Dolly Mixtures

Before Barbie, there was Lilli. Lilli started life in 1950s Germany, as the heroine of a comic strip in the tabloid newspaper, Bild. So popular was she, that they eventually produced a doll which no doubt influenced Ruth Handler from Mattel, who went on to create Barbie. Today, while Barbie is recognised the world over, Lilli is all but forgotten. Down in Ramsgate however, Julian Kalinowski never forgot her, in fact he has been busy reproducing one-off replicas, which are eagerly snapped up by collectors. Among them, my partner, Jochen, who, one day last year, got the opportunity to visit Julian, and his extensive collection of Lillis, Barbies and other dolls. He was equally impressed however, by his gorgeous Georgian home, and insisted on the spot that I should be allowed to come and photograph it.

Be warned, this is not your typical sobre Georgian home...

Julian at work

Julian and his partner, Shayne

 Julian and his house are featured in the August issue of Homes & Antiques magazine.

In the Bleak Midwinter

"You should have been here this morning, we had the most beautiful hoar frost", my cousin Jill emailed me to say. I had been planning to revisit Kent for my ongoing project documenting a garden in all seasons, but even with an eye on the forecast it's difficult to know exactly what conditions you will get. In the end it was decided to go down on sunday afternoon, perhaps catching some late afternoon light, but hopeful that the morning would see another frost, or at least some low lying mist. Leaving a grey and murky London behind, I wasn't particularly optimistic, but was surprised to be greeted in Kent by a think blanket of snow. 

The other surprise, was this vibrant splash of colour amongst all the white.

Creature Comforts

Part of the fun of writing this blog, is thinking up snappy titles for each post. Occasionally serious, but usually just a little bit silly, some pop straight into my head, while others require endless brain racking. This story however, had lots of contenders, from 'Pet Project' to 'Country Life/Living/Homes & Interiors' to 'Beam me Up'. Now that last one really would have been too silly.

On with the post. I've been working with Interior Designer, Sally Dernie, almost since her career started. From elegant drawing rooms to bachelor pads, family homes to chic apartments. Apart from gorgeous good taste, they all had one other thing in common, namely, they were all city homes. So it was great to be driving down winding lanes in Kent on my way to shoot a rather different project for her. It turns out that Sally, who has her own horse, rather likes the countryside, but there is also clearly a hint of urban sophistication in this project, which blends in beautifully with the beams. The owners of this house also keep horses, and dogs, and several cats, who all demanded their moment in the limelight before I was able to get down to serious work...

With such a menagerie, plus 3 young kids, this home couldn't afford to be too precious, and despite Sally's creative touches, it remains a rugged rustic retreat.

Even the outbuildings look great...

Autumnwatch

We seem to spend much of the year longing for summer, only to be deeply disappointed when it doesn't live up to our expectations. But in so many ways summer is the least interesting season. We think of gardens being festooned with flowers, but often they are at their height in spring, while the bright green leaves and shoots of April and May, have by July dulled down, only to re-ignite in September or October. It was on this basis that I chose to skip a season when deciding to return the Kentish garden I featured in my Garden of England post. It was worth the wait.

The Garden of England

I was down in Kent during the beautiful weather last week, visiting relatives. Luckily I had the camera with me, as it was the perfect spring day, and the garden was looking delightful. I think I'll have to return in summer, autumn and winter to complete the series.

On the subject of gardens, last year I visited Great Dixter in East Sussex. You can see my shots on my facebook page here. (You need to scroll down the page a bit!)