Madam Arcati's Back-Yard

Sunday, 17 August 2025

4 Photos - Queens

Queen Alexandra

Queen Mary

Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother

And the mother of all of today’s queens; Quentin Crisp.

To view the Wiki Quentin Crisp page Click

Ttfn

and

Toodle-Pip

Sunday, 10 August 2025

Our favourite Cocktail Bar is without doubt the Bar Américain which is nestled inside Brasserie Zédel in Soho along with our favourite Cabaret Room Crazy Coqs together with the lovely and stylish Brasserie itself. If you are in London treat yourself to all three.

A selection of their cocktails on the bar.

The Bar, (It is even more sumptuous that in looks in this photo)

This what I feel like when I am drinking cocktails in the Bar Américain (Isabella Blow)

This is what I look like in Bar Américain (Madam Arcati)

Ttfn

and

Toodle-Pip

Saturday, 2 August 2025

4 photos - Atelier Manassé

Hello me dears. the garden post will of course be a bit late. In the meantime here is a post inspired by the lovely Mr.or Ms. Anonymous by their interesting comment on my last post.

Atelier Manassé, founded by Adorján Wállics and Olga Spolaric in the 1920's.

Emylin Novelly

Agnes Petersen

Countess Ilona Karolewna

Lily Damita

thank you Anonymous

and to all

Ttfn

Just four photos is harsh. There is a lovely photo of Anna May Wong that will have to wait until another time.

Pip pip

Thursday, 31 July 2025

The Delargo Gardens - July

Hello me dears. July is all about Lilies, and ours put on a Fab display in time for London Gay Pride, just as they should.

More from them in a bit, but first some amazing garden-changing news. Not one but two of the evil trees that block our sunlight have been chopped down! The scruffy cherry tree (middle left) and the massive Black Walnut (top right). We are over the moon, and the plants have sunstroke.

The lilies have been amazing this year and I am resolved to have more, more, more next year

Hemerocallis, commonly called the Day-lily, is not actually a lily but still fab - this is 'Crimson Pirate'

our late flowering Clematis are doing well, this is 'Comtesse de Bouchaud'.

and this is Clematis 'Rouge Cardinal'

Thunbergia and Begonia 'Pendula'.

We love Begonia boliviensis; they are so well behaved and will flower like mad until the first frost.

Begonia boliviensis 'Santa Cruz' with our new purple Phlox.

Pink Phlox with Geranium Rozanne and the last blooms of Campanula medium, common name Canterbury bells.

The stunning Lobelia Starship Scarlet Bronze

The colour of Hydrangea macrophylla Black Steel Blue is fab but it ain't Blue.

We both have a passion for Thalictrum. We have had Thalictrum aquilegiifolium for years; it flowers in late spring, as does our Thalictrum 'Elin'. Now we have this little gem, Thalictrum delavayi. (We also have Thalictrum 'Hewitt's Double' in flower but I couldn't get even a reasonable photo of it.)

Time to get to the nitty gritty. The evil black walnut tree filled this space and then some. It was massive. What you see in the photo was just a small side trunk from the main tree. They had to come back the next day to finish it off. Our garden has been transformed.

With tree.

Without tree and with light!

On with the tour. Some photos are with the tree still standing and some without

There tiz then, me darlins. We have just enough time for the sneak preview of the Fuchsia Fest - Fuchsia 'Tennessee Waltz'

Donny doesn't seem to like the sunshine and has only been coming out on gloomy days. I am sure he will get used to it and I will buy him some sunglasses.