Southsides

My brother chided me for consoling myself with mojitos when my internet was down, instead of throwing back a few Southsides. I should have been guzzling Southsides, because these summer cocktails combine three of my favourite things: mint, lemon and Mt. Gay Rum. The story of how Southsides were invented has been lost in the mists of history, but the Wall Street Journal gives credence to their origination at the Southside Sportsman’s Club on Long Island in the 1880’s.  There’s some discussion about whether to mix this with gin or rum, but with the mix our family prefers, Mr. Lee’s, Mt. Gay Rum is the drink of choice.

My  mother and I went to Virginia to celebrate some birthdays with my brother, and he had several bottles of Mr. George Lee’s special Southside mix hand-delivered to my mother by Mr. Lee himself, still mixing up batches at the age of 88 or so. Mr. Lee was the long-time bartender at the Greenspring Valley Hunt Club and in his retirement, he goes through more than 100 pounds of mint a week to create his own special blend of Southsides, which he recommends mixing with Mt. Gay Rum.

On a hot summer day, regardless of where you are, there’s nothing that quenches your thirst like a cold Southside. The only recipes I could find on the internet called for gin, but if you Google Southsides, you’ll be able to find a recipe that suits you. Here’s a story NPR did on Southsides a few summers ago and the reporter gives you a recipe.

I’ll Take This… Cottage in France

I saw a piece about a number of houses for sale in some of the more rural parts of France, including Brittany. I loved taking the Eurostar from London to Paris and watching the wonderful country houses flash by. I would take any one of these.

This house has two bedrooms and is a 20-minute drive from the coastal town of Vannes, and 10 minutes from the market town of Malestroit. It’s €117,000 ($164,000) plus notaire’s fees. I love the blue on the shutters! WOW!An attractive old farmhouse with outbuildings in Côtes-d’Armor, 20km from the coast. It is on the market at €141,750 ($199,400) plus notaire’s fees. The long French windows are great.

This spacious four-bedroom former convent near Puy l’Evêque, on the market for £376,415 ($614,860), would have cost 20% more two years ago. It has its own pool too. Check out the niche with the statue to the right of the front door. Too bad about the cheezy plastic furniture.

This two-bedroom house with a small garden may need quite a bit of tender loving renovation, but has had its price cut to €50,020 ($70,529) plus notaire’s fees. It’s located in a small rural hamlet in central Brittany.Which is your favourite?

House in My Head Book Reminder

I know I've distracted you all with ghosts, gorgeous presents and pianos, but if you're interested in being chosen to receive the book "The House in My Head" don't forget to leave a comment before the end of Friday, July 17!

The Ghost, Again

I work in a house that was built sometime around 1850. For many years, it was the summer home of a noted Baltimore philanthropist. It then became an orphanage for many years before it finally became offices for the charity where I work.

During these slow summer days, when everyone is taking vacation days, it's very quiet here. Except for the resident ghost, whom I saw again today. He tends to lurk in the second floor conference room, and is very benign. He's usually just a shadow moving across the table, but he's there.

There's so much history in this house, that there is bound to be a ghost or two hanging around. I hope that it's happy.Do you believe in ghosts?

My Heart is Bursting

Has anyone done something for you that was so nice, so considerate and so thoughtful, that it just makes your heart burst and brings tears to your eyes? It's a rare thing, but when it happens, it just overwhelming.
That happened to me today when I received a package at the office. I've received two other packages in the past week, one containing Jamie Drake's lovely book from Little Augury, and the other with Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden from Maxminimus, which, if you're not reading, you must. Both were lovely and generous gifts, and I appreciate them tremendously.

Today's package was from England and it contained a gift that thoughtful beyond words. I collect French Ivory handled knives and forks. I would find a knife here and there, and once I found a fork. When I moved to Wales, I found a lot of knives and forks, but never any spoons.

Former blogger House of Beauty & Culture told me that they didn't make spoons. I found some poor substitutions at Target, but they weren't the right scale to the other pieces I had and their handles were plastic {shudder}.
HOBAC was extremely thoughtful and creative, and had some spoons made for me from the French Ivory handles of some old knives and forks, and European-size table spoons. The detail work is just perfect. They are just gorgeous, and feel amazing in my hand. They are a gift that I will always treasure. Now, and when I am old, I will think fondly of this wonderful man, whom I am privileged enough to call a friend.

Fête Nationale

Aujourd'hui est jour de bastille en France. C’est le jour le Français célèbrent donner l'assaut à de la bastille en 1789. Le premier jour de bastille était un événement énorme de régal et de fonctionnaire pour célébrer le soulèvement de la monarchie constitutionnelle de courte durée en France et quelles personnes ont considéré la conclusion heureuse de la révolution française. L'événement a eu lieu sur le Champ de Mars, alors en dehors de Paris mais maintenant de l'emplacement de Tour Eiffel. L'endroit avait été transformé volontairement par la population de Paris dans ce qui a été rappelé comme brouettes de Journée des brouettes.

