Dream Homes : Mykonos

This property is actually two villas names Orpheus & Eurydice.

British owned and South African architect designed, they are also available for rental during the summer.

With five bedrooms, simple but stylish furnishings....they look the epitome of tranquility.

Their brief to the architect was that nothing in the house should distract from the dramatic views of the Aegean and that it should be as comfortable as possible.

The owners were married in the chapel above the pool, overlooking the sea....how lovely!

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(all images via MarieClaireMaison.com)

So much to think about when buying a home, for information on surveyors, valuers & surveyors negligence look online.

Ever Thought about a Cruise?

Our summer holiday destination, Villefranche Sur Mer, is a regular stop for cruise ships....

we throw open the shutters each morning & my son likes to see if, and how many, cruise ships have arrived for the day....they drop anchor out at sea and their passengers disembark via tenders....

 some taking the train to Monaco, some to Nice & some to the beach....

and in the evening, they head off into the sunset & a new destination.

 And in the evening, sometimes accompanied by fireworks, they head off into the sunset again for a night of feasting, dancing, any one of hundreds of activities on board, to be honest....

waking up the next morning in a new port.

The ships seem to get bigger & better every year and there is something very exciting about waking up in a new & exciting location every morning.

I used to wonder why you'd want to leave a place having only just arrived there....but actually now - and also having been on a Caribbean cruise myself - I can see there's something very appealing & exciting about discovering somewhere new each day....just seeing/doing/tasting enough to satisfy your senses or your curiosity....and then moving on, maybe dreaming of returning one day.

My children love the idea of spending a week aboard a gi-normous cruise ship and actually I'd happily do it again....I love the idea of cruising the fjords, sitting on deck wrapped up in a blanket, gazing glamorously out to sea....or sunning myself as we hop from one Mediterranean port to another.

Cruises are so much more affordable than they used to be, they're a great holiday option with so many different destinations to choose from....there is definitely something very romantic about travelling by ship.

There are now so many fantastic last minute cruise deals available....

a variety of destinations, definitely something for everyone.

Camper & Nicholson's luxury international marinas & berths for yachts and superyachts are situated in some of the beautiful locations in Europe & the Caribbean.

With exceptional levels of yacht care, facilities and customer service, they are renowned worldwide, their name is synonymous with quality and luxury.

If a cruise ship is too big, you could always charter your own boat :)  

A European Adventure....

I've already mentioned that we are heading to Italy this August for our annual summer holiday....

what I haven't said is that, instead of flying, we'll be driving...gulp!

We aren't planning to stop, apart from a coffee break or two, and the plan is really to get from A to B as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Every summer we fly to France...and every summer my husband suggests that we drive.

I've always refused....partly because the flight from London to Nice is only 2 hours & partly because my children get horrendously carsick. 

Hence, driving any considerable distance with them has never appealed to me in the slightest.

My husband has memories of happy & hilarious car journeys to Italy when he was 18 years old with his cousin/friends....

....naturally, vomiting children, endless requests for loo & howls of "are-we-there-yet?" were not part of those particular trips ;)

This year we decided to holiday in Italy instead of France & I have decided to embrace the whole idea as a great adventure....why not?

Hopefully driving the 904 miles / 1455 kilometres from London, via France & Switzerland to northern Italy will be a wonderful experience (as opposed to the first & last time we'll ever attempt it!)

Planning our trip has actually been a lot of fun....

having never done a long drive in Europe before, there is more to think about that I had realised, not just booking the Channel crossing, we've also had to think about timing since we are hoping to do the entire 14 hour drive in one day.

A 6am Channel crossing means an early start from London....

having driven down through France we hope to arrive at the Mont Blanc tunnel, which takes us through the Alps and into Switzerland, at just the right time to avoid long queues.

We looked into the best way to pay for the French tolls which you find everywhere on the motorways throughout the country - turns out there is a special chip you buy before travelling, you attach it to your windscreen enabling you to avoid long queues at the tollbooths & you pay one bill for your whole journey when you arrive back in England. Genius!!

