Weekly what:nots...

Goodness suddenly the summer hols seem to be fading fast. I hope you've all had a fab week, ours has been filled with lots of sunshine and balmy evenings, BBQs and fruit picking, riding and bush walks, and lots of doing not-very-much-at-all - here's a rag-tag what:nots for the week.

Love this image and love the freckles.

Hadieh Shafie's Ketabs/Scroll Works are incredible.

If you head over to Hadieh's site you can see them up close.

Still hankering after Vincent van Duysen's ceramic pieces.

Beautiful blowsy peonies.

Love this bottle from Holmegaard's Minima range.

Thing's Organized Neatly is a pretty fascinating tumblr. 

And I very much like this quote from Mr Jobs (found on Wit + Delight).

Images from Happy Girls are Pretty Girls, Hadieh Shafie, When Objects Work, Holmegaard, Things Organized Neatly, and Wit + Delight.

The ship song...

....redone to showcase Sydney's Opera House.- a truly stunning piece of architecture on one of the most beautiful harbours in the world. OK I might be a little biased having grown up there, but it really is lovely. Thanks to Engracia for the link.
Clip from You Tube.

Stockholm....

I've been meaning to post about Stockholm since we got back, but somehow the lazy day-to-day of the summer holidays has meant that I've spent a lot of time doing...not a lot. An ideal summer past-time I think. And given the boys still have two weeks left before school starts I feel there will be more lazy days ahead. So before I completely forget here's a few things I discovered while in Stockholm...

A fab new equestrian magazine The Horse Rider's Journal. Hop over here for a peek at some of the wonderful images by Ditte Isager.

Ravel gloves - possibly the most beautiful leather gloves ever.

Modern, simple and chic clothes and accessories from Hope.

These wonderful Helena Rohner 'Munio' bowls found at Illums Bolighus.

Monocle's Scent One - cedary and woody, and reminiscent of my Grandfather's art studio.

Part coffee shop, part office co-op, Coffice has really good coffee and a great vibe.

The E27 Socket lamp.

ABICI's Pantone window displays - there were similar ones with red and blue bikes too.

A couple of other 'finds' were Cajsa Warg, a yummy gourmet market/deli; Fotografiska museum of contemporary photography; Nytorget Urban Deli a great place for lunch or dinner; and if like us you have a couple of kids who are into all things money a trip to the Royal Coin Cabinet is highly recommended. Dating back to the 1500s this museum is huge with a really impressive collection of all things currency related, along with a great modern art exhibition space.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods - thanks for stopping by.

Images from Malling, Ravel, Illums Bolighus, Hope, Monocle, Hay House, and me.

Cave of forgotten dreams...

I cannot wait to see this documentary about the Chauvet caves in the South of France, and their truly extraordinary cave paintings, dating back 32,000 years. By all accounts it's incredible.
ps: will post in the next few days about Stockholm - 'tis nice to be home at last.
Clip from IFC Films.

Copenhagen...

Sooo I'm actually in Stockholm right now - but I've been meaning to post about Copenhagen since we left several days ago. We stayed in an amazing apartment right on Frederiksborggade which was perfectly located for exploring. Many an hour was spent wandering the streets, and with the incredible weather we made the most of the beautiful parks and gardens. We spent an afternoon visiting The David Collection, which has an impressive collection of Islamic Art from the 8th to the 19th century, and had an enjoyable morning at the Designmuseum Damark - their Hans J. Wegner and Poul Kjærholm furnished cafe was very cool. All in all Copenhagen has become one of my favourite cities and I'd love to go back. A few other things that caught my eye whilst there...

Delicate ceramics at Keramik & Glasværkstedet, including this lovely pot by Annemette Kissow.

Incredibly yummy (and healthy) meals, juices, smoothies etc at Granola. Thanks to Juli & John of Kitka for the recommendation.

Creamy ice creams and bars by Hansens - not to mention their fab packaging!

North's simple and stylish swimwear. Plus they also have an inspiring travel blog.

The wonderful collection of homewear, ceramics, and jewellery at Stilleben. 

The Royal Cafe - a mad mix of colour with yummy cakes and a lovely courtyard.

And Malene Helbak's rather fetching ceramic containers. 

The past few days we've been in Sweden staying on Lidingö, exploring the woods, visiting Millesgården, and enjoying island life. And now we're tucked away in the quaint Columbus Hotel in Stockholm until we fly home on Friday. Thanks for stopping by - I hope all is well in your part of the world. 

Images from Annemette Kissow, Kitka, North, Stilleben, and Malene Helbak.

Amsterdam...

Sure enough the discombobulation passed, and we have settled into Amsterdam - thank you for your sweet comments. Our days have been filled with shopping, museums, visiting R's relations, touring the countryside, wandering the tiny streets and devouring copious amounts hung yoghurt with honey for breakfast every morning - yum! I hope all is well in your neck of the woods - here's a few things that have caught my eye in the past week.

Joot Books - a wonderful second-hand store stocking all kinds of art books and artworks.

Marc Mulders' oil paintings of flowers.

Soiree sandals in deep night by Flip*Flop.

Friday Next - a stylish mix of furniture, fashion and food.

Beautiful hand-made soaps and bath products from Rain.

