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17 January, 2013 

January things

It wasn’t my intention to abandon this blog for this long but January is not my favourite month (even though I really try to like it). It also wasn’t my intention to quit eating sugar but the Christmas extravaganza pushed me into it. What you see above is not a sweet treat, it’s a scone with unsweetened jam and was mainly consumed by my son. What I am actually craving is a detox, this one from Whole Living Magazine sounds very good and I might give it a go when it gets bit warmer. For now, I will stick to healthy soups.

We did a spot of decorating in the living room. So far the walls got a couple of coats of F&B’s Light Blue. The next thing on the list is the window.

I gathered few books since Christmas and want to read them all at once along everything that’s packed in my Kindle. Wishful thinking. It has to be two at the time. The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens’ London by Judith Flanders, a fascinating read especially if you are obsessed, like me, with Dickens. My bath read must be paper so I started with Pigeon Pie which is very funny.

As far as TV goes I have been watching a lot of BBC 4′s arty programmes about woodmaking, Regency, Delphi, and of course the wonderful Borgen. A sweet little surprise for the gardener – Carol Klein’s Life in a Cottage Garden is on Fridays on BBC2 which makes waiting for Gardeners World more bearable.

Some of my finds, I am still pondering whether to keep them or not. A set of 13 earthenware bottles, a sweet little Scandinavian pot from the 60s and an enamel pan.

Few exhibitions I am planning to see soon:

Manet at Royal Academy

Schwitters in Britain, at Tate Britain

Lichtenstein at Tate Modern

Man Ray at NPG, I have seen his work so many times but still want some more.

Hartnell to Amies: Couture by Royal Appointment at the Fashion and Textile Museum

What does keep you amused in this winter cold?

11 November, 2012 

November things

Freddie and I are off to Poland this week for some quality grandparents time, it’s going to be very cold but sunny, the autumn is very beautiful with maple and chestnut trees in abundance. The little one will get spoiled and I will probably enjoy some free time to read and eat a lot of good food.

One of my all time favourite photographers, Henri Cartier Bresson, is at Somerset House, make sure to enjoy a tasty sandwich at the newly opened Fernandez and Wells cafe afterward.

I don’t like BBC’s Paradise, I think it is offensive to say it is based on Zola’s wonderful novel but ITV teamed up with Andrew Davies and we will soon enjoy a better department store drama – Mr Selfridge. The dates are still to be announced due to TV stations topical clash.

Even more exciting TV news, BBC comes back with The Hour this week!

Egyptian cats, Rodin, Brancusi, Hepworth, Roman thinkers and Nigerian statues - Bronze at Royal Academy is a very well edited exhibition that covers all eras and most continents.

Ice rink at Somerset House is opening soon, make sure to get your tickets fast.

Go to Wisley for a splash of autumn colours and the Contemporary Craft and Design Fair 21-25 November.

Donna Wilson sample sale, 30th November at 10.00 till 2nd December at 16.00 at Unit 12, 10-14 Hollybush Gardens,  E2 9QP. Come dressed as one of Donna’s creatures and get a free goodie bag.

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As they say in Tilling, Au Reservoir! I will be back next weekend with some Dickens, cookies, last bits of garden and Christmas treats.

 

 

10 November, 2012 

A day at Vauxhall

What on earth can one do in Vauxhall, I hear you ask. Surprise, surprise, one can have a perfectly nice day of culture, food, shopping and some fun for the wee ones too.

About 10 minute walk from the station is Tate Britain where you can always find something great to see, right now The Pre-Raphaelites and Turner Prize shows are on, or just a stroll through their wonderful permanent galleries and some truly fab shopping in the museum shop.

Five minutes from the station the little ones can enjoy this sweet small city farm with ponies, horses, alpacas, goats and chickens as well as a vegetable garden and some play area.

Afterward head to the delightfully decorated Brunswick House Cafe for delicious lunch or drink.

The cafe, located in a beautiful Georgian house, shares the space with the most amazing salvage yard – Lassco. They renovated and recreated the house, every room has its purpose and is bursting with great architectural antiques and curiosities. Need a house number or a door knob from a specific era? That’s your shop.

After a quick glimpse at the MI6 building (featured in several Bond movies, including Skyfall) hop back on the train home satisfied.

Tate Britain:

Millbank, SW1P 4RG

Vauxhall City Farm:

Spring Gardens, SE11 5HS

Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10.30-16.00, free entry.

