the joy of little things

Pretty skies

2012-01-28T10:02:00.004+01:00

The skies have been really appealing to me this week: from grey stormy dramatic to the most beautiful clear blue towards the end of the week. Perfect for meeting a friend in town to gossip over tea. On my way, I saw the most beautiful outfit in the Dries Van Noten shop: a crisp white jacket over a silk billowing skirt, light like a cloud. Total price: 2200 euro, oh well, dreaming is free....

The weekend cooking has started with a chicken stock bubbling away on the stove. I never used to make the effort to make my own stock but it is such a world of difference. And apart from skimming the scum at the start (which is rather yucky) and sieving the stock at the end (which is a bit fiddly), preparing it is really all hands off. I use a Marcus Wareing recipe from this book. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in this book at first but upon using it I have actually learned a lot about the technical side of cooking (like scoring fish, cooking the perfect steak...) so I have been using it a lot lately.

And my new addiction: I always keep some of this in the fridge, so I can make fresh chocolate chip cookies whenever I fancy them (yes, OK so that really means every day).

Quiet

2012-01-16T21:00:00.003+01:00

After all the excitement of 2011 drawing to a close, the beginning of the new year has been relatively quiet...

I've been back in the office a couple of days to help out on a project... and cooking a lot, reading (I'm on book 3 of those 8 books I bought in London)... planning our holiday. We're thinking of going to Myanmar (supposedly the pretourist authentic asia...) or cabo verde.... or san francisco and hawai... yes, we haven't exactly decided yet....

I went to the sale and found another fabulous pair of trousers at Dries Van Noten. I had to restrain myself not to grab half the shop....

I'm learning the herringbonestitch so I can knit this. It's a bit of a challenge, thank god for Youtube!

Here's to a great 2012!

2012-01-08T19:27:00.003+01:00

Wow, the last couple of weeks of 2011 were so busy it's taken me until now to blog about it. Parties, food, seeing friends and family... and then, the icing on the cake: a trip to London to see in the New Year - visiting Borough Market, dinner at hix, cocktails at the Experimental Cocktail Club, the sales at Selfridges (disappointing but I did find a Dries Van Noten pair of trousers so I guess I shouldn't complain), a walk through Shoreditch and then: bam! there were champagne cocktails whilst we counted down to the New Year and the fireworks above the Thames. Seeing in the New Year with our friends in London was so special and something I could get used to.

I hope you all had the time to reflect on the good things that 2011 brought and been able to let go of the things that were not so great. I have a feeling 2012 is going to be magnificent!

Twinkle twinkle

2011-12-11T16:59:00.003+01:00

It's been an absolutely hectic week in the office so i was glad to take it easy this weekend... Watching a film in front of the open fire, visiting the library, going to the butcher, an afternoon nap, having brunch with the family... were enough to fill the weekend. An unexpected bonus: through P's work we were invited in the Brussels townhall to watch the lighting of the tree on the Grand Place.

I finally finished my christmas cards too. I wasn't very inspired this year so just used a Muji stamp set, red ink and white cards ... done!

Steaming bowls of soup

2011-12-03T14:08:00.005+01:00

I'm back to working in the office a couple of days a week until Christmas. I don't think I could ever go back full time but there are so many aspects I miss: the creative feedback from like minded spirits, an element of structure to the day, working international projects... The hectic days make me appreciate the quiet ones at home even more.

With the rain pattering against the windows, soup is what I crave most. The steaming bowl does so much more than warming chilly hands and feet. The ritual of chopping, measuring and simmering empties my mind of worries. This soup is one of the simplest I have ever made. I admit the peeling of the jerusalem artichokes takes a bit of concentration but after that you throw everything in a pan and let it simmer away.

Jerusalem artichoke soup with dried ham

From Vieux Legumes by Keda Black

450g jerusalem artichokes

2-3 small potatoes (or 1 large)

4-6 slices of dried ham

1 onion

sunflower oil

1/2 cube vegetable or chicken stock

salt and pepper

Peel the jerusalem artichockes, cut them up if they are too large. Repeat with the potatoes. Chop the onion.

Fry the onion in the oil during 6-7 minutes until it becomes translucent. Add the vegetables, stir, add the half cube of stock and enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil and simmer during appx 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Mix the soup. Add salt and pepper as necessary, add a little bit of water and heat it if the soup seems too dense.

Fry the slices of ham in a pan. Tear them in ribbons and put on the soup in bowls.

A day in Paris

2011-11-26T16:27:00.006+01:00

As we were climbing the steps out of the Metro in Paris we could see the silhouette of the Notre Dame appearing little by little until it towered over us in all its glory. Elegant French women were sidestepping puddles in the street whilst the men that bumped into us said a polite "excusez-moi". My day in Paris on Friday already feels like a dream but the beautiful memories are a proof it was real.

My friends J and A took the Eurostar from London, whilst I travelled on the Thalys from Antwerp and we pretended to live in this beautiful city - if only for a day. We admired the mansard roofs of the Ile DeLa Cite then walked rosy cheecked in the clear cold morning to the Cafe Marly for cups of cafe creme. In Colette, we imagined buying the beautiful Celine handbag. The pottery at Astier de Villatte spoke of picknicks under a flowering summer tree. In the Arcade at the Palais Royal we tried the delightful Serge Lutens perfume. Walking along the stately gardens and fountains it felt as if a french courtier in powdered wig could step from behind the limestone columns at any moment. The light filtering through the glass paned roof in the 19th century galerie Vivienne lent a magical air to the mosaic floor, the lanterns and the beautiful boutiques.

Through all that walking we'd worked up an appetite. So we ate, the Parisian way: caraffes of wine, monogrammed linen napkins, homemade pate and gherkins, coquilles saint jacques and joue de boeuf followed by souffle, fromage and mousse au chocolat. La Regalade does all the french classics but with a twist and did not disappoint.

In the afternoon, we explored the cookware at Dehillerin trying to justify buying copper pots that would prepare a meal to feed a family of twelve but instead walking out with a soupoudrier and a whetting stone. We walked on to the Marais and browsed the stores then stopped for a caraf of wine at the Petit Fer a Cheval with its tiny horseshoe shaped bar then finished the day with a meal at a brasserie savouring fish soup, steak tartare and escargots. What a beautiful day...

A whirlwind visit to London

2011-11-15T20:58:00.005+01:00

Am deliriously exhausted after traipsing around London for four days. I'm always amazed at how much we manage to do and see in a short timespan - and so are our friends who find it hilarious I make a spreadsheet beforehand with everything I want to do. The thing is without the list, I think I would just walk around in a daze not knowing where to go first!

We kicked up the leaves in Green Park, drank mocha's like they were a major foodgroup (you can't get them in Belgium) and shopped at Selfridges (where P bought a really nice slimline suit for his new job starting tomorrow, I'm not convinced I want him looking so sexy when I know the team he'll be heading up is made up entirely of women but am trying not to be jealous), Uniqlo (I love the basics - a sweater! a scarf! 3 heattech t shirts! stockings! trousers! and all that for barely £ 100!), Aesop (cannot start the day without the Geranium leaf body cleanser) and Waterstones (where poor P fell asleep on the sofa, that should give you an idea of how long I took looking at the books but come on there's five. whole. floors!).

