efteling in Amsterdam, the Dutch answer to EuroDisney. This theme park isn’t just refreshingly affordable, but a wonderful adventure for the entire family. From stomach-churning rollercoasters to gorgeous fairy tale-themed carousels for all ages, fountain light shows and delicious food offerings, this is a hidden gem of a weekend away, just an hour from Amsterdam.
& Other Stories was the answer to my What To Wear To A Family Communion Problem this week. I snapped up this puff sleeve midi dress in pink floral a few days ago. While I usually rent my occasion wear, I couldn’t resist this summer indulgence.
JYSK Ireland has some gorgeous homewares at the moment, but the glassware is what captured my attention last weekend. I picked up these gorgeous tealights for just a euro each. And these stoneware coffee mugs are a steal at just €3.50 a pop.
Married at First Sight Australia. Escapist TV at its finest. If there’s a group of consenting adults making poor decisions in the hope of love (or a brand deal), I’m in! And as good as the UK version is, the Aussies just do it better.
Christan Hull on the Ultimate World Cruise. The nine-month-long cruise that has captivated TikTok is currently on its Asian leg and influencer/comedian Christan Hull has joined in on the fun. Since he has stepped on board he has given us all the inside scoop between his hilarious daily podcasts, TikToks, and Instagram updates. I’m hooked!
Beyonce’s country music. “We headin’ to the dive bar we always thought was nice”. You can’t tell me it isn’t stuck in your head either. Beyoncé’s country album ‘act ii COWBOY CARTÉR’ will be released tomorrow and if ‘Texas Hold ’em’ and ’16 Cowboys’ are anything to go by, I’ll have it on repeat for the foreseeable.
The Stretch. Sunset at 7pm. Glorious.
The Gentlemen on Netflix. It’s got great style, implausible and fun plotlines, and moves along at a cracking pace so I’ve been enjoying The Gentlemen on Netflix. Theo James plays a soldier who’s also landed gentry – he inherits his father’s country estate which features a cannabis empire. Then his life is complicated by family oddballs and members of the criminal underworld. It’s directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Vinnie Jones, Joely Richardson, and Giancarlo Esposito. There are murders, betrayals, blackmail and revenge — but it’s all done with a light touch so it meets the ‘escapism’ criteria!
And in the real world I’m trying to put a positive spin on the ‘will it turn into spring or won’t it’ that’s happening with the weather at the moment. The daffs are well out and the forsythia and magnolia blossoms are looking great and there are plenty wisteria buds getting fat right now, but then it… snows. Things are still a bit scruffy as the ground is so wet but those intermittent patches of sunshine are just lovely. Easter will surely be the real ‘turning point’ now…
I’m practically giddy every morning as I check on the progress of 60 or 70 sweet pea seeds that are currently growing on my kitchen window. The last time I remember growing seeds was certainly in primary school, and three decades later I’m as curious as a Junior Infant to see them shooting up. If they bring me this much joy now, I can’t wait to see them when their flowers bloom in the summer.
My air fryer has to be the most used thing in my kitchen and I keep going back to a recipe from TikTok that would make many an Irish mammy shudder in fear: air fryer roast ham. I’ve been making this honey mustard glazed ham for months now and it’s so easy. I buy one of the smaller hams in the supermarket (under 1k), score the top with a knife, wrap it in tin foil and air fry for 40 minutes at 180 degrees. While it is cooking, mix 70g of honey, two tbsp of brown sugar and two tbsp of mustard. After 40 minutes, remove the ham from the foil and add the glaze. Air fry for a further 20 minutes at 180 degrees. The glaze can be runny so I normally let the ham ‘sit’ on the tin foil for this second air frying so I have less of a mess to clean. It is so tasty and you’ll want to eat the whole thing by yourself.
I’m very smug this weather because I’ve been easily hitting my 10,000 step target daily in all weather. Yes, I caved and after seeing them all over Instagram and TikTok after Christmas I bought myself a walking pad (in pink, because why not embrace my inner Barbie?). I’m writing a feature for Feelgood on the whole experience which you can read soon, but let me tell you, my new favourite form of ‘cosy cardio’ is such a treat. Light a scented candle, stick on a rom-com, and you don’t even notice the step count going up.
DIY is certainly a stretch to describe this, but I’ve completely changed the way the window in my landing looks thanks to a roll of window film I picked up for under a tenner from Amazon and I’m telling anyone who will listen. The window in question is at the top of my stairs and visible from the front door, so adding a stained-glass effect to the glass has totally changed the lighting and look of the entryway. It was super simple to measure and cut to size and it’s an affordable way to elevate any room.
First the pink treadmill and now a pink jumpsuit. I got a mad notion to get a jumpsuit in another colour – my denim one is years old (Thanks Hun, Penneys c2017) and still going strong. I realised lately that because I can dress it up and down it has paid for itself over and over and over in the years since it was bought. So obviously one in a fun colour will fit naturally into my wardrobe. I picked up this one from the petite range in Next and it is so cosy and fun, even if I feel like an extra from the Barbie movie while wearing it.
