Category: London
6 Today!!
It’s Charlie’s birthday today..a date that always brings back memories. He was due on the 18 May but I had a date with the operating theatre on the 11 May for a planned c-section. Then I went in on the 5 May for a routine check-up..and was told I had pre-eclampsia and wasn’t going home – I just thought I was feeling shite from being pregnant and looking after a toddler. I was prepped and ready for an 8.00 am section the next morning…and finally was wheeled into theatre at 10.20 pm that evening: the joys of a busy hospital and not being a priority…but, despite nil by mouth all day, I did get to enjoy the last kicks I would ever feel and savoured every one of them. When he finally came out I can still remember the shock of being told his weight – I ‘d been on regular monthly growth scans because of problems with my blood and his umbilical cord and they’d all shown he was within normal limits…then they weighed him and he was a mere 5 lbs 8 oz..he was absolutely perfect but so very, very tiny..but I was always crap at the pregnancy lark – his poor umbilical cord was like a piece of string…honestly, it’s a miracle either of my children made it through – out of 12, they were the ones that did – and for that I am and will remain eternally grateful.
(With his cousin Bea)
Laters, Kate x
The Results!..
So this is our attempt at Tree Change Dolls..we were lucky that it was a gorgeous day (summer is on the way!) and we had Bella’s lovely friend Maya to help us. These were the dolls as they started (Charlie doll was given a reprieve as we thought he was rather pretty!)(Thankfully, we had a spare doll..)
First job was to take their faces off, which we did with the nail varnish remover – you let it soak for a bit and then wipe.
It takes off a fair bit, but does leave smudges (and avoid getting the remover anywhere else on the dolls as it starts peeling away the plastic..as we learnt to our detriment..)
For the rest and the harder marks, we used eucalyptus oil..and lots of elbow grease..you just have to keep rubbing hard! But I’ve now learnt the power of eucalyptus oil..my bin has never smelt so fragrant..
And we managed it!
Then they all had a wash..
(Although certain members of the party became more interested in the bubbles..)
After that it was time for the paint..the most exciting, but also the most nerve wracking bit. We used acrylic paints and Derwent watercolour pencils. What I would recommend is finding some really good, tiny paint brushes. Ours were kiddies ones which we then trimmed down with scissors..but it is precise work and the better your paint brush, the better the result. At this point, I will confess..we lost the majority of the children..they went off to play..
Not that it mattered..the mummies were more than happy to lose themselves over eyeballs! It was engrossing work..highly therapeutic we decided!
Big brother Alex was also game..so lovely to see..he just saw it as an Art project and was more than happy to get stuck in.
The finer details were done with the pencils – you dip them in water and then they work well on the plastic.
Bella with Bella..
This is Sophie’s doll (Maya’s mummy)
Who was then dressed at home!
I made a little dress for Bella..but we still have the feet to go..it all takes time!
Just doing it all for the first time was a learning curve. Time whizzes by..which is always a good sign. The painting is tough and particularly hard for the kids – but it was a great project to all do together. We intend to do another creative day soon to make the feet and more clothes. All in all, to be highly recommended! If you want to try yourself, there are loads of really good tutorials on Youtube..good luck!
Laters, Kate x
Day Out x
I had that typical middle-class adult dilemma this week – is it kitsch that my kids favourite activity is shopping? As soon as I mention it, I see the bright gleam in their eyes, the excitement..the quickening heartbeat and I know it has them in it’s tight, materialistic jaw..
We had to step into the lion’s lair this week to re-stock on socks and pants for school. But I went attempting a new regime..
I told them exactly what I was going to buy. Then anything over had to come out of their pocket money/christmas money/birthday money which they had to have in cash..no loans. Anything big and desirable went on birthday (not long till Charlie’s) or Christmas list.
The hardest thing is that I have to stick to the plan too – there’s lots of stuff I’d love to buy them. But what message does that give? I limited the extra’s to looking for a top for Charlie and a dress for Bella, both for Easter Sunday when we’re seeing relatives.
I know that if I think back through the mists of time, I can still remember that feeling of stepping into the equivalent of a sweetie shop – the seduction of it. And too often, when dealing with kids, you look at a situation through the knowing eyes of an adult, forgetting the journey it took to get there. It can’t be skipped just because you know the answer.
However, both my children have a fair amount to learn..money burns a hole in their pockets and the magpie tendencies are strong..
Though Charlie did boost his cash reserve by eating a clam. Bella refused. But it was their choice.
Naturally, they blew everything they had – Bella on stationary, Charlie on a puzzle toy and a hat..
