Tuesday, 13 December 2011
'Tis the Season
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Our basement is in total disarray - as in, there are no walls left. Our very nice builder Paul (I'm not just saying that to butter him up; he is genuinely very nice!) spent all day yesterday hacking off the plaster to reveal some very iffy looking brick walls underneath. He's coming back tomorrow to plaster and then on Sunday to finish it up. So. Very. Excited.
Of course, the basement/bedroom won't be finished on Sunday. There are still the stairs to do. And the floor. And the cupboards. And the painting. Only then can the decorating start, though I've already got ideas. Actually just the one idea, since it's a very small space and so it has to stay really simple to keep from being too junky. So far all I've planned is making a curtain for the little window - a single panel of unbleached linen with a light lining. Woo-hoo, huh?
Since I'm putting my brick-and-mortar decorating on hold for the moment, I've been finding alternative outlets for ornamentation, like these lovely wallpapers:
Frankie magazine - an Australian fashion/lifestyle mag with a wispy, ethereal, retro kind of aesthetic. I'm currently rocking the embroidered kitten on my laptop.
Fossil - very retro, sporty/nautical, sort of Team Zissou vibe.
V&A Shop - and just one more reason for Facebookers to "like" the V&A shop - lovely vintage fabric wallpapers.
The Graphics Fairy - Not wallpaper, but another place to find pretty things for your computer. Who wouldn't love an old timey engraving of, say, a long-tailed field mouse?
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
Springtime
Saturday, 12 February 2011
Girard Strikes Again
Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Local Colour
We walk past the Gaff every time we go to the grocery store. It used to be a heavy metal pub. Back then, I'd always see anemic-looking mulletheads hanging around outside wearing t-shirts that read "Evil Death" or "Kill Me". They weren't scary; I felt sort of sorry for them. Then it had a revamp and emerged with a punk/rockabilly vibe. We haven't been, because Astrid never lets us do anything fun, but as you can see, they have lots of interesting sounding bands. Matthew had his birthday party there last year and was going to have it there again this year, but as of Sunday, it was closed and is being converted to a Costa Coffee. Boo hiss, indeed. I love the idea of naming a band UK Vomit - it's so simple yet so aggressive, and informative. Is that the band Vomit from Germany? No sir, this is the UK Vomit.
In October, I went with my book group on a tour of Highgate Cemetery. I'd been to the western side before, as Matthew took me there on our first date. (I asked him about this once. He said he thought I'd be impressed to see Karl Marx's grave. When I asked why, he said, "I don't know - but it worked, didn't it?") This time we toured the East Cemetery, which is beautiful but actually quite spooky. This is the Rossetti family grave. D.G. isn't there - he's buried in Kent, for some reason - but Lizzie Siddal and Christina Rossetti are. It kills me that Christina Rossetti, who was a very gifted poet, is almost literally a footnote on her own grave.
And this is something I saw the other day walking home from the shops. The sunset turned the con trail the same brilliant pink as the other, wispier clouds and it was just so very pretty. It just goes to show that, while it's important to watch where you're going (to avoid dog poo if nothing else), it pays to look up now and then.
Friday, 13 August 2010
Ad Astrid Per Aspera
Monday, 14 June 2010
Nesting
Then I went to Ikea the other day to get meatballs and a bedside table. I completely forgot the meatballs, but came back with two new sets of bedding. The first is sort of a Swedish toile and is so light and soft it's like sleeping on a cloud:
The second is a bit more colourful, but still manages to be restful enough to sleep on. Also very soft and luxurious: