Hello! Hope you’ve had a fabulous week- it was pretty hot here with temperatures up to 38 degrees, pretty sweaty to say the least! Hope you managed to keep cool wherever you are in the world.
Here’s a little round up of some things that caught my eye this week. Bon weekend x
Sulking Room Pink
So as you know Im a huge fan of neutrals and Farrow and Ball are by far my favourite paint colours. However! I was inspired reading the lovely How To Style Your Brand by Fiona Humberstone, particularly the part where she encourages business owners to use the right colour psychology for their branding. So I am definitely a Summer Colour Palette and since I have begun trying to add these not only to my blog but also to my life I am quite honestly loving the odd colour splash here and there. Which is why I’d like to talk to you about why I love Sulking Room Pink so much.
This is a wonderful dusty, chalky, slightly brown toned pink, like a vintage bouquet. What’s lovely about it is it looks so nice against my greys and whites without looking too girly, it’s definitely not a powder pink, more earthy and sophisticated. I’ve so far done a desk and a side table. What do you think? I’m loving it!
Draining Tea
You know how the French love a Thé Minceur or Thé Draining? Well I’m totally onboard. In my life over forty I’m finding I suffer with bloating frequently especially around my eyes. My current afternoon tea blend is a dandelion and strawberry tisane said to relieve water retention and help with drainage. Anything to reduce the mid life puff!!!! The French supermarkets are awash with many types of draining tea but Caudelie also do one which is available on their website and so do Clipper.
If you’re looking for a nice cleansing tea then I’d recommend looking these up they really seem to help, especially this time of year if like me you get achy legs.
Zara Home Sale
If you wish to add to your savings account this month then look away now…..Here are a few nice bits, not all sale items in store right now!
Sleeping in The Heat
So I’m well accustomed to very hot nights here in France where the temperature sometimes doesn’t drop to below 30 before you turn in at night. It can be dreadfully uncomfortable to say the least. So here are my simple tips for getting a good nights sleep when it’s uncomfortably hot outside.
- Sleep in the spare room so you don’t share someone else’s sweaty heat !
- Keep all windows closed and curtains drawn in the bedrooms after 11am. Really, there is a reason why you drive through French villages that look deserted behind those French shutters that are always closed in summer! Once the heat is in it’s so hard to get it out again!
- Drink lots and lots of water! The constant sweating can very quickly dehydrate you.
- Put a fan on an house before bed but then turn it off once your in situ if you can bear to! I find sleeping with a fan on your face can make you wake up freezing and with a very dry nose at 3am.
- Steer clear of anything that’s not thin 100% cotton day and night.
A Summer Vegetable Rainbow
More and more I love just having a really bright and beautiful salad in the summer with white meat or fish. What’s not to love about all the colorful vegetables to fill your plate with too? I really love sticking to a few simple ingredients of high quality these days and just letting the veggies sing their song themselves. A new favourite of mine is French beans in vinaigrette with cherry tomatoes and black pepper.
Just whizz together 1 tsp of Dijon mustard with. 1tdp of cider vinegar and a good few tablespoons of olive oil. Put it in the bottom of a bowl and add cooked, cooled green beans with cherry tomatoes and, if you have some a few broad beans too. Chill the beans as soon as the cooking time is over to keep them nice and vibrant green.
Try this salad on a lovely summer evening, it’s delicious over lettuce and grilled chicken with a few shavings of Parmesan and a nice glass of Macon. Yum yum.
Bon appétit xxxxx
