Wednesday 23 February 2011

BELTED GALLOWAY COWS IN THE LAKE DISTRICT

Another wet but nice walk close to Coniston yesterday. We met some noisy cows and found a lot of droppings up the mountain. Climbing cows it seems...I looked them up on Google and found out that they are called "Belted Galloway" and originally comes from South Scotland and is an ancient breed of cows, mainly kept for the meat (marbled sirloin) but can also be milked.
We lost our way a bit on the top due to the mist, but found it eventually and managed to get back home before dark!

Monday 21 February 2011

GRIZEDALE FOREST ETC

Raining and snowing in the Lakes. We went for a walk in the Grizedale Fores instead of walking up a mountain! A forestry walk with wooden sculptures on the way. Hugo could not resist making a "Leonardo da Vinci" in this one!

Saturday 19 February 2011

SNOWY WALK IN THE LAKES

We are in the Lakes (England) for midterm and went for a snowy walk up the mountain from Coniston. We are staying in a very nice semidetached house in Coniston together with lots of friends, altogether there is sixteen of us....tonight we are having dinner in the local pub and tomorrow I will be cooking. See you tomorrow!

Thursday 17 February 2011

FOREST WALK AND THE OSTRICH INN

This Saturday we went for a birthday walk with our friends Debs and Andrew to celebrate her big day! We parked by the Boat Inn on the river Wye and walked to the village of Newland, went into the fantastic Forest Cathedral and had a lovely lunch at The Ostrich Inn, a freehouse that dates back to the 15th centuary! From there only a 20 min walk back to the car. What a perfect day!

Saturday 12 February 2011

MINI LONDON GUIDE WITH VALENTINES DAY, NEW "W" HOTEL, COLOURFUL SHOES AND TOM DIXON AT ROYAL ACADEMY OR ART

I went into London yesterday and look what I found, lovely flowers (Paddington Station) for Valentines Days and nice jewelry from Folli Follie on Regent Street.

A girl can never have to many shoes, just look at this lovely window at Kurt Geiger, Regent Street, and the shoes are to die for! Latest spring trends with platforms and lots of colour. Mix it girls!

Rock chic...more my personal style. I love it....here from Guess, Regent Street.
Preppy and sporty look at Hilfiger.

Bride to be 29 April, Kate Middleton is said to be wanting serving Snog yogurt ice cream at her royal wedding party. Lovely shop in Soho....
New hotel in Leicester Square, "W", so new it opens on Monday (Valentines Day) and I was not let in....chic boutique hotel on 10 Wardour Street with exclusive bars and restaurant och unusual service....watch this space I will be back for more about "W"
I went to the Royal Academy of Art to look at Tom Dixons new interiors there in the restaurant and bar. Sophisticated and arty in black and red, I like it!
While I was there I took the opportunity to visit the ongoing exhibition, Modern British Sculpture, good, interesting and a very manageable exhibition....with Henry Moore, Damien Hirst etc. Well worth a visit! Until 7 April. (Piccadilly).

Friday 4 February 2011

SOFT PASTELS THIS SPRING FROM ÅHLÉNS, KOSTA BODA AND COLE&SON

"Bilar" i.e "Cars" is a very popular and loved soft sweet in Sweden which has know become a decorative sculptor in china by Stocke Keramik (www.stockekeramik.se).
Spring at Åhléns, the biggest department store chain in Sweden. Happy colours, bright and soft at the same time...patchwork and applications...try it yourself at home if you have the time and skills
!

Like clouds or soft Asian hills. Hills, new candle holder in frosted glass from Kosta Boda.
The first ever product by Jacob Solgren who works mainly as a stylist...the look a bit like the Swedish sweets "cars" or "bilar" as we say in Sweden....see above!

To celebrate the opening of the new exhibition at the Design Museum in London Cole & Son has collaborated with DM and the dutch graphic designer Wim Crouwel. The exhibition celebrates the prolific career of the Dutch graphic designer in his first UK retrospective, runs from 30 March - 3 July! Fresh and quirky at the same time!