Fabulous Fridays: Daisy by Marc Jacobs

If anyone had to ask me what Spring smelt like I would say that it smells like Daisy by  Marc Jacobs. I love perfumes that are light and flowery, especially during our hot summer months, and Daisy fits the bill perfectly. Described as “fresh and feminine with a playful innocence”, Daisy is for the young and young-at-heart. So if, like me, you love fun, flowery fragrances this scent is definitely for you and this is the perfect time of year to try it out.

Image source

And if Daisy is not quite your thing, then tell me, what scents do you love?

Image source

Memories Are Made Of These

- Sometimes it’s a bunch of wildflowers …

- Other times it’s a jar of tiny sea-shells …

- It could be a handful of pine cones …

- Or an odd-shaped rock …

These are the things my little one gives me, with a smile on his face. Such ordinary, little items – but to me, they mean the world. Because each one is a reminder of the fleeting days of his childhood, of little hands holding mine, of a mischievous dimpled face. For soon it will be time for me to let go and I will be left with the love and the memories. And the echoes of a child’s laughter …

Fabulous Fridays: Bunny Tone

Before I started blogging I was about as interested in photo editing sites as I was about a gnat sitting peacefully on a wall. But once I started writing posts, I wanted to make sure that the accompanying photos were as well-presented as possible (although I am by no  means an expert). Photo editing sites offer all sorts of possibilities – from the sublime to the ridiculous. Unfortunately I have not, as yet, mastered Photoshop. Instead I use other editing sites which are freely available on the Internet and which alter photos at the touch of a button. I am sure that those of you that use Picasa are familiar with Picnik. If you do not use Picasa you can access Picnik directly from here.

For the up-coming Easter season, Picnik have introduced a feature called Bunny Tone. What it does is turn your photos into all sorts of pastel shades. You can play around with it to achieve subtle, but different, effects like in the two photos below.

I think that Bunny Tone also works well with landmarks.

But I am not sure I totally like its effect on me. What do you think?

I would like to wish you all a very blessed  Easter.

The Piano Man

I cannot believe that it’s been two years since we were walking through the narrow, cobble-stoned streets of Montmartre. It was in the early afternoon that we came across this young man playing a melody in a little bar – so different from here, the early afternoon is usually siesta time and most bars would be empty, waiting for the crowds to come out at night. These photos are a delightful reminder of the wonderful day we  spent exploring the charms of Montmartre, which we found to be so different from the rest of Paris that it seemed like another city .

It's a pretty good crowd for a Saturday,
And the manager gives me a smile
'Cause he knows that it's me they've been coming to see
To forget about life for awhile.
And the piano sounds like a carnival
And the microphone smells like a beer
And they sit at the bar and put bread in my jar
And say "Man, what are you doin' here?"
Da da da de de da
da da de de da da da

Sing us a song, you're the piano man
Sing us a song tonight.
Well, we're all in the mood for a melody
And you've got us feelin' alright.

Lyrics from ‘The Piano Man’ by Billy Joel.

I feel the travel-bug raising its head again and I wonder to myself: where will it be this time? Which new city is going to capture my heart next?

Fabulous Fridays

These past couple of weeks I have been thinking and thinking how to introduce some fun and frothiness into this blog. Since injecting humour into writing does not come naturally to me (it is something I can only seem to do live), I’ve come up with Fabulous Fridays. Every Friday (or every other Friday or whenever I feel like it on  Friday) I will share a recipe, a photo, a blog, a new pair of sandals – anything really. My only rule is that I really liked it and it must be fun.

This week I will be sharing a recipe that I found on Better Homes and Gardens. (And since, in my opinion, no recipe is fun unless it is some type of dessert, you can rest assured that it is going to be an enjoyable treat).

LEMON CUPCAKES

Ingredients

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 2-1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2/3  cup  shortening
• 1  cup  sugar
• 3    eggs
• 2/3  cup  milk
• 1  tablespoon  finely shredded lemon peel
• 2/3  cup  sugar
• 1/3  cup  lemon juice
• Lemon peel curls (optional)
• Fresh lemon balm leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Grease and lightly flour twenty to twenty-four 2-1/2-inch muffin cups. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup sugar and beat until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, beating on low to medium speed after each addition just until combined. Stir in the 1 tablespoon lemon peel. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. (Fill any empty, greased muffin cups with water to avoid damaging pan.)

3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove from pans. Place cupcakes upside-down on wire racks set over waxed paper.

4. In a small mixing bowl stir together the 2/3 cup sugar and lemon juice. Brush sugar mixture over warm cupcakes until all is absorbed. Cool completely. Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Before serving, garnish with lemon peel curls and lemon balm leaves, if desired. Makes 20 to 24 cupcakes.

I did not have time to decorate the cupcakes but they still tasted delicious and I can attest to that because they got eaten before I could get a good photo. This is the only one I managed to get (of the very last cupcake and I will confess that it’s already half eaten on the side you cannot see.

A Moment Of Reflection

I’ve been at home the last couple of days nursing an irritating cough and an eye infection. Today I felt well enough to sit out in our yard and enjoy the sun. And as I sat there, enjoying a few moments of relaxation that are usually so hard to come by, I was overcome by a feeling of gratitude for the many things we usually take for granted.

Like the wind playing with my hair.

The song of the birds.

The fragrant blooms on my lavender plant.

For our liberty, for the peace we enjoy and for moments like these: when we have the time to stop and smell the roses (and the lavender, the lilies and the freesia).

And for some thoughts on lavender, here are Marillion with one of my favourites.

As you can see, I have made some changes to my template. If you see some weird things going on, bear with me as I try to iron some of them out.

Beauty Behind Bars

Spring is working its magic. The sky is blue and cloudless, the air is warm and the trees are covered in delicate blossoms.

This rusty fence seemed to me to  be holding beauty behind bars – the robustness of one overpowering the delicacy of the other.

It seemed like a silent battle was going on between the ephemeral and the mundane – between loveliness and practicality.

And yet, as I looked closer it seemed as if the earthiness of one only served to enhance the splendour of the other. So I gazed and gazed in rapture …

… knowing full well that all this beauty will soon fade as the blossoms scatter like so much confetti and from the sidelines, the rusty bars will stop serving as props but will force themselves once more into the limelight.