...going to weddings!

A few weekends ago we went to a good friend's wedding. It was a beautiful day full of eating, drinking and celebrating the beginning of an exciting new chapter. There were so many things that I loved about this wedding; the setting, the food, the endless prosecco, the handmade decorations. But what I will remember most are two things-
1. This dress!

(photos are a bit blurring-shows how fun it was!)

2. This poem that the bride's sister read at the ceremony. For me, it is so fitting and really sums up what a happy and lasting marriage is about. I hope you enjoy.

Atlas

There is a kind of love called maintenance
Which stores the WD40 and knows when to use it;

Which checks the insurance, and doesn’t forget
The milkman; which remembers to plant bulbs;

Which answers letters; which knows the way
The money goes; which deals with dentists

And Road Fund Tax and meeting trains,
And postcards to the lonely; which upholds

The permanently rickety elaborate
Structures of living, which is Atlas.

And maintenance is the sensible side of love,
Which knows what time and weather are doing
To my brickwork; insulates my faulty wiring;
Laughs at my dryrotten jokes; remembers
My need for gloss and grouting; which keeps
My suspect edifice upright in air,
As Atlas did the sky.

UA Fanthorpe

Congratulations Kate and Adrian!

Maria x

...celebrating new life

Inkling

Last night I sensed a taking root
under the bonecage of my heart,
a stirring, shifting; something not
quite of a breath or a heartbeat's weight.

It was the inkling of a soul.
Now I shall have no peace at all
till he's caught and fastened, nested in
the cradle of my pelvic bone.

Then, in the coracle of my womb,
I'll carry him gently, every inch home
though the hour is late
in the lengthening light

to the crook of my arm, the bay's curved shore,
water-lapped, twilight, secure.

Julia Copus

Someone very dear to me is expecting a baby at the end of January and I couldn't be more excited (no-it's not me or Gem!). I've posted this poem for her. She knows who she is. Congratulations my love.

Maria x

...getting excited about reading 'The Sea Sisters' by the lovely Lucy Clarke

Lucy and I met in Sixth Form here in Bournemouth, and have been friends ever since. Even at the age of 16 Lucy was a keen documenter I suppose; she always took hundreds of photographs of outings and nights out, and wrote up every event in her beloved diary. Writing has always been her passion, and she dreamed of becoming a published author one day. Her commitment and determination is unshakable, and after years of hard work she landed herself a well-deserved book deal. I am so delighted for her that this dream has become a reality, and her novel 'The Sea Sisters' published by Harper Collins will be in the shops from 9th May. Check out her book trailer here.

I have yet to read 'The Sea Sisters'. I told Lucy that I would be going into the bookshop and buying my very own copy. There is something very cool and exciting about buying a book written by a friend that you share so many funny memories with- from our first ever experience of Glastonbury, to being the dancers in our school musical (we were dreadful). Funtimes.

Well done Lucy! So excited for you x

Maria x

PS. If you are local then head down to Waterstones at Castle Point on Saturday 11th May for Lucy's book signing!

... discovering Kinfolk

KINFOLK

This beautiful looking magazine keeps popping up on instagram, with it's lovely photography and simple design. I was feeling a little indulgent in February and decided to order (volume 7) The magazine has a collection of articles written by a variety of writers that share their thoughts and ideas on small gatherings and sharing and cooking for others. I'm not going to write to much; it's simple design and photography is stunning. It has inspired me to arrange more dinner party's with friends and enjoy everything that life has on offer, friendship, family, food and fun! I can't wait to arrange a dinner party and bring on the days where the party can be taken under a tree or onto the beach.

Hello Spring / Hello to eating outside

Hope you've had a lovely sunny weekend! 

Can't wait for (issue 8)

Gem x

...reading new books with the little fella

Some of our dearest friends came to stay last weekend. They showered us with generous gifts of chocolates, bubbles, a bag of storybooks, flowers, and even eggs freshly laid from their chickens. We were spoilt rotten.
Our favourite of all the books is the delightful 'Hooray for Bread' by Allan Ahlberg and Bruce Ingman . It tells the story of a loaf of bread from being baked in the oven, to being made into sandwiches for lunch, to crumbs and leftovers being fed to the birds. The boy loves it not only because of the beautiful illustrations and the catchy, memorable rhyme, but because it reminds him of his 'Poppy' (my dad), who bakes the most delicious bread.

