Bath to Shaftesbury - two days in the country

Last weekend we had a reason to go to Bath and via the power of Instagram and friends who I have met through that community, I made some pit-stops to some wonderful places.  I thought you might like to see what I discovered. 

In Bath we were recommended to eat in a cafe called the Foodie Bugle  Placed in a cute row of lovely shops in Margaret's Buildings, the food is lovely, and the shop has great things for the home and kitchen, I picked up some lovely old fashioned wooden scrubbing and pot brushes, so much nicer than the plastic ones.

Bath is filled to the brim with all the best stores like Anthropologie, and while I did pop there for a few things (their cupboard door knobs are the best), I was more interested in the out of the way places.

So we made a few detours on the way home to Buckinghamshire via Mere and Shaftesbury.

Sprout And Flower is the most wonderful shop and I so wish it was on my doorstep.  Selling a combination of food and flowers, styled most impeccably and extremely reasonably priced, their choice of flowers and plants is amazing for such a small shop.  I bought some lovely bulbs which I planted up in a wooden trough with moss, a hellibore in an old tin can, some hyacinths in lovely vintage terracota pots and lots more.  There isn't much else in Mere but Sprout and Flower are most definitely a destination shop.

Next on the list of places to visit was Shaftesbury.  Since the Hovis bread advert in the 1970's, the steep cobbled hill lined with gorgeous traditional cottages was put firmly in the nation's hearts by this tv ad. Gold Hill still attracts visitors to the town, which has some lovely cafes and shops as well.  We met up with fellow instagram stylist and candle maker Amalia whose account is called __apothecary__ and her photos are a real delight. Amalia makes fragranced candles in lovely old blue glass Ball jars which I like to keep in stock at home. 

Amalia also took around two great antique emporiums, Kingsettle and Dairy House are next to each other in Station Road, just a little way out of town.   For fabulous authentic rustic country, you can't get better than these.  I found a few things that I've had an eye out for, a really old large chopping board and the wooden trough, both pictured above. 

The road home took us past Stonehenge which I snapped from the car. I always want to quote the film Spinal Tap whenever I hear the word Stonehenge ... don't get me started.

Hope I have given you some ideas of places to visit, we will most certainly be heading back this way again soon.  I'm quite falling in love with Wiltshire and Dorset.

French Foraging on the English Coast

When I get a bee in my bonnet I really do go all out.  I have for some considerable time, wanted a very particular small leather club chair, it had to be the smaller version, a very particular shade of leather colour, with a shaped back and just the right amount of tatty.  Dated about 1920 to 1930 from France.  You can find many variations but the price is always, shall we say, reflective of the age and rarity. I've noticed that the good French antiques mostly come over with the dealers on the coast, namely from Brighton along to Margate, where they are then distributed to the rest of the UK, or even back to France as one dealer told me.

So I resigned myself to having to travel to pick it up and used that as an excuse to have a night away and a little explore along the beaches and cliffs. I really want to explore the UK more so plan to do a few travel blogs for anyone wanting a day or more nights trip.

the most interesting shop in the world, my friend Jane says so, it's in Rye

Last time we had a week exploring this area, in the summer, we stayed in hotels and honestly, they really weren't brilliant.  I chose the most reasonably priced so didn't expect the Ritz, however some basics were lacking, generally in the bathroom, room size and wifi departments. One bathroom was so small you had to squeeze along the side of the loo so that the door could close before you used it. The sink was designed for 'Barbies' house and it was impossible to get a cup under the tap such were the dimensions. Mostly one had to wander around, and end up sitting next to the receptionist to get any kind of wifi connection and one pub hotel in Lewes (not the cheapest either) had peeling paint on the walls, threadbare carpets and the worst tasting wine I've ever been overcharged for.

With this experience behind us I said to the other half, well let's try an Air bed and breakfast it can't be any worse and it's only for one night. 

Maybe it's because I'm listening to an audio book by Bill Bryson, that I thought I would blog about the trip. The book is the follow up to Notes From A Small Island. (I can't recommend these books enough, they really are riveting and his observations are so spot on it makes you want to cheer loudly). The most inspiring sort of travel writing you are ever likely to read. 

