Catherine

Wood - Hug a Tree “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” - Kahlil Gabran. When we walk through forests, the smell of wood is said to be beneficial for our health as we are breathing in their oxygen and the trees thrive on our carbon dioxide. What a synergy and we are still cutting them down. That being said, the island/state of Tasmania has stopped cutting down the beautiful honey-coloured Huon Pine trees, once loved to make boats due to the dense oil. Now only old wood or dead trees can be used and the

The Cannes Film Festival is on again and sadly, it is not the glamour of the 1950s with new and fading celebrities visiting the town and restaurants. The two weeks have become a huge business event where private parties are held in luxury hotels and everything is double the price. That being said, there is a sense of entertainment in the air and each year Nespresso creates a fun club that celebrates the past eras with a different colour each festival. Last year was bright orange, this year offers the sunny colours of pistachio green and gelato lemon. We

"Anything is possible with sunshine and a little pink" said Lily Pulitzer. Pink represents charm, femininity, innocence and romance. A colour that only came in to vogue during the 18th century at the French royal courts and by the 1950s, has become associated with women. Feng Shui practice has pink as a shade of red, one of the lucky colours and associated with Fire and all about romance, passion and keeping something alight. It is a popular colour in Southern France and Italy and against the blue skies, offers a sense of sherbet gelato, summer and the sea. The

Spring is here and the lovely new green leaves are appearing on the trees. Green is a colour that resonates with nature, freshness, new life and a sense of calm. It comes in a range of shades and you need to decide if you go for a yellow-based green which produces the colours of happy apple green and citrus lime or if you are considering blue-based shades which can offer a range of colours including tropical green and emerald. If you are unsure, try out sample pots from paint companies such as Farrow & Ball before the whole room

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