I LOVE the Gods of the Gram...

Ah Instagram. There really is something for everyone. It's algorithmic - you KNOW this, right? - so it shows you pictures and reels based on your previous viewing. I get a lot of recipes. Food porn is real and I'm all over it. Then there's interior design porn. I follow a few accounts detailing stunning home renovations from start to finish. And then there's the regular influx of skincare and underwear. Clearly Insta thinks I'm like a seven year old boy, forever Googling bras.

See the full reel from 
@swissglory here.

But recently I've discovered a whole other vibe. Another porn kink, if you will. Somehow, somewhere, the Gods of the Gram have started sending me Swiss Travel Porn. I know, it's an actual thing! Accounts like @swissglory are forever spamming my feed and it's magical. So far there're lots of snowy scenes, trains travelling through the Alps, or Christmas lights in mountainous villages. I've no idea why I've suddenly been blessed this way but I'm loving it. Of course, there's been one major consequence from all the loveliness. I'm spending my sleepless nights planning Swiss train journeys and Christmas mini-breaks. I'm so easily influenced it's dangerous.

Writing News

I've seen two suggestions for the front cover of Leeza 2. Wooohoooo! They're both fab and it's taken me a few days to decide, but decide I have. Watch this space.

Fellow Travelers

Culture

I've been devouring box sets recently. Last week I mentioned I'd rewatched Reacher on Amazon Prime. I also boxed off Lupin on Netflix - the tale of a good-guy thief whose crimes are based on Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of the classic novels. This week I've started a couple of new series. Frustratingly, they're only dropping one episode a week. Lessons in Chemistry is on Apple TV. I read the book a couple of weeks ago and happily, the TV show is doing it justice. You want an exceptional female scientist battling 1960s patriarchal academia? It'll be right up your street! The second new series is Fellow Travelers on Paramount +. A dual timeline switching between 1950s and 1980 America. We follow two gay men, working in Washington, having to hide their sexuality amidst the political upheavals of the time. The script's a bit clunky but the unabashed commitment to depicting graphic sex scenes that truly develop the characters, is admirable. Read more about it here. 

Pasta al ragu
from @fitgreenmind

Food and Drink

I mentioned Insta up top and my regular feed of recipes. My favourite account is one called @fitgreenmind where Maya regularly shares her vegan recipes. The thing is, they're really good. I'm not a vegan but I buzz off the creativity of veganism. This recipe for ragu is next on my list. It looks spectacular and yet the ingredient list does not. Veganism: It's proper alchemy.

Out and About

On Friday I spent the day in Warwick. The thing is, if you buy your niece vouchers for her birthday, you should probably be there to take her shopping. On top of that, I also watched her have a swimming lesson. I was definitely a Full Service Aunt that day.

Have a lovely week, folks.