Lassco and Brunswick House Cafe:

30 Wandsworth Road, SW8 2LG

13 September, 2012 

September things

We are nearly half way through September, can you believe it? The weather is nice and sunny but you can really feel the autumn chill. Many afternoons are spent in this garden nook.

I have more patty pans and courgette than we can eat but the apple tree has not been kind this year and I only managed to make few pies and some mousse which got incorporated into pancakes and muffins.

Mapp and Lucia series are keeping me entertained in the reading department, Jeeves and Woosters are waiting. Which series is better do you think?

I started to really like chrysanthemums, they look good combined with dried alliums.

Popped to South Bank to check out the festival and got to see Edvard Munch at Tate Modern, I was absolutely stunned at the beauty of his paintings and how little I knew of his work. Let’s be frank, I only knew Scream which, luckily, wasn’t there. The show was perfect and I left moved and inspired. It ends in October so go and see it, it is worth it.

Speaking of arts, the child is still very much indifferent to paint, pencils and crayons, he likes to draw some doodles and then entertains himself by throwing all the pencils down from the table. Chalk is more attractive because he can draw on cupboards and doors. And he eats salt dough.

The Newsroom is over (I am disappointed that there were only 10 episodes, I was expecting 12 and didn’t realised 10th was the season’s finale!), Parade’s Ens is still there and of course The Great British Bake Off is in full swing but what’s next for good drama? Homeland will be back in October and Girls will air in the UK soon, a brilliant show btw. Did I miss something good, something old? I hope I did!

Big news, something I have been dreading having tragically failed several times at the age of 18. I have passed my driving test first time round, it happened on Tuesday morning and I am still stunned, the whole week seems so surreal. I am bit scared to start driving on my own but once I gain some experience it’s going to make such a difference to my life. Yay!

10 August, 2012 

British Design at V&A

British Design Innovation in the Modern Age 1948 – 2012 (years between the two Olympics hosted by London) is the perfect show for anyone visiting the capital this summer.

It showcases the best of car design, street signs, china, poster, fashion and furniture. Right at the start you are introduced to Robin Day’s chairs and benches he did for the 1951 Festival of Britain, bit further down you can admire his wife’s, Lucienne Day’s, most famous textile pattern – Calyx. They were to Britain what the Eamses were to America.

There are beautiful couture dresses by Galliano and Kane, and Mary Quant minis. Examples of Wedgewood’s Homemaker china, which is always funny to see because I have a plate from the line and you can often find it in antique shops as well as buy the reproduction and various modern spin-offs.

For anyone visiting from abroad and loving design this is a must see (apologies for going so late, it ends on the 15th). If you miss it here are my top picks from the shop.

The kiddie souvenirs:

 

 

V&A toys

 

Patrick Ryland’s rattle £5
David Mellor’s dinner set £34
Clara Button and the Magical Hat £5
Wooden London Bus £12
And for the grownups:

 

V&A

Keep Britain Tidy print £9.50

Trimphone £40

Matt Sewell’s Little Owl £85

Just like the Homemaker plate, I have seen it all before, well, almost. There were two artists who attracted me: Eric Ravilious and Edward Bawden. I absolutely loved seeing their prints which I have only seen in books, I was taken back in time to London streets buzzing and the old-fashioned shops, that disappear every day, still full of life.

Eric Ravilious prints and book.

Eric Ravilious
And some Edward Bawden. I am putting Edward Bawden’s London on my Christmas wish list.
Edward Bawden

 

 

3 July, 2012 

July things

I can’t believe it is already July, it certainly doesn’t feel like July, where is the sun and blue skies? What’s with the greyness and rain? Well, we have to do something so here are our plans and things we did so far if you’d like to know.

The garden update: hollyhocks have opened, I am so proud of this giant, I grew it from a tiny seed and this one is the only survivor of slug wars 2011; more hollyhocks have been planted this year and are all doing well. French beans are climbing beautifully and have the lovliest red flowers, unfortunately following Monty Don’s advise of putting some seeds directly in the soil didn’t work, they came up nice and fast but got nibbled on by the chief enemy.

We did some shopping and got ourselves a smart watering can, it was a great find and cost only £24 at Garsons Farm as opposed to £40 for an old battered thing from Petersham or A French Life. We also visited the local car boot sale and brought home this very nice planter and a jug for the garden at a whopping total of £5.

