Picadilly Easter & My London Studio

This time a few years ago, I was living in London and I walked past the window of Fortnum & Mason for the first time, not knowing of its existence. 'The Art of Chocolate' was displayed in their windows, beautifully decorated egg shells sat halved around an over sized artists palette while enormous paint brushes danced above them. I was struck, as I was may times in London, by the creativity, scale, beauty and quite simply the existence of such a magnificent display. I like that the windows have retained in their reflections the memory of that day in Piccadilly.

This was my teeny tiny studio in Notting Hill. The bathroom was across the hall. In that first pic you can see both edge of the front door and the kitchenette. That was the width of my little world, but I couldn't have cared less. It was warm and it was only a short walk to the tube and to the Notting Hill markets on Saturday. The tourists used to pour through the streets on the weekends and I'd wander around and think 'I live here'. I wanted to live in the movie, so that's what I did. I did not, on the other hand, have any control over the colour of the walls. Everything in this room fitted in my backpack. When people told me they'd be the best years of my life I didn't quite believe them. Even though I have many years ahead of me, I think they were right, the times I had overseas will be difficult to surpass.