Inspiration

Souks me fine

November 10, 2015

While I haggled with the children this morning over how many bowls of coco chimps they could have for breakfast, Jason haggled for rugs in Marrakech. For a moment, I almost felt like I was right there with him in the souk, as one gorgeous picture after another appeared on my phone. If you have ever shopped a souk, you’ll know that it’s a mad and chaotic and intensely colourful experience. Whether you mean to or not, it’s virtually impossible not to walk away with baubles and babouche and tea glasses in every hue. I can’t wait to see the rugs he chose, especially the giant Beni Ouarain that is rugged and refined and warm all at once.

Running in heels

November 6, 2015

I came across this Eisenstaedt photograph for LIFE magazine and it made me want to do a forward roll. And so I did. The good news is I still can. The bad news is that I’m as stiff as an iron rod. I need to join a stretch class, and this one here looks just my speed. Rose Dor Farms was a “reducing” school for women in upstate New York in the 30s. I’m not sure how far these gals got, but I like their sense of occasion.

Lettuce Patch

November 5, 2015

Somewhere in my childhood I ate off large green lettuce leaf plates. I don’t remember at whose table I was sitting, but those plates are so vivid to me. I would love to get my hands on a few, and fill them with raspberries or radishes, or any other colour that looks great with green. It was Dodie Thayer, the Palm Beach pottery queen, who made them. They’re so peculiar looking, and so very fabulous, don’t you think?

Funny Face

November 4, 2015

There’s a rooster and a tiger and two cats in our living room. There would be a wolf too, if Antimo hadn’t decided to sit on it. They’re made of papier machee by HAY Denmark, and each one was a gift from our friend, Olivia. Today, I’ll be hanging them on the wall –– a menagerie of oddball looking creatures –– to add just a bit more eccentricity to our home.

Island Pink

November 3, 2015

This could be any island home, but I’m going to imagine that with it’s peach walls and surrounding palm trees, we are in Bermuda. The beaches there are nowhere near this rugged, but it is still possible. And it’s one of those days, where the sky is white and gray and cornflower blue and rains hard for five minutes before the sun cracks through the clouds and it turns into a perfectly, beautiful day.

Rooster

November 2, 2015

Every morning at the crack of dawn, Luma starts to squawk. Within a few minutes of not being picked up she sounds more like a rooster. When Jason, Iole and I spent three-months in Folegandros, the ki-ki-ri-ki-ki of the roosters was our wake-up call there, too. Only, the sound was far less obnoxious on a far flung island in the Aegean. From our little house in Chora, it was funny and familiar and signaled the start of a bright new day. I can’t say we’re always so chirpie and optimistic, these days, when the bird song begins. But when I finally fold, step into her room, and find a baby girl all dressed in white with crazy wisps of hair in her face and a smile from ear-to-ear, optimism is restored.

Roommate

October 29, 2015

Even in a big house with lots of rooms, my brother and I still shared a room. I think room sharing among siblings is fun and endearing, but it’s also a brilliant daily exercise in compromise and negotiation. One wants the lights dimmed, the other wants them off. One wants the door ajar, the other prefers it shut. Some days, I go downstairs and leave Iole and Antimo bickering away (“I want the curtains closed! I want them open!”) only to find them cuddled up in Iole’s single bed when I check on them two-hours later. It warms my heart to see the love between them, and it impresses me that they are able to muddle through their differences. It’s in these situations that their relationship will grow, and that they as individuals will flourish, too. Patience, kindness and knowing when to hold your ground and when to concede. These are just some of the lessons that they will teach one another.

scent of a woman

October 28, 2015

I love the idea of a signature scent. My grandmother wore First by Van Cleef Arpel for years, and to this day, I feel compelled to engage with any woman wearing it. I don’t come across too many, mind you. It’s a dramatic scent, one that few can pull off. Other than brief flirtations with Anais Anais (age 8) Amarige (age 14) and Cristalle (late teens) I have never had a signature scent. I think for it to be your “signature” you need to have worn it for at least a decade. My mother has worn Carolina Herrera for about that long, and it suits her so beautifully. It’s hard to find a scent that is both familiar and unique. And that’s just what it is.

Fly a Kite

October 26, 2015

On the weekend, Jason and I walked the sandbanks beach in Prince Edward County. It was cold and windy and the sky was a steel gray. I love being near the water, so it didn’t matter much that the weather was so moody. The kite surfers didn’t seem to mind either. We saw at least four out there, taking each wave with poise and power. I’m always inspired by people committed to a sport –– something that gets them in the water, on the pitch or up a mountain, regardless of the cold. My father swims laps in a lake outside Athens in November and my sister-in-law will run miles through the Toronto winter. “Imagine how invigorating that must feel,” I said to Jason as we looked on from the shell-laced beach. “Imagine how great they’ll feel tonight, warming up by a fire with a large cup of tea.”

Bonkers

October 23, 2015

“You’re entirely bonkers,” wrote Lewis Caroll. “But I’ll tell you a secret: all the best people are.” I think it’s fair to say that we’re all a little bonkers. Luckily for me, my family and friends are a lot bonkers. And with that comes chaos and challenge and the kind of laughter that makes you feel like someone poured a jug of sunshine into your soul.

La Parachute

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