Midsummer

About fifteen or sixteen years ago, we had a Swedish friend living in Nottingham. She told us that Midsummer was celebrated by everyone in Scandinavia, so when Midsummer dawned bright and sunny, we decided to throw an impromptu party in her honour. It was one of those idyllic, perfect, spontaneous evenings where we brought a few people together who all hit it off, and we drank, ate and laughed into the early hours of the morning.

The original party. This was in my old house, which had a little wooden summerhouse at the bottom of the garden. Anna is wearing a traditional floral headdress she made. She made a matching one for me too. 

Time passed and Anna left the UK, but every year wherever in the world she was, in memory of that evening, we sent a message to wish each other 'Happy Midsummer'.

A lot of the same people from the original party were able to make it again, which was so lovely. 

A few weeks ago, she sent a message saying she thought she might come over for a few days to visit us for Midsummer. I said to her, 'Do you want to chill or party?' The message came straight back. 'I think...party!'

Gathering armfuls of wild flowers from the allotment to decorate the house for our Midsummer party

She arrived on the Thursday night, so we had a practice session, eating and drinking outside until it went dark.

The next day at brunch, Anna mentioned a great day out she remembered with us, her and our friend from Israel, so we decided to revisit Cromford Mills, built by Richard Arkwright, a pioneer in the Industrial revolution.

After a whirlwind trip, we whizzed home in my new car, which I've named Blanche Dubois, because although she looks beautiful, there's all sorts of problems under the surface.

Wearing a me-made sheet dress. That photo on the right needs to be snapped up by the local rag!

It was time to party! I have to confess, I never felt less like it, since it was the day after the referendum in the UK, but if you can't celebrate, at least you can drown your sorrows with friends.

Thankfully the almost incessant rain we had in June stopped for a day in order to allow us to sit outside. Phew. I was so busy plying people with food and drink that I forgot to take any photos. Fortunately Anna took one of me and my adorable friend, Varanya.

I've been wearing this dress a lot recently. It's a 1960s crimplene column dress with some snazzy diamante trim. I love the colour and the fact that it makes me look tall.

The next day we met up briefly with my little sis who was in Nottingham for the day, went into town, got home in time for our lovely friend Angela to visit and then went out for a meal and to the pub, where we were the last ones to leave.

By day 4, when we took Anna back to the station to get her train down to the airport, after three nights of partying, we were all pretty much broken. There was just enough energy for a quick group selfie.

We called it the selfie of pain. :D

God, we had SO much fun. Let's do it all again next year!

Red, white and blue

I had a lovely sunshine-filled week off work last week. 

Here I am in that classic Union Jack colour combo inspired by Helga the Great. 1970s cotton midi skirt courtesy of our Curtise (Missing In Action at a local charity shop, last known sighting: Sheffield)

We fitted in a quick trip up North to attend a christening, which somehow we managed to miss. However we did make it for the buffet afterwards. Oops. 

I baked a Nigella Apricot, almond, rosewater and cardomon cake. It was a bit of an acquired taste, but by the time we'd finished scoffing the whole cake between the two of us, we'd definitely acquired it. 

I also pottered in the garden, hung out at the allotment, went out for dinner and....what else? Oh yes, I bought a car! 

I've been driving a red Nissan Micra for the last 12 years. Not the same vehicle; when one died, I went out and bought a replacement. My friends who'd teased me about me driving a Noddy car, had a good old belly laugh over that. I did too. They assumed I'd be upgrading. But I don't know anything about engines, and all the mechanics I spoke to agreed the old style Nissan Micra was a good reliable car. So, that was my logic. But really, that model is too old now to go for a hat trick, so I knew it was time for a Brave New World.

I asked my tennis chums for advice and one of them suggested a Fiat 500. Brilliant Nicole got it absolutely right. It's small, economical and I love its retro design. I found this one over the border in Derby.

I know I will feel a little bit blue when I take the little red car to the scrappers, but it turns out the future is white. I love driving round in this little car. 

Square eyed and lazy

After some years of trial and error, I've come to the conclusion that it is quite simply foolish to spend January and February in the Northern hemisphere. We should all just head south, in search of sunshine.

If for any reason, this isn't possible, I've come up with a pretty good Plan B.


In order to get through British wintertime, I've spent a rather scandalous amount of time in bed, propped up with pillows watching films and catch up TV. And although at times my bedroom has looked like a Tracy Emin installation piece, it has generally been very enjoyable. We had a bed picnic last week with a double episode of Trapped. Felt rather decadent.

Frida Kahlo's wonderfully colourful house in the film 'Frida'

So, what films have I watched?

