Wednesday 28 September 2011

An Alpine retreat

Just returned from a blissful holiday in the Alps, a perfect combination of fresh air, french food and mountain walks. We celebrated Milo’s six month birthday in possibly the most inaccessible restaurant I’ve ever been to - perched atop a mountain peak. The safest route involves clambering up a hillside to reach this little oasis of rustic charm - a wooden chalet and sunny terrace with views across the valley, plus traditional homecooking from the region (local ‘black’ tomato salad, creamy gratins, sausages and dumplings - not for the calorie-conscious).

Inside, La Ferme des Vonezins is like Hansel and Gretel’s house with cosy miniature dining rooms decorated with french antiques, pots and pans hanging from the ceiling, hand-painted pottery in wooden dressers and huge hams smoking in the chimney, and there are also two beautiful guest rooms. Outside, ingredients are grown in a cottage garden, and goats scamper about the place (and hide in baskets). It’s a little eccentric bit of paradise. 

















Wednesday 14 September 2011

Vintage in Bath

We took Milo (sporting his retro Cuba dungarees all the way from Havana) to visit his friend Bertie in beautiful Bath and took the opportunity to see the Fashion Museum's vintage wedding dress exhibition (while the boys and their Dads listened to cricket in the park).


There was plenty to love at the exhibition (on until January 2012) - from elaborate 19th Century gowns and demure 40s dresses to frothy 80s meringues and minimalist 90s pieces - it was just a shame they were all accessorised with some rather distracting 'contemporary' paper head dresses! My favourite was not actually a wedding dress, but a 17th Century robe made entirely from real silver thread - divine.













Monday 5 September 2011

Vintage Weekend

There's a bit of a vintage theme to this coming weekend in East London. The Affordable Vintage Fair is being held at Bethnal Green Town Hall on Saturday, from 10.30am-4.30pm - with stalls selling bric-a-brac, vintage clothing and accessories. The truly dedicated should stick around for The Vintage Midnight Walk on Saturday night, where participants will be donning their 20s-40s garb (plus sensible shoes) to walk 10 miles across Hackney, Shoreditch, Whitechapel and The City in aid of East London hospices. You can still register on http://www.vintagemidnightwalk.com/.