3 things to smile about #2

I totally fell in love with the sofa.com Chelsea showroom when we visited a couple of weeks ago - I mean, just check out those cushions. And the room. And those floorboards. The relaxed atmosphere was super welcoming too, and there were many more things to look at than we anticipated. Well worth a visit if you need new comfy seating for your house. In the end we left empty-handed at the time, but soon put an order in for an Izzy, kinda like the velvet one in the first picture, just in a lighter colour. We can't wait to see it in our new house!

 Next up, my budding, very modest first steps into the world of pottery. The Art teacher at my school had the brilliant idea to do a quick after-work introduction to pottery for staff, and it has been the most relaxing way to end Wednesdays for the past couple of weeks. The results, well, I don't think I'm quite there yet, but I had high ambitions and brought Pinterest pictures along with me to inspire me. Anthropologie are selling the most beautiful things this summer as ever, and I've tried to recreate some of the colour schemes I saw in the shop the other day. Sadly I don't have a finished product to show you yet. Fingers crossed the glazing will all be finished before we break up.

And finally, this beauty last week. Definitely brought a smile to my face.

Saint- Tropez

 ♫ Do you St Tropez ♫

 

Glamour here we come!   What better way to celebrate the start of summer than a quick visit to the Mecca of the French Riviera? With Saint-Tropez only a stone's throw from our holidays we couldn't not go and see it, if only for a few hours. Getting in and out of this tiny fishing town took way more time than we thought, but at least we got to take in the views, and the rough coastline leading into St Trop' was very reminiscent of those old Bardot clips from the 60s. As soon as we started strolling in the streets the best thing was the jasmine scent everywhere. Our visit must have coincided perfectly with the blooming season, the perfume was just so stong and intoxicating, it was magic.  Not so magic though was the town itself, such a let down! It seemed to be all about the bling, but then what did I really expect in such a place?
Still, we found comfort in those delicious ice creams shaped like flowers, and my basil with lime flavour was to die for.  And that Dior house was grand to see. Sadly, as far as I can see,  that's it for me and St Tropez.

PG

Gosh this place was nice, wasn't it? Port Grimaud has been such a discovery, it had us in awe of its little canals and charming little houses. Walking on the tiny side streets leading to the beach we could see beautiful, majestic palm trees. The air was full of pine and salt. We chatted with old friends, laughed a lot, took the kids to make sandcastles, and repeated everyday.  Unfortunately the sun played hide-and-seek with the clouds a bit too much to our liking, but I can honestly say Port Grimaud was a much welcome break in the middle of this tough academic year. And who can resist waking to such a pretty view of sailing boats, pine trees, and local provencal markets down the street canal? Having a second home is already such a luxury these days, but a house in this lovely place redefines the term altogether.
Anyway, all that to say, a massive thank you to our hosts for putting up with our idiosyncrasies for a week, and for introducing us to beautiful new places.

le soleil vient de se lever...

Apologies to those of you who didn't grow up in France in the 80s - you might not get my cheesy title. We used to have this series of adverts on TV, promoting Ricore, a weird granule coffee ersatz. In every ad there would be a group of friends or a family gathering outside for a big, happy breakfast with Ricore, and the song was always the same, starting with the famous words "le soleil vient de se lever..." Lots of people made fun of the ads, and plenty of spoofs were made. 

Anyway all that to say, we were lucky enough to be invited to the south of France by a dear friend and each morning when we were getting breakfast ready the song would just naturally pop into my head, and then stay there. Stuck. For hours. 

The thing is, breakfasts were colossal for a week, and to tell you the extent of it, I feel like I have to go running to burn off all the croissants and pains au chocolat. Me. A week later. 

Provence is such a picture-perfect place. It would be hard not to love it. The lovely village of Ramatuelle was the backdrop for our first meal out together. What a great view onto the sea! From this moment on the tone was set for the week: we were going to eat (a lot), laugh, not care much about anything, and most importantly, talk about new ventures. We have already had those talks before and nothing ever came to fruition but maybe this time something will come of it. All we need to do now is finalise that business plan, right? 

Oh, who are we kidding, Guapa?  Just pass the Prosecco, and let's see if the idea sticks for as long as the last one ten years ago...especially now that we both have kiddos. What laughs along the way though hey! And tomorrow is another day, no doubt we'll wake up to the old tune again "le soleil vient de se lever..."

3 things to smile about

First thing to smile about is an obvious one, it's the simplest pleasure of opening the door and stepping in your garden to pick whatever herb you need for dinner. Shortly after we moved in, Baby J and I raided the local garden centre (a painful discovery when we arrived at the till - golly, those little green things don't come cheap!) and got our hands on pots, plants, flowers, gloves, tools and of course, a range of herbs. Fresh and home-grown, yummy!

Next, flat-laying all my pretties for the holidays. Said holidays are over now, boo hoo, but getting ready to get away is one of my favourite things. I guess it helps when you are off somewhere hot and well accompanied, which was the case last week. So, in my suitcase this time: new sunnies from French Connection, a flowery headband, my beloved new ring from My Little Box, the amazing sunscreen from Hawaiian Tropic(not too sticky and not too perfumed, just right), and a new pair of summer heels from Caroll France. When I saw them in their new catalogue last Easter I had to have them. Vain, I know.
I confess, I have a tendency to overpack and this time was no exception. But hey, you just never know what you might need!

Last but not least, our new chouchou TV series. We were late catching this one, and now I think we are hoo-ked. Honestly, how brilliant are the characters?