a month of holiday

OK so I'm not quite going for a month of holiday, but June is definitely my month for holiday. This time tomorrow I will be frolicking in the sunshine, dipping my toes in crystal clear waters and dancing through the hot and sweaty night till sunrise. Not that I am trying to make you jealous or anything...

See you in two weeks!

most wanted: Refridgerator

AS I reached that magnificently awful time when a cash machine was no longer a place from which I could withdraw any funds - due to the lack of them - a friend of mine shone a light at the end of the tunnel by offering me a weeks work temping as a receptionist at her office. After a brief consideration of the pros and cons (pros being: a cash machine finally fulfilling its purpose again, con being: a week enduring the reality of a mundane 9-5 office job) I took the plunge and entered the world of the office. 

And how pleasantly surprised I was.

This was no ordinary office. Down a tree lined drive an old white manor house (of sorts) appears. Inside, there are original wooden floors, a sweeping staircase, large rustic wooden desks and dogs pottering around whilst their owners are busy at work. In addition to this, a beautiful kitchen/dining area full of rustic charm is not only the home to a wonderful Irish chef who prepares a delicious lunch each day, but is also the home of this fantastic fridge:

At first glance I thought of it as nothing more than a charming cupboard, probably full of crockery. Not so. Puzzled by someone rooting around inside for quite a while, I was much more surprised to find that they emerged holding a bottle of milk.

I want one of these. Badly. I have no idea where to find one, but I fear that my future home will not be complete without a fridge like this.

And so, on top of the replenishment of funds - and my new found love for a fridge - the predicted cons of the week became obsolete. The office environment was not a depressing maze of fluorescent lit cubicles, the days did not pass monotonously (due to the brilliant company of those I worked with) and, most importantly, each afternoon seemed to be punctuated with 'cake time' owing to a birthday, or two, or three. I will hopefully be returning. All fingers and toes crossed.

doing it granny style

FIRST coming to my attention on Another Magazine's website, these images make me grin from ear to ear every time I look at them. If I can still have even half as much fun dressing up when I'm a little old lady as these guys appear to be having then I will one very happy OAP. The pictures are from a shoot for Dazed and Confused and were featured on a blog called Advanced Style, a blog that claims to provide: 'Proof from the wise and silver-haired set that personal style advances with age'. Although my favourite images from this blog do seem to be from Dazed's editorial, it's definitely worth a look to see some of New York's finest stylish and sometimes cutest (though am really  trying not to sound patronising when I say that)  older ladies and gentlemen...

This lady was clearly delighted to be having her photo taken!

Some effortlessly understated cool is being demonstrated by this lady...

And finally, a perfectly co-ordinated outfit is worn by this cheery fellow. Look at the shoes!

summer lovin'

MY soundtrack to the summer is fast becoming Tease Me by Chaka Demus & Pliers. Back to the old skool.

scratch n sniff

BRILLIANT. A scratch and sniff wallpaper, supplying the sniffer with the scents of a variety of fruits - reminiscent of those sugar coloured gel pens everyone used to use at school. Designed by a graduate student from the University of Brighton: Kayleigh Webster. I can see the return of smell-o-vision on the horizon...

oh I do like to be beside the seaside

DURING a slightly surreal  day in London town, after 3 1/2 hours sleep and slowly fading drunkenness, I found myself continually presented with life size elephant statues popping up before me. This one was a particular favourite, putting me in an extremely summery mood whilst relaxing in the much belated sunshine of what had been a blustery and sodden day.  The elephants (of which there are 250 in total around London) are part of the conservation project Elephant Parade, intended to highlight the plight of the endangered Asian elephant.

most wanted: Parrot Jumper

LOVING the print design on this JC de CASTELBAJAC jumper that I came across in Selfridges yesterday. If I had a spare £670 then it would definitely be hanging in my wardrobe right now. Sigh.

apartamento magazine

APARTAMENTO magazine is the perfect way to indulge the voyeur within, sneaking a peak at the inside (and out) of homes across the world. From the weird and wonderful to eclectic chic, right through to refreshing minimalism, many tastes are catered for. And in amongst these lifestyle snapshots, Apartamento presents articles on design within the home, including furniture, tableware and soft furnishings. A coffee table staple.

most wanted: Telephone

MOST wanted. A little ray of sunshine for those all too rare landline calls.

