week.end

This weekend was mainly one of making and eating. Of general feasting on deliciousness. I baked some chocolate chip cookies- using this recipe, which turned out to be the perfectly soft and squidgy (hmm, is that even a word?) inside. Nothing beats freshly baked cookies still warm from the oven. Mine did turn out to be giant ones, rather than regular sized ones, but that didn't faze us too much, we probably just ate a great deal more than we should have.

Curt made us sushi rolls on Saturday night, which are one of his culinary specialities. They are really easy to make, always look very impressive and taste equally great (again, we ate far too many of them). One of our favourite sushi roll combinations is salmon with cream cheese and cucumber.

the east end

I had a rare day to myself last week (free from both mothering and work duties due to Lila's childminder owing us a few days of childcare), so I decided it was an ideal time to head off east in the direction of Shoreditch and Brick Lane with my dear friend Louise. Lila does not enjoy shopping, I might actually go as far as to say she loathes it (with the sole exception of the Early Learning Centre toy shop- the only shop she runs towards rather than straight out of the door). Hence I don't very often venture over to this side of town any more these days and it was a real treat to mooch around the kooky shops and vintage boutiques.

We found time to stop off to quench our thirst in one of the many offbeat, cooler than thou little bars. Here the streets really are filled with the identikit hipsters, all in their eponymous uniform of tight jeans, scruffy hair, pointy boots and some choice items found in granny's attic. Everyone's trying to be so different yet they all end up looking exactly the same. You have to smile. Nevertheless, the day was all kinds of wonderful (though I wish I could have afforded to actually shop with my wallet rather than my eyes). Here are some snaps of the neighbourhood.

loving these looks

In the past week or so there have been some pretty awesome threads pictured over on the Sartorialist- the go-to site for street fashion and a glimpse of what the most stylish from the worlds coolest capitals are covering their backs with. These are some in particular which caught my eye:

Oh and if you use the site blog lovin' to keep track of all the blogs you read, you can now follow this blog over there. If you've never checked it out before, it's definitely worth going over and taking a look at it.

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modern muse: florence

I thought it would be fun to do a mini series called 'modern muses', a look at some inspirational, creative and strong women from the music/fashion/film industries. Who better to start with than a personal favourite of mine- the free-spirited, totally eccentric and hugely talented Florence Welch of the band Florence and the Machine.

Florence is everywhere at the moment- no doubt largely due to her dynamic music and beautiful haunting vocals but I also think one of the main reasons the enigmatic Florence is such an inspiration is because she is real, in an industry where manufactured and mainstream is the norm. She genuinely doesn't give a damn what other people think of her and seems to exist in her own strange, macabre and flamboyant world. This is in stark contrast to some of her musical contemporaries like Lady Gaga, who seems to try so hard to be different and edgy and only ends up appearing contrived.

Everything about Florence from her love of strange and sequined costumes to her obsession with the darker side of life, is bewitching and comes from somewhere deep within her. I get the impression she would still be wearing those clothes regardless of whether she was on a stage in front of thousands of people or dancing around in her own bedroom. You can't help but get the feeling that the overly excitable Florence is just being herself, grabbing life with both hands and having a pretty awesome time while doing just that. Long may she reign as the thinking girls Queen of Pop.

All images are from Florence and the Machine's official website

page turners

I am a reader, always have been and no doubt I will be until my days are over. I love books, bookshops and losing myself in a great story. I thought I'd share a few of the best books I've read so far this year.

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

I'd been meaning to read this for absolutely ages, as is the case with so many of the other great classics out there. Well, I finally made the time and now I can tick it off my list! I'm pleased to say that I was definitely not disappointed. I am a huge fan of the 1920's era, and was quickly drawn into the world of the enigmatic, mysterious and handsome Jay Gatsby and the glittering parties held at his Long Island mansion, full of Bright Young Things drinking and dancing the night away.

It's not all glamour and sequins though, and has a much darker theme running throughout it: "Beneath the shimmering surface of his life he is hiding a secret: a silent longing that can never be fulfilled. And soon this destructive obsession will force his world to unravel."If you haven't read it then, I'd definitely recommend it, oh and I heard a rumour it's being made into a film which is coming out next year. Amazing! Can't wait to see the outfits.

