September 2020 – The de-la-Haye Girls

The Fall Into Autumn

L and E share a few of their favourite things about the upcoming season and get their hygge on.

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Ok, ok – I’ll stop singing. I admit that was slightly premature. In my younger years I was adamant that my favourite season was Winter as it features both my birthday and Christmas – what’s not to love? But as I grow older – and hopefully wiser – I realise it’s the build up to the festive season that I love so much, otherwise known as autumn.

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall”

F. Scott Fitzgerald

If you’re pining for the summer that nearly wasn’t, here are some of our favourite things to help ease you into the cooler weather and get your hygge on!

Swap your wardrobe out! We love doing this, packing away the bikinis and Birkenstocks to make way for scarves, boots and tights. By tucking away your winter clothes for half the year not only does it free up your wardrobe space but you get to go shopping again, without spending any money, when you disinter all your woollies come mid-September. It is a truth universally acknowledged that we all look cute AF bundled up in a winter coat. Adorn yourself with the hues of the season – chocolately browns, ruby reds and happy orange. Why not treat yourself to some new luxe loungewear so that you can get cosy once you come in from the chilly outdoors? And for the ultimate lifehack, put your socks/school uniform on the radiator the night before so you can jump straight from bed into cwtchy clothes.

Go exploring. As we head into another (semi) lockdown, at least we can mask up and get some of that crisp, autumnal air. See what treasures you can forage on your walk, our current collections are hawthorns, rosehips, apples, sloes, elderberries, hazelnuts and king of the playground, conkers. Take your camera or phone out with you and get snap-happy capturing the colours as they change. Listen to the crunch of the leaves beneath your feet. It’s magic.

Snuggle up. Once you’ve blown the cobwebs away, treat yourself to a warm drink. Of course a pumpkin spice latte does very nicely if you have a fancy machine and all the fixings, or live within walking distance of a Costa. But if you don’t, how about reclaiming the long-serving hot chocolate? A fistful of mini-marshmallows on top, perhaps an extra shot of melting chocolate delight courtesy of a chocolate spoon, or maybe splash in a glug of Baileys if it’s not a school night.

The world’s thickest hot chocolate, Said-Soho

Slow down. Use this period ahead of the mayhem of the festive period to reconnect with yourself. Cook something with love that will fill your kitchen with delicious smells all afternoon. Leave it to transform on the hob or in the oven while you relax in the bath or finally finish that chapter you’re reading. My mother has always been the baker in our house, her cakes are legendary and I know how relaxing she finds wiling away a few hours in the kitchen on a damp, autumn afternoon, and the cottage smells divine afterwards. If I’m slow-cooking I’ll always opt for a roast. A roast is the gift that keeps on giving; leftovers in the fridge for the following few nights are better than the original meal I often think.

A berry delicious crumble E made a few weeks ago

Stick the telly on. For me, the nights drawing in signal the return of Strictly for me! Both E and I love to “get into” a series or boxset, bingeing an episode or two after dinner each evening and then discussing it all next time we meet. The Fall is our current obsession – pardon the pun. This activity is best enjoyed with blankets and endless cups of tea and biscuits. The horror movies at Halloween are what I look forward to the most and with new content being hard to come by at the moment we’re planning to re watch some old classics.

Tyler, our moggy relaxing in his favourite spot, by the television

So what are we waiting for? I’ll light the candles, you bring the pumpkins and let’s see in the very best season together. Altogether now;

All the leaves are brown…
The Mamas & The Papas

Living The Cream In Cornwall

Go adventuring with Lily in Cornwall.

My feet were getting itchy. Maybe it’s the nature of my job, always being on the move, living out of a suitcase, in and out of various theatres and auditions, but I can’t go too long in the same place. Now I know that opportunity to travel is a privilege, especially during a global pandemic but there are so many ways we can feel like we’re on vacay without, you know, actually leaving the country. A couple of years ago my boyfriend and I took a spontaneous trip to the Cornish coast for a long weekend after I had been working in Devon and it was one of my favourite places we’ve ever visited. If this year has taught me anything it’s that there’s so much for us to see and love right here in Blighty.

We drove down via South Wales, as we decided to drop in on my Nanny for a socially-distanced dinner date. This split our six hour journey into two more manageable chunks. Podcasts on – Up and Vanished is our current obsession – we cruised down to the edge of the country to our chocolate box Airbnb in Ruthvoes.

This pretty little hamlet is perfectly situated for easy access to both sides of the Cornish coast. We decided to spend our first day exploring, on foot and with a pub or two en route. The rain was torrential but with brollies up and wellies on, it was joyous to be out and about exploring somewhere unfamiliar.

Now I mean this with every fibre of my being, Cornwall is the Paris of the UK. You will not have a bad meal out. So much of the produce is farm fresh and – bonus time – the portions are generous. Seriously, the best Chinese food we’ve ever tasted we stumbled upon in Saint Columb!

Day Two and the weather decided to warm up. We visited a local owl sanctuary, aptly named Screech. We had it on very good authority that this was an excellent day out, getting to see these magical creatures in their natural environment really brought out my inner Ravenclaw. And you can get a cream tea in the cafe for £5. It’s a hard yes from me.

It was only a twenty minute drive to reach our next destination, the gorgeous hidden treasure of Saint Austell. I’ve never been before and I wish we’d spent more time here. Less busy than Padstow or Newquay but just as Instagram-able. All the local businesses had Covid-safe procedures in place, allowing everyone to really relax and possibly, just for a moment, forget all the turbulence of the last six months. I could’ve quite happily have stayed in Saint Austell, drinking Aperols all evening and falling asleep under the stars.

