Leos

This is a beautiful drawing that my friend Kate B gave me. It's got my ginger jar, my pink iceberg roses, my quince tart and my leopard print place mat! I know. I couldn't believe it either. I love it 11/10 and was so touched by her thoughtfulness and attention to detail. It was drawn by Alexandra Nea. She has a blog too. Meanwhile everyone's posting snaps of their kitchen sinks and their views from same. I'm a Joiner:
Behold the Glamour. I'm the last person on the planet without a dishwasher so I do the lot by hand. This is my view from the aforementioned sink.

I like to watch telly while I action the washing up.

The Garden is still failing to cover itself in Glory but a few old stalwarts are flying the flag. Like this salvia.

and this hard-to-kill geranium

Everyone has their own special bolognaise secrets. I like to remove the casing of an Italian pork and fennel sausage and then add the sausage mince. You should too. You won't be sorry.

The FF Leo Necklace by Red Phoenix Emporium has just turned 1. Hooray. And Happy 1st Birthday. The beauty of the necklace is that it can in fact be worn by any star sign of the zodiac. Plus it makes you look young and slim. Really. It does.

And Happy Birthday to all Leos out there. I wish you a year of Good Times and Good Hair.

Say what you will about us Leos, we are Loyal. And Loving. But do not try to come between us and a reflective surface while we are Sorting Out Our Hair. Or you'll be sorry.

There's so much sadness in the news these days what with the falling price of shares and the American economy and what not, so it's important that we focus on some light hearted things. Like photo shopping. Look at what Sarah Jessica Parker's hands look like after the Magic of photo shopping:

And how cute is Harper Beckham? I bet she's got a Missoni baby cardy. Or seven.

And have you heard the news that Our Leader's secret tapes with Arthur Whatsy from the early 1960s are going to be released???? I know. I am beyond excited. Apparently you can hear the ice cubes in her drink clinking and hear her striking matches to light her cigarettes. She was a Leo too and let me tell you she was Dead Set Fussy about her own 'do.

I get a lot of emails from The Younger Players still in the 1st cusp of Whippersnapper-ness asking me for advice. I don't really have any except I think that you should say no to clutter and yes to having a great group of friends. Pay attention to grooming, because when you look good you'll feel better. Make your bed. Never pay retail for high end designer clobber. Do stuff you enjoy and feel passionate about. Learn to cook. Buy a parlux hairdryer. Keep your polish chip free. Learn the power of gratitude. And stay away from battery hen eggs and chooks. Free range is what you want.

A lovely reader asked me what the Coalface is. It's an office or a workplace. It's meant to be a joke- my working conditions do not in any way resemble an underground colliery in downtown Wales circa 1880. Some people use the term Salt Mine instead. But I'm not one of them.In keeping with the Happiness Project I am actioning tonnes of exercise and decluttering and am still trying to action Extreme Nice (you know, where you never criticise, snap at or get cranky

with your loved ones no matter what) with every cell and fibre of my being. So far so good.

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Edited to Add: I cannot believe what is happening in London. The world has gone stark raving mad.

Relief and Other Good Things.

Do you like to have little snacky things before dinner? Me too.
The Baby's lovely whippersnapper babysitter gave me this book to read. It's about a lady who tries to inject more happiness into her life. I've just started it- one of the first things she does is declutters her apartment and gets rid of the evidence of her past mistakes. You can imagine how much I was loving that bit.
Bromeliad flowers are always a bit spooky aren't they?
The poor garden's dry and looking a bit worse for wear. It needs some rain.

It's looking a bit neglected and scrappy which is not a look that suits anyone. Maybe I should give things a bit of a prune and chiuck some fertiliser about the traps.

These arrived in the post. Remember how I saw Ole Sarah JP in New New York shooting an episode of Sex and the City back in 2003? She was very skinny.

I sourced the Baby what can only be described as some heavily discounted shirts. These were marked down by 70% and were only $18 each. I know. Cheaptastic. You can just tell he is going to look 11/10 gorgeous in them paired with some long cord strides or maybe some cargo shorts...

You know how I'm partial to a mirrored jewellery box? Well I got my mitts on some more.

and shoved some necklaces into them.

This scarf's been good to me.

You know how I like to buy stuff from the Magic that is Black and Spiro?

Well even if you don't live round these here parts, you can too, because Anna's launched an online site! Hooray. Run Don't Walk and visit it here.

