June 2009

June 23rd, 2009

To the islands indeed





We’d never have guessed how prophetic that particular blog title would be and if you’d told us a week ago we’d be moving out to waiheke for two months, well, we probably would have believed you – but we certainly wouldn’t have thought of it ourselves. Not then anyway.

But we did a few days ago (think of it). And the next day we found ourselves, the kids, the cats and all our stuff in a car, on the car ferry on our way to a little cottage in Little Oneroa. A cottage with a dualit toaster and gas cooker – that was enough to convince us – a little cottage just a few minutes walk from a beautiful beach – and a few more minutes up the road to the local shops. There’s a lovely organic general store, a butcher and a closed-for-winter junk shop (damn!).

So here we are. On island time for two months.

Timeline of recent events: Friday, land at lunchtime. Saturday, coffee and danishes at our favourite little spot at cheltenham. Sunday, find our little cottage, visit Campbell and Ande – the beginning of the virus. Monday, still all sick, pack up, go to Waiheke. Tuesday, eat eye fillet which we’ve been waiting for for a whole year, everyone well again.

We get broadband on Saturday – currently sitting in a cafe – so if you haven’t heard from me I’ll be catching up on emails over the weekend. Thank you T and H !! And L I will email you to catch up soon xx

17 Comments »

June 15th, 2009

my perfect garden





Just down the road a little old lady has a wonderful meadow garden. Ours never had the chance to establish itself but this is exactly what we’re after. Vegetables in amongst the flowers and flowers everywhere. Perfect!

I felt a little bit naughty taking photos so these don’t quite capture the full magnificence of it all.

Two of my other favourite gardens are this one and @N02/3129500873/" target="_blank">this one.

8 Comments »

June 14th, 2009

bye bye camp richmond (in two days)



It’s been such fun!!!!

3 Comments »

June 13th, 2009

oh fuck it



I got an ipod. I forgot but Kevin wheeled me into HMV because there’s no apple shop in Richmond. And I chose yellow. But they didn’t have yellow, so we went to Curry’s which Kevin said was shit, but we went anyway, because they might have yellow and a pretty cool dude with dreadlocks and a nice face found us a yellow eight gig ipod. He was pretty laid back about it seeing as he said there mightn’t be any in stock. Compared with just how excited I was that I could actually get one. Because I only wanted yellow.

So tonight. Tonight. I have a whole tonight. And have already been out all day long with Polly and Steve and Kevin and the girls. I got my electric toothbrush. We walked and walked. But I’ve got a whole night although the faint sound of screaming is slightly. Um. No. It’s ok.We had 1970s fish and chips in Richmond (minus camera damn the interior was so so so damn 1970s as were the patrons). And you just would not believe the brilliant maths and the visual way our waiter displayed and calculated the bill. He pointed to each item with his pen and added it all up on the spot – 1.30 plus 2.30 is 3.50, added to 1.70 is 5.20 and so on – all with the pen – all down the list we went. I told him how we love the tallying – it’s the best bill we’ve ever had. And he told us he was quite good at maths. He also told us how Edith was happily playing in the pram when we couldn’t quite see after we were hoping she’d go to sleep.

Then we did the walk from one side of the river to another side and then back to Richmond again and up to the train and back over the river again back to home. P.H.E.W. Then we dropped the kids home and then we went back O.V.E.R. the river again – oh the himmelich blick – auf the river thames again – lovely London summer haze. Over the river. Over to the pub. The old proper little low ceiling little pub. The one with the best of british masterchef food. Duck with beetroot, buttered cabbage, goose fat roasted potatoes or lamb shanks with mint crust on green beans times two. Yep.

On the way home from the big long walk – the one after the little walk up to the station and then down to all the charity shops and back home. The walk back from home, all along the river, up through Richmond, back along the green and down past the pub where I thought it worth carrying the kids up the bridge stairs just to pop into the pub to check and to reserve a table. That pub. The one Kevin chose. The Swan. Empty when all the pubs in Richmond were heaving with tourists. With their grey walls and uniform fonts. The Swan was there unassuming with its low ceilings, reeking of fags from days gone by. The food as I’ve already said. And the guy at the table next to us – saying to his companions – it’s pub food – bloody hell though – one day it’ll be michelin star food. Or maybe that’s just me.

