Staying In

Watch The Abandons On Netflix

Gillian Anderson brought unexpected wit to her recent role as an alcoholic widow in Channel 4’s Troubles-era romance Trespasses. But it’s Lena Heady playing the repressed Irishwoman in Anderson’s latest series The Abandons, which landed on Netflix last week. Heady is the outcast and childless Fiona Nolan who adopts four orphaned and outcast children, while Anderson is her fierce rival, the wealthy and privileged Constance Van Ness. A 19th century Western set in the Washington Territory, expect passion, betrayal and survival backdropped by this barren landscape on the fringes of law and order – the perfect sofa watch as the rain sends us inside this week. As the executive producer Christopher Keyser puts it, ‘In the middle of murder and revenge and a bit of illicit romance, we get to explore questions we never seem to get away from: What makes a family? How do you stay good in a bad world? And would you change who you are and what you believe in to protect what you love? But in this case, we do it all through the eyes of Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson, as two widowed matriarchs battling to survive. And that…is really something to watch.’ Streaming now

Going Out

Make Your Own Wreath With Butter Wakefield

Spend a December Wednesday morning in one of West London’s nicest pubs – The Carpenter’s Arms, beloved (and often fully booked) for its neighbourhood vibe, proper fire and great but not fussy or OTT food – creating your Christmas table centrepiece with Butter Wakefield. Wakefield is one of Britain’s most in-demand (and double RHS award winning) landscape designers, with projects ranging from a wildflower meadow secreted in the diminutive garden of a London townhouse to her enchanted gardens created for Belmond at Chatsworth. Learn how to create a standout seasonal display: Wakefield will come with armfuls of eucalyptus in various varieties (some with berries) for its silvery leaves and fragrance, fir branches, lots of different kinds of pine cones and many other Christmassy stems, although no holly because it’s so prickly – before a relaxed lunch by the fire. 10 December, 11am-1.30pm, £85, thecarpentersarms-w6.co.uk (find more wreath making tips here)

Property Of The Day

Designed by Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner and presenter Jamie Durie, this Aussie home looks like something out of an Escher illusion – if Escher’s black and white sketches were transported to the sunny shores of Sydney. Built to exist off-grid, this futuristic hodgepodge of a home is a masterclass in sustainable design. Don’t be intimidated by its height: there’s a lift and inclinator on hand to transport you straight down to the shore.

Price on application, find out more at knightfrank.com.au

Little Luxury

We’ve found the perfect Christmas party dress: this sculpted scarlet number from Farm Rio, complete with a one-shoulder silhouette and 3D roses cascading across the bodice (£360).

Competition Time

Win a three-night stay at The Magnolia Hotel in Portugal’s Quinta do Lago region, including half board dining and a padel lesson. Enter here

Psssst…

Next autumn, the French hospitality group behind the beloved LouLou Paris is opening its first British members’ club, named Les Amis and housed within a townhouse in Mayfair.

Whatever You Do, Don’t

Panic that you’ve missed all the carol concerts. Just round the corner from Oxford Street, All Souls has 13 free performances running from 13 – 21 December (plus find more here).