International Visitors of Note. And Extreme Nice.

If you find out where I can source a baby Missoni cardy (preferably heavily discounted), let me know. Today was dead set exciting because Buphee (so not her real name and provider of excellent baby shoes) and JP are here from Canada and we all met up for lunch. It was fantastic to see them.
Made some more breadrolls this morning. Sorry Dr Atkins, but they were delicious.

And I'm still doing my bit for International Relations because my brother in law's here from Honkers so he's coming over for dinner. I'm actioning a roast. With accoutrements like vegetables smothered in bechamel. Because that's just how I roll.

Can I just recommend this product? You can have it as a salad or wack it in soups. I know. Handy. And time saving.

Buphee kept up our long standing traditional where she gives me a Foreign magazine. I cannot wait to read this.

I'm wearing Essie's Touch of Grenadine. Blighty gave me this. I think about our crazy road trip to the Cotswolds and Oxford a lot. Gee we had fun.

I love looking at photos of Le baby to see how much he's grown. This is him with his great Grandfather when he was less than a month old. He was teeny tiny.

I am loving the ideas in the Happiness Project. The decluttering stuff is good and so is the concept of Extreme Nice. It's like an Extreme Sport for Niceness so you improve your relationships with those you love- no snapping, no nagging, no criticism etc The premise is that you aim for a very high standard of behaviour. I'm giving it what can only be described as A Red Hot Go.

Must read her blog. But first had better get the show on the road dinner wise.

xxxxxxxxxxx

FF's Manifesto-Lite

I don't know about the rest of you but I can sleep well at night knowing that I would never ever knowingly UnderCushion. Undercushioning being the Devil's Work and all.

I'm particularly fond of a Leopard Print Cushion. Which is a nice segue into The Wonder that is Leopard Print Fabric (The Official Fabric of this Blog)

I've always embraced leopard print. Even when it was Deeply Unfashionable. I treat it as a Neutral. You should too.

Which brings me to Our Leader Jackie. She too knew the Value of Leopard (this is actually a real leopard coat. From the Emperor of Ethiopia. Really. My knowledge of this sort of Jackie Trivia knows No Bounds)

I love the way she added height to her 'do her whole life long. She had superior hair, was a Leo, a true survivor and looked good at every age. No wonder she's the Blog's Leader.

And she knew how to work a fur trimmed cape arrangement

Old Joan Kennedy is embracing Big hair in this snap too:

Here she is with Mr Onassis. He had pretty good hair too.

Mrs Exeter asked how we're all filling the Royal Wedding Void. It's tough. Well this is how I'm trying to cope:

Page after page of detailed photos. Bliss. I can't wait til my Woman's Weekly arrives- apparently they've got 50, yes 50 pages of royal Wedding Goodness.

Cheerio People.

xxxx

The Shopping Gods and Other Stuff.

I am loving this rainy cooler Saturday scenario. I went to brunch with M at Anouk. Possibly for the last time in a while. When I got home I started perusing phone-book-sized American Vogue.
I wore this Ginger and Smart top thing. You know how some people subscribe to the removing- an-accessory-before-you-leave-home theory? Well I'm not one of them.
Say what you will about me, I'd never ever knowingly under-accessorise.
So I threw on 2 necklaces.
To quote my friend L, "More is More"

Since I've been pregnant, I've only bought 10 items of clothing (feast your eyes on them here) I've loved my Maternity Wardrobe (I know. I'm shocked too), but I've begun turning my mind to what I'll be kitting up in once I am No Longer With Child. The Shopping Gods Directed me to hop online and have a look at some high end discounted designer clobber. I do as I'm told.

I like this See by Chloe bag:and I'm partial to this See by Chloe cape. I do luff a cape. Too hot for my climate though.

This DVF orange dress is Frocktastic, especially with the beading.

and this would be good for summer

If this Moschino smock wasn't so prohibitively 'spensive I might've bought it.

and Old Malene Birger never gets it wrong

and this Moschino top is pretty cute

Anyway, because I've embraced Frugality with every cell and fibre of my being I didn't buy anything, but it was quite soothing to browse the possibilities.

All this rain'll be good for the garden

I wish my bromeliads would flower all year round

I'm getting so excited about seeing what the baby will look like and I've been cross referencing my own baby photos. This is me at my christening with my Godparents in the early 70s.

Speaking of baby related things, I'd like to say I bought my bugaboo after careful market research but the truth is I thought it looked nice and my sisters had them. Little did I know about the Struggle and Admin and degree in physics that would be needed to collapse and put it up.

But Bugaboo, I will not let you beat me Dammit.

I've recycled some of the baby shower Fat Bird bunting and used it to decorate the nursery. Look:

and I'm using the chic cream travel cot lent by my friend K to store cushions. So handy.

Normal clothes, I miss you.

And we're through the Looking Glass because in prep for the Big day I am polish free.

Do you own one of these?

I got it to go with these frozen meal arrangements that I've been shoving in the Chang Hong freezer (China's most popular fridge brand!)

The Shopping Gods know I'm being frugal so they kindly sent this $20 frock my way

it's from Willow's favourite shoppe Zazzy. The sequins are nice.

xxxx