An extended New York sojurn...

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New York has been interesting to say the least. I've had a lovely time experiencing shopping, the New York Philharmonic, great restaurants...and a hurricane...

Despite the fact that I should now be back in London, I am still her in NY as a result of Hurricane Sandy. I heard on Sunday afternoon that my Monday flight was cancelled (although I had already been anticipating that event) - and my first available flight out is not until Thursday.

So, after checking out of the hotel yesterday, I decamped to friends here in the city who live in Chelsea who kindly offered to put me up for a few days - and all was well until about 8pm last night when all of lower Manhatten lost power (and phones, and internet connections, and hot water....).

As of lunch time today we are still without power, though thankfully no other storm damage that has impacted on the city. We have temporarily ventured back uptown to the hotel in which I was staying in order to be able to re-charge electornic devices, check emails, and check the news status (and the odd blog here and there)...

Randomness...

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I'm having one of those weeks where my thoughts just seeming to be whirling around in a random manner. Here's a taste of what my brain has looked like over the last few days...

Trying to pin down an itinerary for NYC (one week to go!) This is mainly to ensure that I make sure I have the time to tick off all the things on my list - I'm trying to be strategic by grouping things by neighbourhood to be as efficient as possible with my time...

Wondering if it is awfully shallow of me to realise that many of my must-visit items on the NYC lists are shopping-related? (to be fair it is a nice mix of fabric shops, haberdashery shops, clothes, and homewares)...

Second highest frequency item on the list is restaurants....

And I have made time for at least one afternoon at the Met in order to see the American Galleries (which I am hoping are as fabulous as the British Galleries in the V&A)...

I've discovered that obtaining and actually loading cash onto a foreign currency travelling debit card was nearly as complicated as getting my British passport...

I'm still in a little bit of shock over the events in Sunday's episode of Downton...

Who knew that I could get the food network channel on freeview in the UK??? I've now become a fan of Barefoot Contessa...which is timely as I needed something to replace the Great British Bake Off...

I had orchestra overload on the weekend...LPO performance at Royal Festival Hall on Friday night...followed up by a rehearsal for the orchestra in which I play on Sunday afternoon (in preparation for our concert this coming Saturday)...and no, our performance is not going to be anywhere near the standard of the LPO...but if anyone is near Gloucester Road on Saturday night we raise money at our concerts for health-related charities...

Still wondering what the Alec Baldwin character in the Woody Allen film To Rome with Love was all about...was anyone else confused who has seen this film??? Was he reminiscing???

Martha Stewart Home Office in the UK...

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I have some unabashed love for Martha Stewart products - when I've travelled to the US in the past, I've usually returned with at least one item from her kitchen range. 

For some time now I've been lusting after her home office/stationery products - there is something about the fact that she brings together a favourite colour with the ability to have eye-pleasing ways to organise the daily detritus of life.

So, I was delighted to read in a magazine on the weekend, that Staples here in the UK is now carrying the Martha Stewart home office line...I think a few new products will help me look forward to the pile of filing that is awaiting me at the moment...

Canterbury Cathedral...

On the weekend I was in Kent for a friend's birthday party. On Sunday we had a few spare hours before we needed to head back to London, so we made the most of the gorgeous autumnal weather and visited Canterbury Cathedral. The whole cathedral precinct is beautiful - the various parts of the main cathedral building (the nave, the quire, the crypt) all had stunning historical architecture...and the lovely morning sun slanting through the windows lent a lovely light to bring out the all of the beautiful details. The high vaulted ceiling in the nave was particularly stunning. Once we ventured outside we could also enjoy the cloisters and some lovely gardens in cathedral close.

Unfortunately we had to be back in London by mid afternoon for another birthday party so didn't have time to explore the rest of Canterbury...which is really the perfect reason for another visit in the future...

Autumn in New York...

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It is October, the weather is getting cooler...and that means my trip to NYC is fast approaching. This time in 3 weeks I'll be hoping for some lovely autumnal sunny days for my little sojourn to this fabulous city.

I've been bookmarking blogs for must-see NYC sights, and have been working my way through Sibella Court's book, The Stylists Guide to NYC.

I've been to New York before, so I've done many of the standard tourist sights - but would love to hear of any of your suggestions for the less-standard tourist must-see's - be that brunch places, shops, sights, restaurants, neighbourhoods...

I look forward to hearing about your favourite sights and things to do...

The William Morris Gallery...

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On Sunday afternoon I ventured across London to Walthamstow to visit the recently re-opened William Morris Gallery with my friend, N. N is an architect, so it is always more interesting to visit a design-focused gallery with someone who actually knows what they are talking about!

The gallery is housed in a beautifully restored Georgian building (with some later Victorian additions), where Morris lived as a teenager. 

As evidenced by the ubiquitous blue plaque...

The gallery was an interesting mix of a chronology of Morris's life, including his position in the Arts and Crafts movement and within the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and also his process of design from conception to manufacture across a range of medium (fabric, carpet, furniture, ceramics etc).

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As we made our way around the gallery I found myself more drawn towards his more muted designs - those with only a small number of colours, but filled with the fine detail for which Morris was known.

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Whilst I'd been aware of his impact within interior design, I hadn't known that he had also designed various typefaces, and ran his own printing press for a time.

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He was a truly interesting and progressive man for his time - not just in terms of his design and creativity, but also in terms of his business acumen and his social/political ideals.

If you are in/near London and have a spare afternoon, the gallery is well worth a visit (and there is a lovely cafe in the gallery also).

...and then given it was Sunday, I headed home in the early evening for a cosy night at home - some warming comfort food, a glass of wine, and Downton Abbey...