Lunch at Cliveden

Cliveden is one of the most beautiful country houses  in Britain, its chequered history makes it all the more fascinating.  Architect buffs will love to read about how it has evolved through many different styles since is was first built in the 1700s, but for most of us, it is from the Astor era onwards that it really gets interesting.

There is a new play about the Profumo affair indicating that it was all a bit of a 'set-up' and of course the film Scandal tells the original 60s tale of Russian spies, call girls and the British establishment.

We just went for lunch at the newly renovated restaurant. It is beautiful and only £28 for the set menu, I was loathed to take pics after the recent French chef banning food photography and saying that it is 'ill-mannered'.

The entry hall where afternoon tea is served is about as 'English castle' as you can get.

But the new dining room is light, modern, beautiful and airy...

This was the only 'food' pic I snaffled...

Sweet things to choose to go with coffee...

The Duchess of Sutherland for whom the house was originally built.

The library next to the dining room.
It is so close to London that it is worth the trip, a walk in the grounds rounds of lunch nicely, and once it gets its Michelin star I am sure prices will shoot up.

I forgot to take a pic of the outfit , but wore a Whistles lilac fish scale skirt and purple top.

Are there any good restaurants that you have discovered recently? Are sequins too much for lunch?!

Is it wrong.....not to love Chanel?

Mum's been having a clear out, I have inherited the beige lace skirt, that matches my Uniglo cheap-y jumper and Sergio Rossi (not so cheap-y) boots.

I topped off with my J Crew necklace (from the new Brompton Cross store and a rather odd cross-eyed facial expression.

Then I added what should have been the piece de resistance.........................
And immediately reverted to my mum c. 1985..................
Complete with hair that miraculously sprang into a shampoo and set...........
And the body language of my old head mistress......................
Mum had generously handed over her prized Chanel (her shoulders no longer comfortably take the weight)...................
But it just doesn't work for me, in any way at all.......

Are you a sucker for a bit of quilted leather or are their other brands that you feel you 'should' love, but that just don't work their magic on you?

More holiday snaps just so i don't lose them...Food in Seville...

Food in Seville was delicious, it is not cheap, but everything is good quality from perfect ice creams to crunchy salads, there are lots of Michelin starred restaurants, but you don't need to eat'expensive'to eat well.  My favourite for the ambiance, food and crowd, was the restaurant at the Eme Hotel by the Cathedral, we went on the last night and sat outside drinking Champagne on the roof bar(in December!).

The circus is in town...

It's London Fashion week and the company where I am consulting has reached fever pitch.  Luckily I don't have to be based in the office full time and come and go without getting embroiled in 'fashion politics'.  I occasionally get (understandably) withering looks from the creative types, since I thought it better just to 'opt-out' rather than try and fail in the fashion stakes.  

But this week sees them in all their modish glory, as they divvy up the tickets to the shows.  The hierarchy is clear this is how it goes; every one scorns the bloggers, who they consider to be merely 'playing' at working, or worse, pedestrians who shouldn't be there in the first place, the juniors get the 'standing room' only seats, and the top bods get to sit, ideally of course front row, if it's not front row, they will often leave rather than suffer the ignominy of anywhere further back.  And the really mean girls use this week to assert their authority and leave anyone who 'needs to know their place' trailing outside of the show spaces while they press the flesh inside.  I find it all a bit cruel and ego-driven.
In a previous role, I worked with designers, who, although often quite well-known, struggled to fund their shows, I would help them to find the last £30k or so that they needed to pay for the extravaganza, some put everything on the line in the hope that it would pay dividends.  We simply don't have the fashion culture of Paris, Milan or New York, being 'commercial' is almost a dirty word.  Instead the designers are expected to entertain the ungrateful hoards, they have often sold the family silver and are then scorned mercilessly if they show anything that people might actually want to wear, unless of course you are already a massive name and the hottest ticket in town, then you can be as commercial as you please and everyone will say that you are marvellous.
Despite all of this, I still like to see the street style pics and get lost in the fantasy.  Do you suspend your disbelief and enjoy the spectacle or are the fashion weeks something that pass you by without notice?

Ibiza bath

We are due another week of rain and storms, and sometime, it feels that the only way to get warm (really warm to the bone, with a warmth that stays with you)  is in a piping hot bath.
One day I was looking at my bathroom array of bottles and lotions and potions that I have been gifted over the years, and rather than just throw them into storage boxes, I have come up with some themed 'baths', which feel like the ultimate indulgence when the rain is battering down.
I turn on the heater in the bathroom, put the tap on to full throttle and wait for that lovely fug to descend.

One of my favourites is 'The Ibiza Bath' and this is what I use (although any variant will do)...

I used to go to Ibiza every year in the 70s, and my over-riding memory is the smell of the pine...

So turn down off the lights and light up a great scented candle (avoid Glade et al, or the pine is the acrid smell of detergent, not the aromatic smell of the real thing)
My favourites are Neom, as it is Diptyque quality made in the UK without the price tag..

Although Diptyque is pretty special....

Load your ipod or CD with some Ibiza chill out sounds...

Drop a few drops of Huile Prodigieuse into the bath, it is full of pure gold and smells like floral heaven, it's meant as a body oil, but is lovely in a hot bath....

Wash your hair with Faith in Nature Neem shampoo, pure Ibiza scent with an under tone of citrus..

Finish with a more of the body oil above and a generous covering of fake tan (you have to look in the mirror and 'feel' the Ibiza vibe)

If you haven't shaken off your Winter blues, after this treatment, only a ticket to the Caribbean will do!

Spring memories....

It's such a beautiful day, and I hope that even those who have been flooded, can see some light at the end of the tunnel.
It made me think back to Spring days from years ago and enjoy them all over again....
The first year that we moved into the cottage...

 The annual pilgrimage for the mammoth Easter egg hunt...

Enjoying the spoils....

Impromptu parties in the garden....

The March trip to the South coast, where there is lots of exercise...

Of all varieties...

Beautiful regency architecture that sparkles in the sunshine

It makes you happy just to be alive...

What are your favourite Spring memories?

My Spring Summer 14.....

It's been a while since I have seen a 'look' that has really appealed to me in fashion.  I know that I am out of date, but was finding it pretty hard to relate to all the sharp lines and masculine looks that have been around lately, and then I saw this ad shot by Matches and just loved it immediately.

 The coat is Sonia Rykiel (over £1500) and the dress doesn't seem to be online yet, I know it is Dolce e Gabanna and probably costs near £1000 if not more.

However I have improvised and found this great dress for 50 quid.....

 And this one (pure silk) for £70....

This coat £60.....

And this coat from Ebay for £15 (I have a dress maker to change the collar for £20)

The only thing I am contemplating splashing out on are these shoes, anything girlie on my feet and would perhaps be a little too princess-like, but a Rockstud (from Bicester) would be just on the rightside of rock and roll....

What looks are you thinking about for SS14? Are you making do? Splashing out? Or a bit of both?