THIS INSTALMENT of 10 IMAGES features the work of Marco Valmarana. Born in Venice, Italy, Valmarana got his start working for Belmond as a lifeguard at Hotel Cipriani. After his studies, he took a different path, working in photography and social media.
THIS WEEKEND, P recreated the sandwich we used to get in Valencia, complete with the salsa verde. It was marvellous. He also made Fideuà on Sunday, so we had a rather Spanish weekend. It's actually the last long weekend of the summer here and despite two days of overcast skies and rain, it did clear up today and was perfect.
LATELY ALL my dreams have been the same: a car careering out of control that I can't stop, a car that I can't start if my life depended on it (and it usually does). Apparently, according to Claude (yes, I tell my dreams to bots now), the unconscious mind often uses cars to express thoughts and feelings about our control, power, independence and ability to progress in life.
THIS WEEKEND was all about the tennis: the Women's Final on Saturday (heartbreaking), and the Men's on Sunday (thrilling). Before all of that, on Friday, we made our way to Kensington to meet a old mate of P's from another lifetime.
After the nadir of Covid travel restrictions, summer travel season is in full swing. Air travel is projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels, according to the Transportation Security Administration. People are dusting off their passports, or waiting weeks to get them renewed, and applying for the visas they need for their destinations. International vacations take planning, even more so now. While the world has mostly opened back up since lockdowns, most nations have strict limits on how long noncitizens can visit.
ON SATURDAY we stopped by the Farmers Market on Maple. It only happens once a month, and since we only moved here in the first week of May, we missed that one. It was charming and lively and there were dogs everywhere and stalls selling topiaries and Scotch eggs, craft beer and handmade soap, and oysters and Prosecco.
A few months ago, the writer Alice Sebold began to experience a kind of vertigo. She looked at a cup on the table, and it no longer appeared solid. Her vision fractured. Objects multiplied. Her awareness of depth shifted suddenly. Sometimes she glanced down and for a split second felt that there was no floor.
WHEN I WAS little, I would tell anyone who would listen that the my favourite colours were pink and purple. My little sister (who was always by my side) would chime in that she liked blue and black. Being unabashedly girly, I never favoured those colours and wore a steady wardrobe of preppy pink for as long as I could. Fast forward to the future and black would be a firm wardrobe staple, but blue, well I never ever really took to it⏤that is perhaps until now?
EVEN THOUGH there is only one week of August left, we're not ready to leave summer behind yet, but do feel that some transitional pieces are in order for these cool August nights, and the first piece on our shopping list is the crisp blue shirt. Wear it with white trousers to keep the summery vibe going, or with blue jeans for a monochrome look. Here is our favourite way to style this indispensable wardrobe staple, as well as some shopping links...
THERE IS only one bank holiday weekend left this summer, in the last week of August, so there feels like an urgency to wear all of our favourite summer outfits before it's too late. While the Double Denim trend can transition into autumn, this trend, a white top with cream-coloured pants definitely belongs to the warmer months. Whether tucked or untucked, a t-shirt or a blouse, ankle-length pants or long pleated trousers, here are a few ways we like to style this mini trend...
TWO WEEKS AGO, when we were in Edinburgh meeting up with P's brother, I got terrible blisters on my feet wearing the new espadrilles I'd ordered a few days earlier. I was really surprised (and a little confused) because I've had many pairs of espadrilles before and none of them ever gave me any trouble. I thought that maybe I should have broken them in more before the trip, but then I read recently about how many people have been having similar foot trouble getting back into regular shoes again after three years of wearing slippers, trainers, and other comfortable footwear during lockdown ...
TUCKED AWAY on the Côte d'Azur (the Mediterranean coast of southeastern France) lies Château Saint-Victor-la-Coste, one of the most idyllic places to while the hours. A vacation complex comprised of three cottages and one suite (in a 16th century castle), all available for rent, the Château is situated in the old village of St Victor la Coste (an equal distance between Avignon in Provence and the market town of Uzes in Languedoc) where you will find a boulangerie and épicerie
AFTER WEEKS of dismal weather, it has finally become summery and we've been spending all our days in the sun. Since we've been wearing jackets and trench coats during this time, now it's time to change up our wardrobes once again and switch to cooler things. From fancy little white dresses with mary janes to oversize white shirts over bicycle shorts and kitten heels, here are a few images we've put together to inspire your summer style...
IT'S STRAWBERRY SEASON and Wimbledon, which can only mean one thing: strawberries and cream. Have you been watching the tennis? Also, Summer Solstice was just a couple of weeks ago and we said a bittersweet good-bye to the longest day of the year. Here is a little of our lately: homemade gazpacho and June rose; pints on a sunny pub terrace and wildflower meadows; friendly llamas and gin and tonics and so much more...