You can read about my dad's bread here, and about other storybooks we love here.
Happy reading!
Maria x

....reading beside the fire

Today has been a fun day decorating cup cakes at the Primrose Bakery in Bristol (I will post about this on Tuesday as I have forgotten my camera lead) I have thrown myself on the sofa and got my nose in my current Book Club book; Pride & Prejudice. It's quite an apt choice of my friend Christine, as it is the 200 year anniversary of this classic in print. I love being home at my parents for many reasons; mum's delicious beef casserole, hugs with a hot dachshund. But reading beside a roaring fire has to be a favourite past time! Mum has also found a copy of 'The Lady' which has a 'Darcy' special! What a perfect end to a busy day!

" It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife....."

I hope you have had a great weekend!

Gem x

...reading 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry'

It's been ages since I actually got to choose what book I was reading. As always, I have been reading lots for work; 'The Great Gatsby', and some of Fitzgerald's short stories from his 'Flappers and Philosophers' collection. I love Gatsby (the book and the character), and if you are a fan I would give Fitzgerald's short stories a go too. Like Gatsby, they give you a snapshot of life in the New York of the roaring twenties and are packed with the same dark and sinister undertone.  

The shorter the better  for me recently as I have been crazy busy an haven't managed to read as much as I would like to; I can just about cope with 10-15 pages a night! However, I have been keen to get back into reading novels.

Enter Harold Fry.



The in-laws love a good book.  They belong to a book club and everything. Whilst they finish the book for most of their meetings, they often say how rare it is that everyone in the group comes having read the whole book (and rarer still that everyone enjoys it). Their most recent read, 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry' by Rachel Joyce was a rare thing indeed.  They all finished it, and they all liked it. So, I decided to give it a go myself. My mother-in-law was worried that I wouldn't really like it as it was about a retired man in his early 60s. How wrong she was.

This book is a gripping read. It tells the story of a man who one day receives a letter from a long lost friend who is terminally ill. He writes back, and walks to the postbox to post his letter. And then a funny thing happens; he carries on to the next postbox, and then on to the next town, until he decides to deliver the letter personally. Harold quickly comes to realise that he has to walk from Devon to Berwick-upon-Tweed because he believes the journey will save his friend from dying.

Along the way he meets all sorts of characters. Some think he is mad, some really believe in him. Some are famous, some are a bit bizarre.  Some are kind, some tell him their deepest, darkest secrets. At times the novel is quite biblical; and there is a sort of spirituality in Harold's physical and emotional journey. There are times when he feels he cannot go on, and he loses hope. However, as a reader you cannot help but believe in him and that he can make it. I don't know for certain if he does yet (I'm only half way through), but I will be devastated if he doesn't!

You must read this book! Thank you Rachel Joyce for reminding me that I can read more than 10-15 pages a night.

Maria x

...reading stories to the kiddo

Definitely one of our favourite things to do. The little fella loves a book, and now he has quite an impressive library. I thought it would be nice to share our current top 5 reads with you.

Dogger - Shirley Hughes

 Our lovely friend Alice stayed with us this summer on a visit from Australia, and she gave the small one a copy of Dogger which she loved so much when she was little. This one is a hit-especially the page where Dogger is at the fair, and Dave spies him. Oh the excitement! It's a must read.

A Bit Lost - Chris Haughton

 The illustrations in this book are just lovely, and some of the characters are hilarious. We are big fans of the squirrel with his inquisitive facial expressions.

The Three Robbers - Tomi Ungerer

The little guy's first Christmas present. It was the husband's favourite book as a kiddo, and we saw it in the Tate Modern and snapped it up.

Forever Young - Bob Dylan with illustrations by Paul Rogers

 

Ok- I have to be truthful with this one. The boy is not interested in this even a little bit. But he doesn't know what he is talking about! It's Bob Dylan! And check out those illustrations. There are no words.

How to Catch a Star - Oliver Jeffers

 Anything by Oliver Jeffers is a winner. We haven't come across one yet that the boy hasn't insisted on reading over and over. Love, love, LOVE!

There are many more- I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen is so funny, whilst the oldies like the Mog series, and anything by Doctor Seuss are always delightful. I'm loving discovering new tales, and rediscovering old favourites.