We also need to change our breakdown cover & car insurance to cover us in Europe.

Lots of different options but whatever you do make sure you have it!

My uncle drives a beautiful & painstakingly restored Morgan, he took it to France last year....it has a fabulous new engine but for that kind of trip specialist car insurance is essential.

A friend broke down just outside Paris last summer with her 4 children - thankfully she was covered for the use of a hire car to continue her holiday.

Years ago, my brother was driving an old VW Beetle through France & Spain and broke down in the middle of nowhere in southern France....the cost of repairs & vehicle recovery etc was more than the value of the car & in the end he abandoned it.

It may still be there today, possibly with chickens living in it!

Travelling with our own car does has other benefits too - no 15kg baggage allowance for us & I have already mentally packed a box of tableware & linens from home for the fabulous al fresco dinners we'll be enjoying....

I loved this account of a road trip through Tuscany. 

     I found this photo of a home in Tuscany on Pinterest....

our house in Emilia Romagna is exactly the same size, shape & colour!

Cruise Dreams....

Our summer holiday location, Villefranche Sur Mer, is a regular stop for cruise ships....

new ships are there most days, as we throw open the shutters each morning my son likes to check how many have arrived each day, anchored out in the Med, marvelling at their size & the number of people on board.

My children are fascinated by these travellers who pour off the ship, some taking the train to Monaco, some to Nice & some to the beach....

and in the evening, they head off into the sunset & a new destination.

 My children would love to go on a cruise and, I must admit having been on one myself, I would most definitely do it again.

I went on a three week cruise of the Caribbean some years ago with my Dad....

having got over my initial reservations of seeing it as a holiday for the over-80s, I had the most fabulous time...and of course, people of all ages were on board.

The ships seem to get bigger & better every year and there is something very exciting about waking up in a new & exciting location every morning.

I love the idea of cruising the fjords, sitting on deck wrapped up in a blanket, glamorously staring out to sea....or sunning myself as we hop from one Mediterranean port to another.

There are some lovely options to be found on the MSC Cruise page and some great deals on Cruise Kings.

Cruising has certainly become more affordable & is an option that has become increasingly popular with holidaymakers of all ages but to me it's a exciting & adventurous way to travel.

Bon voyage!

all images via Pinterest

Be Brave....Say Yes!

Some years ago I left what was to turn out to be the best paid job I've ever had in order to go & work in the US for six months.

I'd been in my job for three years, my first proper job after graduating & I was very happy there.

I had a great social life, shared a beautiful house with friends & I was responsibility free...

I had no financial commitments whatsoever.

An opportunity came up in the US and I just felt really strongly that it was now or never.... 

I knew I wouldn't have the freedom or time to do it if I waited even just another year.

I knew it would mean resigning from my job in London & I'd have no home or job to return to once the 6 months was up.

But I just knew it was the right thing & I pretty much made an immediate decision to go.

To this day, I still consider it one of the best decisions I've ever made, I've never ever regretted it.

My time in the US was life-changing, it was the right move at exactly the right time.

I can clearly remember leaving Heathrow Airport - it was the the first time I'd flown alone - with nothing but excitement in my head and my heart.

I couldn't wait to begin the adventure.

And an adventure & an experience it most definitely was.

It was actually my first time in America, I met so many new people and none of it felt strange, it just felt normal & natural, I adapted to life there straightaway .   

I worked long days but didn't mind one bit, I couldn't get enough of it all.

I spent a lot of time by myself, which at times was challenging....

but I often think it was the making of me, it was a turning point in my life after which so many things became better and better in so many ways.

I made decisions single-handedly and nothing went wrong 

(which made me feel even better about myself!)

....it felt like both a milestone & an achievement. 

And 6 months turned into 9 months when I was asked to work as an au pair for a lovely family in NYC....

I had every week-end totally to myself to explore Manhattan....can you imagine??!!

Those Saturdays were some of the happiest of my life.

This past week-end I was telling my children the story about flying off to America alone.

