Things of beauty...

Friday comes...a much-needed end of the week. My children have now broken up from school (again) and we have two week's of half term. As ever, the reprieve from the school run routine is greatly appreciated, but also there is that mild panic at the prospect of entertaining them. Must children be entertained constantly? I'm sure when I was a child we entertained ourselves more!

I read back on my blog this time last year and recognise a different me. What a difference a year makes; I was Lou but not the Lou I am now. It's subtle, but to me, very clear. Life is a journey and this particular phase is one of self-awareness. I've been too busy to notice very much of anything for years and now; well now I notice everything. I am acutely conscious in a new way. It's really good, enjoyable, informative.

So, the lovely Simone came to tea. And lunch. And we had cupcakes (well, why not?). There was a-l-h-o-t of talk, we covered many topics, time flew by and then away she went back to the big city! What a miracle the Internet is to bring friends to our doorstep. I never ever would have even met Simone unless I had done so through blogging. Who would have thought? A kindred spirit found out there in the wilderness of the web.

Longing for some quieter time this weekend. There is this danger of over-egging the weekend activities, leaving us drained by the time Monday rolls around. I'm still learning to find that balance; to live life at weekends but also to allow us to recoup as a family.

A whimsical grey and pink hue to my beautiful things this week...

via the front row

by Atlanta Bartlett

colours I love via JCrew

ohhh I like...the Mulberry Polly Push Lock

...impossibly pretty...Natalia Vodianova

striking eyes...photograph by eddie judd photography

the best things in life: tea and cake...photograph by Philip Webb

frilly skirts are lovely via bob and blossom

via Vogue Chanel Spring Summer 2012

Daddy is home; The Kennedy's...photograph by Jacques Lowe

via the front row

Wishing all of you lovely readers a happy weekend.

Things of beauty...

The week in which I got my groove back. This week turned out not as I expected. Sometimes when I look ahead, in the knowledge that I have a whole lot of unplanned time with the Boos, I must admit I mildly panic wondering what am I going to do to keep them entertained? I then i) feel ashamed at this reaction and ii) try to justify the fact that children should not need 24/7 'entertainment' and then iii) opt for the great outdoors as the ultimate remedy. This week it all worked out. The unexpected presence of their Daddy helped; sometimes he doesn't have to work quite so hard. The fact that we are going skiing next week also helped; that pursuit represents the great outdoors in dramatic measures. Next to beach air, mountain air has got to rate pretty highly.

We return to the same French town each year to ski en famille. There is now a tried and tested route that we take and part of the charm is that the children want to retrace their footsteps and have the chance to redo what they did last year. We always say 'shall we go somewhere different?' and they say 'No! It's tradition!'. You can't mess with tradition...

So I will be seeing you, I will drop in at some point and test out the Lou-on-the-road blogging capability! Au revoir...

via everything fabulous

I have a soft spot for Ryan Reynolds...

via older men are the sex  (well, my sentiments exactly)

via the constantly lovely Sarah Klassen's Haute Design

via fabrik of life

If only this weren't quite so close to the truth...

Love the bag, love the boots, love the coat.

via The Sartorialist

It's not often that a product changes my world; but this 'dirty secret' has...and truly enables a hair-do like this...

Victoria Beckham Autumn/Winter 2011 dress collection...who'd have thought?

 It's all about the dress for me...

via sunday in bed

by Jamie Beck

See you very soon...

Happy weekend!

Where is the Spring?

Middle of the week already! By the same token it is midwinter now and I am so ready for this hold of dreary and rainy weather to lift. It's strange isn't it, how in those early autumnal months the prospect of fire-front dark evenings seems appealing and I am ready for it. Now a few months in even a roaring fire is loosing its allure. I want the sun back! Australia, when you are done with it can you send it back around? ;-)

So, I am now dreaming of spring bouquets with budding hyacinths. Spring dressing in pastel colours. New satchels and Peter Pan collars. Liberty print dresses. These things may just life the winter doldrums that we Northern Hemisphere people are feeling. There is a certain joy in the change of the seasons but this particular one has outstayed its welcome!

...the Mulberry Tillie...

via nibsblog

And P.S. Thanks you for so many wise comments to my last 'this is what is on my mind' post...somehow it's a comfort to know these are similar thoughts for you and such wonderful experience of those looking back to my time of life.

Things of beauty...giveaway day two!

I have always had an affliction - I love to shop. I like to get new things. My Dad was an airline pilot and when I was a child, he used to return from his route with party dresses from America; with puffed sleeves and frills = big impact in my little world.

I was that child who pined for brand new, red, patent Mary Janes. To this day that feeling of excitement of taking a package or bag of newly purchased items home persists. It is an affliction. I wish I could get over it. But sometimes you just have to accept who you are. It is shallow. Clothes and shoes are not everything in life, for sure. But they are nice aren't they?!

I do maintain a life-long search for the perfect pair of red shoes, the perfect LBD, the perfect antiqued brown leather belt. Obsessed? Yep, pretty much. Over the years I have had some partners in this crime; they know who they are but they are - the friends who I still email with links to online shops where I am considering a purchase! For me, it's all about the little details; those things that make your heart beat just that little bit faster.

So this week's things of beauty starts with the incredible face of Natalie Portman; I want to see 'Black Swan' when it comes but I am also scared to; horror is so not my cup of tea! I am taking Boo to the ballet this weekend to see 'The Nutcracker'. It's an annual tradition. Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the giveaways! Keep scrolling down...

...breath-taking Natalie Portman...

...love the short retro veil...photograph by Elizabeth Messina

...the delectable Blake Liveley...

 

 

...so simple, the winged eye, the pale lips..

 

...detailing by Emerson Made...

...'today, she thought as she looked at the map, we shall go here!'

...a feast of bow ties!

...such a cutie!

...the original: Brigitte Bardot...

simple monochrome dressing...via Dust Jacket Attic

Emma Gordon clutches...gorgeous detailing!

So the next giveaway of my blog birthday week is a little bit of that shopping happiness...

A HANDMADE 'GEORGIA' CLUTCH BAG BY EMMA GORDON, LONDON IN THE COLOUR OF YOUR CHOICE...

To be in with a chance of winning one of these, you simply need to be a follower of my blog and leave me a comment saying which colour you would pick! 
Closes midnight Sunday 9th January.

see the choices here...ivory, silver, lemon, berry, blue, peach, navy, lime, fuchsia, turquoise, taupe, purple, gunmetal, leopard, champagne, black...

I have had such sweet comments as part of this giveaway week, so thank you so much; without you...well, without you I am just someone who posts their thoughts on the web for no apparent reason!  

Do come back for more in a day or two...