ally ally aster

snow snow faster! We've finally gotten some snow! It already seems to be melting/turning into a skating rink on the street, but I'm not complaining.

I find that the days between Christmas and New Years take on a curious sense of lethargy. The excitement and lights of Christmas are over, New Years Eve is, for me anyway, a bit of a sparkling afterthought, not requiring a great deal of preparation, but bookending the holiday season. And the days between the two are a time to wear flannel and everything else cozy, to curl up on the couch reading new books and watching old favourite films. I bought this dress last winter but never had a chance to photograph it before spring came. It really is perfect for these cold, snowy, December days.





photos by Shona

dress: Family Affairs, shoes: Clarks, tights: Christmas present. : )

mirror mirror on the wall

Christmas Day always includes two outfits... the daytime one, then Christmas dinner. This year it was just family at Christmas dinner, so I could have skipped dressing up... but when do I ever skip dressing up? It was a good chance to take my freshly made sparkly star crown for a test drive.

I wore the same thing today, minus the crown, to a new coffee shop in downtown Hamilton. It's a cozily furnished and aggressively heated space with comfortable armchairs and even a chaise lounge. The copy of L.M. Montgomery's Emily Climbs I'm holding in one picture was part of their display... the edition was from 1925 and used to belong to Margaret Brown, according to the flyleaf.






Hehe, I like how these two pictures almost line up... except I'd be a Hindu goddess with multiple arms!









photos by Shona (and you have no idea how entertaining it is trying to take shots in a mirror and keeping the photographer out of them)

dress: Neneee, shoes: KG by Kurt Geiger, necklace: Les Jumelles, self-made star crown.

velvet and dickens for christmas

Hi all! How's everyone holding up under their respective food comas? I had a fantastic Christmas... one of those where there are many things going on at different times. On Christmas Eve we drank mulled wine around an open fire pit in the yard. We always write Christmas wishlists and then burn them... Father Christmas reads the smoke signals and knows what to get us. Then we all tried to watch the Alistair Sim version of A Christmas Carol from 1951 as we do every year, but passed out half way through.

In the morning we got up super early and watched a few episodes of Little Dorrit while opening stockings, made Belgian waffles for breakfast and then opened presents. In the afternoon my sisters, grandfather, dog and I went for a walk. No snow, sadly, but I love how Shona's pictures capture the cold grey air that I find almost as satisfying in winter. I kept cozy in my lovely 1960s velvet dress (and obviously a coat).

The day finished off with making sparkly star crowns to wear at New Years, and of course an enormous dinner! Mmmm, I'm still drooling at the memory of stuffing... and brussels sprouts.







photos by Shona

dress: vintage, necklace: Les Jumelles, shoes: Fly London, coat: handmade, Spitalfields market

may your logs shit you many presents!

Happy Holidays to you all! No idea what I'm talking about with logs shitting presents and/or no idea what I'm doing? The full explanation's here if you want to know! Otherwise, just go back to enjoying your Christmas chocolate!

picture taken last year in Rupit, Catalonia

festivities

After a torturous 22 hour journey I am home for Christmas! Everything is colourful and festive and bright. Familiar and favourite ornaments, such as glittering bi-planes and skiing santas, are twinkling from the tree. My sisters and I spent last night decorating sugar cookies, and much of today eating them!


the decorating station


soldiers from the snowflake, gingerbread, and holly and ivy brigade!


our newest ornament: I bought this lovely detailed piece in the market in Bonn

I cannot wait for all that is to come: making mulled wine, viewings of A Christmas Carol and Little Dorrit, and afternoon spent making glittery star crowns, a visit to Whitehern, and just time spent with my family.









We had people for tea today:




my beautiful and photogenic sister Morna looking beautiful and photogenic







Shona's awwwwesome Rupert Bear advent calendar!

photos by myself and my sister Shona

la sala de camós and idyllic catalan countryside

After the Dalí museum last weekend, we spent the night in a hotel that used to be a ... sala. Having asked and forgotten at least three times what a sala is I finally read the hotel's webpage, which informed me that "during the Medieval period, when the threat of wars lessened, noblemen abandoned their castles to dwell in defenses called 'salas.' These buildings were characterized by strong stone walls and a watchtower." So.... a fortified house, I guess. Anyway, should you ever find yourself in the countryside between Catalonia and the French border, or, as my boyfriend would say, Catalonia and Catalonia North, I highly recommend La Sala de Camós, lodged in an original 12th century building. Inside it's cozy, with a roaring fire that we ate dinner in front of (and then fell asleep in front of by accident) beamed ceilings and friendly staff. Outside, well, despite being December it was a sunny and glorious morning, and both the sala and the rectory next door were were like a trip back in time, nestled amongst the green Catalan fields.











Photos by me and Albert

I'm wearing an Only dress, a scarf made in France (but bought in North Vancouver somewhere) and boots from Barcelona four years ago.

hands up if you didn't know salvador dalí was a jeweller

Or can it only be me who was ignorant of this? I'm sure we're all familiar with Dalí, surrealist, genius, mustachioed socialite, apparently-normal-old-Catalan-man-who-played-dominos-in-his-hometown... but I was pretty much unaware that he also designed jewelry which, apart from being full of humour, bite, and even pulses of pain like much of Dalí's painting and sculpture, is aesthetically stunning.

On Saturday we took a trip to the Dalí museum in Figueres (pictures to come) and afterwards popped into the complementary exhibition of his jewels. Albert and I were blown away. The golden, rubied heart brooch in the top picture was absolutely my favourite, because the ruby core was beating... it actually had a little engine inside making in pulse in and out! Likewise the angel wings were moving. But trickery and surrealism aside, are these pieces not absolutely gorgeous. Santa baby, I'll have a pair of those Mae West lips in my stocking, please.

If you want to know more, I found this article very interesting--and the first picture is a classic!