August

We are living life with a degree of intensity right now, partly a product of the recession but not totally. I am having to persist with marketing, when what I would far prefer would be to make something different and additional, like a bee flitting from flower to flower. There are strange eddies and anomalies: Stefan has sold three of his 'Trial" series in three days. I have been advertising on craigslist and finished my first commission on Saturday.

We had a lovely weekend, Felix came over, and Ghazi too, freshly back from Paris and head-turningly elegant. We bumped into Cissy and George in an open house in Corte Madera and all ended up with an uproarious family party, Felix joined it on his way back to the city. We couldn't shoot on Saturday morning but it will keep., and later today I will follow all my leads, I don't want to pounce on people first thing on Monday morning.

I have been reading the Happy Days column in the New York Times, an insight into the culture in its diversity. I smile that so many of the tips they give for saving money are simply our way of life, like drinking tap water at home or out, buying generically and fresh, ingredients rather than made-up stuff.

I love love love the idea of simplicity in itself, and would happily create a sort of uniform (or more honestly, a set of different uniforms). Currently I am dreaming up and will soon create straight leg linen trousers with shell or T tops, maybe even a tunic. My mind has already fluttered ahead to very light linen tops with more detail, pleated necks, bias cut, some peasanty but stripped back. Yum.

Summer is nearly always a grinding time for me no matter how pleasant the weather, and as the days shorten and freshen I take on new life like a parched plant granted shade and cool, sweet rain. Give my roots rain.