Cosy Toes December 17, 2008

People tend to stay in more in winter because it’s easier to be cosy at home than it is outside. You wouldn’t really walk around draped in a blanket or duvet but you can curl up in front of the telly in this fashion.

I love wooden flooring and going bare feet so having perfect slippers is essential in winter.  Last winter, I had a pair of knitted ones from Istanbul. They were beautiful wool socks hand-knitted by the same Turkish ladies who sold them for about £4.  It was heartbreaking when they fell apart.

So I have been on the hunt for replacement slippers and these have caught my eye . I love how the details go as far as the soles of the slippers. I’ve seen similar slippers being sold but for toddlers and I am so glad that these are now available in adult sizes as there are many of us who have not grown up.

I am not a big fan of fleece but I can just imagine that these slippers would be very nice to sink tired feet in.

The joie in ordinary objects September 1, 2008

It was a rare weekend treat for me to have one of the weekend days staying in. I thought that my summer-long hiatus from the kitchen was to come to an end. I was going to rediscover the joys of cooking and baking. I looked at some recipes and decided to bake some muffins (choco-banana and pecan) and cupcakes (carrot with orange frosting).

And always, when baking I would use the little egg whisk that I inherited from Sarah when she moved to NY.

This little egg whisk is by Joie. They design some cute little kitchen utensils and gadgets. I love how giving character to ordinary objects can colour an otherwise mundane job. I was reminded of the little bins we spotted on the way to the Spice Market in Istanbul. Or the little bird clothes pegs  and swallow paperclips I’d spotted on Day-Lab. I looked at my elephant watering can sitting by the fireplace and am reminded that even gardening can be design-oriented.

I can’t think of an easier way to encourage people not to litter. And I can’t think of a better way to make staying in such a pleasure.

The Taste of Tea or Cha No Aji July 6, 2008

Sometimes it takes a hot shower and some camomile tea to help soothe a grey and rainy day. I love standing under a hot shower and letting it wash over me. It’s like standing in a storm and I always feel like i am disappearing into a film.

Stepping out of the shower to a cup of hot tea is nice. If you get a calming one like camomile, it is a luxury.

I love Chinese tea. I think that part of the charm of eating dim sum is having endless cups of tea. I have never been a big PG Tips kind of a tea drinker. I have always preferred coffee. Although after discovering how soothing it is to have a cup of slightly sweetened, milky tea for nursing a hangover, I now welcome the idea of having tea and would have maybe a cup every other day. 

Brewing tea is an exercise in patience. A good cup of tea is worth the wait. In Istanbul, the teashops were heavy with the fragrance of shisha and the scent of fruit teas. Served in beautiful tea glasses, I remember thinking that life should be about having a sit down and letting what’s around you pleasure your senses.