Wednesday 24 April 2013

Away from it

I have a board on Pinterest - 'Away from it' and today have been posting this amazing guest house I've been reading about called Miss'Opo. It looks and sounds right up my street. 
love the logo on the door and the intensity of the light coming through the glass
theatrical shelves
industrial meets opulence

Set up by 2 long-standing friends in 2011, they decided to create a project together, local to where they grew up and converted an old textile factory into a guest house. 

The location is Porto, Portugal and having visited the Algarve for the first time last year, it makes me want to jump on a plane and experience some more, particularly as Porto benefits from a by the sea location, similar to Barcelona!

What I'm loving about it, is that it has the backdrop of the old town, I'm always drawn to that part of a city, and they have paid specific attention to making their guests feel at home by providing local food and culture as the cafe is open to the public and hosts art events and small concerts!

Just checking flights for Autumn as I think by then, I'll need a little break to celebrate a successful launch! 

Monday 8 April 2013

Spring in our step

Its not quite time to move to the country, though I yearn for the day, but instead we have brought the country to us in the shape of an allotment or as my little 3 year old keeps telling us 'its our 2nd home, mummy!'

 

Not technically a 2nd home but it certainly is the first piece of land I have been able to rent and pay for in full for a whole year! yippeee! Already we felt the community spirit of our 'other home' as we met some of our neighbours yesterday. Tim also noticed a root vegetable ready for harvest that had fortunately been left on 'our land' and so I got stuck into digging for treasure and found a whole load of parsnips!

 


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Parsnip and Apple soup c/o Prue Leith with sour dough bread from the Blackbird Bakery - yummy!


By the way, check out the edible bustop. What a blinkin great idea! one lives round the corner from me - we spotted strawberry plants emerging - and the other has the most fantastically tall sunflowers and courgettes growing in the height of Summer. Love it! and I totally support the social element behind it - imputting time and energy as a community. Wouldnt it be great if this was implemented all over the country?!

Hang that bun!

Our Easter celebrations began at The Widow's Son pub involving a bizarre Good Friday tradition which came recommended by the fab, slightly leftfield, Whats on in London Blogger, IanVisits



The Widow’s Son was built in 1848 upon the former site of an old widow’s cottage, so the tale goes. When her only son left to be a sailor, she promised to bake him a Hot Cross Bun and keep it for his return. But although he drowned at sea, the widow refused to give up hope, preserving the bun upon his return and making a fresh one each year to add to the collection. This annual tradition has been continued in the pub as a remembrance of the widow and her son, and of the bond between all those on land and sea, with sailors of the Royal Navy coming to place the bun in the net every year.

teehee! listen carefully and you can hear my Cecilia shouting the countdown!











Hats glorious hats!

Looking for a hat for a special occasion? May I recommend this bonkers hat shop in Burnham Market.
Merchandised by colour, let it not be said that you'll come away with nothing!!

For her......







 



and for him.......