OMM: roof with a view

First in a series: on the rooftop of the magical OMM hotel, in Barcelona, as guests of my best friend from childhood, Sheila, and her husband, Steven Fein (my boyfriend and I introduced them when we were all about 15. The boyfriend and I split up after six weeks - we're still friends - but Reader, she married him!). She's a wonderful, prolific, passionate artist, full of imaginings, but more about that later.

The hotel is directly across from Gaudi's Casa Milà, also known as La Pedrera. More about that later, too. This being a series. I'm just feeling so grateful to them for that memory, and hoping to go back - with them, and my husband - someday soon.

meditate on this: cup

Part of a series, inspired by a peacock in Holland Park.

Something to mediate on, as I near the completion of my screenplay adaptation of my novel. And, another gift for you, George Harrison singing My Sweet Lord. Shanti shanti.

fluoro filofan

I remember getting my first Filofax: I was visiting London from NY with my English boyfriend, it was the 80s, and I got mine in basic black, of course. I felt very grown up.
I still have the Filofax, and Reader, I married the boyfriend.
And now, decades later, living in London, I am the proud owner of a FLUORO PINK, genuine leather, Filofax. The original. New and Improved. The 21st Century version.
I can't tell you how much it cheers me up: this weather is the pits. It's not just London - I'm hearing it's the same in NY, across America.. not to mention the Twisters, the Hurricanes.. I don't have to tell you. Today's outlook is 'Outbreaks of rain affecting most. Misty in the east.'





Even in the warm places.. I'm seeing 18 degrees for Rome, 20 for Barcelona.. which means nothing to me if it's not in Fahrenheit, and I can't find the conversion, but I know it's not great. Not for a day or two before JUNE.
So there's one of two ways we can go about this, I feel. Besides booking a short holiday to an Italian island - which I've done - I can sulk, or I can wear fluoro. I choose the latter.
I equate it to sacrificing lambs, or first born daughters, at a temple on top of the tallest mountain. Every day, rain or shine, I wear something bright. It might be a jumper, it might just be nail varnish (shown here, by Model's Own- I like pairing pink and orange. And I love pink with green, esp. lime, like my lovely lime Tina clutch, by #IJ). It's too cold for my hot pink plastic sandals, of course. At the very least, I can wear my hot pink watch, or carry my hot pink Filofax.




Shortly after we moved to London, I met Elle Macpherson socially. She took down my number. I'm not  telling this story to name drop about Elle, but rather the thing that impressed me most: she reached into this gigundous bag, and pulled out a hot pink Smythson book, and wrote down my number. Wasted half a page on me (and no, Reader, she never did call). But the luxury of that big pink book stayed with me to this day. Pink leather feels like the height of luxury, but a Filofax is more than a book, because of the nooks and crannies. 
It's a clutch, with pages.

Speaking of watches, my husband's been saying he's noticed that 'kids' (i.e. anyone under 25) have stopped wearing watches. He's noticed that when people want to know what time it is, they look at their phone. I think that's so sad. I love the quaint, 20th century items, like watches, like proper diaries. Yes, I have a digital one on my laptop, but it's not the same.
The thing about my Fluoro Filofax is, it's leather. It HOLDS things. I can use it like a clutch, put my passport in it, money, credit cards.. it's got a RULER, for goodness sake. It's a thing of beauty, a joy forever, and while I don't love my basic black one any less - it's older than most bloggers - I love this one.. okay, I admit it. I'm a Fluoro FiloFan.
So if it's raining where you are, and it's not a pool day, let a smile be your umbrella. If we all wear something Fluoro, who knows, maybe collectively we'll WILL the sun to come out.