Culinary highlights this trip were:

+ celebrating my birthday with cocktails at The Experimental Cocktail Club in Chinatown. I knew of this place from friends that had recently been. There is no sign only an unmarked black door next to a cheap chinese takeaway in Gerrard Street and you get to the bar on the first floor by going up a narrow staircase. It felt like we'd somehow been in a timewarp and landed in a speakeasy! The cocktails are served in heavy Waterford crystal glasses - very glamourous! My favourite was the St-Germain-des-Prés, containing Hendrick's gin with elderflower liqueur, egg white, chilli, lime and cucumber.

+ After that we met up with a group of friends at St John Hotel. It had been a bit of a nightmare trying to find a restaurant that was available to take a group of ten as apparently this is the christmas season (really? in November?). St John Hotel was very accomodating though and served a delicious "Feast" menu of barley, carrots and curd followed by hake, bread and anchovy as well as the juiciest braised lamb I have ever eaten. It was so good I (almost) couldn't finish the chocolate praline desert.

+ We also loved dinner at Spuntino . Open the door to this tiny place in Soho and you'll feel like you're in New York. Our favourite were the pulled pork sliders. I discovered the Dark & Stormy - yum! The waiters were so lovely and chatty - they were definitely part of the charm of the place.

+ And one more restaurant I would recommend: Pizza East on Portobello where we had the best pizzas ever.

+ And finally some culture: on until beginning of January, the Gerhard Richter exhibition at the Tate Modern. It wasn't quite what I expected as I only knew the abstract "squeegee" paintings and had never seen the photorealism ones. The cloud pictures were stunning though and definitely my favourites.

Having to say goodbye to my two best friends A and J at the end of the trip was hard - as it always is. But we will meet again next Friday in Paris when they take the Eurostar and I take the Thalys to celebrate J's birthday! Counting the days...

Relaxing in Lanzarote

2011-11-10T18:11:00.005+01:00

We've just returned from a fantastic week in Lanzarote. This volcanic little island was not at all what I expected - it was volcanic and dry yes but also beautifully rugged, dramatic, untouched. We enjoyed driving along winding roads, cliffs with the wild sea on one side, volcanoes on the other, eating grilled platters of seafood in little beach side restaurants, the sea so close we could almost touch it, reading (I especially liked "Never let me go"), resting, afternoon naps and visiting the mad Cesar Manrique buildings dotted around the island. This local architect used the air bubbles in lava as underground chambers when building houses.

I've rarely eaten such elaborate breakfasts with cook to order pancakes, churros, bacon and egg butties, all kinds of fruits and yoghurts, so many different kinds of bread (delicious with cactus or banana jam!), cava, almond cakes... Luckily for P the hotel had a gym which he would use late afternoon whilst I perused the library (I'm too lazy to go the gym on holiday) before we'd toast the day with a G & T whilst watching the sunset from our balcony. I loved this quiet week with not much happening, slipping into a relaxed rhytm of life...

Up next: passport? Check! Oyster Card? Check! We're off to London for 4 days to celebrate my birthday!

Dancing sunlight

2011-10-16T19:06:00.005+02:00

The beautiful weather means the sunlight dances through the loft with shadows lengthening... then disappearing around a corner... and reappearing in the afternoon... The sunsets have been amazing and the moon has been low and orange coloured... beautiful!

I've been cooking a lot: spiced hazelnut milk, and a "liquid ferrero rocher", spicy roasted chickpeas, an earthy satisfying french onion soup from here, and seabass with spicy aubergine from here.

P has finally finished his job and is now starting two weeks at home - then we're off on holiday after that. I can't wait. I hope you all had a nice weekend in the sunshine!

When life gives you food intolerances... roast quail

2011-09-19T14:28:00.007+02:00

I hope you will forgive me my current obsession with food and all things food related. You see recently I was tested on more than 40 food substances, the things I eat most from almonds to tuna, spinach to soy, tomatoes to salad, rice to pasta... and was told I was intolerant to all but one food: chicken. There are however some variances in intolerance so i'm trying to focus on those items with the lowest values.

For a self confessed foodie this has rather made cooking difficult. No more quick salads or sandwiches. I've had to completely rethink my lunches especially: grilled polenta and courgettes from the garden, roast quail and soup... I've been struggling but experimenting.

Today this landed in my mailbox. Yes I know, I already have a lot of cookbooks but come on: it's Ferran. Adria. from. El. Bulli!

I've also tried out recipes from here, here and here (both searchable).

Busy

2011-09-18T21:46:00.002+02:00

i've been busy working

but we did find the time for a quick gourmet burger

right after we'd been to the gym

i really enjoyed it

Scenes from the weekend

2011-08-29T08:57:00.002+02:00

+ homegrown fried zucchini flowers according to this recipe. The taste was heavenly (and worth it having to wipe down practically the whole kitchen after frying them).

+ a new favourite restaurant in Brussels: La Buvette. I love restaurants in usual places. La Buvette is in an old butchers shop. We ate at the counter, an amazing meal consisting of

Bouillon: crevette, tomate, blette

Gnocchi, lapin mijote, roquette

Filet de Canard, spatzeles, courgettes

Fromage blue, gateau aux herbes, girolle

Parfait glace au marron, chocolat noir

Churches and butterflies

2011-08-14T15:26:00.002+02:00

Rain...

P and I + 2 dads

Rain...

The beautiful Chimay Abbey

Rain...

The butterfly garden...

Rain.....

How sunday nights should be

2011-08-09T14:57:00.003+02:00

Sunday night

+ good friends

+ drinks on the balcony watching the sunset

+ Jamie Oliver 30 minute meal (tasty crusted cod, mashy peas, tartare sauce, warm garden salad)

+ herbs from the garden in jam jars

= bliss

True Love

2011-07-25T21:52:00.002+02:00

My sister and her partner on their way to their wedding last saturday... I love this image as it so perfectly illustrates the whole day: no stiff ceremonies or traditions. Instead they did everything their way, walked to the townhall together, hand in hand. She in a beautiful Dries Van Noten backless dress in black silk with vividly printed flowers, a simple orchid in her hair. He in a handsome Dries Van Noten suit with pleated shirt (yes they both love their DVN) ... but shoes without socks. At the service they exchanged rings that she designed and made herself (she is studying to be a goldsmith).

The party was held at the seaside. The weather was a bit of a challenge to say the least (especially the journey from the parking lot to the pavillion in amongst the dunes which went up and then down and then up again... in the pouring rain) but it did not dampen our spirits. Thank you M and J for letting us be part of a beautiful moment.

The whiskey tour....

2011-07-06T13:37:00.009+02:00

Our neighbours K and E have become very good friends. One night, after a good meal with them, sitting on the balcony enjoying a good whiskey we decided to take a trip to scotland, compared diaries and found four days we were all free. On Thursday night we took the ferry from Zeebrugge. It leaves at 19.00 and already before the ferry had left the port we were up on the deck opening bottles of wine and toasting this splendid idea. The ferry crossing includes private cabins so is quite comfortable. After arriving in Hull the next morning we drove up to Glasgow where we had lunch at Cafe Gondolfi, then the boys visited Auchentoshan whilst the girls went shopping. Do you know this joke about two girls and a map? How long does it take for them to get lost? Basically the first turning we took was the wrong one but a friendly glaswegian showed the way. I find scottish people so friendly and helpful, OK so they are sometimes hard to understand which is why I usually focus on their handgestures rather than what they are saying when asking for directions. We tried on dresses, bought heavenly scented soap from Molton Brown before sitting down for a delicious cake at Fifi & Ally where C my local friend from Glasgow joined us.

