today I..

..walked home in the afternoon sunshine (bliss!) and had some very lovely imaginary conversations with people I haven't seen for years.

temptation

I can't believe how great this project is - or how much I want one!  It combines two of my favourite things to spend my money on - books and prints.  I own at least four copies of Wuthering Heights and Great Expectations.  Its like a compulsion.  How can I resist a print that incorporates the full text of a book with a silhouette of the characters? Wowee.

So, I am pretty sure I'll be snapping up one of these beauties...

..and it'll be this one.  Did I mention I love this book??

graffiti art

I dont know if that is the right description.  Thought provoking graffiti.  Stop and stare graffiti.  Stop and READ graffiti.  Stop and THINK graffiti.  I shouldn't say graffiti at all, really.  It is art.

Candy Chang created this amazing community piece in a neighbourhood in New Orleans.  I wish she had done it in Hackney!  ''Before I die I want to....'' has really given me something to think about.

Some of these made me smile

Some of these made me laugh

reads: Before I die I want to (be) tried for piracy.

And some of these choked me up.

I just know that I NEED

I love vintage suitcases, much to the puzzlement of my lovely boy.  Why buy something that is too delicate (and MUCH too heavy) to use with my personal air chauffeurs, Ryanair?? OK, he has a point.

So, to the drawing board.  I need an old suitcase that is (1) in great condition and, (2), has a practical purpose.

And HURRAH!  Look what I found myself!  How can he say no?! (answer - in about a thousand different ways!).  Alas, the seller is no longer on etsy, and no amount of googling will find them.  But until VanityCase resurfaces on etsy, I can but dream.

and wouldn't this be a delightful compromise? (and oh so beautiful to take to the park on a summer's day)

check out the boom cases here

trumpet blowing, back slapping, and hearty congratulations

unfortunately, none of the above are for me.  Instead, I'll send them the way of my beautiful pal, she of Pure Harte fame, to celebrate the launch of her gorgeous spring/summer collection.  the only thing missing is the sun!

I love the dress little miss brunette is wearing, it would certainly put the spring your step!

check them all out here.

and there was almost a tear..

...when I saw this.

cooed over on this site

workday delight

Imagine my delight when the fabulous Lauren Laverne played my toppermost guilty pleasure on her show this morning...and imagine how I struggled against the desire to prance around the office, arms flailing...

there's a weird pleasure about listening to the radio on your headphones at work when a good song comes on... like you're in on a big secret and everyone else is missing out.  Or is that just me??

when I was considerably younger..

(mournful sigh)..
I 'discovered' poetry.  Before you start, yes, I know, poetry existed before 1999, but, for me, it hadn't!  And suddenly it consumed me.  Any poem that I liked was painstakingly copied into my notebook, read and re-read until I had it memorised.  I wish I could be like that again.  I would love to.  It seems I left that part of myself behind without really knowing why.


Now, as a disclaimer, I was no connoisseur.  And they were all about love - falling into, and out of (what a surprise at 18...).


so, to bring me back to my 18 year old self, here's an Alice B Walker classic.


Did This Happen to Your Mother?
Did Your Sister Throw Up a Lot? 
Alice Walker

I love a man who is not worth
my love.
Did this happen to your mother?
Did your grandmother wake up
for no good reason
in the middle of the night?

I thought love could be controlled.
It cannot.
Only behavior can be controlled.
By biting your tongue purple
rather than speak.
Mauling your lips.
Obliterating his number
too thoroughly
to be able to phone.

Love has made me sick.

Did your sister throw up a lot?
Did your cousin complain
of a painful knot
in her back?
Did your aunt always
seem to have something else
troubling her mind?

I thought love would adapt itself
to my needs
But needs grow too fast;
they come up like weeds.
Through cracks in the conversation.
Through silences in the dark.
Through everything you thought was concrete.

Such needful love has to be chopped out
or forced to wilt back,
poisoned by disapproval
from it's own soil.

This is bad news, for the conservationist.

My hand shakes before this killing.
My stomach sits jumpy in my chest.
My chest is the Grand Canyon
sprawled empty
over the world.

Whoever he is, he is not worth all this.

And I will never
unclench my teeth long enough
to tell him so.

I can see it in your eyes...

sometimes the internet throws up absolute stonkers like this.  Thank you, world wide web!!

Lush

Last night saw a meeting of the Aul Lush Society take place in my very own home.  And what fun it was!
The Lush is an excuse for a gang of friends (some old, some new, some in between!) to meet up every month, and eat really great food, and catch up.  Great, huh?  Everyone brings a course and a bottle of wine, and it's so much fun!
We were treated to the most amazing pear cake, courtesy of our lovely French chum, check out the recipe below - it really was delicious!
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/786678/anjou-pear-cake


After dinner, we broke out the board games.  Oh my, I have never laughed so much in my life.  If you don't own Articulate, beg, steal or borrow it.  Now. It is ridiculously fun.  Note to self, when trying to describe Adelaide, DO NOT use the clue 'It's a city in America'.  Oh the shame!

bfi