Hello week...

Things seem to be puttering along nicely...our weekend was a perfect mix of this'n that. R and I watched the sobering documentary The Two Escobars. Speaking of sobering, a wee while back we watched No End in Sight - both are well worth watching. In between pottering about, I had time to catch up on lots of reading, listened to a couple of great interviews from here, rearranged the furniture and organised my desk, dragged the rowdies on a coffee + shopping expedition with a dear friend, and attended Little Winter Market. Home with me came several items of loveliness including the one of Herriot Grace's teeny wee salt bowls. I do however regret leaving these beautiful socks behind....especially with the cooler weather upon us. Anyhoo I'm off to make soup and sort out the disaster zone that is Mu's room. I hope your week is of to a great start!

What:nots...

Here we are, another week down. How's it been for you? Ours has been the regular round of this'n that. Next week is looking pretty full so I'm planning to lay low and perfect the art of not doing very much at all - except attending this much anticipated event. I hope you have a wonderful weekend...

Joyce Tennyson's beautiful photographic series. 

Elegantly simple silk-chiffon pieces by Jean Yu. 

Ussimimique by Claude Tousignant. I love how he describes wanting to take a painting back to it's source "...to the point at which painting is pure sensation"

Terrain's wonderfully wise wee owl.

Stunning equestrian images from here.

If  you're in Portland this weekend I recommend you get yourself along to Little Winter Market - there will be oodles of loveliness guaranteed.

Stella McCartney's country house. Reading this article has given me a dreadful case of garden envy.

And my absolutely new favourite ice-cream brand Strauss Family Creamery. Seriously, their ice-cream is yum-diddly-scrumptious and tastes exactly like it's homemade.

Images from Joyce Tennyson, Net-a-Porter, Cyber Muse Gallery, Terrain, Dace, Little Winter Market, Vogue, Strauss Creamery. 

Finding beauty in the mundane...

Grant Hamilton's polaroids are his way of 'striving to find beauty in the mundane'. Beautiful!

Images from six seventy. Found via Kate Spade.

SOMA...

Love the cover image on the October issue of SOMA magazine.
Image from SOMA.

What:nots...

Hello Friday! My it's felt like a very long week. After a misty start, today turned into a wonderfully clear and crisp autumn day. It made me think of the quote Alexandria posted here. This evening we took advantage of the lack of precipitation and strolled out for a yummy thai dinner, before stopping off on the way home for Mayan hot chocolates at Moonstruck. Tomorrow, at the boys' request, we are off on a family day-trip. R and Mu have devised the route - I'm hoping for a country-ish locale, with lots of fall foliage. I hope you have a lovely weekend in your neck of the woods. And thank you for visiting Elsa May and for your sweet comments. Here's a autumn-ish what:nots...

Elegant black + white, plus love the jacket.

(I can't recall where I got the image...if you know the source please let me know)

Target from Jessica Snow's exhibition Multiple Plot Points.

White shirt + black pant + boots + clutch from Vanessa Bruno = perfect.

Holly Farrell's paintings - this one in particular.

An completely timeless bag from Vanessa Bruno.

Possibly the most perfect cashmere roll-neck sweater from Toast. Is it wrong to lust after a sweater this much?

The name - Divine - says it all. Dark chocolate, citrusy orange, warm ginger - utterly scrumptious.

And given that I'm exhausted after three full-on rides this week I thought I'd end with this wonderful image by Lisa Cueman. If you're interested hop over to here to see more of Lisa's great images.

Images from Jen Bekman, Vanessa Bruno, Holly Farrell, Toast, Divine Chocolate, Lisa Cueman.

My November Guest...

My Sorrow, when she’s here with me,
Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
She walks the sodden pasture lane.
Her pleasure will not let me stay.
She talks and I am fain to list:
She’s glad the birds are gone away,
She’s glad her simple worsted gray
Is silver now with clinging mist.
The desolate, deserted trees,
The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
And vexes me for reason why.
Not yesterday I learned to know
The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
And they are better for her praise.

OK so it's not strictly November...yet. But Robert Frost's My November Guest pretty much sums up the love I have for this time of year - the drum of rain on the roof at night when tucked up in bed, crisp cold frosty days, hearty stews and steaming puddings, bracing walks amongst the trees, roaring log fires, wearing layer upon layer and thick woolly socks, the subtle light of the sun setting across a autumnal sky, misty mornings and frosty fields...there is so much about this season that makes me catch my breath, pause and wonder at the beauty of it all.

Language...

A clever kinetic typography animation by Matthew Rodgers using part of Stephen Fry's essay on language. You can hear the rest of the audio here.
Clip from vimeo.

Igor Melnikov...

There's something about this painting by Igor Melnikov that perfectly suits the cold, wintery, quiet of today. Perhaps it's to do with his seeing his paintings "not as portraits of children, but as portraits of human souls". 

Image from Melnikov Art.

Another year older...

...not sure if I'm any wiser though? Thank you for all your birthday wishes! I was totally spoilt, R surprised me with a surprise dinner here with six friends, the boys made me pancakes for breakfast, I was showered with lovely gifts (a few of which are above), and my family sent me the most beautiful bunch of white lilies and white roses. Honestly, it was so nice I think I'll have another one next year... I hope you had a great weekend, and your week has started well.

2000 miles in 3 minutes...

2000 miles
30 days
3000 photos
in 3 minutes.
In January this year Mike Matas and a friend attempted to drive a rickshaw 2000 miles to the bottom of India. This is a film of their journey. You can see stills here, and hop over here to see Mike's other films + his recent trip through Morocco and Spain.
Clip from vimeo, links found via Little Postcards.

what:nots...

How was your week? Mine was a blur of the boy's activities, appointments, chores, riding, and work. I did find time to have coffee with the uber-talented and utterly lovely Lisa Golightly. What are your weekend plans? I have a photography course this afternoon, so the boys and R are planning a bit of "what-ever boys get up to". Then we are out tonight, and tomorrow is my birthday - whoot whoot. Whatever you are up to I hope you have a lovely time.

The gorgeous Audrey Tatou.

Great album cover + collection of songs + five trees are planted for every CD purchased. You can find out more here.

Hatepe from Derek Henderson's series Mercy Mercer. If you're in New York you can catch an exhibition of Derek's work at the Jen Bekman gallery (you'll have to be quick though, as it closes this weekend).

Bob's Camp by Quercus Design. Hop over here to see more collections Jen's of found objects.

Elizabeth Sheppell's mixed media works on paper.

Love (and I mean love) this roomy tote from Vanessa Bruno.

Lovely wristlet from Ruby Kobo, complete with a Hasma hand.

A 'mouse-in-a-box' from Cox & Cox. So sweet!

 Oh and before I go have you seen this? Such a fun idea.

Images from ffffound, Vanessa Bruno, Derek Henderson, Quercus Design, Elizabeth Sheppell, Ruby Kobo, and Cox & Cox.