It has been quite some time since my last newsletter. Life has taken its twists — including a period of loss — which meant stepping back from the usual rhythm of writing and sharing. I am grateful to those of you who have stayed with me, and I hope that you remain interested in my thoughts, discoveries, and current pursuits.

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Artist Spotlight

Aldo Rossi (1931–1997), Milan-born and Milan-buried, was one of Italy’s most distinctive architectural voices — a thinker as much as a builder. He championed a deliberately restrained palette of building types, always attentive to the history and character of the place in which his designs stood. This approach, known as neorationalism, reimagined the cool precision of classical forms for the postmodern era, blending austerity with a quiet poetry.

“I cannot forget the city where I was born,” Rossi once wrote, and his work reflects that sense of place — each project a conversation with its surroundings, however subtle. His architecture feels at once timeless and slightly uncanny, as if borrowed from a half-remembered dream.

Rossi’s creativity spilled well beyond construction sites. His writings, his delicate yet rigorous drawings, and his paintings often blur the line between blueprint and reverie, sometimes echoing the surrealist landscapes of Giorgio de Chirico. He also designed furniture and objects, imbuing them with the same measured elegance and enigmatic charm that mark his buildings.

A bird in the bush…..

Here in the south-west of France, after a long, wet and windy start, Summer arrived in a hot rush . Early walks with with my beloved Nellie are essential to avoid the strength of the sun as the day progresses but fortunately, about a year ago, a friend recommended an app called Merlin, from Cornell University, and it has completely changed our wandering. For those of you not already in the know, basically the app recognises bird calls — even several at once — logs them, and allows you to replay the sounds at home. Slowly but surely I’m beginning to connect songs to species though I have yet to be able to identify them visually.. It’s a small, quiet joy, but one that has meant a lot recently.

OnOff clothing

Recently recommended by a friend, you might enjoy OffOn a small family-run clothing brand with a simple belief: clothes should be made not just by hand, but — as they like to say — by heart. Their approach is unusual in the fashion world. There are no seasonal collections, no pressure to chase trends. Instead, each piece is created to order, shaped by the wishes of the client, and stitched with care from beginning to end.

Their inspiration comes from the world just beyond their door: the Baltic Sea, its many lakes and forests, the rhythm of the seasons. Nature is both their muse and their measure, a reminder of what is at stake. Because OffOn is part of the fashion industry, they are keenly aware of its darker side. The statistics on fashion’s environmental impact are sobering, and they cannot be ignored. Which is why, from personal conviction as much as from principle, they hold themselves accountable — working with an ethic of respect, both for the people who wear their clothes and for the planet that sustains them.

L’Espace Sauvanie — A New Chapter

I’m excited to tell you that despite these uncertain times, Les Soeurs Anglaises is branching out, with a newly formed, year-round Association: L’Espace Sauvanie. Already, our beloved venue has played host to several collaborative musical residencies - proof, if any were needed, that it’s a place where musicians, artists, and the simply curious can gather, share ideas, and see what happens when creativity is given room to breathe. It feels like the start of a new chapter: one that promises continuity, connection, and the quiet, infectious joy of making things together. And there’s more - in 2026 we’ll hopefully be reintroducing Les Soeurs Anglaises’ five-day creative residential workshops. We already have some extraordinary artists and crafters in mind to lead events, along with a host of ideas to keep the gatherings as fresh, surprising, and inspiring as the people who join them.

Should you have ideas for how our much-loved spaces could be used — workshops, performances, intimate gatherings, exhibitions, or something we haven’t yet dared to imagine — hit the link below and share your thoughts. Together, we can dream up experiences that feel both personal and quietly transformative, making the most of what Les Soeurs Anglaises and L’Espace Sauvanie do best: bringing together people and their creativity in ways that linger long after the moment has passed.

We’ll try to keep you up to date with our plans, but meanwhile, if you know of any musician - or ensemble - who might be tempted by a week-long residency at L’Espace Sauvanie, do send us their details or ask them to get in touch with us directly.

Behind the Scenes at the V&A

The Victoria and Albert Museum in Central London, famed for its exquisite, eclectic collections, has a series of short films showing the careful restoration and conservation of some of their most treasured pieces which are quietly and totally absorbing: V&A Conservation Lab.

For more behind-the-scenes delights, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam runs an open-studio livestream where you can watch their experts restore Rembrandts.

Kitchen Lithography …

While in London a few weeks ago, one of my sons generously booked us onto a fascinating day of Kitchen Litho at The East London Printmakers, led by wiz-printmaker, Caroline Whitehead.

Kitchen lithography is exactly what it sounds like: printing using kitchen foil, cocacola, lemon juice, soap, and other everyday materials. Pioneered by French illustrator Émilion about 15 years ago, it’s now appearing in studios worldwide. The results can be surprisingly subtle and sophisticated — and yes, you can achieve a print run without a press.

If you’re curious to try it inn your very own kitchen, the instruction in Scarlet Rebecca’s book are clear and easy to follow.

Music While you work…..

If you like a little background noise while you create, the BBC’s Slow Radio is an antidote to the caffeinated chaos of the modern world. Step back, let go, and sink in: this is a lo-fi celebration of pure sound. One moment you might be listening to rain on a tin roof in Tasmania, the next a midnight train passing through Eastern Europe. It’s “a chance for quiet mindfulness and a consideration of the world from another angle” — the BBC’s words, but I couldn’t put it better myself. It lifts you out of the day for a while, and when you come back, things look… different.

I’ve recently finished David Nicholls’s latest, and enjoyed it enormously. His novels have a knack for tugging you along with wit, warmth, and that unmistakeable mixture of laughter and quiet heartbreak.

Nicholls has always been a writer who plays with expectation but here the surprises are fewer. Instead, the pleasures come in other ways: the brisk, short chapters that keep you turning the pages, and the easy rhythm of storytelling that feels both familiar and fresh.

Beneath the droll signposts, we’re on well-trodden but ever-comforting ground: misunderstandings, obstacles, and then, gradually, the unmistakable pull of hope and resolution. It’s a story that wears its heart on its sleeve without ever tipping into sentimentality. I highly recommend picking it up — preferably with a free afternoon, because once you begin, you won’t want to put it down.

I’ll pause here before this becomes a small book, but I would love to hear from you — especially if you try Merlin, or if you have thoughts about how we might use L’Espace Sauvanie or Les Soeurs Anglaises for workshops, events, or creative experiments.

With warm regards from a currently very hot and sunny corner of the Dordogne.