About My Neighbors - In the Wild, Wild West

Last night, 9:30 p.m. driving down my street, two young coyotes loping along in front of us.  As our car got closer, they hurried into a neighbor's yard and ducked under the hedges.  And just last week in the paper............

(Steve Winter for National Geographic via the LA Times)

May I introduce P-22?  Apparently he's a busy guy.  Hangs out all day and all night in Griffith Park about a mile and a half from my house.  Handsome chappie, no?  Click the LA Times link to find out more about him and the National Geographic show about him.

I haven't mentioned, have I, that somewhere, in another part of L.A, we came upon a sign advertising an "estate sale" on a Saturday a.m. two weeks ago.  Since we were right there,  Mr. Paradis and I figured, "why not?" and parked.  We walked up the curving drive to a big house on a hillock, in front of which were planted two giant cages.........

.....Full of......no, not exotic parrots, but  EIGHT RING-TAILED LEMURS!!!!!!!!!!!  Who were much sweeter and friendlier looking than this guy.  But their eyes - a lovely yellow!

Saved me a trip to Madagascar!  OK, so a little googling "Ring Tail Lemurs in Hollywood" and here's what I found from the LA Times, November, 2009:

According to the network, Alley's show will specifically see the actress "launching a new weight loss program, patenting multiple inventions, working hard to raise two normal Hollywood teenagers, True and Lillie, taking care of eight ringtail lemurs, and on top of everything, looking for love." 

See more at: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/11/kirstie-alley-gets-her-own-reality-series-at-ae.html#sthash.BhFNZNIF.dpuf

So, apparently Kirstie lost the show, but maybe kept the lemurs? 

All that gym equipment, Kirstie Alley Books and cookie cutters for sale makes sense to the Paradis family now!!!!!!!   (I'm guessing she's sworn off cookies.)  Could that mean I now own Kirstie Alley's old toaster???? (What, no toast either?)

SWE-E-E-E-T  BABY!  That's L.A.!

(YouTube link to an episode of the show here.  Check out the lemurs.  I'm still hoping to spot my toaster!)

Vanessa Bean - Totemic

You might have missed them if you don't read The Beat That My Heart Skipped.

They remind me a little of Kachina Dolls ("Katsina"- the Autry Museum in L.A. are having a show of them now, here), they are so witty and charming.  And a little of Alexander Girard (my pic of his dolls here.)

I think they must be small.  They are "rings".  Vanessa was inspired to make them in an evening ceramic jewelry class she took.  Lovely, no?  More about Vanessa and her work here.

OK, so what's doing this weekend?  Hope it's all good!

What, Friday? Again?

(via The Poetry of Material Things)

(sorry drawing a blank)

(Joshua Harker)

(also unattributable - click to enlarge, that wallpaper is amazing!)

(Photo: Russ McClintock via the Guardian sorry for the poor quality in translation)


Hope your weekend is FUN-TASTIC!

Secret Gardens - Thameside, Hammersmith to Chiswick

Remember our Thameside Walk here?

It's not ALLLLL boozy watering holes

or peering into other people's curtains

and hoping that the curtains don't twitch back!

Here's more of that "breather" that I spoke of.

For you and me, sadly, it's "Look, Don't Touch"

because these are all private gardens belonging to the posh parties

whose homes front

this part of the Thames.

NICE LIFE!  Huh?

The gardens might be private.

But the river is always free.  Let's hope it stays that way. Cuz I plan to go back. Again. And again.

Monday Bites: Honey & Co., London

Charming, sweet, personable.

The Honey and Co. crew trained up with Ottolenghi

Its menu is slightly refined impeccable renditions of Middle Eastern classics.

And it's very very popular these days.  Booking recommended.

(for Ottolenghi posts, click here)

How was the weekend?  Everybody O.K.?  I do hope so!

Lamb's Conduit Street - London's "New Bloomsbury"

I discovered a new neighborhood this time in London.

Some are calling it the "New Bloomsbury"

It's a little "parade" of shops, pubs and business establishments, including an old school Funeral Directors', (very Dickensian black-top-hats-and-crepe) at the intersection of Rugby and Lamb's Conduit St.  I was lured there by this particular bookshop, Persephone Books

Which publishes "forgotten" (a nice euphemism for dismissed by the mainstream male-dominated post-war literary establishment)  English womens' writing of certain FLAVOR - 

a little classy, a little rebellious, but still GENTEEL.  All the books have lovely paper dustcovers in what I'll call "British modern" oftentimes block-prints.  All in all, and hopefully on a sunny day, this is a lovely part of the world to stock up on several of these books and take a seat outside for long sessions of losing yourself in another era, alternated with light snoozing and sips on a nice cup of tea or coffee.

The neighborhood seems to have been gentrifying for quite some time now.   I remember trudging through abutting neighborhoods WAY back in the days when "gentrifying" might as well have been "living on the moon" for this part of London's Londoners.   Which actually makes my point because those Londoners-past of which I just have spoke, have very likely moved as real estate pressures crept upon them.  But I won't get into that long argument about whether gentrification is good or bad and for whom and whom NOT.

I will, anon (I have to talk like that because this neighborhood brings on that kind of genteel speechi-fying) have more to say about Ben Pentreath in a separate post.  And I will add that he has taken on a partner and is in the middle of changing his business name, as well as the signage on the front of his shop (I do mean shoppe).  

Shall we just say, you will find beautiful things associated with the name Ben Pentreath.

And IMHO, he is genius at marrying mid-century modern with classic English style.  I mean that in the most delicious and intoxicating (and perfectly colour-keyed) ways.  If it's possible and appropriate to have "BLOG-CRUSHES" I have to confess to currently having one BIG TIME for Ben Pentreath.  (It's o.k. if it's unrequited.  I can live with that.)  I'll give you the link to that blog in my next Pentreath post.

Meanwhile have I mentioned "a veritable clutch" of old school tailors can be found on this little patch of Lamb's Conduit Street?  Presumably in the service of all the accountants and spill-over lawyers from nearby Grey's or Lincoln's Inn who have moved their offices up here in the Kings Cross direction since Central London real estate has become so "dear".  (See I'm talking that way again!)  

The British Museum is only a couple blocks away to the Southwest, which might account for all the classical references in the neighborhood.

So if you fancy getting a little olde-school-ey and just the titch-y-est bit foppish.......in a discreet and tasteful......Downton Abbey-ish manner, I suggest you tuck in yer top-coat.......and get on yer bike OLD DARLING BEAN.

Lamb's Conduit Life Awaits.  TOODLE PIP!

It's the Weekend! Got Your Dancing Shoes?

Didn't it come quick!  What are your plans?