Isabella Rossellini

Another wee thing we got up to in London was a trip to the Natural History Museum where there is an amazing exhibition called Sexual Nature.
If you get the chance, do go and see it! It's brilliantly curated, and has the BEST videos of Isabella Rossellini dressing up as different animals and acting out the way they reproduce! The costumes are hilarious and I love the fact that all the props are so hand made and low budget. I am now a little obsessed with Isabella Rossellini and am showing everyone the films.

One of my favourites was about duck sex, which I've always found pretty appalling and a sad state of affairs for the female of the species. How wrong was I.....

I also love the one about the bees:

If you go to the Natural History Museum you'll get snails, and praying mantis and all sorts of other Isabella Rossellini "green porn"!

Belated London greetings

I had a break through last week.

I fell in love with London. It's true.

Ever since my time in New York I didn't think it was possible to find somewhere as energising and exciting. I went to London straight after my New York adventure and thought it was the worst, but I think it was a case of the wrong place (ie. the wrong part of London for me) at the wrong time (straight after the time of my life!) but this time my friends showed me how great it can be. And now I long for another London adventure!

We went down for James' birthday and had so many treats! One of the best was going to see Shirley Collins at the WOW festival at The Southbank.

She did readings from her book America Over Water (which is a lovely read) interspersed with the photographs and recordings her and Alan Lomax made on their travels down through some of the southern states of the USA.
She is an incredibly inspirational woman, and some of the music and encounters she described and played had me in tears. WOW indeed.


Here is one of her and Alan Lomax's recordings:
Midnight Special by Huddie Ledbetter

Bamboozled

Geeeeeee Whiz...

We've been trying to dig up a bamboo root this weekend, and by golly it's strong. We have got through two spades and think there might be a couple more to go yet, but we have determination and we are desperate to get a raised bed in before it's too late to start planting.

Anyway, it made me think about my Aunty's intrepid adventures to India, where she tells me the scaffolding is made with bamboo. Like this: 

It's SO strong, no wonder its such a pain to get it out.

I've started to wonder if digging it up was SUCH a good idea after seeing this:

 Isn't it beautiful?! What a useful resource...I just wonder what the roots look like to get shoots that huge.

Other good things from this week are:

Emily from Tracer Trails has started an archive for all those brilliant DIY posters in Scotland, I've put a few on from my Bowery days. It's so nice to share the efforts of talented folk.

Also, this idea stirs the heart (hoho)

I'm going down to London this week, so if anyone has any suggestions of good things that are on at the moment, do tell. I'm excited to see friends and also hoping to see some of WOW.

Happy Sunday sleeping to you.

Rx

Toad and Ruth part iii

We're back! This week I feel like I've been a bit frantic, so I've had a bit of a last minute dash for a playlist with a little help from my friends. Let's hope Toad has some treats up his sleeve.

Listen in HERE

1. Devotchka - All The Sand In All The Sea
2. Golden Ghost - Plain Sight
3. Ermit Bloch - Dorothy - Demo
4. Ermit Bloch - Dorothy - New version
5. Thao & Mirah (featuring tUnE-YarDs) - Eleven
6. Powerdove - Sickly City
7. The Moldy Peaches - Anyone Else But You
8. Roger Manning - Pearly Blues
9. Girls - Thee Oh So Protective One
10. Brown Brogues - I Just Don't Know
11. The Louche FC - Back Bedroom Casualty
12. Dum Dum Girls - He Gets Me High
13. Psychedelic Horseshit - Unseen Voids
14. Active Child - When Your Love Is Safe
15. The Red River - Apple Valley
16. Husband - Feelings

Necessary Accessory

For Christmas, I received the most beautiful bike I can imagine, complete with wicker basket and brown leather seat.

My only problem is, my oh so practical and very important helmet just does not do it justice! I've been doing some research and here are some of my favourite accessories at the moment:

1. Wouldn't it be nice if we could use these instead of locking up?
2. Or being pretty in the snow...
3. How about this for a bit of fun?
4. Who needs a wing mirror when you can have a ring mirror!
5. I love this amazing idea for jazzing up reflectors as pretty bows. It might be nice on your jacket too!  They come in a variety of colours at onetwothreespeed
6. Ignore number one, I REALLY want one of these, what a pretty idea
7. Ooooh, I find this phrenology helmet a bit creepy, but great for a science friend!       .
8. Bobbin Bicycle do it again with this Mr Ben style Bowler hat...brilliant! Check out their Sherlock Holmes helmet too.

Toad and Ruth 2011 part deux

Toad and I are back for another week of fun and games.
You can listen to our antics here:

http://www.freshair.org.uk/

Here are the tracks we're playing, as we go along...

1. TuneYards - Bizness
2. Joni Mitchell - Little Green
3. The Honey Pies - Get It Right
4. Dr. Dog - The Breeze
5. The Leg - Twitching Stick
6. Zed Penguin - This Town
7. Dusty Springfield - I Think It's Gonna Rain
8. Leonard Cohen - Hey, that's no way to say goodbye
9. SeeFeel - Dead Guitars
10. Dirty Projectors & David Byrne - Knotty Pine
11. Wolf Eyes - Track 1
12. Active Child - Body Heat (So Far Away)

Sunday supplement

I can't believe the weekend is coming to a close. What a nice one it has been.
James and I shared the biggest plate of nachos yesterday then felt we had to do something to deserve it, so cleared the garden ready for planting and growing. We found so many little shoots from bulbs crying out for sunshine and spring time. What a symbol of positivity!

Today we got on our bikes and I picked up a sweet red cashmere cardigan and tweed skirt from a charity shop, had coffees and then made our way back to have an evening of music and booking flights for our holiday to Malta and Sicily!
I can't wait to see Mount Etna, it feels like a dream that there could be an active volcano so near.

 
In other news Matthew and I started back on our radio show on Thursday. It was so much fun to get back in the swing and hang out with the toad again! I played a song by Active Child which I've fallen in love with. Here it is for listening and sharing:

 Active Child-I'm In Your Church At Night


Happy Monday to you all x