After that we joined up with the boys for cocktails at The Grosvenor Cafe and dinner at Stravaigin and whiskey at Oran Mor. The next morning we had a nice breakfast at Heart of Buchanan then popped into Waitrose across the road (it is impossible to find the following in Belgium: oat cakes, Tyrrell crips, ginger beer). We then drove up to Loch Ffyne where we had the best smoked salmon and scallops at the Oyster Bar after which we drove up to Kennacraig for the two hour ferry to Port Askaig on the Isle of Islay. The B&B where we were staying came with an amazing restaurant where we had (more) scallops with black pasta, samphire, peas and pancetta. The mix of flavours was just right. On Sunday we drove around the island spotting seals sunning themselves on the rocks, birds of prey, highland cows, visted Lagavullin and Bowmore Distilleries and went for a walk. On Monday we drove back down to Hull, picking up smoked salmon at the Oyster Bar again for our picknick on the ferry. What a lovely long weekend!

Wet toes

2011-06-21T19:46:00.008+02:00

I've just come back from a week in London. It was great to see friends, exhibitions, eat some very good food... but not so great to be traipsing around in the pretty constant rain dragging about an umbrella constantly. It was a very wet start to the summer indeed!

Highlights this visit were

+ lunch at the Rochelle Canteen. Yes it's only open during lunch and only during the week at that. Yes it's a bit out of the way. But it is so worth it. Succulent scallops and samphire were followed by the most perfectly seasoned roast quail. The food is seasonal (the menu changes every day) and simply perfect. Just remember to book as it gets busy and take a bottle of wine as it's unlicensed. We picked up an excellent bottle of british wine at the Albion close by.

+ The Selfridges sales: 50% off my favourite comfortable clothes by James Perse need I say more?

+ Arte Povere at Haunch of Venison. I loved the Guiseppe Penone works, they are so textural.

+ lunch at Polpo where we enjoyed polpette, grilled polenta, anchovy and chickpea crostini, and pork panino

+ dinner with the girls at The Dock Kitchen. I enjoyed the summer menu with fresh garden peas, roast beef and gooseberry fool but I did find the food a bit expensive.

+ BP Portrait award

+ taking the Thames Clipper to Greenwhich and enjoying the dramatic skies across london

+ The Royal Academy Summer Show, (which has a tiny anish kapoor on show), Louise Bourgeois at Hauser & Wirth, and a small but interesting polaroid exhibition we stumbled upon when sheltering from the rain after a visit to the Dover Street Market and finally an excellent Indian in the most unlikely of locations, Vijays

PS see that warehouse building marked "New Crane Wharf" that we passed on our trip along the Thames? That's where we lived for a while when we first moved to London. We were up on the third floor in the corner. The Cruise ships coming to London would turn just about level with our apartment as the Thames isnt deep enough for them to get all the way to Tower Bridge. We would see people standing on the ship's balconies with cocktails and wave to each other!

Little enjoyable things

2011-05-30T18:10:00.005+02:00

I had a couple of real treats last week. On Monday night I went to Indian Restaurant De Saffraan. I developed a real liking for indian food when we were living in London. Unfortunately there aren't that many indian restaurants in Antwerp. De Saffraan is one of the better ones. They serve Thali on Monday night which is a selection of lots of small tasty dishes to share such as korma, tandoori, dahl, prawns... accompanied by chutneys and naan bread. I went with two friends from high school that I've stayed in touch with. We usually get together to "do something creative" - which has ranged in the past from felting to drawing to making cards, gift wrap. But Monday we just enjoyed the food as well as their fresh mango cocktail which is delicious. The weather was good so we sat outside in the garden talking, catching up on each other's life, laughing...

On Wednesday P and I went to see Johann Johannson. I've been a very big fan of his music ever since a colleague started playing it in the office. It's sort of contemporary classical if that makes sense. The orchestra was quite small - only four musicians but the violins were amazing. Johann himself also plays the piano with such concentration it is a joy to watch. You can listen to his music here, odi et amo is one of my favourite tracks.

I've also been to the yearly bookfair in antwerp. Books! for! 2.50! euro! A quick phone call to my dad on thursday morning: yes of course he wanted to come..., and off we went! I came home with a couple of cooking books and novels I've been enjoying over the weekend.

Changes

2011-05-24T08:07:00.006+02:00

On Tuesday I went into the office and formally resigned. Officially my sabbatical lasts until August but I had made up my mind I didn't want to go back and wanted to get it off my chest. I tried to explain how the pressure of work is sometimes unbearable. I understand deadlines are necessary and need them myself to function but when timings are badly managed and working evenings and weekends become the norm it takes away the fun of it for me. I'm not sure this observation was especially appreciated or even believed but it was important for me to say it. I will miss work and would be happy to do some freelance projects from time to time. In fact I went into the office on Friday to help a colleague get something ready and it was so much more relaxing to just go in do the work and not worry about everything else that needed to be done... Even though I could easily not work without being bored, I've taken on some work for a private client and I've started two projects that might nor might not work. We'll see...

Last week we also went for dinner at The Pastorale for P's birthday. The food was again mind blowing and it is easy to see why they have two michelin stars. The attention to detail is incredible and each bite of food is like a little explosion of flavours in your mouth. And just when you think it's all over, they bring over a box with mini desserts - the dame blanche, a chocolate ball wedged between two paperthin wafers with vanilla icecream inside being our favourite. A party with friends and a cinema visit - Tree of Life (wow that was weird) rounded of the very nice weekend.

Taking it easy, easier, easiest...

2011-05-09T12:43:00.006+02:00

I've enjoyed cooking a lot last week, mainly because I found an amazing butcher close by, Vermeulen at the Criee in Antwerp. They have Wagyu, charolais and angus beef, porc from berkshire and they get their lamb from Paris (not so good for the carbon footprint I guess...). When I was still working in Antwerp centre, I went to an excellent butcher around the corner from my office. Lately for convenience I've been buying meat in the supermarket... Even though it was organic, I felt it was really lacking in taste. At Vermeulen, the quality and variety of meat they have is mindblowing. It is located in an amazing wrought iron covered market where there is also a butcher specialized in poultry. I got some poulet noir, the tastiest chicken I have ever eaten, as well as a goose egg. Note the singular - egg - not eggs as they are about twice the size of a chicken egg with the egg yolk an almost fluorescent orange. Just to give you an idea of size, that's a large dinner plate on the picture.

I'm still cooking a lot from Bill's Basics: a salad nicoise which makes even tuna from a jar taste nice, a flavourful thai beef salad, grilled fresh flatbreads (so easy to make from scratch), chickpea burgers and coq au vin. Unfortunately (and totally unrelated I hope!) I was diagnosed last week with a stomach infection - something usually found amongst very stressed out people. When the doctor asked me whether I was stressed I just started laughing. It is rather ironic that when I was working 60+ hours a week I wasn't sick but now that I've been home for 4 months I am... Fortunately this doesn't mean I am no longer allowed to eat, the medicine pretty much keeps the pain and nausea under control. On the other hand, the medication also makes me feel as if I am permanently jetlagged. Give me a sofa any time of day and I will fall into a deep dreamless sleep for four hours no problem!

So I've had the perfect excuse to take it easy and have been reading a lot, I finished the heartbreakingly beautiful Room by Emma Donoghue and started the very funny The finkler question by Howard Jacobson.