So in my Bill Bryson mode I thought I would talk a bit about this area's highs and lows.  In a nutshell, Rye is gorgeous, every nook and cranny seems to be picture perfect, although parking is a bummer. It has quirky right up to it's eyeballs, there's even a shop(pictured above) which doesn't seem to have a name, never has its front door open and everything inside seems to be sold. But, it's the most interesting thing you will ever stumble across.

Hastings has some cool streets and seems to be on the up but St. Leonards and down to Eastbourne have areas that really have seen better days and it would be so lovely if something could be done to make them great again. 

This I believe is the nature of seasonally visited tourist towns and it's a shame, but while the buildings are struggling to keep up to standard, the beaches, promenades and the NATURE is spectacular. The area of countryside just above that stretch of coast is beautiful too, particularly now in it's autumn glory.  My eyes have been over saturated with the orange and red tones of the trees as we meandered up and down winding roads from Fairlight to Battle.

The light was very strange, there was a red stripe on the horizon like the sun was setting, or rising, but it was the middle of the day, this added to the dramatic effect of a slightly blustery day on the English coast. It was beautiful and raw and so far removed metaphorically to the cafes and restaurants along its shore side. Get your kagool on and explore, find driftwood, interesting stones, watch seagulls and marvel, it's like standing on the edge of the world. Then you cross the road and back you are ...

Am I the only person who has a problem with UHT milk in those little plastic containers? Why? Why? oh Why? do we still have them. The milk tastes gross, theres never enough in one for a cup of coffee or tea, and the containers don't bio-degrade.  So what's with that, why can't the cafe owners buy a pint of milk and put it in a jug? is that really too much to ask for.  This little plastic pot is neither here nor there.  It's not old-fashioned or modern, it's stuck somewhere in another age of ignorance and sadly it is reflective of some of the establishments one encounters in coastal towns. The kind of places that still have flourescent strip lighting and menus harking back to the 1970's, when the only Italian food the English had heard of was Spaghetti Bolognese and Lasagna. 

We found a few of these, hiding in different guises, one Italian restaurant purporting to be of great quality by its reviewers, had the most un-appetising pasta range and the food, when served was luke warm. Sat next to the front door, I dined in my coat on tepid and very over priced food.  

The Air b'n'b I chose was a very large house one block behind one of the hotels we stayed in last time so felt that this would make a good comparison. I'm happy to say that my experience was good, the room was larger, the bathroom not bad and it had it's own kitchen so you could rustle yourself up anything from toast to a meal should you fancy. The wifi was very good in our room, so all round, considering it was about 20 pounds cheaper than the cheapest hotel, we were impressed with what we got for just under 50 pounds. 

I'm quite fussy about interior decoration and attention to detail so I won't talk about that as it's personal taste.  Also some things you just have to pay extra for, like plush en-suite bathrooms (with a bath not just a shower), but unless you are pushing the proverbial boat out for a special date, then the compromise is value for money.

And so the French chair, well that came from a man with an e-bay shop and website called The French Depot and they have a huge stock of large pieces of furniture, well worth a look.  We found a second chair, in need of a lot of repair and also brought that home too so I will be trying my hand and fixing it up over Christmas.

It's a shame that the English coast struggles out of season to provide eateries.  If you are a food lover stick to Rye rather than take a chance on a seafront diner which may leave you out of pocket and still hungry.  

If, like us, you are shopping for Antiques then you will not be disappointed.  I have ordered some leather chair repair products so that I can have a go at this kind of re-upholstering/repairing and I will do a blog about it with my findings. That may be helpful to you if your budget will only stretch to one in disarray. 

If you need a blast of fresh air then I highly recommend nipping along to this area of coastline.

Turning Japanese in Amsterdam

This blog is being brought to you by the letter R and the colour Indigo.

Hi everyone, Ive just got back from Amsterdam after a flying visit to see my friend and to get a tattoo from Salon Serpent. These world famous tattooists, headed up by Angelique are in a cool area called Jacob Van Lennepstraat in Amsterdam Oud West. If you are in the area and looking for food head to De Hallen, an old factory with an enormous food hall housing a multitude of restaurants.

