I love books. All sorts of books, fiction and non-fiction. Books are my friends, it is true. I always feel slightly sad when I visit someone and there are no books in their house.
My Little Brick, by contrast, is busting at the seams with books. Here's a recent purchase I'm totally smitten with. Velvet Pears by Susan Southam is a dream to peruse as the photography is so stunning. It details the journey of a young woman setting up a home for herself and her family over the years in Australia.
As well as jaw-droopingly beautiful images of this process and her exquisite gardens (oh her gypsy caravan, be still my heart!), Susan embellishes Velvet Pears with family recipes, hints and anecdotes. The chocolate cake recipe is divine (my family love that one!).
It is a wonderful book to dip into when you feel like a hit of beauty and the presentation is a beautiful artwork in itself. Lush, inspiring and celebratory of life and home. If this book was hundreds of dollars, I'd still think it a bargain!
Enjoy your weekend. It is very sunny in Sydney so I'll try to get some painting done tomorrow. The paint the old kitchen table kind, not the easel masterpiece kind, alas.
I also added a photograph (talking about lush and beautiful) of Cheryl Barker as Manon in her Paris scene costume. She really looks like something from a fairytale, doesn't she? That dress was spectacular!
Hope your weekend is fun, fun fun and filled with beautiful books and creative dreams. xx
“Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale.”
Hans Christian Andersen
I rarely go out these days. I'm often so exhausted that a good night to me is a chapter of a book, a few rows of knitting, a cocoa and then bed with my hot water bottle under one arm. However every so often the Scribe drags me out to the Opera House to see a lovely ballet or Opera or Artschool Annie drags me to the pictures. Last night the Scribe and I were lucky enough to watch Opera Australia perform Puccini’s Manon Lescaut.
I always love a night at the Opera House. It never fails to thrill me to be inside that iconic building and rub shoulders with the fabulous, wealthy, interesting and cultured people of Sydney. The long line for the ladies is always worth peeking at shoes, handbags and stylish hairstyles. And hoping somehow just being there will mean that style will transfer to me. Last night we were two rows away from Geoffrey Robertson. Celebrity spotting is also one of my favourite things to do there. Even Daisy at four has been to see the Nutcracker at the Opera House. I would love to see every child in Australia receive a free pass to a blockbuster Opera House show. It would change many lives I'm sure!
The performance was like a fairytale, a lovely opera to see in a Hans Christian Andersen-inspired week. Plot wise, Manon doesn't make a lot of sense but there are some gorgeous scenes in Paris with a weird little bunch of dancing teachers. Manon herself isn't a likeable heroine as, say, Madame Butterfly, and you don't tend to feel a lot of emotion in the death scenes for her but it's still lovely, lovely, lovely. And Cheryl Barker who played Manon is always divine.
So my idea of a good night out is either the movies with Artschool Annie or the Opera House with the Scribe for a big blockbuster opera or ballet.
What's your idea of a good night out? Do you like culture or a packed pub with some fabbo band? Are you a cinema person or do you prefer to stay home and play Scrabble? I'd love to hear what you like to do on the nights you go out!
