By hook or by book...

Today we’re celebrating World Book Day with a collection of cartoons that remains chillingly appropriate.

A copy of the vintage volume, Nature Notes III, personally signed by Peter Brookes, the award-winning political cartoonist for The Times, is available at ShopCurious.

Here is a small selection of Brookes’ curiously clever, nature-themed illustrations from the book:





























A work of art, snapshot of history and collectable heirloom rolled into one, this publication certainly has style with brains.

Do you?

Perennial Summer style

At this time of year, it’s nice to wind down and relax in the sun, but in the Caribbean the sun shines all year round, and the curiously slow pace of life is a major attraction for tourists.

Looking out over London’s cloudy grey skies, I’m dreaming of the lazy days I spent a few months ago at the charming Antiguan resort of Galley Bay – a beachside paradise that’s a haven of eco-friendly style, with smiling, helpful and warm-hearted staff.

One day, I was soaking up the sounds of the sea over lunch, when a fashion show suddenly popped up in front of me. How refreshing to see naturally beautiful models of all shapes and sizes wearing swimwear, sarongs and brightly coloured holiday fashions.

It’s hardly surprising that the Caribbeans are so big on colourful clothing, what with all the amazing colours of nature in and around their stunning tropical islands.
































Anyway, I thought it would be rather fun to show the Maggio sisters’ handcrafted recycled jewellery from ShopCurious alongside the outfits I saw on the uniquely Caribbean catwalk.



The hand painted earrings with scenes from Italian gardens are curiously complemetary - but for a pretty finishing touch you could also add a locally picked flower, worn as a corsage.








By the way, the dresses are from a boutique in Heritage Quay, St John’s, called ‘gingerlily’ that specializes in casually elegant clothing for women, using cool and comfortable fabrics like linen, cotton and silk. And the menswear is available at a store called Nautica.

















And, how about some floral holiday nails too?




















I’m not entirely sure about these as men’s accessories – perhaps this single blossom earring might work… What d’you think?













Do you?

Flower filled Summer opera gardens

Summer opera festivals are a time to appreciate the joys of music and nature. Seasonal opera venues are usually in the grounds of magnificent country houses, each with their own uniquely beautiful gardens.

Italian is the traditional language of opera, so it’s hardly surprising that many famous opera gardens have a distinctly Italian flavour.










Garsington Manor’s Italian Garden Pool is one of the most romantic spots to share a pre-opera picnic, amongst classical style stone statues, whilst enjoying sweeping vistas over the Oxfordshire countryside.





Although the opera is moving to pastures new next year, you’ll still be able to visit the garden through the National Gardens scheme, as well as local events.

The house and gardens were restored from near dereliction by the wonderfully eccentric Lady Ottoline Morrell and her husband, Philip, who mixed with London’s Bloomsbury set in the 1920s. Lady Ottoline, a six foot tall redhead sounds curiously fascinating. She was described by Vita Sackville-West as, “a very queer personality…with masses of purple hair, a deep voice, teeth like a piano keyboard and the most extraordinary assortment of clothes, hung with barbaric necklaces… a born
bohemian.”


I was wondering about her exploits as I took a stroll around the kitchen garden, sipped a glass of champagne beside the pretty dovecote, and soaked up the scent of classic passion red coloured roses…









Grange Park Opera in Hampshire is rather different, sitting as it does amidst a working agricultural estate, owned by the Baring family. Lord Ashburton apologized for the curious appearance of surrounding fields this year, as sheets of biodegradable wrap covered the maize crop to prevent damage by late frosts...




Ingeniously, the plants grow up through the cover, which eventually disintegrates into the soil. You can see the difference in the amount of greenery that’s visible from these two photographs, taken only a week apart.








Although GPO, as it’s affectionately known, isn't quite so Italianate, it’s got some really dramatic features, like the stunning cedar tree, which becomes ever more magical as the light fades in the evening.











I’m also especially fond of the little twinkling trees at twilight, but then I’m a sucker for anything sparkly.







The opera season at Glyndebourne has an altogether more international following, but the gardens are decidedly English.









Artists in residence have also added their unique touches to the landscape and house, in the form of paintings, photographs and sculptures – like Nic Fiddian-Green’s imposing monumental horse heads.




Here you’ll spot elegantly dressed opera goers picnicking by the lake, beside a field of sheep (grazing on the other side of the the ha-ha), or under the monkey puzzle tree.












Others wile away the afternoon by wandering around the grounds, enjoying the authentic charm of country garden style and the natural beauty of the Summer flowers.






If you’re London based, Holland Park has its own opera season, whilst The Garden Opera company hosts events across the country, including London – they’ll even put one on in your back garden, if you so desire.







By the way, when it comes to finding appropriately dressy accessories for a grand operatic occasion, may I suggest some of the exquisite handmade wooden rings by the Maggio sisters at ShopCurious. With delicately hand painted images in the style of Old Master paintings, each of their Italian garden inspired rings is a one-off work of art. They’re great as special gifts and keepsakes too, especially if you're keen to revive fond memories of flower filled Summer opera gardens.

Are you?

Nature's rare accessories

The tree of knowledge, eh? At Chelsea Flower Show a wicker sculpture (the sort of thing you might see festooned with tempting floral treats in a department store), formed the centerpiece of a ‘biodiversity display’. The aim: to seduce the public into doing anything and everything to encourage insects and birds to visit their gardens. However, only certain plants and flowers appeal to butterflies and bees... and possibly not the likes of this strangely inventive creation.

