Dior London, Nomadic Gardens of Shoreditch, Serpentine Pavilion 2016, etc

A store opening isn't a store opening anymore unless you have satellite events all across England.

Pubs were rented for the night for parties and even Scott's restaurant was doing its PR for the newly opened Dior maison by having Dior mannequin topiaries.


Even the planter boxes got into the spirit.


I must be getting to be an old lady because I think it is marketing gone mad.

Know they self said Socrates and one thing I realize I love more and more is things that have their customized place.

That is probably why out of all the items in the newly opened Dior maison I liked this cutlery holder.

It is a limited edition - of course it is - 
Christofle for Dior cutlery egg.

I don't know about hard surfaces and too much earth elements inside - it is refined glamping whatever way you want to call it.

The baby Dior bags are cute but useless like so much else when you go shopping.

But then art is - in a sociopath's eyes - useless too.

But I love this Russian painting and this picture does it no justice what so ever.

People can be photoshopped but not oil paints.

I was completely freaked out and mesmerized by this plant which I found out later was called liverwort.  
I might have been too enthusiastic in my watering of plants.  
But those tentacles have kept growing but it is just so alien but it is a type of moss. Oddly I did not notice this plant in the famous moss gardens of Japan.

Other plants in my small terrace and in front of my house is ideally bee attractors.
Everytime I see a bee have a little oasis in London, it brings a hippie ass smile to my husband and myself.  We on average see about 5 a day and now I am tempted to go whole hog next year and have a bee hive for honey.

Only plant that doesn't have a "useful" purpose other than botanically prancing about are my roses.

On the left is Shropshire lad and on the right is Gertrude Jekyll that has completely captivated my heard with its blooms, colors, and scent. 

This Russian plate from 1824 reminded me of my new favorite roses.
This plate is very War and Peace-esque as it was part of 
Prince Yusupov's collection.

Could you imagine though the sheer shock of the beauty of this plate 200 hundred years ago - even with my jaded eyes I find this old fashioned and a bit twee but still grabs my attention.
It sold for £9375 if you are wondering.
Yes it is a crazy amount but it is a genuine work of art.

Another genuine work of art was the new installation at the Serpentine pavilion which changes every summer.

This year it is a structure by Bjarke Ingels.
It has to be one of my favourites to date as it is a joy to look at from every angle and a pleasure to be in side and view from the outside.

I am always bemused when I go and see the circulation of ideas presented in different ways and settings.

This bedspring armchair was being auctioned at Sothebys but in the end didn't achieve its estimate price of £10-15,000.

By Dejana Kabiljo

But in fact I preferred the hand woven wicker version by anonymous in the Nomadic Gardens in Shoreditch.

The Nomadic Gardens is my new favourite place in London.
It is old school cool - and it takes a lot for me to say that - if you are proper and bourgeois then you may not like it because there are genuine artists here who are libertarians and not the wannabe ones who still live in their parents' pied a terre in Belgravia you meet at a friend of a friends' dinner party. 

They have bon fires on weekends, artists, and bums but it is a reminder that not many cities would have this vibe and the real pity is that it will be turned into housing next year.
I will be busy signing futile petitions I am sure.

This is the formal pose I get Millie to do when I want to show how well behaved she is.

But in actual fact she is more like this behind the cameras.

Check out this beautiful creature who was a visitor to my street.

Dog-napping was a real possibility until 
I realized the owners knew where I live.

I can see why people love animals more and more 
as they embody qualities that are an antidote to 
all our homo sapien trouble and madness.

I read an article that pet ownership is on the decline and of course I am one of those very people who can not pass a pet without admiring them and yet I can not seem to commit and adapt my life but I need to seriously consider it.

No whisky or other stiff drink destresses like a dog.