Films, house tours, fashion, and a weekend that arrived just in time
Is it just me, or does Friday afternoon feel like the first real breath of the week? Not because the week has been impossible or my schedule has been impossible to manage, but just because. Yesterday arrived and something in me unclenched. I exhaled. The shoulders droped a half inch. I think perhaps this happens to many of us.
This week the exhale felt different, though. Heavier, maybe. Two things have been sitting with me, and I want to share them briefly before we get to the good stuff, because this space has always been about the whole of life, not just the pretty parts. Skip ahead if you are hear for the pretty, uplifting parts of the blog.
My stepfather is 86. This week my mother has been talking with his doctors about hospice. Yes, I know hospice is not what it used to be, one can live some time in hospice or just a short while. I am not going to share the details of his health because they are not mine to share, but I will say this: he has lived a full and interesting life. He has traveled the world, he has done everything he set his mind to, he had a remarkable career, and he has been loved by two wonderful families. By any measure, that is a life well lived. And still. Are we ever really ready to say goodbye? I do not think we are. That is simply the hardest part of loving someone.
The other thing is a friendship, or what I thought was one, that did not turn out to be what I believed it was. I suspect I knew. The signs were there and I chose not to see them. And if I am being honest, I am more dissapointed in myself than her. This is why I guard my space and my time and the circle of people I let close.
Enough of my venting. Kim, Juliet, and I always have things to share, so let us meander.
At the Cinema
South Solarit stayed with me long after the credits. Miranda Otto plays Meredith Appleton, an unmarried woman of 35 who arrives in 1927 on a stark, windswept lighthouse island off the coast of Australia to serve as housekeeper to her uncle George, a strict and cantankerous man newly appointed as head lighthouse keeper. Her uncle is played by Barry Otto, Miranda’s real-life father, which adds something to every scene between them that no amount of casting could manufacture. The island is as much a character as either of them. Spare, beautiful, uneasy.
I only just discovered Golden Years. A mischievous couple, retired, who have decided to spice things up by breaking into wealthy homes and throwing themselves parties inside them. Pressure mounts. Families are not amused. The authorities are less so.
House Tours
Emma Burns of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler has one of the most extraordinary homes I have seen in a long time. House & Garden brought us inside her country house in Oxfordshire, a former dovecote transformed into a weekend getaway, and what she has done with it is the kind of thing that makes you stop and look at your own space differently. You enter through an unassuming door on a quiet village street and suddenly you are somewhere else entirely. “I’m surprised every time I see it,” she says. I believe her completely.
And then there is this fabulous Tuscan home. Keith spent many years as the visionary buyer-at-large for Anthropologie, and his eye for beauty did not stop at the shop floor. He and Glen, the company’s former CEO, fell in love with a centuries-old home in Tuscany the moment they saw it, and what Keith has done with it is exactly what you would expect from someone who has spent a lifetime understanding how objects carry stories. Every piece in the house reflects a deep appreciation for craft, history, and the hands that shaped it. Outside, old chestnut trees shade charming guest cottages, a pool looks out over rolling hills, and the garden feels like Tuscany itself distilled into one effortless space. This one will stop you mid-scroll.
Fashion
This one is for the fashion lovers among us. Behind the scenes in Paris for a couture photoshoot for The Sunday Times Style. They brought us along for all of it: the beauty looks, the hair, the Armani Privé and Balenciaga runway pieces, and the chaos of shooting six couture looks against the clock.
What I Have Been Thinking About
What 30 Days in Sweden Taught Me About Happiness. I will let the title do the work. I watched this earlier in the week and am still thinking about it.
And One More Thing
Be sure to visit Kim over at Northern California Style and Juliet at Make Mine a Spritzer. They always have something worth reading, and this week is no exception.
That is everything from me this week. I hope this mornings post gave you something good to settle into. Tell me: is there a film you have watched lately that surprised you? Or a house tour that sent you straight to YouTube for the next two hours?
Follow along on Pinterest and Instagram. for more of the things I am loving this week.
On My Radar:
Hospice people are saints on earth.
