earworms: summer anticipation

source

A rare fact to be highlighted, this playlist mainly comprises of new(ish) music save for two oldie bonuses. 

I am really excited for the new album of Daft Punk, the single Get Lucky sounds like the summer of my 18th. And while on the funk subject, why not pop a bit of Sister Sledge on the spinning table?

I think the debut album of Haim has the potential to be the perfect companion for sunny weather, judging by the few songs I chanced upon listening.

Jagwar Ma's Save Me (which I used as a soundtrack in my last video) sounds incredibly fresh and like a total summer hymn.

The Allah-Las have been around for a little while but as soon as I play their songs and close my eyes, I feel like I'm standing in Joshua Tree.

As for Cool Cats by Squeeze, I recently discovered it and what's there not to like?! Choon!

lately...

... I've been tremendously enjoying my neighbourhood adorning its best colours. So much greenery blooming and smelling wonderful: magnolias, honeysuckles, tulips and of course the beautiful cherry blossom trees. I had a mini-hanami wander in celebration, taking it all in sights and 'in lense'.

Also, I've gone back to stitching a little. Nothing complicated though, just a little floral heart for my Mum's birthday. The pattern is from a book I found in a charity shop in Glasgow, two years ago. Still love it!

a day in blackrock

One of my favourite things to do on the week-end is to go to Blackrock. It's a little town on the Dublin seaside, a mere 30 minutes away from my place. 

It's just lovely to see the sea, it always makes me feel refreshed. There is a little market there on Saturdays and Sundays, filled with bric-a-brac, vintage clothes, books, etc... all you could expect from a market really. 

I thought I would take you with me as it was all lovely and sunny last week-end. 

It's nothing special, but it's our little ritual, often punctuated by a greasy lunch in the diner in front of the market. 

My boyfriend had some lucky finds in the old video game shop and he even treated me to a book, yes! I've been super keen on reading A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway since watching Midnight in Paris last year.

After a quick look at my pile to read, I think you can expect a review in 2016... At best!

looking for spring

As the temperatures have been warming up, I wanted to look around for signs that Spring is definitely here to stay. A few magnolias have bloomed in my neighbourhood and a single, sad cherry-blossom tree. The rest seem to have been burnt by the drastic changes of temperatures. They all look a bit sorry and bare.

I figured out that the best place to check is my favourite park. It's not the prettiest in Dublin, Stephen's Green probably holds that title, but come a kinder climate, I feel drawn to this little concrete pond surrounded by a comfortable lawn and shading trees. It's just unassuming and cosy, no need to bring your clothbound Joyce, any old paperback is welcome.

The sad thing is when I got there beginning of this week, the park was not quite ready for spring. I suppose maintenance had to be delayed due to our long winter, so the lawn was turned over and the trees and bushes were chopped and trimmed. The poor park was definitely not looking its best. But I guess giving a month or so and with a bit of a sunny push, it will be back in its old modest splendour.

Nonetheless, it felt good walking around seeing morsels of blue sky here and there and even being able to take off a layer or two. And I'm happy to report that Spring was definitely there as the daffodils were swaying in their brightest yellow, ducklings were happily waddling and pigeons were doing what pigeons do best: pestering on their female kind.

But I've seen the weather turn for the worse before so I don't count my chickens. I still remember the last Spring I spent in Belgium a few years ago. A killer frost took away a full-bloom Spring. It was just heart-breaking. Me and my dog had a long walk around the lake, in complete disbelief. Echoes of crying childless ducks were rippling over the icy water. I still can sometimes hear them howling their losses in my head. Yes, Nature or God, whatever you call it, can be incredibly cruel, but it can give the most beautiful gifts. So let's celebrate that and hope*. I'll end with this quote from the last book I finished: 

"I suppose the best kind of spring morning is the best weather God has to offer."  - Dodie Smith (I Capture the Castle)

* unnecessary heavy shit brought on by sunshine cravings.

obsessed with: home edition

{1. this is glamourous/mariaemb/ikea} {2. designlovefest/mirubrugmann/kinskashop/lotta vase} {3. unknown source/into the gloss/zara home/zara home} {4. niotillfem/ikea/ikea} {5. finnish design shop/orla kiely} {6. little fine day/apartment therapy}

powerscourt, co. wicklow

It's not quite Spring here in Dublin but we've had a few sunny days this week. Freezing, but sunny none the less.

