#The Wimbledon Bardot

[wordacrosstime]

Especially When It Snows

by Michael Spring

This is a brief and true story of heartache and injustice, a tragedy that stretched over generations. It is one of those stories that prods at your sleep, etches itself into views and places, and finally leaves you shouting at the moon.

My part in the story is simply that of an observer. I have traced down some of the links, read some of the poetry, wept silently at the rank injustice that surrounded these few connected individuals. The only good thing to come out of it was the poetry – a few desperate quanta of light, somehow not gathered into the black hole - but let me begin the story where I started.

The Only Blonde in the World is a painting by an artist called Pauline Boty. It’s part of the collection of works held by Tate Britain, and its subject is Marilyn Monroe. I’d walked by it a few times, liked its confident presence and its understated enthusiasm for a woman who in her own lifetime became more legend than reality.

I was reminded of it when I – by accident – wandered around the small exhibit dedicated to Marilyn Monroe at the National Portrait Gallery in 2012. There was a photo there of Pauline Boty with her painting. I decided to try to find out some more.

Pauline Boty was beautiful, like the subject of her painting (Michael Seymour and Lewis Morley’s photos of her are in the National Portrait Gallery). Her friends called her the Wimbledon Bardot for her resemblance to the legendary Brigitte. She was talented too, and followed up her time at Wimbledon Art College by moving to the Royal College of Art. And there she started painting and drawing her contemporary heroes – Monroe, Jean-Paul Belmondo, the Rolling Stones – as well as assembling collage and other multi-media works that emerged from her course, nominally concerned with stained glass.

In London, she took wing. Her work featured in an exhibition, Young Contemporaries, with Robyn Denny, Richard Smith and Bridget Riley. With her fellow artist Derek Bolshier, she was accepted, after auditioning, to appear as a dancer on the TV Show of the moment – Top of the Pops. She got to know Peter Blake, later to design the cover of the Beatles’ Sergeant Pepper LP, Bob Dylan, Kenneth Tynan, David Frost. She was one of the few women amongst the pop art movement, and she was also an actress, good enough and photogenic enough to get a cameo role in Alfie as one of Michael Caine’s girlfriends.

And then she fell in love.

After 10 days of knowing Clive Goodwin, they decided to get married and in 1965, unexpectedly and at the age of 28, she found she was pregnant. She also found that she had cancer.

She refused all treatment, and instead determined to have her baby, a girl, who became known as Boty Goodwin. Pauline Boty died five weeks after the birth.

Boty was brought up by Clive and her grandparents, often staying with the family of the left-wing poet, Adrian Mitchell, whose daughters became firm friends.

12 years after her mother’s death, her father (the publisher of Black Dwarf and a successful TV and film producer) was in Hollywood, meeting with Warren Beatty in a big hotel there to discuss the forthcoming film Reds. Clive Goodwin felt unwell and in the lobby was sick and collapsed. Hotel staff and police who were called thought he was drunk – he’d actually had just one glass of wine – and threw him into a cell where he died alone, of a brain haemorrhage.

Boty grew up and emerged as a talented woman like her mother. She completed a first degree at the University of California in Los Angeles. (The eventual settlement from her father’s death had made her financially independent). And when she came back to the UK, she stayed with Adrian Mitchell and his family. She was offered post-graduate scholarships at UCLA in two subjects, literature and fine art.

Returning to California, she was given heroin at a party, and died of an overdose in her sleep.

In response, Adrian Mitchell wrote some heart-wrenching poetry, the best of which is Especially when it snows, which should be read in full, but contains these lines of heartbreak:-

especially when it snows and down the purple pathways of the sky the planet staggers like King Lear with his dead darling in his arms

It would be hard to make up such a tale of injustice and suffering, a tale in which so many bright lights are extinguished with a callousness that makes me think that if there is a god, I want nothing to do with him.

The Only Blonde in the World is part of the collection at Tate Britain. The poetry of the late Adrian Mitchell is published by Bloodaxe in the UK. You can search on YouTube to see and hear Adrian Mitchell reading his anti-war poem, Tell me lies, at the Albert Hall in 1965.