I've never forgotten what a great time I had but even as I was sharing the story, part of me was still, even after all these years, amazed that I had been brave enough to walk away from my London life.

I had been to Europe but had never travelled alone, when I was young I was always homesick when I had sleepovers at friends' houses and many times had to be brought home in the middle of the night & I always refused point blank to go on any exchange programs at school to Paris or Barcelona, the idea filled me with complete horror!

Apart from sharing with my children what an amazing adventure it was, I was also trying to explain to them....

* that sometimes you really need to trust your instinct & do what that little voice inside tells you....

it's rarely wrong

* sometimes you have to take a chance, just jump

* that if you never do it, you'll never know how it might have turned out

* sometimes the time to do something really is right now

* it is highly unlikely that you will dislike travelling, in my experience there really is nothing better

* that there is nothing worse than regret, thinking what might have been

* sometimes you can't wait for life to happen to you, you have to make it happen

* be brave

I have always been so thankful that I took that opportunity when I did and  

when I did eventually return to London, I walked straight into a great job & within two months I met the man who would become my husband!! 

If I hadn't changed jobs, I would never have met him....

and if I'd met him earlier, I might never have gone to the US! 

Life really does have a way of working out perfectly :)

Week-end Beauty....

Just sharing some of my favourite images from this week.

Last January I took place in the World's Biggest Juice Detox & this week I've been doing it again....

it's not always easy, I miss my morning coffee & tea but I feel great.

I've also been doing a little blog makeover....it's not quite finished yet, almost there.

I'm going to spend the remainder of my Saturday afternoon cooking....

I'm going to try the rosemary chicken lasagne featured below & am making a couple of other dishes, including Rachel Allen's fantastic lemon rosemary polenta cake.

I went to see "Quartet" this week....

it's a wonderful film, brilliant acting & set in the most beautiful house.

I'm looking forward to the Golden Globes tomorrow night & will be featuring some of my favourites gowns on Monday.

The Oscar nominations made interesting reading this week....

like many others, I though that Ben Affleck was absolutely robbed when he missed out on Best Actor & Best Director for "Argo", one of my favourite movies of 2012 by far.

  

Snow is forecast in London for Monday and most of next week, it's certainly cold enough for it!

Happy Week-end!!

Positano, Italy

Manhattan townhouse

....rosemary chicken lasagne 

via Feasting at Home, a fabulous new food blog that I discovered this week

inspiring spaces....still trying to finish off my home office corner, almost there

....one of my favourite photos taken by me last summer in Cap Ferrat, the south of France has the most wonderful light 

photo by Jen Huang

New York City Girl

Earlier today I was reading one of my favourite new blogs....

Natalie's Holbrook's "Nat The Fat Rat". 

Like many of the best blogs that I read, I can't remember how I found her....

She describes her blog thus....

"welcome! my name is natalie. happiness curator, lover of anne of green gables. i'm a hopeless optimist and prodigious over-exaggerator living in a tiny apartment in new york city with my husband brandon and my fat baby henry august (we call him huck). this blog is a love letter from my family to new york city, and where i capture all the lovely little things that make up a wonderful life. i watch a lot of meg ryan movies." 

Yes, Natalie is pretty much living my dream life ;)

Her blog is really fun & has a great vibe about it....she's a lovely writer & a pretty cool girl.

I love reading about NYC & her life there....

and baby Huck is just gorgeous.

Anyway....today her post is entitled "A Christmas on Fifth Avenue Progress Report" and within seconds, I was immediately transported to Manhattan.

I love New York. 

I'll always love it.

Even before I went there for the first time, I always knew I would love it.

When I first met my husband, we used to go to NYC every year, some years we even went twice....

we stayed with friends & we stayed in hotels, some days it felt as though we covered every inch of the city, we walked for hours.

the first time we were there, we stayed for two whole weeks....

which now in our life as parents seems like such an incredible luxury! 

which of course it was - 14 days of just doing what we wanted.  

I've talked about NYC many times on my blog before but reading Natalie's post immediately made me think of the city and what my absolute favourite memories & images of it are....

