Ridgeway Cottage anyhow

Mostly my posts are about the things I do, the world I love or other inspirational snapshots, but today I simply want to share what has got to be a future project. Although my bike has already had a make over, I feel that these skirt guards are what my life is clearly missing. Thank you to Dorien and her truly incredibly blog Just Do for bringing this to my attention.

How fabulous it must have been to be a bright young thing in the 1920s? I imagine that I would like to have only been  concerned with how I looked and where and who would be hosting the next party. One would need to be some kind of aristocrat to pull it off successfully and  I would so love to have feathers for brains. I could quite easily have a passion for partying; drinking, smoking and being outrageously incorrigible. I suppose I admire Cecil Beaton for his innovative photographic record of the time and most beautiful images. There were also the novelists of this era, Evelyn Waugh and Nancy Mitford who encapsulated the decadence so eloquently. Perhaps it is simply a fascination of the rise before the fall and a time when women stepped out from the shadows. Mostly though it is the glamour, but sadly this was not reflected throughout society as they lived alongside those in deepest poverty. There is no harm in dreams as they hurt no-one

I knew that I hadn't written my blog for a few days, but time seems to be  flying since I went back to work. My time is no longer my own and sometimes the only chance I get to look at fabric is when I receive an email of the a new collection. I don't even believe that I have bought any fabric either other than a vintage brown, blue and cream print skirt. Sometimes colour cheers me up, sometimes art, often flowers and I love dance. There isn't a day goes by that I don't think about the weather and the approach of spring, but I think the best way to lift my spirits after a week filled with highs and lows, is a small fabric fix and a cup of green tea.

My family are becoming quite involved in my blog. Today as I was taking a photo for my daily photo slide show of the single solitary crocus in our front garden, Charlie came out and asked to see the photo. He then wanted to take his own daily photo and he chose our cat Herbie as his subject. Later on told me he should have taken a photo of my beautiful vintage diamante brooch that my husband brought me. He really is becoming quite a keen photographer and it is fascinating to see how he records life in a similar way to me but from his four year old. Following my discovery of La Trappiste yesterday, I felt it only fitting to go there for a coffee with my new work friend Maria on its opening day. To surround yourself with beautiful architecture, inspirational people, excellent conversation, coffee, delicious patisserie and fabulous Alphonse Mucha inspired wall art, is surely the only way to spend a lunch hour. In my distant past, as an art student, I did of course study art history and...

As I ran through the deserted city streets this morning, lots of thoughts crossed my mind, infact my head was so crammed, a run was just what I needed to empty some of them out. The high street is so beautiful early in the morning before anyone gets up, just the birds singing, street cleaners and a sleepy looking hotel receptionist. With some of the space in my head clear, I got to wondering just how fantastic it would be to be as beautiful as Audrey Hepburn. I would like to wonder around in a stunning dress, gaze in the window of Tiffany's, whilst drinking a coffee (not sure about the danish though, I'm still practicing with breakfast). I then got to wondering whether I might be able to find some similar place whilst out on my run. I stopped to look at an incredible white lace dress in the window of French Connection, there was also Patisserie Valerie, which is one of Josie's favourites. She always looks longingly at the cakes in the window, but whenever I take her insid...