The World Examining Works

Friday

 

 

Things of great importance: the mint is sprouting little roots, and the orchid hs bloomed for a second time. Horticultural Society Diary was a Christmas present so much enjoyed.

Two social events in one week? Gosh.

Take 8th Avenue bus to 42nd Street in late afternoon. No cabs around at all, so hike up to Bryant Park

where lots and lots of people are relaxing and chatting and eating and taking photos.

Arrive at Andaz Hotel much in need of a drink.

Said drink is some sort of swanky cocktail with vodka and pomegantate (I think). Wonderful anyway.

Admire all the gazillion bottles of wine which are a decorative element too.

The elegant party is for fellow blogger Francisca Matteoli's new book all about retreats in splendid parts of the world like the Maldives and Kenya, and Tuscany (where Edith Wharton went to study the gardens for a book).What fun studying Tuscan gardens must be. A lovely well researched book.

Here's Francisca answering questions about it.

I emerge on to 41st Street two cocktails later to be greeted by Patience looking a bit disapproving. Oh well!

 

Marrakesh comes to New York

 

D+D Building on Lexington --all sorts of little black and white squares --even in the curtains (right). New York is tall and gray and white. Marrakesh is pink not a bit tall except for the Kotubia.

Rather elegantly dressed people with one splendid hat. Splendid hats aplenty in Marrakesh.

A lovely middle-Eastern feast: dried fruit and little pastries with almonds --it all makes me quite homesick for Morocco.

I think the little red decorative bits are lentils.....

And Maryam signing her lovely new book! How worlds collide.

Soho and Bread

 

Soho on Friday afternoon

lots of traffic and people heading out of town

a shifty, dusty man living on the pavement in Chelsea

 and not very dusty men making bread in Chelsea Market

fascinating to watch

taking bread out of the oven

breaking bread is probably the best bit....

 

The Joys of Food

 

Early Mother's Day outing to the Mexican restaurant --chips, milk 

black bean soup

yum

clean up required before

dessert

 

Dinosaur

The dinasaur looks a pretty shifty character to me -- look how he has his foot on the boy in the field.

He lives in the castle along with the other creatures.

If you give him enough play dough to eat, you'll probably be safe for a while.

 

 

Domestic

 

 

It all started when Claudia in London was off work sick

and looking round for things to take photos of -- and came upon my mother's tea set with all the metal rivets and signs of decreptitude.

The very next day, by some bizarre cooincidence, a friend arrived with a little present for me --one of her grandmother's bone china tea cups --a little the worse for wear too.

The second image makes it look as if it is floating in outer space not merely on the art table. Jo's grandmother's name was Nancy Maude Elizabeth Shockley Norton. Gosh.

One of my grandmothers was Constance Winifred Gretchen Norman. Hm........

Some out of focus roses

a fruit bowl

and some on-their-last-legs anemones.

 

Happy Weekend.

Weekend

 

 

Apps and gadgets prove splendid fun... the kitchen cupboards

lots of coffee

on our afternoon walk 

 

then Deniz came over and talked about Turkey

and brought us a splendid cake

to urge us to go there soon.

 

Sweet Things

 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

 

Tuesday

 

I go to the press breakfast for Chocolate Week which is bliss....

How could it not be?

and find myself in unexpected territory

the subway is filled with Giants fans

and policemen

and the usual crowd rushing around

descending and ascending

then go to the Apple store to get my computer sorted

 

and am glad to get home to do nothing.

 

Others

 

Went to tea at a friend's house.

I like the blue in her fruit bowl. I like looking round other people's houses to see how they live, how they interpret the world. L. still had her Christmas tree up because she said it kept her cheery through dull January.

I tried to explain about Twelth Night and bad fairies and all the rest of it. If she enjoys the tree, all power to her. Her chessmen look Japanese and martial.

Her tray is bamboo and the (delicious) shortbread gluten-free.

What quirks we all have! What very small rituals make us happy.

I've just finished reading Tim Bonyhady's Good Living Street about his absurdly wealthy Viennese forebears who made fortunes from gas mantles and patronized Klimt  and the Wiener Werkstätte and ended up in Australia. Similar in some ways to Edmund deWaal's wonderful The Hare With Amber Eyes but in others very different. What a sucker I am for history and family histories in particular. 

Other than that, the day has turned chilly.

Excellent reading weather.