The Bolter

Frances Osborne

Did I mention I love the 1920's...It seems to be a running theme in a lot of the books I've read lately! This one recounts the life of English aristocrat Idina Sackville- "The woman who scandalised 1920's society and became White Mischief's infamous seductress". It is told by her great-granddaughter Frances Osbourne. I was gripped from the first page and absolutely loved it. I think these two extracts from it's many reviews sum it up better than I could:

'The Bolter is the real Idina's story told by her great-grand-daughter Frances Osborne. It whirls the reader through the London social scene during the First World War and the decadence of Kenya's Happy Valley via Idina's five marriages and innumerable love affairs.' - Alice O'Keeffe, Amazon

'Passionate and headstrong, Lady Idina was determined to be free even if the cost was scandal and ruin. Frances Osborne has brilliantly captured not only one woman's life but an entire lost society.' - Amanda Foreman.

The Thirteenth Tale

Diane Setterfield

This is a brilliant page-turning, gripping thriller all about books. I read it all on the flight back from Thailand and literally couldn't put it down. That's over eight hours of solid reading! It has all the elements of a great novel- plenty of twists and turns, twins, a governess, a decaying house on a remote moor, a governess, warring siblings, and a fire.

It is undoubtedly a gothic tale, with more than a few parallels with Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights but it is a captivating read in it's own right, by an extremely masterful storyteller. I will be re-reading!

time for tights

Image by DailyFashionBoost

Just when I thought that autumn here in London had very definitely arrived, the weather has thrown us all a curve ball in the last few days and we've had blue skies and sunshine. Beautiful as this is (I am not a huge fan of the cold, rainy weather), it has made getting dressed in the morning a bit tricky....Is it going to start off sunny and then turn cloudy? Should I take a jacket? Bare legs or tight? Yes, always a gamble in the transitional seasons.

Nevertheless, I'm all about tights at the moment. I've restocked for the cold season with several lovely new pairs- some grey and muted blue opaques and a couple of pairs of the thicker, ribbed, varity in beige/cream and pale grey. I'm taking inspiration on how to wear them from these very stylish ladies on flickr...

Image by thenewclotheshorse

Image by strike.match

Image by rachaelnw

Image by automaticsweetheart

Image by Violetwired

the newlyweds hit thailand

So here are some shots from our week long honeymoon on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand (apologies there are so many of them, I had a hard time editing them down as we crammed so much into our 7 days there!)

First up, here is the famous big buddha, (you can't really tell the scale of him from the picture but he is absolutely huge), which presides over a temple on the north of the island.

These are some awesome life size robots entirely crafted out of old car parts, which are for sale at one of the vendors stalls based at the Big Buddha (they seem to have no qualms about combining religion and commerce in Thailand...)

Ahh, Beer Chang, the excellent local brew!

We hopped over to the neighbouring island of Koh Phangan for the legendary Full Moon Party which happens once a moon, yes you guessed it, on the night of the full moon. It is basically a huge party which takes place on the beach, where lots of crazy revellers from all over the world gather to dance the night away while the locals showcase their fire dancing skills. One of the highlights of the event is the local alcoholic beverage of choice- a 'bucket', which is just that, a plastic child size bucket filled with a heady mix of rum or vodka and topped up with the local version of Red Bull. Intoxicating to say the least!

Here are a few pictures of the hotel we stayed at...let's just say we weren't disappointed! It was a cluster of private villas rather than a big hotel type building. Our villa was so beautiful and the butterfly shaped infinity pool, little private beach and gorgeous restaurant finished it off very nicely indeed.

We went on an excursion to a local waterfall which boasted some naturally formed pools at the bottom where you could take a dip. The refreshing swim was most definitely needed after the hard slog up there in about 90% humidity!

Here are a few scenic type shots of various other places on the island...

A typical Thai meal...

One morning we visited a butterfly garden which was located right behind our hotel. If you hiked right up to the top of the hill it was situated on then you were rewarded with a stunning view of the ocean and the island's scenery.

One evening while relaxing at a beach side bar, we bought a paper lantern which we released into the night sky (it's supposed to be a good luck charm) and we watched it soar off into the night. It rose higher and higher until there was just a tiny flicker visible and then is disappeared from sight. Where did it end up? We'll never know!

This is the welcome drink we were presented with on our arrival at our hotel...mmm, fresh coconut milk.

To finish- here is the obligatory shot of my new finger ornament!