On mindfulness

2011-05-02T09:39:00.003+02:00

My mother was a yoga teacher so meditation is something I grew up with and was familiar with long before it became fashionable. Her most prized possession was her library with books such as the upanishad, all the writings by Tagore, countless buddhist books but also the complete works by Plato and treatises on the origin of the universe... No novels for her! The irony of course is that as a teenager I wasn't interested in all this...

Ten years ago, P did a meditation retreat in Thailand - that was the first time I heard the word 'mindfulness'. Just enjoying the here and now, not living today as if it is yesterday or worried about the future. It is such a simple thing that sounds like it would come natural to us humans... unfortunately it doesn't, or at least not to me. However I find the meditation very soothing and it calms my mind so I have lately started up my mindfulness practice again. I'm also reading my first Pema Chodron book which recommends to add another practice to the one of mindfulness: tonglen, where you try to lighten other people's burden too. Not an easy one...

In the kitchen, I am on a quest to find the perfect carrot cake recipe. I'm starting with the one from Bill's new book: basics. I'd never heard of him before we moved to australia - just knew he had a cafe in sydney. One day we had breakfast there, the ricotta hotcakes. Amazing! I do miss the cafe's in sydney. Nowhere are breakfasts such an elaborate affair. Of course at the time I was too busy missing my friends, family and europe to appreciate them fully. See.... mindfulness...

Enjoying the sunshine

2011-04-27T17:21:00.003+02:00

We've been enjoying the glorious weather around here, making the most of it by having breakfast, lunch and dinner outside. We had planned on going to the park for an easter picknick but decided it was just so much more comfortable at home... so we spread out the picknick blanket on the balcony and squeezed close under the umbrella to hide from the sweltering sun enjoying goat's cheese quiche, olives, manchego and pasta salad. Accompanied by fresh lemonade with ginger and mint (from the Leon cookbook, a new favourite that one, it is so refreshing) as well as mojito's and caipirinhas. Crushing ice is a breeze with the thermomix and it makes all the difference.

We've also been planning our upcoming trips to Islay in Scotland (end of june) and London (mid June). When I am in London I want to have a "little bun moment" with champagne! I have a list of things to do as usual and as there will be lots of meeting up with friends too I'm glad I have a whole week this time!

"Corners of idiosyncrasy and surprise"...

2011-04-19T16:54:00.005+02:00

When people find out that we have lived in London and Sydney, they are often amazed that it is in Antwerp, where I was born, that we settled. I have given up trying to explain how even though our experience abroad was amazing and we'll always be grateful for it, Antwerp has a pretty good general standard of living that suits us at this time in our lives. Next time I will just send people a link to "A fashion-forward guide to Antwerp", read the full article in the New York Times here.

Spring in Amsterdam

2011-04-15T08:17:00.004+02:00

"So what would you like as a birthday present?" Last week, I was on the phone to my sister's daughter C and we were discussing her fifteenth (oh my god! how fast did that happen!) birthday. "I want to go to Amsterdam" she said so we took the train on Wednesday for a daytrip.... and I taught C my citytrip philosophy, it's a multi step strategy to get the most out of any city really: bakery, modern art, shopping, cafe!

The first thing you do is: find the best bakery. Barely off the train, we picked up coffee, juice and the best croissants ever at De bakkerswinkel. The croissants had been cut in half so they were really flat then sprinkled with almonds, sugar and cinnamon, then baked again. They were absolutely delicious! The only downside to the bakery is its location on the edge of the red light district. I had carefully walked around it on our way over but on our way back I think I was distracted by that croissant so we managed to walk straight into it. Not what you want to do with a fifteen year old girl... I could see people looking at us thinking: that mother is really giving her daughter a liberal education (yes we look alike so people often think C is my daughter)!

Next, a visit to the Stedelijk Museum. Even though it is being renovated, the museum still has some interesting pieces on display. Our favourites where the Malevich cross paintings, the Yves Klein "Resonance" - a beautiful gold leaf on plaster on plywood, but also works by Barnett Newman and Ellsworth Kelly. We then walked along the canals and did some shopping in the nine streets. After that we were both exhausted so we sat outside in a cafe in the sunshine before we took the train home. What a lovely day. Happy birthday C!

Routine

2011-04-10T17:22:00.005+02:00

Just before I left on holiday I asked the office for my sabbatical to be extended by another 3 months. Most of my colleagues are amazed: they think I would have been bored by now and begging for my job back. The thing is: I have not been bored once in the three months I have been at home. Lonely, yes sometimes but bored, no never. I have such an urgent need to clear out cupboards messy with "stuff" we have been moving from belgium to london to sydney back to belgium over the last 10 years. It feels good to get things sorted but I guess there is a fine line between cleaning out cupboards and obsessively labeling everything in sight. Sometimes I am afraid of turning into a desperate housewife.

I guess it helps that I have been doing some work for private clients - I do love my job. I like doing drawings, picking out carpets and stone, designing pieces of furniture. It's just that I don't feel like getting back on that hamster wheel of working 10 hours a day to the extent where my personal health and social life suffer.

Taking a deep breath...

2011-04-03T17:46:00.006+02:00

Gran Canaria ... a quiet holiday that undid a knot in my shoulders I didn't even realize I had...

visiting sleepy villages that looked like they hadn't changed in hundreds of years - places where it is so quiet you can hear the breeze rustling through the palm trees - where it is good to sit for a while to watch village life whilst savouring a glass of tinto verano

the most glorious blue pool surrounded by palmtrees and terra cotta tiled roofs

thinly sliced bright red tomatoes flecked with chopped garlic that would make your mouth burn for hours to come - salty aged cheese with peppercorns - pungent paprika dusted chorizo - chargrilled octopus

climbing the Roque Nublo until we were above the clouds - accompanied by goat's bells all the way - lakes shimmering in between steep mountains

sliding into the warm pool cooling off sun warmed skin - floating over the blue mosaics

and at night going for walks in the quiet streets among the white villas hiding behind the bougainvillea under a star studded sky above...

aaaah holidays.....

2011-03-22T08:26:00.002+01:00

As our holiday has been postponed with a couple of days, we are having a "staycation" at home. The weather has been so glorious we have had our first lunch outside, sitting in the sun, feeling the warmth on our faces I swear summer is just around the corner. There is something quite nice about not going straight from the office to the airport. It creates a little space that makes you breath more easily, more deeply. We've been going for walks out of town, enjoying coffees in town, dinner with friends...

We've also been clearing out cupboards. Not counting the last three years in Belgium, we moved eight times in the last nine years. And two of those moves were across continents. Which meant we had a collection of boxes with "stuff" that just didn't seem to belong anyhere. I am fairly unsentimental when it comes to "stuff". If it isn't some important document and you haven't looked at it for five years, it can probably go. “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful”. I think William Morris was a very wise man indeed.

This was the weekend

2011-03-14T08:45:00.003+01:00

I can't get over the horror of the earthquake in Japan! There are no words for the devastation in such a beautiful country. What a terrifying event for the people living there! In view of what's happening, we have cancelled our trip with a lot of regret in our hearts... We were due to fly out coming Saturday so we've been scrambling this weekend to find an alternative destination. We're thinking to just do a week of sun in the Canary Islands and take a bigger trip later in the year.

