SATURDAY TOUCHES

Saturday, April 30, 2011
 A quite Saturday and few little touches to our home ....

 framed a new drawing bought on etsy ....



 cleaned up an old chair that was under the house .... (I found it a while back on a roadside junk pile and popped it under the house with plans of cleaning it up, then I kind of forgot about it) .....

makes a great bedroom chair (I still have to cover it properly) ....

 added a new little dog picture to the frame wall (it's a Brett Whiteley that I tore out of an old book) I love it .....

 painted this little kids chair, actually there are two (they used to be red when my kids used them) should come in handy for little visitors .....

 ..... and replaced the water in the Easter daisies, which are still going strong from last weekend ....
gotta be happy with that !!!

FRIDAY FAVORITES

Friday, April 29, 2011
This beautiful work by  Paul W Ruiz
thanks for the intro Greer.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fkDvpCXD3RI/TalWBNK_KAI/AAAAAAAAHcM/VMPbujxbC2g/s1600/P1170699.jpg
 What's not to love about Sophie Cuvelier and her
Fabulous Garlands .... 

... and his amazing space.
click image for a better look.
 via here
 Loafers .... 
 via here
.... and blazers, always classic.
 via here
These wise words ....
via here
this vintage medicine cabinet ....
 via here

..... and this beautiful hair.
via here

and  I really like the look of this film .... 
  
.... and I love this cat, such attitude !!!
via here

 Happy Friday ....
Hope you a great weekend
XXX

Off To The Golden State

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Off To The Golden State

I was not yet twenty the first time I visited California. From years of Beach Boys songs and old black and white movies, I fully expected it to be a land of palm trees, milk shakes and clear blue skies where everyone looked like Cary Grant and Farrah Fawcett and rode around in red convertibles. Confirming my belief that we do tend to find what we look for, that first trip was indeed a carefree, sunlit introduction to the Golden State. My best friend and I stayed a house in the hills above Marina del Rey, where gardenias bloomed by the front door and sea breezes sailed in through the windows . We ate fresh plums and cheese every day. We paddled in the cold surf at Malibu beach. We went to Disneyland. And it never rained once.

Upon our arrival, when our friends handed us the keys to a little yellow Toyota that was to be ours for the length of our stay, they inquired if we were experienced in driving a stick shift. Naturally, we lied. And let me tell you, that legendary laid-back demeanor that Californians are so famous for can turn on a dime into a horn-blowing, fist-shaking tantrum when confronted with two teenagers whose car goes dead at every single traffic light on Sunset Boulevard. Not the most ideal training course for learning to drive a manual transmission, but it worked.

The next few times I traveled to Los Angeles was in the company of The Songwriter and a great deal of my time was spent in recording studios and restaurants. I went to concerts and kept strange hours. I bought a dress on Rodeo Drive that I don’t think I ever wore. During late studio nights I learned to sleep with my index finger wedged in my ear, a talent I still employ today whenever Edward spots a squirrel out the bedroom window at six in the morning. (Trust me, if you master this ability, you don’t hear a thing, no matter the decibel level.)

My friend from that teenage trip was so charmed with Los Angeles that she still journeys west every chance she gets. Me? I tend to head east, usually across the Atlantic. But tomorrow, I am returning once again to the land of blue skies and palm trees. I don’t know if I’ll indulge in a milk shake, or ride around in a red convertible, but I do plan to see some old friends, and a couple of brand new ones! I’ll share more about that later. Suffice it to say, I’m meeting with two people who feel like old friends, even though we’ve never met face to face. These are a couple of people you all know and, I’m certain, love as much as I do! I’ll share all when I return next week.

A LOVELY HOME

I love what Ursula of Modaspia has done with her new family home .... doesn't seem long ago it was this great blank canvas ....
since then Ursula (through lots of hard hands on work) has managed to turn it into a very inviting, very lovely family home.









 




It's not just Ursula's home I find inspiring, her studio space where she creates her Modaspia label is just as lovely ....



.... and you can see more of Ursula's designs and home on her blog here.

BIKES AND INTERIORS

Wednesday, April 27, 2011
I'm always drawn to interior shots featuring bikes ....
just something about them don't you think ?














Photo 1 via 2 via 3 via 4 via  5 via
6 via 7 via 8 via

Hardly Mata Hari

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Hardly Mata Hari

Here in the states, we have been hearing quite a few warnings of late, all concerning the issue of phone tracking. It seems we are just beginning to discover how smart those ubiquitous little smart phones really are. Turns out, whilst we may think they are merely riding along in our pockets or handbags, waiting patiently to be called into service when we wish to phone someone, text someone, take a photo, find a restaurant, or take our turn in the scrabble game we are playing with an out-of-state friend, what they are really up to is much more advanced, and dare we say, sinister. Apparently, up to one hundred times a day, these little guys are reporting back our various locations to .... well, I don’t know who they report to exactly. I guess that’s where the worry comes in.
Now, there are some serious issues to iron out here and I certainly don’t mean to downplay those in any fashion. But sitting here thinking about the information my phone would provide the powers that be, well, it just makes me giggle.
So join me, won’t you?.....

We are in a steel and glass office building somewhere in the northwest. The walls of the building are glowing in the afternoon sun and scores of brown suited men in red ties and weejuns are scurrying to and fro like crickets, scowls being the predominant expressions of all. We zero in on one particular little fellow in an overcrowded elevator on his way up to the 31st floor for a meeting with his superior, Mr. Jobs. The little man’s name is Perkins, and when we first see him, he is nervously rifling through several wrinkled pages of a dreadfully thin file, all the while casting surreptitious glances at his fellow passengers on the elevator, all of whom are carrying files much, much thicker than his own. He spots someone he knows, swallows hard, and speaks:

Perkins: “Um, sorry to disturb, Owens. But might I inquire... um... could I ask... just who are you tracking these days? That looks like a really large file you’ve got there.”

