ten leaves at a time

Autumn has arrived blustering in ten leaves at a time. Who better than Snippet and ink to inspire the season ahead with their beautiful mood boards.

Image Snippet and ink

Happy Monday

Happy Monday to you. Here are a few more pictures of the living room, not sure how it all turned out so girly, it seems everything I touch ends up this way. The husband left a patchy sultry half manlike room and is to come home to this, I don't think he will be too impressed. I will be editing out a few of the shabby chic touches later.

I bought the photo of a stag as a peace offering an I.O.U for a future study/office where no floral anything or pretty candlestick will trespass. The scent of cedar and old leather chairs, a tobacco candle, a potted plant, maybe some taxidermy and an anglepoise lamp.

Anyway it stays pretty for now, I am off to nurse my featured illness of the week, a cold. Obviously working with sick colleagues, the public and horrible air conditioning recycling germs means Autumn is going to be peppered with various ailments for me. Honey lemon and grated ginger is the beginning of the battle for this one. I had such a good run of health throughout the beginning of 2009! Better get back in to eating more veggies.

On a more positive note D has told me to plan a short five day break for us and says we can go anywhere I like, I am stumped I just don't know where to go? Any suggestions? Have you stayed in a lovely hotel recently or visited a city or town that exceeded expectations? I was thinking Amsterdam, Stockholm, somewhere in Scotland, I just don't know. Help!

Hopefully he won't retract the offer once he has seen the flat.

cannot compute

Happy Sunday to everyone. The lounge is almost done, just having sofa issues. This seems to happen to us a lot. One needs a salon for reading keeping up with correspondence and receiving guests, then a cosy snuggled den for watching TV and movies, don't you know.

A corner couch with no corner does not please my eye. My mind works in organizing patterns and it cannot compute this piece of furniture.

More later.

N.E.E.T

Thank you to Stephanie for featuring my home over at the N.E.E.T Magazine blog today yay!

Fine fripperies

Fancy a frivolous french style day off frolicking in some fine fripperies? Maybe you will hoover in your high heels or bake in a pretty negligee or lounge about reading a book waiting for someone special to get home.

The best place to get an outfit when the whim for such an occasion arises? Damaris. I saw the pretty little play suit in my weekend newspaper supplement and of course it is sold out. I think it would look cute over black low rise tights with disco gold high heels and a cropped sequin jacket.

It is my day off today so I shall no doubt return at intervals throughout the day.

All images Damaris.co.uk

Beaming white

Piles of pretty things stacked up and waiting for a greater purpose. Magazines torn and pages collected for Record the Day. Cushion covers refreshed and hanging all around the house to dry. Shelves emptied and waiting to come down so I can paint. Recycling packed and ready for my dawn wake up call so I can creep down to the street before anyone is awake, and leave it ready to be collected. Chicken soup to ward off the cold that has been going around the work place. Must remember sugar soap so I can sluice down the kitchen units back to their former beaming white glory too. I am quite excited about how much I could get done tomorrow.

Don't know why I get so organised the second the husband leaves for a trip. I guess I just rather enjoy his company and his arms when he is here. And I know how thrilled he is to come home to a tidy house. As I can be a messy blighter!

unwelcome interlude

Another lovely weekend. Almost perfect. A sunny day out and a rainy day in.

Beautiful Saturday, sunny, social, seeing friends, eating great food at the local seafood and wine festival. The husbands memories of this day will be somewhat marred by a violent case of food poisoning from his arch nemesis the scallop. Twice he has had a reaction like this so he won't be braving them again.

Sunday with a fully recovered other half and a light rain all day means things can get done indoors, blog updates, garland making, simple chores including a steady stream of laundry. D is off to vegas and New York for work (it's a hard life for some) and needs all his favorite clothes which obviously he keeps at the bottom of the washing basket. Then making a huge batch of healing chicken soup, with enough extra portions saved in the freezer for a whole winters worth of under the weather days.

How did you spend your weekend?

Almost there

I am just popping in to say I have been doing some things, just over here instead!

Idling

Still just idling about, but I found you some prettiness while my feet have been up. Fall 2009 from Erica Tanov found via montmarte's sketchbook.

All images from Erica Tanov

responses

Thank you so much for all your fantastic responses to my last post. I have been feeling a bit lazy and not wanting to blog these past few days. But hope to be back later!

maybe you never knew

Still in bed with no place to go, I am very grateful to Denise for inviting me to write a seven things post.

I love that Denise never wears black, how cool is that? I barely ever stray from black and grey!

Here are seven new things that maybe you never knew about me.

Potty mouth
I swear too much, never in front of children, grandma's or my mum. But too often everywhere else. I don't say crude or dirty words ( I can be a bit of a prude) just swears. I am going to try and quit it.

Seafood
Eating prawns gives me the shivers, I love the taste but have to chew them down quick. I think I have psyched myself out over them too much in the past. But if you batter them or wrap 'em in filo pastry you will hear no complaints.
Editor
I edit out the bad stuff. In everyday I look for the best. I know not everything can be perfect, but try to look past the angry domestic fray on the corner of my street or the rubbish all over the place and instead see the leaves changing colour or the person repainting their tired door ready for a new season.

