Interiors

A friend is slowly roasting in Paris with not a beach or lake in sight. Berlin friends have managed 36 degrees by sitting in a lake. We spent the day under an umbrella with salty dips in the crystal aqua sea. We are in a heatwave. As we sit inside blessing the air-conditioning, I recalled days of my youth with just a fan. School lessons endured watching friends fall asleep in the afternoon heat and nights spent on a concrete garage floor to keep cool. Relatives arrive tomorrow and we will spend the next couple of days in the

I am an urban hiker. Rather than mountains and trails which end in severe allergies, I love walking around neighbourhoods and looking at architecture, or as a friend said, "More cement!" More frequently, modern buildings are appearing with sharp, glass windows not even apologising for a lack of style or privacy. The older '70s buildings are a form of corporate prison designed to drive a worker to despair with few if any redeeming features and basically just a concrete block. Fast forward to now and massive windows seem to be the style presenting glass boxes hard to heat and

Since 2004, we have been moving. First Penang, then Geneva, New York, Berlin and finally the South of France. Over those years we have been to various meet-up groups, forum nights and various getting-to-know-people events. We realise that most of our friends have been found more by default than design. We elbow-bumped Belgians in a New York French restaurant and eight years later we meet once a year. We have our New York boys, one of whom I worked with, and we connected immediately to find we were born in the same year but two days apart. Another was

Kandinsky said, "orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow". As an expressionist and colourful artist, he would have known! Orange, mandarin, tangerine, all shades that throw right back to memories of the 1970s with lava lamps, daisies and ugly Tupperware. It isn't a colour you see often these days and takes some courage to use with hues leaning to red or yellow tones. In some cultures, orange represents creativity and fertility and then, in the USA, it is the colour of prisoners. On a different note, bright orange with hints of gold is a quick marketing technique

There is something about a ginger jar that makes you want to at least touch it if not put it under your arm. The soft contours and roundness are an interior designer's delight. Originally just jars, or as in Chinese, guans, the Western world used them for exporting spices such as ginger. Blue and white Asian patterns are the most popular but they are made in a range of colours and sizes, highly patterned or plain. A temple jar is taller and was originally used for ashes and with its higher shoulders and more ornate lids, they make a

Tolkien stated, "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." The last week has been a series of small and wonderful dining moments. It started with a planned but surprise menu with a wonderful new friend in Cannes. Each choice had been careful selected and champagne was served. A Friday night spur of the moment beach drinks ended up with four of us snacking on tapas, good wine and with a lovely sea breeze as the tide came in. The weekend finished with good food, wine and song

I was going to write about last night's electric storm that cracked across the sea but there is so much gloom at the moment my mind turned to cake and tea. Just re-read this and it rhymes! Being more a coffee and chocolate biscuit person, making tea is a slower process and requires some thought. A cafe was found with mismatching china, plenty of butter icing and dollops of cream. English breakfast with a spoonful of honey is perfect to cut through a bite of sugar and butter. Set the table, use the best cups and treat yourself to

John Masefield wrote, "I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, and all I ask is a tall ship a star to steer her by..." We spent a Friday night dinner on a friend's yacht which didn't leave the harbour. Due to a lack of wind, we stayed put but it was wonderful to watch the sun set and 4 of the 5 of us sang our hearts out at the top of our lungs all being passionate about a song. Saturday was spent recovering on a beach in the first day

The Farmer's Almanac - yes, I read some strange things, states that this Easter has the first full moon, a Pink Moon, based on the start of pink blossom and the perfume of spring. Other cultures call it the Egg Moon, Sprouting Grass Moon or Paschal Moon and the druids looked at it as an opportunity to refresh and set new year resolutions and new beginnings. So wherever you are on April 16th, send out your wishes, it can't hurt! So many different traditions, hens, rabbits and eggs. In our home country, France, chocolate bells are the symbol of