Life on the Farm: Kaiser and BangBang

For all the animal joy that exists on the farm in every direction that you look - chickens, kittens and dogs on the lawn, pigs and horses in the stables, donkeys and more horses across the field - there is, unfortunately, also a good dose of animal heartache.

Late in the autumn, Coco lost one of her beloved pigs suddenly and without explanation. The twin Gloucestershire Old Spots had been her 10th birthday present the summer before last, and she fed them and cared for them all that first summer. When we returned the following summer, the girls were unrecognizable - huge and fat and not so appealing to cuddle. But Coco loved them, especially Clementine, the friendlier one. And so our hearts broke when Becca, our groom, called to say she found Clemmie stone dead in her pen one morning. She was so heavy that my husband had to tie chains around her and drag her out of the farm yard with a tractor. Coco and I had been in London the night before, and thankfully the whole ordeal was over before we reached home.

Then our beloved dog Ginger went missing. For 24 hours we couldn't find her. We checked the stable and the barns and then walked, drove and rode horses through every square inch of the farm and the surrounding farms in search of her. Nothing. Sometimes she would follow home a neighbor who rode down our bridleway, but they would always call to say that Ginger was with them. No one called. I even drove down the nearest fast road, wincing at the prospect of finding her alongside it. We went to bed that night in tears and woke up to that dreaded feeling when your body remembers something is wrong before your brain has the chance to. It wasn't long into that next morning when we all heard a bark outside the house. I ran outside and Gingy came running around the corner, barking and then murmuring reassurances as we hugged her and cried with relief. Becca explained that she heard barking while feeding the horses down in the field and discovered Ginger in an outbuilding that no one had been in for months. It was then that my poor husband remembered that he'd stuck his head in the building that morning and not realised that Ginger had followed him inside.

Ultimately for me, the greatest long-term sadness came when a fox ate our rooster. We bought Kaiser at our local agricultural show in the beginning of last September. He was just a few months old with humble feathers and a feeble crow. Soon we got a dozen hens to join his family, and his evolution began. Each month his feathers intensified in color and began to curl at the ends. His morning cry grew louder and more authoritative. He started to strut around the farmyard, seemingly posing for me when I got my camera out. In the months we knew him he went from being an awkward teenage boy to a magnificent and proud gentleman. Then one night in early spring, a fox got into our chicken house, probably the same one that ate 6 of my brother-in-law's hens a week earlier. We didn't notice anything amiss until Christopher walked into the side yard where the chickens live and saw a massive pile of feathers outside their door. We quickly realized that we hadn't heard Kaiser cock-a-doodle-doing that morning. Slowly through the day the reality dawned on us and by evening we knew he was gone. There was only one other hen missing, and we like to think that Kaiser died defending his girls. I gathered up a pile of his most beautiful feathers, and I keep them in my room in a vase on the windowsill.

Our new rooster is called BangBang. I love the name, don't you? It was Christopher's idea. He is already a grown man, and we got him in the hopes that it's not too late in the season for him to make some chicks with the hens. He is lovely but shy - I've barley been able to get a photo of him. But I have every hope that, in time,  he'll make his way into my heart as Kaiser did.

Kaiser, on the day he came home with us.

The chickens live in our kids' old play house. I love how they sleep on the banister of the balcony. Sometimes we check on them before we go to bed and can hear them snoring! That's Kaiser down on the right. 

Christopher giving Kaiser a cuddle.

This was the first snow, and I was so excited to see what the chickens were going to do, but they just went about their day as normal.

Kaiser and his bouquet of ladies.

Kaiser in his full-feathered glory, just before he died.

What's left of our handsome boy.

Here's BangBang running past me at speed. Hopefully he'll settle in and become more friendly. Before he came to us he lived with other roosters who apparently fought with each other all the time, so has some scratches and scars. He's healing nicely though and already looks quite handsome, don't you think?

Met Ball 2013: My favorite looks

For the first time in 10 years, I didn't spend Met Ball Monday getting my dress steamed, my hair and makeup done, my shoes and bag picked out, my jewellery delivered, my mani/pedi color perfected or the car service ordered to deliver my husband and me to the bottom of the big steps on Fifth Avenue at 83rd Street. Instead, on the warmest, sunniest day we've had in England this year, I took my son for a two hour horseback ride, made a big lunch of oil-poached halibut and blood orange salad, helped my kids with their homework, wandered around the farm with my daughter and our dog visiting the baby lambs along the way, had an early evening swim in the pool and then enjoyed our first summer supper outside, joined by the kids' grandmother. Life is good. But the day wasn't without a bit of nostalgia for the excitement of the Met Ball - the choosing what to wear, the people watching, and even just the thrill of being included. But mostly I was looking forward to waking up this morning and seeing what everybody was wearing. I wouldn't say that punk was the most flattering, or easy-to-pull-off theme The Met has ever chosen, but many of those who approached it with restraint, a new perspective, or just ignored it completely (Anna Wintour being at the head of hat pack) got my vote.

