Summer

 Summer has been blissful this year; it's been less hot than in previous years, and we even had a couple of weeks of cooler temperatures at the beginning of the month ... something I've never experienced in August before!

I found this pretty wrap dress by Diane von Furstenberg in London in June, and I just love how fresh and summery it looks. 

Accessorising with my MTC pendant necklace in ivory (very few still available here)

I often combine florist-bought flowers with berries and foliage I find on my walks with the dogs, and I love the texture and homemade look it adds to a flower arrangement.

What a joy to discover how perfectly the new dress goes with my emerald green Superga sneakers and Kelly Double Tour bracelet in Bamboo

I came across this spectacular sunflower field last weekend, and it was magical to see how the wind made them dance and sway in the breeze (you can see a video of this on my Instagram here)

When family comes over in the summer, we have dinner on a big table, and fun, long evenings. In previous years I've been throwing away mountains of paper napkins at the end of each meal, which seemed so wasteful. A couple of months ago, I found vintage French Damast napkins dyed in pink at a local textile market and embroidered each with a different colored star. Everyone loved having their own napkin, and I perfected my satin and chain stitches in the process! 

The new vegetable patch has been my absolute joy; it has grown abundantly and is a source of constant wonder: Within two weeks, the young courgette plant has grown in leaps and bounds and produced its first flower:

In less than six weeks, it has grown into this ...

... and produced its first courgette a couple of days later!

It sounds like a cliché when people say there is no comparison between homegrown and shop-bought fruit and vegetables, but it is true. You can't get fresher, tastier and more beautiful vegetables than those from your garden: I pick them just before making dinner when they are still warm from the sun they've been soaking in all day. 

with some pasta and parmesan, fried with onions and garlic. Bon appetit!

 

In addition to the courgettes, we also have lettuces, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers ...

... which makes for a lovely lunch:

and aubergines, too!

I came across this fabulous recipe of baked sweet potatoes, roasted chickpeas and tzatziki by @powerplantblog on Instagram (here). It's packed with nutrition and flavors and is quick and easy to make. What a lovely and colorful dish to inaugurate my new Tall Trees dinner plates with! The plates feature Melissa White's Tall Trees design for Kit Kemp (here)

You might remember the Tall Trees wallpaper in my bedroom that I blogged about last year (here). It makes me happy every time I enter the room ... it is such a serenely beautiful design. I'm so thrilled that it has now become available as dinnerware.

A picture of my workspace that I posted on Instagram a couple of weeks ago ...

... is featured on Andrew Martin's "In Real Homes" gallery on their website. I was so happy to find it there and could not be more thrilled.

I hope you are enjoying a happy and beautiful summer, and have a wonderful remaining August!

xx

As always, there is no sponsored content, and I don't have any affiliation with any of the brands mentioned.  Here all relevant links in case you are interested in more details:

Diane von Furstenberg Abigail Dress here

Kelly Double Tour bracelet in Bamboo here

MaiTai Collection pendant necklace here

Tall Trees porcelain here

Tall Trees wallpaper here

Andrew Martin "Real Homes" gallery here

Flowers, London and vegetables

 I've always wanted to go to the Chelsea Flower Show in London, and this year I finally did! 

DS's girlfriend and I talked about it over Christmas and a couple of months later she surprised me with tickets. It was such a fun Girls Day Out, and I took home plenty of inspiration, too.

You can not imagine the sheer number of magnificent flowers and beautiful garden designs that are on display at the CFS, and they all look as if they've been growing there forever. In reality, everything has been brought in and planted just a week prior. 

The displays were absolutely dazzling and extraordinary, and we saw the most amazing tulips, roses, and peonies, along with hundreds of other flower varieties.

 My favourites were the wildflower, herb garden and vegetable patch displays. I found it touching that humble plants, herbs and vegetables were as much celebrated as their famous and glamorous floral cousins.

Some of the main walkways were lined with artist's booths and tents with house or garden-related merchandise. 

DS's GF and I are both rabbits in the Chinese Zodiac,

and so we naturally identified with these "curious hare" sculptures by Irish Artist Donnachan Cahill:

Vegetable patch perfection

Outsized salt and pepper mills in the form of wooden chess pieces; a perfect gift for DS, who loves playing chess.

During the Chelsea Flower Show, so many shops, restaurants and hotels around Chelsea, Pimlico and Belgravia are decorated with stunningly beautiful, fun and charming flower displays. 

I could have filled the entire post with photos of these!

The coronation only took place a couple of weeks prior, so Union Jack buntings were still around in many places.

As always, I stayed in my favourite London "home away from home", the Number Sixteen Hotel in South Kensington. 

All rooms are decorated individually with different colour schemes. How fitting this stay's red, blue and white theme was for the post-coronation, Union Jack decked London streets!

I've toyed with the idea of a vegetable patch for a long time and, partly inspired by the CFS, decided to finally take the plunge. 

I'm lucky to have a friend with the greenest of thumbs who has been singing praises for a "potager" for the past two years on our Sunday walks with the dogs.

The starting point:

I loved all the different alliums at the CFS and, as luck had it, came across a field where hundreds of them were growing in the wild. 

I think that they make such a lovely backdrop against the wall. I would have liked to add a few more, but the field has since been ploughed, so there are none left. So glad for the few I've got!

In just over a week, my small plants have put on beautiful growth and started making the tiniest of peppers and tomatoes. Still waiting for the first sign of the courgettes and cucumbers; fingers crossed.

Fresh mint

I also held my first workshops in May and June, and they were so much fun. The hours went by far too quickly but were filled with joy, laughter and happiness. Everyone was fabulous and great, and really got into the swing of things!

Thanks so much again, ladies, and bravo for the beautiful things you made.  I  had the best time with you xx

What could be more satisfying than sitting at a table with a view of the new vegetable patch? I can't wait to pick our future dinner ingredients from there.

It's been a busy May and June ... a relaxing day by the beach is exactly what we all needed!

(Dress by LaDoubleJ and bag by Ortigia Sicilia. Isn't it great how the bag's lower design goes with the dress?)

Links to the products, places or companies mentioned above. As always, there is no affiliation, sponsorship or paid advertising. Just sharing things and places that bring me joy.

Chelsea Flower Show: rhs.org.uk/chelsea-flower-show

Dress (at the flower show): Artemis by La Double J here

Hare sculptures: Donnacha Cahill donnachacahill.com

Chess figurines salt and pepper mills: Millstone millstonemills.com

Number 16: https://www.firmdalehotels.com/hotels/london/number-sixteen/

Beach club: workshop-destinations.com/mediterranen-beach.html

Dress (at the beach) Sleeveless Big Dress by LaDoubleJ:  www.ladoublej.com/sleevelessbigdresscowgirl

Velvet bucket bag by Ortigia Sicilia: ortigiasicilia.com/velvet-bags

My workshop: https://maitaicollection.com/products/event