September 2008

September 30th, 2008

Back at home together

It’s funny how life can happen quite unexpectedly at times. I have last week to thank for the fact I am now working from home three days a week, and now we are sans-nanny, looking after Astrid the other two.

The last time it was like this was back in April or May I think – before Astrid could walk. It’s raining like mad and we’re both a bit ill. I’ve actually properly lost my voice. So going out on the Heath was out of the question. I did consider Cloth House for buttons and John Lewis for some pure wool aran – but no, in true family tradition we made blackberry porridge with yoghurt and maple syrup, and then we baked scones.



Astrid’s got the magic touch – these are the best scones to come out of our kitchen in years. We used white spelt, almond meal and because we didn’t have enough, a cup of white bread flour too. Since then she’s ransacked the house and is now in bed sleeping it off.



It’s so nice to be at home together again. As so many of you have said, it’s precious time together before little chops ii arrives in January.

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September 26th, 2008

Learning to knit

And other such thoughts.



in progress raglan jumper from debbie bliss baby knits book

Ah, these last couple of mornings I’ve been dropping Astrid off at our wonderful childminder, heading up to South End Green for coffee and a muffin to plop myself in a cosy chair and knit for an hour before I come back home, up to my little study, to work.

It’s been a stressful past few days. I can’t really talk about it here but needless to say, always listen to your intuition, even if that means thinking you might let someone down or offend them. Especially where your children are involved. Astrid’s fine but we had a serious breach of trust this week and I’m just so relieved nothing happened.

Funny though, after not very nice things happen, well, it’s made our little family feel much closer – in a very comforting way. It’s like we all grew a bit closer to each other this week.

{ 24 weeks today }

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September 24th, 2008

A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart

Every day I’ve been checking if 3191 is still on pre-order.
Today I can add to basket { edit 26.09.08 : and today it’s here }.



from amazon.co.uk

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September 23rd, 2008

I can’t stop thinking about these



from trippen

I think a weekend in Berlin is called for so I can go and try them on.

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September 22nd, 2008

Here we are, Kimberlee

Another gorgeous London weekend. Yesterday, the last day of Summer, we walked all the way up to the top of the Heath and back down to Hampstead, looking for a coat for little Miss A. Don’t get me started on people in shops telling me, “oh, but those are girl’s boots”. I am not dressing Astrid in pink bloody tulle skirts and sparkly choking hazard hairclips. No way. We did buy her a little yellow raincoat for Autumn from Petit Bateau – so cute!



I cut her hair on Saturday morning. The last fringe cut made her look decidedly like she’d just stepped out of a commune so a bit of a bob was called for. I love it – especially now she’s looking quite like some of Yoshitomo Nara’s characters.

The other day I was reading Olga’s blog where she asks about any clothes you’ve had that have really lasted. I’ve been racking my brains all week but not come up with anything. If sunglasses counted however I’d vote these in. I bought them ten years ago on the Kings Road. Lovely timeless Persols. They’ve seen a two pairs of Chanels and one pair of Chloes come and go.

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September 15th, 2008

A drop of summer

Sunday was perfect. Beautiful and cloudless. Warm but not hot.

Up early and out for breakfast. A long walk on the heath. A tired child who will sleep. Fruit for lunch. A day for knitting. A day for quiet. Cats outside playing. Time to cook. Time for reading. Time for more knitting.



A perfect, lovely, long day.

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September 15th, 2008

Knitting classes at Loop

 After much waiting and counting down, knitting classes at Loop began this weekend. This was my third time lucky attempt at booking knitting classes over the years – and I must say it’s £75 very well spent and it was worth the wait. So exciting was the prospect that I’d actually got a spot, I also booked Polly in before even asking if she wanted to go.



We learnt so much in our first two hours; how to read abbreviations and patterns, the joys of addi turbos, basic shaping and K1, sl1, K1, psso. Wow, and we can now cast on without creating a frilly mess along the bottom of all knitted items.

We met some great people and spent far too much time talking and laughing. Classes at Loop are always such fun! And then at the end of we all get to go back upstairs and spend utter fortunes on pretty yarns for stash building. There’s just something about Loop. It’s got a little bit of magic that really makes you want to take some home with you every visit. Which reminds me, I need to go and spend some time with my new yarns.

Can’t wait for next week – Fair Isle, Aran and knitting in the round.

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September 9th, 2008

He likes it

And so do I. It’s not technically finished. But the good thing about crochet is you’re pretty much always cast-off. So for now, it’s a knee blanket. And it’s finished (it’s folded over in the photo and is bigger than it looks).