The Danish Girl: lovely interiors, strong female lead and the opportunity for me to say 'I've been there' when they go out into the harbour in Copenhagen. But of course mainly it's about Eddie Redmayne's charachter going through a transformative experience, which I felt was done in a sensitive and credible way. You can see how, once an idea, which might come almost accidentally, is allowed to take hold, it can be very difficult to shake off, and whole lives can change as a result.

Image from the film 'Frida'

The Changeling: Not what I expected, in fact I was quite shocked by several aspects of this true story. I won't give too much detail in case you haven't seen it. If you haven't, but get the chance, then watch it, but prepare to be upset. Angelina Jolie put in a brilliant performance.

Image from the film 'Frida'

Frida: loved everything about this film. The costumes, the depiction of Mexico in the early 20th century and the relationship between Diego and Frida. Makes you think too, about what some people achieve even in a short life, with all the odds against them.

A vaguely Frida outfit worn last week. Cotton 1970s gypsy style skirt from the wonderfully generous Curtise.
I currently have a frozen shoulder on my right hand side, meaning I can't do much with my right hand. On the one hand, the limited movement is rendering it impossible to achieve a Frida hairdo. On the other, I'm making almost daily progress towards the Frida eyebrow.

So with that thought in mind, and the first of the Spring sunshine this weekend, I've shifted my backside, got out in the garden and started the post-Winter clear up. It was lovely. Fresh air, sunshine, seeing things come back to life. Good therapy.

Have you seen any good films lately? Please tell me I'm not the only square eyes out there?

Also, what's your favourite season and why?

Turned out nice again

Sunday was forecast to be raining all day. I was secretly pleased because it would mean I could shirk my gardening duties. My working week now ends at 8.30pm on a Saturday, so more than ever I want the day of rest to be exactly that.

However it turned out bright and beautiful.

So after skulking in bed until mid-morning, I was ousted. I need help, he said.

Once I dragged my reluctant carcass out there, I decided to do some tidying. Sort the paths out, pick up all the endless debris from next door's Weeping Willow, do some weeding and put the pots full of seedlings all in their rightful place rather than where I can trip over them when I'm hanging out the washing.

Oh, but then it started raining. Damn. *big wink*

So, after doing a bit of deadheading of flowers for vases, I skipped inside and took up my needle.

First job: make a cushion and a curtain for the porch from some really pretty 1950s barkcloth I scored for top dollar on ebay.

Now, we all know the laws of the universe; of course there wasn't enough fabric, there never is.

So what do we do?

That's right. Jiggery pokery. That's why the curtain has pink trim top and bottom. By Jove, I think it works.

That curtain is the final touch for our newly decorated porch. Those stained glass windows are one of the few remaining original features, and I love them.

Second up, make a curtain for this little baby blue meat safe. There's the cushion from the barkcloth on the gold chair.

Then there was job number three. I found this gold brocade cocktail chair for £4 a few years ago, at the carbooty, but the grubby seat always bothered me. So last year, after months of sniffing around, I managed to find a piece of fabric on ebay which was a near perfect match, and recovered the seat pad. 

That's a dress I got from Second to None. When I wear it, he always asks me if I've lost my sheep. (Little Bo Peep)

Not easy. Jiggery pokery.

(I feel like I'm writing this blog post in the voice of Micky Flannigan).

Anyway, yesterday I decided to change the pompoms. Those pink ones were looking a bit faded and they didn't go all the way round, so I replaced them with some red trim. Looks very plush now!

So that's it, the house is styled to within an inch of its life tidy, which is good because I wanted to make a positive first impression on her. She only arrived this morning. She's Tehura by our Walter (Walter Lambert). 

Isn't she a beauty?

How about you, anything to report from this weekend?

Playing with the Queen of Hearts

When winter settles in, I like to be all cosy and snug at home, particularly in the evenings. I like to shut the world out, draw the curtains and light the candles, especially when we have people over to dinner. Serena and her partner came over a couple of weeks ago and we had some fizz and nibbles before sitting down to eat properly.

This one is a firm favourite from my tapas cookbook. Cheese and olive bites, with a bit of a kick.

You'll need 4 oz each of chilled butter, plain flour, hard cheese (they suggest Manchego, I use mature cheddar), 2 oz black pitted olives and half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Mix all the ingredients together in a blender, then roll them into a ball, cover in cling film and put in the fridge for 20 minutes. This makes it much easier to use in the next step.

Next, take about a walnut sized piece of the dough, roll it into a ball and then flatten it on your palm. Dust your hands with flour so it doesn't stick.

Then simply place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for about 10 minutes at 200 Centigrade.