My friend Rosey has lived in Amsterdam for many years on and off, and although she is British she grew up in Japan because her father worked there. This lovely lady who works in fashion, is a leading expert on all things Denim but also has a hobby where she collects vintage Japanese textiles called Boro and has learnt to dye and create Shibori work.  After hearing all about it Im hoping to find a course to go on myself, although it won't be quite the same as the one Rosey went to in Japan for ten days with a world expert.

Rosey lives in a little house in Amsterdam in the old diamond quarter "Diamantbuurt" just of Van Woustraat. The old gem factory is surrounded by streets named after precious stones full of cute houses which were for the factory workers. Despite being an old building on the outside, Rosey has styled the inside with her passions for art, textiles and retro furniture.

We had a good look around a few areas outside of the centre, these being more interesting now they are gentrified. I noticed that theres a great love of house plants in this city and many cool house -plant shops and florists. 

I can see where Judith from Urban Jungle Bloggers got her passion for house plants when you see shops like these.

We also visited an enormous flea market (IJ-Hallen) which is once a month over on the island area called NDSM.NL where the famous Botel (boat hotel) is moored and the restaurants are in old shipping containers, like the one called Pllek.

If you don't drive under the water to get there then you can get the ferry from just behind grand central station. Its a free ferry that takes you to a post apocalyptic world of old abandoned boats and docks with innovative buildings and art/street culture.

And now onto all things Indigo ...

To start with lets me just say what Indigo is. Well, its a plant and a natural dye comes from it. Many countries grow it in abundance particularly Japan, India and Africa. 

When choosing your fabric for dyeing its best to go for natural fibre and boil wash it to remove any chemicals that may barrier against the dye.

The best results are achieved with a large vat, say 9 litres. Obviously natural indigo is the best but synthetic will be the most easily available. The water should be free of chemicals so try to collect rain water for it. Add lime (garden suppliers do this) and the water has to reach a ph of 11.5 so test it with litmus.

Dissolve the Indigo powder in hot water and add it to the vat.  Then add hydro sulphate to remove the oxygen (this goes off quickly so just get little bags). 

Now about adding your design or pattern to the fabric. The technique of Shibori is about sewing through pleated fabric, then the thread pulled tight to create areas of resistance where the dye can't reach. The stitch used is Sashiko, a running stitch.  You can find the patterns for this on the net or from books. 

Another way to create patterns is Katsomi - stencilling. Cut a stencil on special paper, then a muslin is glued over that.  Squeeze the mochi paste through the stencil holes, there are different techniques for this, and most definitely something you need to learn in the flesh.  Alternatively you can draw with the paste using something akin to a piping bag like you are icing a cake. 

Rosey can recommend a few good teachers, there is Bryan Whitehead a Canadian living in Japan, he runs ten day courses like the one Rosey went on. He works in the Fujino area outside Tokyo.  This course is considered very intensive. Bryan grows his own Indigo so you would get the real deal training from him.  

Also there is Clarissa Cochran in Saffron Walden who does simpler half day or weekend courses and Jane Calender whose company Callishibori do courses and supplies.

I really have over simplified here but hope it gives you a flavour for Shibori.

Also in Rosey's collection is something called Boro.  Literally meaning 'ragged', boro is patchworked indigo fabrics on old garments and blankets. Much like the idea of Kantha quilts, the Japanese do not waste anything, so repairing and patchworking holes was part of their ethos.

Below is a sample book of Indigo dyed fabrics, a very old book that was found in a Temple market.

 This is how the book looks from the outside, in the background is a piece of Boro fabric. Due to their age and fragility Boro folk art textiles sell for large sums of money, one well known dealer is called Kimonoboy who specialises in this area.

this is a little rice bag made of patchwork, worn round the waste when workers are in the rice fields

I hope you found this post informative and inspirational, perhaps you will get the bug to hop across to Amsterdam and go off the beaten track a bit too.