There is just something about a new season arriving that invigorates us, makes us want to live. We recently visited one of the most beautiful spring gardens in the world. Keukenhof, situated in Lisse, the Netherlands. If you love flowers, make sure you put this garden on your bucket list to visit. As with […]
As a child my favourite breakfast was oat porridge. Made by my mom, on the stove. Just delicious. Oats is such a versatile grain, probably mainly used as a porridge, but also a great ingredient in biscuits, cookies, muffins, granola, muesli and so forth. In one of my many cookbooks there is a porridge […]
Hygge. The Danish word for something like cosiness, comfort, warmth. Or how to create an atmosphere, a feeling of home where you feel safe and comfortable. But, it is also about giving and gratitude. And it describes different feelings. A feeling you get when you share good food with close family and friends along with […]
When it comes to interiors many people feel overwhelmed by too many options. They find it hard to make decisions. Decisions about changing room lay-outs, picking colours and choosing furniture or soft furnishings. As with so many things in life, if you just do what is manageable and what your budget (and you self) can […]
Do you sometimes crave something sweet and chocolaty? Here is an extremely easy recipe for a more rough and ready chocolate cookie with no baking involved. It is even a little bit healthy with oats and desiccated coconut in the mix. Also butter and sugar, but no flour either. This has been a favourite recipe […]
At the end of November this year the world went into variant-panic mode. I was in South Africa when my flight back to Ireland was cancelled. Within 24 to 48 hours almost every flight out of South Africa and the other southern African countries were cancelled. The uncertainty, the fluidity of the situation, the not […]
With winter closing in on the northern hemisphere it is time to get ready for the coldest of seasons here. That means cosy winter warmers like soft blankets to snuggle in, warm fires and so much more. According to the National Geographic winter in the northern hemisphere in general begins on December 21 or 22. […]
I recently read this charming book – the Housekeeper and the Professor, by Yōko Ogawa, translated from the Japanese by Stephen Snyder. Reading the blurb I was intrigued. A gentle and beautiful book, set in Japan in the 1990’s, that slowly pulls you in. It’s about the lives of a brilliant professor of Mathematics with […]
Autumn is always beautiful in Ireland. Trees covered in different shades of yellow, orange, copper, red…. really magnificent. The seasons take their time to change here on the green isle, unlike how it happens almost overnight in South Africa. And if the days are crisp with clear blue skies then it is even better. I […]
Who doesn’t like ice cream and hot chocolate sauce? So simple, but effective and delicious. You get many different recipes for this, including using cream, using real chocolate, using different sugars and syrups, which I am sure are all very delicious indeed. The choice is overwhelming when googling for a recipe for hot chocolate sauce. […]