August roundup – Wedding, London, Broadstairs, London, Edinburgh, relax
Hi everyone. I hope August has been as fun for you all as it has for us. We’ve had a real mix of adventure and exploring and quality home, cleaning and organising time. I love both of these things (although I do have a slight preference for home I confess).
We ended July with one of the most relaxed and clever weddings we’ve been to. Our friends got married in a gorgeous church in Otley and then bussed everyone out into the countryside, where they had hired an amazing property on air bnb. With a marquee in the garden, free flowing booze and fantastic food, it really was idyllic. I was incredibly jealous of everyone drinking the homemade limoncello. The groom’s aunt had brought it over from Italy and I had a little taste. It was absolutely delicious and I would have been in a world of trouble had I been able to drink it properly!
Here are a couple of snaps of the day, including one of me and husb looking scrubbed up for once (I never wear makeup anymore since working from home and I love it, but it’s nice to dress up from time to time).
My products went on sale at the interior design pop up shop in Farsley at the beginning of August. It is such a great space in the converted Mill, there’s a fantastic café next door and a gallery around the corner in the next mill building. We are so lucky to have these fantastic spaces in such a small village. I worked in the shop for a day to help out and it’s really popular. Here’s hoping it sticks around for longer.
We seem to have squeezed a lot into this month. Next on our agenda was a trip to Broadstairs via London. We met up with a friend who took us to Dinerama in Shoreditch which is run by Street Feast who have created street food markets in different locations around London. It’s all very chilled with a pop up feel. The food was delicious, we had ribs, brisket, amazing wedges with all sorts of oniony amazingness on top. The cocktails were also great, and it was scorchio so we just enjoyed sitting and people watching in the sun.
We headed down to Broadstairs for Folk Week, an annual festival which takes over the whole town. It’s so popular, there are thousands of people out in the streets, wandering from venue to venue soaking up the music and the atmosphere. The beach is always jam packed and there’s plenty of people watching to do, there are some fascinating characters. I planned my days around visits to the local ice cream shop Morellis. I really have never tasted better ice cream than theirs. Get yourselves to Broadstairs everyone!
We visited Margate, of course. We have loved watching Margate slowly come to life over the years. Chris’ mum first started taking me there for the furniture shops and an enormous haberdashery. There was very little else at the time but now it is heaving with great shops, art, music and craft and it’s wonderful to see it starting to thrive whilst still somehow maintaining an edge. We didn’t visit Dreamland as I wouldn’t have been able to go on any rides, so we’ve saved that for when the human arrives.
The Turner centre is always a must for me when we’re around. It’s a fantastic space looking out over the ocean, its free of charge and they have some incredible exhibitions. This visit has to be my favourite so far. Two exhibitions showcasing two of my favourite things. Colourful textiles and geometric shapes. Heaven.
“Seeing Round Corners “ is a curated exhibition celebrating all things circular in art. From Leonardo Da Vinci to Barbara Hepworth, there is something for everyone in this collection. I particularly liked the “Cloud Arc” by Roger Ackling. He used the sun and a magnifying glass to scorch marks into the surface of either wood or cardboard.
Yinka Shonibare has two stunning installations on the ground floor of the gallery. Exploring the themes of conflict and immigration, his first piece has a major impact as soon as you enter the building. Floor to ceiling bookcases are filled from top to bottom with books covered in brightly covered wax fabric. The spines have all been stamped in gold lettering with the names of first and second generation immigrants who have influenced British Society.
His second piece features two men with globes for heads, rocking on a see saw. The globes represent the two opposing forces of the First World War, gently pivoting to signify the delicate balance of conflict.
If you are in the area, check it out, it’s a fantastic space and the two major exhibitions compliment each other really nicely.
After 4 days of folk, ice cream and sun, we jumped back on the train to London to see some other friends and to catch the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. I love going here with my husband, he is incredulous at some of the work, and some of the prices, whereas I walk around trying not to buy all the little pieces with price tags of less than £500. Painting on a piece of toast anyone?
When we got back from London, we had a quick turnaround before heading up to Edinburgh for the festival. Again, we go every year, mainly to support my brother who takes a show up most years, but also to catch up with friends and wander around the stunning city, laughing like idiots. I didn’t take many pictures in Edinburgh, I don’t know why. I did manage to snap pics of an amazing bakery in Portobello, and this cute moment with ‘Crisp’ and his new best friend Henry. Delicious and adorable, in that order.
Back to reality and we had a lovely bank holiday weekend in Farsley, cleaning and sorting bits of the house in preparation for the arrival of the human. 7 weeks to go! We also managed some quality pub time with the Farslies and popped in to watch some cricket in the rain at Farsley Cricket Club. An impromptu bbq on Monday night rounded the weekend off well.
SO, September beckons. We have a few DIY projects planned for the human which I will try to document and share with you. Chris’s sister Jo is having a wedding party in London which I am so excited for so expect a giddy post next month.
Have fun everyone x