Image (c) Estate of Michael Seymour 1962, from National Portrait Gallery Collection NPG x88193. Extract from Especially When It Snows (c) Estate of Adrian Mitchell / Bloodaxe.

Michael Spring

wordsacrosstime

15 January 2021

[mariaclaragomez276]

Where the SLH Team are dreaming of going

For a team that talks travel on a daily basis, months spent in lockdown has given us all an extra dose of wanderlust. From dream destinations to old favourites, travel has very much been on our minds. In need of some inspiration? When it’s safe for us to see the world again, here is where we’ll be heading…

EMEA Team

Richard Hyde – Chief Operating Officer

Venice (for my short haul city fix) Jersey ( for my staycation ) Tulum (for my resort chillax)

Jessica Sparkes – Head of Digital Performance

Barcelona, Spain: I want lots of delicious tapas, sunshine and beautiful city strolls – finishing the day with rooftop cocktails at The Wittmore.

Cotswolds, UK: I want to take my pooch on a Cotswold staycation at The Fish. We will enjoy country walks, pub grub and escape the London hustle.

Koh Samui, Thailand: Last time I was in Koh Samui I was 21, years later I want to go back in style and relax on the beach at Cape Fahn – the most beautiful island and ocean view villas!

Chloe Frost-Smith – Digital Image & Content Executive

What better way to while away summer days than with rosé in hand on the French Riviera? I am dreaming of lavender season in Provence with a splash in the pool at Hôtel Crillon le Brave, riding horses on the beach in Camargue, and living out my Brigitte Bardot fantasies by eating Tarte tropézienne for breakfast at Hôtel Lou Pinet in Saint Tropez. I would also love to read a good book under the lemon trees at Casa Angelina on the Amalfi Coast, or try an alfresco pizza-making class on the rustic estate of Castello di Reschio in Tuscany.

Closer to home, my firm favourite for a staycation is the Farncombe Estate in the Cotswolds – I’m a country girl at heart. Looking further ahead to September, I have a trip planned to Sardinia – and would love to go into Hygge hibernation at Storfjord in Norway this winter for some Scandi skiing.

Abi Tottenham-Smith – Head of Social Media

Surrounded by the vineyards and beautiful countryside in Piedmont and Villa La Madonna…

A road trip up to Scotland in a camper-van, mixed with a couple of nights of luxury at Greywalls Hotel…

A beach retreat in Greece – can’t decide where yet but somewhere to switch off and relax for a week in the sunshine…

Maddy Morgan – Director of PR Worldwide

I can’t wait to get back to … Portugal, it’s my home from home but I’ve never been to Porto so Hotel Infante Sagres and Carmo’s Boutique Hotel beckon.

I dream of being in … Bali, it’s where I honeymooned and I’d love to take my children there and stay overlooking the jungle at Viceroy Bali.

I am going to … Provence, I’m looking forward to enjoying the space and freedom of a dispersed hotel at Hôtel Crillon le Brave.

I’m bringing back my bucket list wish to go to … New Zealand, to find adventure, taste wine and discover amazing hotels like Bay of Many Coves.

Daniel Luddington – Vice President of Development

I miss Wimbledon this year – but am playing tennis three times a week at the moment to make up for it, and indulging in strawberries and cream (with Pimms!) – so a tennis getaway at Cromlix Hotel in Scotland, (owned by Andy Murray) would be the ultimate tennis fix right now.

For a family holiday, I fancy the Greek islands – Porto Zante have the most amazing private villas but also would love to experience Canaves Oia Epitome, a family friendly space unique in Santorini.

For a bit of laid back, low-key luxury, 3 places would hit the spot…Sikelia Pantelleria, Nobu Hotel Ibiza Bay or any of our Tulum properties.

Gabor Toth – Senior Revenue Account Manager

Le Grand Bellevue in Gstaad for hiking in summer and fondue.

Boutique Hotel Alhambra and D-Resort Šibenik in Croatia for my beach/water sports in Europe.

Patrick Pieters – Senior Revenue Account Manager

Loire/Valleys, Oslo, Mexico or Bali.

