Catherine

There are said to be more shades of white than any other colour in the painting world and if you don't believe me, check it out at your next paint store. It is a great colour to use as a blank canvas to allow other colours to shine and for decor to stand out, just think of art galleries. White is also known in the art colour cycle as a non-colour along with black and yet, it is the top-selling colour for a t-shirt or to paint a room. It is also the colour of both death in Asian

"I love Paris in the Springtime...", as the song goes. We have usually visited the city in a cold and damp Autumn and are finally visiting in the Spring. For five days, we are going to try non-touristy monuments, hard-to-find museums, gardens full of blossom and enjoy the day to day life offered in one of the world's loveliest cities. This means a visit to one of the bigger brocantes/flea markets and hopefully a couple of local ones. It has become a passion of ours over the years and if I was younger starting out, it would be my

Last week was one of those weeks and as I write this post on a Sunday, I am hoping the next week brings joy, happiness and if nothing else. the weather says it is going to be a lovely sunny week which means some beach time. Where to start? Our water heater decided not to cooperate, a small leak appeared and a close colleague died. This is where gratitude sits up and begins. Our lovely neighbours immediately offered their bathroom to use and I will leave them a gift of thanks. Then a plumber turned up on time, replaced

It was a dark and stormy night. It actually was and on a Friday night our closest friends got together for an apero. It was a mixture of cultures and food. New York style peach martinis followed by French white wine. Coronation quiche served with French cheeses and homemade soda bread alongside a cricket bat board of mixed spices, dried quinces, English water crackers and red pepper hummus. Finally, blueberry cake with crème anglaise was happily eaten and we all went home warmed by good conversation, food and humour. What more could we want? As the CEO of the

We will look back at this last week in the future and wonder, how, what and why? No words can be said and we can do is be positive and supportive of each other.

Lemon, that fresh, bright springy colour is appearing in the stores. It immediately makes me think of warmth, spring, freshness and a general uplifting sense of coming out of winter. Some love the cold and hibernation of winter but not me! I need a blue sky even if it is cold and with the sun shining, my equilibrium immediately lifts by at least 50%. As the last grey days of winter hit this week, the mimosa blossom is emerging and the bright yellow pollen is a sign that we are coming out of the dark. A town in our

Currently, many friends are moving in to a new stage of their lives. Some have lost careers and are pondering the next steps and finances and their sense of identity. Others are reinventing themselves due to divorces and sadly, loss of loved ones. We are on the threshold of moving back to our home country and yet after twenty years, it feels like another adventure and life. When I look back over the last decades of moving to different cities and countries, usually we moved without knowing anyone and often struggled with another language and different bureaucracies. It feels

On the 29th of January we will enter the Year of the Snake. So if you didn't like the Western New Year and January, you have a second chance. According to a Chinese astrology magazine, "we are entering into a year of death and rebirth, a year to make responsible decisions to evolve spiritually, moving away from old ways and habits that no longer serve us well. The Snake is said to be the best equipped due to its magnetic resonance to hear the heartbeat of Mother Earth. It is a dynamic year to learn from the past, moving