July 22nd, 2008

My little mezzanine

When I was little I used to like designing interiors. I would design fairy houses set in huge old tree trunks and plan rabbit warrens of rooms and sketch out the furniture placement and which way the doors would open. As I grew older I did the seating plans at school – I would draw where the desks would go and decide who sat next to whom (a long forgotten fact only recently unearthed upon discovering my old school reports).

Before I reached teenagerhood I gave up a really really really big bedroom at home for a small one on the condition dad would build me the mezzanine I had designed for it. The mezzanine would have asparagus ferns and other plants hanging from its beams. My purple silk would drape above and I could pretend I was in Arabian Nights. However my plans were scuppered when I didn’t manage to stick to the other part of the bargain; and that was to keep the new bedroom tidy for three months. In hindsight they must have known that was impossible and they were in fact getting a pretty good deal – although I did find it much easier to decorate the small room and remember wishing there was a contest I could enter it into for best decorated room.

Somewhere in my flickr stream there are photos of my old studio flat - which is just over the road from where we live now - illustrating just how messy my version of nice is. As I say in one of the captions – “before Kevin came along and tidied me up“.

So, I have, metaphorically speaking, kept my room tidy now for five years and my prayers have been answered. This weekend Kevin took Astrid out and I unpacked boxes and put away and sorted and hung things up. And now I have my own dream room, complete with handbag and hat collection on the wall, a knitting chair and a proper wooden ladder leading up to my secret hideout – the mezzanine. Next I’m going to ask for some time to sit in my knitting chair or up in my hideout to read all my books and knit all my squares and plan all future decorating work.

I have also been a very lucky girl and have received some lovely lovely post from Di and Yvonne which I’m just going to have to tell you all about very soon indeed! And then I’ll also tell you about all the amazing stuff we’ve been doing and all about how I am working five days a week at an agency in Brick Lane and how I’ve seen heaps of degree shows, including Textile Design (woo!) and how we’ve been to Borough Market and Neal’s Yard and Columbia Road again. And how I’ve ordered some heirloom tomato plants and how we planted the garden last weekend at long last. And the amazing set of nested coffee tables I bought (Kevin thinks g-plan or ercol). And the fact this baby is starting to feel big. Or is that me feeling big? And my recent trips to Loop. And the knitting classes I’ve booked. And the wool I bought (oh. my.)

And and and… and I’ll take a photo and show you my mezzanine.

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July 6th, 2008

And then there was stuff

What a fun weekend we’ve had! Unpacking our stuff. And picking up the cats! We really must go out for some fresh air. No wonder I’m falling asleep. The cats just wandered in, plonked themselves down and made themselves right at home. I think we were more traumatised by their flight than they were – in fact, they’ve never looked so well.

The little sewing room’s taking shape, although I still need another ikea trip to get the smallest table they have. Today I unpacked all my japanese craft books and the fabrics. Last year really was one for stocking up on fabric. Cleverly I packed them all into plastic bags before we moved – as I now discover we’ve moved into Moth Central, North West London. Excellent planning.

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July 6th, 2008

A good reason to start knitting again

I know I’m always saying I can’t knit. Well, I can actually. I can knit little squares. No, they’re not for testing the gauge – that’s my real knitting.

This little blanket was started way way way back in time (here to be precise) and I only got half way before Astrid was born. But now I’m back in the land of being able to buy Debbie Bliss cotton DK in nice colours I might be able to revert it to all lilacs and blues and have it finished on time.

“On time?”, I hear you ask. Yes! On time. In approximately 28 weeks – that’s January to you and me. January. That ought to give me enough time to finish it don’t you think?

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July 6th, 2008

Craft again

Last week I finally managed to get myself to Cloth House. I’d been in once for a three minute scout while Kevin and Astrid had waited outside. This time I had all the time in the world. I was so amazed by the simple loveliness of the fabrics, the buttons and trims were just too much to bear so I saved them for another trip.

Ah… the hand printed indian cottons – there were two table tops with bolts stacked three high. It was impossible to decide so I just picked two.

And the voiles – a whole shelf of different colours. Not just white, cream and brown, oh no no, they have colours!

