Some things that made me smile in… February

Including a trip down memory lane, new local finds and contemplating beauty

‘Humanea. Work in progress’ by Brazilian artist Angelica Dass on display at The Cult of Beauty exhibition in London. Here she has matched pixels from the nose of each subject to a Pantone colour that forms the background to show the absurdity of racism. This is an ongoing photographic project demonstrating how race and identity cannot be determined by skin colour alone.

If you’re a regular here, welcome back! If you’re new, this is my round up of some of the things that have made me smile over the past month. Please feel free to share in the comments anything that’s brought you joy too, whether big or small! Are you currently a free subscriber but would like to upgrade? You can do that here.

I hope February has treated you well. For me, it’s been quite a low-key few weeks (I wrote about why February has felt heavy here), so I have a low-key ‘Some things’ to offer you this month. 

Market Row, Granville Arcade, Electric Avenue… Brixton holds many memories for me. I grew up in South West London and have never lived anywhere else. My first experiences of Brixton were accompanying my Mum on regular food shopping trips in my role as assistant bag carrier while Mum picked out the best sweet potatoes, plantains, chow chow, bits of yam and more from the stalls for us to take home.

Being around for this long means I’ve witnessed the changes to the area over the last 40 years, notably the gentrification. Some changes have been for the good, others less so. But I’m happy that the spirit of the Brixton I grew up with hasn’t vanished completely. Here’s a couple of recent happy discoveries in the area:

Shimirose – vegan, natural, cruelty-free skincare

This Shimirose Shea Butter lip balm goes everywhere with me at the moment

I first heard of Shimirose via an Instagram post late last year and had been meaning to visit the shop in Brixton to check out the gorgeous looking products in-person. Then one day, during a post-yoga class coffee catch-up with Rebecca from Yoga Point she mentioned a lovely store around the corner that she wanted to tell me about – it was Shimirose!  So, we went straight round there and it didn’t disappoint. After perusing the beautiful range of shea butter products and soaps I treated myself to a rose shea butter lip balm (pictured above). Unfortunately, the founder Akua wasn’t there at the time we popped by, but I’ll hopefully meet her when I return.

If you’re in ever Brixton pay Shimirose a visit. Not able to get there in-person? You can shop Shimirose online here.

Find Shimirose at 32 Granville Arcade, Coldharbour Lane, Brixton Village, London SW9 8PS

Join me at Yoga Point in Brixton on Wednesday mornings for Hatha Flow 9.30-10.30am and on Saturday 13^th April for The Rest Sessions: A Rest + Calm Mini-Retreat 2.30-4.45pm

The Black Farmer Farmshop 

Pausing for coffee on the mezzanine floor at The Black Farmer Brixton Farmshop

You might have heard of The Black Farmer , Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones and be familiar with the brand, but did you know about The Black Farmer Farmshop in the heart of Brixton?

Newly opened at the end of 2023, the Brixton Farmshop stocks an array of quality food produce - as you’d expect - as well as items from a range of independent makers and small businesses. And if you’re in the market for some beautiful restored furniture for your home, I spotted that they’re a stockist of Jay & Co (founded by Jay Blades of The Repair Shop).

The shop’s mezzanine floor is a light, airy space to have a pause in your day or catch-up on a bit of work while enjoying coffee, cake or a snack from the deli counter downstairs. The décor and greenery help to create an added sense of calm.

Find The Black Farmer Farmshop at 25-27 Market Row, Brixton, London SW9 8LD

The Cult of Beauty

What is beauty and who defines it?

Via a selection of historical objects and contemporary art this exhibition at the Wellcome Collection explores ideas of beauty and its ideals across centuries and cultures.

I’ve always found any exhibitions I’ve visited at Wellcome insightful and thought provoking and The Cult of Beauty was no different. Would you say that our understanding of beauty is truly becoming more inclusive? Or are the mainstream standards too deeply engrained? To quote a snippet from the exhibition:

“The promotion of mainstream standards has cemented beauty as both cultural currency and commercial goldmine. This has had a huge influence on our relationship to our bodies and how we view one another. Increased availability of cosmetic applications and operations can be empowering and life changing. But it can also reinforce ablest ideas and sometimes cause physical and mental harm. With greater access to products and procedures both online and offline, how do we exercise our agency while prioritising our safety and wellbeing?”

Published to accompany this exhibition is Irish-Nigerian academic Emma Dabiri’s book, Disobedient Bodies. 

Speaking of books, if you do go along to this exhibition, there’s a great bookshop on the ground floor of Wellcome that you might want to check out too.

Find out more and access exhibition content online here.

The Cult of Beauty at The Wellcome Collection is free to visit and running until 28^th April 2024. (The Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. Nearest stations: Euston Square, Euston and Warren Street)   

Poems on the Underground

Poems on the Underground was launched in 1986. By placing poems on display on London Underground trains, the idea was to bring poetry to a wider audience.

Hearing the news this week that memorabilia and posters from Poems on the Underground have been donated to Cambridge University Library reminded me of one of my all-time favourite poems that I loved seeing appear as a Poem on the Underground: Saint Lucian poet and playwright, Derek Walcott’s Love after Love:

A lovely selection from the Poems on the Underground collection can be found here. 

Last but never least, this month’s kitchen dance track is more of a mini-concert courtesy of Usher and his Superbowl Half-Time Show (or as I heard it described, “An Usher concert with a football match around it.”).

One of the best concerts I’ve ever been to was Usher at Wembley years ago so I wasn’t remotely surprised that he knocked it out of the park! To quote a fellow Usher fan, comedian Judi Love, “This 45-year-old man went up there like he had 25-year-old knees!”

Respect, Usher. Respect.

Over to you:

• What’s made you smile this month?

• What’s your favourite poem(s)?

Let me know in the comments.