Christmas Decor: Part 1

Christmas is nearly here! One favourite holidays of the year and this year I will be spending it at home in England. Last year was spent in Hong Kong  and it was such an eye opener for me. To kick start the festive celebrations I have been doing some DIY decorating. Nearly everything here is vintage and recycled...   Let's all try to Planet Earth Friendly this Christmas! This year I seem to have gone for a rather masculine, rustic and tonal style for some reason...but so far I'm liking it! Let the Christmas count down begin!

Vintage Christmas tree baubles... don't they look delicious?

DIY advent calendar made from vintage tins.

Vintage brooches... per

fect little stocking fillers!

Present for a gentleman in the making

DIY xmas tree... perfect for a those with a smaller home or on a budget! 

Recycled light bulbs as decorations. 

Old crystals, hand made hearts and old lights make an unexpected

excellent festive display...

The most simple way of gift wrapping without wasting too much paper...Let's do our bit for Planet Earth right?

St Emillion

After my tour around Clos Fourtet our guide took us just across the road to the world Heritage Site St Emillion. This small commune is full of history, every building on the long, narrow streets has it's own story. We only managed to have short tour around so this is definitely a place i will come back to visit again. The air was fresher, the skies were bluer and my ears have never felt so peaceful....I would love to spend a couple of days here relaxing and carefree. This is like Laputa, Castle in the Sky for me...

Hello Bordeaux

This was a last minute girly holiday, booked only the week before we set off. Whilst many people my age would enjoy a wild weekend away in Ibiza with sun, sea and probably A&E.... I feel like my old bones simply couldn't take such 'wild' entertainment anymore. I knew Bordeaux would be the perfect place for me and my two girl friends to relax and enjoy some quality wine. One thing i underestimated was the heat wave that took over Bordeaux! 37 degrees when we landed!!! I never felt so hot in my life! And with Bordeaux being a pretty Green city, not many places had air con either... Ice bags, cold showers and swimming pools were much appreciated!

Since we arrived after their busy festival Les Epicuriales, the town was totally quiet, with only locals and students around the small city. This was the perfect opportunity for me to make friends with the locals and brush up my French... which has been neglected since High school days. The locals were all really friendly and we managed to spark up a few interesting conversations with some wonderfully quirky characters. Being probably the only few asians in town made us easily recognisable in such a small place. One the first day of our trip, we spent the afternoon lazily wondering the whimsical streets of Bordeaux. The locals are definitely very relaxed and nonchalant... not many shops were opened and cafes were filled with families, enjoying wine and people watching. After a long wonder around, we enjoyed an early bird dinner at the acclaimed Le Gabriel Bistro. The price wasn't too bad for the good quality of food. Expect to pay around 25Euros plus a head for a main course and a bottle of wine shared between friends. 

I probably enjoyed myself a little too much and forgot to take photos and document my trip... so i am trying my best to show and share with you my personal experience with very few photos....Forgive me please...but a girl has to play right? 

Sweetest little macaron boutique on the side streets in town. The packaging was so ADORABLE!

A lovely little character awaits you in Le Gabriel

Beautiful Summer Day

Summer is here for sure! Its 28 degrees over here and we are ready to celebrate the sun! My friend came back from Africa and we managed to organise a high school reunion/ BBQ party! We had the best time talking about past times about high school and some anecdotes made us laugh uncontrollably. The last time we had a BBQ together was when we were 16, just graduated from our GSCE exams. To start the fire we used my old text books! Ahhhh old times... Fast forward a few years and our BBQ has gained a little more sophistication!  The food was simple, but when it's so fresh, simple is best. We made four different salads, homemade Aioli sauce and finished off with chocolate fondue for dessert. The meal was accompanied by some sweet Moscatel wine and iced tea to quench our thirst in the summer heat.... Thank you for such a wonderful meal...good people...good food...good health.