Cole & Son's Hummingbird wallpaper - super pretty in real life.

The cafe at Felix Meritis all towering ceilings, exposed wooden features + really good coffee.

Annliz an elegant little shop located in the Jordaan district, which stocks ethical fashion and homeware, including this rather fetching Michelle Jefferson clutch.

And Property Of... has a great range men's bags, stationery and design publications.

We're off to catch a teeny tiny boat and tour the canals, then tomorrow morning we leave bright and early for Copenhagen. See you soon!


Images from Marc Mulders, Flip*Flop, Rain, Cole & Son, Annliz, Property Of..., and me.

Discombobulation...

Having arrived this morning in Amsterdam, I confess I am feeling somewhat befuddled by the stark contrast in my surroundings. Less than 24 hours ago I was surrounded by lush tropical gardens, the sounds of crickets, frogs, and chanting from the temple at the end of the road. The air was thick and heavy with humidity, and the sound and smell of the sea drifted into our room. We took our meals on the small verandah outside our room, and spent the evenings reading by candlelight. Our days were luxuriously slow. And now I find myself in a quirky 1920s Dutch hotel, it's cold and grey outside, and everything seems so....ordered. And so different.
Image - detail of wall painting from our verandah at Villa Jacaranda.

Rajasthan...

Goodness what a whirlwind two weeks we've had! India has been incredible - if you're interested I've started a flickr album of some of my shots, plus we have a wee travel blog going here. The past three days we've been chilling in Jodhpur, with a few forays to the markets, but mostly have just been poolside at our over-the-top hotel. And now it's time to pack our bags once again and head south to Varkala.  Thanks for stopping in - I hope to get a chance to catch up on your blogs in the next wee while.

A few things...

I hope your weekend is going well and that for those of you in the States you're having a fab 4th of July. Our time in New Zealand is pretty much over - we leave early tomorrow for India! So before we head off here's a little collection of things that have caught my eye recently.

Love the light in this image - beautiful.

This sparkling riesling is described as bottled happiness - what could be better. Not to mention the packaging is utterly beautiful.

Brown Graham's simple, utilitarian bags.

A wonderful new series of paintings by Lisa Golightly.

Tiny Ruins new album Some Were Meant For Sea.

A wonderful french comedy-drama.

Laurence Fearnley's The Hut Builder - I shall be adding this to my reading list.

And The Row's clothing - simple, versatile pieces.

Have a wonderful week!

Images from Threading in the Choirs, Ritzling, Brown Graham, Lisa Golightly, Tiny Ruins, Hopscotch Films, Penguin Books (NZ), and clip from You Tube.

Wellington...

There's many great things about this little city. Too many to mention. Among some favourites are Unity Books "an antidote to the ordinary" where one can while away many hours. Another must to visit is Maranui Cafe on the south coast - great food, coffee and views.

I hope the past week has been a good one for you and that the sun has shone. I have a little collection of things I hope to post in the coming days, but in the meantime am off to make the most of the winter sun.

Images by me.

A little bit of New Zealand...

There's nothing quite like arriving in your home country - everything seems familiar and comfortable, rather like putting an old jersey. Here's a little bit NZ music from way back.

Clips from You Tube.

Here...

Thanks for stopping in and taking the time to leave a comment - it's always so nice to hear from you. As part of documenting our summer adventure we've started a bit of a travel blog called Here. So if you can (and you're interested) feel free to pop over and have a peek at where we've been. Plus I'll still be posting bits'n bobs on Elsa May as we go from place to place.
Image from our 36 hour stop in San Francisco.

Weekly what:nots...

Here we are mid-week and our adventure begins in less than 48 hours. This is both thrilling and somewhat daunting. So much to organise and so little time. The boys and I are awash in bags, packing, and last minute bits'n pieces. By Thursday evening we shall have joined R in San Francisco where we plan to take in the sights before Friday night's long-haul (such an apt name) to New Zealand. I'm working out the best way to blog while travelling - more on than in a day or so - but in the meantime here's my last what:nots until sometime in August. 

The lovely Lara Stone. I like that this image has not been airbrushed.

Have you heard about Kinfolk? Hop over here to find out more. I love their dinner table challenge.

Beautiful ceramic pieces from Beklina.

Simple and chic pieces from Tibi Resort 2012.

Dale Frank's artwork.

Wonderful silhouette on this cover - and it sounds like it could be a good read. Do you ever buy books just because of their cover?

And these Smørrebrød look like pieces of art. I can't wait to visit Aamanns when we are in Copenhagen. (Smørrebrød and Aamanns discovered on Kitka.)

Images from Of Fashion & Malice, Kinfolk, Beklina, Tibi, Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Powells, and Kitka.

The art of bad blogging...

Hand on my heart I've been quite the bad (OK quite the appalling) blogger of late. But I will be back later today with a somewhat decidedly belated what:nots and a few trip details. Thank you for hanging in there and taking the time to stop by.
ps: I love this image of Diane Kruger.
Image from Elle Fr.

The seam of everyday unpicked...

...a line from Jenny Bornholdt's new book of poetry The Hill of Wool. Essentially a book of memories - how some live and grow in families, how some are triggered by chance encounters, or inspired by rediscovered songs - like Jenny's other books it is full of wonderful prose.
Image by me.