Hassan Fathi 1965

Dhows, boat building in the gulf

Building a boom in 1972

careening

Boat building - Doha - 1972

sewn

I really love the shape of Dhow boats.

The pictures show boats being built in  the UAE and Qatar.

I have noticed a lot of traditional fishing boats on Dammam corniche can anyone tell where they are built?

Selling her wares

sorry I dont know where I found the image, if anyone knows?

A garland of sweet basil and roses.


I recently opened a tumblr account as a kind of image notebook I added a link on the side if you want to have a look.

The wonderful Freya Stark

Dubbed 'the last of the romantic travellers'  she was an extraordinary women. I am currently reading her, The southern Gates of Arabia; A journey in the Hadhramaut, I have always been facinated by Yemen beautiful, harsh and mysterious.


By the way is anyone else having trouble leaving comments with Google ID?

Al-Baha

We have all been catching every illness around this month rashes, temperatures, throat infections you name it!! so please excuse the one picture posts, in the meantime here is another one of Al-Baha in the mountains of Saudi Arabia along the Red Sea coast.  I think it must have been taken around thirty years ago. I love it when my Mother-in-law talks to me of her childhood there I feel I ought to note some things down one day oral history.

Visiting

Deserted reception room

Visiting

A place to keep visitors Abayas.

Fatima Al-Qassimi

I really like this ring , the way the text hovers above the fingers. from UAE based Fatima Al-Qassimi.

Experiment one

I like this bag from Kuwait based Experiment one, a collection of  bags created by three working Architects influenced by their industrial engineering background.

Kalimah Jeans

 Saudi brand Kalima Jeans are mainly menswear but there is a small collection of t-shirts for women, I quite like the two above and the bandana which would be nice around my neck! they are planning to introduce childrenswear soon too. Its nice to see home grown brands doing well. Take a look at their website

A traditional Coracle (Quffa) in the Middle East

A traditional Coracle (Quffa) in the Middle East, a photo by DesertBlooms on Flickr.

A traditional Coracle (Quffa) in the Middle East.

A traditional Coracle (Quffa) in the Middle East., a photo by DesertBlooms on Flickr.

I wonder which country this was taken in? I love this coracle and its beautiful rounded shape.

I've not been doing very well with my posts lately I am feeling a little unsettled, flighty even. Waiting for things to happen, working on some design projects.

and....

Trying to force myself to put away the cute baby bits far too small for little Sherif now

Hunting for inspiring images to create moodboards for our very slowly developing extension.

trying to grow some cuttings

Odette New York

Cordoba bag, Nivaldo de Lima







Katherine Bowman via primoeza



Via Jeana Sohn
Lusting after some new additions to my summer wardrobe



But most of all I have a huge urge to slip away and do some of this

A question...

I really want to be able to get this Magazine does anyone know whether you can find in it in Khobar or Dammam? I can sometimes find Oasis and Canvas Magazines but so far Brownbook and Bidoun have remained elusive except abroad. I anyone knows please do let me know, thankyou.

Dreaming of ......

' White Marble channels with rapid clear streams of water cross the garden in many directions; and the air in them is fraught with the scent of oranges, roses and Arabian jasmine, whose thick shade forms an agreeable contrast with the burning atmosphere surrounding them. In the centre of the largest garden, nearest the house, is a most pleasant golphor (reception room or pavillion) built a considerable distance from the ground. The floors, wall and window seats are lined with chinese tiles of lively colours; the windows are placed around it, through which honeysuckles, orange flowers and jasmine make their way. The shrubs reflect through them everywhere the most lively green and fill the whole with the richest perfume. '

Miss Tullys description of the Tripolian Ambassador Hadji Abderrahmans garden 1780s

Can I translate the essence of this into our little space?....

Spinning

 A wonderful old picture of a bedouin women spinning wool, something I would really love to try. I think the idea that the bedouin women would spin and weave her families home is amazing, don't you?

Viewing work by Maha Malluh

A shot of the arrival of a new piece at The Greenbox gallery, Amsterdam

A shot of an installation in one of the Edge of Arabia exhibitions

Exhibition of work by Reem Al-Faisal





I love seeing Art work displayed it gives me a far clearer perspective of it, and sometimes I find I like a piece more after seeing it installed. What do you think?

It has been far too long since I got a chance to go to a museum or gallery so I'm very grateful for glimpses found on the net.

I love these moody pieces by Nasser Al-Turki

weekend at the corniche