Bill's pesto is the besto... (groan here)

USUALLY at the forefront of my mind for its indulgent and beautifully presented deserts - a giant portion of pavlova laden with a mound of delicious berries is always a winner - Bill's Produce Store in Brighton has now provided me with yet another reason to justify it's heaving queues for a table. Pesto. Not my favourite of flavours, as I often find it quite sickly in both taste and texture, I have now had to rethink my opinion of this condiment. 

The pesto at Bill's is delicious. So good I found myself eating it with a fork, bypassing the toasted rye bread that it came with. Chunky in texture, with barely a hint of the oil slick that you often find at the top of shop bought pesto, the parmesan flavour that came through was intense; alongside the occasional burst of a pine nut on the palate thanks to it not being blitzed into oblivion, the whole experience of eating what could have been considered a simple snack was elevated to the revelatory experience that I love pesto. As long as its Bill's.

fruitshake

NOT that I was looking, but I seem to have managed to find the most purple smoothie/milkshake in the world. It really was this strong in colour - thanks to a  copious amount of blueberries. Plus it came with a fuschia pink straw. Nice touch. Though I'm still undecided as to whether consuming food of this colour is really my idea of utopia...

profile: Seana Italia Redmond

THE Gorilla Coat is the amazing hand knitted creation of Seana Italia Redmond, by far my favourite piece within her collection entitled 'Traces'.  Of this body of work Seana explains that:  

"Photography has been a tool to capture the elusive movement and texture of my knitwear; the capture of these garments means they are precious frozen frames of moments in time which could otherwise have been lost in the blink of an eye. The knitwear is therefore driving a mood and tempo rather than merely being a static collection that is captured and presented through a photographic record."

Following on from an evocative series of photographs, Seana has produced a film, which can be viewed on Vimeo.

the flavour thesaurus

CATCHING the corner of my eye in a tiny review in the paper the other day, this book sounds like it was made for me. Bloomsbury's THE flavour THESAURUS offers up hundreds of flavour combinations and recipe ideas, from the classic to the unusual (think blueberry & mushroom or lobster & vanilla), and I can't wait to have a root around inside for inspiration of what I can do with those random food items that always seem to get left behind at the back of the fridge.

profile: Verity Brown

AT Saturday night's University of Brighton graduate fashion show, Verity Brown's understated collection stood out in my mind, showcasing pieces I would love in my wardrobe. Inspired by the theme of optical illusions, Verity presented beautifully layered sheer striped trousers that were a joy to watch sashaying down the catwalk.

profile: Daisy Newman

THESE wonderful fashion illustrations are the work of Daisy Newman, whose recent fashion textile collection revolved around the theme of superstition. In addition to creating an innovative range of printed textiles that were transformed into an imaginative yet wearable clothing collection, Daisy has produced brilliantly dark film called Internal Superstition Externalised, featuring garments and headpieces from the collection.

tangerine trees and marmalade skies

 

FAVOURITE things. I'm Tango-ing my world this month with my favourite beauty products. The sweet yet tangy scent of Dove's nectarine and white ginger body wash gets me out of bed on the right side in the morning. And 17's brand new Orange Soda shade of nail varnish will be by my side (or on my body to be more exact) all summer long.

union match

LOVE this. For mere pennies you can purchase these original Union Match pink and yellow matches, in a crumbly old box with the label slowly beginning to peel off. Not simply looking pretty, they also release the wonderful puff of an old-fashioned burning match,  lighting up first strike every time. Until recently Utility, in Brighton's North Laines, was my trusty supplier, but am now keeping my eyes peeled for them anywhere else (suggestions please). The shop will however remain a favourite, with an ever changing stock that includes real feather dusters, ex-army soup ladles, white tin mugs, glass leech jars and much much more.