books, books and more books….

i always notice lovely independent bookshops – just perfect to browse in – they always remind me of the book 84 charring cross road – which you must read if you havent already – it actually made me cry.  john sandoe books is one that i was taken too recently and i loved its higgledy piggledy fashion;  maggs bros is the opposite,  housed in a georgian townhouse its collection of antiquarian books is vast and more orderly.    whilst we were in venice, we stumbled upon many antique book shops – with beautiful shop window displays – its one of the pleasures of venice, walking the streets window shopping at dusk.  damocle  books had a beautiful collection of classic authors and poetry books.

i am just reading the biography of Lizzie Siddal model to the pre raphaelites – its fine, but not as compelling as the pre raphaelites by franny moyle .  if you want a good read, then  the secret lives of bees is such a beautiful story,  its about a young girl’s coming of age, her memories and hopes for a mother that she lost when she was little, her relationship with other women and more importantly her recognition that colour does not matter.  set in south carolina in the 60′s, its poetical, spiritual, magical and uplifting.  I just watched the film version, but i find that with all the films, they skip through the storyline and are disappointing  - you must read the book first. 

eilleen

another year gone in a blink, today is 2 years since eilleen passed away and we miss her even more.  she came to spain with us and loved the street life, the fact that old and young sat in the streets all night long.  i recently discovered federico garcia lorca’s sketches of spain and am taken by his evocative words, his poetic prose magically expresses the  spirit of the landscape – romantic gardens, splendid plains – its a beautiful book, that you can pick up and read sections at any time.

A romantic garden.

” Spanish gardens are disappearing. Tidy, symmetrical English parks are replacing them….Only very infrequently, walking along a deserted path leading to humble places, do we come across a shadowy deserted garden.

The romantic gallant soul of the eighteenth century beats along its avenue. The garden loves pallid ladies and gentleman poets. Twilight gardens from an age of sentimental dramas. Misty gardens that made Juan Ramon Jimenez, the great poet of mists, suffer so ……

The garden was alone. Pink and white hollyhocks flourish their flowering staffs among green waves of myrtles that run riot.  The green dome of a pergola overgrown by a tea rose rises in the centre of the garden.  Inside dry leaves cover a black stone table.  The benches have sunk into the wet ground and a cascade of ivy does its best to hide them……”

 

wedding anniversary

18 years – some days it feels like more and sometimes it feels just like a year!!  today is our wedding anniversary – strangely a lot of my friends have got married in January – not a popular month for weddings. i looked at the recommended list of what to buy to celebrate a number of years, and 18 is furniture!  sorry robert but a book will have to do……  i found an early version of agatha christie……  thank you for making my life so special.

I will give my love an apple without e’er a core,

I will give my love a house without e’er a door,

I will give my love a palace wherin she may be,

And she may unlock it without any key.

My head is the apple without e’er a core,

My mind is the house without e’er a door,

My heart is the palace wherein she may be,

And she may unlock it without any key.

Anonymous

taken form the penguin’s poems for love, selected by Laura Barber.

dress from ilovegorgeous, lace chair beautifully laced by mary mathieson mathiesonmary@btinternet.com

les miserables

after all the hype I went to see les miserables the film with maude and her friend and her 10 year old brother Blake and his friend.  it was definitely very long, and lots and lots of singing, but I really enjoyed it and yes, I cried several times!  Blake loved the film too and apparently cried 6 times!

i never did history at school – something i deeply regret now – but i catch up on world history with all these amazing films.  history is much more interesting when intertwined with a love intrigue story!  a friend Liz Freemantle has just published an intriguing love story based around katherine parr, the queen’s gambit - looks like my sort of book, so this will be on my list to read this year.

the film  is definitely worth watching;  we went to the everyman cinema at baker street – comfy seats, fresh mint tea and popcorn -  shame that going to the cinema now becomes such an expensive family treat.  i did notice that you can get gift cards and memberships, which would make a great present for any age.    next week robert and i have booked tickets to see chinatown at the bfi – there is a roman polanski season on there – he bought me a bfi membership for my birthday!  he wont see musicals……  only the guys and dolls brando ones…..

stationary

what i noticed about venice was the beautiful individual shops that make up most of the shopping on the islands – take away the numerous mask and souvenir tat, but you will find very few high street names there – sadly we did see a macdonalds, but the number of artisans selling paperware was a pleasure to see.   you cant leave venice without buying some handmade paper or stamp, even simply initialed.

of course, you do have smythson here  – the ultimate in luxury notebooks and paper, but they dont have that hand made feel, more polished and gentleman.  i have bought robert a notebook with his personal initials engraved on the leather – i remember that they offer this service in selfridges during the xmas period.  in columbia road– choosing keeping - selling just stationery items, from the classic table pencil sharpener, to boxes of japanese pencils and fountain pens, and of course, lots of lovely note books.

vintage magazines

teenage boys are so hard to buy for – so it was a relief to find something that they appreciate and would keep for years to come – alfie has his propped up on his bedroom shelf – so a visit to the vintage magazine shop vinmag.com is a must for xmas or birthday.   there is something for everyone, at any price, it depends how rare you want to go, but you will definitely find something to please that boy, whether it be a vintage football mag, a music, fashion or superhero – just set your budget and see whats on offer.