Oscar has even switched beds just for it.

In other news, it would appear I’m going back to LBi for a bit longer. So much for last day at work then :)

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September 8th, 2008

On my last day at work…

I remembered to take the little camera in to document my journey.

Out the gate, into very late Summer…



Down the road and around the corner to the 24 bus stop. Then on to Warren Street where I get off and it’s a stone’s throw to Euston Square station.



Onto the Eastbound platform where I take the first train. If I don’t get a seat I might get off again and wait for another train. Need to sit down to crochet. Or at least have a wall to lean on.



On to Liverpool Street where I get off and sometimes get some money out. Sometimes I’ll have a look in Paperchase at the Moleskines, or buy a salad from M&S. Most days I’ll get a coffee from the Market Coffee House. How could I not make the most of being so close to the best coffee in London.



Through Spitalfields market and up to the Truman Brewery, past Wieden + Kennedy with their coolest ever offices.



Then through the little road around the brewery buildings, past the Rootmaster busaurant.



Down the little lane, past the clothes shops,



past story deli pizza…



Here we are… the Atlantis Building in Brick Lane,



up the stairs…



and here i am at work.

Grand finale interior shot to be found over at 44.

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September 6th, 2008

printing by hand

Now, I wonder if anyone is wondering, “what on earth happened to those textile design and print classes Charlotte had booked at St Martins?”.

Well, that would be a very good thing to wonder as they were in July and August. But I cancelled them a) because I needed the refund money to live off for a month and b) I ended up working.



Instead I can save myself a small fortune and buy this really good book instead.



And learn lots of lovely things. And generally get very very excited about it all.  And also be slightly in awe of Lena Corwin. Well, maybe just a bit more than I already was. Yes.

www.amazon.co.uk

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September 6th, 2008

I have no idea

…where this came from. I think a little flax-berry eating bird must have sent it.



Which means I had now really better sort myelf out and start sewing. And I really do have to say the grey forest double knit is just heaven. All I want to do it hem the whole three metres and turn it into a blanket. Seriously, this is cotton jersey, lined with super-fine cotton jersey. Oh!

But I do know where this all came from… thank you Melissa, such a lovely parcel full of useful and very pretty things :) And everything seems to match so nicely too. Love!



And this weekend I shall be getting some outbound post ready. For blog contest prize winners; Caroline, Kirsten and Megan (even though she didn’t enter – see I said it would be random).

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September 5th, 2008

A year ago

I’ve been keeping reminding myself to remember on the 5th of September about the first anniversary of mum’s death. Just like I remembered on August the 19th that a) it was grandma’s birthday and b) it was my 10 year anniversary of arriving in London with but a pink backpack, a small wad of money and one very disappointing husband (not Kevin).



takapuna fleamarket, august 2007

And just by chance I happened to look through some old photographs and just by chance I opened some from a year ago. Which in turn reminded me again, today is the fifth. And today I’ll light a candle in my mind for mum, or something like that. As I walked home this evening after my last day at LBi I looked up the street and saw a funeral parlour and imagined what it would be like to die. And I remembered the passage from the book, The Silver Bird, by Joyce Petschek, I read out at mum’s funeral when I invoked Elspeth to help me to ‘project my voice’ as she would always direct me to do at drama practice.

And I was wondering what it was like for mum when she was dying, and whether it must have been just like going to sleep and into dream state and your soul is conscious of its journey but the conscious mind has gone to sleep; and where the two meet and where one fades out and is replaced by the other.



Lauren, Astrid, Hannah – the week before Astrid’s operation, July 2007

Sometimes I think to myself I’m glad mum died. And I am. I actually think I’m extremely fortunate she died. And it’s jolly difficult to explain why without writing paragraph upon paragraph of this is what happened then, and then this happened, and that person thought that. And without sounding, well, slightly awful or strange (but never mind about that, I’m sure I am both, sometimes).



Rufus and Astrid, July 2007

However… one of my life ambitions was to have a daughter, and to have a good relationship with my daughter. Something that didn’t happen with my mum and hers, and me and my mother. And now I’m free to do just that. And that’s why I’m glad. And that’s why I’m super glad to be having two daughters. When I think to myself how much stuff I have lived and done and seen in my thirty five years I think well mum lived for sixty four years. That’s a long time. That’s a long life. And maybe it would have been more noble if mum had stayed alive and we’d sorted it all out like one big marvellous family. But that’s obviously not the lesson for this lifetime.

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