These days, all ‘great ideas’ seem to require celebrity endorsement. The tree of knowledge was no exception, with luvvies like Jeremy Irons and Greg Wise offering their penny’s worth. Mr Wise even penned a rather luvverly poem, imploring us to ‘be less tidy’, ‘let things rot’ and ‘embrace decay’. Cheers, Greg!





My favourite gardens are invariably where the wild things are. A stunning entry at the show was L’Occitane's Provencal garden with its luxurious lavender beds – great for bees… plus wonderfully gnarled olive trees and ruggedly unadulterated rocky terraces. M&G's traditional English garden was nice, and, I suppose, guaranteed to be a winner – being the show's official sponsor and all of that.





And Leeds City Council's garden, sponsored by Hesco Bastion, was awesomely overgrown, with the rather contrived addition of a model canal lock (I can’t imagine that was entirely cast from eco-friendly materials?)

Anyway, seeing these delightfully unkempt plots reminded me that the winged insect I haven’t seen much of in recent years (despite living by the river) is the dragonfly. Dragonflies apparently gobble up all manner of curious bugs, okay they eat some butterflies and bees too - but also mosquitoes, which could come in handy with global warming. They’re curiously colourful as well, and imbued with symbolism and cultural significance in many parts of the world.





At ShopCurious, we’ve been promoting the benefits of naturally beautiful things for ages, which is why we’ve got plenty of nature inspired jewellery and accessories on offer - this unique Art Nouveau style dragonfly brooch being the perfect example.

Knowledge may be a dangerous thing, but birds and bees are a safe bet any day. I reckon seeing a few more dragonflies might be good news for biodiversity too.

Do you?

The curious accessories of Spring, tra-la!

I’m curious to know whether or not Goldfinches migrate, as they seem to return to the olive tree on my terrace every year. Last year the tree was used twice by the birds. It’s quite a responsibility having a nest of vulnerable little chicks just outside your window, especially if there are nasty magpies and crows about – but two successive broods of tiny chirping balls of fluff in one season can make life positively stressful.



Although one baby bird stayed in the nest until it grew so fat it was almost bigger than its temporary home, the most nail-biting time was when the chicks first left the nest. Most alarming of all, was the moment when one of the tiny birds, newly out of its nest and still being trained to fly, got stuck in a corner, behind a big plant pot - unable to fly upwards and over the glass screening around the terrace.

Several other birds (possibly parents, or from the same family) were equally distressed, but also unable to coax the bird out from behind the pot. It was particularly worrying that the apartment next door had a couple of cats. Eventually, the poor little bird was unceremoniously prodded to safety with the help of a long bamboo stick and then carefully lifted up and thrown into the air, whereupon a protective flock of fellow finches flew out of nowhere to surround the bird and encourage it on its way – an extraordinary act of nature and love that brought spontaneous tears of joy to my eyes.

The little creature flapped furiously and flew upwards and upwards… then faltered and crash-landed, inelegantly, in an even more confined space between a glass screen and window on a balcony of the building opposite. The concierge was duly called. The neighbours were away for the weekend, so there was nothing that could be done – apart from fretting. The amazing thing was that at least one bird kept watch over the little chick the whole time it was stuck in the crevice. The poor bird must have eventually regained enough strength to fly off, as at some stage during the following day, it simply disappeared.

I love this time of year: Nature’s so fascinating and it’s incredibly uplifting to hear the birds singing, especially in the early evening when, until very recently, it was totally dark. Goldfinches also have a rather quirky and amusing, yet strangely beautiful, way of flying – like they’re swimming the breaststroke in mid-air and then suddenly stopping and starting again...

If you’re also a bird lover, you might like the Hatastic Easter Bonnet that’s available at ShopCurious. Crafted from recycled bits and pieces, rather like a genuine bird’s nest, this unique creation has also been lovingly handmade. A totally original hat to wear to a Spring wedding or to Summer events, this eco-friendly fascinator is simply ‘eggcellent’. Just make sure there aren’t any broody birds around.

Will you?

Shell out on style

The treasures discovered on my recent visit to the V&A textile stores (click on the pics to enlarge) included a surrealist style 'ceremonial hat for eating bouillabaisse'.






Dating from 1936, this extraordinary hat was made by Eileen Agar, a friend of Salvador Dali. Now specially boxed up, and carefully kept in a temperature controlled, secure environment, the elaborate shell and coral encrusted curiosity must surely be worth a bob or two...


However, in addition to the quirky fish bone decoration, I couldn’t help noticing a couple of rather tacky plastic things (see right) attached to the hat, that looked suspiciously like Christmas cocktail party swizzlers – were they really from the 1930s?





This made me wonder if the vintage (1990s) anemone adorned hat lurking at the bottom of my wardrobe was, perhaps, just a tad more tasteful?







Anyway, as we’re talking about crustaceans, I thought I’d mention Caroline Perrin’s magnificently stylish shell creations, several of which are now available at ShopCurious.

Each of these exquisitely handmade, decorative shell boxes is totally individual - and completely covered in naturally beautiful seashells, sourced from remote beaches around the world.





If you’re able to shell out a little more than usual, I can guarantee your mother would love one of these as a really special gift for Mothers’ Day.








Timeless in style and useful too, these boxes are just the sort of pieces that should be highly collectable in years to come. Gimmicky fashion is fun, but fine quality craftsmanship, authentic materials and simple, practical design may prove to be a much more sensible investment.

Will you?