Allow to cool or not as you please, and then eat, eat, eat. Try to remember to allow your guests to have some too.

Then last weekend, we went over to Eloise and Patrick's for a lovely evening of food and chatter. They live in a fabulous house, which they have styled beautifully, so it's a real treat to spend time there. I spend my whole time just drinking in the surroundings. Eloise is a talented and successful designer and I seemed to have dressed to fit her latest work, both in terms of the colours and the geometric print.

Images copyright of Eloise Renouf

Q went all art director on me and suggested this Queen of Hearts picture using the reflection in the mirrored dining table. That's a 1960s Dollyrockers dress I snaffled from Second to None in Walsall. Vix pointed it out and said somebody needed to buy it, to save her the bother. She's a good 'un, because it looked amazing on her.

I love that combination of yellow shoes and pink tights, which mirrors the velvet curtains with pompoms I made. I consider myself a junior apprentice to Queen Helga of the Divine Colour Schemes.

This weekend we're off to a Thanksgiving party, where there will be more lovely food and friends to catch up with. I was pondering what to wear, when the perfect dress arrived in the post. I'll show you next time. In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving to one and all and thank you all so much for your lovely wishes for my birthday. xx

Sometimes in a daydream

Sometimes I just like wandering round my house and taking photos. Rampant wanderlust aside, I'm a home bird at heart.

I often think it would be quite fun to be an interior stylist. Putting things together to look pretty. Obviously I'm ignoring the whole getting up early, travelling and lugging things about part of the job.

But of course, that's the beauty of daydreaming, you cut out the bits you don't fancy.

I've finally sewn those pompoms onto that chair. As we all know, pompoms make everything better.

We stayed in a gite over the summer, which was decorated in black, white and grey in a very spartan way. There was no pleasure in being there. I pined for colour and cosiness and visual interest.

I got that little pink bowl in Sienna market, in Tuscany. Whenever I go abroad I treat it like the Grand Tour, finding knick knacks to bring back. Who am I kidding, I do it on day trips here in the UK too!

So, when you are daydreaming, what do you think it would be nice to do for a job?

By the way, you're a clever lot! Apparently the difference between a cloak and a cape is that a cloak is longer and has a hood, whilst a cape is shorter and doesn't.

Going, going, gone!

From what I can tell, the current zeitgeist is all about culling, clearing the decks, making space and a bit of money as a side order.

Well, I'm in. In like a greedy mouse in a cheese factory. In like a...oh I don't know, you tell me?

My Spanish Senorita reigns supreme in the spare bedroom. I've just noticed she has a guitar and I think she might have just noticed the layer of dust on that mirror which is making my photos look all soft focus

However, unlike Curtise, who has set about things with a clear head and a great system, I've done things the wrong way round. I've sold things and then tried them on just before sending them out. And sometimes I've thought, 'Oh, I rather like that. Too late'.

But the fact remains, that I have only got rid of things I don't wear very often, so I've done right, right?

I got that gingham duvet cover in a charity shop about a month or so ago. But I'm really torn. I want it on the bed and as a dress on me. Decisions, decisions

This 1960s Kenny's of the Philippines kaftan was comfy and when I wore it to a party recently, it got a lot of love, but the truth is, navy isn't really my colour, and it's polycotton, which is not my favourite fabric.

This on the other hand, is in my favourite colour, green. It's a beautiful empire line brocade evening dress with a train at the back which made me feel very regal, by the English brand Blanes, but the fact is it was a bit too big for me and there was no way of making it smaller without ruining it. Plus, I only wore it to go out to dinner once, and I have a not dissimilar dress shown here. 

So I paraded round the house in for the afternoon before packing it up and sending it on its way.

Unlike Edith Piaf, I may have some regrets.

How about you, what's your approach to getting rid of stuff? Got any tips?

Chinese lanterns at dusk

I love to have flowers in the house, and my favourite kind are those collected from the garden.

So at dusk I set out to fill some vases. The nights are drawing in fast now, so by the time I had finished the solar powered exterior fairy lights and Chinese lanterns had come on.

I love twinkly lights outside. It's like dressing the garden with sparkling jewels.

He put up lengths of wire which run the width of our patio, and then we tied solar powered fairy lights to them. When all the lights come on, our back garden and patio look like Las Vegas.

Viva La Bling.

The vases get distributed around the house. This looks a rather holier than thou still life. Or maybe we're all just praying that the lovely late summer weather continues.

I look at Miss Wong and she looks at me. We never tire of one another.

A few weeks ago I had a craft day making this Vix and Dee style lampshade. I have the house to myself today, so I had better go and make the most of it!