I needed no more excuse to fly out of the front door last Tuesday, my camera tucked in my handbag. I've been wanting to visit the Powerscourt Estate since going to Killruddery Gardens last Summer. There are some amazing historic buildings scattered around Dublin, I sometimes feel like I need to be reminded of all the wonderful places that happen to be within my reach.

Powerscourt estate goes all the way back to the 13th century, although what used to be a castle is only a 'house' now. It has beautiful Japanese and Italian gardens (inspired by Versailles), a lake, a little tower, a pet cemetery, a waterfall and walled gardens. The house shelters a toy museum and the Avoca mothership store (known for its handweaving and its country chic goodies). We didn't have time to visit the waterfall and the museum, so another visit is definitely on the agenda!
Perhaps Powerscourt is most famous today for having been the filming location for Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, which makes the place even more magical.

spring flakes

There's nothing more I'd like to do now than to go on little adventures outside with my camera in tow. My feet are literally itching, but there are also numb from this horrible cold. Georgian houses might be romantic to look at, but they're a whole other story to live in. So you'll have to excuse me while I'm feeling sorry for myself, hiding under the duvets until this endless winter decides to get its coat and leave.

reads #14: february 2013

Nine stories (J.D. Salinger, 1953)

As the title may tell, Nine Stories is a collection of nine short stories. I wanted to read it as soon as I finished Franny and Zooey by the same author. I just wanted to know more about the fascinating Glass Family. It ends up that only three of those short stories mention them (A Perfect Day for Bananafish, Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut and Down at the Dinghy) but it didn't stop me from enjoying this collection tremendously. Of course, it is full of typical Salinger-esque misfits, my favourite short story was De Daumier-Smith's Blue Period, whose protagonist is the perfect hybrid between Holden Caulfield and Ignatius Reilly (who I realised both wear a hunting cap... is this some sort of symbol?).
But, the thing that struck me the most while reading this book is how similar J.D. Salinger actually was to another one of my favourite authors, Lewis Carroll. It might be a stretch, but I think they depict childhood's whimsy in the same way; and both seem to believe in amazing friendships between adults and kids.
After discovering that Wes Anderson based The Royal Tenenbaums on the Glass family, I kept my eyes peeled for any similarities. And maybe for that reason, the short story The Laughing Man, which is about a boy scout group, reminded me so much of Moonrise Kingdom. I couldn't help but imagining the character 'Chief' looking like Edward Norton as Scout Master Randy Ward.

Favourite Quote: Poets are always taking the weather so personally. They're always sticking their emotions in things that have no emotions (from the short story Teddy)

The Autobiography of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, My Life, My tapes (Scott Frost, 1991)

This book is the transcription of the tape recordings of Dale Cooper from the age of 13, when he got his first recorder, 'til the day he gets the case of Laura Palmer's Murder in Twin Peaks (at 34).. The last two chapters of the book cover the investigation of Teresa Banks' murder mentioned in the film, Fire Walk With Me.

After reading The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this. I actually found they were interestingly complementary reads, like two faces of the same coin. While Laura is battling her way on the 'evil' path, Dale tries to keep his personal compass on the good one. The reason why Dale Cooper was the perfect agent for Twin Peaks becomes clear as you learn about his own experiences. But, it's not as a gloomy read as Laura's diary; it is really funny at times and you get to find out about the genesis of his love for cherry pies and those 'damn fine' cups of coffee.

I don't know if it's because I had just read Nine Stories before, but Dale Cooper struck me as a character that could have been spawned from Salinger's mind. What with his love for meditation (akin to Teddy's from Nine Stories) and his awkward disposition. There's a passage where he finds himself alone in NYC that reminded me so much of Holden Caulfied.  

Favourite quote: The past should remain firmly behind one. The present holds enough obstacles.

(Find me on Goodreads)

keeping in touch

As Google Reader is going to shut down this summer, I thought it would be a good time to do a round-up of all the places you can find me online, whether to follow this blog, or to read some extra ramblings. So here we go:

Bloglovin

Bloglovin is actually my favourite way of following blogs. The lay-out is simple and white, and it allows you to organise your favourite blogs in little categories. I have nearly 300 blogs in my feed, so I really need the organisation. Personally, I like to divide the blogs I read geographically like 'UK', 'US', 'Scandinavia', etc... but I also have topical categories like 'Beauty', 'Photography' or 'Streetstyle'.

