Category: Family life
Our Day x
We wore the leather off our soles and the skin off our feet with our trip yesterday..I thought it was such a cunning and devious plan to link the Mexican shop and the Tower of London together – they’re both on the same side of the river after all – but sadly there’s no transport link between them..we ended up pounding the streets of London. Although, having said that – it’s a good place to pound. First stop was Milagros in Columbia Road – at the weekend this is a bustling, heaving flower market with much more besides (well worth a visit – there’s a Spanish restaurant at one end that does the best breakfast ever..) but during the week all the old shop fronts literally close their shutters – we were very lucky our destination was one of the few that was open..
We indulged..Frida Kahlo is my favourite..
It’s a fascinating area bridging hip Shoreditch and lively Brick Lane.
The kids took pictures of each other..
With varying degrees of success…
The Tower was magnificent. It’s such an iconic part of London with it’s foreboding stance against the march of time, combine that with the pure brilliance of this installation ‘Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red’ to commemorate the allied fallen in the First World War and it’s a combination made in heaven. Tom Piper is the designer, Paul Cummins the ceramicist, both have captured something utterly unique: Is it Art..or is it theatre?
Each handmade ceramic flower represents a fallen soldier.
It’s as if the very stones of the Tower are bleeding.
It was a brilliant decision to allow the planting to happen gradually in waves. It started in August and by the 11 November, Remembrance Day, 888,246 poppies will proudly stand, filling the moat – it has made this edifice to death into a living, breathing structure both celebrating and mourning loss.
At 4.55 every day – dusk – a solitary trumpet plays the Last Post and a roll call of 180 of the dead are read out.
I so wanted to hear the trumpet …but there’s always a limit with children and mine – after a long day and with 25 minutes to wait – had reached theirs..
We headed home..
But if you think my two are always angels..
Think again…
Laters, Kate x
Book of Life..
We’ve just been to see the ‘Book of Life’ at the cinema..perfect for the run up to Halloween – a family friendly fiesta of Mexican culture bursting with vibrant colours and life where you can literally touch the heat of the Mexican sun..you don’t need to be a kid to enjoy this one – I absolutely loved it! If I could jump on a plane now and head to Mexico to see the Day of the Dead celebrations for myself, I would.. I’ve been utterly seduced by the folk art and magical artistry…
It’s inspired me to look at Mexican decorations for Christmas: We buy one special decoration for the tree each year – last year it was this one, but this year I think I’m rather spoilt for choice. Just one??!
So today we’re heading to Columbia Road (has a wonderful flower market at the weekend) to check out this Mexican shop..then we’re heading home via the poppies at the Tower of London..what’s more the sun is shining and the sky is blue my chilaquiles!
Adios! Kate x
Bags of Time…
Good advice I’m thinking…
Laters, Kate x
Islands in the Sun x
It’s the last day before half term starts..seems to have whizzed past. I can remember standing at the school gates thinking I thought this day would never come..I’ve been standing at the same gates for the last week, praying for half term. The kids are on their knees…so am I…we all need a break, chill-out time and long walks by the sea..
We’re hoping to head back to Kent, the husband’s work permitting, for a bit of nostalgia and basic living. I can feel my heart singing just at the thought..
So I’ve just got to get my act together today…2 coffee dates, 2 playdates, send back a pair of boots that arrived in the wrong colour, wrap Bella’s birthday presents (her eighth birthday on Sunday. Can’t believe it), pack cake ingredients n tins, source creative stuff to take with us (requested by Bella: Another heart singing moment) and a few board games and a football, pack for everyone (still hate)…and then leave the house spotless as we have relatives arriving whilst we’re away..shouldn’t be too hard!
I’ll just keep looking at these dream kitchens and pretend it’s my reality…or that I have staff!
Laters, Kate x
The Force..
I’m not good with continually painting the town red – the tiredness comes down like a gruelling fog. The only antidote is pretense, swiftly followed by a relatively early night. And whilst no-one would normally guess (unless they wanted to count the luggage round my eyes) there is one presence I can never fool: Technology. Somehow it knows.
Take Sunday: A few late nights in a row and the matchsticks were under considerable strain. But my parents were in need of some muscle in their attempts to manhandle their still building site of a house back into some semblance of order. At the underground I checked out my oyster card – £8.75 left on – just enough to get there and back. Except the barriers didn’t like it, leaving me on one side with Bella and Charlie on the other. Went to the ticket office – no, we can’t do anything, it’s a problem with oyster – talk to them and buy a new ticket. Except the ticket machine didn’t like my debit card. Went to another one – spoke to it very nicely ( it took a while to get the heavy irony out of my voice) – and finally got my travel card. Except that was the last time the card successfully went through a barrier again..every change, entrance or exit I had to find an available person in an underground uniform to help me..
Came back to write a post. Computer froze and I lost internet connection..then the TV wouldn’t turn off…
I’d take it personally, except there’s absolutely nothing I can do. Except possibly throw the TV/Computer (cross out as applicable) out of the window…now THAT would show ’em….
Laters, Kate x
Pockets, Pockets, Pockets x
Time is a muscle that needs to be stretched and I’ve been doing my best to limber it up without running the risk of becoming a frazzled, urban melodrama. It’s a fine line.
