The Desert???

It is a fact .... without this

And this....

the Coachella Valley would just be desert! But Palm Springs, CA is one of our favourite places to visit this time of year. We stayed at the Indian Wells Renaissance Esmeralda surrounded by beautiful pools, palm trees, and golf courses.

Everyday I woke up excited to put on my mini-iPod, downloaded with my favourite walking songs and head for the mountains. The streets are wide with manicured sidewalks and the sun was usually warm on my face, sometimes I had to dodge the continuous water sprinklers.

This year we had a special invitation to attend a cocktail party at the former estate of Mr. Frank Sinatra. Twin Palms, named appropriately, was so Hollywood 50's Glam!

The home stretched out to surround the famous piano shaped pool (which wasn't actually built to resemble a piano at all, but when the light fell through the pergola walkway, the shadows cast across the water looked just like piano keys, a little trivia I couldn't resist sharing!)  

We were entertained with a selection of Sinatra songs on a grand piano next to the original recording system Frank had installed to cut records while he vacationed.

And, in case you are interested, the estate is available to rent for an event or a private vacation of your own! Did I mention that while we sipped our Coppola wine, Francis Ford Coppola, film director, producer, screen writer, and wine maker, was there to entertain us with stories about The Godfather. It was a fantastic evening in the desert!

Spirit of Christmas Fair

Can you smell the dried orange and apple, cloves and cinnamon sticks?
 Of course YOU CAN'T  .... we have not even celebrated Thanksgiving or the always anticipated Auburn VS Alabama football game (we know they are going to kill us this year!) I attended the Spirit of Christmas Fair in Olympia, London this week and maybe, just maybe, some of these goodies will get you in the SPIRIT early!















How about a pair of these gloves by Alexski....
Exquisite English leather and Possum fur! The very same ones that Kate wears!

I bought a leather belt at 'From The Hip' - cute name for a belt company.  We also looked at scarves and discussed the whole color dilemma - "what do I already have in my closet?"  

Do you know anyone who plays chess? How about a pair of these clever wooden salt and pepper mills? Or if you are a supporter of the "other team" you might be tempted by one of these houndstooth puppies.

I thought this was very cute and something my artsy-crafty friends might want to see/copy ... it is an Advent calendar. Small burlap mittens are numbered 1-25 and hung on a clothes line with tiny wooden clothes pins. Each mitten could hold a special treat for the little ones as Christmas day approaches.

I have to admit I found a special something for myself - from the Cashmere & Cotton stall.  I just loved the whole look with the white blouse and boots with leggings.  I bought the taupe but this orange is calling my name!  

So much for Christmas shopping!!! Just one more thing......

Have you bought your poppy today?  

On a wing and a prayer

As November 11, Remembrance Day, approaches I am beginning to see the familiar blooming of red poppies on jacket lapels.  I have a special fondness, because of my Dad's history, for this new monument at the corner of Green Park. It is a memorial to the Royal Air Force Bomber Command. It serves to commemorate the 55,573 airmen who lost their lives while serving in the Second World War. Their average age was just 22.

When I look up close I can see "Deke's" face!  This Monument provides a place where families and future generations can reflect on the price of war and how these extraordinary men helped to deliver peace in Europe.

It reminds me to be thoughtful of the presidential election about to take place in the States - the world is a tumultuous place!

Put the Kettle on!

I can't believe I did this!
 I grew up in the South where you put a saucepan of water on the stove and when it boils you add several Lipton tea bags, tied together, and let it steep. When it cools, add sugar and cool water and store it in the 'frig'.... quenching sweet iced tea! The very first day we moved to London I bought an electric kettle. It was fantastic! It boiled water in minutes and I could have a cup of my favorite Twinning's Earl Grey or Teapig's Licorice and Mint tea before my wellies were off.

Lately I have noticed that my tea has a film of "sludge" floating on top so my friends all advised me to use bottled water. I washed out the kettle and filled it with fancy bottled water. When Christy was visiting last week she commented on the "crud" that was in my kettle and I noticed she heated her water in the - say it isn't so - microwave! So when I placed my Ocado order this week I included an appliance scale cleaner.

(Had to slip in another picture of the kids!)

Here is the "Say it ain't so" part of this story. Did you know that some kettles have filters in them? For six years I have been boiling water in this kettle and never knew there was a removable - cleanable filter! If you can imagine what your teeth would look like if you didn't have the plaque scrapped off for six years you can imagine what this filter looked like.....

I am lucky I didn't poison anybody... on second thought, when my friends come over we drink Gin & Slimline Tonic anyway. But if you want a cup'o tea, my kettle is now shiny clean!

If you only have two days in Dublin........

With just two days in Dublin we had to concentrate our time and maximize our sight seeing. Our driver from the airport was certainly entertaining as he captivated us with his Irish brogue and stories about everything from overpaid footballers to his wife and a squirrel...had to be there! We stayed at the Drury Court Hotel - nothing great but certainly reasonably priced, clean, and the perfect location for walking to the Temple Bar area. Our driver recommended a new "Masterchef" restaurant called the Rustic Stone - fabulous!

The steaks - Irish beef, of course - and the Tuna, came to the table on sizzling hot stones and you let it cook to the temperature you were happy with. It was a cool concept. From there we went to the original Temple Bar for music, beer, and people watching.

After a morning of shopping for some special Irish Christmas gifts we hit the Guinness Factory for a tour and tasting.

If you have the chance, don't miss the "free" Guinness, poured to perfection in the Sky Bar with a view of all of Dublin below! Fortified with a "light" lunch of Sheppard's Pie and Fish & Chips we met Shane and our bus mates for our "Rural Nights Pub Tour" - "Take in impressive sights whilst visiting some of Ireland's most traditional country pubs on this full-day tour. Experience live music, friendly locals, and traditional hearty meals as we make our way over the Dublin and Wicklow Mountains."

The highlight for me was our last stop where local musicians with traditional instruments just kept showing up to 'jam' together. It was a great evening and the Irish Coffee kept me going! The next morning armed with umbrellas for protection against the pouring rain, we toured the Jamison Whiskey Distillery. Doug volunteered to be a taster and learned to taste the difference between Irish, Scottish, and Kentucky whiskey....not easy to do after a night of pub hopping!

Our last stop before heading back to London was a cute pub across the street from our Hotel - appropriately named The Long Hall! (for those who do not know - I was Holly Hall and Christy married into the Long family!)

Newark Antique Fair

This mind boggling antiques market has in excess of 2500 stalls at any given show! Yes, you read that right - over 2500 dealers in antiques and collectibles offering a huge variety of furniture, architectural pieces, porcelain, pottery, silver, jewelry, paintings, books, maps, prints, toys, and you name it. If you collect it, chances are someone at Newark will have it for sale.

Robin found this gorgeous christening gown for only £35! One of us should have bought it and packed it away for the future, kicking myself!

I loved everything in this booth of Scandinavian furniture...

This was the "hot" item of the day....Cute hats and lampshades made from scraps of wool plaid and a few feathers. How cute is this?

I searched every glass booth for "limon-cello" glasses to add to Christy's collection. I won't pay more than £2 each, the trick is to walk away!

I could not have made it through the day without the help of RITA - the trolley! The bus ride home is always the best part of the trip! We share goodies, sip a little wine, and have show and tell with all of our purchases ....(notice Pam's rather large Mahjongg bracelet).  Newark is worth going back to!