Baubles & Balls

Christmas is six weeks from today and even though I am not nearly ready to start getting ready for it, lots of others are. In the UK, every store I visited was either already decorated for Christmas or in the midst of decorating. I thought I'd share some of the images I took with you.

Faberge-style balls at the Victoria & Albert Museum

Mercury glass balls at Petersham Nurseries

Glass Ornaments at Petersham Nurseries

Looking down from the atrium at Peter Jones

Looking up at the atrium at Peter Jones

Tiny Father Christmas at General Trading Company

William Yeoward's Christmas Window

Christmas Hall at Liberty

Advent Calender in Slippers at Liberty

Feathered Squirrel at Liberty

Winter Wonderland Balls at Liberty

Are you starting to get ready for the Holidays?

Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work

Are you watching this? It's a show on PBS for the next couple of weeks. It was made on the occasion of her 80th birthday and follows her for a year, beginning with her trip to the the US last year. You can find details about it here or check your local listings for details.

Joss Paper

Do you know what Joss Paper is? When I was looking at the beautiful saffron and gold paper from Paperchase, I realized that it reminded me of joss paper, which is traditionally made from coarse bamboo paper, although rice paper is also commonly used. Traditional joss is cut into individual squares or rectangles. Each square of paper has either a thin piece of square foil glued to its center or it may be endorsed with a red ink seal from a traditional Chinese seal. The foil is either silver or gold, and they are equally beautiful and spare.
In my old house, I had papered the bathroom door with squares of this beautiful paper and then varnished it over. I am sure the new owners didn't keep it! The great thing about joss paper is that it's cheap! I am talking 500 sheets for $5.00 cheap. Sheets are about 5 x 7 inches, but you can also get them in larger 8 x 10 or 10 x 15 inch sizes. Whenever I am at Pearl River Mart in NYC, I always pick up a stack or two. Not to burn them in honour of my ancestors, but to use for decorating projects. Check out Pear River's blog post about Joss Paper, which is sometimes called tea paper.I think that a small bathroom papered with the cream and silver paper would be gorgeous.

Remembrance Sunday

This is the Sunday that is celebrated in the UK as Remembrance Sunday, while in the US, we celebrate on 11/11 as Veteran's Day. For the few weeks before Remembrance Sunday in the UK, you see everyone wearing red poppy badges. They're sold for £1 in tube stations, outside of shops and on the streets to raise money for old soldiers and sailors. All of the TV presenters wear them and you see them on people as diverse as punks and posh poseurs. It's a small way to remember those who've given so much.

I had some family business at the National Army Museum, so as a sign of respect, I purchased a poppy and stuck it in my coat lapel. I've been wearing it since and although it attracts glances here, it's very commonplace in the UK.

These are some photos from this morning's ceremony at the Cenotaph in London, courtesy of the Guardian.Please remember.

We have a winner!

I finally chased Connor down (his babysitter told me that he escaped three times!) and got him to log onto random number generator and pick a winner. He didn't want to get off my old Irish sweater, on which he likes to nap, but I made him do it.

Connor randomly generated Ms. Wis/Each Little World. Drop me a line via e-mail and give me your address and I will post the mug to you this week.

Thanks to everyone for playing and for all of your lovely birthday wishes.

Guess Who I Saw This Morning!

I had a meeting with one of the influential foundations in Baltimore and while I was waiting for my CEO to arrive, I noticed John Waters leaving the building next to the foundation's. Now, this isn't a smart or affluent area, just a blue-collar neighbourhood with a few office buildings here and there. John Waters is very distinctive looking and his LL Bean bag, with Cecil B. DeMented stenciled on it did nothing to hide his identity. If he hadn't been about 10 feet away from me, I would have taken a picture.

The Vases

Sir Fopling Flutter, Man of Mode and charming friend, asked about the vases that I'd seen at the House of Beauty & Culture. My friends know that I am about as squeamish as they come, and can't even watching a shaving commercial without flinching (I worry that they'll nick themselves and bleed). So seeing some of the rare and unique curiosities at the House of Beauty & Culture was fascinating and a little scary. One of the more beautiful items in the shop was a trio of vases. They were an interesting translucent material and when a beam was shown on them, they seemed to glow from within, like a cool alabaster, but light as airThe vases are made from animal bladders. I'd have never guessed.

Portobello Road

I have always loved going to Portobello Road, as well as all of the other London street markets. There's always the excitement of finding a hidden treasure that no-one else knows about, although that's an infrequent happening these days. This trip to Portobello Road was made even better with the anticipation of meeting up with the House of Beauty and Culture.

We met up early on Saturday morning and then headed over to Tom's for breakfast. Tom is Tom Conran and runs a deli/gourmet food store/restaurant in Notting Hill on Westbourne Grove. This wasn't the only Conran resturant where I ate... I had lunch at Blue Bird later in the week. After breakfast, we strolled along Portobello Road for a bit and the House left me to go attend to business, and I continued on my own.

The earlier you get to PR, the less crowded it is, and by noon, the place was jam packed with tourists from all over the world, just trying to get a bargain. PR sells everything from food, including huge pans of paella, flowers and used clothes. After some searching, I finally found the silver spoons that match the silver I was given this summer and bought a dozen of them.

By the time I had thouroughly explored all the nooks of House's shop, eaten lunch with him and looked in every store, I finally decided to leave him to an afternoon of peace and headed off to my next meeting - dinner with the Man of Mode and his fiancee.

Petersham Nurseries

When my friends suggested that we have lunch at Petersham Nurseries, I was delighted, because it had been popping up on my radar screen in the last couple of weeks. Instead of taking the train or tube to Richmond, just outside of London, I opted for the adventure of the bus, mainly because I wanted the visuals of leaving London for the suburbs and not the darkness of the Tube.After meeting up at our friend's house, we hopped in the car for the five minute drive to Petersham and turned into a narrow country lane. It was a bit drizzly, but not cold, and when we got out of the car, we turned to find a big field with some cows.

Once we walked in, I was charmed. It was just the kind of place I love - quirky and elegant at the same time (just like me!). It takes a month to get a reservation at the restaurant, but the wait staff wears wellies and aprons. Gardening utensils and seeds share space with crystal Christmas ornaments, and potted plants share space with country French and carved Indonesian furniture. Loads of wonderful things to look at, but most were just too big to consider carrying or shipping home. I did pick up the restaurant's cookbook for Sunday morning partner-in-crime, Kitchenography.

We wandered around for a while and then settled in for a long lunch of Cream of Courgette Soup and a good long chat and catch up. My father had met this family in 1945 in post-WWII South Africa and the friendship changed the course of his life. Over the intervening years, three continents, three generations and thousands of miles, the two families are still friends, and we hope to stay for friends for another couple of generations. Generations two and four are shown here!

All in all, a wonderful afternoon with life-long friends.

Shadows of the Past

The house where I live is about 120 years old. It was probably built as a place to house a worker on the B&O Railroad Yard, which is a few blocks away. In the US, my house is considered extremely old. But in the UK, it would be relatively young! I love being able to see glimpses of the past as I walk the streets and lanes in London, and watching people going about their everyday life, just as Londoners have done for generations.

In the neighbourhood where I stayed, there was a produce market almost every day. The locals would get fresh fruit and vegetables on their way home from work. It's a great way to live. I noticed a barrow standing on the street and did a little photoshop magic with it - just deleting the colour to make it a sepia-tone (which my designer assures me is the mark of an amateur). These barrows would be wheeled out and lined up along the street and the produce would be loaded on them.

In London, the shadows of the past are all around. Look for them in everyday moments.