Yes it’s change-over day at Downing Street, with the old incumbents running round stuffing the very last of their belongings, including that little pile of small change and the coat hangers from the dry-cleaners, into bin bags while the new folks wait impatiently outside. Here is what the scene looked like when they moved in all those years ago – nice to see Sam Cam is as addicted to stacks of pound-shop plastic bowls and buckets as the rest of us. Bet they don’t have that cheap pine bedside table anymore…

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Anti-consumerist birthday

Or, birthday part 1, because I also got plenty of gorgeous consumerist presents which I’ll share with you next post. This one however is about the lovely thee days I had back on the Scottish island of Eilean Shona, back in the off-grid cottage that was our home for an unbelievable month last summer. You […]

Signs of the time

Well, Ros is on the island this week hopefully keeping well away from the newspapers. I don’t know about you, but I’m still depressed. I went to the march in London on saturday – although couldn’t make it until it had reached parliament square. It was full of people, absolutely full and there were some […]

Still life

…just about, but certainly not as we’ve known it. I haven’t much I want to write, though I have a lot to say. Instead an image shared on Facebook (and if you’re avoiding that place right now I don’t blame you) that amused me at the time. Love still live paintings, and although historically they […]

Patti Smith’s DIY SOS

It goes without saying that I love Patti Smith. I expect you do too. Who doesn’t these days? Having enjoyed Just Kids – a salute to which Jill wrote here – I bought the more recent M Train to take on holiday. Dreamlike, elliptical, and sad meditation on loss that is also hugely enjoyable, what […]