Last month i went to Berlin to do a photo shoot, my brother is lucky he has a wonderful little local cafe – bar, You can chill out – get online – met the local cool people have a decent coffee or a glass of wine.

Quelle surprise! if your a smoker you can smoke in their back room, or in the garden, besides all this you can buy a wood burning stove while your waiting for your beverage, a pretty cool place really!

http://www.kamineundwein.de/

Well it has been a very long time………..

I moved from London at the end of August.. packed up lock stock and 7 tonne van headed for Portsmouth and the dreaded ferry crossing [ I don't like the north sea..]
The crossing was rough to say the least.. But hey we made it across to Saint – Malo & then down to Nantes!
I left the van.. with my life on-board parked up at a friend’s house in Nantes.. & boarded a plane to Marseilles… Marseilles has a rapid pulse to her …. the energy buzzes!
Although i loved the city.. and the fusion of cultures,
4 days in Marseilles was enough to know it was probably not the right spot.
So i hopped a TGV to Avignon and then a short 25 Min bus ride down to Tarascon.
Tarascon [bouches du Rhone] is basically on the right bank of Rhone river.. with Beaucaire [gard] opposite on the left bank.
Tarascon  is a medieval village with a blend of Provençal french and Arab culture running side by side.
In fact throughout this region there has been a strong Arab influence for hundreds of years…which you can definitely see in the architecture… Abbaye saint-Michel de Frigolet roughly 20Mins from here is a truly wonderful gem.. I was rendered speechless.. with its painted walls – pillars – ceilings – It’s a beautiful Abbaye..

I find the french here warm-hearted & some-what tolerant ! it has far exceeded my expectations..
As far as I’m concerned i made a great choice.. of course there is the language problem [my French is lacking]..
The fact is.. a lot of things just get lost in translation… and some of it is.. hysterically funny.
Is this the place I’m going to spend the rest of my life?? Humm…. I’m not sure about that..
but if i ask myself what if i got stuck here? would it be a bad thing?
I would have to say no.. it wouldn’t be bad at all!
I have met some really lovely people who have been incredibly helpful….  i have not asked for help.. it has just been given.
The people i have met are not out for what they can get!
After living in big bad city’s all my life… I’m truly grateful for the warm welcome I have received here…
The other evening…. new years day! I was sitting in my friends restaurant [Le Theatre] ..having a glass of Vin rouge..I was talking to Jean Rene [a budding to the left politician .... verging on communism] a lovely guy! i asked him did he want me to come and do some gardening [ i don't have a garden yet ] he said you can have half my garden for €1.00 a year.. and you can do anything you want!  …..   WOW!!!
This guy takes care of a young lady [who has Schizophrenia] when ever she is hungry… she can go to Le Thestre restaurant and eat whatever she wants…. they put it on a tab and he pays.. He is not a rich man by any means… he has a Big heart!
I will tell you more about my new location and new friends in my next post…
I’m trying to set up my studio work room… so i can start working – producing and hopefully do some of my best work yet….” it’s been a long time coming”!!
Happy new year to all of you & best wishes!

I also am a fan of 11 blog

http://11even.wordpress.com/

Posted in Fashion ]]> http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/2002/feed/ 0 xyzoflife mad-men- mad-men- mad-men- http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/a-little-more-little-venice/ http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/a-little-more-little-venice/#comments Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:26:21 +0000 xyzoflife http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/?p=1978 ]]> My My My… No i do not live in this house.. there are some pretty amazing houses in London…  In the summer they have Architectural tours of this area.. you see groups of people standing around listening to the guide talking about the style of the house.. the architect.. and who lived there…

What a sight! i never expected to see this…. A Ferrari all wrapped up in it’s couture coat

Funny how you live in an area… and day to day pass by real little gems without really noticing what lies within!
Although i remember going to this pub years ago with my friend Merja.. [remember!]
Well i have to say that today the Sun was shining ……. i finally remembered to take the camera out with me….
I wanted to document where I’ve been living for the last 10 years…
I’m not a pub person…. reason being… pretty much a hang over from the days when pubs were the last place on the planet i would choose to go to.. to me they were cold hard places
Back in the day…if you looked a little eccentric or different… you’d walk in to a pub and the whole place would turn round look at you and pass some kind of smart ass comment.. I say that from experience!!
Well thank god thing’s have changed and changed dramatically…. Nobody bats an eyelid anymore… they’ve pretty much seen it all now…. well at least in London!
Pubs have gone upmarket! their friendlier places…. and here is the proof 

The Warwick Castle W2…. Very Arts & Crafts, My Local !

Posted in Uncategorized ]]> http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/about-time/feed/ 1 xyzoflife the Warwick castle in Little Venice the Warwick Castle The Warwick Castle The Warwick Castle http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/appologies/ http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/appologies/#comments Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:00:47 +0000 xyzoflife http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/?p=1861 ]]> Dear reader….
I have to say sorry for the lack of posts to my blog in the last week or so…. i have just stepped back a bit to get on with a project I’m working on… Ill let you in on whats going on later this month.. It’s a mystery   I will be back with more regular posts i will keep adding to this post… until then check out these rather wonderful chocolate scented stamps courtesy the French post office

This is a wonderful chill-out video… the music track is Please Don’t Go by Barcelona.

