Happy Week-end.....

Mozzarella, Pesto, Arugula, and Parmesan Bruschetta

Coughs, colds, snow, sleet & very cold weather....

that's my London week in a nutshell!

A little sunshine this morning was all that we needed to grab our things & head for town

....a walk by the river, lunch at Borough Market & a little exploring.

Have a great week-end!!

Some lovely links for you....

delicious coconut cloud cake (as seen above)

an extremely cool Swedish family home

a beautiful nursery for a little girl

the most beautiful Italian wedding

anniversaries/marriage/relationship - a great post from the heart

a gorgeous Swedish attic apartment, so fabulously decorated

some words of wisdom, "the greatest challenge"

Creating A Workspace....

I've been working on a new workspace for some time now & finally it's coming together....

I don't have a room of my own, what I have is a corner.

I dream of a whole room where I can create a fabulous home office....

a room that reflects me, has a little bit of everything I love most, with inspiration everywhere I look

....but you have to work with what you've got & so I am working on creating a much smaller & condensed version of that.

I've bought a new desk & a new chair....

plus white picture frames, lamp, a pinboard & ordered a rug from ScS who have a great selection ....

I set myself a budget & worked within that.

I've added some storage, some prints & a few items that I love.

It's uncluttered, clean, fresh, neat.

It's a calm space.

The photo above is a tiny glimpse of my new workspace, all will be revealed very soon :) 

 

Happy Sunday....

Harpers December issue - Marion Cotillard

....thoughts of NYC this week....

We've hibernated pretty much this week, it's been our half-term holiday....and it's been blissful.

Taking a break, sleeping in & just being.

Children are always so busy these days, so many activities & distractions available to them. 

I think it's really important to just be - and to learn how to entertain themselves & do something other than stare at a screen.

Since I started my "30 Dishes in 30 Days" November challenge, I have unleashed my inner Nigella and have been cooking up a storm....I can't stop actually. 

My only rule is that all the dishes have to be something I've never made before, I'm loving it! 

So far I've made : 

Pea & Potato Soup

Fish Pie

Balsamic Red Onion & Goat's Cheese Tart

Maple Syrup & Vanilla Ice Cream

Cinnamon rolls

Join me if you would like to....although I've already decided I will do this again in either January or February so I may need cooking buddies then :)

Happy Sunday!!

                                                                                       

                                                               

                                                       

                    

The Beauty of White....

Some day I look around my home and wonder what it would be like to live solely in the peace & tranquillity of whites and creams.

It's probably an impossibility when you have children - at least until they start making toys and paraphernalia for children that only comes in white!!

Colour has always meant cosy to me & I have always thought that all white might be too stark and plain for me....

I like open shelving, being able to see things that I love, being able to glance at bookshelves & having colourful images and paintings on the walls.

Maybe it's the simplicity & lightness of summer days that makes me crave a blank canvas....

I am definitely thinking of making my new workspace neutral & calming.

For the last week of our holidays in France we are staying in an apartment that we discovered last year...

it's one of around 10 apartments in an old converted hospital....

fabulously high ceilings, extra wide doorways, great windows with those gorgeous tiny balconies that you see everywhere, particularly in Paris.

The owners have done wonderful renovation work on it, it has super-modern kitchen & bathroom while retaining all the charm of the old building.

And it's all painted white....old white floorboards & white walls.

It is incredibly relaxing & calming.