Christmas in Paris .. understated elegance but somehow underwhelming after London. Then again, Paris is beautiful without the decorations.
Christmas in paris ..
London Christmas .. a glimpse .. No 4
Tiffany .. Old Bond Street, London
Christmas in London .. a glimpse .. No 3
Our Christmas Wreath .. SW3 London
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Christmas in London .. a glimpse .. No 2
Christmas Windows … Cartier New Bond Street, London
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Christmas in London .. a glimpse .. No1
Christmas in London .. the shop windows !!
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The simplicity of christmas decorating
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My philosophy for Christmas decorating inside or out … keep it simple, less is more and think elegance above all else !!
Colour is fine, however work with the one theme or colour palette. It is always a good idea to give some thought or reference back to your existing interior or exterior colour scheme when choosing the colours for your decorations.
Have fun !!
Parterre garden chandeliers and other pretty things for christmas
Parterre Garden is celebrating 25 years in the business of bringing beautiful pieces large and small for house and garden into our lives. The shop is exquisite. Always another shipment arriving … always another piece to fall in love with.
There is something rather festive about chandeliers. I adore the ones with the small shades and am always drawn to these first. Just when one is giving thought to dressing the house and table for Christmas … oh for a pair of these. Perfect for the Christmas table … along with your finest silver, glassware and china.
I imagine garlands and wreaths … white hydrangeas and creamy gardenias.
More of this to come … but we do have our tree up, looking resplendent, so that is a start.
The unique interior and setting of petersham nurseries cafe, london
A lot has been written about Skye Gyngell and even more about Petersham Nurseries Cafe including the article last weekend in the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Weekend…..however I have always been more interested in exactly how they marry the plants and the food under the one roof!!
I love the idea of the greenhouses with earth floors….and yes I am sure the heating costs are enormous. Mismatched tables and chairs, rustic urns with large potted plants or at Christmas time….Christmas trees decorated with their beautiful shiny baubles from India. All very rustic….stylishly rustic but so atmospheric !!
My photo source……daughter in London recently (hence grey skies)…..shows the very cute Christmas decorations strung throughout the greenhouse. You must look at the professional web site photos taken at their amazing candlelit Christmas Market and Carol Service. A must for next year. It isn’t the first time I have mentioned that for me the best time to be in London is the lead up to Christmas…..London does Christmas so well!!
Apart from fabulous food in this wonderful greenhouse setting, there is the shop selling pots, tools, antiques and all things garden related…. of course. Wander around the nursery for inspiration or visit the magnificent garden attached to Petersham House….described as a mad flowering hedgerow !! Not far away is Richmond Park where one can head for a brisk walk….to walk off lunch!!
PS. As of yesterdays Good Living (Sydney Morning Herald) Skye Gyngell has departed Petersham Nurseries Cafe to be replaced by Melbourne’s high profile chef Greg Malouf !!
Southern Highlands Christmas Tree Hunting
Today is the day I am taking down our Christmas tree…….and it is with mixed emotions. The end of another Christmas and all that goes with it……the anticipation and preparation both good and not so good!!! The start of a new year …..always exciting but can be a little daunting as well.
I reflect as I take down and wrap each decoration…..the beautiful ones that have been passed down from generation to generation and the ones that bring back memories of where or when they were purchased….each with a story to tell.
Each year we try to have a theme or at least a colour scheme….that is until we can’t possibly not use the favourites that don’t quite fit in with the scheme.
The Christmas tree ritual starts with identifying the date that we are acquiring the
tree. This doesn’t vary greatly and is usually mid December. This is based on trying to maximise the amount of time we have prior to Christmas to enjoy the tree. Holidays to the beach happen soon after Christmas.
The only variation to this being when we spend Christmas in London……yes we must still have a tree but it is put up earlier in December.
We set off from Bowral to the couple of tree farms on the way to Kangaloon…..never really knowing which one will have the best trees. Some have years where they don’t open in order for the stock to grow or where they have been depleted from previous years.
Each year there is disagreement after disagreement over which is the perfect tree with each family member adamant that their tree is the best. After cutting the ‘best’ tree with the saw provided the tree is netted for the journey home on top of the car……not an unusual site in the Southern Highlands at this time of year!!!!
The decision over which lower branches must removed followed by the orientation of the tree are always tricky …….by which time a cup of tea is always in order.
We have the ritual of cutting our Christmas cake to enjoy with our tea and the decorating of the tree (once bags of decorations from the previous year have been located….also tricky!!!)
And the joy of rediscovering those beautiful decorations starts all over again.
PS The date to take down the Christmas tree is generally believed to be somewhere between the 2nd and 6th of January.
A Touch of Christmas in Double Bay, Sydney
All very festive !!! and I am just loving the smell of the fresh pine trees propped up at the entrance to greengrocers. Off to choose and cut our own tree out at Kangaloon in the Southern Highlands this weekend…..the countryside is always lush and green and misty……perfect.
