My Favourite Things

Aren't you even a little bit curious ...?

Some exciting news first. Everyoneelseistaken is celebrating its FIRST YEAR anniversary on Substack this month!

Please accept my sincere gratitude for continuing to show support by showing up, reading and commenting.

Even though I am a freelance writer, I was sick with apprehension about starting a Substack (especially the idea of putting my work alongside some of the truly outstanding writers here) but thanks to some gentle nudging from the generous and talented Prue Batten over at

and some “yes, you can” technical encouragement provided by Ramona Grigg of

and

here I am! (Incredibly, I met both Prue and Ramona right here on Substack via the comment section!)

It’s all a bit astonishing.

Your comments and ❤️’s are so important to me and provide much needed reassurance that I am not typing away into the void after all.

I thank you all from my heart.

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Unless one is living underground (perhaps adding a few touches to that new bunker?) it’s been hard to avoid the relentless spew of disturbing world events lately. But after days of doom-scrolling and hesitant ‘are-you-still-awake’ enquiries at 3 am, I have finally realized, yet again, that aside from sending emails to politicians and demonstrating, I only have the power to think globally and act locally.

It is important – for all of us, I think – to stop squandering entire blocks of time fretting about the shadows of things that may not come to be, especially after we’ve done all that we can.

Reading the thoughts of fellow Substackers (many of whom have become familiar voices) has helped me immensely, as have the Notes which feature hopeful words or images. (I myself posted one of my Terrier recently and he is currently enjoying more re-stacks and likes than I have EVER earned!)

Here he is again, in case you missed:

As part of all this self-soothing, I found myself looking around my house and simply taking stock and being grateful. And yes, I know how tired, naïve and cringey that may sound but as Michael J. Fox has famously observed:

‘With gratitude, optimism is sustainable.’

You can’t have one without the other.

I am always intrigued to read about how other people live, how they spend their day and what they hold dear – especially if they are writers or just a wee bit eccentric. (Often one and the same …)

So without further ado - or apology - but still hoping you might feel the same way, here are just a very few of My Favourite Things.

When I worked in the Fine Arts section of a large public library, we had many ‘regulars:’ those who would visit daily, to either borrow books or just sit quietly at one of those large, heavy tables, perhaps enjoying the slanting sunshine that pooled there. Mr. Albert Templar, a local artist of some renown often visited in the morning and always touched his hat and smiled shyly as he passed by the reference desk. Always in tweed and a felt beret, Mr. Templar was a dapper cross between David Niven and Rex Harrison, the kind of true gentleman that is almost extinct today. I looked forward to his nod and the quiet gentleness he exuded.

One rainy evening I was walking home from work and as was my custom, I paused to look in the window of a local antique shop. The proprietor was adjusting a painting that I had admired a few times on my back and forth. He gave me a smile and a salute and on impulse, I decided to have a closer look. The opening door jingled with little bells and I left my umbrella by the door. “That painting,” I began, pointing. “May I ask the price?”

And the following is completely true.

“I’ll put a bit of a wrapper around this for you and you can take it with you, if you like. Be sure it’s right for your place. Then we can talk about the rest.”

I don’t know if it’s because I have an honest face or because he knew me by sight but he shrugged happily and hoisted it out from the window again.

He did not ask my name. He did not ask for a deposit. He did not request a contact number.

I was incredulous and thrilled.

When I unwrapped the painting at home, it was a bit dusty but otherwise – even more perfect, glowing against the wall.

As I was carefully wiping down the canvas, I gasped when I uncovered the name - Albert Templar!

I returned the next day to pay – heart pounding in case it was going to be too expensive – but the price was ridiculously affordable and the owner seemed genuinely pleased to be placing it with me.

I continue to love this painting and look at it daily.

I remember seeing one of these clocks for the first time when I was a child and I thought it was the pinnacle of elegance. Those googly eyes, that slim tail forever swishing in perfect unison. The idea that I could ever own such a clock myself was outrageous, especially since when I floated the idea to my parents a few times, I was told that it would break. It was also pointed out, despite my pleas that I “didn’t want THAT.”

But yes, I most certainly did.

Decades later, a friend gave me a plug-in version as a gift which did, in fact, stop working almost immediately. (How irritating that parents can intuitively KNOW such things!?) I waited years before deciding, relentless as I am, to search again for the clocks online. They were still available! This current battery-operated fellow has now been serving us well for over 15 years and I never tire of his cheerful, tacky, vintage-vibe.

Notice how the colours just happen to echo the painting above?

YES! Even the fruit is a sculpture!

About thirty years ago, I attended my first pottery show, perhaps to go with friends, I don’t recall. Interestingly, in my childhood home I was taught to disparage all things ceramic as clunky, hippie creations that were ‘a bit gobby’ particularly if (horror of horrors!) presented as a drinking vessel. So it’s strange that I would fall so hard for the Raku pottery that I saw there with rough yet silken contours, as well as anything that whispered Please-take-me-with-You as I held it in both hands.

I now look forward to these local, annual shows and treat myself to a noodle bowl or two when I attend. (Can one really have too many especially when the price is so reasonable?) I also enjoy the potters themselves whom I’ve found to be universally interesting people, always happy to speak about their passion and frequently very smiley!

This sculpture was created by the girlfriend of my eldest son quite a few years ago. They have long since parted but remain good friends. I was quite close to her myself and actually commissioned this piece – providing my own cups - after seeing a similar project she had made for the art college she attended. Jess was and is, a true beauty with creamy luminous skin and long hair that used to hang in a coil to her waist. I always maintained that she was like a creature from the sea, a sort of Pre-Raphaelite mermaid type. She would sometimes seek me out at the library after her mother passed away, wanting to talk and knowing that I had endured the same loss, also in my teens.

I think of her many times and always with affection.

Which of these things was YOUR favourite - and what are YOUR own favourite things these days? Share in the comments below!

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PLUS, the algorithms - as well as my spirits - will be lifted enormously and help others to find their way here.

Thank you always for your support, dear friends xo