WE TRIED TO come up with a few different ideas this year for the men in your life⏤a silver retro-style rotary-inspired telephone, an all-aluminium suitcase, an eggplant serving platter, and a striped throw cushion. There are, of course, old favourites as well: a Fair Isle jumper, a cashmere scarf and glove set, a cedarwood candle and more.
WHEN YOU think about holiday decorating, the colour black doesn't normally come to mind. Green and red; and of course, white, are the more obvious choices, for black seems a bit severe and lacking their festive quality at first glance. However, when paired with some gold or greenery ...
THE NEW OVEN was delivered last week, and it's been sitting in the middle of the kitchen for days, as P thought he might get electrocuted if he installed it himself after watching one too many Youtube videos advising the hiring of a qualified electrician if you don't know what you're doing. I had a feeling it wasn't as complicated as he was making it out to be, but we tried to ask around anyway to see if anyone knew any electricians who could do it on short notice ...
IF YOU’RE lucky enough to have two front doors for your main entrance, make the most of it with two identical wreaths for a dramatic effect…
Every year, there are always people on our lists that are difficult to buy for⏤good neighbours who surprise you with a thoughtful gift even though you had nothing for them; your boss or favourite co-workers, or your Aunt Margaret who's suddenly decided to come stay from out of town. We normally have things saved away for such emergencies and thought that we might create chic Gift Boxes for our readers to keep for similar situations that might come up ...
WE'VE BEEN in hibernation mode for the past few weeks now, many cups of coffee on chilly mornings, cashmere sweaters and puffer vests and tall leather boots making regular rotations on these wet, windy days. All is cosy indoors though, with candles and lamplight and there's something about autumn weather that's perfect for staying in and getting a lot of work done without being lured outside by sunshine and good weather. These days lend themselves to productivity and organisation and watching old films when the work is done ...
HAVE BEEN caught up in the fifth season of The Crown during daily cardio and then immediately googling all the events afterward to see it they really happened. This weekend we've been absorbed in an all-consuming project and also making plans for the holidays and P's been rather excited about the World Cup ...
WOKE UP YESTERDAY morning thinking that it was Monday and thought about getting back on track after Christmas‘s excess of trifles and puddings and cava and far too much food and thought about Weekend Links and workouts. Of course, that was until I realised shortly after that it was actually Sunday, and then it was back to lounging about, a late breakfast and drinks in the evening by the fire.
TO SAY THAT it has been a strange week is an understatement (more on that later). It has been a week spent nearly entirely indoors and we're going a bit crazy. Christmas is now only five days away and the end of the year, a mere 11. It's strange how a year where not much happened flew by so quickly. It's a pensive, melancholic time, for many reasons, (one being that I hate endings), but especially since it feels like there hasn't been a proper holiday season in a very long time ...
THIS PAST WEEK, we were back in London, thinking it might be the last time in a long time again that we would be able to be out and about before another national lockdown. We were also there to celebrate the holidays and two anniversaries. When we were last here, it was May, and things were only tentatively opening up again. All the pubs and restaurants were outdoor seating only, which mean it was difficult to find a table without booking the good places in advance through an app. The weather was unseasonably rainy and cold and we wondered if it had been a good decision to come ...
YOU MAY HAVE noticed that aside from last week's Links and one set of articles on Monday, there were no new posts this past week. We spent the entire week in London, taking time off from everything and it was wonderful. We ate Italian food in Marylebone and discovered a wine club housed in bare-brick vaults and lit by candlelight ...
HAPPY DECEMBER! Can you believe that it's already the last month of the year? Feel like 2021 just flew by and don't really know what I did in all this time. Know that had meant to get through more books. I did complete a web design and launch that had been planned long ago, and definitely got a lot of decorating done at the cottage since we've been homebound for the last two years ...
THOSE WHO KNOW me know that I can't watch films that are violent or scary, or gory or too intense or sad. I just get far too upset and emotionally invested, and often replay the entire film in my dreams later that night. I'd thought that I was unusual, but as it turns out, we make up 20% of the population, those of us who are highly sensitive. According to Genevieve von Lob, a clinical psychologist, when highly sensitive people receive information, they process it much more deeply and more elaborately ...
IT IS THAT TIME of year again, the time for wreaths and fairy lights and holiday films and bits of gift wrap and ribbon and shortbread cookies everywhere. We saw an Instagram comment by someone yesterday stating that she might get drunk and put up the tree tonight (it was a Tuesday). Yes, regular hours and workdays fade away during this time of year, which is decidedly more free-flowing and therefore, festive ...
IN THE PAST WEEK, we ate a little too much, drank a little too much, and watched a lot of holiday films. I did something that was very strange to my being, a thing very foreign to me, a thing normal people refer to as relaxing. For the first time in a very long time, I did not work for five days straight. It was wonderful, actually.