– There’s the new fitness regime: I don’t want to hit that New Year winter coat without having done something, and I’d like that something to be a enjoyable, new, permanent addition. Swimming (good for the joints I hear) seems to be it.
– I’ve just done a massive summer/autumn clean of the house from cellar to attic (After the summer hols the house starts working as a dam of clutter and misplaced objet d’art holding back ideas n free flow, but it means wading through the detritus before calm descends. Which I thought it had, except now I can’t find anything. The calendar anyone?
– I have an Art Project with a deadline in November (more later).
– And the house – we hope to start renovations after Christmas, but it all needs planning and research..it’s the sort of thing that is very necessary and rather enjoyable but sucks the hours away. Thankfully I’m beginning to make interesting discoveries, like space-saving pocket doors – not seen much in the UK, but they are the perfect room divider. This initial idea came from Pinterest and is American, all the doors on the UK sites are very modern…I like the idea of vintage doors complete with beading and a bit of stained glass…I think more research is needed..
Now..What’s the time?
Laters, Kate x
M for Masterful.. x
Wish I had one of these delicious jumpers by M Missioni in my wardrobe today – particularly that blue/green boxy slouch on the right. Sigh. It’s a double-whammy day – I’m co-hosting a coffee morning for all the residents of our road (writing it down makes it sound like something out of an urban episode of the Archers..) so there’s a pressure to find something half decent to wear..and the weather has literally turned over night – wet, cold and blustery – which is unfortunate as the wardrobe planning has yet to catch up – Birks just don’t cut it through the puddles..
London has a reputation of not being friendly, but I’ve never found it to be the case..I’ve always loved where I’ve lived. Lately we’ve had huge movement on the street with friends moving out and new people moving in..which doesn’t make it easy..you miss those that have gone and it almost feels traitorous to welcome their ‘replacements’ with open arms…but life must go on… 
So I need to go to sit on the end of my bed to ponder a bit more and hope for a flash of divine inspiration..preferably before 8 o’clock when we leave for school..I was hoping to squeeze in a swim before it all kicks off..up to 32 lengths now…but somehow that feels unlikely…
Laters, Kate x
Oh What a Beautiful Morning..
How do you get dressed in the morning?
I have to listen to the ten o’clock news the night before to hear what the weather will be otherwise my wardrobe obligingly falls apart.
It didn’t happen last night. I was on the phone to a friend till gone midnight..
And today is a tough sartorial challenge: School drop off, run back home – write this (failed: Internet crashed. Typical,) out on bike to Art class (new venture: love it), back on bike to pilates class (another new venture: Finding muscles I never knew existed…at least I think they’re muscles..), school pick-up and a mum’s night out mashed with Book Club (yep. double booked..) The evening can wait, but now? first thought: Lycra running leggings with birks plus loose tee plus open denim shirt with rolled sleeves, possibly a large scarf depending on weather (damn 10 o’clock news). Except I can’t find the leggings in the mountainous piles of washing and time ‘n’ school gates wait for no man. Even the kids are dressed before me. Nearest equivalent? A pair of drawstring brushed cotton navy pyjama trousers…roll the legs up, roll down the waist and I’m sure they’ll look boho something…accessorise neatly with all the inner reserves of chutzpah available on a thursday morning, add a pair of dark sunnies ‘n’ walk the walk ..
Do you think it matters they’re actually the husband’s pjs??
Laters, Kate x
Creative Magic x
After the long summer break, it’s the much anticipated start of Creative Coffee (click for details) this morning – chutneys and oat cakes today, but above are pictures from a previous session of sausage making rather than a demonstration of what happens to unfortunate attendees..
We made them right through from mincing the meat, adding bread crumbs and spices (for three different kinds of sausage no less) to the requisite comedy moment, complete with lubricating oil..
There was much tittering!
A plate of very special bangers!
It’s hard to explain, but when I go to Creative Coffee – which essentially means making something from scratch that would be easier to buy in a shop – I realise what a privileged life I lead..
Laters, Kate x
Colourscape x
On Saturday we headed up with friends to Clapham Common to experience ‘Colourscape’ – walk-in structures originally created by artist Peter Jones in the 70’s to celebrate colour and light.
We had no idea what to expect..to go in you’re given an overall to wear. The practical purpose is to keep track of the number of people inside, but there’s also a transformative effect, blurring everyone away from normality as if you’ve stepped into another dimension…
The first thing that happens is you lose everyone as they’re swallowed up by the multiple spaces and lured away by the colours..adults slow down..children scatter like birds..
There was also live contemporary music, adding to the air of other worldly..
In the centre was a sort of meeting point of white curves and elliptical wonder.
Where there were games on the floor for the kids to play with..
You could wander, you could sit and just be..or you could just lie and go to sleep like the husband! But slowly everyone comes back together again..
The closest thing I’ve ever come to it was the permanent light installation exhibition at Villa Panza in Italy..one of my most favourite exhibitions ever..
Totally mesmerising. It was a rarified thrill to do something utterly engrossing for the whole family involving all the senses..I loved it!
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 