Weeding out the handbags…

I love my readers, and I love what this insatiable one has done:

http://insatiablereader.blogspot.com/2008/07/mosaic-beach-house.html

Isn't that gorgeous? Makes me want to run straight back to Nantucket today. Am busy trying to get together plans for the new house, and Simon Johnson, my garden designer extraordinaire, is over this week and coming to see the site so he can start planning the garden. I can't believe I'm going to have a garden again, although you'd never believe I'm a gardener given the state of my vegetable plot this year.

I've just been too busy and it's horribly overgrown. Plus that fat bloody gopher turns out to be an edamame addict, and there's practically nothing left, and what is still there is about to be strangled by the weeds. On the plus side the tomatoes look reasonably happy, there are quite a few melons although don't actually remember what I planted, and there's tons of corn. It's extraordinary to me how my garden grows even without my tender loving care.

I'd get the kids to help with the weeding, but they're off to Florida with their dad, and we're on our own for a week, which is always a mixed blessing. I miss them enormously when they're not with me, but I adore being here alone and having a chance to do all the things I can't do when I'm busy being Mum. Gardening being one of them.

Me with the lovely Marianne Mancusi (the real me…)

Did some filming yesterday and met another chick lit author, Marianne Mancusi who left me with a copy of one of her books - News Blues - which I meant to read on the train into the city but then got caught up with Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello.

For those not in the know, the Birkin is the piece de resistance of Hermes handbags. They cost a fortune and are almost impossible to get hold of, and for a while were the ultimate status symbol. Am enjoying this book, the story of how Mr Tonello moved to Barcelona and figured out how to get Birkins, and that the waiting list everyone talks about is a fallacy, it is just a question of having a formula, which he figures out, spending years selling Birkins for enormous profit on ebay.

I know all about Birkins. For a while, in my previous incarnation as frosted blonde Republican trophy wife, (could not be further from the real me, in every respect - photo at top proves it), I had Birkins. Four of them. (And three of them were the result of the stores phoning me because they had one in they thought I'd like, although I've heard they're not allowed to do that anymore) Now I have one left, and I'm about to sell that too. Thankfully I no longer want to wear something that shouts, 'look at me! Look how much money I have! I'm good enough!' and frankly unless a company is paying me to advertise their labels (Apple computers, I'm happy to talk to you if you're interested...), I'm not going to be a walking advertisement for them. Plus, once everyone starts carrying the fakes, you know it's time to move on, and while I see women all over town carrying them over their arm, once you see the feet (always the giveaway), it's clear many of them are copies. Good copies, but copies nevertheless.

So no more birkins for me, but it's fun reading about them, and just for the record, my favourite bag this summer is a straw tote from JCrew.

Last thing, not sure what to make for dinner for Simon and family on Friday night. Thinking of Nigella's lamb with pomegranate. Know Simon can't do fish. Off downstairs now to flick through recipes and will keep you posted...