Thinking of spring

Originally uploaded by sf2london.

Don’t get me wrong - it’s definitely still winter. But we’re thinking of spring. Snowdrops and irises are blooming on our little terrace and in several window boxes. The first daffodils are poking through the ivy, and there's even a precocious crocus defiantly claiming its moment in the sun. The days are noticeably longer (for example it's 5pm as I write this, and the sky is illuminated). People are beginning to emerge into the clear light, and this past Saturday the Portobello Road market had a kind of downturn-be-damned brightness. A bit chilly, though I expect it’ll warm up soon enough.

aniversari4020

Originally uploaded by sf2london.

Lately I’ve been focused on organizing the party we threw outside Barcelona on June 21st. So... if I haven’t been keeping up with the blog and stuff, well... I’ve been kinda busy.

But now our weekend of celebration is over. Our guests seem to have had a pretty good time. Steven and I certainly did!

Creating the context took a lot of effort: several reconnaissance trips, many phone calls and emails, excel spreadsheets, the website, the book, catering, logistics, sneaking 15 wigs past Steven, hunting down adequately dim lighting (at BHV in Paris), foraging for wildflowers at the last possible moment (thanks to Neil Stock), decorations (which Steven stayed up til 3am one night to paint), etc.

In the end, the event itself was actually the result of several collaborations (ranging in duration from a few hours to a lifetime). Our most obvious collaborators were our guests, who endured any small technical glitches with grace and elegance, and who played their roles admirably well (I’m sure it took a great deal of self-control for some not to flee when the wigs came out). Perhaps slightly less obvious were Silvia Roig from Parés Baltà winery, and of course Neil and Iain who put up with months of antics concluding in our three-day takeover of their amazing Masia Sumidors. Finally, we owe thanks to friends and family who weren’t with us in Spain, yet who inspired us and influenced the sensibilities that guided many of our choices.
I am now in the process of getting everyone’s party pictures onto a flickr group. It’s private, so if you want to take a look just let me know. We will also be making some changes to the website, and I’m going to look into putting the book online somehow (once it’s finished, that is). If you haven’t already submitted something for inclusion and would like to do so, please contact me ASAP!

And now, back to real life (more or less)...

;-)

Istanbul - March '06

After the end of Lent term, a group from the program went to Istanbul and Thessaloniki. Steven, just returning from a round-the-world trip, met me in Istanbul for a long weekend.

Near Galata Tower
Lots of amazing neon
5 Kat sign
Trendy Cuppa
Flowers, Taksim Square
It's a face!
Yikes!
Self-portrait 1
"French" street
Gate
Halva - yum!
Flavin-esque
Bakery sign
Grand Bazaar
New Mosque
Antique thingie
Artichoke, Istanbul Modern
Manti, Istanbul Modern
Dolmas, Istanbul Modern
Sign, Pera
Construction, Pera
Construction, Pera
Building in Sultanhamet
Near Hagia Sofia
Hagia Sofia
Hagia Sofia
View from Sulimaniye
View from Sulimaniye
View from Sulimaniye
Cafe, Pera
Steven, Pera
Pera
Self portrait 2
The next 'hood
The next 'hood
Window grate
Kitty
Ladybug cakes, Istiklal

Pretty

Lincolns Inn Fields, near LSE:

Weekend 1, Part Two

On my way home Saturday I stopped at the Notting Hill Gate Marks & Spencer Simply Food. Organic Scottish salmon fillets, organic English peas, Jersey Royal potatoes, bla, bla, bla... All hermetically sealed in serving-size plastic packages. The store is in a space formerly occupied by the Damien Hirst-designed bar & restaurant Pharmacy. We had dinner at home and turned in at a reasonable hour. On Sunday we got up early so we could hit the Columbia Road flower market before heading up to St. John's Wood for lunch at Kevin Allen's house. Ezra Street is a little alley off Columbia Road which is Steven's "favorite place on earth":

Outside Jones Dairy Café
English roses at the market
Columbia Rd. Market

Lunch was a delightful gay old welcome to London. After lunch we jumped on a bus to Piccadilly, where we had plans to meet Suzette at The Wolseley (which they pronounce WOOL-sey) at 7:30. We had a cocktail in the cozy bar.

Design detail in the bar

We were then seated in the dining room such that Gael García Bernal was two people down the banquette from me. I tried to sneak a pic but all I got was his baseball cap, which is in the center of the photo below.

Gael's baseball cap

BTW, have you noticed I worked out how to get pictures off the phone and onto the blog?