Greyland is greenland

ENGLISHMEN HAVING FUN IN A TELEPHONE BOX WHILST ESCAPING THE INCLEMENT WEATHER
















Well just got back from a fairly hectic trip to the UK which was full of mixed blessings. Ups and downs. Typical British annoyances and triumphs.

Why do Brits talk about the weather constantly? Because it is a stereotypical island climate influenced by the Gulf Stream and yes occasionally one does get weeks when it seems to be constantly overcast and raining. Last week was like that though the first weekend when we arrived we had a beautiful Sunday lunch in Tracy's garden with my brother's, wives and assorted children all hosted by the Brabins at their fabulous house in Godalming. At the risk of upsetting my other siblings I have to say that my little sister's house is a lovely example of perfect Englishness with a beautiful garden, patio and cosy conservatory.

The only obvious benefit of all the damp weather is that Britain [and Ireland[ are very verdant, lush places. If you long for abundant greenery these are the places for you just don't forget to take a blanket or some plastic sheeting if you are intending to sit down.

What were the annoyances? Well London traffic for one. It is now off the chart, the only place I can think of in the world that is worse is Tokyo. Also the cameras that imposingly bear down from all angles produce an overwatched feeling that is thoroughly unpleasant. Big Brother is a reality in nanny state Britain and no one seems to mind.



I couldn't wait to get home to New York.

The Roxbury Rocks!

This is the view from the upper deck of The Roxbury hotel where me and Shuddup went for a romantic Valentine's evening in the Catskills. The motel is running by a stylish couple who have successfully mixed chic and kitch in a stunning way in their renovation of a old style motel that is now any but. Check out the 'Clouds' room that we stayed in; it's impossible to show all the detailing but suffice to say that our drapes were black leather, the lampshades were of alien origin and.... it all worked! In the winter months the room was a bargain $99 but be warned this place is blowing up so book early.

I Heart Chocolate, T shirts and LIC

i heart Queens

This is my new friend, Ciara, she runs iheartqueens.com where you will see her fab line of LIC and Queens influenced T Shirts alongside links to her couture line of hand blocked vintage style Ts . She also volunteers at Art-O-Mat where you will find a great little gallery packed with a wide and varied amount of artworks and Ciara's T. Wait! Why is she holding up a chocolate bar? Well she also produces her own line of Belgian chocolate, LIChocolate. It's delicious. When Ciara isn't doing all this artsy fartsy stuff she is solving the problems of world hunger and global warming. Ok, I made that last bit up but she might be the best one for the job.

The Secret's out

I should have blogged about this a long time back but I guess not having subscribers makes blogging a little pointless.