Other than surfing the net investigating holiday destinations, I've also been cooking a lot this weekend. The "magic mackerel" salad from Leon, a roasted hazelnut studded green flecked herby couscous salad, "moroccan lamb chops" and ""mustard chicken with quick dauphinoise and greens" from Jamie's 30 minutes meals - a book that I adore, however you need to tidy away animals and small children beforehand so no one will get hurt as you hurl yourself about the kitchen trying to get everything finished within the 30 minute mark! I also baked the "lemon rice and polenta cake" from the Rose Bakery.

And I started reading "The hand that first held mine" by Maggie O'Farrell. I love her writing! Whenever I read one of her books it is as if I switch from watching a film in black and white to colour, or from eating white bread to wholemeal... She manages to describe the minutiae of life in such beautiful detail that they seem to fly off the page. Highly recommended!

Item #7 on the do list...

2011-03-02T17:38:00.002+01:00

Item #7 was relaxing on the sofa in the radiant sunlight we've been having all day... of course the cat got there first. I have a theory that we would all be a lot happier if we did like cats do...

Travel fever

2011-02-13T19:48:00.006+01:00

I have been immersing myself in Japanese culture in preparation of our upcoming trip to Japan. Pots of cherryblossom tea have accompanied much reading. Other than the usual guides, I also got the excellent "Food sake Tokyo". I find the most interesting expression of any culture and its people is through its food.

When cooking Japanese are (as about many things I believe) incredibly detail oriented. The pictures I have seen of the food so far have been amazing. Every meal should include five colours (red, yellow, green, black and white), five tastes (salty, sour, sweet, bitter and spicy), five cooking methods (simmering, boiling, steaming, frying, sauteeing, pickling etc) and stimulate the five senses (taste, sight, sound, smell and texture of the food). The guide goes on to offer plenty of advice about "food etiquette": At the start of the meal, it is polite to say itadakimasu - offering thanks to everyone who provided the meal from the farmers and fishermen to the chef . When you eat sushi, never put wasabi in your soysauce as this is often considered an insult to the chef. There is something like the sake meter value, it is a figure on the sake bottle. The lower the figure, the sweeter the sake. I can't wait to go!

It would probably be a bit early to say that spring has arrived .... but we have had a couple of blue sky afternoons, the birds seem to be singing louder, there are buds in the trees and the other day when I drove by a field there were lambs jumping about (or at least I think they were lambs, being a city girl I don't know much about these things, but they were small white and fluffy). Yesterday afternoon I sat on the balcony in the sunshine and didn't even need a coat to make my shopping list. Breathing in deeply the fresh air, feeling the sun on my face... bliss!

Day and Night

2011-02-10T10:55:00.004+01:00

Does anyone else think January seemed to have less days than usual? I had the whole month off and sure, I got some things done. Especially things from my "when is this loft ever going to be finished" list and the "I really should get round to doing this" list, oh and also the "this cupboard is such a mess it really needs sorting" list.

Unfortunately I haven't even started the "this would be a nice day out" list, the "fun things to do list" and the "I've always wanted to try" list. (By the way for those of you who think I use the word list metaforically speaking, I need to tell you I really do have these lists on my computer.)

I did take the time to go to the gym three times a week. And to cook a lot. In December I read an article about how eating glutenfree can be beneficial, in January two doctors independently from each other recommended I eat glutenfree and dairyfree and every week in my google reader I get glutenfree recipes from the lovely tartelette and la tartine gourmande website. Yes OK, I think I got the message! At first I felt a bit sad at having to say goodbye to bright yellow lemon tarts, moist dark chocolate brownies, fresh pasta with carbonara sauce... well you get the point. But I figured, if life tells you to go glutenfree, bake glutenfree cookies! So I ordered the blackbird bakery and the flying apron cookbooks and I tell you these ladies have guts! They decided they would make no compromise on taste and have come up with some recipes I can't wait to bake!

January did also have its share of nights out. Highlights were seeing Gaby Moreno live. If you like Norah Jones, you'll love this new singer. We also went to the opening of Cafe Mombasa a great new place to hang out with a glass of cava.

A day in the sunshine

2011-01-30T20:00:00.004+01:00

It is amazing how much two sisters have to giggle about whilst enjoying a day off in Brussels... We started with a visit to the magnificent stone clad art deco villa Empain with its gold leaf framed windows and geometric lanterns, followed by lunch at Rouge Tomate (of New York fame) then tried on saucy hats at Christophe Coppens. Spent Sunday spread out on the sofa planning our upcoming Japan trip - so much to see, so many choices to make - not an easy thing for a girl who can't even choose what to eat in a restaurant...

Looking forward

2011-01-13T10:51:00.004+01:00

Picture of Kyoto by Narumi

Last week was the first of my three month sabbatical. So far I have cooked extensively from this brilliant cookbook (a new favourite that does exactly what it says), enrolled in Dreamlab's "The gifts of imperfection", made lots of smoothies, booked a flight to Japan, went to the gym and trawled the net looking for the perfect white china. Oh and I also went into the office to check my mail and did some work for a private client... some habits die hard!

Thank you...

2011-01-03T15:43:00.008+01:00

Thank you to everyone who has made celebrating this end of year such a magical time: to my partner for all the support at just the right moment, for the hot chocolates, the cuddles, the backrubs... to my family and my family in law for being there to raise their glass for a toast, for enjoying the food so lovingly prepared, for the conversation. To friends for offering support in a month full of not so great health, for helping decorate the tree and baking cookies. To M and J for dancing the night away with champagne - the hangover was excruciating but so worth it.

I could go on and on... The end of the year has been full of magical memories: after Christmas, there was the trip to London, the millions of sunflower seeds at the Tate Modern, a boozy lunch with friends at Wright Brothers enjoying dressed crab, whitebait and smoked salmon, lots of coffee to warm our hands on walks through London, the beautiful John Pawson exhibition at the Design Museum, lunch at Maze, seeing the mist swirl over the river Thames, visiting Waterstones and Selfridges, dinner at Skylon, seeing the fairy lights at South Bank...

For NYE we drove down to Devon to celebrate with a group of friends in an old manor house. On the drive down we saw horses with jackets in the fields, sheep in woolly coats, church steeples, hawks sitting in trees with bare branches like lace against the grey sky... We went for walks in the muddy fields and when the year drew to a close: running outside in the cold to launch lit lanterns in the dark sky, seeing them all float up: MAGIC. A bracing walk on New Year's Day on Woolacombe beach followed by freshly baked scones slathered with clotted cream and jam...

Here's to a fabulous 2011!

Eighteen years

2010-12-11T10:18:00.004+01:00

Eighteen years ago my colleague invited me to go out for a drink with her husband and a colleague.... This week P and I celebrated EIGHTEEN years together with a meal in the PASTORALE with TWO michelin stars and SEVEN courses. WOW, the food left me (almost) speechless...

Bruges

2010-12-03T12:55:00.002+01:00

I have been in full on hibernation mode these last couple of weeks just venturing out to work but otherwise just staying at home and cooking up a storm in my new thermomix. Chicken risotto, carrot and coconut soup, steamed salmon and veggies, spicy nuts, chocolate dipped marzipan... there is no end to the endless dishes this machine can prepare pretty much with no hands on time. I love it!

We did go to Bruges over the weekend to meet up with our friends E and N who were over from London. We will be spending the New Year with them in Devon but stopping over in London just after Christmas so any favourite places to go are welcome!

