A very 17th Street sort of Wedding

I know there will be griping because I have no good pictures of the grooms. No sooner had the celebrant pronounced Tom and Mike married than they were darting about pressing each of their 120 guests to a drink–and then another and perhaps a third. I couldn’t manage my camera, my bag and my glass

Tarka the Topcoat

It started when I tried on a mink coat at a yard sale, just to see what it would feel like. Even, perhaps especially, on the inside it felt great. Silk lining and oh so heavy and warm. I didn’t buy it. I am anti-fur coat. It is one of the very few attributes that

The First Annual New York Girls’ Weekend

To New York City to celebrate the birthday of Ramadan Susie. It was a snowy weekend, which gave us the opportunity to loll late in our high-thread-count sheets and repair to the bars of the Royalton (hot buttered rum), and the Benjamin (Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc) to get out of the cold. We went to

#stuffubuyatnite

What it is about the middle of the night that makes a normally prudent person reach for her purse? I woke up to Hoda and Kathie Lee ( I know, the stuff of nightmares) this morning at 2am. NBC provides a REM rerun of their Today Show morning slot. I don’t usually see them when

My new look for 2012

I am resolved to wear more frocks in 2012, starting with three new ones I bought this week. Obviously I will need new shoes to go with them… My signature item for 2012 is my fab green scarf, a Christmas present from Tom and Mike. Please note that I am wearing a belt–the first time

Diet dilemmas

Oh dear oh dear. I bought three size sixteen dresses today–and then came home and ate Hansel’s fried shrimp with honey hot sauce and some cheesecake that Gretel brought home from the bakery. I am now drinking a glass of wine–not my first of the evening. Will those dresses ever fit again?

The Mystery of the Papal Package

You may have seen my recent letter to Doris Brazil, an elderly retailer in the South of England with whom I have a sort of 84 Charing Cross Road relationship. She sends me slow-moving items from her Ladies Wear store and I send her occasional kindly notes–the least one can do for the aged. You

Dark Intrigue Surrounds Doris Brazil

Dear Doris, Thanks for your thank-you note which arrived today. I am glad to see that the Appleton Marsh Post Office has finally got the hang of airmail. The note, and your recent blog post actually caused me some alarm because I didn’t get around to dispatching a parcel to DBLW this year and so

Glamor Puss in Steel Toed Boots

“What is your shoe size?”  It was a first and welcome inquiry from a new team mate. Was I in the company of other footwear enthusiasts? Were we to spend all day discussing the virtues of Manolo and Louboutin and parading about in kitten heels? In fact, Terrapin Grove wishes to buy me some steel toed boots. This

Black goes with everything

I am cut out for institutional living. It is one of the reasons I was so very happy at the BBC. My car is now back on the road (more of this later) and I could have driven to the mall myself, but when I heard Duke Diet and Fitness Center were offering an outing