But the linens… the linens (you’ll have to look at 44 for those). The linens were just unbelievable – so many to choose from; thick, thin, rough, fine, purple, chambray, green, blue, grey, and every other colour under the sun. And then there was RED. Jeepers creepers the red linen made me want to jump right onto the bolt and fly away on it.

Now to clear the table, get my sewing machine out and make quick and easy shopping bags. And hang them up in the kitchen. That’s all. And then have another sleep. And then maybe bake the carrot cake I’ve been talking about all week. And then catch up on all my unanswered mails (sorry people with unanswered mails and comments – I really am going to have to sort myself out here). But not until I’ve had another sleep…

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June 30th, 2008

Here I am

This weekend saw us up in a small village just out of Leeds and a camera full of photos that need downloading. It also saw some lovely charity shop treasures, green and lovely riverside walks, a few treats for the garden and a lot of rain and cold.

The portfolio site is now ready for public view, although I could spend another week on it easily – print and photography aren’t even in there yet. In between interviews and our daily walks and the fact I put half my portfolio on a hard drive in the shipping. What a brilliant idea that was.

Speaking of shipping it arrives here tomorrow. We’ll have sofas and drawers and a decent choice of shoes and clothes. And a grater. And proper big towels. We’ll have cushions, throws, baking dishes and cookbooks. And on Saturday we’ll have cats! Yes! The pussy cats will be here soon – hooray!

So soon things will be more settled. The little house. The little lives. The little jobs. The little garden. Soon things will all be ticking over nicely. Very soon indeed.

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June 24th, 2008

Yoo-ii shop update

I’ve been checking on a daily basis and can now report Yoo-ii has updated her shop.

Waterlilies – design by Yoo-ii • letterpress printing by lynn russell | satsuma press

There are three limited edition prints available – two gocco prints and one letterpress collaboration. I love Yoo-ii’s unique geometric and abstract style of illustration.

Here

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June 16th, 2008

Evening walks on the Heath

And a lament for the Greek shop of Dartmouth Park

I said to Kevin this time I wanted to walk on the Heath every day – and not just get so used to it being on my doorstep and I would simply forget, or be too lazy as I was in the past. So yesterday evening when I was in bed reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Kevin hauled me out, we all wrapped up warmly and off we set over the Heath, to Swain’s Lane, down to Dartmouth Park and back.

We discovered my favourite shop and main reason for wanting to move, one day, to Dartmouth Park is gone. The lovely rustic wooden exterior, darkened by years of wear and weather. Gone. Replaced by shiny white tiles and bleak steel joinery. The inside once a clutter of dusty wooden shelves, dark wood floors – a hive of local bustle – a deli counter harbouring bottles of hand-pressed olive oil, hand-made cheeses, salamis and hams. Gone.

Where vegetables, full of life were once displayed in wooden boxes, now the usual manufactured produce lies in green plastic bins. The light so bright. The floor so shiny. The shelves grinning sarcastic metallic smiles. You are gone.

Oh the Greek shop of Dartmouth Park you have gone. The fresh loaves that used to grace the front window. An empty shelf of flour late in the day. An interior at least twenty five years old, all wooden and showing your age we loved you so. You’ve now been swept over by progress. Your soul cemented over and covered in shiny grey lino. You have gone you have gone.

A new shop has sprung up in Swain’s Lane, full of organic produce and hope. So all is not lost. Not lost at all. Perhaps the soul of the Greek shop has moved there. Maybe it has.

Yesterday we were blessed with one of my favourite lights for photography – when the sun’s going down shining against dark dark clouds.

And I also wanted to say thanks so much everyone for your lovely comments and welcomes to London – it’s really really lovely to arrive with such greeting and well wishes! Many of you have asked why we moved to London – well it’s a long story so I shall post about that once my CV is out in circulation and I’ve built my new portfolio site.

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June 11th, 2008

Little collections

Before we left I organised a few house warming gifts to self to ensure we had some personal touches to make the house feel like home when we arrived.

