Journal

Overkill

Overkill

This is another trend that needs to die a quick and painful exemplary death to show would-be designers in the future that this sort of thing is Just Not On. Stripes with added embroidery or, worse, flipping APPLIQUÉ if you please, on top of them. I love a stripe, and,...

A British tradition

A British tradition

Eliza had been going out with her rower boyfriend Alex for a couple of months when she was invited to go to Henley Regatta last July. The dress code at the Stewards' Enclosure is very strict, for those of you unfamiliar with the form. Ladies are not permitted to wear...

Help

Help

We are in the process of recruiting a maid, known there as a "helper" for our house in Hong Kong. With our impending empty nest it's debatable whether we really need anyone to clean or cook for us really, but that does seem to be the prevailing culture all...

Swan

Swan

  A couple of weeks ago the Delta Saxophone Quartet gave a concert of modern classical music at school and included the World Premiere of Moroque, Eliza's A level music composition. I loved her piece the first time I heard it, fully appreciating how...

Obagi Nu-Derm system

Obagi Nu-Derm system

2018 is, for me, the year of the Obliteration of the Hyperpigmentation. Long-time readers of this blog will be all too familiar with my pigmentation struggles but, to recap, when you're out of the first flush of youth and specifically a person of colour,...

Pie face

Pie face

My friend @Suze from Twitter introduced me to Beauty Pie and I'm so glad she did. For those of you not yet in the know, the Pie is a buyers' club for those of us who regularly treat ourselves to a bit of warpaint and want to fight against the inexorable...

Facing East

Facing East

  Here I sit on on the sofa in my sitting room watching the rain as it thrums down onto the skylights and the patio, the thunder and lightning intersposed with Oscar's anguished barking. Yet again I've neglected my blog for too long but I've had so many momentous...

The Double-Digit Flattie

The Double-Digit Flattie

Happy 10th birthday to our beloved Oscar, our very first companion who has taught us the meaning of unconditional love. It's quite unusual for a Flatcoat to reach this age and there was a time when we thought he wouldn't see his fifth birthday but he recovered...