Kemi's Column

Originally published March 2021

Immediately I feel like I've got off on the wrong foot calling this 'Kemi's Column' - who in their right mind refers to themselves in the third person in their own blog?! It's long been a goal of mine to write a column for a glossy magazine, but lo and behold, one must actually write regularly for that to happen. So this is the first of (hopefully) a fairly regular column. Monthly? Perhaps, but I'm afraid of commitment - I can't even watch a film because it means committing two hours of my precious time otherwise spent scrolling on Instagram and Twitter. The beauty of a column, or certainly the ones I've read, are that they don't really have a particular point; they just seem to reflect the mood of now. Well, the mood of now seems to be trying to make the most of the last few days of summer, even though we've only had approximately 10 days of hot sun over the last few months in the UK. Aren't we lucky. I haven't quite made peace with the fact that autumn is stepping on our heels right now, so I'm simply begging summer to put in some overtime and extend until October, at least. The most prep I've made for autumn is buying a jacket. Not just any jacket either, a dupe of the highly-coveted $1000 Saks Potts fur trimmed coat. Obviously I bought a much, much cheaper PU leather version with faux fur, but I don't know if I can wear it, because it stinks of fish. Sure, I'll look very fashionable swishing down the street, but in my wake I will leave an odour of rotting haddock. These are the very real, and very tough decisions I'm battling with right now. Should it stay or should it go? And as life slowly clunks back into 'the new normal', or whatever the hell that is, COVID is not dominating all the headlines anymore - but it's effect is very much still around. The whispers of an October 'firebreak' lockdown are being shared on social media, while holiday prep is tinged with the panic of destinations turning to Red. Staycations in the UK have skyrocketed, and I don't think I've seen so many pictures of Margate on my Instagram feed. During these very few sunny days, I have felt very lucky to live by the beach - even if I've torn my foot to shreds on the stones. It's not quite Barbados, but it'll do.