Chloe Musumeci – Senior Revenue Account Manager

Galleria VIK Milano to get ready for the Autumn/Winter shopping season…

Susafa for a taste of the best organic products of my land – Sicily…

Viceroy Bali – paradise on earth and an oasis of relaxation…

Christopher Grime – Head of Product Integration

Staycation – The Nare – for Cornish beaches that rival any in the world, amazing fresh fish and delicious cream teas.

A bit of culture and relaxation – my beloved Sri Lanka – amazing history, beautiful beaches, delightful people, tasty hoppers (Sri Lanka’s answer to the pancake) and the best relish in the world, Pol Sambol made with coconut.

Short hop – Hotel Ranga in Iceland for stunning waterfalls and the incredible Northern Lights, which I have yet to experience.

Mirko Della Mora – Senior GDS & Distribution Manager

For a weekend/short haul I’d love to go to one of our castles in Scotland (whisky tasting included) or in Normandy (a region that I know quite well but can’t help falling more in love each time).

For a longer trip (min 5 days, I’d say) I would love to visit:

Portugal, rent a car and go around cities and places.

Baltic cities and Norwegian Fjords (including a cruise).

As major dream trips in my bucket list:

Japan (both sides of it, the ultra-technological country and the Kabuki/cherry blossoms/tea rituals experience).

Coast to coast USA trip in a convertible car (ending in Napa Valley, for wine tours).

Argentina and Uruguay food and wine tour.

Rafael Pirassinunga – Operations Manager – World of Hyatt Partnership

I am all for the off-the-beaten-track destinations, so I’m currently dreaming of:

Lakeside cocktails and relax at Esperanza Resort & SPA

City break and fine dining at Saint Ten Hotel

Exploring ancient culture and great food at Grand Hotel Yerevan

Reconnecting with nature and social distancing from the world at Terelj Hotel

Practicing my Norwegian at Storfjord Hotel

Katrin Holtkott – Barter Room Co-ordinator

Villa Eyrie Resort, Canada (breathing in mountain air and spectacular views – reconnecting with nature)

La Sultana Marrakech (the colors, spices, architecture, people, culture – not in that order!)

Japan – I want to stay in every one of the SLH hotels in Japan – it has been on my bucket list destination for years – if not after the lockdown lifts, when then?

Justyn Herbert – Finance Director

I’m looking forward to going back to The Oval to watch the England Cricket team win the next test series, I would love to see Springsteen play the US, either Chicago or New Jersey, and in the winter go on the England Cricket tour, preferably in the West Indies, all without the social distancing.

AMERICAS Team

Anna-Lisa Hafgren-Willis – Regional Manager – Americas & Travel Trade Relations Manager

Dreaming of:

Autumn colors in Vermont at The Reluctant Panther Inn

Delayed honeymoon in Mexico City at Stara Hamburgo and Stara San Angel Inn

A nostalgic visit back to my father’s family city Gothenburg, Sweden staying with the Dorsia Hotel & Restaurant

Dana O’Malley – PR Director Americas

Small city break exploring Hotel Amparo in San Miguel.

Relaxing poolside at Canaves Oia Epitome.

Staycation in the mountains upstate New York.

Vanessa Johnson – Sales Manager, Central Region

Charleston, South Carolina: weekend city getaway at Wentworth Mansion (I’ve never been and have heard too many amazing things about the charming shops and food).

Scotland: exploring all things the highlands have to offer and stay at our dreamy castle hotels.

Canada: rest and relaxation in natures finest! Either coast, Nova Scotia and Trout Point Lodge or British Columbia and Villa Eyrie Resort.

Mexico: beach getaway to Tulum, Rivera Maya or Playa del Carmen…so many options, you can’t go wrong!

APAC Team

Jill Liu – Sales Manager, China

My dream destinations are: Tahiti, South Africa, and Santorini.

Khim Yeo – Revenue Account Manager – Asia Pacific

The Maldives (resort chilling and snorkelling)

Singapore (staycation)

Mongolia for some adventures

Crystal Davies – Senior Revenue Account Manager

Montenegro for relaxation, enjoy the beautiful mountain and coastline views, and go scuba diving if possible.

Switzerland (Cordée des Alpes Hotel) for snowboarding.

