apr, 30th - black and white with a hint of green....

day 814:

i'm constantly drawn back to black, white and green....okay, and butcher's brown paper....and rough string.....and shades of grey..... and crisp green and white flowers. it was our starting point for the Shoebox {see day 376} and our wedding (although we used dark chocolate brown as well as black) {see day 384}. 

i never seem to get bored of these colours and the combination of natural textures against a monochromatic backdrop. throw in some industrial steel and my interior heaven is complete......

p.s. i also think that i'm going through a small online-balloon-ordering frenzy. i now have 100 of these black balloons (minus the above 12). i went looking for black versions of these oversized ones but no-one seems to stock them. although let's hope that i don't find any as we are fast running out of space in this Shoebox.

apr, 29th - taking caterpillar for a walk....

day 813:

contrary to what this looks like, we didn't dress these girls together.......here they are taking their pet caterpillar for a walk. it seems that London is fairly restrictive when it comes to childhood pets.

i hope that you had a fabulous weekend. we took Limi to her first theatre performance which she loved....definitely going to book some more.

have a great week. x

apr, 26th - weekend: the beach and the surroundings....

day 810:

as Living Architecture describes it, Dungeness has a 'poetic' landscape........

apr, 25th - weekend: the company....

day 809:

when you find friends that allow you to just be yourself (but hopefully a good version rather than the grumpy, slothful version) then you hang onto them by the ankles and never let them go.....if you can travel with these same friends and not end the holiday wanting to gnaw-your-arm-off in frustration then you've struck gold. this group ticks all those boxes.......and even with six fairly strong-willed adults (including one heightened-mood-swinging pregnant one) and three less-than-timid toddlers, all in one house, we had an amazing and relaxing time. 

last time we travelled together was to this incredible spot in girona { see days 573 & 574}. on this trip we read books/magazines/newspapers in streaming sunshine, went for bracing walks on the shingles, flew kites, got caught in a fast moving rainshower, celebrated birthdays, marshalled sharing amongst toddlers, cooked (and did plenty of eating), rode on a steam train, had companable silences and noisy conversation, group baths (the kids rather than the adults) and generally did whatever suited us ......

an added bonus is that this group makes me laugh so hard that my stomache aches, they cook the most unbelievable meals (well one couple are an incredibly talented chef and his equally brilliant partner with their own restaurants so that does tend to up the ante somewhat) and are so kind and sweet with Limi that it makes my heart melt.

....all in all you couldn't ask for a better weekend with better company.

apr, 24th - weekend: the house....

day 808:

there is something about the way that light streams into The Shingle House that makes you feel like you are on holiday. i could say that this was down to how lucky we were with the sunny weather over the weekend but it also has to do with the fact that this house is part of the Living Architecture collection. there is not much left to chance with how these houses are designed.......and it shows, the attention to detail is incredible: windows frame incredible views, the seams of the house are perfectly aligned and finishing touches all contribute to a space that is, as their name implies, very 'liveable'. the huge expanses of glass make you feel incredibly connected to the outdoors without having to brave the blustering wind and chilly air. 

The Shingle House, is a beautiful example of the tar-covered-wood-clad houses in the area. the dark wood and simple structures that seem typical of the area sit perfectly in their monochromatic surroundings. One of our group said that she had tried to explain to people about the stark, bleak beauty of the area but felt that she kept losing them.....why would you want to visit something so austere? we all loved the moody surroundings.......shingle (pebble) beaches, rusted boat equipment, bleached seaweed, a breton lighthouse.....none of us went expecting to build sandcastles or eat softserve.......even the Nuclear Power Station that sits on the horizon seems to add to the atmosphere of the place. 

the house seems to be designed as three simple boating sheds joined by glass walkways. it had plenty of room for all 6 adults and three toddlers with areas for us all to relax and enjoy the views. bathrooms are individual and stylish; the lounging areas, conducive to lots of newspaper/ kid-book reading and the kitchen/dining space gathered us all for long lunches and dinners.

it's truly a beautiful place and one that i would visit time and time again.

tomorrow - weekend: the friends.....

apr, 23rd - weekend....

day 807:

we spent a long weekend with some great friends on an interesting part of the English coast. it's bleak and stark and supremely beautiful down there. with no wifi and sporadic phone connections, it was four days of having to detach from gadgets and just enjoy the place and company.

i can't wait to share some pics here during the week......

i hope that your weekend was just as inspiring. x

apr, 19th - introducing kelly....

[ Kelly & Limi]

day 803:

figuring out how to have careers and still be there for Limi (for her sake and for ours) has been tricky....it's certainly not a new topic and not one that i want to rehash here...but i've come to appreciate how important a balance is for me and how that balance can be different for every family and every parent. we still haven't managed to get it right (although, hopefully some exciting plans on the horizon will move towards a better balance)...but one thing that has helped incredibly, has been the wonderful nannies that we've managed to find. our first nanny, Jae {see day 389} was brilliant at helping me make the transition from being with Limi 24 hours a day to starting work again.....unfortunately her visa ran out in December and we had to find someone new......

Kelly, Limi's new nanny, is also fantastic. our biggest measure being how happy Limi is......and seriously, A. and i are always the ones grateful for squeezes and kisses when we walk out the door....as she happily skips past singing at the top of her lungs. Limi has adored both Jae and Kelly and we have loved how much they have both contributed to her development, self-confidence and general happiness. 

Kelly also comes from Australia (i may just need a South African next to balance things in this house.....I'm drowning in Aussialia). not only does she make Limi happy but she brings general cheer into our house. something that A. and i both appreciate. we always wanted a happy, relaxed, music & laughter filled home and that's exactly, with the help from Kelly, what we seem to have managed to create for Limi.

and an added bonus with having nannies from a different country is that they are just as excited to visit the sights of London as Limi is. i'm playing catch-up to my two-year old who has already been to see Damien Hirst at the Tate and the Inside Out exhibition. (although i wouldn't have it any other way as that is exactly what living in London is all about).

we have been extremely lucky to find both Jae and Kelly and I love the idea that Limi is gathering these amazing people who will always want to be part of her life.

p.s. these are the pics that i get sent whilst i'm working.....it's hard to stay serious when this pops up on your screen :)

apr, 18th - thanks.....

day 802:

thanks for all the blog love lately......your comments make my day......and stumbling across reposts from shehadusathello always gives me the biggest grin.

it wasn't a great day (i blame pregnancy hormones) so i think we'll just start again tomorrow......

but before i do.......it's always a buzz to find the blog on these friday favourites; plus this tumblr site but what did surprise me this week was finding my way onto this page and seeing what has captured people's attention. seeing the pics in pinterest was an unexpected trip through some wonderful memories.

apr, 17th - portrait plates....

day 801:

bought these melamine plates for Limi awhile back. they're from the National Gallery portrait collection although you can get them from a couple places now.

they're amazing quality and give us to chance to create grape and asparagus hair and bear toast faces. A. found the cute idea for bear toast here.