Short & Sharp

I've always liked short hair and find endless inspiration in women such as writer Colette, actress Louise Brooks and many more. Also, as an amateur ballerina, I like anything that clears my neck and keeps my head light and sleek.

Candi, at Paper Scissors Rock in Venice, is in charge of my style. The doll pictured below is just one of the many crazy items that adorn the mirrors and walls at this hip and fun salon.

Baby Arthur In California

Nine months ago, I introduced Arthur, a lovely Parisian newborn.
Now Arthur has flown to California for a vacation, with his sunscreen, summer outfits and parents in tow, and I was delighted to meet him again. The little rascal, a genuine baby King Arthur, is handsome as ever. After a snack of ladyfingers, which he gnawed on with his one and only tooth, we took him to the beach in Venice, where he discovered the sand and the ocean for the first time...

California Sky - Color or Black & White?

Which version of this picture do you prefer? Color or black and white?

Update: an overwhelming majority of you voted for color!

Benjy's LA Diary (2)

Guess what I'm staring at, with my shiny almond-shaped eyes...

...blogging is exhausting, I need a little nap by my MacBook...

... ah, girls! They love me as much as I love them - meet my girlfriend, Stella.

Check out the first installment of my Los Angeles Diary here.

Update: I was featured on Nearness of Distance!!! I'm quite the cyber pooch star.

Closet Door

Eerie pop artwork by Yoshimoto Nara... Rudi Nureyev and Gelsey Kirkland dance... Divine Louise Brooks... Fashion designer Makool's hand - remember the lovely wrap miniskirt I bought from her?... A dancing Ganesh... all around the limited edition poster that Kii Arens designed for electro group M83's concert with the Los Angeles Philharmonic...
(Click on picture to enlarge)

Pale Yellow

The Bolter - Remembering Kenya

In Nancy Mitford's novels, the narrator's mother is an elusive character, the Bolter, who dashes around the world, collecting husbands; together with the Hun-hating, entrenching tool-wielding Uncle Matthew, the Bolter is one of the most memorable and funniest characters. It turns out she was inspired by Idina Sackville, a five-time divorced eccentric who had fallen in love with Kenya - along with too many younger men she was keen on marrying.

In The Bolter, just released in the USA, her great-granddaughter Frances Osborne tells the story of her life. Not only does it portray a unique woman, but it also explores the mores of Edwardian London, the craziness of 1920's England, the impact of World War One, and the methods of English colonialism in East Africa. In Kenya, she was friends with the Dane Karen Blixen, who later wrote Out of Africa - they even shared a lover, Denys Finch Hatton.
Colonialism in Kenya was meant to be based on railroads - in the early 1980's I took the train from Nairobi to Naivasha with my family (see pic - I'm on the right). This fascinating book brought back many memories of Kenya where I lived as a child. Some of Osborne's lyrical description of Kenya's landscapes and wildlife stirred deep emotions in me, making me long for my very own paradise lost.

And if your paradise is all things books, do check out dear Gabbi's fabulous post on the topic. This must-see post features great pictures, an amazing visit to the Los Angeles Public Library, and, yes, an award for me...
I love reading, and I love Gabbi!

Do You Have Mexican Coca-Cola?

Taco trucks are a common sight in Los Angeles - they roam the city, offering cheap Mexican fare day and night.
But now there is one more reason why people line up before them: Mexican Coca-Cola. Many Americans remember wistfully the taste of Coca-Cola when they were children, as a different, better taste. When visiting countries such as Mexico, they find the very taste they lost, fresh out of the bottle. Indeed, in Mexico and other places, Coke is sweetened with actual sugar rather than with corn syrup as is now the case in the US. For a sip of childhood or to feel like a genuine Los Angeles snob, ask for Mexican Coca-Cola...

A Hat And A Tee From The Flea Market

Twice a month, a flea market takes place on Lincoln Boulevard in Santa Monica. Some sellers offer superb items - one of them, an old Japanese man, brings back ancient kimonos, obis and fabrics from Japan.

I had been wanting to add a summer straw hat to my collection for some time, and I instantly fell for this exquisite, 1920's-like hat, with its wide satin ribbon and its smart asymetry - somehow it reminds me of the hats Meryl Streep wore in Out Of Africa. It happens to be a vintage Armani, which I snatched for $20.

I also bought a red tee that pays tribute to my dear, dear Billie Holiday... Her broken voice, with its textured emotions, has always haunted me. I strongly recommend one of her lesser known albums, Songs For Distingué Lovers, which features such classics as Stars Fell on Alabama and a song I adore, I Didn't Know What Time It Was.

More From My Street

How green is my street? Its colors are sheer joy.

And now, a little game to entertain us over the weekend. Look at the picture of the intersection of Ocean Park and Lincoln (right), just a few blocks from where I live.
Can you spot something wrong/odd?

Street Fruit

California is so lush that plenty of food just grows on its tree-lined streets. On the street where I live for instance, you'll find lemons, plums (pictured), and even artichokes, as well as fragrant rosemary.
Last week, the New York Times's wittily titled Neighhbor, Can You Spare A Plum? made it clear that it's legal in California to pick fruit that's in a public space, including if the tree grows on a private property but has branches hanging over public space.
All over the country, people have been getting together to pick the fruit, share it among neighbors and distribute it to others - many make donations to local food banks. Here in Los Angeles, Fallen Fruit designs maps of fruit that can be picked around the metropolis; if you are elsewhere in the USA, you can also check out Neighborhood Fruit. Isn't this a great way to bring communities together, get more people to eat healthy fruit and be less wasteful?
A couple of blocks away, a neighbor has a tree that is just laden with bright lemons and now I am itching to ask if I may pick them and start spreading the juicy bounty around...

Small Macch' For Here

Located a couple of blocks away from my place in Venice, Groundwork is a tiny coffeeshop where I often head, Benjy in tow, for a macchiato (which they call a "macch'"). I sip it on their mini terrace, with a book or paper and sometimes, one of their delicious chocolate cookies.
Old coffee tins, silver coffee pots and ancient items such as rusty scales are displayed around the place, and they also collect funny coffee-themed comics cut out of newspapers.

And now it's time for a design challenge:
Groundwork also sells big burlap bags. I can sense these have a great design potential for the home - bringing some recycling/eco-style spirit into my home... What would you do with them?