One of my favourite feelings in the entire world is Relief. We got some very good news about the Baby's health last week which brought floods of relief and was a fantastic antidote to Extreme Maternal Distress (which is what the paediatrician actually wrote on the referral to the specialist). Nothing beats Good News.

There was an excellent documentary on ABC2 last night about Dalton Trumbo, a blacklisted Hollywood writer who went to prison rather than answer questions before Congress about his political activities. It's excellent- if you get the chance to watch it, do.

What should I cook for dinner?

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Missoni-tasticness and Other Stuff

If you've been reading this blog, you already know my views on The Wonder and Magnificence that is Missoni. I think it's the Official Knit of the Blog actually. Which reminds me. I'd better make the Normans the Official Conquerors of the Blog before I forget.
If Willow and Lotus are reading this, I'll be needing a second Missoni-esque necklace to match this cardy. I'm thinking Tiffany blue, green, white and mauve. With maybe some crystal whatsies thrown in for Good Measure. Can you get Your People to Talk to My People?
Here's my whippersnapper friend R from Cotton Socks in a Missoni cape tripping the Light Fantastic in Paris a few years ago. I know. It's beyond stunning. I hope she has it locked in a bomb proof safe because I am dead set tempted to pinch it for myself.
Rachel Zoe's little kid Skyler has his own Missoni cardy.

My Baby doesn't need a Missoni cardy, because he has this:

Willow and Lotus's Mother Sandra hand knitted this for him before he was born. She even chose the colours to match his nursery! I am going to get it framed when he outgrows it.

He is 9 million/10 adorable and entertaining. Every mother thinks her kid is beautiful but I am getting stopped on the street these days by strangers commenting on his gorgeousness. Really. But let's face it, those shoes would make anyone look Good.

Meanwhile I'd like to thank everyone for their well considered advice and input in relation to the important issue of the length of my new curtains (look I never said this was a blog about World Peace). Although there are rooms in this house with super high double height ceilings, I don't think this particular room can take the pudding or puddling effect, so as soon as I get my mitts onto some iron on hemming tape (thanks Beanie), they are going to be shortened.

Since it's Arctic, I actioned a sort of spicy seafood stew arrangement. I got the idea from a re-run of a South American Food Safari show. You know. The one with Maeve O'Mara. Apparently Coriander (that you might know as cilantro. Or maybe you don't) is Key.

Nothing is happening in the garden. There are maybe 2 blooms tops.

Thank God for Interesting Foliage.

Someone asked what I thought about Kate's wardrobe for her Canadian tour. I loved it. But I'd like to see more brooches. And some nail polish. But apart form that she looked fab. In less happy news, apparently Princess Charlene didn't stay in the same hotel as Prince Albert during their South African honeymoon. What's going to become of them? And is anyone else fascinated by Rebecca Brooks or is it just me?

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Neutrals. Orange. And Other Stuff I'm Enthusiatic About.

Say what you will about me, I would never ever knowingly under accessorise.

Prepare yourselves Emotionally People, because Buphee (Not her Real Name by any Stretch) in Vancouver has sent the Baby the most gorgeous little caramel suede loafers you are ever likely to see in your whole entire life. Really. Behold their teeny tiny Magnificent Goodness:

I know. They are beyond adorable. Thank you Buphee. The thank you note's in the post. Is this weather practically forcing you to say Yes to whiskey at Cocktail Hour? Me too.

I like a slightly worn Iranian carpet arrangement don't you?

you know how I'm fond of this el cheapo heavily discounted frock sourced from Forecast?

Well I subscribe to the When You're on a good Thing Stick To It Theory of dressing. So I bought it in orange too.

My polish is OPI's Cajun Shrimp. It's very cheering.

Isn't the sky attractive?

I went to the Corner Store cafe for brunch. Look. I know it's out of my jurisdiction but sometimes you need to live on the edge and leave your suburb.

Willow Lotus and I have been being all Visionary and brainstorming about what sort of necklaces people want for summer. I say they want things that have orange and pink and green beads with a couple of brown perspex whatsies thrown in for good measure that will look a treat with something like a Missoni cardigan. That's what I want anyway.

Here are the twins. Brainstorming. Not to be confused with Barnstorming.

You know how I love Kate's Canadian wardrobe? Well Mark (Committed Royalist) doesn't think it's sufficiently Royal enough. Thoughts? I love how groomed and polished she looks. Clearly an Inspiration to Us All.

Carry On.

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