A new friend and it's friends

Here is the last friend in the gang - it's a turtoise. It's a characterful small beast, all lollop and bibble-bobble with it's tiny limbs. photo P82042002_zps8245c308.jpgI will photograph it better soon - it's got quite a glorious undercarriage. I've been a bit busy in my nest stuffing and sewing. With only the radio for company. photo P8274380_zps5d239b07.jpgSoon they're all going into a Designers Makers pop-up on Colombia Road. Where I think they'll fit in rather well. photo P8194137_zps5074b97b.jpgAll those cuddly folk lying around comatose on my sofa: it's like an exotic, underwater opium den.
So there you go - a triptych. Very good.

A small collection.

I have a small collection of watering can roses that I really rather love. They're all handsome metal ones of course - none of that green plastic muck. I thought I would take the opportunity today to parade them in front of you. photo P8194173_zpsd528ded1.jpgThis is the biggest one - hello.  photo P8194171_zps6197f006.jpgThis one is slightly smaller but stands up of its own accord, which is rather good.  photo P8194169_zps2b538a1b.jpgI like all their shapes and perforations, they have real character. This one is handsome in copper. photo P8194164_zps0ea24635.jpgThe slightest variations are nice in a collection. I always think of the effort that goes into manufacturing even the tiniest things: the constant tweaking and improving photo P8194163_zpse5cef5ab.jpg  photo P8194159_zps9c3266d3.jpg  photo P8194150_zps460f07e9.jpg  photo P8194148_zps0a694c1d.jpg
conical  photo P8264360_zpsf022ced7.jpgAnd these teeny little one entered the brood this weekend - courtesy of my Mum.
So there you go. It's always good to have a hobby, even if it is collecting watering can roses.

In other news. I'm headed down to Devon tomorrow to play my guitar and sing songs in front of a room full of people. What a strange thing to do - when I was asked it seemed so far in the future I just flippantly said I'd do it. But now the future is quickly becoming the present and I'm feeling a little bit completely unprepared. The Wolves, who organised it, are dead good - go look at their website.
I'll let you know how it goes.

Staffies!

Not the muscular sort of Staffie pup but these boggle eyed Staffordshire whimsies - which I have a soft spot for. More specifically the amazing gang of them that hang out at Gabor Cossa in Cambridge, an antiques wonder-cave run by the most wonderfully camp man.
I like them! I like that they come in pairs and that they're all similar but not the same. One day I will own some. photo P7152774_zps78efbd74.jpg  photo P7152779_zpseaafb17e.jpg  photo P7152792_zpsb90e5845.jpg  photo P7152794_zps683a297c.jpg  photo P7152800_zps4e2893eb.jpg  photo P7152802_zpsd0f1b1b0.jpgAnd there's one cat in the window that looks like it could really hold it's own.

Kanga

I got a bag of Kanga from the boot the other day. They're traditional African wraps, used for many things: skirts, headscarves, baby slings. I really like their bold, simple patterns, with the border format and the small Swahili moral written on each one. Such a nice thing.
Anyway - here are the best Kanga for you . . . I tried to translate the morals and had quite a good success rate but some are a little baffling.
I hope you like them too.
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Wema wako ni kumbusho hatusahau maisha
'Your kindness is a reminder we forget life'
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Radhi ni bora kuliko mali
'Pleasure is better than wealth'
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Tujitahidi kulima njaa isitufisidi
'Strive to cultivate hunger isitufisidi'
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moto hauzai moto
'fire does not bear fire'
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waona uchungu mimi kupata?
'See the pain I get?'
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kusifiwa sikuona
'praise found'
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manga ya moyoni
'manga heart' . . . hmm
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tosheka na upatacho
'satisfied with upatacho' . . . I don't know what upatacho is, sounds pretty satisfying though.
I like them so much I sellotaped one to my wall by my bed - then it fell on to me in the night and I had the strangest dream.


A new friend

 I made a new friend! It's called the Starfriend: the name suits I think. Sometimes it also gets called 'the person with the long head', Whatever you call it: it's a funny leggy beast. photo P8093368_zpsd083cc26.jpgThe Starfriend's mostly just been hanging out in our house getting cuddles. But this weekend we took it to be in it's natural habitat: the beach. Which it loved. Obviously. photo P8103953_zps2b68d077.jpgIt flew around a lot and Jack had a snooze with it . . . until I woke him up with a nice, cold, salty cuddle. photo P8103869_zps9c30d60c.jpgI'm getting a few whipped up for a pop-up shop on Colombia Road soon. Which is dead exciting. And I'm also working on another little friend - because I seem to work mostly in trilogies. And soon I will also sell them in my Etsy. What do you think?
The cuddly empire grows.

Air plants

There are more and more plants in the shop these days. And yesterday I managed to get hold of some air plants. Clever little brutes they are - growing without roots - and so handsome too.
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Air plants survive with just a spritz of water - which is dead satisfying, after I spritzed them I ended up spritzing most things in the shop. Spritz.
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A member of my terrarium collection going to good use.
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And also some jars to house the new babies.
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It's like Pinterest round here.
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Some home-grown geraniums - all leggy and wonky.
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A corner of the shop is set up like a crazy botanists workroom now.
Come visit the shop, and take a peek at our humble new website.

Istria

Ok - this is the second holiday post in a row, pretty sickening I know but I'm going to post it anyway.. 
We went to Istria in Croatia and it was awesome, a real holiday - none of that cycling stuff, just pure lazing and eating.
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We stayed in Pula
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And rode a scooter around the coast.
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This Aloe was taller than me.
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We snorkled a lot - looking at sea creatures.
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Then eating sea creatures
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It wasn't fig season unfortunately
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The sea at Rovinj, where we ate mussels and swam from the rocks
There was a lot of beautiful scenery to look at and we did escape and explore a bit but mostly it was just a real real holiday! We stayed in a naff (but air conditioned) apartment overlooking an ancient square where people relentlessly sold plastic tat to kids and sometimes there was a stage with entertainment - and the entertainers always wore lycra. And you could buy fake designer stuff everywhere and look at tanned people sauntering around in weird neon shorts. And we went on a boat trip with free alcohol where they played Celine Dion (Titanic song included) and conducted a loudspeaker tour in four languages. And I loved it. And I'd like to say I loved it in a middle-class ironic sort of way . . . but actually I just loved it.