March 2008

March 31st, 2008

Behind the scenes



I’m dotting the out-takes from 44 times two around today. In between working, packing and looking after one very teething child I went out barefoot in the rain to pick some autumn flowers. It’s fun looking back through flickr to see last year’s autumnal flower arranging. And to see what else happened today in history.

In other news I am an aunt, Kevin’s an uncle and Astrid has a new cousin. Welcome to the world Madeleine Sidney Franklin. Little fish. Hooray!

The practicalities of the week involve packing packing packing. Teeth hurting. Or the space where my wisdom teeth once were. Hurting. Shipping people coming on Wednesday. To pack. To take away. To send our things ahead of us. Things to be in London when we arrive.

And for me to decide which fabric to keep behind for my summer dresses.

I’ve also got to say sorry and thank you to so many people – for lovely comments, emails, tags – I’ve not been able to reply and say thank you to some people – I’ve got the risotto recipe coming in a post one day – there are links to share, photos to show, things to do. For now all for another day. Life’s piling up. But one day. One day. I’ve not forgotten.

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March 22nd, 2008

Totes totes totes

In the shop shop shop.



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March 20th, 2008

Milestones

Yesterday Astrid sat on the chair. She climbed up on her own and sat down. She then climbed up and over the arm of the sofa into the parents-only area (a tray on the back of the sofa) where mummy and daddy put things like remote controls, cups of tea and glasses of wine, Japanese books and books on Paris.



Astrid whizzed up and down, up and down, up and down the sofa, like the blue racer, giggling in great fits of glee. Every now and again she’d stand up and flick through the Paris books and grab at the remotes before resuming the hilarious crawling laps of the sofa.



With her newfound climbing ability Astrid spent the rest of the afternoon jumping up and down on the green chair. All in her lovely new Autumn shorts. Linnet wool exterior and cotton crochet trim, Karen Walker cotton voile lining in navy.

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March 13th, 2008

Helvetica the film



Can’t wait to see this. A film about my favourite font. Astrid came rather close to being called Helvetica and I dare say the next one might come even closer.

Helvetica is a documentary about typography and visual culture – featuring interviews with Eric Spiekermann, Stefan Sagmeister and Neville Brody amongst others. It’s on at the World Cinema Showcase throughout NZ in April. There are still some international screenings – have a look here and scroll down to 2008 to see if there’s one near you. Londoners can see it at the Barbican on April 26th. And if you miss it you can always get the DVD.

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March 11th, 2008

Dreaming of London

Things are falling into place left, right and centre.

Our new home is all organised; we’ll be moving into quite the bohemian cottage – in my old street, only paces from the southern entrance to the Heath – very close to Parliament Hill. Right next door to my best friend, who’s moving back next week. Yep. Right next door, and with a big sunny garden for frolicking cats and playing children. And it really is a little cottage. Two stories, original Victorian wrought iron spiral staircase, exposed beams, a courtyard and stable gates out front, loads of character. Eeeee!



Friends are moving into our house the day after we fly out. By some miracle Astrid’s into our first choice for daycare – just up the road from our new home, in South End Green. The cats are all booked to fly up in July and Kevin’s already in the head hunter’s books.

I can barely contain my excitement about the Fashion and Textiles courses at Central Saint Martins. Heck there’s even the long dreamed of shoe design course. Surface pattern design and fabric design courses – all booked and ready for Summer School – and just a quick ride away on the 24 bus. I’ll be working up my designs on a new souped-up iMac. Poor old G5 and 23 inch monitor will simply be too big for the cottage.

Then of course there’ll be the knitting classes at Loop. Shopping at Liberty (oh yes, of course everyone knows that) and searching for The Good Wool. Money is now being saved like mad. Online fabric shopping has altogether lost its appeal.

Daydreaming about London is my new hobby. Come on June, come on!

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March 1st, 2008

The best pumpkin in the history of the world

Available right now at Harvest in Grey Lynn. It is complete and utter true perfection. I might be quite the pumpkin fan. But this is good. Really good. Bright orange outside. Bright orange inside when cooked. A dry-ish, compact texture. Bursting with delicious full pumpkin flavour.



Thursday, pumpkin and chorizo risotto. Tonight, peri peri chicken from Westmere with roast pumpkin, garlic mushrooms (and a side of alfalfa and viniagrette). Tomorrow baked pumpkin with tofu. And then I’ll be over it and won’t eat pumpkin again until September.

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March 1st, 2008

Shop news

I arrived home from our Saturday morning food shopping ritual to an email from the very talented Deanna of stickmeon letting me know Little Orchard was recently featured in modamuse. Which prompted a long overdue mini shop update.



Cute new shoulder bags are in! Pretty little dresses are in! I’m about to go and get started on some vintage Swedish linen purses because they’ve all sold out. Other good shop news is the Anknel and Burblets skincare range shall soon be stocked at Wanda Harland in Wellington. Very soon indeed.



A few weeks back the butterfly prints were in the paper – which prompted quite a few orders. And I never even mentioned Craftwerk earlier this month. Well – it was a cracker. Even better than the Christmas one.



Other shop news: Little Orchard shop will be closed from early May with a re-launch in July. It’s going to become the Anknel and Burblets shop – with everything all here under the one web address, shop, blog and anything else I decide to come up with. Little Orchard will re-direct to the new London shop, and current NZ skincare-a-holics will be able to buy from Wanda Harland and Cream of Matakana – or me if they like.

That’s it for now. I’ll be back soon with news on the most delicious pumpkins ever. Truly. Ever. Delicious.

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