We found him a brilliant top in Next for Easter – £14.99 and it looks like something by Ralph Lauren, and is beautifully lined in grey marl. He wanted to wear it straight away..the resulting mash-up amply demonstrates the preppy look his mother would love him to embrace..and the secret clubber within..
Bella bought a dress from Marks and Spencer that fluttered her mother’s heart..black with a peter pan collar. I’ll take a picture on Sunday.
Of course now, for the lesson to be fully learnt, having blown all their money, I have to take them shopping again so they can know what it’s like to want something and not be able to buy it. That big gulf between need and want. That special emotion that can be one of the world’s best motivators…you want it, you earn it..you save for it. You spend it on what you really want, not the fluff inbetween..learn the difference between the diamonds and the fools gold…you want more? Find a way..work hard..make it happen.
Laters, Kate x
Against Captain’s Orders..
On Sunday we took a family trip down the Thames to Greenwich. Growing up in London the kids have no idea how lucky they are..we live 30 minutes from Waterloo, which is a short stroll from the London Eye, which sits over the pier where you catch the boat..
Just opposite the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben..
Charlie opted for a outfit of utility chic. Honestly, he looked like a road sweeper.
The boat journey down the Thames is magical, from the drama of Shakespeare’s Globe and Tower Bridge, to the violence of the Tower of London and the old warship, HMS Belfast. It’s a spectacle. Unfortunately for us, it was all seen behind rain splattered glass as the heavens well and truly opened. Although by the time we reached our destination, the World Heritage Site of Greenwich, the sun popped out, if only for a minute..
Greenwich is a remarkable place to visit: There’s the Royal Observatory and the Meridian Line to hop over, The Cutty Sark, the Old Royal Naval College all seeped in romantic, baroque architecture..but we were there for a reason..
To see Against Captain’s orders at the National Maritime Museum, a groundbreaking theatre experience bridging the gap between museums and drama, thought up by the one and only Punchdrunk Enrichment, stars of immersive, interactive theatre.
The golden laws of interactive theatre mean I’m sworn to secrecy and therefore can’t tell you very much…except this is how it starts – and it’s not a stage set – you sit in the boats wearing life-jackets…before you are led away into a fantasy world where you are very much part of the fast-paced action in a behind the scenes experience in the deep, dark bowels of the museum. It’s brilliant, innovative..and an experience I know the kids will remember for a long, long time. It’s designed for children aged 6-12..and you don’t want to take any younger – it’s pretty heart racing…you’ll find little hands reaching out to find yours! Performances continue till the 31 of August..but take note: they do an adults version as well in an after-hours exclusive…if you can..GO!
Then it was off for lunch and wandering through Greenwich Market..yet another reason to visit…
Passing the Cutty Sark..
Before stopping at the nostalgic Hardy’s sweet shop to spend pocket money. I made Charlie buy popping candy..
Neither he nor Bella had tried it before..
I think it was a success..
Then it was time to run for the return boat home, before the storm clouds caught us..
Laters, Kate x
Made to Treasure..
Remember Loquet? 
Well it looks like they’re going to be doing bracelets..charm bracelets.
(All pictures Loquet and Garance Dore)
And so the heavenly lust list gets longer..
Laters, Kate x
Savage Beauty x
How to write about Savage Beauty? Can McQueen be captured in an Exhibition..or in the limited bubble of a post? The answer is no, but one has to try. So I’m writing this with the sound track to Schindler’s list playing in the background – it’s an earworm from the exhibition I’ll carry in my heart for a long time…and has made me, for the first time in over ten years, order a piece of violin music just so I can play it myself, softly at night with the back door open..
Cleverly, rather than chronological, the exhibition is grouped in thematic moods: Romantic gothic, Plato’s Atlantic, Highland..each room with it’s own presence: feathery oily gloss, crow black, cloudy foxed mirrors, decadent gilt, hospital white, all dripping quietly with the dark.
Wandering, discovering, uncovering the rooms is like being lead through the Minotaur’s labyrinth in a time chopped and spun dream.
(All photos from Google..no cameras are allowed inside the exhibition)
The Cabinet of Curiosities at the centre is the living brain with flashing synapses and pulsing electricity: Barnacle breasted leather, swooping scooping skirts, spit and saw dust, rich blood reds, spruced and scarred, gossamer held on wings, flammable laughs, chicken feathers in a slaughter house, murmurs, whispers, the glint of gold, leather and bones that wink, the haunting and the haunted. We accept these creations for the sculptures they are, the devolution, destruction, superb craftsmanship and extraordinary vision often without thought for the true effort they took….the room that followed broke my heart.
