Sunday, July 13, 2014

Tudors and Wonder Woman

Thought I'd kick off with this photo of our friend's living room. Kim and John live around the corner from us and they were having their joint 50th on Saturday night. They have a Tudor home built in the 1936 but inside it's style de melee (remember I've banned myself from saying "eclectic") Love how they've used a painting which their daughter Mandela (then age 10) did of Wonder Woman.

Kim and John's living room




I wore my old Ella Moss top that has copper discs on the shoulders

Turned up the ankle on these in a revolutionary move. I like these DL white jeans but they have a weird ankle: its neither cropped nor long and fitted


Here were the lovely greeters at their home, daughter Mandela and her friend.

Their 15 year old daughter Mandela (right) and her friend Kaitlyn were the greeters
John greeting us in shorts paired with a cream dinner jacket, just because

There are some people who are "anywhere but here" types. (I used to be a bit like that) There are others who stay where they are and make things better. Kim and John have worked really hard in Oakland, putting time and energy into our local public schools and ensuring the buildings here are awarded the historic status they deserve.

Kim and John (right) with friends Hamilton and Gina. Look at all the lovely wood paneling in their house.

Kim and John bought this 1936 Tudor a couple of years ago and renovated it. Funny story - when we moved from London to Oakland (the same place we now own) we found ourselves surrounded by streets named after English towns. Many of the houses here are Tudor built around the 1920's and that style is prized, much more than say our modern house. One neighbour even has a old coat of armour in their hallway.

View from their living room window


Birthday girl Kim with Kevin and Ian 

Kim's new sandals. They were just in Capri and there was a store that made sandals to your design

I'm not much of a sports watcher, even of my own kids' games, but Cy's All Star baseball has been gripping. They won the Section 4 (whatever that is) and then went to champs in Petaluma. He is scared during the hitting but while he is pitching he is extremely relaxed pitching, calm as anything on the mound which would be the opposite of how I think I would be. 

Isn't funny what makes you nervous? I would no sooner pipe up at a small PTA meeting than kill a chicken but I would have no problems addressing hundreds of people from a podium (though funnily enough no one has asked me to do that lately) What inexplicably makes you nervous or calm?

Cy in the dugout

They won! the section four thingy

In hair news, I got a Brazilian. Not that one, it's a hair straightening technique. The bumph says it's all natural but watery eyes beg to differ. Counterintuitive, but all those fresh chemicals actually make your hair shinier as well as straight.


My friend says I did not sell The Way trip to her husband and could I please post a more "realistic" photos. Here you go, bucolic village amid impossibly idyllic woods.





Shoot, how did that second one get in?

What did you get up to in the weekend?




34 comments:

  1. Congrats to Cy and the team! Small talk at cocktail parties make me anxious and yet I have no problem commenting on blog land! Ps interestingly enough I have noticed a lot of mock Tudor here in that same era so it must have been a thing.

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    1. Same here these days, though the people at this party I've know for 11 years and was relaxing.
      I used to love going out every night and meeting new peeps, these days much more stayyinny.

      Just read that great Manners book which gives you great topics for cocktail parties and openers, just read some actress who says if she'd stumped for conversation says she didn't put deodorant on. Not sure that would work for mere mortals

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  2. Your friends home looks wonderful and the picture of Wonder Woman, I love :)) Your hair came out great, sounds very interesting. Your outfit at the top is cute, I think you look super in that, you suit the colours very much :) Hope your new week is smashing xx

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    1. Hi KIzzy hope you're well, loads of baseball in these here parts

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  3. great party and amazing house!!! Love the wonder woman! we had a pool party BBQ and today my brother arrives for the night so a family do this evening. Yay for Cy!

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    1. Love that you have a pool up there, have a wonderful time with your brother in a bit of a do

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  4. Congrats to Cy on his Section 4 triumph. All things medical get me hot and bothered. During Health 101 at Uni, I was carried out of a class only semi-conscious, dripping of cold sweat when they showed a baby being delivered video. I told them if they ever show that again I'm going to wait outside and pass out cigars.

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    1. Funny I had to be carried out of High School during the same thing. I cannot handle women telling their birth stories in graphic details, I feel incredibly queasy about the details at the biz end.

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  5. Love the Wonder Woman portrait...and by a ten year old? My hairstylist won't even do the Brazilian. Like you, she found it very uncomfortable for her eyes. Looks great though. Trying to think what I get stressed about....I do live a pretty relaxed life. Saw the movie Snowpiercer this weekend and loved it. The ending left a bit to be desired but everything else was very good. Just don't over think it.

