I first came across Catherine, aka
Spring Greens a year or so back after one of her tweets was retweeted by 'RiverCottageHQ.' I immediately followed.
Ever since, her
twitter feed and
tumblr blog have become two of my favourite online reads and she has become my best online friend who I have never actually met. I knew an interview with her would be perfect for July, so here we go. You will find her inspiring, and very cool..(excuse the major gushing!)
1.) How do you start your day?
I would love to say I begin the day with a mug of hot water and lemon and gracefully get on with the day, but this would be a lie. If our Springer Spaniel's early morning vocal tuning hasn't already stirred me, it usually involves me hastily diminishing the sound of my alarm clock immediately and ensuring when exiting the house that I don't have jam splodged anywhere on me. When Autumn comes I tend to listen to Classical FM in the morning, but during the warmer months I just swing my bedroom window open and allow the early morning lawnmowing enthusiasts work their magic on waking me up. A strong cup of tea with a dash of milk also helps a great deal whilst I check any emails that may have come overnight.
2.) What/who inspires you?
I think a lot of people have an idol, someone whom they've always admired throughout their lives and who they continuously look up to which is fantastic. However, I can't seem to specifically pinpoint someone or something in particular. It's such a cliche to say so, but I try to take inspiration from anyone, anything and any experience I come across and try to learn and tease out positives from them. My closest family are undoubtedly the most inspirational and I'm very lucky to have close friends that are creatively very talented so to be advised and encouraged by them on a daily basis of course inspires me. The designer and ceramicist Lucie Rie is a pivotal figure of inspiration for me too.
I've recently started having singing lessons and my teacher has to be one of the most comical women I have come across so far and she has this kind of infectious positive way of looking at things, for someone who's quite naturally pessimistic like myself, it's wonderful because I'm left brimming with confidence after seeing her. To have that kind of positive lasting effect on someone is something I'm sure a lot of people aspire to have. Not to come across as a severe feminist, but a lot of the most inspirational figures that I have had the pleasure of meeting have all been women. From the eccentric school teachers and the fabuously chic French art college tutor I had, to one particular strong minded comical boss I have worked for and who is now a good friend of mine. I hope to meet more!
3.) Your guilty pleasure?
I probably have a great number of these and when I first read this question a snapshot from Amelie sprung in to my head of Audrey Tautou plunging her hand into a giant bag of grain. Unlike Amelie, my guilty pleasures are probably a lot like other peoples, one of which is people watching. I bask in this, if a particular character catches my eye I try to speedily write down what it was that stood out as I'm not very good at sketching people. I also like to conjure up a plot of their life, I've done it for as long as I can remember. Another guilty pleasure which I probably shouldn't own up to on the internet, is my giant crush on Alan Davies. I can't quite work out if it's the tight curls and floral shirts or the slight lisp. Either way, to a lot of people's dismay, I think he's lovely.
4.) How do you unwind?
I actually bake or cook to unwind, where as some people may take long hot baths or go for a jog to let off some steam, I get cookbooks out by Tessa Kiros and of course the indulgent Nigella Lawson. The Guillemots are usually playing in the background and a glass of wine is usually in hand too. Depending on how the day's been and what time of the week it is, I usually catch up with the weekend newspaper magazine that I've only just got hold of or the latest book by my bed. I'm currently flicking between Another View by Rosamunde Pitcher & Any Human Heart by William Boyd. My blog is a huge means of unwinding also, it tends to reflect my love for architecture and interior design (along with some handsome looking men!) which in turn provides enough fantasising and escapism for me.
5.) Plans for the summer?
Hopefully I'm going to make my way through the list of places I'd like to visit, one of them got ticked off the list a week or so ago when I visited Snowshill Lavender Farm with my mum. Plenty of trips to the North Devon and Dorset coasts will I'm sure occur amid working. My dad's also doing his best to teach me to sail, it sounds a lot more glamorous than it is! I'm yet to capsize and to learn how to 'right' which I'm sure will be a telling moment. I'm going to see James Rhodes perform soon which I'm really looking forward to & to a friend's wedding later this monthwhich will be much cause for celebration. Other than that, I'm just going to enjoy the summer months before the long nights draw in.
6.) Your best piece of advice?
Everyone says this, but you do have to do what makes you happy. People go through significant periods in their life that make this statement hold a lot more prominence. This statement gets dished out left right and centre a lot of the time and as my mum said to me once,
'it's not doing cart-wheels of happiness, it's contentment and fulfillment' and to me, that is happiness. Don't be afraid to make mistakes or not to get things right the first time round. I haven't read about or met anyone worth knowing that has got things right instantaneously. It's the mishaps and the hiccups along the way that make the final story of success worth hearing about.
(Most photos are from
Spring Greens, a small few are linked otherwise.)
(Pictures taken from a fairly recent Jamie Oliver supplement. Hmmm, I wonder if this post would have been better suited on Girls who like to Gorge...)
