A happy accident on the scenic route

I have been learning to drive. For various reasons I didn't learn the moment I turned 17 as most of my friends did. I had a brief stab at university but had better things to do like extended pub crawls and spending nights sleeping in the drama department ostensibly working on avant garde pieces of theatre so I didn't really put the effort in and never took my test. Then the years rolled by and living in London I never felt the need to learn. Plus being a non driver sort of became part of my identity.

Then I met Mr Crafty and we got married and I began to feel very guilty that he was not only my husband but also my chauffeur. So I bit the bullet and started to learn.

With the test looming some practice was in order. We were in Stratford upon Avon for the weekend and so I suggested we took the A roads back home to London and I would do the driving. We found ourselves going through the most picturesque villages imaginable and eventually stumbled upon the market town of Wilmslow which is like something off a chocolate box. And wouldn't you know they were having a Handmade and Vintage fair!! What a very happy stumble!

Please excuse my terrible pictures - I am no pro photographer at the best of times but having done my first stint at 70mph I was a little shaky!

The market square was packed with lovely stalls selling all manner of delightful items

Gorgeous sweet shop - I was sorely tempted by their cake pops!

Coffee from a camper van - genius!

Vintage ice cream van serving the most delicious rum and raisin ice cream!

And the end of the story? I passed my driving test at my first attempt two days ago so taking the scenic route delivered in more ways than one!

Let the sun shine

Being absent for so long has meant I didn't get a chance to join in on the general smugness emanating from the UK on the surprisingly glorious weather we have been having lately. Haven't we had some wonderful sunny days?

Mr Crafty and I had a lovely picnic in Dulwich park which meant this year's first outing for the picnic hamper.

And we feasted on leftovers from our family Easter meal - yum.

When the sun comes out in London everyone's spirits soar. Suddenly our city which can seem a little grey and claustrophobic at times seems like the most wonderful place on earth full of green spaces in which to stretch out and take in the blue skies. I am trying to bottle the feeling while the sunny days are with us as there is one thing you can be sure of in the UK and that is that it won't last!

Marrakech Express

I am just back from a wonderful week in Marrakech. I have always wanted to visit Morocco and with the British weather reaching an all time low in February, Mr Crafty and I decided it was time for a spur of the moment trip.

The city is as wonderful and crazy as everyone says it is but boy do those Moroccans know how to make things look beautiful. There are jewel like colours everywhere and even the most ordinary of homes are made extraordinary with the use of beautiful mosaic tiles and decorative tassels galore.

One of my favourite places was the Majorelle Gardens which was created by Jacques Majorelle, a French Painter, and was latterly owned by Yves Saint Laurent. The garden sings with colour and is a oasis of peace in a frantic city. The cafe also serves a dreamy orange blossom ice-cream.

The fountain at the Majorelle Gardens

One of the many beautiful avenues at the Majorelle Gardens

We were lucky enough to stay in the wonderful Riad Zolah which was our sanctuary from the busy streets when we needed it.

The courtyard at the Riad Zolah with it's rose petal filled marble pool

Our lovely room complete with complimentary babouches (leather slippers)

But no trip to Morocco would be complete without trying some haggling in the labyrinthine souks:

These pictures don't begin to convey the magic, colour and chaos but I got a little reticent about taking too many photos for fear of making myself a target for the very persistent shopkeepers. We did come home with some booty though:

The one thing I really wanted to bring back with me was a pouffe. I have been admiring the ones from Graham and Green for a while but was always put off by the price tag. We got this lovely leather one for a quarter of the price and if our haggling had been better we could have probably bartered it down even more.

These tassels were everywhere and I couldn't resist bringing a pair back to bring a bit of the 1001 Nights to our South East London sitting room.

When we move to our "forever house" (which is where we hope our next move will take us whenever the time comes) I am definitely going back to Marrakech for some serious interiors shopping!

Town Mouse, Country Mouse

Last weekend I spent a glorious day in Rowland's Castle, an incredibly pretty Hampshire village complete with a perfect green that plays host to a traditional style village fair:


I went with a friend and we had a lovely time supping Pimms, wandering round the various stalls, watching the tug of war, eating local sausages and casting an eye over the competition entries in the marquee such as these pretty roses and Victoria sponges:


It made me very wistful about village life. There was such an incredibly strong sense of community and I began to think in a romantic fashion that I could happily spend my days baking cakes and making jam in a place like Rowland's Castle. The thought of being surrounded by fields instead of tower blocks becomes more and more appealing the older I get.

And then on the other hand I have been rekindling my love of London of late. Last week I went to see a the Royal Opera's production of La Traviata screened live in Trafalgar square. We took a picnic and sat on the ground with hundreds of other Londoners and watched opera as London buses circled around the square and the sun set over us.

I have also been enjoying London's foodie scene a lot recently what with all the credit crunch offers that are around at the moment. Last night Mr Crafty took me to Galvin at Windows for my birthday. The food was just incredible and the views over London are amazing (the restaurant is on the 28th floor of the Park Lane Hilton). All in all a lovely evening:


Whilst Rowland's Castle is extremely pretty, London can sometimes present you with a view that just takes your breath away. I just wish my camera could do this sunset that I saw over the Thames the other evening proper justice:

I am so very torn as to where I want to end up. As I sit in South East London village life appears to me like an idyll and the thought of a pretty house with a big garden that we could gradually do up and make our own is very appealing but whilst London can sometimes be a frustrating place to live am I really ready to give up all it has to offer?

Decisions for another day but at some point Mr Crafty and I are going to have to decide where to put down our roots. I wonder whether we will end up Town or Country mice.

Brighton Rocks

Last weekend Mr Crafty and I popped down to Brighton to pick up yet another eBay project. We happened to catch a day of glorious sunshine and decided to make a day of it with fish & chips for lunch at Bankers followed by a stroll on the beach and an ice cream:

Brighton is wonderful at any time of year but at its best in the sunshine and we had a lovely relaxing day. I find that being by the sea, even for a day, is the best antidote to the stresses and strains of London life. Both of us have been running around like headless chickens recently and any moment at home has been spent DIYing so it was a joy to have a day off to simply spend time with each other and meander.

Sadly it was back to London for us at the end of the day with the new addition to our furniture family four G Plan chairs in need of a fair amount of TLC (picture from eBay):

It would probably be considered sacrilege to paint one of these if they were in their original teak state but personally I think that the shape would look really suit being painted in Farrow and Ball's All White. Seeing as someone has already done the unthinkable before me I don't feel too bad not attempting to strip these back to the wood. I am also hoping to reupholster the back rests and seats in abother Marimekko fabric:

But the projects are stacking up so it will probably be a little while before this one gets completed.