Owens: “Boy, you said it! I haven’t had a moment’s rest in weeks! This Jolie-Pitt clan are always on the go. New Orleans one day, Namibia the next. Lord, Perk... we went sky-diving last week! And all those kids! One cute little girl grabbed me a couple of days ago and I was halfway down the toilet bowl before somebody fished me out. I tell you, it never stops! Fun though, and I’ve recently heard some pretty interesting conversations about our next location. Top secret stuff, and let me tell you, I’ll have stories to tell when we get back. Can’t wait to fill Jobs in, though. This is the kind of stuff he’s looking for, you know. Sorry to rattle on like this, I haven’t even asked what you’ve been doing! Who you tracking these days? I heard Kate Middleton was looking to buy an iPhone. Were you the lucky duck who snagged that one?”

Perkins looks at his shoes and mumbles.

Owen: “What’s that?”

Perkins. clearing his throat: “Um, well no. I’m afraid I’m not working the Middleton account just now. I’m still tracking Pamela Terry.”

Owen: “Ah gee, Perk. I’m sorry. I had no idea you were still on that one. Pretty boring stuff, I imagine”.

At that point the elevator doors open wide onto the 31st floor. Perkins and Owens step out into a hallway flooded with golden light that streams in through windows at least twenty feet high. They make their way along the corridor in silence, Perkins dragging his feet ever so slightly. Soon they enter an opulent office waiting room, dotted here and there with overstuffed red paisley chairs. Perkins sits off to himself, feeling a bit faint. He watches as several other brown suited, red tied men are called into the office of Mr. Jobs, most leaving with smiles on their faces, a few running out as though on fire. Once again, Perkins swallows hard, his throat as dry as a shredded document. When, after several minutes, his own name is called, he gets up shakily and heads into the office.

Mr. Jobs is sitting behind an opulently carved desk, wearing a black turtleneck and eating an apple. He looks up at Perkins and smiles.

Mr. Jobs: “Well hello there Perkins. What do you have for me today. Let’s see now, you are following Pamela Terry aren’t you?”

Perkins: “Yes sir, I am.”

Mr. Jobs: “Well, tell me now, she been up to anything interesting?”

Perkins: “Well, um... she planted a vegetable garden yesterday. Put in some cosmos and zinnia along with the vegetables. That was pretty radical I thought.”

Mr. Jobs looks up and frowns.

Perkins, continuing on in a timorous voice: “And of course, there are those daily, sometimes twice daily (!), dog walks. I tell you, that big white dog of hers is really something. You should see him! Um.... well let’s see... she’s knitting another sweater... a sort of grey blue colour. Really nice. And uh... um... well, she’s really been enjoying the new production of Upstairs, Downstairs. Hasn’t missed a single episode. And well, gee...um... oh yes, she’s memorizing The Jabberwocky. Lots of unusual words in that, you know. Quite a feat, wouldn’t you say?”

Mr. Jobs’ face begins to change colour, slowly transforming from a peachy tint into something more akin to a thundercloud. Without really thinking, Perkins decides, on the spot, to lie through his teeth.

Perkins: “Then of course, there was that trip to Washington last week”.

Mr. Jobs: “Washington?

Perkins, words tumbling out in rapid fire fashion: “Oh, yeah. And she’s been over to The Hague a couple of times, too. I’m not sure what it’s all about, but she’s up to something big, I can tell you, big!. A real Mata Hari she is. Never a dull moment. Sometimes I wonder how I keep up. She’s a challenge, and no mistake. And there’s something going on with that dog. Why, he might not even be a real dog now that I think about it. He could be a pooka. In fact, I bet he is! Give me another month, and I’ll knock your socks off. You just wait! Why there’s no telling what Pamela Terry and that big white dog, if he IS a dog, will be doing next!”

Mr. Jobs smiles, his colour returning to normal. He takes a big bite out of his apple and offers one to Perkins.

Mr. Jobs: “That's what we like to hear, Perk old boy! You keep up the good work”.

JUST LOVELY

Monday, April 25, 2011
Really liking this apartment in Copenhagen, so much colour
and light ....





https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7agBGfOqPNSHvItPXKkujbOq0WEt45I5PymauZcU2mteeL5AfIR0D9mxW9ztuXqu4aomJVhYXtbIq0FnVGd8TLqS3SqlTt1kKBUUKpm5MRpCsN9Tom29Y6m9RUQQYF9pNMQV5R1w1rg/s1600/lea06.jpg






... Just lovely !!!
found via this great site.

A LITTLE (EASTER) DAY TRIP

It's been a bit of a wet Easter in this part of the world .... 
but we did manage a little day trip to Wollombi and the Hunter Valley vineyards ....

 Wollombi is a lovely little town ....

  lots of great old shacks, which reminded me very much of 
this book ....







A tavern ....

 beautiful stone buildings ...

.... we even saw Jesus !!!

  There was an old Police Station / Court house / prison ....
 
complete with prisoners exercise yard. 

 I really liked the art work in this restaurant ....

and this quaint little shack ....

 ..... which was actually for sale.

We drove on a little further to Pokolbin and had a lovely late Sunday lunch at Cafe Enzo ....
(sorry no pics)
 a day with family, good food, good wine and beautiful country air is very good for the soul indeed.