So in no particular order, here they are....

the Empire State Building - my all-time Manhattan favourite building.

i've been to the top of it lots of times & at different times of the day, it's always breathtaking.

cycling in Central Park....on Sunday the park is closed to traffic & we rented bikes,

we cycled around the whole park, quite a distance but so much fun.

autumn in New York....enough said.

blue skies, bright sunshine, crisp air = perfection.

it somehow feels different to autumn in any other city....special & romantic. 

my husband proposed to me by the lake in Central Park in front of the Dakota Building during our bike ride.

it was a total surprise.

it is unquestionably my best memory ever, the best moment of my life.

i literally felt my life change. 

i only have to think of it & my heart quickens & my eyes water!!

(i also made him ask me again the next day at the top of the Empire State Building, just like in all the best movies....he didn't mind!)  

Carnegie Deli on 7th Avenue

the biggest sandwiches, matzoh ball soup & the best cheesecake ever.

we went there just after we'd just got engaged, sharing our secret over cheesecake, just the two of us :)

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree....

possibly the most beautiful Christmas tree in the world....

one year we were there when the lights were switched on, it was magical.

Radio City Christmas Extravaganza

....this IS Christmas, it's a show that everyone should see once in their lives.

Pretzels & Bagels

....yes, we have them in London and no, they are not the same - or nearly as good!

Central Park Station....a really beautiful building.

We used to arrive into the station every day when we were staying with friends & it's always worth exploring instead of just rushing straight through it.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

....so much to see but one of my all-time favourites there are the Tiffany Windows, I'll never forget seeing them for the first time.

Zabars....

lots of great delis in NYC but Zabars on the Upper West Side is the best....

the best cinnamon rugelach & chocolate babka ever.

plus great kitchen supplies upstairs.

Millennium Eve, Dec 31 1999....
my husband & I were in Times Square as the new millennium began.
It was fabulous, freezing & unforgettable!

The very first time I went to NYC I was travelling alone....I spent the summer working at a children's Summer Camp in upstate New York & then I worked as an au pair in Westchester, about 30 minutes outside the city, for 5 months.

On my week-ends off, I used to head into the city & explore the city, go to Bloomingdales, buy lunch at Dean & Deluca, go the movies, go to Tiffany & Co, buy a pretzel, walk in Central Park.

It was one of the happiest times of my life.

It's been a few years since I was last there & of course now I have children.

I have a whole new list of places to visit in NYC....

I hope to visit next year with my family....

and one day I plan to visit again & spend a few months there renting an apartment, exploring, cooking, walking & writing.

One day....and in the meantime, I will just keep adding to my list :)

Irish Isolation : The Aran Islands

I spotted this photo on Pinterest and just had to share it....isn't it stunning?

Taken by photographer Dave Noyle, the home is located in the Aran Islands, Ireland.

The Aran Islands are a group of three islands which are home to 1,200 people and are located at the mouth of Galway Bay, just off the west coast of Ireland.

I cannot imagine how it would feel to come out of your front door and be greeted with views like these everyday....but I imagine it must feel pretty special.

New York City : Flatiron Building

The Flatiron Building....one of my favourite Manhattan landmarks.

I remember standing in front of it on my first visit to New York City and marvelling at its shape, I'd never seen anything like it before.

Completed in 1902, it was at the time one of the tallest buildings in the city at 22 floors and was one of only two skyscrapers north of 14th Street.

Located on a triangular block between Broadway, Fifth Avenue & East 22nd Street, it anchors the south end of Madison Square.

Originally known as the Fuller Building, it became known as the Flatiron Building because of its resemblence to an old fashioned clothes iron.

It is currently an office building - the offices in what is known as the "point" being the most sought after as they look directly north towards the Empire State Building.

Viewed from above, the point is only 2 metres wide & has an acute angle of 25 degrees.

Plans are in hand to turn the building into a hotel - city planners have already given their agreement - although this may not be for another ten years or so.

What a fabulous place it would be to stay in!

I love this print currently on sale at Ikea.