The wild coast of Bohemia

As Alex points out, the dreaded Condoleezza has just arrived. Ick - well that's one "world leader" I won't be turning out to wave at.

And actually, as I type this, fleets of helicopters appear. Ick again.

This means we are getting these SODDING missiles here. Which no-one wants - which in fact 72% of the population is against. So much for democracy eh.

Edited to add. Ah - apparently there is still hope. With any luck in spite of the lovely visit of lovely Condie, it still may not happen:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7494996.stm

I seem to be over the whole Bohemian Gothic finish "thing" (should I call it a trauma? Maybe. It's always hard finishing a deck, but finishing then mailing out around 400 of them was quite something!)

I'm also finally over Christmas - ours is always drawn out what with Western Christmas, New Year, then Russian Christmas. Anyway, the tree finally came down today. I would have been sad, but I can smell a whiff of spring in the air so in a way it just makes me look forward to that.

It's another warm winter here - we're doomed, doomed I tell you. Oh well, may as well pour that second glass of Bohemia Sekt now then.

Okay, so...

Well, there's a lot to talk about. Let's begin with a picture. This is me and Felippe (see comment somewhere down this blog - yes, we did meet and it was fun and productive). We are in fact listening - we are listening to the sound made by an iron Art Nouveau street lamp that's lit with gas (I LOVE the fact that they kept the gas for this lamp - genious). It hisses softly.


Then there are the messenger bags. These have been slow due to our exhaustion - not enough energy until recently to design the flaps, and even then we had to start with Rackham which is comparatively easy to work with. They have also been held up - in a good way - by the careful attention given by the workshop which is sewing the flaps on for us (they have industrial machines and usually make gorgeous artisan linen shirts so they work very finely). So far they have tried several different stitching methods and threads. It seemed a fairly simple job to me, but anyway, it's good that they're taking such interest in it. The bags should be gorgeous AND very durable.

Here are a couple of the flaps we have prepared.

These came out so well - they'll be on the shop in about two weeks at worst I think. The flap is on a fine synthetic canvas (we tested LOTS of fabrics) so it can take being rubbed, rained on, shone on and even sat on (the cats kindly tested this last one for us). The bag body is either black canvas or a dark beige/taupe canvas - I chose the most neutral-but-no-too-light colour from the options. It gives a lighter look but you won't spend half your life worrying about it showing any marks. All professionally made to our design, very high quality with heavy steel "bits" (hmm, need to find out what to call those - here they are cabineri), fully lined with zips etc, and lightly padded - also converts to a shoulder bag or rucksack. I will put up all details soon.



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You need to imagine them on this bag. But the flap is even better now. Oh, and it's held down by two good concealed magnetic fasteners, so you get a flap that lays smooth and doesn't, er, flap.
I'm actually carrying one of these "Make Cakes Not War" bags in the gaslamp photo above - not shown to best advantage though perhaps.

Bags with our own graphics - Cats, Gothica and lots more - coming very soon too. Though we are back on to See of Logos now as well so as ever, lots to do! But I'm back in more energised, enjoying it mood now.

update: This one is now sold. But we will be making more, including perhaps some with black silk body.
______
Our shoulder-bag version of this print is here at last. Laughter is powerful...



It's at baba store

- and I'll try to put it on the Etsy shop
too as soon as I can. I definitely want one of these for myself.

This has been on my mind off and on for a couple of days now, so I'll write it and see if that exorcises it in some way.

So - about a year ago we went to see an attic that was for sale. Huge house in the old Jewish quarter, Josefov. The attic turned out to be immense, totally untouched, and therefore way beyond our means to do anything with. There were tiles coming off, no floor, wind whistling though the walls, pigeons...

and as we were leaving I realised that in the centre of this enormous space, tucked between the chimney breasts, there seemed to be something like a room. So I went over and opened it, and it was like a tiny, tiny and very basic flat - you know, single piece of electric wiring, tiny sink, a tap, that kind of thing. I was really surprised and said to the guy selling the place "this is where someone lived?" and he sort of mumbled something vague, and we left.

Then a couple of evenings ago I finally got round to seeing The Pianist, and there is that scene at the end when he is hiding in the attic and I remembered that attic last year and I think - possibly - I now understand what I was seeing.

As someone said - it's always hard in Prague to know what the truth is. Anyway, I keep wondering and I half hope no-one had to hide in that cold dark place, and I half hope that someone did hide, and wasn't found.

It reminds me yet again what this city has seen and been through. Prague isn't a light or easy place, but it does make you face up to certain realities - I'd almost say that many things about this city simply force you to think about people's capacity for good and evil. Disneyworld themepark it isn't.