Today is Bastille Day in France. It is the day the French celebrate the storming of the Bastille in 1789. The first Bastille Day was a huge feast and official event to celebrate the uprising of the short-lived constitutional monarchy in France and what people considered the happy conclusion of the French Revolution.

The event took place on the Champ de Mars, at the time outside of Paris but now the site of the Eiffel Tower. The place had been transformed voluntarily by the population of Paris in what was recalled as the Wheelbarrow Day.

J'espère que vous avez un jour merveilleux, écoutez la La Marseillaise, qui est vraiment une chanson tout à fait sanglante, et pense à toutes les choses françaises que vous aimez !

I hope you have a wonderful day, listen to La Marseillaise, which is really a quite gory song, and think of all of the French things you love!

Blogger Sponsorship Article in the NY Times

There was an excellent article in the New York Times about the line between sponsors and/or advertisers and bloggers, and what the bloggers should disclose. As more marketers see the influence of bloggers, they are sending them products to review and discuss. However bloggers do not always reveal that they have been given these products.
The article in the TImes specifically discussed a blogger called "Classymommy" (ugh) who has reviewed more than 1,500 products on her blog. Alghough she does acknowledge which posts are "sponsored" and which are her own, many bloggers do not. I think at this level of "sponsored posts" in a blog, then it becomes one big commercial. In journalism, there's always been a sharp line between the reporting side and the advertising side, so that there's no influence.
I had a rather sharp discussion with a food blogger who was sent sushi-quality fish, high grade meats, kitchen utensils and small appliances and much more, without ever acknowledging that she had been given the items in hopes that she'd write a positive post about them (which she did). I thought that this was unethical. When I do talk about a commercial venture, I am doing it to share information and no other reason.

I receive loads of PR e-mails and always refuse to post about them, for several reasons. Most of what I am sent shows that the person hasn't really taken the time to read my blog. I write about what I think is interesting, and am not willing to flack for someone else. I also know that lots of the other bloggers are receiving the same e-mails, and I tend to follow my own road. I have also received offers of product, but I have turned that down as well, because I think that it puts the blog on a slippery slope towards becoming an advertising vehicle.

What are your thoughts on blogs promoting certain products? Do you or would you do it? Why or why not?


This post has been brought to you by the number 8.

Bits & Pieces

I had lunch with my mother today and she told me about a story that she’d read in the NY Times yesterday. There are 30 pianos scattered about London and they’re available for people to play at any time. The project is called Play Me, I’m Yours. Some are in very touristy spots like Portobello Road (Hi HOBAC !) and others are in places not familiar to tourists, like St. Mary-le-Bow church. I think that this is a brilliant idea, and I love this picture of a group of businessmen singing around a piano in Liverpool Station. Here’s a video of a man playing at Portobello.

I was at Book Thing today, twice actually. The first time, I couldn’t even get into the parking lot, so I went back later and was able to find a spot. I thought the shelves would be empty after all of the morning’s activity, but I got about a dozen books, including a copy of “The House in My Head”, which I will give to one of you. Over the past two years, I have found a few copies of both this book and the other book Dorothy Rogers wrote, “My Favorite Things”. If you’d like this copy, which is in excellent condition, just leave a comment, and I’ll put Connor to work reading the comments and picking one on Friday.

Even though this book is nearly 50 years old, it offers amazing insight to building a house from scratch. Leave a comment if you’re interested in it!

My Worst Words

I am a huge fan of the UK's Guardian newspaper for its alternative point of view and myriad stories that we never see in the US news. I also love it when they ask their readers for their point of view on things and I have found some of the funniest writing there.
Right now, they're running a story on words that make you wince. Not as much for being gramatically incorrect, but because you can't bear the sound of them. Most of the words are not obsene or disgusting, but ones that just make people squirm. One of the most frequently cited is:That doesn't bother me too much, but wound does.It is usually prefaced by gaping or open, and it just turns me green. Same as this word:I had a friend who couldn't abide the words snack or sneaker. The combination of those sounds made her crazy. (In an e-mail, she told me that with an eight-year old son, she can now tolerate snack.) What makes me crazy is the practice of morphing a perfectly good noun into a verb. The worst example for me is gifted or gifting. What's wrong with gave?
What is the word that just makes your skin crawl? Why?

Jamie Drake in My Mailbox

Do you know Little Augury? She's relatively new to the blogging world, just starting in January. She's currently doing a series of interviews about books with some of the most influential bloggers, including An Aesthete's Lament, Mrs. Blandings, JCB and my friend, the late, great House of Beauty & Culture.

In conjunction with some of these interviews, she's giving away some of her books, and I was lucky enough to be chosen to receive Jamie Drake's New American Glamour. It arrived at my office this mornning beautifully wrapped in fabulous pink paper.

Oh, my gosh! What a gorgeous book! I can NOT wait to spend some time reading through this book and studying the pictures.

Thank you so much, Little Augury!