Summer Reads Part 1

David Sedaris is an American comedian, author and radio contributor. His work is seriously funny and so well observed and when he reads his short stories himself, they are even better! Most of his material is autobiographical, about family life and his séjours in London, the South Downs and France. "Let's explore diabetes with owls" is his latest, but do check out "Me talk pretty one day", and don't spill your ice cream laughing.

Sales are on

The sales are on in London, summer clothes galore, but when you shop in your winter coat it seems to be only half the fun.

This is what caught our eyes instead at Joseph's in Fulham:

Glass staircase by Eva Jiricna

by aesthetic nomad

Summer Solstice

Dear Friends,

found here

I cannot believe that the longest day of the year has arrived and we are still waiting for the summer.

But, let's make the best of it and try to ignore the gloomy weather. Here are some dates, that should be able to distract you, and even better: they are all free!

Moon Gazing : Should the fog lift, we can enjoy a super moon on Saturday night

Whale watching in Greenwich

West End: free and live performances of West End musicals on Trafalgar Square

Fête de la Musique : at the Institut Francais this Saturday, and it is free, too!

And keep up your strength by visiting the intriguingly called Boutique Food Market at the Taste of London all weekend in Regent's Park.

Have a lovely weekend!

Easter Shopping

at Chockywoccydoodah on Carnaby! If you can cope with it (toffee covered marshmallows anyone!!)  … …. I think even the Easter Bunny would probably fall into delirium. It does look amazing.

greyorgreen

Hide and Show

Brighten up a dull day with the kids. Very much like the idea of an ever changing wardrobe (and so much cheaper ;-))

found here via

Greyorgreen

greyorgreen

whatever the forecast 

Netball Part I

We are learning about the beautiful game of netball since my daughter took it up 2 years ago. Not played on the continent it was a new ballgame to me, but it is fun to watch and the girls like the tactical and strategical side of it.
Why however netball is considered a winter (outside!) sport, is admittedly beyond me, but maybe I am missing the stiff upper English lip.

Be that as it may, even the Brits have to give in to wintry conditions sometime: the National Tournament on Saturday with 62 teams was cancelled today, due to a forecast of severe winds and rain - the tournament is normally held right next to the sea near Brighton! The girls will be disappointed, though!!

this is how it would look like on a good day - spectacular!

found here

Marbling

Just in time for Easter: Marbling with Nailpolish - a new take on these crazy nailpolish colours out there. (And great for using all these colours that looked great in the shops but just don't go with anything you have in your wardrobe ;-))
The technique is explained over at Design Mom (thank you so much). There you can find some lovely examples - we are still practising …. but loving it already.

 by greyorgreen


Happy Mother's Day!

International Women's Day

Painshill Park

Painshill Park is a lovely park 30 min down the A3 from West London. Restored to its former glory as a18th century landscape garden, created by Charles Hamilton between 1738 and 1773 it is a 'tranquil landscape, and although you will hear the cars from time to time this 'living work of art' will definitely be able to distract you from your modern city life.
Apart from plants and wildlife there are quite a few 18th century follies to discover like a ruined abbey, a Gothic temple and tower or a grotto. The people of Painshill Park even restored the vineyard!

the Tower at Painshill Park

 the Lake at Painshill Park

taken in February in the evening

The kids will love it - our two went there over half term for two days of woodland den building and  tracking down bugs and beasts with the two lovely people, Adam and Lindsay, who run it (I cannot recommend them highly enough!). I dropped mine at 9.00 and picked up two absolutely excited and very dirty ones at 16.30. Painshill Park offer a wild Easter Camp again this year. Check it out here.

London Bus Tour

London Bus Tour from moritz oberholzer on Vimeo.

(Nearly) all aspects of life!

This is an amazing take on travelling through London (and life) on a bus.

Sweet London on a stick

Just stumbled across these very grown-up lollipops, to please your inner child while still trying to look terribly sophisticated licking a vintage map of London (also available!).

you can find it here

Foreign Envoy

greyorgreen

V&A Museum

Ming Dynasty

Keeping warm with a perfect cup of tea

This little invention makes the most of your favourite tea and should take care of the dreaded piles of used teabags:

found here via

I like it when inventions take care of the small niggely (is that a word??) things of everyday life 

London Under

Get a flashlight out and join writer Peter Achroyd on his under worldly journey below London. From hidden streams, cat-sized rats to eccentric mole men, he manages to pull his reader into this secret world.
The book "London Under" is entertaining, full of facts you never knew you wanted to know about and short enough to read it on a few tube journeys to work!

And whilst you are digging deep, look out for a new series of work by artist Mark Wallinger on the London Underground called Labyrinth. 10 of the 270 works -  for each of the 270 stations - have so far been unveiled
(I will post some pictures as soon as I stumble across them. In the meantime you can have a look here.)

An amazing addition to the works above is Stephen Walter's London Subterranea, commissioned by the London Transport Museum for the Mind the Map Exhibition in 2012. Watch the artist at work and explaining his approach and thoughts here:

Kung Hei Fat Choi

The biggest New Year Celebration outside Asia will open in Trafalgar Square at 12.00 this coming Sunday!

Check here for more information.

Should the crowds or the weather stop you from joining in, stay at home and celebrate the year of the snake with making one with the kids

found here

brush up your Chinese with this great story about adventure and friendship by the great Christoph Nieman

or keep your friends and yourself warm with this Chinese hotpot

found here

Whatever you do, have a lovely Weekend!

untothislast

We recently ordered a table top from a major international furniture shop for our daughter who could really do with a bigger desk (so she can put even more very important bits and pieces on it). The table   refused stubbornly to make an appearance at our house (lost order, snow, accident, traffic and overworked driver) and after a few weeks of waiting (and finally cancelling the order) the following concept sounds so much more friendly, manageable, personal and affordable! that I will give it a go.

Unto This Last want to 'offer the convenience of the local craftmans' workshop at mass production prices' by making to order, simplify logistics and using advanced technology.

These especially caught my eye

desk

coatstand

light

I do like the idea of Micro Manufacturing close by. As with our food we seem to have lost an awareness and understanding of how things are made or grown, how much effort it needs to produce something 'well worth it', nice or even beautiful or yummy.
The untothislast concept seems to me a very good compromise, satisfying the price and design conscious as well as the environmentalist. You can visit them on Brick Lane. Now they maybe just have to work on a more simplified version of name?

Cabbage &Co

I don't know about you, but I for one am slowly but seriously longing for something not cabbage or root related - although, these do look nice ...

found here via

It's Friday

And greyorgreen is back! An (admittedly ) very long hibernation has come to an end. So ….

 …. Let's infuse some colour into this very grey and wet Friday.

la jeune fille à la perle

from the series Les Revisités

http://davrinche.com

Some time ago I fell in love with this painting by Gaël Davrinch, a french artist whose series Les Revisités is inspired by the great masters (here Vermeer). His paintings are part homage, part flirtation, part irreverence. I don't think he is coming to London soon, but if you happen to be in Shanghai ….

Or get your own inspiration at the National Portrait Gallery this weekend.

Vermeer himself will be the subject of an exhibition this summer at the gallery: Vermeer and Music - the Art of Love and Leisure. Sounds promising!

Have a lovely weekend!