2010-11-21T18:30:00.006+01:00

My partner booked a surprise trip to Amsterdam for my birthday. I hadn't been for over 15 years and remember not liking this city much at the time. However this time around, I loved it. It felt like a mix of New York and London. We mostly just walked around the canals. Once you go outside of the central area, there is almost no one around. The streets were mainly deserted and I loved walking, just looking at the buildings. Unfortunately Amsterdam's two main museums are closed for refurbishment but we did see some good exhibitions at the photography museum. I was also surprised by the number of good restaurants there. Amsterdammers love their food and there is a fair amount of good bookshops and food shops too.

George WPA

This is a place to see and be seen. The menu is short and built around basics such as hamburger, steak tartare and ribeye and delicious desserts such as ile flottante.

NL hotel

Rooms are small but well designed in this hotel located on one of Amsterdam's Canals. Within walking distance of all the big museums.

Gartine

We were disappointed not to get into restaurant De Kas but Gartine was a nice surprise. Slow food at its best with the owners growing much of what they prepare in their own vegetable garden.

Nine streets

Amsterdam's "9 streets" has an interesting array of boutiques.

Marqt

A lovely food shop with a good spice section.

sprmrkt

Acme, Ann De Meulemeester, Martin Margiela... the list of good brands here was endless.

Foam

Amsterdam's photography museum is well worth it. Good cafe in the basement too.

Simon Meijssen

Locals and tourists alike queue here for delicious speculoos hearts, marzipan biscuits and all things sweet. Get some biscuits then head over to the nearby Vondelpark to enjoy.

Van Puffelen cafe

A welcoming place on one of Amsterdam's canals.

Brederoo

Perfect for a lazy breakfast, the home made scones were divine!

Time to let go

2010-11-07T14:38:00.005+01:00

Almost three years ago, I started my dream job at an architectural practice. I've had the chance to work on amazing projects with some very talented people who have pushed me way outside my comfort zone. I have learned so much over those years and been inspired in so many ways yet for a little while now I have been feeling restless and burned out.

To be fair, the long hours and the constant pressure of projects are but some of the reasons. Moving continents, losing my mother and mother in law, refurbishing our loft as well as some health troubles definitely meant these last three years have been hectic to say the least. When I recently left on holiday I felt exhausted physically and mentally and it took me half the week just to wind down enough to open my eyes and appreciate the beauty all around. I decided then that I had had enough and it was time for a change.

Change as such does not overly phase me. I have lived most of my adult life abroad moving countries and continents whenever we felt like it. After having worked in advertising for 7 years I decided I wanted to do something more creative and retrained as an interior designer. I was 30 then, I am 40 now. Maybe this is something I need to do every 10 years. Maybe I just can't make up my mind. Maybe I just have a short attention span... Who knows!

But the conclusion is that I've now decided to take a three month sabbatical to consider where to go next. I am looking forward to some quiet time, time to cook properly, time to create a home and time to enjoy it. Time to spend with my partner, with the cat, with myself. Time to spend getting better, more energetic. Will I be bored after 2 weeks? Maybe, who knows. But I have a couple of ideas on what to do next and just need some time to nourish those.

Weekend

2010-10-18T21:44:00.004+02:00

This weekend...

putting away pretty summer dresses and getting out soft wool sweaters - drinking hot chocolate on the balcony in the afternoon sun, warm under a blanket - shopping for work clothes but coming home with the most perfect party dress - planning a party (to wear the dress obviously) - a warm bath - planning a trip to London to celebrate New Years Eve with friends

I have been less and less inclined to write blog posts and have even been struggling with the 52 weeks project. Sometimes I prefer to keep my thoughts to myself.

the week that was 27 and 28 - a holiday in Crete

2010-10-10T17:10:00.006+02:00

The week that was 26

2010-09-12T21:19:00.004+02:00

+ pears from my sister's garden + fresh tuna salad + body butter + a walk with my dad: I love how I can just ring him saying i want to do a 7km walk and he will ring me back within the hour with 3 suggestions on where to go having researched all his guidebooks, he loves to tag along, on saturday we got lost as his guide turned out to have been printed in 1989, well before the street names in this particular village had been changed...! + ice cream from the gelato factory + cuddling a newborn

The week that was no 25/52

2010-09-05T20:14:00.002+02:00

week 24/52

2010-08-29T16:54:00.004+02:00

The week that was no 23/52

2010-08-15T21:04:00.002+02:00

Week 22/52

2010-08-08T20:03:00.002+02:00

I couldn't resist these beautiful rose shaped moulds. I made these cakes with almond and quinoa flour from this recipe but added chocolate too. I have been experimenting with non wheat flours and quinoa is my favourite. As an afternoon snack, it packed quit a punch!

I love the new Ottolenghi cookbook and have been preparing lunches from it all week.

5 Days in London, 8 restaurants, 6 museums and 9 shops

2010-07-31T14:11:00.013+02:00

FOOD AND COFEE

Rose Bakery @ Dover Street Market

17-18 Dover Street W1S 4LT

Rose Carrarini founded one of my favourite delis in London, the Villandry, and now runs a bakery in Paris where she serves up home made style sweet and savory goodies. There is also a small cafe in Dover Street Market on the top floor. The baked goods including the gluten free brownie that I tasted are out of this world. Unfortunately I couldn't taste everything so I snapped up the cookbook so I can recreate the magic at home.

Ottolenghi

4 locations

I managed a visit to Ottolenghi in two different locations, admittedly the Upper Street branch is more spacious than the Notting Hill one (where I usually go). They serve the best moccha I have ever had and their savoury breakfast muffins with cherry tomatoes and fetta will keep you going til lunchtime.

New World

1 Gerrard Place W1D 5PA

I love going for dim sum at this place where waitresses push trolleys around and all you need to do is point to receive steamed dishes aplenty.

Polpo

41 Beak Street W1F 9SB

I can see why this place books out every day well in advance. The food is tapas style Italian dishes. We had anchovy & chick pea crostino and rocket & walnut pesto crostino followed by braised scallop, pancetta, peas and linguine vongole. Side dishes of grilled polenta and courgette with parmesan. Finally dainty little glasses of affogata al cafe. Definitely a new favourite.

Boca di Lupo

12 Archer Street London W1D 7BB

I had very high expectations about this place having heard and read about it a lot. We had courgette flowers filled with mozarella and achovies followed by gricia con le fave tortiglioni with guanciale (cured pork cheek), pecorino and slowly braised broad beans as well as homemade sausage, grilled with Treviso. The food was good and the ingredients very fresh but we both felt it was quite heavy. The pasta could have done with a bit less oil as it was literally swimming in it which wasn't helped by the pork cheeks being fried to a crisp. Perhaps next time I would choose a simpler dish or one of the salads we saw being prepared with paper thin radishes and fennel. Sitting at the counter seeing the chef prepare the dishes definitely added an interesting theatrical element but as a whole I preferred the simple food of Polpo as well as its more relaxed atmosphere. I felt Boca Di Lupo would perhaps be a better dinner place.

Gelupo

7 Archer street London W1D 7AU

I managed 3 visits to this traditional style gelateria (by the same owners as Boca di Lupo) with unusual flavours such as pinenut and fennel (my favourite), ricotta and honey, rice, pistachio and a chocolate sorbet that tastes of bitter dark chocolate.

Byron

Upper Street N1 OPB

We had a burger here before going to a performance at Saddler's Wells. Perfect for a quick bite.