Once you read the post, it is marked as read in your feed and if you liked that post you can heart it as a way to bookmark it. Anyways, you can follow me here!

PS: bloglovin has posted a tutorial that shows how to import your feeds from google reader to bloglovin. Click here to read.

Hellocotton

Hellocotton is a platform for female bloggers. Everyday of the week, the HC team picks the best posts in different categories like beauty, fashion, lifestyle, weddings, diy, etc... a bit like an online magazine! HC is a great way to discover new blogs to read and connect with. Also, the prospect of being featured in the headlines is quite exciting! You can check my Hellocotton profile here!

[edit 30/03/2013: unfortunately Hellocotton is closing down, the format was really fun and, as far as I'm aware, there is no similar platform around. Maybe as an alternative, I'd recommend Feedly as it's become quite popular recently. Get it here.]

Twitter

I was really late to jump on the twitter band-wagon, I only started a few months back, but I've been enjoying this social medium much more than I had anticipated. If you follow me there, you can expect tweets about my most recent posts (handy if you don't want to bother with a reader), random pictures of manicures, of books I'm reading, etc... and other ramblings. Tweet me here!

Tumblr

Tumblr is great for its continuous flux of inspiration. I love scrolling through it on my phone when I'm drowsy, about to fall asleep. I don't tumblr as much as I used to do since I got pinterest, but I still like to reblog pictures that strike my fancy. You'll mostly find on my tumblr: Sixties girls, succulents, Ghibli gifs, Alexa Chung, Twin Peaksy stuff and of course my blog's new posts. Do you like the sound of it? Follow me here then!

Pinterest

Pinterest is brilliant! It's so easy to use, if you like something that you see, pin it and there it is, saved online! You can create files to organise your inspiration, so handy to find pictures you've been thinking about and you could also get creative and make moodboards. I made some on the  themes of summer, travelling, love, home decor, etc... Pin with me here!

PS: I just created a board for the sole purpose of my blog's updates, you can follow it here if you just want to keep up with the blog and not get any of my other pinnings.

By Email

If you're not a fan of all this online nonsense, you can follow me in a more traditional way by e-mail. All you have to do is enter your address in the little box, submit, and all my new posts will get straight into your mailbox, as if by magic!

reads #13: January 2013

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (Carson McCullers, 1940)

I feel I should write as a disclaimer here before you go on reading the review below that while I'm not spoiling any plot lines, I do comment on the general direction the book takes. If you have no idea what The Heart... is about and want to keep it that way, best leave this post alone. Also don't watch the trailer for the 1968 film adaptation, the ending will be spoilt for you in the first second (I sure know what I'm talking about *grumpy face*). Actually, don't even bother with the film, it's really not that great. I meant to do a book/film adaptation review but I'd rather never mention this film again.

After seeing Rhiannon's post on Carson McCullers house, this book went straight on my birthday wishlist. Her blogs (Liebemarlene and The Southerly) often inspire me to pick up some Southern literature.
Let me say something first. This is not a light read in any shape or form. It took me a long while to get through as it was hard to go back to the book and its gloomy pages once I put it down. It is dark but the message is no less essential. 

The Heart... is about five people existing in the margins of society. Each carries a burden that makes them feel lonely and alienated. There's John Singer, the deaf mute who is the central character, Benedict Copeland the old doctor who is frustrated by the struggles of the African-American population, Jake Blount the mad drunk who sees conspiracy theories everywhere, Biff Brannon, the cafe owner who places himself as an observer and Mick Kelly, the young girl who comes to the scary realisation that women have no control over their life and fate. Their story takes place in the late 30s in a Deep South mill town. There's a sense of looming doom intrinsic to the web of those five characters that seems to mirror the ambient malaise leading to WW2.
While reading, I couldn't help but draw a parallel with The Great Gatsby, as both of these books seem to be ruled by the same law, an almost Darwinist one which dictates that if you long to recreate the past and refuse to adapt to the present, your chances of survival inexorably decrease.

Favourite quote: The way I need you is a loneliness I cannot bear.

(Find me on Goodreads)