la duquesa de alba

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Last night I found this on Netflix by chance and decided to give it a go. I don’t know as much about the Duquesa de Alba as my friend Fiona (who I found out is writing her first substack piece on the Duquesa – stay tuned) but she was certainly a vivid presence in Sevilla… I was going to say until her death ten years ago, but her memory lives on here. Anyhow, I really enjoyed this documentary which I think captured the essence of this complex and often controversial woman.

elixir (again)

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When Ralph Lauren discontinued the only scent I had ever loved (since my mid-20s) I found myself adrift in a world I don’t especially like and facing the dilemma of how the heck to choose a new signature scent for yourself (the RL had been a gift, a lucky fluke). I don’t like most perfumes, I hate walking through the perfume section at El Corte Inglés, it’s just not my world. But I loved Lauren, it felt like me, and I didn’t know if I’d ever find a replacement. Then years later I found myself back in Toronto for an extended stay (don’t ask, it wasn’t good) but I was staying with my lovely friend Carol and Clinique Elixir was her chosen scent. I remember I loved how it lingered when she passed through a room and so one day I tried it myself. SOLD. I’ve been using it ever since.

Anyhow, it’s not Chanel expensive or anything but ever since I discovered estuches (gift boxes) there was no going back to paying full price just for the eau de parfum when I could also get it much cheaper and with a couple of extras thrown in. So it became strategic buying, not just waiting until I was almost out. Which is what I did today. Because wtf, I’m worth it.

on writing (more)

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I think I read this book maybe 20 years ago and I remember at the time being quite inspired by it (though now I don’t recall anything specific about it). So now that I am writing more, and more often than not careening back and forth between acute impostor syndrome and looming deadline panic, I was thinking it could be a good time for a re-read. Except now of course I can’t find it anywhere in the house. I find it hard to believe it would have been included in The Great Cull before moving to the present Casa Azahar but if it doesn’t turn up soon I will get another copy. Turns out there is a new 25th anniversary edition, so might be worth updating anyhow. Of course then I will have to re-learn how to read…

the terminator tooth

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My god this tooth! Just before lockdown I’d had a filling replaced in a back lower molar and then two years later it fell out again. That last visit my (fabulous) dentist told me that if I lost the filling again I would either need to get a crown or an implant. Well, or get it pulled. So when it DID end up falling out again, I think that was maybe two years ago, I decided that as long as it wasn’t painful I would just live with half a molar. And for all that time it was mostly just a bit uncomfortable when food would get trapped in the larger space. Then a few days before I was about to leave for Aracena the tooth, and pretty much that whole side of my jaw, started hurting like a mofo. It was too late to book an appointment with my dentist so I left for my trip hoping for the best. When I got back I was still in pain so on Friday I found myself back in the chair. And somehow my guy managed to reconstruct the tooth yet again, so I just paid the price of a normal filling.

He also put on a mask when he saw me wearing mine, which I appreciated. I’ve been going to this guy for years. Now his son and daughter have joined the practice and I guess it won’t be long before he retires. But I really like and trust him and he is just a short walk from my house. Anyhow, I also made an appointment for a cleaning and a proper check up next month (long overdue) as this had been a last minute “emergency” appointment. Nice to feel taken care of.