Bhutan (Bhutan Spirit Sanctuary and Gangtey Lodge) for some Zen moments, mountain biking, hiking and meditation. Our suggested itinerary which you can read here is my perfect trip.

My type of holiday always involves full-on activities, so I often feel more exhausted after vacations…!

  The post Where the SLH Team are dreaming of going appeared first on Small Luxury Hotels.

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[cfpercy]

BOOK | AUTUMN BY ALI SMITH

All words have associations, associations as numerous and varied as there are people to form them. Autumn, for example. Some associate it with the encroachment of winter: sharper air and longer nights; darkness and cold. Others, with vibrancy: leaves turning to flame and bushes of scarlet berries; the radioactive greens and oranges of Halloween.

Whatever you associate it with, autumn is a time of change and transformation, the transition between summer and winter. The first installment in a seasonal quartet, Ali Smith’s Autumn is now, autumn 2016: the transition between an explosively divisive summer and an anxious, uncertain winter, summarized neatly by the opening line, a deliberate mis-quotation of Dickens: “It was the worst of times, it was the worst of times.”

Autumn follows 101-year-old Daniel Gluck – lover of art, words, stories and one-time Songwriter – and 32-year-old Elisabeth Demand, a “no-fixed-hours casual contract junior lecturer at a university in London…living the dream… if the dream means having no job security and almost everything being too expensive to do and that you’re still living in same rented flat you had as a student over a decade ago.” Elisabeth first met Daniel when she and her mother became his neighbours. Fascinated by this sprightly elderly gentleman and the glimpses of his art collection – what her mother scornfully refers to as “arty art”– they create what will be a defining and lifelong friendship. Now, Daniel is lying in a care home, dreaming of the past, not yet dead but hovering somewhere close, with Elisabeth, adrift in a chaotic present, his only visitor.

In terms of plot Autumn is light, consisting mainly of Elisabeth’s visits to Daniel interspersed with various dreams and flashbacks. It is instead more of a meditation. A meditation on storytelling: how hope can be found through their telling and the fact that change, good and bad, can be wrought through them, for “whoever makes up the story makes up the world.”

On words themselves: the book is full of clever wordplay, references and allusions, from the opening riff on A Tale of Two Cities to a dream in which Elisabeth and Daniel are painting everything white, as a comment on the modern obsession with minimalism, a clear reference to painting the roses red from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Finding them all is like a literary Easter egg hunt. In fact, I’m sure I’ve probably missed quite a few, but I look forward to going back to look for them.

On art and how artists are forgotten and rediscovered: perhaps the biggest artistic influence in the book is that of Pauline Boty (her 1963 painting ‘The Only Blonde in the World’, her interpretation of Marilyn Monroe, even adorns the endpapers). Known as the ‘Wimbledon Bardot’ she was Britain’s only female Pop Artist, one of its founders in fact, whose collages and paintings specialized in depicting a raw, rebellious and unbridled joy in female sexuality – how could you not love someone whose work includes a painting of a very generous rear, cheekily framed by a proscenium arch, the word BUM announced in gloriously large, bright red letters? Sadly, and perhaps inevitably, because of her gender Boty didn’t receive the recognition she deserved during her lifetime, and, after dying at the tragically young age of 28, most of her work ended up in storage only to be ‘rediscovered’ some years later. She exerts a great influence over Daniel and, through Daniel, Elisabeth: Daniel was in love with the woman as well as her art, describing Boty’s collages to Elisabeth before gifting her a book of her artwork.

Nature: Autumn contains some beautiful descriptive passages of the natural world, and trees – as both a symbol of change and transformation – are a recurring motif throughout the novel.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Autumn is a meditation on the world today: the present day segments of the story take place in the aftermath of the EU referendum. Elisabeth is visiting her mother and the village where she lives is a perfect microcosm of the effects: the village feels divided, each half resentful of the other; a house is sprayed with graffiti saying ‘go home’; a piece of what was once common land is fenced off and zealously patrolled by a private security firm, for reasons that are never explained, and society feels ever more divided, petty and bureaucratic – the scenes of Elisabeth trying to renew her passport are sharp enough to cut yourself on and will elicit many a sympathetic wince.

