homeward bound...

A weekend back to the home comforts of Somerset...

- make Jam

- walk the dog

- buy tea, crackers, and jelly!

- see friends

- have a pint

- eat Indian food

Toasted.

The new Toast Autumn House & Home catalogue (http://www.toast.co.uk/content/catalogues/house+and+home.htm)
is out. As always I dream of creating the looks found in the catalogue but find it difficult to commit to purchasing anything, the product is beautiful...it's in the basket...then it's out, or I get to the check and leave...I know what it is...to really pull this product off you have to live the Welsh Farm House life! 
I'll keep on daydreaming...

In & around Verona.

This weekend was spent in and around Verona, which hasn't happened too often over the last couple of months and the fact that the roomie & I were both here together made it much more fun!
The rain hardly stopped Saturday but we did sneak out for lunch at GustoBio where they had Chicken Tandoori on the menu! This was received with a little too much excitement (it's the little things in life that get you through being an expat)  2 orders of the same is not a common accurance for us but we couldn't resist...it wasn't bad either, nice effort and we're desperately hoping to see more non Italian dishes on the menu.
If you hadn't notice I'm also ready for my Fall wardrobe, I've had enough of the cut of denim pants and tank tops I want Layers!!
Sunday was spent rummaging through the flea market http://yeomanssmockhomestead.blogspot.com/ and finished off with a delicious lunch with friends, Bigoli x6 + 2 litres of wine. 

The OK Corallo

Well not quite, it fact it's not really OK.
About 25ft from my house is the cinema Corallo which reopened it's doors as a cinema in 1947 having been bombed during WWII...the movie playing 'Blood in the Arena'
This cinema has been closed for at least ten years with eerie rat traps surrounding it's front doors.
Last night however it's doors were opened, they're open for the month of September sadly there'll be no movies playing, you can do a tour, view an exhibition, but a film projected? that we'll never see again in this beautiful cinema, instead all us city dwellers have to drag ourselves out to the giant multiplexes.
I know this is old news, no room for the small independents but you always wait in hope, there is no hope foe the Corallo, after it's opened it's doors for the final call the supermarket is arriving, soon I'll be able to buy my dried pasta and tea where there was once lush velvet red seats. 

...found there way home

- A Suisse watch with a wonderful Yellow/Gold face

- 2 vintage thimbles

- 2 Pastille tins

- Robert Redford

- A tub of fresh figs

it's the little things...

Some of what was on offer at this weekends Flea Market...

it was a little disappointing this weekend hoping they will pick up in the Fall. 

a perfect day

As you all know I have been getting increasingly excited about the up coming nuptuals of the beautiful & super talented Natasha and the beyond amazing Stefan.
Well that day came and now sadly has gone, but I can only describe the weekend as truly magical.
The setting was at the pretty Gorse Hill near Woking.....where we were all looked after for the entire wedding weekend.
With half of the party coming from all over the United States and the other half splattered from around the UK not of course not forgetting the Danes. It really was an International affair.

Fabric Works.

Louise Bourgeois is my favorite artist and at the time this exhibition opened living artist, sadly the art world and normal folk like me lost the vision and creativity of LB in May 2010. With only 2 weekends left of the show at the Fondazione Emilio e Annabianca Vedova Venezia it was time I took myself to Venezia. Always weary of visiting Venice on the weekend and it's still summer here, I braved the mass of American tourists and snuck in around the back. 
A small galley style space with exposed brick walls and beams, although small the curator (Germano Celant) had...well it's easier for me to say I honesty can't remember the last time an exhibition has moved me with so much excitement and anticipation for what I would lay my eyes on next. It was pure delight, eyes wide open not wanting to miss a stitch, embellishment, colour, fabric or texture.
My stomach aching from holding my breath and forgetting to breath yet feeling totally calm and inspired.
Spirals, marble beads, weaved spiders and orbs. Envelopes intricately stitched together from netting to create envelopes of intimacy.
The exhibition is moving to London next maybe I'll treat myself to another afternoon of LB and her beautiful mind.