Applebees

5 Stoney Street SE1 9AA

This fishmonger by day turns into a restaurant at night and serves the tastiest seafood. I particularly liked the scallops and grilled octopus.

EXHIBITIONS AND SHOWS

Eonnagata

Sadlers Wells

This dance production was mindblowing with costumes by Alexander McQueen, fantastical lighting, sensual dance and a rhythmic soundtrack. All the productions I have seen at Sadlers Wells have always been top notch.

1:1 - Architects Build Small Spaces

V&A

From the cosy stairs with books to the timber structure with lightbulbs creeping up its side, each structure has its own merits. If you go the V&A don't miss the new ceramics sections too.

Wolfgang Tillmans

The Serpentine Gallery

You can't miss this year's gallery by Nouvel as it is bright red - all over! The Tillmans exhibition shows a wide variety of subjects my favourite being the floor to ceiling photos of trees and woods.

Urban Africa by David Adjaye

Sustainable Futures

The Design Museum

An interesting overview of urban architecture by this talented architect. I was a bit disappointed by the sustainable futures exhibit though.

Tabaimo

Parasol Unit

Animated short films by Japanese artist Tabaimo. Wonderfully creative but perhaps not all of them suitable for young children.

The New Decor

Ernesto Neto

Hayward Gallery

Was disappointed in the New Decor but loved walking around in the colourful soft world of Neto's imagination.

SHOPS

Daylesford Organic

Selfridges

Agent Provocateur

Waterstones

Margaret Howell

Skandium

Muji

Loop

Borough Market

Two days in Paris

2010-07-21T15:36:00.003+02:00

As P had a meeting in Paris on Monday, we left a day early and spent the Sunday. We decided to forego the usual walk in the Marais and strolled along the Canal Saint Martin instead, an area we hadn't seen before. Walking along the tree shaded canal, it is easy to imagine that you live in Paris: there are hardly any tourists, instead only locals popping into the arty shops, or having a bite to eat and drinking une carafe de vin in the canal side restaurants with their marble topped tables. Tres chic! If you go there don't miss the excellent bookshop Artazart which is open on Sunday. After checking into the quirky Mama Shelter, we went to the Champs Elysees as the Publicis Drugstore sells Pierre Herme macarons. We are addicted to the unusual tastes - our favourite is caramal beurre sale and vanilla olive oil, with the wasabi probably a close third. But there were so many people there shopping that we fled into one of the side streets, drinking coffee and enjoying the empty big avenues instead. In the evening we had a traditional dinner at the Rue Vignon.

On Monday I had wanted to do some museums but they were all closed so I got off the metro at Hotel de Ville instead then walked along the empty sidewalks next to the Seine and Ile St Louis to the St Sulpice church then got into some serious shopping in the surrounding streets and Le Bon Marche. I was lucky to get some nice clothes in the sale and also bought a couple of cookbooks, good quality letter paper and lingerie. After a walk in the Jardin du Luxembourg, I ended up sprawled in the Laduree cafe to enjoy a lemon tart and herb ice tea. A nice interlude in my mostly stay-at-home holiday...

I took most of the photos with my Holga but here's a couple of digitals until I get those developed.

The week that was no 20/52

2010-07-21T15:28:00.002+02:00

I have some time off and have been busy clearing out cupboards, archiving papers and generally downsizing the amount of stuff we own. I have only gone outside to go to Ikea to buy storage boxes, take the cat to the vet, get office supplies, go the supermarket and plenty of other not so exciting but oh so necessary things.

the week that was no 19/52

2010-07-12T13:57:00.004+02:00

+ a new favourite recipe: sliced tomatoes topped with grilled steak piled high with rocket salad and parmesan curls

+ I wish I could wear this dress every day

+ making gazpacho

+ on saturday night we had dinner at Limel, the summer restaurant. we have been going here a couple of years and have always been amazed by the quality and originality of the food. we were a bit disappointed to find they had changed their formula, lowered the price offering less courses in a menu. The food was definitely good, but not as surprising as before. Next time we'll try their brunch menu instead.

+ making vanilla custard, the first step in chocolate icecream. Seems all I did this weekend was lie on the beanbag with a book and moan about the heat, make pitchers of fresh ice tea, ice cream and light salads, lie on the beanbag some more....

+ a quiet lunch

Cooling off

2010-06-30T20:58:00.004+02:00

We had a houseguest this weekend, the lovely J, who had never been to Antwerp. After the most minimal amount of sightseeing (Marketsquare, check; Pierre Marcolini chocolate shop, check; iced coffees from Caffenation, check) we decided it was too hot to be sightseeing. So we packed a picknick and went to the sculpture garden instead to lounge on the grass.

We tried some new recipes which turned out to be perfect: Quail's eggs with fleur de sel, mushrooms with lemon and cinnamon (Ottolenghi), basil tomato and mozarella, green beans and hazelnut salad (Ottolenghi). And I made what is my new favourite recipe for mint lemonade according to this recipe. The good thing is once you make the syrup it will keep in the fridge and all you need to do is top up with water, lemon juice and ice to make the most refreshing drink!

A feast for the senses in Italy

2010-06-23T21:00:00.011+02:00

I've been away for a while from this space, a holiday in Italy, the beautiful beautiful weather and a house guest all meant my attention was elsewhere. It is so nice to luxuriate in summer, eating, doing nothing much... Here's some impressions from our fantastic holiday in Italy....

Three days spent in Lucca with our friend D who lives just off one the main squares in a beautiful apartment with terracotta tiles on the floor and all white furniture + sitting on the balcony sipping champagne and catching up on our lives the last 2 years + driving into the hills along cypress lined driveways and villas tucked away in amongst the trees + having dinner at a restaurant only locals would go, tasting gnudi (a sort of ricotta and spinach cloud) + buying vinsanto and sangiovese at a local winery + tasting pungent, grassy unfiltered olive oil + octopus poached in fish stock, freshly made spelt pasta with parmesan, butter and sundried tomato, angus sliced beef with rosemary, chocolate cake + a walk on the walls around lucca after dinner

The beautiful Cinqueterre region with its five villages built against the rocks + houses side by side in yellow, ochre, pink, shuttered windows, old brick + hills with ribbons of vineyards, clouds hanging low + old men gossiping in the harbour + due prosecco on the piazza

The lovely Castelo di Montello with its restaurant with panoramic view of Perugia + having dinner whilst seeing the sky change colour from blue to white to pink and to see the half moon come out + dinner a seemingly endless array of dishes: merengue with oregano, asparagus bisque served from a teapot, tomato coulis with octopus, pasta with truffle, pork chops, vanilla ice cream, creme brulee, petits fours + hanging around at the pool in the morning visiting little towns for lunch Orvieto, Todi, Spoleto + visiting Perugia, streets winding round and round until even the GPS got confused ("turn around when possible")

the week that was no 18/52

2010-06-06T13:27:00.006+02:00

+ I was so tired I barely had the energy to cook, but the pickled ginger marinated salmon tasted good.

+ oh to be able to eat outside in the setting sun...

+ Friday I had a real craving for homemade pizzas, unfortunately it took me 3 tries to make the dough before I realized the battery on the scale was running out so didn't measure correctly...

+ ONE beautiful old station, FOUR courses prepared by SIXTEEN Michelin starred restaurants, TWENTY NINE degrees... bliss!

+ I cannot believe the colour of these flowers, I love peonies, they are my absolute favourite.

the week that was no 17/52

2010-05-30T15:30:00.003+02:00

+ There was lots of creativity involved and chocolate, and laughter, and raspberry rum cocktails...

