Friday Favourite - The Loves of Serge Gainsbourg

Jane Birkin.

She was not the first, nor last, love of Serge Gainsbourg; but they dominated one another's lives for 13 years.

They met when she was 22 and he was 40. That night, they went for dinner, went to a club and stayed in Serge's usual room at the Hilton Hotel.
Then went on holiday to Venice where they fell madly in love and went to the same bar every night. They moved in together, though never married.

Jane talks of their lives during the 1970s and notes how their routine involved going out every night after kissing their children goodnight. They'd return with the dustman in time to bid their children to school, then slept until 3pm when they would pick their children up from school.

On one particular night out, Jane threw a custard tart at Serge's face, who promptly marched out of the club, followed by Jane who whizzed past him. She headed straight for the Seine and flung herself in. She was rescued and Serge was very glad she was unharmed. They walked, arm in arm, home to the Rue de Verneuil.

Achingly romantic.




(Hit the photos for the links. My givaway will be starting tomorrow!)

Work Wear Wednesday

Maxi-skirts - (I deeply wish...)

I wish I had long enough legs to carry off a skirt like this. I love this look... After seeing these pages in Elle a few months ago, I dutifully purchased a black (much cheaper) version of the skirt above from a second hand shop, desperately hoping it would fit.

After months of lurking in a drawer, I have finally given up any hope of wearing it. The Olsen twins look great in things like this but I am, sadly, not an Olsen twin. Besides all else, the skirt is a little too big for me around the waist, and so snakes down my hips to well and truly trail and get caught up under my shoes, therefore running the risk of being pulled down. (That would be embarrassing - particularly when trying to board/depart a commuter train.)

You can now find my version of the skirt on ebay for a very low starting price. I just want it to go to a good home.. in the meantime, I shall search for a more practical skirt length..

Fairtrade Fortnight

Fairtrade Fortnight is currently underway. (28 Feb - 13 Mar 2011)


I have been interested in fair trade in a while now, and aim to buy fair trade wherever possible.
The tea-bags, coffee and hot-chocolate in our house are always fair-trade. This is because they are probably the easiest fair-trade products to come by - but also because ones tea and coffee breaks should always be guilt free and a little indulgent!
I fully intend to continue fair-trade fortnight for the rest of the year!

(And, not that Starbucks need anymore publicity but.. out of the big guns coffee chains(costa, nero etc) Starbucks it is the one to serve fair trade by default...)

FREE Downloadable Weekly Planner

At the start of each new week, I long to be organised and have a nice view of the week ahead. It helps a great deal to have everything noted down on paper. Since I failed to purchase a diary this year, a very good (graphic designer) friend helped me create this ingenuous planner.

As it is a PDF, everyone should be able to download, print and use as many times as they want. I find it most useful for planning blogposts for the week ahead and working out what to have for lunch! I hope you enjoy it!

bethanys planner2

(Lolina also has a planner here, which I used to use before creating this one.)
Keep your eyes peeled for my givaway this weekend!

'Her Anxiety' - W.B Yeats

Sunday Night Poetry.

Dusk is falling, cue Sunday night feelings and a quiet night ahead of a busy week. I hope you enjoy this poem, it's beautifully melancholic and timeless..

Her Anxiety by W.B Yeats

Earth in beauty dressed
Awaits returning spring.
All true love must die,
Alter at the best
Into some lesser thing.
Prove that I lie.

Such body lovers have,
Such exacting breath,
That they touch or sigh.
Every touch they give,
Love is nearer death.
Prove that I lie.


(Photos on tumblr, hit them for links. Enjoy your Sunday night, and look out for my 100 followers give-away this week..)

Friday Favourite..

The Loves of Serge Gainsbourg
(So, for the month of March, Friday Favourites shall be include all of the women who were loved by Serge Gainsbourg...)

This Friday is dedicated to him; the man whose poetic musings and smoulding aura can still make girls the world over weak at the knees. Perhaps the sexiest and most desirable relatively unattractive man in living history. That may sound cruel, but isn't that just part of his endless charm.

The days after he died, France mourned their beloved and most important singer/songwriter, while the four women who loved him the most sat in his bedroom, with his dead body, for four days. Morbid, yes; achingly romantic, of course.

'Serge thought it vulgar that people said I love you all the time....' Ah, cynical, OH SO sexy, charming and a very good smoker.



(hit the photos for the links)

Dabble Magazine

Dabble, a Canadian travel/design/food online magazine is filled with goodies!

My favourite article is towards the back, it's all about how to make your coffee in the style of some very exotic places. I plan to try out some of the easier ones over the weekend, in hopes of being transported to the wilds of Mexico or the mountains of Austria...