A Winter's Tale

January Tatler.

Winter has rapped on my door with her manicured talons of ice. The windows are frosted by her crystal breath and she has  swept each cloud from the sky leaving it a cold, hard cobalt blue. She is  more than welcome, for now 'tis the season to rally against the dying light beside a crackling fire,  feast on  warming suppers at the kitchen table and snuggle  into  a cashmere wrap with the latest copy of Tatler. 


Have you seen the beautiful and extensive collages of gifts that some bloggers have prepared? How do they do it? To me it looks as exhausting as actual shopping. Still, not to be a Bah Humbug, here are a few things that have caught my eye.

Alfred Dunhill.

For the gentleman archaeologist or ageing Indiana Jones' fans: Mammoth tusk cufflinks. 

For the woman with more money than sense:Theo Fennell's penguin in an igloo ring. Their copy reads, "We thought they would be the perfect symbol for our times, showing how to survive in the cold, and struggle and flourish in the sunshine, and bring p-p-peace on earth and goodwill to everyone."

Oh if only they had been on sale during Stalingrad, it could all have been so different: 'Wave your penguins in the air, shake them like you just don't care.' 

Even old Otzi might have survived the cold it if only he had been laden with this talismanic jewel.

Neiman Marcus

For grandee Tory politicians,  a $100, 000 hen house, I know it's a low rent rickety step down  from a floating  duck house to protect one's duckies from foxes  but times are hard.

Thanks to may 3545

And for impractical old me, a pair of Manolo Blahnik Swan shoes in navy and a monogrammed Anya Hindmarch bespoke Maud clutch. The satin interior can be embellished with a  secret message, this raises the bar for admirers; if I was ever so fortunate to receive one, I would hope that  Oscar Wilde would pen my billet doux from beyond the grave.

And...

An Eri Textiles tablecloth - woven by fine phalanged elves in Bavaria.
Ah; the dichotomy of woman.