Travels: Granada part 1

I meant to post on my trip to Granada ages ago but time always gets away from you. Anyway here I am.

We went during their easter week religious festival Semana Santa, which is a time to mourn Jesus and reflect on the fact he died on the cross to save us from ourselves and to repent for our wrongdoings. As we're not Catholic we felt like guests looking in on some secret society and didn't fully grasp the meaning behind some of the parades and the costumes. That said we definately got the sense from the locals of the community coming together, honouring their traditions and the religious devotion that the parades represented and the visual spectacle of the parades created a great atmosphere for visitors like us.

Above and below are the Nazarenos in their tall pointy hats that look uncannily like the Ku Klux Klan , but apparently there is no connection, although they are no less unsettling as they walk slowly along in silence.

The constant drumming and the discordant notes from the brass bands that passed through the narrow streets gave me goose bumps, it was so loud and just went right through you. Some in the audience were crying and constantly crossing themselves, and the silence in between the drumming is heavy with emotion. The floats were so intricate and detailed and you had to admire the guys carrying them, around 50 per float, during the heat of the day and at such a slow pace. They stopped ocassionally to rest, and you could peek through and see them with towels on their heads and shoulders to take the weight and their adidas trainers just visible at the bottom which added a nice 21st century touch to proceedings!

Read all about it

World Book Day, a way to celebrate the written word and inspire a new geneation of readers. With libraries closing at the rate it is (200 in 2012!), it'll be events like these that keep books alive for the book worms/kindle readers of tomorrow.

Growing up we went weekly as a family to the library where you were allowed 15 books each which was never enough, I always used to get greedy piling them higher than my limit. Oh how I used to want to work as the 'stamper' checking the books in and out!

I gobbled up books and read most things I could get my hands on, within reason, I was no War and Peace reading child prodigy. I loved the world of Mallory Towers and my mums books from her childhood about wholesome characters who always had a 'tally ho' on the tip of their tongues and who always ended up doing the right thing in the end. I remember finishing Rosamund Piltchers September at 11, no idea how I dealt with such adult themes of family feuds and adultery!

Books are still important to me now and I love getting a tip off from a friend about one they've just read and I must read it too - past successes include When God Was A Rabbit and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The old adage about 'judging a book by it's cover' is so true, only now they are getting proper design makeovers and really giving that phrase some meaning, below are some of my favourite reads and amazing covers...

 

all images via pinterest

Eat:toast

Not my most profound moment but my god I love toast, and if it came with a pretty pattern like this I would love it even more...

Elle Japan

Let's cut a rug

We've not long moved into our (first ever!) new flat and while we've got some main pieces of furniture the rooms still need the extras that make it homely, like rugs. And so, with time on my hands over xmas and lying turgid from too much cheese and mince pies, I launched 'mission rug research', I think I have delved deeper into the world of rugs than anyone really needs to and have found loads I love but can't afford and one that I really really like and can just about stretch the budget to. Here are my top picks of the rug world including the one I've settled on ....

Mr Fox Rug from www.wovenground.com £149/£239

Vapor by Calvin Klein from www.johnlewis.com £299 - £1,199 

Sybil Diamond Blue by Jonathon Adler from www.therugcompany.com £420 - £6,110

Dynasty by Doris Leslie Blau from www.dorisleslieblau.com £poa

Abacus by Fiona Curran from www.therugcompany.com £920 - £13,325

 

Cubizzmo Bech by Second Studio from www.2modern.com £653

Ikat from www.customcoolrugs.com £poa

Blue Lulu by Madeline Weinrib from www.madelineweinrib.com £poa

Not so sloppy Giuseppe

woven cord and raffia made a great summertime wedge

heavy beading and a killer heel on Chic Meca

cute soft bows from the new collection

leopard print from one of my favorite blogs

I think every pair of shoes he creates are just the perfect shape. I'm quite fussy when shoe shopping and always want a heel to curve just so, or the proportions to be a certain way, it's often really difficult to find. All of these are on my wish list, I can but dream....

In the frame

1Tim Walker
2Flyinsauce
3Alex Webb

Coming soon: Granada

I'm not long back from a holiday in Granada and still need to sift through the photos and get them up on here. In the meantime here's a tiny taster, wall mosiacs from inside the Alahambra Palace and a pimped out dolorosa (a float with the Virgin Mary). Out of all the floats that passed by this was the only tacky one, which was ironic since it was in the chapel within the palace; a monument to history, serenity, grandeur ....and as it turns out LED lights.