What stories do the little ones in your life love?
Maria x

... escaping into the wilderness

I have always had an interest in wildlife and a huge fascination about woods, as a child  they would  haunt me and delight me. My dad was brilliant at taking us on adventures; to the Mendips to search for goblins or into the woods at Ashton Court. We would spend hours playing in hollowed out trees, running through the woods with our hand made sticks making up games. Swinging from the vines of the old mans beard in Leigh Woods was a BIG favourite, our legs would swing freely over the gorges, and our excitement would ripple up into our throats with screams of pure delight, they would echo over the valley walls and bounce back inside our ears. To be an eight year old again ( I think this was probably my favourite childhood age)

 Now with the brilliant  novel from Colin Meloy  I am reliving these joys. His  book the 'Wildwood' had me captured so much I was in bed last night at 9.30 pm to read more about Prue McKeel and her adventures in the 'Impassable Wilderness'. Where there are armed talking Coyotes and crows that kidnap babies. So yep you would be right in the understanding that it is a children's book! But so far I am gripped. It is beautifully illustrated by the artist Carlson Ellis. For a year now I have had a wallpaper image on my phone of a girl flying on a  bird of prey that I discovered on Pinterest, I had no idea that I would find this image in one of the beautifully illustrated plates within the book! The book is planned to  be written as a trilogy, so I am pleased to know that I will have two more beautifully illustrated books on my book case. The decemberist musician come author and his wife (Ellis) make a fantastic team.

I was lucky to have two of these plates in my copy, so I am going to frame one! 

Cuckoo Cuckoo

I love books that have maps or family tree's inside the cover

If I have my own children I know I would love reading this to them. It has a grown up, yet intriguing narrative that would appeal to the adventurous, curious nipper. It's a little on the dark side so probably for any brave 8yr olds and upwards. Snowy nights are great for curling up on the sofa and reading a good book, especially when the setting themselves are cold and isolated. If you want a more 'Grown Up' read I can definitely recommend Jo Nesbo's 'The Snowman' but if you have a snowman in your garden at the moment, don't go there! It is terrifying.

More info on the Wildwood Chronicles  can be found on their website

www.wildwoodchronicles.com

Happy reading & don't forget the hot chocolate & blankets

Have a good week! 

gem x

....reading artzines like PCTGRM

Last weekend I had a lovely sunday strolling around coffee craft and cupcakes event at Bournemouth Dance Podium. I Picked up a couple of lovely things!

A gorgeous Butterfly necklace from the fabulous Carlitta Monchitta and some dutch stud earrings, because I like to pretend I'm Dutch (ask maria) Make sure you check out Carlitta's beautiful online shop!

I'm also a big fan of local illustrator Nicholas Frith, who was selling lots of gorgeous prints. My purse strings are very tight, and for xmas pressies only! (Well thats what my head was telling me)  but my heart  couldn't resist these retro drink mats which I'm going to turn into xmas decorations.

After our little stroll me and a friend decided that we had earn't a well earned cider and snack at 60 million postcards. The fish finger sandwiches are a must! And that is when I discovered the new artzine PCTGRM (Picotogram) It is only in it's second issue, but it is lovely. Bournemouth is full of creative people, but events and artzines like this are hard to come by. You have to be like a magpie, maybe It's because I live in Poole, perhaps Boscombe and Southbourne are more creative settlements.

Anyway, I finally got a chance today to lie on the sofa and enjoy the second Issue. Which is created by;

Mike Frost  - Editor / Designer , Managed by Lara Skowronska,  with Digital Editor Sam Williams.

Make your own D.I.Y Camera

In conversation with Nicholas Frith (yay)

This Scene Isn't dead!
 (It so isn't!!)
Very much looking forward to seeing Willy Mason & Ben Howard Tonight! (Post to follow)


PCTOGRM is a brilliant free artzine, I would happily pay for it (I know this goes against the values and ideologies of a zine) The design is stunning, the content imaginative and engaging, many of the words and illustrations are from local artists and musicians. The designers are also very ethical and print on 100% recycled paper on an old fashioned Risograph (you can watch their amazing video on their website) My hat goes of to these creative pips and I'd like to thank them very much! I will definitely be on the look out for Issue Three!


I hope you have had a lovely weekend!