Fear
I always had a hatred of blancmange, milky jelly never seemed right to me, I love glossy bright jeweled pots of jelly (never with ice cream). But lured in by Pearce Duffs retro packaging I picked up some blancmange the other week and chucked it in the super market trolly. We are going to give it a whirl and shoo away childish fears.

Bunnies
I don't especially like rabbits, but all my favourite childhood stories involve a bunny somewhere. Carrot cake by Nonny Hogrogian, where rabbit newlyweds set up a home and learn a bitter lesson about living together (it turns out okay in the end!), and The rabbit wedding a story about a black rabbit marrying a white rabbit. Plus a whole stack of Beatrix Potter's.
They always have such vibrant lovable personalities in books, a shame that in real life they are quiet and keep themselves to themselves.
Dental records
I have the same teeth as my dad. My own set of course but matching none the less. When we smile its the same pearly whites that shine out in the picture. Long in the front. But quite a good set, I better start taking better care of them. I have to have a wisdom out soon, and this has really hit home how much sugar and sweets I consume. I guess I should throw out the candies along with those swear words.

Aged
Getting older gets to me somedays. I look at photos and see lines. As 30 passed by it all seemed to start going down hill. On the inside it's yay, I have never been happier. On the outside it is a twenty four hour a day maintenance job to stay slim and hold on to some kind of elegance. Starting with hanging on to those teeth of mine!

A final question, Not saying I want to end up looking like some certain celebrities (I will name no names) But I am interested to know has anyone reading had an experience with Botox?

Thanks again to denise for asking and thanks to you for taking the time to read such a long post.

I would like to know seven new things about everyone reading! Not that I am a demanding patient or anything! If not seven then just one if you are going to leave a comment? : )

curtain dance

Just laying, fading in and out of sleep, the early Autumn breeze making my curtain dance in a sprinkling of sunlight. The sound of traffic and everyday life down on the street below.

The pretty collage above was sent to me by the lovely María from Madrid. María says my blog inspired her to create this and I am so flattered, I just had to share it.

Velvet lined

Still waited with bated breath to receive my hold in the hands copy of the Toast Autumn/Winter catalogue. But for now I will have to pour over the images online. I am thinking this new season would be even better with some princess worthy velvet lined gold leather slippers?

Thanks for wishing me better, the body ache and shivers have gone and now I am just left with a very sore throat. I better go get ready to try and speak to a doctor, the saga of trying to get a appointment or just past the engaged tone, to confirm what you sadly already know (septic tonsillitis) begins.

Get on over to Toast and fall in love with velvet hangers, chunky handknit throws, beeswax candles and organic marmalades.

All images Toast

Dampened spirits

A sore throat, aching ears and hyper sensitive outer shell. Two days spent unproductively on the couch swathed in a duvet drinking Lemon and honey and gargling dissolvable asprin.

After all that misery and moaning I thought these mini jammy dodgers might lift any spirits I may have dampened.

sweeter than a raspberry royale

Welcome to a new week. No more parties or leaving do's to attend. So no more hang overs. I am busy with a little tidying, radio on, windows open, blinds up, sun streaming in. Fresh linen on the bed, mug of spiced tea in hand.

These are a few more pictures from last week, the raspberry royale followed by fresh raspberry and mint fizz. We also went to meet our new nephew Harry. A teeny little thing all swaddled up in a fluffy blanket he was surely sweeter than any pudding I have ever seen. Must go and visit him again very soon, we miss him already.

I had to dye my dark again, a mercy mission for Saturdays party, the faded roots were to disturbing to be seen and the red dye needs a pre lightening treatment to get the full effect of the Auburn. So next time will be red time. Don't think I chickened out!

Anyway back to laundry and doing the dishes. I hope your Monday has started well.

Dressing up box

Had to start with a pretty pretty post today. My friend Emma-li is having an art exhibition in her bar and has a few of these stunning photos for sale. I looked up the link and found even more beauty waiting for me on the 666 Photography site. Imagine rummaging through the dressing up box at this studio. I would want to move in their wardrobe permanently. I always fancied wearing a galleon in my hair. Only in the evening of course it might be too much for the daytime.

All images 666 Photography

A pink thursday

My husband is crazy busy with work at the moment. He doesn't get home until late.

So I have been making happy with all things pink.

More later x

Bakewell on the beach

Three almost perfect days. Saturday I went to view the house in the top photo. Met a friend for coffee and a delicious slice of lemon and poppy seed cake. Made collages big and small.

Sunday I got up early and cooked a bakewell tart for taking to a beach picnic with friends. The beautiful Ellen (bottom picture), Edith and Darren. The weather looked threatening but under the shelter of the wooden breakwaters we had a feast of bread, pate, cheese, cake and ginger beer.

Sunday evening I drank a little too much (happening all too often this year) and am now glad we have only one more party to attend this Summer.

Monday I mentally planned the snuggle down for Autumn. I look forward to carving pumpkins, drinking warm spiced tea, baking apple pie and wrapping up in cosy blankets.


how was your weekend?