Category: Photography

December 8, 2014

I am Lucky..

Because I have fabulous neighbours, which is one seriously important cog in the life’s life-enhancing machinery. Take this Christmas card, drawn by the visually inspired Jane of her dog, Zsa zsa and all her wonderful puppies taking a leaf out of the Great British Bake Off..Talent, verve and festive giggles..

On Friday I spent the day with another neighbour, Doromy, an ex-actress who knows all there is to know about London and is a visceral, witty joy to be with..we headed to Radio Days on Lower Marsh Street, just by Waterloo to check out vintage dressing gowns for Charlie and to buy deco shot glasses as a present to go with the Sloe Gin I made at Creative Coffee…the place is an absolute treasure trove and well worth a visit if you’re ever in this part of town..

In fact the whole of Lower Marsh Street is a little gem: Vintage shops, food stalls, chi-chi pubs..the gnarly mixed with loftier intentions. Further down and just off to the right is this..the underground tunnel leading to The Vaults, a multi-use underground venue and a spray-painted canvas of guttural dipthongs..

Including female graffiti artists..

And a female fire-eater to boot..

We ended our day, setting the world to rights, eating takeaway kedgeree from Konditor and cook, sitting in Waterloo Station and watching the world go by. There’s not many people you can do that with..simple, effortless and full of the unexpected. It was bliss.

Laters, Kate x

December 5, 2014

Cheeky Charlie..

Laters, kate x

December 3, 2014

Just Because..

The Bentleys in a Bentley…

Laters, Kate x

November 20, 2014

Revolution..

The other night The Husband and I, breathless with anticipation, headed to the Olympic velodrome to watch some of the greats in cycling. I am a self-confessed cycle-head..every summer the Tour de France is always a must-watch..but I love the drama of the track as well. This arena, made up of 4,000 individual pieces of wood is like entering a gladiatorial games, a place where heroes still roam, oozing comradery and confidence, earnt through guts, guile and hard work – the joy about cycling is it’s not just about the individual or being the fastest..sometimes you have to be the most cunning. Laura Trott was the star of the night, winning every single one of her events, beating her great rival Marianne Vos into submission each time..Ben Swift won the men’s big event…how I love that magic touch of satisfaction..

Whilst we were cheering on the edge of our seats, the man in the row front of us wasn’t quite so happy..

I think next time perhaps he needs to read the small print…

Laters, Kate x

November 8, 2014

Streetwise x

It was a full day yesterday..picture travelled to the exhibition in Covent Garden ready to be hung for the 12..it’s in the Seven Dials area of Covent Garden..a rather whimsical collection of little streets beyond the main thoroughfare that holds some true hidden gems for any shopping aficianado..to be recommended..

Then onto to South Ken to meet the lovely Julie from Vintageattitude, stopping by to check out the ~~swimming pool~~ ice rink at the Natural History museum..it’s a fabulous situation – but I’ve never actually seen ice-skates create their own wakes before..

We were going to the Horst Exhibition at the V&A…I love the V&A but they miss a trick by banning photography – and to outlaw sketching seems somewhat narrow-minded and draconian. Having said that, it’s a wonderful exhibition, highly evocative of a by-gone era, leaving you wanting to for-go champagne flutes forever in favour of silver cocktail shakers and crystal rounded coupes…but you’ll have to take my word for it.

Time for a pit-stop at the magnificent cafe..

Julie’s fabulous bag..she is a true original..and that’s just Julie..

Then it was home for fireworks..

Charlie tried to tell me it was to celebrate Guy Fawkes night..

But I knew it was the warm-up for my birthday today. Cue the rude cards..

Another year older, another year gone..I was talking to a lovely mum in the playground the other day when her daughter came rushing up and said ‘My Mum’s 43 now’. ‘I told her’, she sighed. ‘My Mum’s 30 on Saturday’ piped up Bella..’I didn’t’ said I….

Laters, Kate x

November 2, 2014

Life through a Lens..

I don’t normally post on a Sunday..but unless these go out now, I fear they ever will…Pictures from our half-term week away to the Kent coast including Camber Sands, Deal and Kingsdown…

Laters, Kate x

October 30, 2014

An Event x

December 26 2014 marks the ten year anniversary since the horror of the Boxing Day tsunami in which my cousin Sam Archer-Fayet and her baby daughter Ruby Rose tragically lost their lives.

As a way of marking this anniversary and celebrating Sam’s life, her sister Nathalie is holding a very special exhibition in their memory: She’s conjured up a whole cornucopia of artist’s and musicians to produce work to capture and treasure Sam’s spirit: On the night and just for one night, they’ll be an intimate short film shown, shot by Sam herself in the late nineties when she was working in the thick of the fashion world, showing a glimpse of life behind the scenes at some of the most glamorous catwalk shows including her friends and icons such as Kate Moss, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Esther de Jong, Carla Bruni, Claudia Schiffer and John Galliano. Freeze-frame images will also be exhibited as part of the on-going exhibition. My youngest sister, Harriet will be performing with her group Kosmos, as well as performances by Lisa Billson and Nina Walsh, Somethin’ else and Martin Beck. And if that wasn’t enough, they’ll be an auction including a signed print from Charming Baker, dinner for 4 donated by Anthony Usher at the renowed Clutch restaurant, a signed photo by famous photographer Richard Young and a lot more besides…all proceeds from the exhibition will go to raise funds for the SMart Network giving them much needed funds to support homeless and socially excluded people through creative arts.

So if you’re in London or can get to London on Wednesday 12 November the event is being held at the Seven Dials Club in Covent Garden at 42 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LA – just email your name to info@samsaysenjoylife.com to confirm your attendance…

Nathalie also asked if I would paint a picture of Sam for the exhibition…mainly because of the kids, it’s been a long time since I’ve painted anything and I will confess, it has been one of the hardest paintings I’ve ever done, not only because it’s Sam, but I wanted it to truly represent her as well.

The background to the picture is a collage made up of both photos of Sam and quotes or words that I felt resonated her vibrant character. The idea was that from a distance it’s Sam..up close it’s what made her who she was..and each time you look, you should see something different.

I’m at the stage where it’s almost finished..but I can’t stop tinkering..it’s even changed from this photo..but time is starting to run out…

Laters, Kate x

October 29, 2014

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

October 8, 2014

Chutney and Oat Cakes..

The joy that is Creative Coffee – wholesome and happy with stunning aromas and rich rewards, like the incredible (honestly, some of the best I’ve tasted.Ever) mango chutney and melt in your mouth oat cakes (why haven’t I made these babies before??).

I took away two things from the session:

1. To invest in a pan like Sophy’s (she’s kindly sent me a link) which not only holds an extraordinary amount but also has delights such as a spout for pouring and an extra large handle. Genius.

2. To buy the book by Annie Rigg we often use at Creative Coffee.