Things of beauty...

Hello! So, I am incredulous that it is my little boy's birthday tomorrow; Boo 2 will be six years old! How did that happen?? So tonight I need to deck the house out with birthday bunting - as I do whenever it's someone's birthday - and wrap quite a few presents (yes, I went a tad overboard at Toys R Us), to get ready for the big day. A family tea party with cake will follow. Of course this time of year always makes me think about when I had him, especially as it's when the rugby season draws to a close and on the day I was in labour, my husband insisted on playing rugby and then called me from the sideline to check my progress (contractions still regular, but not alarming!). Oh how different things are with the second child! We both knew it might take some time, but still! The weather has turned back to its seasonal norm so no sun and overcast. Exactly as it was this time six year's ago.

My thoughts this week have been quite exclusively on what I eat and drink. I have been on a detox all week and to say it's been an obsession would be an understatement. I live for food and spend most of my time wondering what I will eat next so it's been very hard to get excited about juices, soups and steamed vegetables. An interesting sojourn into dieting though, and one I hope not to persist with; I did it for health and for a kick start (see, I am already talking in the past tense...I am near the end!). But it does make me see what discipline is required to keep to a diet.

There have been beach days and country walk days this week, as predicted. We are nearing the middle point of Easter holidays - 2 week's down, 2 to go!

Things of beauty here with a delicate, lace-thin disposition....

Sigrid Agren at Elie Saab, Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2011

I love this image...I studied Jane Eyre for my dissertation at University...oh Mr Rochester!

via day dream lily, photograph by Candice Lesage

I like this scarf...

scarf by artlab via etsy

How beautiful is this? A tree-lined boulevard in Prague - photograph by my friend Natasha - If you want to read a love story to brighten your day read her blog ...

Spring time in Prague..

Ooops, look, he just creeps in the mix sometimes...soooo lovely.

gorgeous George...

Photograph by Polly Wreford

photograph by Mikkel Vang

Keira Knightley

from Cabbages and Roses

from jcrew

jil sander uniqlo

 Natalia Vodianova by Jean Baptiste Mondino via Beauty Fetishist

via swoon photograph by Juliet Elizabeth Photography via The Wedding Row

This symmetrical window and chair arrangement speaks to me...

styled by Tricia Foley

Absolutely stunning picture here from Vogue China...

photograph by Paolo Roversi 

Here's to a healthy weekend that features Birthday cake!!

Things of beauty...

What a week! The country hit by snow; on our little coast, the temperatures have plummeted to minus zero for days. We are so not used to this! Of course the country ground to a standstill and I found myself snowed in, kids off school and keeping our wood burner going all day just to try to stay warm! On days like these I am glued to the internet; tracking life happening outside my window and I remind myself again and again - what would I do without that contact?

My little blog has been hanging on in at number six in the Best Blog votes - I am staggered that you all went back and voted again - very chuffed that I have this lovely support. There is another round to go - eeek - but let's see how it goes before I beg of you again! Suffice to say, THANK YOU so much! MWAH!

It is our wedding anniversary this weekend - eleven years! I wish I could post a picture of our wedding day but they are old school photographic prints rather than digital so I'm afraid I can't. I love wedding anniversaries; and this is always a special time of year for me; the combination of festive advent and memories of our wedding day. It was a crisp, sunny winter's day and when it got dark we had candles everywhere, fires blazing, a complete fest of twinkly lights.

Martha Stewart

This weather calls for heart-warming soup like this...

Celebrating marriage this weekend...with a kiss and a look...

We were lucky enough to get married in Goodwood House, which at the time had just become a wedding venue. We have the same picture as this taken from the Minstrels Gallery in the ballroom in our album. Just makes me smile to look at - so opulent, it was unreal.

Love this whole outfit...this is my kind of look.

via that kind of woman

It breaks my heart to look at this, but it's such a beautiful image; Natasha Richardson just months before she died. This is part of an exhibition called 'My Safe Place' in aid of the Helen Bamber Foundation and her safe place was in Liam's arms...

by Nick Haddow

 

Also part of the Safe exhibition - Keira - she keeps coming up in my favourite images of the week.

This just says it all for me...

A bouquet of doorknobs! I love the quirkiness of this!

Marion Cottilard

 

via Everything Fabulous

It's going to be a good, sentimental weekend...

Hi, hello, it's me...

Hi, hello, it's me. Just wanted to say what a nice day it is today. Things I have learned as of today:

Doing all the laundry that one can possibly do in a day does make me feel better.
I have lots of very sweet and kind friends in blog land, amongst them here and here.
I have some pretty special friends in the real world too.
I will see 4 of my oldest friends this weekend, when I return to my University city for a much-needed reunion. Literally containing my excitement....
Hello to my newest followers (love that term!) Follow me...
I am meant to be working so I am going to go do that now...
Meanwhile here's Keira looking radiant as ever just to help us through our Tuesday...

Things of beauty...

Today Boo is doing her first ever horse riding competition. It's dressage which means she has to have the outfit. This is so me. It's all about the outfit. With plaited hair and a velvet hat, riding jacket and fresh new jodphurs I will send her off. I am just about to bust with pride and if she comes home with a rosette, all the better.

And so to a general wondering; in the words of Robert Frost:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -  

I took the one less traveled by.

Do you think it's better to take the road less travelled? I refer to career choices, when a 'career' was not meant to be the priority for me, it's hard to tell whether to take a leap or to stay safe and known. I need your counsel...

Palest blue tutus...it's Nutcracker ballet season coming up...

Let the madness begin; every year, my lusting after a very luxe MaxMara Cube coat, complete with collars and cuffs.

This amazingly pretty image was taken by my good friend Natasha from 'She Left on a Monday'...from her first wedding shoot; the lawyer-come-fledgling-photographer...

If only...Valentino studded shoes...YUM.

via The Sartorialist

I have dressage on the brain...I don't ride horses, but how exquisite is this?

by Mario Testino for Vogue

via tinywhitedaisies

Love her posture...and the halloween legs!

These are my 'I got new boots' boots...my friend N said they make her think of Nanny Mcphee and my friend D says they make her think of Mary Poppins...thoughts please?!! I love 'em.

by Belle and Boo

Watching re-runs of SATC, I found an episode I had never seen; where she dances with 'The Russian' in an Oscar de la Renta dress in Macdonalds. Inspired...

Keira in vintage print.

Sumptuousness from Elie Saab...

I think it might be a great weekend...