SICILIAN ORANGE

I've just spent some time in Sicily - which I hope goes some way to explaining the time-lag on this blog.  The weather was a little inclement for much of the time, but that didn't seem to detract from the sheer abundance of lush produce everywhere you look. No wonder they are famous for their cuisine! Cauliflowers, fennel, and artichokes filled the markets - whole stalls tumbling with outsize vegetables. You couldn't help but buy and buy and rush home to cook up a pasta with brocolli brodo, or a fennel salad, or artichoke hearts slavered in fresh olive oil.  

But for me, the best thing by far was the citrus fruit - lemon trees groaned with bright yellow fruit; then the 'cedro' - the outsize lemons where you eat the whole fruit: pith, peel and all, dripping with honey. And truckloads of oranges, parked up on the roadside. Sicily is famous for its blood oranges - slices of dark red deliciousness and a kind of metaphor for this beautiful island with its dark heart and history.

With the zing of citrus still fresh in my mind, today I'm channelling oranges!

Marimekko Kivet fabric in pink

Romo Suvi Clementine

An outdoor print by Trina Turk for Schumacher called Sunglass in orange.

Another Schumacher outdoor print designed by Trina Turk and called Sunriza.

A cotton print called Zsa Zsa in Pebble, Chilli and Jasmine by Scion.

RAGE RAGE AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT!

With apologies to the genius that was Dylan Thomas, I'm not about to discuss poetry or death...but only the depressing annual ritual we call 'Putting the clocks back'.  Daylight Savings Time was first introduced nearly 100 years ago, during the 1st World War in an effort to improve the war effort and save resources.  Nowadays campaigners are using the same arguments to suggest that we would be better off extending DST, or British Summer Time, throughout the year - withstanding darker winter mornings in favour of longer afternoons.  I have to say that idea definitely gets my vote - I find the drawing in of winter nights at and before teatime, intensely dreary and depressing, whereas dark mornings are easier to bear - after all, things will only get lighter as the morning progresses, won't they?

So as the dimming of the day began soon after 5 pm yesterday, and my spirits sank, I tried to distract myself by looking for sunnier textiles.

Here's what I found:

 Corita Rose's magnificent yellow Flame print on silver silk satin - to brighten any day!

 Schumacher's bold but delicate Sundial in Chartreuse, printed on cotton and linen

 Thibaut's jolly upholstery woven called Soleil in their Resort collection is a kind of updated monochrome take on an ethnic theme

 Donghia's large scale Suzani is a woven interpretation of the embroidered tribal fabrics of Central Asia where sun motifs are widely used.

here is another printed take on the suzani tradition, this time by Sanderson's, called Kayseri.

Putting these fabrics together has definitely put me in a sunnier disposition - I hope they do the same for you!  And if you share my dread of darkening evenings, throw some weight behind the 10:10 Lighter Later campaign

GOING TO THE DOGS...

It hasn't escaped the notice of this mongrel-owner that the top dog breed to be seen out with these days is a whippet, or, maybe if you like your edges a little more roughed up, a lurcher. Once bitten, it would seem, these fashionista dog-owners become obsessed, and whippet paraphernalia slowly pervades their homes. And believe me, I'm not talking just dog-collars and coats here, but paintings and decals, whippet key rings and other slender doggy accoutrements. Hardly surprising I suppose when their dog-of-choice is a veritable canine supermodel: with sleek and sinuous body, elegant muzzle, perfect eye-makeup on soulful eyes and, when not racing around in demented circles in the park, a cool and languid nature.



So, having established this breed's impeccable design credentials, I wasn't at all surprised to come across whippet-themed fabric and wallpaper rampaging around a stand at the recent Clerkenwell Design Series where London-based designer, Virginia White was launching 'Whippets', the latest addition to her range of fabrics. A small-scale print on white or natural linen, designer Rose de Borman has managed to capture the sheer speed and thrill of the chase. I pity those poor rabbits, though!

Then I found another Rose de Borman print, this time called 'Lurchers', available at Fabrics and Papers:

And I LOVE this Rose de Borman cushion, available from her website:

Inspired, I began to look around for other dog-fabrics and soon found this stunner at US fabric house, Schumacher:

Adapted from a 50's print, Shumacher's Diamond Dogs in Chartreuse

And finally, for something altogether more sober and sedate, there's this printed linen from Emily Bond called 'Long Dog'