fun with gran

 French photographer Sacha Goldberger has shot these brilliant photos of his 91-year-old Hungarian grandmother Frederika - or Mamika (Hungarian for grandma).  


Isn't Mamika a brilliant word, by the way?  I miss my Mamika very much :(

more photos and full story here

Agoraphobia

I love this.  Really love it.  The idea is amazing, but, well, the poem is so beautiful.  It's amazing how people can find a poem scattered on a page from book!  It reminds me on something the incredibly wise Winnie The Pooh would say.  Buy it here

Sunday Morning Coming Down

I attended a Mad Men themed party with the best people in London last night, and this amazing song is quite apt for all of us who gathered in the park today to rehash the night before...


Well I woke up Sunday morning,
With no way to hold my head that didn't hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn't bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes,
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
An' I shaved my face and combed my hair,
An' stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.

I'd smoked my brain the night before,
On cigarettes and songs I'd been pickin'.
But I lit my first and watched a small kid,
Cussin' at a can that he was kicking.
Then I crossed the empty street,
'n caught the Sunday smell of someone fryin' chicken.
And it took me back to somethin',
That I'd lost somehow, somewhere along the way.

On the Sunday morning sidewalk,
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cos there's something in a Sunday,
Makes a body feel alone.
And there's nothin' short of dyin',
Half as lonesome as the sound,
On the sleepin' city sidewalks:
Sunday mornin' comin' down.

In the park I saw a daddy,
With a laughin' little girl who he was swingin'.
And I stopped beside a Sunday school,
And listened to the song they were singin'.
Then I headed back for home,
And somewhere far away a lonely bell was ringin'.
And it echoed through the canyons,
Like the disappearing dreams of yesterday.

On the Sunday morning sidewalk,
Wishing, Lord, that I was stoned.
'Cos there's something in a Sunday,
Makes a body feel alone.
And there's nothin' short of dyin',
Half as lonesome as the sound,
On the sleepin' city sidewalks:
Sunday mornin' comin' down.

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