Les fleurs

I was back home in the country this weekend at my folks' place - it's a time of year I really love as there's cow parsley all over the place. The banks along the lanes are thick with it.

If I was ever to get married I will have to do it in spring as there needs to be a LOT of cow parsley involved. No question.


I adore it. Along with peonies it has to be my favourite flower.

What's your favourite flower?

A soppy smile

Watching this made me inordinately happy. Silly isn't it - it's only a TV show. And yet it makes me smile, how ever many times I watch it.

Warning - do not watch if you haven't seen the Gossip Girl season 2 finale...

Back at the grindstone

I am in temping hell. I'm working for a man who manages to be both wet and ineffectual yet hypercritical and short-tempered at the same time. I feel like I am earning every single damn penny. Roll on the end of the assignment.

Still - the money will be very welcome - there are boring things like bills to pay and then there are fun things like the Mulberry sample sale my friend just invited me to (we'll see how reckless I'm feeling) and more likely a trip to MAC on King's Rd to pick up some goodies.

I'm thinking a shadestick and/or a paint pot. Do you have any favourites of either to recommend?

I'd also like to get Well Dressed blush, which I've been ogling for ages.

Review - So sleek

I've read various people raving about the Sleek palettes, so decided it was time I jumped on board the bandwagon. And at £4.87 a pop you really should give them a whirl if you haven't already.

My local Superdrug had 3 options - Original, Storm and Chaos. I bought Storm

All are shimmery unless stated otherwise
Top row, left to right: taupe, white-gold, matte taupe, gold, light golden-pink, gold-burgundy



(apologies for the shoddy photo quality of this one)


Bottom row, left to right: rich brown, dark aqua, v. dark green-black, dark petrol blue, matte dark brown, matte black

I can see myself using pretty much all of these, and some of them an awful lot. My only disappointment is the burgundy colour top right which was the main reason I bought this but it's the only one where you have to work a little to get strong colour.

I love the palette - it's simple and stylish and it has a huge mirror - they've packed a lot into a smallish space and it's still handbag sized. The little applicator that comes with it isn't great, but you could keep it in case of emergency when you have nothing else to hand.

Definitely swing by Superdrug and give these a go.

My 'hood

Thougts on my (still newish) neighbourhood:

- I wish we lived in a friendlier building. I know this is London, and of course we don't like to speak to our neighbours more than we have to, but really. On moving in day I bumped into a girl who lives in the building. She wasn't best pleased I said hello and then was clearly horrified when I actually introduced myself and she had to reciprocate. Today I met a 'crazy professor' type character who lives on the very top floor. Mad white hair, little beard, too short cordruoy trousers and glasses round the neck on a cord. He also wasn't thrilled when I tried to be friendly and engage him in conversation. In my ideal world we'd live in 28 Barbary Lane in the Tales of the City books, and our neighbours would become dear friends.

- We have a wonderful charity shop just a street away. I worried the area might be a bit posh for it, but I love sifting through all the homewares, books (only £1!) and they even sWeell cheap balls of wool. Obviously a local dominatrix/stripper is having a clear out at the moment, as the window display was sporting several pairs of thigh high, lucite heeled PVC boots and a PVC dress. Unfortunately I just spent all my money on make up and porridge oats!

- There's a library under a minute's walk from our flat. Soon as I move somewhere new I have to sniff out and join the nearest local library. I still find it amazing that I can borrow all these books for free! Libraries are wonderful. And long may they be around.

- We're only a couple of minutes walk from the river. Admittedly the Thames is no Seine, but I still love being near a river when you're in a city and walks along it are great in any weather.

Sublime

I find myself a little uninspired today. Perhaps my head is befuddled after too much prosecco, pastis and port last night (turns out I love the 'P' drinks)

So instead, let's just enjoy the beautiful new ad for Chanel No.5, with Audrey Tatou looking sublime as ever. I really love the jumpsuit thing she's wearing in the final scene.

Glorious soap

I just got back from a trip to Florence and Pisa to celebrate our anniversary. I will post a few photos in a bit (especially for Rocaille) but just a word quickly about the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy. I bought some soap there. Soap - not very exciting you might say, but I beg to differ. Ever since my French penpal arrived one summer, armed with gifts for all the family as usual and gave my Ma a bar of Chanel No.5 scented soap I've appreciated the small luxury a decent bar of soap can give you. Our bathroom smelled of Chanel no.5 until that poor little bar of soap was worn down to nothing.

So while in Florence, I dragged Mr C to the Santa Maria Novella pharmacy - or the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella to give it its full title. If you've been to Florence and you're at all interested in perfume etc then you'll probably have been as it's world famous.

It's well over 400 years old, and other than the arrival of electricity, not much as changed - it's quite simply one of the most beautiful shops you'll ever go in. Room after room of soap, perfume, pot pourri, potions, lotions, elixirs and more - many are made to the same formula they've been using for hundreds of years. Just look how beautiful is it - a sea of marble, wood and paintings - a feast for the eyes:


Bit different from Boots or Duane Reade eh?

I showed immense restraint, and bought only 3 soaps - one for us and one for each mother. Have you seen a more beautifull packaged soap before?


I've been sniffing it since we got back. I could hardly bear to open and start using it....until I discovered there's a branch here in London. So re-stocking won't require a return trip to Florene. What a shame

Tag - 8 Things...

While I'm rounding up and organising my thoughts, here's a tag that's doing the rounds at the moment. It seems my thoughts vary from deep(ish) to extremely shallow!

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Mr C coming home from work each day
2. summer weekends back at home in deepest darkest countryside
3. holidays
4. friends coming round for supper
5. getting organised
6. watching my godson growing up
7. opening my new iris soap
8. cooking supper

8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. Got up early
2. Ate gnocchi for lunch
3. Took a stroll along the river Arno
4. 'held up' the leaning tower of Pisa
5. flew back to rainy england
6. watched The Wire on DVD in bed
7. packed...and then unpacked 6 hours later
8. drank red wine

8 Things I Wish I Could Do
1. find a career I love
2. speak better Italian
3. commit to regular exercise
4. remember people's birthdays
5. find the courage to cut a fringe
6. be tidier
7. command attention
8. earn more money

8 TV Shows I Watch
1. The Wire
2. Law & Order (all of them)
3. Arrested Development
4. Seinfeld
5. Peep Show
6. The Hills
7. Gossip Girl
8. 90210

Anyone who hasn't yet done this - I'm tagging you now. It's mindless fun. Honest