yellow

Islands of vibrant Californian poppies in a local front garden.  I walk past this joyful splash of yellow most days and love the daring colour combination...

souvenir

My sister gave me this delicious souvenir from Lisbon today, a box of Pasteis de Belem.  Soft vanilla-scented custard held by ribbons of crisp pastry with a sachet of powdered sugar. 

I've missed this daily treat since I moved my studio from South London where there is a large Portugese community.  Since then I've been searching for the perfect recipe.  My homemade vanilla custard is passable (brightened with a little lemon zest) but the pastry has to be authentic, whether homemade/good quality puff or even filo it's no match for the real thing!

She also gave me this beautifully wrapped parcel of tinned sardines!

kempton

I bought an old ladder and beautifully textured coral at Kempton Park today.

The sunny weather brought out the crowds and it was lovely to spend the day with creative friends. 

Gerlinde, a generous and talented jeweller and Kaori, an inspiring ceramicist with an eye for detail. 

I also bought this glass pickle jar which is as big as Sailor!

manon

The curtain went down tonight on a dramatic performance of the ballet Manon, at The Royal Opera House.

The choreography was breathtaking and defied belief.  Tamara Rojo seemed to dance effortlessly partnered by Carlos Acosta.  The stage and costume design set the uneasy atmosphere of the story.  Dark, tarnished or tattered in an earthy to scarlet colour palette.  The principal dancers wore flourishes of intense colour and embellishment.

festival

Bunting at The Southbank Centre which is celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Festival of Britain.

I took an evening stroll along The Thames to see Miro at Tate Modern.

bluebells

A mist of bluebells brings an ethereal quality to one of my favourite places.  

It's bluebell season and the local woods are awash with a spectrum of colour.  Soft lavender hues, cobalt blues through to deepest purples. 

Walking under the canopy of trees, we took a meandering path through the heady scent of bluebells.

We spotted a lone deer...

and Sailor enjoyed her beautiful surroundings.

egg

It's Easter weekend and I've been making gifts of personalised eggs. 

The eggshells were first dip-dyed in food colouring and then decorated with painted initials.  Happy Easter!

beauty





I visited "The Cult of Beauty" at the V&A today which features this painting by Leighton.  The Aesthetic Movement influenced many areas of design including interiors, architecture, fashion and the decorative arts. 

Alongside paintings, the exhibition draws together prints, jewellery, ceramics, textiles and furniture.  Many of the interiors are in a colour palette of  sludgy greens, punctuated by intense peacock and china blue. 

I liked the detailed etchings by Whistler, architectural drawings by Godwin and beautifully painted fan that is "autographed" by different artists.

Upstairs is "Picturing Plants" an exhibition of different styles and techniques used in botannical illustration.

"Linden" by Henry Bradbury, 1854 was made by pressing the plant between soft sheets of copper and steel producing an embossed nature print.

spring

Spring is in the air!  Sailor and I walked through a confetti-shower of cherry blossom today to visit my local florist. 

The shop was overflowing with the prettiest of early blooms and fragrant foliage. 

I liked this soft textural selection of ranunculus, cow parsley, eucalyptus and scented broom.

pick me up

The Embankment Galleries at Somerset House is currently home to Pick Me Up, a contemporary graphic art fair.

The diverse showcase of international artists/illustrators includes Victo Ngai and assembled images by Polly Becker

There are prints for sale, illustrator Anthony Burrill in residence, live music and creative workshops.

Alongside the fair is Joy of Living a charity project that raises money for Maggie's Cancer Care Centres. 

Leading designers have submitted original artwork on a simple sheet of A4 graph paper.  The result is a diverse collection of illustrations, cut-outs, collages and 3d paper engineering. 

All the designs are sold anonymously to encourage buyers to purchase the artwork they truly desire. 

butter

I found a pair of butter pats in my local antique shop today, perfect for making homemade butter. 

Traditionally butter would be churned by hand, water wheel or even using a dog!  I used a recipe from Jamie Oliver to simply over-beat double cream in a mixer until you're left with butter in a pool of buttermilk.  Squeeze any extra moisture from the butter and pat into shape. 

Lovely on sourdough toast with apricot jam.



birds eye

Last night was the opening gala for birds eye view film festival at BFI Southbank.  I really look forward to this annual event.  It's an inspiring evening that celebrates and supports the creative talent of women filmakers.  This year, the guest speaker was Zoe Wanamaker followed by a selection of short films made by international directors. 



"Little Children, Big Words"  directed by Lisa James Larsson was sensitively filmed and the most memorable short of the evening.

In complete contrast I loved the animation and humour of "Tord and Tord" directed by Niki Lindroth von Bahr

ardingly

It was a bright day at Ardingly Antiques & Collectors Fair.  I loved the colours in Chris Holmes' display of decorative interiors.   

 














Sailor made lots of new friends and I enjoyed spending the day with Ellen from Anzu.

flavour

I finally purchased a copy of "The Flavour Thesaurus" by Niki Segnit.  It's a little book of inspiration, beautifully written, designed and bound. 

The flavours are divided into themes including "Woodland", "Green and Grassy" or "Bramble and Hedge".  Many of the flavour pairings are classic combinations like fish/anise or ginger/rhubarb, then there are surprising combinations too.  It's a good read and her flavour descriptions are so precise, you can taste them!