quiet moments while waiting.

January 22, 2014 | teamgloria

darlings

such a lovely 24 hours.

and even more precious because we are Waiting (sort of patiently) for Responses to Requested Ideas and so we *thought_hard* about new things to write about and carefully typed them up with references and everything and “hooks” (if you’re not familiar and not everyone Is with this term it means Timely which is Everything in journalism circles) and sent them out Into the World.

and now we wait. for a little while. because we are aware that we are Very fast when it comes to Ideas and the careful-typing-bit and so not Everyone (or even Anyone) expected our emails so soon.

plenty to do in the meantime – – – – –

fear not.

*winningsmiletocamera4*

we got up before Dawn this morning and drove East to see friends for breakfast and take a walk and enjoy the mellow sunshine (being not too naughty to gloat when there are snowstorms – brrrrr – in Many other places around the globe right now)

and last night we snuck down using the goods elevator to admire the pool at The Beverly Hills Hotel because our dear friend Barry (who had escaped the snowstorm on That Coast) was in Town with his niece Miss. S and he had invited yours truly as well as Mr. Chris and Mr. Victor and we had the MOST delicious time in, you guessed it, The Polo Lounge (note to non-existent sub-editor: chk: Polo reference? no horses or small mints with holes in them that we could see at all).

now we couldn’t take Photographs (it would be deeply frowned on by the hangers on surrounding their Talent charges which, we are happy to tell you, included a man-with-black-fingernails, a Movie Mogul and Miss. P. Anderson last night – all True) but we can tell you that the lobby is a symphony of beige (the good stuff, not a lack-of-imagination) softly intertwined with the Most flattering lighting for anyone over the age of 12.

and there you have it.

the slightly decadent life in L.A – as shown here by a stag (that is a stag, right?) atop of a Rather ornate surround that reminded one of a faded Estate in Tuscany that has been abandoned by the son and heir because he wanted to go and make pop videos for MTV in the 80s and is now lived in by the aged aunt who reads Dante and weeps into her tisane.

in other news:

we Tidied up a lot and threw away three bags (some of “trash” as the Americans call it – the others to be recycled into something New by the paper mill people, not us, and a bag of books to leave downstairs by the washing machines for another resident to Enjoy) not that we had any clutter to begin but it’s amazing how Invigorating cleaning and tidying can be while one is Waiting.

who-we-are-in-RL has a Very important call on Monday morning with someone Abroad so we decided to re-frame some of our work so we can have an extra nice background to the call (yup, it’s a video call, which usually she can’t cope with but the backdrop is such a Nice talking point that All Will Be Well).

there’s also lots of magazines to read and take close-up pictures of for our friends on Instagram.

even as the light fades slowly and rather beautifully like a Vermeer (or do you see another sort of light going on? it does feel Nordic actually, non?)

oh good!

this week’s column just came out.
so lots to do.

but what do we do a Lot while we Wait?

drink a lot of coffee.

unfortunately.

thank goodness for sweet baristas who amuse us with the pictures-in-foam.

small mercies, darlings, small mercies.

simon, tea, nancy mitford and the soothing sound of a ticking clock in the drawing room.

November 7, 2013 | teamgloria

darlings

the last few hours in London are passing Most Pleasurably.

meet simon.

of the Very Intelligent narrowed eye expression.

and a great *lookofftocameraTwo* gaze.

a splendid slump and a purr when finished writing in his moleskine.

we made tea (simon demurred in favo(u)r of a small sip of water for himself)

and gazed out into the very nice garden.

Thrilled to see some good friends.

simon enjoyed bits of cold comfort farm being read out while he snoozed. seriously – if one HAD to travel all the way to South Africa (although it is a glamorous proposition, we’re Aware), there is Not a nicer way to spend the last few hours with a simon, tea, nancy mitford, stella gibbons and a ticking clock.

we’ve known a few simons in our time but this one has to be the absolute Best.

just saying.

ok.

so we’re about to leave.

don’t expect to hear from us until we LAND in Cape Town sometime around teatime on Friday.

mainly because we managed to break *sighs* the US-to-UK electrical adaptor which means we are r u n n i n g out of j u i c e as the Americans say and won’t be able to re-charge until we can plug in the (hopefully more sturdy) US-to-SouthAfrican electrical adaptor device.

travel does broaden the mind but sometimes threaten the intellect.

see you below the Equator*

*right, non?

Most Excited.

almost autumn.

October 28, 2013 | teamgloria

darlings

we had a day of autumn here yesterday!

it was most exciting.

not an Entire Day, actually – because it was over by lunchtime, of course, when the sun finally came out.

but enough fruit-falling-feeling to herald a moment of Philip Larkin which we found here.

