Rustic summer
Liking both the texture in this shot and also the deliberately rustic, high-summer-easy feel.
pretty
Lattice work
A french wired silk bonnet from circa 1812. Bringing back ALL the memories of Georgette Heyer’s epic shopping scenes (Frederica and Charis in the millinery shop in particular, to be honest.)
Detail
Feed of the week
@ice_cream_books: does what it says on the tin. Ideal for heat waves… Each instagram post tells you not just what the book is, but also why that ice cream pairing was chosen for it, eg egg custard flavour; money pie for Piketty, etc
More fantasy shopping
As I don’t have pierced ears, and have no intention of changing that either, this set of earrings – like all the others I feature – are pure fantasy shopping, and none the worse for it. These are from The Adventurine.
Le rouge et le noir
Stendhal-inspired patisserie at the Grand Cafe Tortoni in Paris, making me want to go there again.
Adeline
Adeline Patti was one of the most famous opera singers of the third quarter of the 19th century, and rather oddly ended up in the Brecon Beacons at the end of her life. I don’t know if this is because it was cheap, or if was a kind of displaced Romanticism / love of Walter Scott that had probably fed many of her starring roles in Donizetti, but it’s an intriguing thought. There’s no record of who painted this portrait of her.
Marsh Mallow
“Marsh Mallow” by Dame Laura Knight, 1914. Hopes for a sunny few months…
Birdsong
Pretty 19th entire English or French plate, on Etsy for about 40 quid.
Petersham Nursery
photos from the delightfully pretty new Petersham Nursery shop in Covent Garden. Extortionate prices in most cases, but wonderful shopping for the eyes.
