on a rock...

Is it Italian womens right of passage to have amazing skin especially once the sun comes out or is there really something in the olive oil?
Whatever it may be I want a piece of it!
The 2 days I spent sat sunning myself on a rock in Talamone Tuscany exposed me not only to some much needed UV rays but to the wonderful sight of Italian women sunning themselves (of all ages) with shockingly beautiful skin - who was it that said too much sun is bad for you? 
I just want to ask 'excuse me how is it your legs and bottom look this good? Can you imagine the horror...this line of attack would not go down well I fear.
Not a hair out of place...but it's more than that...where is the hair?! There I am sunning myself with a couple days of leg hair growth, the hair on my arms so blond you can't help but squint. Where is all that mediterranean dark hair us fair skinned folk don't envy?
After applying my 6th batch of factor 20 & one final dip in the sea to get that surf hair look,  I'm off to the pharmacy to find that miracle and then to the beautician to be beautified...

Respite at the refuge

Our weekends this summer have been hectic to say the least, not that I'm complaining (I do have my moments...imagine that!) 
We've had friends visiting from the States, a wedding in Lancashire, family visiting from Liverpool. This weekend was free! But rather than sitting at home relaxing, eating, sleeping watching DVD's we took ourselves off to the Dolomites. With a refuge booked for Saturday night I was pretty excited...one more thing to cross off my list of things to do.

After a nightmare drive up the Brennero (Fiera Agosto week) we arrived in Passo Pordoi parked up, backpacks at the ready and off we went...the first incline hurt! then things got a little steadier.

We arrived at rifugio Viel del Pan just in time for tea, it was wonderful took a much needed nap. Dinner in the mountains is early, Goulash and dumplings YUM...real mountain folk now.

The following day after a several cups of tea off we went...

Cloth House

A new place to spend my pennies....
I've plenty of furniture I'd like to re-upholster, some I think I could tackle myself, others (the sofa) maybe not.
But joining me on this journey will definitely be the Cloth House in Soho. I only bought a couple metres of a linen/cotton mix stripe, but the ticking selection is tickling away at my purse strings.