My tired eyes weren’t getting so much night-time reading done as I’d have liked, so I finally signed up for a month’s trial with an audiobook service. It’s definitely here to stay. I’m currently on the first Alan Partridge memoir – I, Partridge: We Need to Talk About Alan – which is all the better for being read by Steve Coogan himself. So many LOL moments. On the new book front, I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of the upcoming Kevin Barry novel, The Heart in Winter. Due out in June, I won’t say much other than it’s set in Butte, Montana, and is hugely enjoyable.
I’d resolved to see all ten films on the expanded Best Picture list at the Academy Awards by the time Oscars night came around, but only got to eight of them. In fairness, it was a decent year for films, with my hypothetical votes going to Oppenheimer, The Zone of Interest, and Poor Things. And I’d still maintain that All Of Us Strangers should have been on the list.
Gilles Peterson on BBC 6 Music is my weekly go-to, and his ‘joining the dots’ approach ensures an eclectic mix every week, much of which I’ll never have heard of. We’ve also been treated to two fine music documentaries in the past few weeks: Microdisney on BBC Four; and Record On: The Specials – A Message to You, on Sky Arts. Both are well worth catching. And for the many Justin Timberlake doubters out there – check out the recent contribution he made to the Tiny Desk series. Great vibe, brilliant band… such a pity his upcoming tour doesn’t include an Irish date.
Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I’ve just started reading it and I’m loving it. I had gone through a phase of only reading happy, fun, light, comedic stuff – but it’s time to balance all that out with a chunk of a crime thriller. It’s set in a creepy Swedish forest where the townfolks are hiding a dark secret, I can’t wait to get my teeth into it!
I bought a tub of Sudocrem recently for one of the kid’s grazes and am rediscovering how versatile it is! From the teenager’s blemishes to a torn cuticle to the one hundred cuts the youngest manages to get, it’s getting used every day. I tried it on a flare up of my rosacea over night and I really think it’s made a difference.
How I Built This with Guy Raz on NPR. This seems to be, weirdly, the podcast that everyone will listen to on journeys in the car. Guy Raz has this cool interview technique, he gets some of the world’s top entrepreneurs to share their back story, and really gets them to open up. The kids don’t realise I’m secretly trying to teach them about resilience because there’s not one person on there that it all worked out for the first time around. It’s a sneaky way to focus on creativity, thinking outside the box and that everyone – even the massive success stories – have challenges. We loved hearing how AirBnB developed, Richard Branson’s story, and Yvon Chouinard the rockclimber who founded Patagonia. When we finally got to eat at Five Guys on holidays, it made it all the more interesting that we knew the back story. Milkshakes weren’t great though.
The Custard Style Live yogurt from Irish Yogurts Clonakilty is eaten faster than I can keep it stocked – I have to hide one at the back of the fridge for myself, away from the savages. It’s a family-run business producing a variety of live yogurts, crème fraîche and kefir, and they mark 30 years in business this year. The custard one is only gorgeous. Stocked in all the usual supermarkets. www.irish-yogurts.ie
Less by Sean Andrew Greer. A friend suggested Less and it’s one of the funniest books I’ve read in years. It’s a dry, brilliantly observed story about a 50-year-old failed novelist’s search for love. Author Sean Andrew Greer is highly deserving of the Pulitzer prize it received.
Virtually ‘everything-free’ apple crumble.
Step one.
This goes down a treat for brunch or as a virtuous dessert. Ingredients: 150g ground almonds, 50g gluten-free porridge oats ( I bought in Aldi), 100g cold butter (diced), pinch mixed spice, four cooking apples. Cook the apples in a little water. Blitz the almonds, oats, spice and butter for a few seconds – I use the pulse button. Grease a small over-proof dish. Add cooked apples. Cover with crumble. Cook at 180C for 20 mins. Serve with plain yoghurt.
I recently enjoyed a long weekend in Berlin.
Sipping rhubarb cocktails in The Collins Bar in Dublin’s new Leinster Hotel.
Spinner dolphins leaping from the water in Mauritius. Here’s a clip:
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City – I’m a self-confessed reality TV superfan and even with a couple of the Bravo franchises under my belt, The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City has fast become a favourite. The added layer of the Mormon Church makes the lives of these ladies even more fascinating. It’s explosive, dramatic – and I couldn’t look away.
Who Replaced Avril Lavigne? Joanne McNally investigates. A conspiracy theory and Joanne McNally – what’s not to love? The only downfall to this BBC Sounds podcast is the fact that the episodes drop weekly. The comedian goes down some weird and wonderful rabbit holes and even heads to Canada for her investigation. If you have yet to listen, there are four episodes ready to be binged.