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    1. My hairdresser just opens the door and won't do more than a couple a week, still I'm sure its very bad for everyone involved....I only do it once a year

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  6. One neighbour even has a old coat of armour in their hallway.

    Erm..... :-)

    Having lived in old listed buildings I'm favouring the modern!
    Sx

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    1. All our flats in London eventually drove me crazy with the mold and drafts and hearing the plumbing upstairs (euphemism). Mind you we lived in places like basement flats under the street with the kitchen converted from a coal cellar. I'm sure Lord Thingyme next door to us in the last one was ok.

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  7. That Wonder Woman painting is pretty amazing! And I love their house. This weekend, as I was browsing Facebook, I heppened upon a picture of you and your chevron dress blog post on my cousin's page. How crazy, huh? (she "likes" the store you bought it at)

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  8. That house looks like it's in a quaint English village all Tudor-y and green countryside, gorgeous. And the Wonder Woman picture is amazing, and she was only 10 years old?
    I've tried the Brazillian hair thingy, but I remained frizzy - if I remember correctly you had to leave it on without washing your hair for a few days. Not a great look as we had a parents evening!

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    1. Hi Jay, I think the leave-on is a different thing.

      This is the full-on apocalyptic chemicals, The hairdresser combs isn the chemicals and blow dries until dry and then goes over it with a hot iron a number of times, then washes it out. My hairdresser has tried using a kinder more organic solution but it does not work.

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  9. Fabulous party and talented artist in the making!! I've been wondering about that hair treatment as I'm in danger of developing carpal tunnel from the round brush blowout. Looks fab on you!

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    1. I always remember about article from Delia Ephron about how she envied anyone could do their own blow outs. She goes to hairdresser twice a week, sometimes three. I have never learned the art at all

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  10. Your last post inspired me to watch "The Way" on Netflix......I liked the movie and could totally get behind doing the hike.....but the dorm-style sleeping with all the snoring and other unmentionable noises kind of scares me. Can't wait to follow along on your adventure though! Also I must tell you I'm a tad jealous of the parties you attend...it's more like burgers on the BBQ here.

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    1. Burgers are always perfect (and go with any kind of party. Here they are served teeny at cocktail parties - sliders they call them.

      Yes the unmentionables sounds and attendant smells may finish me off and make me search for a hotel room but we will see. ...

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  11. The decor of your friends' home is so fun--- and I like it in contrast to the Tudor architecture. I haven't gotten to snoop in many homes here in Singapore (we always meet friends at restaurants and the like.... I think it is because space is SO limited no one wants anyone in their personal space!), but I suspect for the most part they are pretty modern.
    I need to get my hair straightened....I actually did it before we moved here, but the humidity is so ridiculous that the hair straightening gave up in about a week... perhaps wherever we live next my hair will look better!

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  12. This weekend was as quiet as usual, with working in the yard and garden as a major feature. Went to a movie, Chef, which was OK. Watched a football game. We lost. Again. Enjoyed Sunday worship. Slept; ate — all those regular things. We don't have fancy Tudor houses to visit. Drat!

    Blessings and Bear hugs!

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    1. Canadians are always going to win the hockey though

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  13. We spent the weekend in the Cevennes again. Went on the little steam train, and walked around a lovely and cool Mont Aigoual.

    Well done Cy on his baseball thingy!

    I've just been to look at a house that was built in 1973 but might just as well have been fitted out during Tudor times! Not even double glazing, and original wiring. Might even make a good museum piece.

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  14. You - and hair- look great. I've seen that stuff applied, all parties wearing goggles. Scared to death of it myself.

    Love the house!

    We're still traveling with the teensies, survived the Eiffel Tower this morning.

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    1. Well done you! that is hard with the summer queues!

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  15. OK, you said you got a Brazilian and my whole train of thought just derailed completely. ;-)

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  16. Must comment on the Brazilian Blow Out! I am a red head with very thick hair and decided during the Christmas holiday to treat myself. My hair is mid back and the girl promised it would last at least 6 months. Nothing on my thick locks has lasted much longer than a couple of weeks. Well guess what at the 5 month mark I noticed my hair was getting thicker and waves appeared. Well now at times my daughter says I look like a crazy woman and need to straighten my hair. I would invest in another if I found the time to sit for as long it took for my long thick locks to adhere to the chemicals. Good luck it looks wonderful.

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    1. Sounds awesome, wish we could have that facility where you post a photo of your hair like they have on facebook, mine doesn't take too long at all, maybe its thinned my hair out over the four times I"ve had it done

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  17. Way to go CY!!!!! I shall have a cake to celebrate for him. Does it work that way? Oh well, cake it is!!

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