January is moving along and yesterday the wind was warm, almost promising the arrival of the Halcyon days; but alas, today the freezing feeling is back with a vengeance and the hope needs to be postponed. Sitting in the park yesterday with a freshly-taxed cup of coffee reminded me of the spring of the first lockdown, when walks were more or less the only entertainment possible and the neighbourhood parks had never been busier. Nostalgia born from the strangest epochs. Nevertheless, now it’s time to open this week’s Crate.

1. Occasionally art seeps into life through our everyday language and Jan Steen‘s paintings are a wonderful example of it. I figured it was just a piece of internet lore when I read that “a chaotic household, where everyone does just as he or she pleases, is still called a ‘Jan Steen household’ in Dutch”, but apparently the expression ‘een huishouden van Jan Steen‘ really does exist.

2. There was a time in 1970’s and 1980’s when… the former Yugoslavia was one of the most popular nudist destinations in the world.

3. Many musicians find their inspiration in nature, but David Rotherberg gets even more specific – his music is inspired by the sounds of bugs.

4. Just how probable is ‘probably’? At least in the U.S. it’s pretty likely.

5. This weeks’ book recommendation takes us to the occupied France during WW2 and plunges us right into the civilian spy network. And just to make it extra appetizing – although not a documentary, the book is based on a real story.

6. And to finish off for this week, a little introspective comic by False Knees.

And that’s it for this time. Happy reading and until next week!
_________________________________________________________

If you want to receive the Crate to your mailbox, you can subscribe here at Substack.