Sunday, April 11, 2010

Flowers on Sunday

With the bulk of my social engagements for the weekend complete by very early Saturday morning, I was looking at a deliciously lazy weekend ahead of me.

With the apartment full of early springtime flowers

(Crocuses on the kitchen table)

(Lilacs in my favorite mint julep cup)

I felt absolutely sure that I was setting myself up for some indulgent downtime.

As an aside, have you ever noticed that everyone in creation talks to you when you are carrying a large bouquet of flowers (particularly lilacs) down the street? For those finding it hard to meet someone in New York, I highly recommend wandering the streets on a sunny weekend day with armfuls of these fragrant purple blossoms.

Saturday was largely consumed with errands but Sunday, oh Sunday! After an early night on Saturday I arose early, relishing the peace and quiet that occurs at this time of day, with the sun just beginning to glow behind the buildings opposite my apartment. I nursed a mug of PG Tips while perusing the Sunday New York Times, interrupted only by the periodic need to tend to my hot cross buns (only a week late!).

Presently, perhaps roused by the aroma of said hot cross buns, Paul awoke and we devoured these tasty little treats in tandem. Clotilde, on whose website I found the recipe, once again outdid herself. I would encourage any white chocolate-phobes not to be put off by the ingredient list for this recipe. Perhaps white chocolate is the tacky cousin to milk chocolate, which is in turn the tacky sibling to dark chocolate, but somehow in this context, accompanied by dates and pistachios, it just works. It happily becomes a bit like caramel.

Fully sated, Paul and I headed up to Soho House for a noontime screening of the Hurt Locker. I had expected it to be so depressing so as to ruin my day, but oddly I didn't find it to be so. I carried on with the rest of my day with various bits of the film popping up in my thoughts, but not in any particularly disturbing way.

Eventually I made it back downtown with the intention of starting in on some spring cleaning, my closet being target one. But this beautifully written book (and the sunny roof deck) were calling out to me...

...and the closet would have to wait.

9 comments:

Jane said...

What a great day - I am rather envious. I personally rather like white chocolate and those people who say 'it's not really chocolate' (like my husband) as if that means you are forbidden from eating it can just get out of my way as far as I am concerned. In fact, sitting at my desk now, 3.44 pm, I just may have to pop down and buy myself a WHITE CHOCOLATE bar to eat.

French Fancy... said...

Oh I envy you your Sunday. It sounds idyllic. You've also reminded me that our lilac tree is not in flower yet and the neighbours who told me that the ivy that has covered it and would eventually kill it - well, they might actually be right.

Laura said...

Jane - Agreed...food snobs be damned! There is something quite compelling about a good bar of white chocolate I think. I think you'd enjoy this post that David Lebovitz did a while back on the wonders of the stuff...

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2009/05/askinoise_white_chocolate_kallar.html

French Fancy - Oh dear, that would be awful! You must try to nurse it back to life...

Laura said...

Jane, the rest of that address is below...

oise_white_chocolate_kallar.html

Mise said...

I noticed the very same on Saturday in town - there I was, laden with lavender and hyacinths, and everyone smiled and chatted. Surely carrying flowers must be cheaper than placing dating small ads?

Dash said...

Your spring cleaning avoidance sounds like mine, it is just so easy to get distracted!

I will be sure to carry armfuls of purple fragrant blossoms, next time I am in New York.
X

l'air du temps said...

very nice, as a jaded new yorker i think very much your blog will help me to see the beauties and fancies of this city once again. this very post puts into mind flowers, soho, film and sunday mornings when the city is still very quiet... um hum, very nice!

Angie Muresan said...

Laura, I wish I could send you some of my lilacs. I have fifteen lilac trees in my yard, in both violet and white, and they smell heavenly.

Joanna said...

I bought myself a lovely bouquet of lilacs the other day. They smell divine!

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