Christian Lacroix at the finale of the July 7th Paris show… which many expect to be his last. This statement taken from the new york times really makes me feel very sad…
Couture would be a sadder place without the very wonderful  Monsieur Lacroix
The French fashion house sought protection from creditors in May…
As of yesterday 28th July The Borletti Family have made a serious offer including keeping 49 of the 124 employee’s

Posted in Fashion, world ]]> http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/07/29/appologies/feed/ 0 xyzoflife Chocolate- scented stamps July 7 2009 Paris show http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/1838/ http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/1838/#comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:55:25 +0000 xyzoflife http://xyzoflife.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/1838/ ]]> This i beleive is a cemetry in Marseille – Provence.. what is quite amazing….. and really shows respect for the departed.. is the very georgious chair embeded in the tomb stone… what do we think here…. was it an upholster? was it the dearly departeds’ chair? or was it just pure symbolic artist licence on the part of the designer? For sure this was designed… by whom i have no idea! and for who.. equally i don’t know….. but what i do know is…. this is pure opulence!

This has to be one of the best photos I’ve taken…. but the view is outstanding… so i really can’t take much credit.. i have to admit that this area of Tuscany is quite mountainous & honestly i didn’t realize it.. but… i have a touch of vertigo in fact more than a touch.. so no mountain goats for me thank you very much… I’m a low – lander… just gentle undulating hills for me!

Lets just take a minute here and just look at this stunning country side….. all you people like me living in the urban sprall – the concrete jungle – the big smoke – the city.. whatever you call it [ I've got a few names to call it... but this is a clean blog]           can just chill out and get the zen vibe  Ohm…… Namaste!

I just love this interview with Catherine Baba, it has to be one of those [rare] really funny – endearing fashion moments!
I am a huge fan of Diane Pernet.. i personally think she is a true to herself… wonderful eccentric & with a great sense of humour! “it’s the only way to be darling!”
A Shaded View on Fashion is an.. highly informative- edgy- fashion-art blog. Check it out in my blogroll.
[Click the link below to watch the interview [enjoy]

[http://www.blip.tv/file/1482728]
This work is by Artist Johanna Melvin…  I love Johanna.. We have know each other for ever…but rarely see one another..

it’s just like that sometimes! www.johannamelvin.com

Artist Candida Romero click on the link below for the interview with the artist at the opening of her show at the                       AZZEDINE ALAIA Gallery Paris

[dailymotion id=X7ov3v]

I love these lamps from Serralunga.. they’re Fun – Funky &  have a classy look to them..                                                             designed by Marc Sadler they are made from recycled polyethylene.
http://www.serralunga.com/

Don’t you think this is a pretty cool wine rack ? It’s called ‘Flow’ By Black & Blum

www.black-blum.com

These photos were taken at a house in Campania Italy
it had not been lived in for 14 years… can you believe it? Campania Cantina[house below] Piemonte Casa… click on the door it has great carving

A  really beautiful house.. looks like is was inspired by french architecture!

This [floor] is very special ..

the planks appear to be cut in one piece?

[nothing to do with the house above or below]The house [below] looked like it had been attacked by a bull dozer beautiful Empty – unloved  and just waiting around roting there are so many houses like this in Italy in varying  states of disrepair

Here’s a good one 7 years in the making…. the e-rocket electric peddle bike created by Berlin based inventor: Stefan Gulas .. It goes up to 80 km [50 miles ] per hour…
has Zero emissions
Although it’s price is about $40.000. ‘ouch’ us dollars… What a future!
P.S. it’s along video [ and auf deutsch ]
www.thelocal.de/lifestyle/20090623-20149.html

Dear people… This is a little film by the Ceramiche Castellamonte company based in Torino …. they have been making these ceramic stoves for over a hundred years check ou the film if your interested! just click on the link below.  This blog is not working well for me at the moment it is not showing the full post… please click on read more if i cannot sort it                                     Thank you and sorry it’s a bit of a drag

ceramichecastellamonte.it/ceramichecastellamonte.it/filmato.html

This is from a company called The Antique French Stove Company http://www.antiquefrenchstove.com/

These hand made-hand painted French wood burning stoves are by Ceramique – Regnier.

www.ceramique-regnier.fr/Swedish Columnar stovesThese Swedish wood burning stoves are from Lindholm- Kakelugnar... They have some very beautiful antique pieceswww.lindholm-kakelugnar.com

There truly are an amazing amount of new and old generation wood burning stoves out there….. Environmentally friendly and energy efficient

I have been slow at posting these last few days….  i haven’t really felt it to be honest!
I am really blown away by the amount of talent there is out there…. so until i have a little more space………..  I’m just filling in for today
http://www.moroso.it

These stacking chairs are not Moroso…. i have no info on them! sorry to the company – designer… i will try & find it…

Works by Graphic Designer: Francisco Garzon

http://www.kontra.wsAll very cool!