Having white walls and high ceilings means I’m more in love with our new home than I think I’ve ever been with a house I’ve been living in. And coming from IKEA-free New Zealand means it’s always doubly exciting to move to Europe and go crazy at IKEA. Twice!

And while we’re on the subject of inbound post – my Superbuzzy order worth $47.00 had a customs charge of £12.22 (£4.22 tax and £8 handling fee). Add on $15.90 for postage and that makes for one heck of an expensive 2.5 yards of fabric. Lucky then that I bought a lifetime’s supply of fabric last year because I don’t think I’ll be ordering any more in a hurry.

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June 11th, 2008

London, sweet London

Oh it’s so good to be back. Better than we’d ever imagined in fact. We’ve walked and walked and walked and walked. Through Soho, from here to Camden, back to Belsize Park, up to Hampstead, around the Heath, through the City, up to Hackney and from here to South End Green countless times. We’ve walked more than we walked in an entire 18 months in Auckland.

walking up to Belsize Park – London believes in meadows

We’ve eaten rhubarb yoghurt, parma ham from Carluccios, cranks wholemeal loaf, lurpak butter, proper english sausages, strawberries, plums, pret twice for breakfast, spinach and ricotta pastries, incredible raw-food mango cake from Spitalfields, salt beef beigel, smoked salmon and cream cheese beigel from Brick Lane, and I had the best ever Mocha from the coffee house by Spitalfields.

our Street

Sunday morning saw us up bright and early and on the bus to Farringdon where we walked to Spitalfields while everyone was setting up – it was brilliant being there without the crowds then on we went to Brick Lane. Too early for Labour and Wait so up to Columbia Road (all minus camera of course!) where my crowd combat method is to walk down behind the market on the footpath and dip in and out to look at the flowers and plants. And to buy herbs and alliums of course.

kitchen herbs

That night we walked up to GPK for dinner, just to ensure we didn’t need to eat for another week at least. They’ve got coleslaw now which tastes as though it’s half sugar. Astrid liked her burger though. And she shouted a lot too.

Astrid yelling for burger

Then our weary little feet carried us back home. To a new home that’s very quickly and naturally feeling like home home. This is my favourite place in the world to live this little Street we’re in. And our little cottage is better than we could ever have hoped for.

view from the kitchen (note strawberry hanging baskets)

And in only a few short weeks we’ll have our stuff, the cats will be here, Astrid’s childcare will all be sorted and we’ll both be working. Simple (she says collapsing in a heap).

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June 9th, 2008

Incommunicado

I have a slight suspicion my blog has been broken into and I hope I’ve fixed it now. So I’ve just spent half this beautiful Sunday afternoon online, borrowing files from other sites because I can’t hook my little lacie drive up to Steve’s pc - a long and boring story.

But it’s too beautiful to stay inside a minute longer and off I go up to the Heath this glorious glorious afternoon. Photos and a full shopping report tomorrow!

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June 4th, 2008

At the airport

Two hours till we board. Off to play with Anna Sui cosmetics before we decide what to eat. Probably toast and peanut butter for me and sweet toast for K and A with lime juice all round. Or parma ham pizza. And lime juice.

Today we went to Little India - lots of terribly exotic (to me) photos to download when we get to London. Tekka market was one of those markets I have always wanted to visit - piles of fresh seafood, men hacking meat on enormous wooden blocks, interesting and unusual produce and aisles and aisles of saris to dazzle. Then we had lunch on banana leaves, more lime juice, and we weary family headed back to the hotel for a long lie down before an even longer flight (over 13 hours eep).

Internet free time running out. Feet need resting. And why don’t they have Chanel sunglasses at the airport. Harumpf!

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June 3rd, 2008

Muji food

Had to go back to take photos. This is exactly how I like food packaging if it must be packaged; clinical and uniform.

Fresh produce is another matter altogether of course, so I also love brown paper bags, butter paper and string. There’ll be Borough market and the shop in Belsize Park opposite the tube for that. And Fresh and Wild in Camden.

apple chips top left - deliciously sweet and tart although we suspect they’re fried

The prospect of beginning a new pantry is a most certainly a pleasant one indeed.

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