Anstruther

My man and I had a rare weekday off together due to the May bank holiday. We decided to head through to Anstruther in the East Neuk of Fife for some sea air.

We had a lovely lunch of Pittenweem prawns in batter with chips at the famous Anstruther Fish Bar (lashings of salt & vinegar on the chips, lemon juice on the prawns). The sun came out just in time for a stroll along the harbour and streets before heading back on the scenic drive home to the other side of Fife.

Who says romance is dead?

How much is that horsey in the window?

Crab cemetery

Sometimes a bit of sea air and salty chips is all you need to lift your spirits.

Vintage Dolls

A few weeks ago, my good friend Anne told me that she had been cleaning out her attic and had found lots of dolls from her childhood that she no longer wanted. Knowing my love of dolls, she very kindly told me I could have them because she just wanted them to go to a good home.  I couldn't believe it when she gave me the dolls a couple of weeks ago.  I expected to receive three or four dolls, there were actually sixteen of them in total.  

Anne told me that when she was a little girl her mother had a very good friend who didn't have any children of her own.  Her husband's job took them travelling quite a bit and every time she went away she would bring back a doll for Anne from wherever she had been.  Anne is over 20 years older than me so the dolls would be from the 1960's.  They have been wrapped in tissue and stored in her attic for many years, a bit sad and unloved. I've taken photographs of my favourites for you to see. 

Pacific Islands Doll (my favourite favourite)

I think you can guess this one is from Spain

Norway & Austria

Germany (my second favourite favourite)

I feel so lucky to have them and I've promised Anne I'll take good care of them.  

Sky Blue...

There's been a distinct lack of blue sky lately.  Here is a collection of beautiful things to brighten up any dreary day -

Firecrest Wall Birds by Anna Wiscombe

Solar Quartz Necklace by Daria

Vintage Samsonite Travel Bag from Ani & Rose

Golden Sky Pillow Cover by Elle Moss

The Kitchenaid Mixer

Growing up in a household with a baking fanatic Nan who was also a trained Domestic Science teacher (a big deal for a woman of her generation) we always had a Kenwood mixer. My Nan was an impromptu baker who could and often would, rustle up a cake at the drop of a hat for no reason in particular.  Out of nowhere you would hear the whirring of the mixer from the other end of the house and know she had taken one of her baking notions.  When you're wee, you just accept that these things are part of every day life and I always thought a mixer was something every household needed to have.  

Despite the iconic Kitchenaid mixer being developed in the 1930's, I didn't become aware of them until several years ago when I saw Nigella using one on her TV series.  At first I didn't know anything about them but a bit of internet digging soon sorted that and I was desperate to own one.  When I finally got my first home six years ago, a Kitchenaid mixer was on the list of essentials but I really had to save for one.  It took me two years to finally get one, partly because I had to save and partly because I couldn't decide which colour to buy.  I wanted a classic colour that I wouldn't get tired of so I eventually went for Majestic Yellow which a more of a mustard, retro yellow.  I absolutely love my Kitchenaid mixer and wouldn't be without it now.  I think the fact that I saved so hard for it made it all the better.  

My beloved Kitchenaid the week it arrived

When I was in New York recently, I chanced upon the Kitchenaid display in Macy's.  They looked beautiful all lined up on the shelves in different colours. I looked at them longingly for a few minutes but wouldn't cheat on my Majestic Yellow for anything.

Kitchenaid porn in Macy's

New York

I've had a difficult few weeks and my blogging mojo has been on an extended holiday.  Meanwhile, I've been on holiday too in the form of a four-day visit to New York earlier this month.  I fell in love with New York the first time I visited in 2008 and this was my third trip back. We had a bit less time there than we'd had on the previous two occasions so I wanted to try and cram in all the things I hadn't seen before.  

The first night there we headed straight for the Top of the Rock so I could take in my favourite view.  Looking at the Empire State Building all lit up never loses it's magic for me.  People naturally want to go up the Empire State Building when they visit New York and we did that too the first time. Your view is somewhat obscured, it's very crowded and there seemed to be lots of pigeons when we went up which I found scary, quite frankly. Top of the Rock gives an uninterrupted view all the way round, it's never been that crowded any time we've visited and of course, you can see the beautiful Empire State Building. 

