The House

I love the fun retro designs by Englishwoman, Cath Kidston. Her cheery designs make many a mundane chore more fun. I have a couple of her recycled shopping bags that I love!  She’s also got a new on-line magazine, here.

Cath has designed a commemorative painting for the upcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

It’s great, don’t you think?

It wasn’t all hideous boots at Cheltenham today. It was ladies day and gorgeous hats were in evidence. Unlike Ascot, which is run in the summer, Cheltenham is in early spring, and let me tell you from experience, it can get pretty chilly standing at the rails at Cheltenham or Chepstow cheering on your sure-thing bet.

I love the detail on the sleeves of this coat, and the pink, of course! I’d love to see the bird that gave its feathers for this hat! However, I don’t think there’s any excuse for wearing a dead animal on your head. But bundling up like a character from Downton Abbey is a good idea. Classic and timeless. Tally Ho!

Well, I never, ever would.These were specially commissioned for the Cheltenham Gold Cup Festival, a week of horse-racing in the Cotswolds in England happening this week. The commissioner was the betting company, Betfair, with whom I have placed a bet or two in my time.

The hair is real, the hoofs are not. Lady Gaga, maybe. Not me!

As I mentioned the other day, I love my Barbour Stockman’s coat, and it’s not the only one I have. I managed to accumulate a few of them when I lived in the UK, where they are pretty much standard issue. Given the weather, it’s quite understandable.I got an e-mail from Liberty and they were touting their slightly more feminine versions of the traditional Barbour jackets. Instead of the usual assortment of plaids as the interior fabric, the Liberty versions have some of their traditional prints. 

Here’s what I’d do with my old Stockman’s coat… add a contemporary Liberty paisley as the lining. If it’s going to rain, you may as well have fun with your rain gear!!

This is Georgian graciousness in historic Helston town centre. For £485,000 you get ornate arched windows and fireplaces, cornicing and alcoves, which glorify large wood-floored rooms. There are four bedrooms, with room for a fifth in the vast attic. It’s just a shame, or not, depending on your preference, that folk dancers cavort through the house once a year as part of the ancient Furry Dance. The origins of the dance are certainly pre-Christian and are connected with ancient spring festivals all over Europe. The youngest children start in the morning, and they wear the flower symbolic of their primary school.  Mid-day, invited guests dance in top hats, tails and gowns. At the end of the day, there’s the dance for everyone… all wearing a lily of the valley to symbolize the arrival of spring in Cornwall, just as they’ve done for hundreds of years. I think I’d take the house anyway. After all, it’s only once a year.

My friend over at Maxminimus recently did a post about television shows of his youth. He mentioned some of the classics like Green Acres, Gunsmoke and Petticoat Junction. We didn’t have a television when I was little and when we finally got one, we could only watch on weekends. I still barely watch the telly, although I must admit I was pretty fully addicted when I lived in Wales.

Anyway… Max omitted one of my favourite shows from my childhood. It was called The Persuaders and starred Sir Roger Moore, later 007, and Tony Curtis as Lord Brett Sinclair and Danny Wilde, two millionaires swanning about the Cote d’Azur and some of the better houses in the UK, solving crimes and looking delicious. I found a few episodes on YouTube, and was just amazed by some of the interiors they showed, including this stunning set of curtains from Brett Sinclair’s London Flat.  Of course, what’s even more amazing are the clothes the gentlemen wear. OMG. I am quite taken with orange lately, and I also need to start looking for some new curtains. While I love these, I am not sure that they’ll be what I need.