Favourite things #3

I went to see a concert by the very wonderful Jesca Hoop last night. Her voice is thrillingly beautiful and it felt like such a treat to be sung to by her. But the real joy of the evening for me (apart from being out with my lovely Best Friend) was discovering the fabulousness that is Kirsty Almeida. She was the support act but her and her band absolutely shone for me. Seriously, check her out (and no need even to thank me!)

Loot

While it's not a personality trait of which I'm particularly proud, I also don't mind admitting that I love to shop. Not the kind of shopping where you trudge, dead-eyed, around a soulless supermarket. And definitely not the sort of shopping where you stand under a too harsh light in a fitting room, looking at wrinkles you didn't know you had and trying to squeeze into a dress that is so unflattering that it makes you want to weep. (And the worst part? When you hand the frock back to the, invariably, young, lithe and gorgeous assisstant on the way out, muttering "No thanks," and you can practically hear her thinking "Well, did you really think you could get away with that?!") No, I much prefer spending 15 minutes choosing olives in a lovely deli or rooting around for treasure in a packed-to-the-rafters junk shop. However, I do also love the sort of shopping that you can do at 9:30pm, in your pyjamas, with a mug of tea at your side. One of the great things about online shopping is that you get that little buzz of happiness twice - once when you actually purchase the things and then another a couple of days later when the postman brings a parcel full of Lovely Things to your door. I've had three such parcels this week and have been really pleased with the contents, so thought I'd share my loot with you. The first two parcels contained my Number One Shopping Pleasure...books!

There was a new Persephone Dorothy Whipple, of course ("They Were Sisters") and a copy of Sophie Dahl's cookbook, the styling for which, like her recent TV programme, is absolutely beautiful. Then there was a copy of "Home-Made Vintage" by Christina Strutt, of Cabbages and Roses fame. This is filled with easy sewing projects - although whether they'll be easy enough for me remains to be seen - and again, the pictures are just gorgeous. And finally there was a little book of French vintage-inspired stickers and labels, perfect for re-using envelopes, labelling jars of home-made goodies, sticking on presents etc.

Then the last parcel contained a wooden crochet hook - I've tried to get a decent photo of it but the weather here is so dreary and grey that all my photos are unusably dark. I will get a photo of it, by which time it will have some crochet on! (Therefore be prepared to wait a while....)

3 Beautiful Things

Today I re-discovered the glorious "3 Beautiful Things" blog (link in sidebar). It's such a lovely idea - to recognise three things, big or small, to be thankful for each day - and it's executed beautifully by Clare. Her writing is just a joy to read. So, in her honour, I've posted my own 3 Beautiful Things for today....

1. This morning I finish "Fingersmith" by the brilliant, compulsively readable Sarah Waters . This afternoon, at the library, I find the new novel by the brilliant, compulsively readable Douglas Kennedy.

2. The brownie, which I tutted at having to pay £2.50 for, turns out to be completely worth it; perfectly gooey and - oh joy - packed with walnuts.

3. Beautiful Girl makes friends with a girl she happens to be sitting next to. Their conversation - based on teacher's names and admiring each other's colouring in - is utterly sweet and sincere.

Deadly Sin #1

Envy

Does it make it more wholesome that the item I covet is a potting table? Or is it just pathetic?

Do you remember how it feels....

.... to fall in love? That initial burst of joy, the wonder that this amazing person exists, the thrill of exhilaration as you realise that you just get each other. And then come the first nights together, when you can't bear to close your eyes to sleep because it means that you will be separated from your new love for eight long hours. You want nothing more than to be with them and all of a sudden everything else seems an irritation to be tolerated until you can wallow in being alone with your loved one again. Well, you may think me a hussy, but it is a feeling I experience quite regularly. Once or twice a year, in fact. Lovely Husband has come to tolerate it, even indulge it, although I'm not sure that he doesn't sometimes secretly get fed up about it.



At the moment I have fallen deeply, desperately in love with Dorothy Whipple. Not actually her, you understand, but her books. I have just finished "The Priory" (one of those beautiful Persephone editions, which shouldn't make a difference, but it does) and now will not be happy until I have devoured everything else she has written. Beautiful Girl understands this feeling. She sobbed bitterly after we finished the third book in Enid Blyton's "The Magic Faraway Tree" trilogy because "th-th-there's no Faraway s-s-s-stories left". At least I can tell her that, in about twenty years time, she's got Dorothy Whipple stories to look forward to.

Back to work blues

Well, Easter has been and gone and, for the most part, it was wonderful. Some bits admittedly, I'd rather have done without, such as the afternoon spent in A & E at The Children's Hospital after Beautiful Girl dropped a paving slab on her foot and the 2 weeks worth of school work that I have left until the last weekend - actually, make that the last day. But the rest of the two weeks were filled with long walks in the sunshine, time spent with lovely friends, far too much chocolate and lots of great days out. Best of all, we have welcomed two new additions to our family: a perfect little baby niece and, at home, Daisy the cat. Despite being a rescue cat Daisy is very affectionate and sweet and we feel so lucky to have her. Last night, while watching a film with Lovely Husband and a glass of wine she was curled up on my lap and I'm not sure who was purring loudest - the cat or me!

What makes a perfect weekend?

I have been struggling a bit over the last couple of weeks. For one reason and another I have been feeling overwrought, overworked, tired and emotional. All part of life's rich tapestry, as they say, but I really needed a good weekend. If asked to plan a perfect weekend, I would probably have to include:-

* celebrating the arrival of Friday by meeting friends and their children after school. Enjoying a large G & T, followed by yummy courgette and mushroom pizza, while our kids find a corner of the restaurant to run wild in, without disturbing anyone else.

* spending Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market with lovely Best Friend and my Beautiful Girl, followed by delicious Irish breakfast at the cafe.

* taking Beautiful Girl to the ballet on Saturday afternoon. (We are so lucky to have one of the best ballet companies in the country in our city and they are currently doing a production of Sleeping Beauty - utterly, gorgeously, breathtakingly beautiful.)

* being woken up on Sunday morning with a card and tissue-paper flowers, all made for me by Beautiful Girl along with tea and toast with honey.

* a long lie-in, followed by an even longer soak in the bath - with a good book, of course.

* spending Sunday afternoon having tea and cakes with my mum and oh-so-pregnant-she's-surely-about-to-burst little sister.

Lucky, lucky me then..... because that's exactly the weekend I got! Hope you had your own version of a Perfect Weekend!