Gem x

..... page turning and drinking tea with friends

I'm not sure which of my friends suggested a book club, but we have been enjoying meeting up and eating cake and discussing our reads for about three years now. There are five of us in total, when we meet the person who is hosting gets to pick the book we read. We have made a pack that we should be open minded and read any book that is suggested. This has as you imagined caused some very lively discussions and also some sheepish phone calls late at night,  admitting and apologising for sometimes not being able to stick with chosen book. (This has only happened to me a few times; culprits being Tony Blair a journey and Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver)

We are currently reading the teen novel - Dancing Jax by Robin Jarvis and I think it is going to be a good read. I have only read the first chapter but I'm already being dragged in by it's lead character, Jezza who has just found a very spooky book.

My favourite top 10 book club books would have to be:

 1) Sarah Waters 'The little Stranger' This was probably my most memorable book club book. As a group we all met up and a  heated discussion soon developed; "it was too long winded".."The characters were unrealistic". But then we got talking deeper about the plot lines, about how we felt - Petrified! (Even though I was lying on a sun lounger in Kefalonia at the time)  By the end of the book club meeting, everybody had changed their minds, and were recommending the book to anybody who would listen.

2) David Nicholls 'One Day' - I loved every second of this book, I especially loved to hate Dexter and Emma all at different times, but also loved them and felt that they were long lost friends. The narrative concept of the novel was effective, but saddening reminding the reader how short our lives are. Situations resonated with me, we have all been Emma at some points in our lives, and Dexter is a character that many people can identify with knowing. David Nicholl's has a way of capturing an era, his attention to detail and nostalgic references are exceptional. But the magic is in his characterisations, he masterfully makes it look easy, his characters seem so real they could walk of the page.

3) Jo Nesbo 'The Redbreast' Last winter I fell into a winter hide of Norwegian crime, reading first Stieg Larson's incredible trilogy, I wanted more. After recovering from reading the terrifyingly brilliant 'The Snowman' I suggested to book club to read The Redbreast'. Harry Hole, the lead detective is a likable and intelligent protagonist but is flawed and lost in many ways. A maverick himself the reader is always on tender hooks. What unfolds is a very complicated twist uncovering a distasteful dangerous underbelly of WW2 Nazi sympathisers in Oslo. Murders begin to take place, and Harry is sent left right and centre over the city of Oslo, somebody out there is seeking justice and will do anything for sweet revenge.

This is a list of my final recommended book club reads;

4) Bad Science - Ben Goldacre (I will never trust a word Gillian McKeith says ever again)

5) The Hand That First Held Mine - Maggie O' Farrell

6) Skippy Dies - Paul Murray

7) The Bloody Chamber - Angela Carter

8) The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald

9) Hand Maids Tale - Margaret Atwood

10) Notes on an Exhibition - Patrick Gale

Happy page turning! 

Gem x

...reading Sam Riviere

I am a very lucky lady. Two very dear friends of mine work for a large publishing house. They send us books from time to time, and consequently we get to read some amazing novels, some of which are proofs and haven't even been published yet (plus they make us look really clever stacked up on our bookshelves).

Recently my husband was going on the train to London to watch a football match. He was stuck for something to read so I leant him a copy of Sam Riviere's '81 Austerities'. His response was something along the lines of 'I don't really like poetry. Actually, I think poetry is boring'. Having said that though, my husband is an open minded fella and he did take it with him. He read about half of the 81 poems in the collection. Returning home from the match, his talk was not of 'the game' but actually of this brilliant poet he had discovered. Naturally I had to see what all the fuss was about.

"It never ceases to astonish or offend me/seeing the couples circulate the otherwise/dead town centre like leaves in a big ashtray/in a sort of drugged calm they're dreamy I guess"

So sad, so beautiful. My husband was pretty moved by that one (don't tell him I told you).
Sam Riviere's debut is a very witty and at times desperately sad, carefully observed collection of thoughts and commentary on the modern age. His poetry is very accessible and almost familiar; he uses some of the characteristics from writers such as e e cummings with the limited/complete lack of punctuation, but his style is reminiscent of a facebook status (in fact, he started writing poetry in his blog and went from there).

So, if you love poetry, get a copy of '81 Austerities', and if you think that poetry is not something for you, then think of my husband the 'poetry is rubbish' football fan and maybe give Mr Riviere a try.

Maria x