mood

Some things on my mind: Mismatched nails in the style of Chloe Dennis (one of the subjects on Anne Bernecker's blog). Which on closer inspection is actually a bit of a red herring as instead of having painted one hand set of nails baby blue and the other a gentle peach as I had first thought, one of the hands has been completely chipped with a few tell-tale flakes left on the nails. Girl after my own heart! Only because this is a refreshing sign of laziness that I recognise in myself. Still, I digress because painting my nails baby blue and peach is exactly what I will do.

Maja Casablancas' feast of mussels, king prawns and white wine. If one day I woke up as Maja Casablancas, after the initial confusion I think I'd be able to live with the Freaky Friday turn of events because this girl seems to have it so right with her nice little apartment in Oslo, natural handsome-ness and regular delicious dinners with friends. My 20 year love affair with food continues to blossom as I just booked myself onto a bread-making workshop next month which I am very excited about. I spent part of today sneakily reading The River Cottage Handbook dedicated to Bread in a bookshop and learning about the pros and cons of dried vs fresh yeast and the possibility of using mineral instead of tap water.

Orange lipstick is an ongoing interest but after returning from traveling with much blonder hair (thanks to the sunshine..and John Freida's Sheer Blonde Lightening shampoo and spray) and a nice tan it seems the most suitable and un-barbieish lipstick option for the Summer. I may just have to put my money where my mouth is and buy MAC's famous Morange shade but for now the quest for something cheaper and just as satisfying continues.

The fantastic Bauhaus Archiv in Berlin. (thank you to Jess for the suggestion)

Old computers in a shop window on Kastanienallee in Berlin.

The all-white poloneck and shorts outfit from a nice spread in the July issue of French Elle.

Chloe Sevigny's change of colour. Although I will always regard her as a true blonde at heart, I think this is a good look. She is so associated with her blonde hair, and whether or not it was for a film role I think it's healthy to push yourself out of your comfort zone when it comes to hair. In my experience you're usually glad after a change, it's rare I've regretted doing something different. It is also interesting to note how people respond differently when you have a different hair colour. I remember reading a silly little feature in US Ellegirl that surveyed the different reactions a journalist got from men when she went from blonde to brunette to redhead, and although (crucially!) I can't remember what the results were I certainly think there is some weight to the theory of different initial behaviour towards the different hair colours. It's quite possible I'm overanalysing or projecting but since going blonde I feel like strangers find me more approachable. I shall continue to observe for the sake of this theory.