Tell me, what is it you plan to do with this one wild and precious life? - Mary Oliver
I’ve created bird watchers, ocean and mountain admirers, sunrise and sunset worshippers. Children moved by the beauty of the world around them. It’s particularly brought into focus at this time of year. When the sunsets are more magnificent, more alive than the night before, lighting up the entire stretch of sky with fairy floss clouds. I catch my breath as they beat me to comment on it, as they turn to me with smiles and point. It thrills me, sings in the depths of my bones every time I hear their awestruck reactions. What a simple but exquisite thing - the noticing, the sharing.
The light at this time of the season lends itself to the gentle. A softening. It starts with foggy mornings that turn to gently warm days. With reaching for the woollen blanket on the back of our couch to curl up under at night in front of the fire, with donning a favourite silky-soft cashmere jumper. Winter is whispering on the evening air, in the crispness of the night sky. We stand outside at night with the dogs, watch the stars glitter. Weekends are spent chopping wood, bundling the kindling around our property into neat piles, collecting buckets of pine cones, picking the last bounteous flush of roses. We know what’s coming, the bite of winter is stronger each morning we wake, the leaves on the Elm and Oak that stand sentry by our home are finally tipped in gold so it won’t be long now, they’re always the last to turn. We linger as long as possible in the garden bathed in the afternoon glow.
I have sugar water bubbling on the stove, preparations for the amber-glimmering apple and vanilla bean jam I’ll conjure with the last of the apples from our tree in the little orchard we grew from scratch. The harvest was luscious this year, after having a year off last year and man does it bring me joy when it fruits like that. We’ll have apple crumble tonight too with pears and strawberries laced with cinnamon. The smell, of the sweet, of the spice. Oh the smell. It scents every room in the house.
The first fire of the season has become a ritual. I build it the way my mama taught me, with old newspapers and sticks, and a pine cone in the middle for good measure. Sometimes I get distracted by an article mid paper-scrunch and I’ll stop and read a snippet of last year’s news.
It’s time. The kids flank me. I strike a match, watch the flames lick and catch. The glow lights up their faces. There’s talk of roasted marshmallows, fire pits under the icy stars. We’ll do it all. I’ll sit with their bodies pressed to mine, hot cheeks and cold noses, smoke in my hair, look up at the Milky Way and marvel.
Book loves I think about often (and worth adding to your collection)
The Wonder - Emma Donoghue
Where the Crawdad’s Sing - Delia Owens
The Marriage Portrait - Maggie O’Farrell
Go as a River - Shelley Read
Limberlost - Robbie Arnott
Tom Lake - Ann Patchett
Why Women Grow (non-fiction) - Alice Vincent
Sandwich - Catherine Newman
Meet Me at the Lake - Carley Fortune
Substack loves
- ‘The journal of an English woman in the French countryside, Creating a garden and resurrecting a forgotten petit chateau hidden amongst woodland and flower meadows.’ - As romantic as it sounds. It sings to me and the bucket list dream of running off and doing an Under the Tuscan Sun life overhaul (perhaps in my second life!).The Joy Rise, by Holly Ringland - but in this instance it is an article by her community manager
. ‘A hidden gem: how to take your creative ideas seriously’ struck a chord with me. She writes of tapping into our early years of wonder and the ‘little people’ we once were exploring the world with wide-eyed amazement. How to make a conscious effort to open our eyes like this is so good for the soul. My kids help me to do this every day but I love that what they are seeing is also a reflection of how I’ve observed the world for them first.Instagram Loves
@degournay’s recent accouncement and instagram posts about their match made in heaven new Bunny Mellon collection. They hosted a dinner at Oak Spring Garden to launch the collection under a handpainted canopy of their crabapple arbor design. The videos and photos are a treat for the eye.
Similarly, the Design Los Angeles honorary lunch for Nancy Meyers looked absolutely superb and worthy of the goddess herself. Would have loved a seat at that table!
always has gorgeous style, is so authentic and honest in her posts and is just a beautiful follow.@graziher A gorgeous magazine but also a great insta follow for beautiful snippets on country life. Loved their recent images of the Arnott’s property, Coolah Creek and Whitney Spicer story.
@SeptemberStudios - This is my Granny’s local florist, but he’s also totally viral on the internet (think 1.2 million followers thanks to his larger than life designs and smooth moves). He’s also a great guy (and has a very smoochy dog).
@KateDebbo - Kate paints the most evocative, beautiful and sometimes haunting horses.
I can’t sign off without mentioning the first Monday in May. The Met centrepiece, inspired by Cy Gavin’s painting interpretation of the Narcissus myth (entitled Sky), saw a climbing tower of narcissus flowers strung all the way up to the ceiling to look like stars, as well as a projection Gavin’s painting on the Temple of Dendur ceiling. You can read more about it here Vogue on the creation of the Met centrepiece.
Sofia Ritchie’s dress won hands down for me and I think will inspire many a bride over the next year. I love a bow and had a similar one on my own backless wedding dress. Ritchie’s look was sophistication, classic with a touch of sexy. Perfection.
Zac Posen on Laura Harrier was inspired. I've long been a fan of Posen’s, he reminds me of Christian Dior’s ability to honour the feminine form with elegant and form-hugging lines with a touch of whimsy while somehow always showcasing a woman’s strength.
Also Kendall Jenner’s Thierry Muller after-party outfit - classic.
Finally, happy Mother’s Day to all who celebrate! I hope you have a cup of tea, coffee or champagne in hand, your feet up, the sun on your face and are being treated by your loved ones! We could all do with a day off!
Happy Sunday,
S x