Carey Mulligan wore my favorite look of the night, hands down. Polished, clean, simple with just a hint of punk in her Balenciaga dress.

The brilliant razor blade chandelier at the entrance. Photo by Steven Kolb.

I also really loved Taylor Tomasi-Hill's Thom Browne gown. It's beautiful, flattering and not without a bit of the punk spirit. Thom's on a roll, and so is she. 

Antony Vaccarello is one of my favorite new designers, the only trouble being that you need to look like a supermodel in order to wear his clothes. Who better to impersonate a supermodel than Gisele?

Kate Bosworth seems to be more of a fashion icon than an actress these days, but not without good cause - she has great style. I love her in this Balmain mini, and she reminds me that in most cases there's nothing better than a simple black pump to wear with a party dress.

I love how much Sofia Coppola and Marc Jacobs are just themselves. Sofia always looks chic without looking like she's seeking attention (despite being every fashion girl's favorite style icon), and Marc always looks chic while seeking maximum attention. You can see why they're friends. 

I wish Gwyneth had done something more interesting with her hair and make-up, but the Valentino dress is inspired. 

There's never been a year when Bee wasn't on my Met Ball best dressed list. She always finds the perfect dress for her and never falls prey to a kitschy theme.

The flower-lined, flag-adorned main staircase in The Met entrance. The pink lighting at the top makes it. Photo by Steven Kolb.

The brilliant Olympia LeTan clutch Michelle Williams carried. Photo by Olympia LeTan.

Anne Hathaway looked great. I love the vintage dress and the Edie Campbell-inspired blonde hair.

Amazing Blondie. Every time I see her I can't not think of those pictures of her at CBGB which are among my all-time favourite style moments. Photo by Amy Astley.

What a pretty dress! Of course it's Nina Ricci - Peter Copping is the king of the pretty dress. And who better to wear it than Carolyn Murphy? I love how classic and simple her style has become.  

Giovanna Battaglia wears Dolce Gabbana better than anyone. The ornate style suits her, and she knows how to put it all together, including the safety pin crown. Gorgeous! Photo by Giovanna Battaglia. 

Alexa Chung always finds a way to look like herself - sexy and cute at the same time. She looks flawless here - dress, hair, shoes, bag, hair are all working.

It's easy to be annoyed by the Brant brothers - they are ridiculously precocious and always seem to be out on the town way past a normal teenager's bedtime. That said, they always look good. I especially love Harry's makeup here. Photo by Selby Drummond.

Thank god Vogue still appreciates New York society girls Like Dr. Lisa Airan and Marina Rust who dress way better (no stylist needed) than most celebrities do. While Lisa always looks good, I am particularly taken by Marina's feminine and romantic minimalist chic.

Another supermodel - this time Anja Rubik - in an otherwise impossible-to-pull-off Antony Vacarello dress. I love the lips and shoes matching the dress so perfectly.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Julianne Moore's dark green Balenciaga by Alex Wang dress. However, this is where the theme can lead a girl astray - I wish she hadn't tried to punk it up with her hair. 

Lauren Santo Domingo will go down as one of the great beauties of our day, and I LOVE her Dolce&Gabbana Alta Moda dress. (I just wish it was two inches shorter!).

The look inside The Met. I love all the pink. Photo by Steven Kolb.

Cara Delevigne's Thakoon dress and punk-inspired makeup, hair, and jewelry is just the right dose of  rebel-chic.

I am so taken by Leelee Sobieski's modern take on minimalist style. Her embroidered tulle Dior gloves add just the right dose of the unexpected to an  otherwise toned-down look. 

I love these two. Lena Dunham looks so pretty with her slicked down hair and sexy makeup, and the Erdem dress is pretty and sweet and suits her beautifully.

My only regret for The Met Ball, without having even been there, is that they didn't get PSY to perform!!! I would have loved to see the fashion world get their Gangnam Style on. Still, it must have been so fun just to see him there in his stylish red checked tux and get a photo for your kids.

Life on the Farm: Snapshot

Now that the weather is getting more appropriately spring-like, and I won't be needing to use the wood-burning stove in my office so much, I'm wondering how I'm going to keep my soup warm at lunch time?