Whew! What a week. I don’t know about you, but I need nearly constant comfort these days. For my birthday (which was Wednesday), Patrick whisked me away to Santa Catalina island, where we’re now holed up in a cute little hotel that feels far distant from the world’s insanity. Yes, I am a ridiculously lucky woman. We’ll head back to reality on Sunday. But even if you’re still in the thick of it all, I’ve gathered some things that might help you through.
1) I recently wrote about the delights of château shopping, and it was fun when the article went a little bit viral. This week, in search of some zen, I turned to our Roku for some reruns of Escape to the Continent. Oddly, I didn’t find it, but the universe had something even better in store: a Channel 4 series called Escape to the Château!
It’s a reality show telling the story of charming and innovative Angel and Dick Strawbridge, who bought a derelict castle in the Loire Valley in 2016 and have been painstakingly renovating it ever since. Oh, the respite that a 42-minute episode of vicarious living offers. Check out their website for even more fun.
2) I love old churches, even the way they smell—a combination of stone, old books, and incense—literally heaven on earth. Virtually every world religion uses incense in its ceremonies. In Judaism and Christianity, the smoke of incense represents prayers ascending to God, as recorded in Psalm 141 and Revelation 5:8 and 8:3.
It turns out that church incense is different from the stuff in new age shops. I recently ordered some from Orthodox Incense along with some charcoal discs and a small burner. They offer many intriguing fragrances, but I (predictably) bought the “Old Church.” They sent me a free sample of “Cassia,” as well, though! Fr. Seraphim and his family run a lovely company and share some of their profit with Orthodox monasteries around the world.
Now I can light some incense, put on some motets by Josquin or Palestrina or Tallis, close my eyes, and imagine I’m in Chartres or Siena or Bath.
3) Our 12-year-old daughter, Anne, was recently interviewed by a brand-new podcast called Catch Up Crew! The podcast is aimed at families with children and is designed to deliver news and current events in a non-partisan and age-appropriate way.
The series was developed by a former school psychologist and music teacher, and I love the way that it treats children with respect and the serious attention they deserve. It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Even if you don’t have school-age kids, you’ll enjoy getting your news in a digestible and manageable format.
4) I grew up drinking peppermint and chamomile herbal teas, but my mother-in-law, who’s from Francophone Switzerland, introduced me to lemon verbena infusions when I first met her decades ago. It immediately became my favorite tisane by far. Lemon verbena is a tender perennial, and I grow it successfully in our Southern California yard, but it’s readily available in packages, too. In France, I love Les 2 Marmottes, but in the states, Garden of the Andes is your best bet.
5) This week’s musical offering comes to you from the French group Roseaux, featuring the perennially soothing Cameroonian singer Blick Bassy and the smoothest jazz flute I’ve heard in a long time. Put on your favorite caftan and groove along; you’ll feel better almost immediately!
That’s it for this week! Enjoy your weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday.