Pink Rain

Disney Roller Girl asks "is there more blossom in London than ever before?” Indeed that is how it looks, the city is awash with blossom, dare I say more than Japan. It is not that there is more, although each tree is bent low with the stuff. It is that it has all come out at the same time, normally the blossom season is staggered. But the whole lot has come out at once and it really is a vision. London has to be the winner when it comes to spring time its summer may suck but it is looking amazing now. Returning from an impromptu gathering with my family last night, Kitty declared that London was quite the most beautiful city in the world, which was quite profound. The view across the river from the train is spectacular on a very balmy spring afternoon.
I had a very brief home alone moment last week, and so I grabbed a last minute ticket to see Parlour Song really, really funny, brilliantly acted especially Toby Jones. I laughed so hard I cried! It is on at the Almeida which I had not been to before, what a wonderful theatre.
My mother once owned a flat on Colebrook Row, I love the area, and now there are even lovelier shops stretching alone Upper Street. Sadly what has disappeared is the ‘local’ all the pubs are now overpriced under lit bars which made for a depressing drink. But so far this week has been good.

Mike and Doug Starn

Identical twins Mike and Doug Starn have never been interested in producing fine, pristine, black and white prints. Instead, they deliberately subvert expectations of “fine photography” by crumpling, ripping, folding, toning, and scoring the photographic paper. They also scratch negatives, and sometimes splash chemicals on the prints to create blotches that resemble the effects of paint. One of their most distinctive practices is patching fragments of printed photographs together with Scotch tape. The tape will yellow over time and stain the prints, so the work will continue to change as it ages—which is exactly what the Starns want

.

More from here

and here

Wonderfully rich and ethereal

Kitty calling

The phone rings, I let it ring, it stops then rings again, somehow I can sense the urgency this time so I run upstairs and pick up.

Kitty “mummy, mummy, Daisy has taken my pocket money”
Me “well I will give it back to you tomorrow from dad’s money”
Kitty “no, you don’t understand, she has taken money from my piggy bank, she’s taken over £25!”
Me “why would she do that?”
Kitty “she said she had to buy her friend a present, then she would give me back the money”
Me “when you come home I will make sure she gives you back the money”
Kitty “she’s a fucking cow, I hate her, she should not take my money”
Me “is Daisy there?”
Kitty “yes, here”
Me “Daisy you should not just help yourself to Kitty’s money”
Daisy “Jesus mum it was only £40”
Me “FORTY POUNDS!!”
Daisy “don’t you start, it’s not like I am not going to pay her back, I just needed to get my friend a present, my other friends will give me the money back on Monday”
Me “why did you not just ask?”
Daisy “because she would just say no, and I had to get this present”
Me “Daisy you must not just help yourself to other peoples money”
Daisy “how was I to know she would check”
Me “Daisy you are missing the point, do not take money without asking”
Daisy “Kitty you’re a fucking bitch for telling on me”
In the background they started another slanging match; Kitty tells everyone who will listen.
Daisy was lectured by her father, nanny and various aunts and uncles, but not once did she apologise, all she did was curse her bad luck that Kitty decided to pay for her haircut out of her savings*. When it transpired this is why she knew the money was missing she called Kitty a ‘mug’ for not blagging the money from her father for the haircut like she always does!

* Kitty and Daisy get a fiver a week from their father as well as odds and sods from his huge family.
Daisy is permanently broke, whereas Kitty never spends a penny, and consequently she has a traditional piggy bank with about £100 of notes and change.

P.S Daisy has been really, really good recently. She is great company and even more amazing she has been revising! but this is oh so typical of her cavalier attitude towards Kitty.

Wadrobe remix

The view from here, my wardrobe. The bright turquoise is my most recent bargain, a cashmere cardie, half price £30! COS as is...

This gorgeous stripey cotton jumper.

Last week I spent over 5 hours reorganising my clothes. I rolled and packed most of my wool and unpacked the cotton and linen and silk.
Because I had the luxury of an empty house I was able to really play around and try on different combinations. I do have too many clothes and so to keep it simple I removed all the brown, skirts trousers and tunics.
I will keep them and maybe work around them in a couple of years but for now My look book is looking like this.

I will wear these tops with thin or pegged cropped trousers.
My favourite new tops are top and bottom left. Both from COS, I have spent most of my money here this spring because they have finally started to make my size. I have always managed to fit into their cardies because they cut their knitwear more generously, but any thing more fitted has previously been a no no. I love COS They are a bit of a poor mans Marni mini me.

The rest of what you see comes from Muji, Jigsaw, Zara and Whistles the latter sadly not so affordable now. Other favourite places to shop include Kew, GAP The White Company and Id id manage to squeeze into a couple of Banana Republic pieces last year.
My skirts are generally from a more eclectic source including Toast, White Stuff and even a couple from H&M. The waist of their size 18 is 34 inches which is the same as a size 14 in M&S.
British sizing is a nightmare.
The bulk of inspiration comes from a scrap book I have assembled from various Internet sites including Flickr’s Wardrobe-remix, The Sartorialist and prêt a porter images from style.com. This scrap book is a mine of inspiration and according to the Guardian the tail is now firmly wagging the dog.