Go without expectations and you will find Lee, the insecure anti-hero leading the pack, looking inside and always expecting the worst, his discomfort then projected outwards into pure magical McQueen creative gold.
Walking out was a strange journey back into reality.
Laters, Kate x
Vintage Classic Car Boot x
If at heart you’re an emotional scientist when it comes to clothes, you’ll find it harder than the coating of Apollo 13 to resist the temptation of a vintage car boot..
The South Bank Vintage Classic Car Boot took place this weekend in London and was the bright, sunlit intermission on a rather cold, grey, damp couple of days. It’s a wicked combination of vintage cars..and everything else besides..go for a wander..go for a rummage..you never know what delights you’ll find..
One of which was Julie from Vintageattitude with her own stall! She always has such inventive, creative offerings..dog coats on the table (check out that tablecloth!), pom pom lampshades..and my personal favourite..hanging at the back..summer jackets made from vintage tableclothes..genius.
(A close up of her rather fabulous skirt. So true…I love her style.)
I want this fridge..
This is the poshest buggy I have ever seen..it converts into a tricycle when the baby converts to a toddler..and then hopefully a little hatchback..and then maybe a small maisonette??
This guys coat was made from a GI bag..Buster’s pretty cool too..
Such joy…I often feel that modern offerings are just the plastic parody of the past – it’s so much better to liberate the originals and I came away with bulging bags..but more on that in another post..
Laters, Kate x
Charlie x
This is hearsay…so I can’t tell you if it’s actually true…but according to The Husband (who’s birthday it is today – happy Birthday hubby! – which also managed to coincide with the final break down of the boiler. Should I be worried?) Charlie had a rather enlightening conversation with him at the weekend whilst watching Bella ice skate. Apparently he’s desperate for some younger siblings and thinks two more would be ideal. Sadly (wrong word, but he’s got a lot to learn…A lot.) there’s not a snowballs chance in hell of his wishes ever coming true: The wish for younger brother’s and sisters is rather like counting to infinity – it can never be satisfied as someone (In this case, Charlie) always has to be the youngest. But more importantly, that was ten years of my life I gave up and I have no wish to return to. Except Charlie thinks he has a cunning plan which he’s prepared to put into action…according to him, if he pushes my boobies (his words, not mine) five times, it makes a baby!…he knows this is true because he saw it on television! (also worrying. On a different level..) I asked The Husband whether he put him straight and grasped with two hands the perfect opportunity for a manly bird et bees conversation….he said he’s been far too amused watching me run away every time Charlie comes close…
Laters, Kate x
Into the Darkroom..
Guy Bourdin was a photographer best known for his surreal work for French Vogue from the mid forties to the mid eighties and for his graphically strong and charismatic work for the shoe company, Charles Jourdan. He’s now the subject of the brilliant Image Maker exhibition at Somerset house, London.
Whilst conventional fashion images follow the general generalisation of the world: making beauty and clothing their central elements, Bourdin’s photographs offer something grittier..more radical. In a glossier, more vibrant, tumbling world he created desire and lust..then subverted it with hints at dark fantasies and suggestions of depravity. In beautifully created and calculated illusions, his camera acts like an unwanted intruder..
He invites you in…
Welcomes you to the unexpected, wickedly carving up the narrative, his subjects caught in the headlights. Disgraceful, flashy and all handcrafted with love and terror.
Where he’s happy to leave a layer of shocked emotions smeared across the floor..
But always with humour and heart.
The colours are intense: heightened, enhanced, almost hyper-real: Red, blue, a specific yellow, black and white. And always with a life and energy that our modern day editorials seem to have lost.
In our age of endless image manipulation and photoshopping, there’s something incredible about Bourdin’s sheer creativity and endless imagination. Look, no digital re-mastering..
(This is my lovely friend Sophie at the exhibition in our own photo homage)
This exhibition is cool statement strong balls with scalpel sharp insights and seductive eye candy. Go see it…then see it again..
Laters, Kate x
Totally Temperley x
It’s the end of half term and back to the school routine..I’m sad the lie-ins are over, but I’m already grateful it’s getting lighter every day, although I’m still wishing on the morning star for summer. At least there’s the rich mix of London Fashion Week to dive headlong into..
Termperley London is what you wear when you want to tell the person you love that you love them. It’s long lines, supremely elegant and a masterclass in wearing flats..
The silhouettes are lux and gorgeous, but it’s the effortless layering that really captures the eye. Competing currents that clash and compliment with equal eloquence.
Impeccable diction and great bones.
Detailed and tender.
It’s a potent combination of direct appeal, subtle perception and unshakable artistry.
Laters, Kate x
Maison Bentley Style 