Charity shop crawl resulted in this great indoor plant pot and Monica Dickens’ One Pair of Feet. I must admit I hardly ever go to charity shops anymore, they are so expensive especially in the crockery department, thanks Mary Portas!

We baked mini banana breads and Freddie had them with ‘milk’ in an egg cup.

Of course we had our monthly visit to Petersham Nurseries for some cake and drooled over plants and accessories but came home empty-handed. I will go back for some succulents for my new plant pot though.

Beauty genius cream – Neal’s Yard Wild Rose Beauty Balm. Since I weaned Freddie completely back in April the hormones went absolutely berserk and I struggled with painful outbreaks. One day I stopped by the shop and was given a couple of samples, miracle happened, it took about four nights and my skin was back to normal.

Plans: Catching Picasso at Tate Britain before it ends on the 15th, maybe also getting to see British Design at V&A and Munch at Tate Modern; watching Moonrise Kingdom; visiting Chelsea Physics Garden; visiting NGS’s allotments this weekend; reading some Alexander McCall Smith; lots of DIY.

Have you got any exciting plans this month? I need some inspiration so please share!

 

25 June, 2012 

Fun baby art

We’ve been looking for some fun artwork for Freddie’s room and came across these at Elphick’s.

Top: Ingela P Arhhenius Tiger and Tivoli

Middle: Ingela P Arhhenius Animal Party and Lisa Masterson Cherry

Bottom: Marcus Walters New Forest, Blanca Gomez Monsieur III

17 May, 2012 

The Queen visits Richmond Park

 

On Tuesday the Queen came to visit Richmond Park as a part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations so the bug and I hotfooted it to see her. It was a wonderful afternoon filled with much excitement even though we got showered and hailed on. Local businesses displayed their goods, the deer keepers talked about the park’s beloved inhabitants, beekeepers told us about Richmond Park honey and gardening specialists sold wonderful plants. The crowd was small so we easily squeezed to the front and barricaded ourselves with prams. Fun day altogether and such a once in a lifetime opportunity!

A great little funfair, a beautiful merry-go-round, sadly Freddie went to sleep so no rides.

If you missed the Queen’s portraits by Cecil Beaton at V&A this wonderful exhibition at The Royal Collection called  Diamonds: A Jubilee Celebration will be as exciting.

 

29 February, 2012 

Spring, Lucien, Nancy but no David

What a wonderful springy few days we have had! I loved basking in the sun, letting the boy run in the park and getting our garden ready for the planting season.A lot of herbs and flowers came out of the greenhouse and the greenhouse itself got cleaned and organised and it is my little planting haven.

We had a visitor and went to see Lucien Freud at The National Portrait Gallery which was breathtaking, seeing those amazing canvases close up is such an amazing experience, the brushstrokes, the poses, the expressions. A truly remarkable body of work. It’s very hard to get tickets at this point so the best bet is to be there at 10.00am otherwise the queue is 2-3h long.

We were supposed to go and see David Hockney too but my friend with the tickets got ill and had to stay at home, we enjoyed a very long lunch at Café Boheme so wouldn’t make it anyway and one big exhibition was enough for the boy.

I have been disgustingly indulging in Nancy Mitford. Pursuit of Love, The Blessing (beyond hilarious!) and Madame de Pompadour. The woman can write so well and her social observations are excellent. The Dior and tweed-clad heroins and their love lives are very gripping but I was really impressed what a great biographer she is. Madame de Pompadour is a very addictive read full of anecdotes and vibrant descriptions. I also have Don’t Tell Alfred waiting by my bedside – a paper version was half the price of Kindle mmmm…..

I haven’t been baking a lot but I did make some brownies topped with pecans and crystallised ginger.

In techy/social media sort of news I am on Pinterest, totally loving it. A massive addiction!

20 February, 2012 

Diamond Jubilee

This year will be full of events and street parties to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. I simply cannot wait, I have heard we will have a little party in our street so I am searching for vintage bunting and will be baking up a storm!

V&A started the year with a small exhibition of portraits Cecil Beaton took of the Queen. It may sound very stiff and official but the pictures are wonderful, the Queen is portrayed with her children and as a young girl, there is a remarkable intimacy between the photographer and his subject. Some pictures are of course very official but you rarely see Elizabeth in tender private moments like some of these photographs.

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