We visited MoMA for the first time.  Neither of us are art fanatics but it was interesting to see. The photography section was amazing and I was also delighted to see my first ever Frida Kahlo painting in the flesh (so to speak).  Munch's The Scream was being exhibited so we naturally went along to stare at it and pretend to be very arty. In reality, I thought it looked like a five-year old's crayon drawing but that's just my opinion.  The highlight of MoMA for me was the epic Mexican hot chocolate I had in the cafe. Oh yes, I'm cultured alright. 

Fulang-Chang and I by Frida Kahlo

I've always been interested in Native American history and culture so I was really excited to visit The National Museum of the American Indian in Battery Park. I was absolutely fascinated to see so many original artifacts on display including clothing, jewellery, art and traditional headdresses. I was pleasantly surprised to see Jimi Hendrix' coat of many colours on display too, to celebrate his Cherokee ancestry. 

On our second last day, we walked through The High Line park. The High Line is a public park built on an old freight line. It's elevated above street level so it lets you view part of the city from a different perspective. The park runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District and finishes on West 34th Street.  We made an all too brief stop at Chelsea Market along the way too. It's a haven for foodies but unfortunately we had no time to eat there. 

There was time to visit the Lower East Side and make a stop at McSorley's Old Ale House. They only serve light ale and dark ale so best avoid if you're looking for a Cosmopolitan. Just along the road is Toy Tokyo which has an amazing floor-to-ceiling selection of designer and vintage toys. Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately for my bank balance) they had no Blythe dolls in stock at the time of my visit. They do stock them from time-to-time though. We spent a good 45 minutes browsing round the amazing selection and the staff were really helpful and friendly.  Top travel tip - visit Toy Tokyo before any ale houses. Alcohol makes you lose your inhibitions and your financial common sense. 

McSorley's

Next door to Toy Tokyo

Nice graffiti but I wouldn't use the ATM

Search & Destroy - Lower East Side

On our last day, the sun shone and we walked around Greenwich Village before popping into A Salt & Battery for chips.  Their seasonal special was deep fried Cadbury's Creme Egg but I resisted. 

The Lowdown - 

Sleeping - We stayed at The Strand on West 37th Street. Central location, friendly staff, very clean and an amazing rooftop bar open 7 nights from 5pm-1am. What more could you ask for?

Eating - Spoiled for choice really but my favourites were The Shake Shack (best burger I've ever tasted and peanut butter milkshake to die for) and Lombardi's (amazing pizza and inexpensive).  

Drinking - McSorley's (as mentioned above), The Beauty Bar (a former beauty salon turned retro-beauty parlour bar with original hair dryers on the wall and hairdressing themed martinis. Awesome!) and Top of The Strand (amazing Empire State Building view, nice cocktails and great music).  

Until next time, New York...

Woodland

Woodlands and forests have always been a place of fascination for me.  There's nothing more peaceful than a stroll through the woods on a lovely day. Here are a few items that remind me of a woodland stroll. 

Golden Hare Illustration by Chasing The Crayon

Fantastic Mrs Fox brooch by Gabrielle Reith

Vintage Botanical Mushrooms picture - Et's Place

Vintage Woodland Flowers book - This Fun Thing

I hope you like my selection. 

Thrifty Finds #1

I'm in the process of de-cluttering and tidying my flat at the moment. I went along to my local charity shop this morning to donate a few things I no longer wanted.  Of course, the problem is that I can't leave a charity shop without having a quick look round.  Not always a good idea when you are trying to de-clutter.  Within about 10 seconds, I'd spied this lovely Wade Ballet dish on the shelf for just 50p.  

I'm not a collector of Wade in general but I just loved this dish. Not entirely sure what I'm going to do with it though but I'll find a suitable place for it. So much for de-cluttering. 

Have you had any good thrift finds lately?