Emily Henry’s Book Lovers – After finishing Happy Place, I’ve just started on Emily Henry’s Book Lovers and have been quickly making my way through it. It’s the perfect book to help get out of a reading slump or if you just fancy some chick-lit.
The K18 leave-in molecular repair hair mask– This has single-handedly changed my hair routine forever. Anyone with long locks knows the pain of tangles and endless brushing but with a couple of pumps post-shower, managing my mane has become so much easier.
The Marina, Cork City. Now that the sun is around for a little bit longer in the evenings, I’ve been loving evening walks down by the Marina. There are always adorable dogs to admire, and the new and improved Cortado is open until 6pm if you fancy an after-work coffee or treat.
Execute Exist – National Heritage Site T-Shirt. If, like your writer, you’re beginning to fall under the remit of ‘historic significance’, you could do worse than leaning into it with Limerick designers Execute Exist’s Newgrange-inspired tee. Perfect for informing the public of your value to national cultural life. Screenprinted to order.
Birds of Ireland by Jim Wilson and Mark Carmody. For those of us coming into a real appreciation of nature amid its fragility in the face of climate change, Ireland-specific references on flora and fauna are, and will be, ever-more essential. Behold, then, a new edition of a field guide full to the brim of Ireland’s native birdlife, written in conjunction with Birdwatch Ireland, in a compact form perfect for keeping in your bag while on walks or hikes.
Mohammad Syfkhan – I Am Kurdish (Album). Eagle-eyed gig-goers will have seen Leitrim-based Mohammad Syfkhan on stage, opening Lankum’s big Cork Opera House gig late last year, or heard of collaborations with the likes of Cormac Begley – but the Syrian bouzouki player and surgical nurse’s personal story runs deeper, from fleeing Isis after the death of one of his sons in 2011, to ending up in Direct Provision, and finding unlikely musical community in the region’s musical underground. Debut solo album ‘ I Am Kurdish’, created with help from local players and released via Leitrim’s Nyahh Records, takes the joyful, uplifting vibe of his music, drawn from North African and Middle Eastern music, and casts it as music for get-togethers, mixed with sound-systems in mind.
Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy. Earlier this month, I was delighted to see Irish writers Anne Enright, Claire Kilroy and Megan Nolan all named on the Women’s Prize for Fiction longlist. Kilroy’s novel Soldier Sailor was the only one I’d yet to read, and it turned out to be my favourite of the lot. It’s hard to put into words how absorbing this was – and slightly terrifying for anyone who isn’t a mother but hopes one day to be. At 256 pages, it’s a short read, so you can easily consume it in a few hours over a weekend. Just be prepared to stare at the ceiling and process for a few hours afterwards…
F45 Challenge. My mother set up a parkrun in the small town I originate from in Roscommon, so it’s really quite embarrassing that it took me this long to really get the link between community and enjoying exercise. Earlier this year, the team at F45 reached out to ask me if I’d be interested in taking part in a 45 Day Challenge at my local branch on Amiens Street in Dublin. The idea of doing 3 – 5 exercise classes a week (which they recommend) and a diet programme at the same time sounded like my idea of hell, but I decided I’d give it a shot in my own way with a goal of just trying to do 3 – 5 days of movement per week, including at least two classes in the studio. My bigger goal, really, was that 45 days of this might lead to exercise becoming less of an “if I’ve time after work and don’t have other plans” situation and more of a non-negotiable. I am writing a piece for Weekend soon about the experience, and have my InBody scan tomorrow to see how my body has changed over the last few weeks, but I’ve found I am less worried about what the scale says. I already know the mental change that’s happened, and one of my biggest takeaways is I need a community to keep me going… or planking as the case may be.
Wella Professionals Care Color Fresh Semi-Permanent Colour Mask. Since dying my hair copper last summer, I’ve discovered just how quickly roots grow out and colour fades… especially with all that extra showering as a result of the aforementioned fitness challenge. The best, most cost-effective product I’ve found so far is the Wella Professionals Care Color Fresh Semi-Permanent Colour Mask in Copper Glow. Its RRP is €18.50 but I’ve always managed to score it for less with a discount code or quick google for where it’s on sale at the moment.
Things Fell Apart. I’m late to the party but Jon Ronson’s series two of Things Fell Apart has never felt to timely. Focused on culture wars, and covid conspiracies, I listened as social media was in Kate Middleton overdrive.
The Chain by Chimene Suleyman. Chimene Suleyman’s page-turning memoir opens as she is on her way to an abortion clinic in Queens, New York with her boyfriend. It was the last day they would spend together. In an extraordinary sequence of events, Chimene was to discover that she wasn’t the only one to have an abortion after a relationship with this man. Suleyman’s writing is brutally honest, and break taking for it.
We’ve been checking out the family movies at the Marina Market lately. Just four euro a ticket and you can enjoy classics like Moana and Finding Dory on cosy couches. This bank holiday weekend, we’ll also be checking out Fota House’s easter egg hunt. Always a winner.