And I forgot to say, this comes later but it goes here (well done if you’ve actually read this far). It rained on the way home and we ran across the bridge. It was so funny we laughed and laughed and laughed and we ran and ran and ran all in the rain. And we got home and Edith was awake and Astrid was awake and we went and played outside in the rain. And Edith went to sleep. And Astrid was dificile. For a bit…

Oh yeah. Dessert was. Deep fried rice pudding balls. Cinnamon ice cream. Raspberry coulis. Nothing is ever going to stop me liking raspberry coulis. But you know what. And here’s another thing. I like being lo-fi. In fact I take great pride in being lo-fi. As do so many of my friends. Yes you! Some people we know take great pride in being fancy, and going to posh restaurants with grey walls and expensive champagne and nice hair cuts. And that’s very nice. I used to do that too. And I see quite a few trips to The Grove in our future also… Mrs Charlotte will have a proper job soon…

And then I forgot to say all night we planned the renovations on our house – the new kitchen – that we’ll send to friends to be signed off before we begin. To friends who will help from Europe – who’s advice we wouldn’t live without. But you know what. I could have put my expensive makeup on and posed for this photo. But I sent it to a friend because I love this photo. And she loved it so much she printed it out and put it on her fridge.And that makes me laugh. And she makes me happy. Because she loves me. And she’s bloody brilliant herself. And I’m so lucky to have such great friends.

I have hesitated to say anything and now I can say anything here I’m going to say it. Quite a few months back I had an email telling me I ought to do something about my appearance. I think that was when I was, um, about 8.5 months pregnant. Actually. No, I’m wrong – perhaps it was when Edith was about two months old. So I got an email saying I should be spending more time with my children and spending more time on my appearance. And that’s the big story about why I deleted my flickr and why I stopped talking to my blog.

Because you know what. It really hit a nerve. And it’s upset me a lot. It’s upset me pretty much every day. Every single day until maybe a week or so ago when I’ve had the time to do anything about it. And now I’ve got the time to do body lotion and makeup and hair and stuff. I might look like a dick in a photo but I don’t care. Because it’s just a terrible but hilarious photo! Most worthy of a fridge no!

Me and my beautiful girls.Hurr…

56 Comments »

June 9th, 2009

a little book

Lovely styles of London living spaces at amazon.jp

Just after edith was born I was emailed out of the blue by a japanese journalist asking if I would like to be interviewed and for them to photograph our house for a book on London interiors.

And here it is a few months later – by a very strange coincidence it arrived the exact day we moved out – our humble little home – in print.  There’s also a little cushion tutorial at the back which I forgot to photograph in my one hour off babies and children to cram in as much blogging and flickring as I could.

We spent a Very Long Time getting the place ready for the shoot. Edith was all of four weeks old and I’d have never managed it without Kevin’s help. Yvonne rallied around and sent the message – dust and vacuum, buy flowers and fruit and you’ll be fine.

I feel quite sad about our little Hampstead cottage that we’ll never live there again. So far I miss the oven most. The hot little oven that would bake a cake to perfection in 35 minutes, oven fries in 12. Perfect roast potatoes in 30, roast pumpkin in 15. And the best pork crackling ever. Ever.

Oh, and the other London Charlotte is in it too. It’s nice having a friend there to keep each other company. Another friend who’s leaving her little house very soon too.

Thank you Saya, Aya, Kevin, Yvonne and Lottie for saying yes!

satin blue nailpolish by chanel

4 Comments »

June 9th, 2009

camp richmond

Here we are a week later. We’ve sorted and sold and thrown away and packed. The cats are in Auckland already. We’re at my brother’s in Richmond another week.

It’s a bit of a utopia once one hits the river path. On Sunday we walked to St Margarets village and down to the playground. It was raining and we thought it would be lovely to wander home. The plink plonk of raindrops on the calm river. Families in raincoats rowing long narrow dinghies up to the pebbly beaches along the riverside where canopies of emerald branches give shelter.

The train goes by at the end of the garden every ten minutes or so. It’s a sweet little train from St Margarets that sort of just goes whoosh in a nice quiet fashion.

Also, I know in general I’m pretty crap at replying to questions and things – so… the white mugs from ages ago are from Skandium. I think they’re ittala. The painting in our Mt Albert house is by Elspeth Hitchings – my old drama teacher – and one day I promise I’ll write up my risotto recipe.

And thank you all very much for reading and commenting – I appreciate it so much. I’ve been a bit pre-occupied with stuff of late but I’m planning on being here more, writing more, taking more photos – yes, a bit more being here.

Comments »