In these dark economic times, fashion labels and retailers are looking to the street for inspiration. There are two main factors in play. One: we're forced to get more creative with what we've got in our wardrobes; and two: we're much pickier about buying new things.
"What people buy and how they wear it is invaluable information for a retailer," says my trend mentor, WGSN's associate womenswear editor Kathryn Kenny. "Seeing real women wearing real clothes is very powerful, rather than looking at models on a catwalk." more here
and even more pertinently

What you see on the streets of Britain is us getting it right, being good at something. Street style is our gift to the world. from here

Must see exhibitions

CECIL BEATON - IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOTHEBY'S

David Wootton, a writer and researcher who helped curate the exhibition, which opens in London next week, said the aim was to show the full range of Beaton's work. As a young man Beaton was transfixed by glamour but as he matured some of his best photographs would be of old people as they were, capturing their spirit. more from here

Chris Beetles Gallery

I am very much looking forward to seeing this exhibition.

Including some esoteric images such as this

as well as more iconic one such as this one

Another must see is CINDY SHERMAN   SPRÜTH MAGERS LONDON   APRIL 16 - MAY 27 2009

The gallery is housed in a beautiful old regency building and I have wanted to see some Cindy Sherman images for sometime now. After this I will walk down to the london art fair to see Photo50 works

Anthropologie

This one is HUGE I am not sure I would be brave enough to wear it but as a work of art it is devine, I may hold out for the sale.
This one is called Cyprus and does reflect many of their cultural decorative touches.
The last one is by Chantal Bernsau click on to her website, her jewellery is just fantastic, I want all of it!

Other wonderful necklaces from here

I did not take my beads with me this holiday, but I have been very fired up by the wonderful jewellery from Anthropologie

Some of it is remarkably affordable, but pay day is a long way off so I may get out my beads and start threading. 

Whilst Emin has been in Istanbul he has been staying with our Au Pairs family. Her mother insisted on buying me a gift so I asked for some beads, fingers crossed they will be good.

A voyage around my garden

The view from

my bedroom french windows

Not big but big enough to create an oasis. It appeared to be landscaped, the whole garden is divided into three sections. The first is a hideous patio that needs relaying, the second is what you see. The third section is what should be a vegetable patch but in fact is a wilderness. I would like to create a meadow at some point but I keep forgetting to buy the seeds

The arch is a bit flimsy, but the wisteria is budding nicely. The area in front is the pond, how those poor frogs survived the cold winter I do not know.

The garden has two of these rather incongruous trees. Far too exotic they shed badly but what can you do?

Both my neighbours have wonderful white camellias, I left one at my previous house. What do I get? A Blackpool landlady of a camellia. A blousy red, I do not like it at all

I do not know what this is but it is the most beautiful buttery yellow and has wonderful fragile leaves.

I also love the fragility of this maple. It is small but looks wonderful when the new leaves unfurl.

A wonderful laurel

This is in my pond and appears to have flowered quite early

If you stare hard you should see my beloved tadpoles, they are slightly manic at the moment.

Another mystery, I think this is a very small flowering clematis it has wrapped itself around a tree along with a honey suckle. Yesterday it was covered in delicate white flowers, but sadly the torrential rain overnight left me with just these two.

Violets are like a visit from royalty, one of my favourite flowers.

My lilac is flowering so early it has come out at the same time as the forsythia. It should coincide with my laburnum but it does not look like this will happen this year.

My peony is a stunning white. As the buds grow and burst open I can guarantee it will rain.

I have had this bay tree for years languishing in a pot, I planted it last year and I have been rewarded with a show of wonderful flowers.

My wonderful french windows

If you look very hard through the dining room French windows you may see a rare sighting of the 'Daisy Bird' revising in her pyjamas!

Every year as my impending break from Emin and Leyla looms I plan lots of things I would like to do but can't. 

• I would like to spend the day in Chichester and visit Pallant House. 
  
• I would like to walk along the river to Chiswick and visit Hogarth's House. 
  
• I would like to walk across Hampstead Heath. 
  
• I would like to explore the City and visit the Museum of London.

25 years living in London and there is still so much I want to do. Which has to be a good thing as the old adage goes "he who is tired of London is tired of life" Trite but true.

Instead I have done none of those things, because the house is so calm I have elected to be a housewife for the week. Cupboards have been tidied, the garden is clipped, shelves wiped, pictures hung, 10 black sacks filled and puzzles and games sent to the charity shop. 

Sometimes just living is good enough.

All bar the first image were taken on my Pentax using my Macro lens