The following morning we wanted to check out our old haunts from our last holiday. The last time I was in Tintagel I desperately wanted to buy a ceramic piece from the local potter but I was worried it wouldn’t survive the car journey home, especially if I was driving. This time though, my mind was made up. I selected a beautiful cornflower-blue coloured bowl that I’m sure E would covet; she LOVES her ceramics.

A quick sidebar about driving in Cornwall: sometimes you are better off following the signs and not your SatNav. James Nesbit – our SatNav has a Northern Irish accent – sent us down an impossibly long twisty road that we then had to reverse back up when we almost hit a truck coming the other way.

We eventually made it to Padstow or PadSTEIN as the locals call it, thanks to their local celebrity. On our previous trip to Cornwall our day in Padstow was totally overshadowed by a downpour, being attacked by wasps in a tearoom and very, very bad hangovers. We felt the town needed another chance. I’m sorry to report dear reader, it didn’t fair much better this time. The harbour is adorable but far too crowded, not ideal, even pre-pandemic. Beyond the crowds it has it charms which is why, of course, it is so very popular. Rather selfishly, I just wish there had been fewer tourists on the day we visited!

For our final couple of days we moved to a hotel in Newquay. The town has changed a lot since the post A-Levels surf and clubbing days of the early noughties. It is busy with families now, taking advantage of the water sports and beach front bars. We managed to catch the tail end of storm Francis for our last two days but this didn’t dampen our spirits. In fact, it gave me an excuse to buy a new raincoat, so happy days.

You could fill a lifetime of summers with trips down to the Cornish coast. There really is magic around every cove. Even with a dose of unseasonably poor weather, that Turner-esque sea breeze was a tonic in a strange, Covid-compliant summer. I can’t recommend a Cornish adventure highly enough.

I am the daughter of Earth and Water
Percy Shelley

If you want to see more from my Cornish staycation, check out my Instagram and let me know where you’re off to next.~L.

Me Old China

E talks ceramics…

Is there a special word for the love of ceramics? If there isn’t, I think there should be. I take great pleasure in the beauty of everyday objects. I enjoy fine art too, but unless I win big on the National Lottery – which would be highly unlikely even if I did buy a ticket regularly – or I come into a sizeable inheritance – probably more unlikely than that Lottery win – I’m only going to be able to enjoy fine art in a gallery or museum. Everyday art, with its functional beauty, really appeals to me and I think that’s why I love ceramics.

In the interests of full disclosure, although I am a card-carrying member of the V&A, I am no expert on ceramics, nor am I anything as committed or organised as a collector. I don’t know my earthenware, from my stoneware or porcelain, and I suspect bone china is a category all of its own, and does it contain real bone? What I do know is that I enjoy looking at, handling and owning affordable and beautiful pieces of china and ceramics; crockery (“flatware”), a few vases, trinkets and jugs tend to catch my eye most often, jugs especially (as my Mum announced on Saturday, with an absolutely straight face: “our Em’s got a thing about jugs”).

I can date my interest in ceramics to 1986 and the half a dozen years that followed. For my 19^th birthday, a university friend bought me a tiny ceramic piggy-bank in a silk pouch made by a local ceramicist in Bath. I adored this little curiosity and, although the silk pouch is long gone, I still have the piggy.

As a gift to celebrate their 50^th wedding anniversary, my maternal grandparents (the ones of Mr and Mrs fame) asked for a new dinner service. The design they chose – which was very en vogue in the late 1980s – was the Johnson Brothers Eternal Beau originally designed by Sarina Mascheroni, a pretty ribbon and bow motif on octagonal-shaped pieces. At the tender age of 20, I was quite taken with it and thought it very stylish. I don’t recall having thought about plates and cups and saucers before Eternal Beau. I wonder where my grandparents’ dinner service ended up? A couple of years later, moving into our first home as a young family, I was smitten with Portmeiron’s Botanic Garden range and enjoyed using it every day. I’ve held on to a few pieces: a side plate decorated with a lily and one decorated with Sweet Williams (of course); a formidably heavy bowl which I use as a mixing bowl and a vase (also decorated with lilies). My lovely Mum also gave me a large jug from her Botanic Garden collection last year which is in near-permanent use as a vase.

In the late 1980s, my paternal grandmother died and I was asked if there was anything of hers I’d like as a momento. I asked if I could have the pink ceramic coffee pot which had sat in a cabinet in the corridor of her flat. I must have walked passed this small cabinet displaying her bits of china dozens of times over the years and the pink coffee pot always caught my eye. I still adore it and today it sits on a table, at the head of my stairs, and I get to enjoy it every time I cross the landing. I researched it a few years ago and discovered that it is, in fact, a tea pot from the Arthur Wood Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent. To me it’ll always be the pink coffee pot.

My tastes have changed over the years and I much prefer unpatterned, or certainly minimally patterned, crockery these days. I’ve also come to learn that I don’t particularly desire matching crockery – I think there’s something wonderfully pleasing about mismatched plates and bowls. I also don’t hold with the notion of keeping things for “best”: I like to see, touch and use my best china and ceramics every day. I still enjoy buying pieces that appeal to me and current favourites include Van Verre cabbage bowls, Lene Bjerre pink crackle-glazed dishes, a cute Bombay Duck jug and a gorgeous pot handmade by Studio Arhoj which Lily bought as a gift for me when she visited Copenhagen last year (and which she massively covets and, I think, rather wishes she’d kept for herself).

So if you stumble across a word for a love of ceramics, do let me know. And if you find pretty pieces you fall in love with, share and tag us in. ~E.