When you are home (or away) alone, is there anything you love to do you wouldn’t do in the presence of your loved ones?
Do you indulge in so called secret single behaviour or are just the same as in the company of others?
Do you cherish your time spent on your own or do you crave constant company?
My Answer:
When I was in London recently what I enjoyed most was being on my own and the master of my own time and space. The things I do then are utterly mundane, but nonetheless, I enjoy them immensely.
After a day walking the city and a matinée of Phantom of the Opera (you may roll your eyes, but I adore musicals), I love to shop for the perfect dinner to take to my hotel room (this time I had wild crayfish and avocado on baby spinach and rucola from Pret-a-manger three times, I love it so much, followed by an almond croissant in case anyone thinks this is too healthy 😉 ), then I settle in with my food and a Coke Zero, a couple of magazines (The Gentlewoman and Porter), and maybe an old movie on TV.
Sounds utterly boring, but that is quite possibly how I am too, so I am making no excuses for my secret single behaviour.
What about yours?
Olfactoria's Travels 
I enjoy being on my own every now and then. I love to read and when I’m alone, I can read without feeling selfish or unsociable. Whenever I am reading, I often find myself staring blankly ahead, thinking about what I have read. It’s nice to be able to do so, without anybody asking if there is anything wrong with me😅. So, in short, a book, a cup of tea and some chocolate and I’m good for a couple of hours.
It must be very nice to be in a metropolis like London or Paris on your own (for a couple of days that is). But I’m afraid my daughter would really resent being left behind (my husband not so much😄).
Have a nice Monday!
Alone time with a book – wonderful. Add chocolate – unbeatable! 🙂
Snap – I too like solitary reading for not being asked what’s up when I stare concentratedly into the distance 🙂 And Birgit, I adore being in strange cities by myself also; even buying coffee can feel like a luxury, I totally get the Pret excitement. But of course it’s fun having company too – it’s all about the balance, which I guess is what people with kids sometimes have a hard time claiming.
Good to hear you share my love for the solitary experience.
I know that samdwich! I used to have it all the time at the Pret by my usual gate in Stansted…ah, memories! But to answer your question, my whole life consists of secret single behaviour, from licking the ice cream scoop to airing underwear on the kitchen radiator to listening to Radio 4 while eating fish fingers in Pitta bread at midnight, and much, much more besides, not all of it printable. 😉
Samdwich! Sloppy spelling, there’s another one…
Sandwich + sloppy spelling = Sloppy Joe’s! (getting hungry!)
Yes, the famous pret no-bread-sandwich! 😉
It is surely a grass is greener phenomenon (die Kirschen in Nachbar’s Garten), but your life sounds awesome to me right now.
Maybe we should think about a switch… 😉
Room service and a book in my hotel room, being drenched in fragrance, long luxurious scented baths and shopping! Never get enough of any of those at home!
Ah, sounds fabulous!
Your day in London sounds bliss! So many people nowadays need a friend to do this, that, and the other with…I find people like that quite boring to be honest! You can probably gather I love my own company and have spent many happy hours shopping, visiting galleries and cafes on my own, especially when abroad. I have three noisy kid(ults) and matching husband, sisters and good friends all of whom I love very much, but having my own space is a such a treat. Glad you enjoyed Phantom of the the Opera, just saw Mama Mia and laughed and cried!
We are completely in the same wavelength, Annette. I love my friends, but I love doing things alone a lot too.
Hope you get a bit of alone time soon!
I’m a very solitary person to begin with, to the degree that it’s probably not fair to my husband, but I do like going somewhere on my own where there are people around and I can hear the buzz of them while still enjoying the solitude of eating lunch alone and reading a magazine. I love going out to coffee shops for that reason – so I completely understand you when you say that you enjoy having those periods of time when you’re the master of your space and that the secret behaviors and pleasures you enjoy are mundane. Your time in London sounds heavenly.
I love that we are similar in that respect, dear Suz.
Solitude can be a great thing.
Being an introvert, I love alone time. I am a huge football (real football- soccer) fan so I watch saved games when I’m alone, go through my perfume samples and love having time to savor them and really analyse them. I also usually indulge in some TV watching – shows that my husband doesn’t like or I watch a movie I know my husband wouldn’t like. And I just sit and daydream- that is such a luxury in the modern world!
So lovely to hear that many of you enjoy being alone as much as I do.
Keep on daydreaming, it is so good for the soul. 🙂
No secret:I AM single!Lol!And I currently prefer it that way.I have a very demanding career,and trying to establish a real relationship NOW,would be difficult at best.That being said,I love checking in on all my favorite blogs(like yours B!),see what’s new in perfumeland…Evenings consists mostly of catching up on emails,texts and saying hello to family and friends.I usually also organise and pack everything I need for the following day,the night before.Long hot baths!Listening to some favorite songs incredibly loud,and having a local brand chocolate milk is almost compulsory weeknights as well.Lol.Happy week to all!
Being single can have lots of benefits, I’m glad you are enjoying it, Johano!
When I have an evening for myself I like to light candles, rearrange my wardrobe, go through my boxes of Perfumes and cosmetics and remember when and where I have found my treasures. Or -simply I am lazy lying in bed and read a book.
Hi Iuno,
either way, it sounds like a lovely evening to me! 🙂
I do not need almost any alone time and wouldn’t enjoy it anywhere away from home – I need company to enjoy traveling. When at home alone I love watching old(er) TV shows (Columbo, Murder she Wrote, etc). But recently I traded that for listening lectures on Coursera.
Coursera – that sounds interesting! Will look it up.
Be careful – it’s addictive! I read on Sigrun’s blog that she was listening to some courses there, went to check and… My TV shows feel neglected 🙂
I enjoy time spent alone and I’m a bit boring when home alone, I usually use the time for chores accompanied with loud music from the radio which I then use for singing quite loud. 😀
I don’t sing when there are people around.
Love the image of you singing your heart out while dusting! 🙂
I enjoy so much being on my own, home and away, especially in cities, where I love to walk the streets observing people around me. And than yes, cinema, cafe, parfume boutiques… but this constellation arises exceptionally. 🙂
It sounds like a fantastic combination indeed, monikaguerlinade.
Hey Birgit,
You probably won’t believe this but my default setting is alone. I love people, obviously, but I find it really difficult to be surrounded 24/7 and need constant refresher breaks of solo time.
What do I do? Nothing special but I love to read, drink coffee, sew costumes and plan holidays when I’m alone. Sometimes when the crew is busy I go have a pedicure by myself and wander IKEA. I also LOVE to let the dog in and cuddle with her or have her on her mats on the floor by me.
Portia xx
It is surprising to hear that, since you are such an outgoing person, but it shows how well you balance everything.
Being an introvert by nature, I love my alone time. I like getting together with my friends, too. I just have a harder time at large parties. The DH was in London and Munich this week, so it was just me and the older cat. (The daughter took the younger one back to school with her.) Shhh! Promise not to tell? When I’m home alone for an extended time, I drink milk straight out of the carton. I also draw quite a bit. When traveling I like to walk and just observe and take things in. When something strikes my fancy I pull out my phone and take a million photos, of people, of shop windows, of interesting architectural details, of flower stands, of fallen leaves, of any little thing that strikes my fancy.
I won’t tell anyone about the milk. 😉
Love your habit of looking for details, thanks for sharing.