i was given a vogue from the year that i was born – this is another great gift idea .   i also struggle to find my husband presents – i always have to think weeks in advance, and its typical xmas is followed by our wedding anniversary and then valentines, so i am always on the hunt for a little something.   he has a penchant for collecting old books, so fortunately, i came across this website, with this amazingly helpful gentleman who does exactly this job for you – searching for first edition titles, checking them for their condition and guaranteeing that if its not right, you can return it for a refund!  Glyn Watson  is based in Shropshire, but he can locate anything for you.  www.glynsbooks.com . 

whitstable

whitstable is famed for its oysters and sea food restaurants – but also for its independent gift and craft shops;  walking down harbour street from the fish market end, you pass an array of interesting independent shops,  from Frank with its beautiful crafts and artists works – you can never leave without buying a little something – today i bought some lovely sellotape with animals on it to put in maude’s stocking , to the cheesebox with its selection of  british cheeses, wine, cupcakes from whats up cupcake, sweets from  a really traditional sweet shop, brilliant selection of books from harbour books,  flowers in a tin can from jane at graham greener, great deli food from david brown to traditional haberdashery at the fabric shop – all within a short 10 minute walk of each other.  its one of the few towns with a shopping street that not only still has all the amenities that you need everyday, a butchers, fishmongers, fruit and veg shops, but also unusual gift shops, framers and art galleries – all without having to get into your car!

another place to pick up retro style gifts is taking the plunge.  there are lots of crafts pieces as well as vintage postcards and cute little gifts.

and if you get fed up of seafood, you can always try the thai restaurant shangri la, it really is pretty decent.

sunday morning at the fish market is not to be missed – get a mackerel in a bun for breakfast;  i love that the harbour is a working fishing place – the ropes and net cast by the side are just beautiful.

distressed walls

its funny, at home i am obsessed with the walls being clean and scratch free – i now use the washable modern emulsion paint for the hallway from farrow and ball – its fantastic, you can wipe down the walls from any scratches or shoe scuff marks.  (no more trying to wash down the walls and making it worse by leaving cloth marks of ingrained dirt, so that it looks worse than it did in the beginning -  have you tried cleaning the soot off walls from candles?).

after shooting the new stitching book from the multi talented Jane Brocket  in an amazing location, all weathered and peeling walls, some old plaster, some new plaster, some traces of wallpaper – it all looked fantastic and made me think that maybe i ought to just leave the walls to distress naturally, paint a thin layer of another shade and hopefully achieve a similar look.   all sounds easy, but i am sure its not and could easily end up a complete mess.

fatherhood

maude bought her dad this lovely poem book for father’s day recently – she saw that we have already collected a few of the other books in the series – fatherhood – poems about fathers, everyman’s library pocket poets.   such a touching present.

To my daughter
Bright clasp of her whole hand around my finger,
My daughter, as we walk together now.
All my life I’ll feel a ring invisibly
Circle this bone with shining: when she is grown
Far from today as her eyes are far already.

Stephen Spender

shops in new york

strangely i didnt find new york as exciting for shopping as i usually do – the bad effect of internet is that you can practically get anything you want from anywhere in the world.   what i do like is visiting the small independent shops – more for their interior styling and displaying rather than for their goods – what they are very good at is creating a look.

some interesting shops

still house  – ceramics gifts

flirt – vintage style clothes made with a bit of fun, lovely fabrics, and affordable;  lovely accesories for gifts too.

stock vintage – high end vintage clothes for men, felt like you were on a set of butch cassidy and the sundance kid – beautiful shirts, jeans in a beautiful shop

however just across the road metropolis vintage is more affordable, especially for the teenage boy

catbird  in brooklyn  for gifts – worth a train ride across to bedford avenue because younger and very similar to going east in london.

kiehls for face products for any problems – i know that you can get kiehls anywhere, but this original store on 3rd avenue is worth a visit.

barneys, small enough to not feel overawed – great during sale time – i managed to find a pair of chloe shoes at a third of the original price.

crate and barrell for great white cotton waffle hand towels/posh tea towels and a good range of basic tablewear – similar to conran/habitat

abc home for more gift type home stuff, beautiful ceramic plates and bowls, pricey but more special and individual

canvas homestore for lovely home goods

i love book shops – especially small independent ones.  i have noticed recently that there are more and more individual bookshops opening, especially specialising in photography and art and special editioned books.  some books are becoming like art – collectors pieces.   dashwood books in new york has a beautiful and unique books, you could spend hours in there.

stroll down Elizabeth Street and take a look at the lovely old interiors that have been scrubbed, but kept like the original dairy or butcher shops that they were.  Me and ro jewellery has lovely pieces, and steve alan is worth a look in (think margaret howell).

and finally in soho Peter Hermann for a lovely selection of leather wallets and purses on 118 Thompson Street,  Vesuvio Bakery on 160 Prince Street, with its organic cakes and savoury snacks housed in an old original bakery . R by 45rpm on 169 Mercer Street, selling beautiful fine cotton garments and denim, this Japanese shop is also beautifully designed.  Kisan, on Queen Street is a lovely girly shop selling  French clothes and accesories .  Global table on 107 – 109 Sullivan street is a wonderful personal collection of vessels, vases, tableware – its just gorgeous and you wont be able to resist buying a little jug or bowl.   Dosa on 107 Thompson Street sells beautiful delicate silk dresses and separates with tiny prints and pastel colours.