And now the leaves suddenly lose strength.
Decaying towers stand still, lurid, lanes-long,
And seen from landing windows, or the length
Of gardens, rubricate afternoons. New strong
Rain-bearing night-winds come: then
Leaves chase warm buses, speckle statued air,
Pile up in corners, fetch out vague broomed men
Through mists at morning.

And no matter where goes down,
The sallow lapsing drift in fields
Or squares behind hoardings, all men hesitate
Separately, always, seeing another year gone –
Frockcoated gentleman, farmer at his gate,
Villein with mattock, soldiers on their shields,
All silent, watching the winter coming on.

and, quite naturally, a reflective Feeling gives rise to a little Keats:

Ode To Autumn

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimmed their clammy cell.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir, the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft,
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

John Keats

and again, this morning, it was a slightly chilly start to the day and rather lovely as a consequence of waking early and spending a few moments just looking out of the window.

before getting down to work.

what’s the weather doing in your part of the world?

we note from the world-of-instagram that the sun is already faint over Berlin (both the metaphorical place that is forever Berlin and there where it really lives with its own trains and subways and skyline).

as we mourn the passing of Mr. Lou Reed who passed through his own autumn and reached the winter of his life too, too s o o n.

reasoning with no reason while dreaming of a pickled onion.

March 15, 2013 | teamgloria

darlings

we Often suspect that there are Other reasons for being places and going places and experiencing what is and wondering what might be and especially, when one is travel(l)ing – why one is There.

and yet we cannot work out the underlying reasoning behind this trip East.

medical, yes.

to see friends, definitely.

reminding ourselves that yes, 30 degrees is NOT the climate we thrive in ;-)

but there’s something more.

and we can’t quite Put our finger on it.

so we don’t.

sometimes reasoning requires no reason.

it just is.

*humbleBow* and *shySmile*

;-)

we have definitely enjoyed the Quietness of Brooklyn.

and time to have tea with Friends. with a great deal of waiting-for-results (medical) and dreaming-of-what-is-next (spirit-ness and inspiration-filled).

maybe that was it.

when going Away one appreciates the time that has passed and the progress (very american word, we *almost* say it with a short O these days, eek) that has been Made.

but mostly that one is at Home anywhere.

even inside one’s skin.

fancy that.

we’re flying back Tonight.

and it’s too cold to venture outside until we really have to.

so, on our last morning in brooklyn, we’ll be here – sitting quietly at the kitchen table, writing a novel, the only sound is the comforting tick tock of the clock.

and there’s a British chip shop (remember this?) near where we are staying so a pickled onion and a glance at the newspaper might be a splendid diversion and a carb-fest to ward off the freezing temperatures before we fly back to the Other Coast.

see you all on the other side for saturday’s adventures……

quelle brilliant brooklyn.

March 13, 2013 | teamgloria

so darlings we’re Quite Converted to brooklyn.

had Such a delicious day here – the morning was all taken up with a Visit with a deeply sophisticated friend (we met firstly in a cafe with a chandelier #weadoreachandelier) and then to admire their nouvelle 1930s white spare glorious pied a terre avec the manhattan skyline from the kitchen window *gasps* and had Ever such an inspiring conversation throughout…..most needed. most appreciated. most Kind.

isn’t it gorgeous?

so dreamy.

there were a few hours that were spent in Manhattan this afternoon – but we cannot divulge Those (as yet) – but there was talk of trim size and publication dates so One Might be able to guess as to Where we were.

But back to Brooklyn!

and for some delicious peace and quiet and a ticking clock in the kitchen and a cold blue sky from the window with soft light on parquet flooring near the bannisters upstairs and daffodils on the polished table and lots-and-lots-and-lots of books and yes, in a moment, a cup of tea too.

thank you B & L for looking after teamgloria.

Brooklyn is Rather Delightful.

and very good for shattered nerves after the medical experience of yesterday.

now Let us just take one last Look at That View of Manhattan again:

can’t you Just imagine waking up Very Early and slipping into a soft cotton robe (in eau de nil, perhaps – or bitter dark chocolate suede with a Contrasting Trim) then walking slowly (and elegantly) to the kitchen to brew coffee (one would need to grind the beans fresh, of course, with a view like this) and perhaps climbing out onto the fire-escape and hugging one’s knees and watching the dawn rise over the emerald city?

such an inspiring view to write in front of.

deliriously happy to have seen it.

and the hushed elegance of the apartment that bears such a Vista ahead.