I was betrayed by two people. I was stunned when this happened. I was able to rebuild one relationship, cautiously, after significant time passed. The other I could not. They left holes in my heart.
I am sorry about your stepfather, Elizabeth. Happy that he was loved by many.
Thanks again for all the interesting recommendations.
Does not matter how old they are, if you love someone it’s heartbreaking knowing the end is near. Hoping for peaceful days for your stepfather and comfort for your mum.
Your blog is always so meaningful and full of grace. And the thoughtful responses are appreciated.
Friends-oh boy. I just uttered-” I only want to be surrounded by dogs and babies”. But we know we need them, some come and some go, some stay forever because we know both theirs & our boundaries.
Family is another animal…
Hospice can bring the best and worst out as well. I have been through it with my parents , and I never want to go through it again. Leaves deep scars-so give yourself respite.
Thank you for your recommendations of what to watch- they all look like just what we need this weekend.
cheers fine ladies-have a lovely day
Hello ! Thank you for your film and book recommendations. We love to watch a good series or movie most nights and it’s fun to find something new.
Yes, not all friends can be kept. I abandoned one a few years ago. She was always angry, not at me, but at the world. I could no longer be the sounding board for all that, so I drifted away, with intention. And I feel better. Best thoughts for you and your relatives as you negotiate the hospice move.
Hi Elizabeth,
Thinking of you as you navigate hospice care. I have been there at the end of life when you realise relationships are just not as loving as you would want or led to believe. It is very tough. Be very kind to yourself during this time. I recommend all of Elin Hilderbrand books as they are books to escape into. Thank you for the wonderful videos’ I will enjoy those!
Elizabeth, I’m sorry to hear your step-father. It sounds like he’s had a wonderful life and is well loved by people he can count on to make the most of the time he has left. Friendships are tricky, aren’t they? I’m sorry for your disappointment and hope your exhale into the weekend brings you peace and joy with your loving family of the two and four legged variety. xoxo
Hi Elizabeth,
It’s so hard when we hear our loved one is entering Hospice. Your step father sounds like a great man. This is so hard on your mother and the entire family. My thoughts are with you.
Friends can be tricky, when we look the other way and we see signs that’s the start of not being in like. You want to give it a chance. I have been there. Sending warm hugs to you.
Katherine, thank you my friend for your thoughts and wisdom. Friends are tricky indeed and sometimes disappointing.
My step-father is a wonderful man and I am blessed to have had him in my life for over 40 years.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Elizabeth, I am so sorry to hear about your stepfather. It is true that Hospice is not what it used to be, having just experienced it with my mom this past June. She resisted out of fear, I think, but then it turned out the timing was just what we needed, and they truly are the most wonderful people on earth. They brought us all so much peace and comfort in those last days. I hope that you find that too! I’ll be thinking of you.
Friendships are sometimes not what we think…and out of nowhere, just seem to disappear. It’s painful for sure. But I think it says more about the person choosing it than the person left confused. We never really know….
I hope this week brings you some joy!
xo
annie
Annie, I am so sorry about the loss of your mother. I cannot even imagine. My step-father is resisting as well. He is convinced he is “on the mend” and who is to say he is not, not likely at 86 but one never knows. Hospice workers are angels on earth, their strength, care and fortitude for the patient and the families is like nothing else.
As for friendships, they are tricky things.
HAve a wonderful week Annie and thank you for kind comment and sentiments. I so appreicate them.
Elizabeth, I am so sorry to hear about your step-father. He sounds like an amazing guy. Hospice was so helpful when my grandmother was in her last months. They really made her pain less and I felt she got more care than before. I hope that will be the case for him too.
I’m so sorry about the friendship. Ugh so disappointing sometimes. I have less patience for that at my age, and honestly move on. Life is too short to spend time with people who don’t treat you like you treat them. If someone isn’t adding to your life, you know.
Love all the films! I will save these to watch. Adore Emma’s house and Keith’s tour one of my favorites. The Balenciaga shoot was so fun!
I hope you have a good week. So sorry I was late to this.
Sending you hugs, Kim