Elisabeth’s mother Wendy encapsulates it nicely:

I’m tired of the news. I’m tired of the way it makes things spectacular that aren’t, 

and deals so simplistically with what’s truly appalling. I’m tired of the vitriol. I’m 

tired of the anger. I’m tired of the meanness. I’m tired of the selfishness. I’m 

tired of how we’re doing nothing to stop it. I’m tired of how we’re encouraging it. 

I’m tired of the violence there is and I’m tired of the violence that’s on its way, 

that’s coming, that hasn’t happened yet. I’m tired of liars. I’m tired of sanctified 

liars. I’m tired of how those liars have let this happen. I’m tired of having to 

wonder whether they did it out of stupidity or did it on purpose. I’m tired of lying 

governments, I’m tired of people not caring whether they’re being lied to

anymore. I’m tired of being made to feel this fearful. I’m tired of animosity. I’m 

tired of pusillanimosity

Sentiments you can identify with whichever way you voted, delivered in a tone that is raw, emotional, sincerely angry and confused, but without being polemic.

Ultimately, Autumn is a literate, witty meditation on the redemptive powers of art and literature that also attempts to try and make some sense out of post-Brexit Britain. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Smith has in store for us in the rest of the quartet.

Originally published: http://www.walesartsreview.org/autumn-by-ali-smith/

[loradmurphy]

Shanna Melville 2018 Bridal Collection

This post Shanna Melville 2018 Bridal Collection first appeared on The Wedding Community Blog

London-based bridal designer Shanna Melville has just released her gorgeous 2018 collection. The 2018 wedding dresses feature soft, flowing fabrics including silk chiffon, silk crepe, silk organza and tulle, and this relaxed, floaty look gives a lovely boho feel.

Each dress in the Shanna Melville 2018 collection is very feminine and flattering, and delicate beadwork adds detail and shimmer. Featuring delicate Bardot sleeves, open backs and spaghetti straps, these dresses are ideal for summer brides or those planning a destination wedding.

“The inspiration for this entire range has come from my travels around the world. Having been in Australia for the last couple of months, this has inspired my light, flowing dresses.

“As well as the design of the dresses, the fabrics have had a global route too. This particular collection includes fabrics from Italy, France, Portugal and even from as far away as Asia. I worked very closely with a hand-beading expert in India which helped me to come up with lots of beautiful beaded designs. The soft, flowing fabrics are a key part of the feel of the collection, making this range perfect for laid-back, boho brides.” – Shanna Melville

The bohemian vibe lent itself perfectly to the sun-soaked photo shoot in Byron Bay, Australia. Powder-soft sand and gleaming sea was the perfect backdrop for the gorgeous 2018 collection.

My favourite three dresses from the Shanna Melville 2018 collection are…

Ava

Ava

I have always loved a lace wedding dress and Ava has to be one of my all-time favourites. The intricate lace work that overlays the blush underskirt is so pretty, and the lace detail on the sheer back looks amazing.

Bella

Bella

If you are looking for a wedding dress to make you feel ultra-feminine then how about Bella? Again, I love the intricate detail of the lace and beading that adorns the pretty open backed bodice. So pretty.

Abigail

Abigail

The sheer draped sleeves of Abigail adds another interest to the sheath silhouette, and the pretty detail that covers the dress is elegant and romantic. Such a pretty wedding dress.

The Shanna Melville 2018 collection is available at Luella’s Bridal in Wimbledon, London, and Satin Bow Bridal in St Albans. Prices start from £2,000.

Check out the complete collection in the gallery below, and find out more about Shanna Melville at shannamelville.com.

Shanna Melville 2018 Gallery

This post Shanna Melville 2018 Bridal Collection first appeared on The Wedding Community Blog

[delicatelyhardinfluencer]

"Revolution" exhibition at @mbamtl Pauline Boty 1964, founder of #british #pop #artmovement #youthquake . . . . . #art #fashion #beatles #60sfashion #paulineboty #musée #artpublic #publicart #photoblog #music #feminism #freedom #newwave #newvibe #polkadot #beauty #wimbledon #bardot #freespirited #revolution #instalike #instagood #instastyle #photooftheday #styleblog #montreal (at Montreal Fine Arts Museum)