I went to Hampton Court Palace to see the Cumberland Art Gallery – a newly restored suite of rooms housing an inspiring collection of masterpieces by artists – including what may be Caravaggio’s earliest surviving painting, Rembrandt’s self-portrait aged 36 and portraits by Hans Holbein the Younger.
Continue reading Cumberland Art Gallery at Hampton Court Palace
That’s right. Chocolate. Truffle. Brownies. At first glance, they may look like your regular brownies.
Continue reading Chocolate Truffle Brownies
When the sun shines in February it feels like Spring is finally upon us, full of grace. But it’s still rather chilly outside. So bring some warmth and sweetness to your beauty regime in the form of these gorgeous honey and vanilla scented products. You’ll feel nice and cosy and you’ll smell positively delectable! Delectable, in a positive way.
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Last year I posted this recipe for Pancake Day: a traditional crêpe fashioned with toffee apple sauce. But this year, I fancied a change. I craved a slightly thicker, fluffier pancake that would soak up sticky maple syrup and complement streaky bacon, should I desire it. So I started to do some research (food research: the best kind!) and I found quite a few recipes that called for buttermilk or natural yoghurt or sour cream, annoyingly things you don’t necessarily have in the fridge all the time.
Time for a little ornithological existentialism. On my window sill I have a little toy bird in a birdcage and every single day a blue tit bird comes to visit. It’s the first thing I hear in the morning: the sound of the blue tit delicately landing on the window to see the bird-in-cage ornament.
Continue reading Bird Activity
Nothing says ‘Je t’aime’ like a melt-in-the-middle chocolate truffle. But a homemade chocolate truffle? Well, you’ve lovingly gone the extra mile! And there’s absolutely no need to disclose that these impressive chocolate truffles are incredibly simple to make…
Continue reading Easy Chocolate Truffles
Buying someone perfume can be tricky as fragrance is such a personal choice (or ‘fun’ if your nose and nostrils enjoy acrobatics!).
Continue reading Perfume Notes: Jo Malone Red Roses Cologne
It’s the little pretty things that I have the most difficulty resisting. I like to surround myself with eye-catching ornaments. Flippant fripperies.
Continue reading The Little Pretty Things
When it comes to skincare, I like to keep things simple. For cleansing my dry, dehydrated and very sensitive skin that’s full of personality, I’ve long been an advocate of, what I call, the ‘Balm then Buff’ regime: a creamy balm cleanser massaged into dry skin which is then slowly buffed off with a hot wet cloth. It’s the best way to thoroughly cleanse your skin as the cloth also gently exfoliates and removes makeup perfectly.
Continue reading Aurelia Skincare
Etta has never seen the sea. So early one morning the 82 year old leaves her husband, Otto, and their farm in Canada with a note explaining that she is walking 2000 miles to the water and that she will try to remember to come back.
Continue reading Etta and Otto and Russell and James Review