+ Unloading the dishwasher is so much more agreeable when listening to Chris Isaak.

+ A grey day on Wednesday.

+ Reading

+ A hospital visit

+ Finally it's Saturday, the ideal day for lazy breakfasts...

+ One of my childhood memories is going to the library and being allowed to pick out 5 (FIVE!) books, it felt like such a luxury, as well as one record... I have always loved books, it's something I get from my dad, at 72 he claims to stay healthy by going to every bookshop in a 300 km radius and carrying the books all day. Most people express the number of books they bought well, in numbers, he expresses it in weight... as in "I bought 5 kilos of books today'

".... I am so happy that after being far away from home I can just call my dad to ask whether he feels like going to the super book sale with me. I'm very satisfied with my catch today: books to read on the upcoming holiday, a design book I've wanted for a long time, a cookbook from restaurant MAZE that I've never been to in London but that looks yummy...

A birthday weekend away

2010-05-24T11:19:00.003+02:00

As it was P's birthday, we took the Friday off and drove to Oudenaarde, a small town in Flanders known for its beers (mmm, what a surprise). We spent the day walking around the old buildings in the glorious sunshine - we loved the old beguinage - and walking along the river, waiting for the bridge to move up and down so we could cross to the other side. Finally we ended up in the walled garden of one of the cafes drinking icy cold refreshing raspberry beer. The weather was so balmy we had dinner outside before retiring to our beautiful B&B, the delightful Steenhuyse. The breakfast spread the next day spanned the length of four cupboards and included delicacies such as fresh strawberries, fruit salad, home made pink macarons, cheeses and ham, various types of bread, cherry pie, apple pie, on and on it went. After that we drove around the countryside with the windows open wishing we had a convertible!

The week that was no 16/52

2010-05-24T10:36:00.006+02:00

1 - On the way to work

2 - Reading about sunlit bays and planning where to eat on our coming Italy trip whilst on the tram

3 - I love the jewellery in this shop

4 - I am a mountain...

5 - I think I love sunsets even more than sunrises

6 - It was P's birthday (more about that later) so we went for drinks then another excellent meal at L'Epicerie du Cirque where we feasted on delicacies such as eel with crab and a type of pale carrot. Then a pale fish with cauliflower couscous followed by juicy slow cooked lamb with cream of sweet Cevennes onions and small bits of dessert after.

7 - We've breakfasted on the balcony every day as the weather has been so amazing. It's been the perfect occasion to wear summer dresses and drink cool drinks. I loved the new recipe for redbush orange (fresh orange juice with redbush infusion).

The week that was no 15/52

2010-05-16T20:11:00.003+02:00

1 - watching a movie

2 - finally summer shoes!

3 - reading about drinks, I've decided this is going to be the summer of cocktails

4 - Pierre Herme macarons, caramel beurre sale are really the best. It reminds me of the first time we went to Pierre Herme, it was christmas and soooo cold, I was wearing a little red riding hood type cape and shivering, the person standing in front of us overheard us talking and when he realised it was our first time here began to explain all the different flavours, Parisians snobby? not when united in their search for the perfect macaron!

5 - summer necklace making an appearance

6 - making miso dressing

7 - grilled chicken salad

the week that was no 14/52

2010-05-12T09:37:00.003+02:00

1 - I have this urge to sweep through all the cupboards in the house, throw out what doesn't work anymore, give away what hasn't been used for a long time and sharpen all the pencils...

2 - A relaxing dinner with my neighbour, lots of girlie talk as both our partners were abroad for work...marinated olives with coriander, moroccan chickpea soup, a simple roast chicken salad from here and vanilla ice cream with rhubarb as dessert

3 / 4 - I just can't stop myself from taking photos of the beautiful light in the morning and in the evening

5 - Please take me shopping

6 - Another nice dinner

7 - Chocolate dessert, so easy to make and heavenly with a little cream

the week that was no 13/52

2010-05-02T20:26:00.003+02:00

1 - on the way to work

2 - planning a trip to Liguria and Cinqueterre

3 - on the way to work

4 - enjoying the glorious sunshine on the balcony and planning the weekend cooking

5 - got up early and saw this glorious sunrise

6 - moroccan burger from my favourite cookbook

7 - finally.... summer shoes!

the week that was no 12/52

2010-04-27T14:45:00.005+02:00

1 - I love blueberries, I could eat them every day if I didn't feel so bad about the fact they have to be flown in from Chili

2 - I lived in this street for more than a year but never saw this old garage, I noticed it when I passed through last week

3 - beautiful morning sunshine

4 - Dries Van Noten shop, love their windows!

5 - drinking a coffee with P in town

6 - it was so hot in the weekend, we sat on the balcony

7 - beautiful countryside

The week that was no 11/52

2010-04-27T14:38:00.003+02:00

I just can't stop myself from taking photos of the beautiful light in the loft, the morning sunshine is just amazing.

The week that was no 10/52

2010-04-11T20:42:00.005+02:00

+ Easter Monday polenta bake with prosciutto, cherry tomatoes and basil, we moved the dining table next to the window so we could soak up the sun... there are advantages to having very little furniture!

+ Tuesday The first "aperitif" of the season on the balcony, glass cubes tinkling softly, the sun setting...

+ Wednesday Yes I know it's a bit early in the season for rhubarb but I really couldn't wait any longer, roasting it according to this recipe really brought out the flavour, heavenly with vanilla yoghurt or mashed on toast

+ Thursday The spring weather continues making for a beautiful sunset

+ Friday Needs no words I think

+ Saturday Had to work but we managed to squeeze in a visit to a new coffeeshop in the Kammenstraat and modern jazz with Mulatu Astatke in the evening

+ Sunday Had an amazing lunch for my father in law's birthday, the food just kept on coming. Finishing off with a lovely fresh mint tea with orange blossom water ... and a walk in Dinant, what is surely Belgium's greyest city does have lovely cookies in the bakeries!

The week that was no 9/52

2010-04-05T11:07:00.005+02:00

+ I love blueberries

+ Tuesday night cooking

+ How do you mean you are cooking, I thought we were playing?

+ Relaxing after getting upset in the office about things that I can't change anyway

+ A four hour visit with my foodie sister to an amazing food shop and fresh peas with fried onion and real butter after

+ A day in Brussels spent just walking around, looking at buildings, drinking Indian hot chocolate (what an amazing burst of flavour on a rainy day) and ...

+ ... meeting up with friends for a drink

+ I love beads

The week that was no 8/52

2010-03-28T20:03:00.003+02:00

+ what a lovely start to the week: a sunny morning

+ trying out a new recipe for risotto: instead of stirring at the stove you just pour all the ingredients in a dish and put it in the oven, divine!

+ I bought this glass printed photograph in London and love how the light falls through it

+ on the way from dropping of my car in the garage to work I passed by these church doors

+ celebrating friday night with an apple beer

+ a brunch with bagels

+ making biscotti

The week that was no 7/52

2010-03-24T13:03:00.003+01:00

1- reading the bourke street bakery book on baking and dreaming about home made flaky buttery croissants 2 after dinner 3 little helper 4 dinner 5 walking from the tram in the morning to work, this tree looks like it has christmas decorations 6 I took a train ride to a neighbouring town to visit a colleague's new apartment, Antwerp station, so beautiful 7 a quiet sunday night