Sunday 30 November 2014

A Simple Sunday Afternoon


Happy Sunday evening lovelies!!!
Today has been a wet and chilly day, so I've decided to spend the last day of November in the most relaxing way: under a soft woolly blanket, reading " The night before Christmas", the book, written by Scarlett Bailey, I bought this morning for my brand new kindle, eating shortbreads in the shape of squirrel and drinking many cups of the delicious Taylor's of Harrogate Spiced Apple tea.
I've really loved it from the first sip:  fruity apple pieces that meet the aromatic star anise,the punchy ginger root and the warming sweetness of cardamom and cinnamon!!
The house smelled of baking spices thanks to one of my favourite Yankee Candles "Home Sweet Home" and, after a busy week and a funny night out with friends, it has been wonderful to enjoy my day off all wrapped up in my soft nightgown, watching the rain drenching the countryside...

How did you spend your Sunday? Are you already in the Christmas spirit?
Lots of Love
xoxo
Martina
Thursday 27 November 2014

It's Time To Celebrate!!!


Hello sweet ladies!!!
This week has been a special one for me: Monday it was the birthday of my best friend and Tuesday my blog turned one!!! <3 
It's amazing how quickly the time has passed and how much this little virtual space in which I write my thoughts and I keep my memories has become important for me!!!
In the past twelve months I have discovered many blogs that I love and which can brighten up my evenings, make me feel inspired, creative and full of desire to do and make the most of every single day, savoring what it brings to me!


On Tuesday morning Giulia came to my house and we could celebrate together!!! The house smelled of cinnamon, there was a birthday present to open and a delicious lemon drizzle cake that couldn't wait to be tasted!!! 
This lovely box contained some treasures: a selection of Taylor's of Harrogate teas, "Spiced Apple", "Chamomile and Vanilla", "Blackberry and Elderflower", "Lemongrass and Ginger", two doubloons of dark chocolate and two of milk chocolate! It was a special gift because it came directly from "Betty's ", the gorgeous tea room in York where we went two months ago!!!



It was wonderful to see the expression of surprise, excitement, trepidation and genuine happiness of Giulia when she read my greeting card and opened the box!!!Also Cloe wanted to partecipate to our little party!!!


Of course we couldn't resist a moment more, and we wanted to try one of the teas, the purple one, because it's Giulia's favourite colour, accompanied by a slice of cake!!! It was a refreshing infusion which had a balanced taste of fresh and ripe berries with a sweet fragrance of elderflower.. perfect with the flavor of lemon of the cake!!! 




I couldn't imagine a more beautiful morning to celebrate two of the most precious things of my life!!!

Lots of Love to you and thank you so much for stopping by...
xoxo
Martina
Friday 14 November 2014

Fall Favourites / Tag



Autumn has always been my favourite season. I love its colors, the shades of yellow, orange, red and brown of the countryside, the early morning frosts, the cups of chocolate sipped in the evening curled up under a woolly blanket, chestnuts and obviously apples, enjoyed in many ways ( apple pies, baked apples, cider and so on).

I saw this nice tag on "Kim Jade Louise" and it was lovely to read it, so in this post I want to share some of my favourite things about fall.

Tea?
I'm an inveterate tea drinker and one of my favourites is " Earl Grey", especially in the afternoon with some biscuits or a slice of homemade cake, but since I came back from Yorkshire last month I can't stop drinking the delicious Taylor's of Harrogate Lemongrass and Ginger tea, a fragrant zing of lemongrass, blended with the warmth of spicy ginger root.

Coffee?
I really need a cup of coffee to start the day and my favourite is Costa's American decaf with brown sugar. Lately, however, I also love drinking a cup of hot barley coffee with a teaspoon of acacia's honey.


Candy or Cookies?
Cookies, sure as hell!!! Baking cookies is one of my favourite winter hobbies and I really like to enjoy them soaked in tea or hot chocolate in front of a good movie.

Dinner?
I go crazy for pumpkin, so a Creamy pumpkin's soup, perfect to warm up after a wet autumn day, is the answer.


Scarf?
A tartan scarf I bought last year in Florence, which I really love because it's soft and warm and it matches perfectly with all my coats.


Coat?
A dark green duffle coat that my mother bought me for my graduation day some years ago from United Colors of Benetton. It's perfect with every outfit, especially with dresses and skirts , and it makes me feel beautiful.

Shoes?
My brown leather ankle boots..They keep my feet dry and warm and I've never worn anything more comfortable!!!


Scented Candle?
I rediscovered my passion for candles last year and now it has became a ritual for me to light up a scented candles as soon as darkness falls. Lately my favourite is " Warm Spice Yankee Candle", deliciously indulgent and creamy, a classic blend of vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.


Activity?
Reading, listening "Enya", watching movies, walking in the wood, baking cakes and biscuits, taking pictures, preparing soups and picking up chestnuts.


I've loved to do this tag and I hope you liked it! It would be amazing to know your answers..so I TAG YOU!!!
Love
xoxo
Martina

Sunday 9 November 2014

A Rainy Day At The Taste Of Childhood


November rain...this first week of the month has been really wet and foggy and, even today, it has rained cats and dogs all the time!!!
Being forced at home all day long, looking from the window the soaked countryside, I've decided to enjoy myself preparing one of my favourite cakes with carrots and almonds, flavors that always remind me of my childhood.
Infact, when I came back from the nursery school at 4 pm, full of joy at the idea of seeing mum and dad, there was nothing better than tasting a slice of this orange cake with a glass of milk!!!
I love almonds and I think the combination with carrots is something delicious..a soft and tasty cake, perfect to brighten up an autumnal Sunday afternoon, spent curled up on the sofa with Jane Eyre (Oh gosh, I'm in love with this book!), Cloe and Minù.


Ingredients

125 gr of margarine
185 gr of sugar
3 eggs
The grated rind of a lemon
1 pinch of salt
200 gr of white flour 00
50 gr of cornstarch
16 gr of baking powder
80 gr of ground almonds

250 gr of grated carrots

Cream the butter until it becomes soft, add sugar, eggs, the lemon rind  and salt. Stir in the flour, the cornstarch and the sifted baking powder.
Add almonds and carrots.
Pour the dough into a cake pan and bake for 40 minutes at 180 degrees.

Dust with icing sugar.

What is the cake that reminds you of your childhood?

Love
xoxo
Martina

Thursday 6 November 2014

A few of my favourite things | Tag


I saw this nice tag on "Sailboat" yesterday evening and I thought it was amazing! The lovely Jennie said that the idea was to answer each category with the first three things that came to mind, so LET'S START!!!

1. Products/ Things: Scented candles, leather bags, scarves.
2. Foods: Carrot & coriander soup, pizza, lemon drizzle cake.
3. Places: Venice, Hampstead Heath, Cliffs of Moher.
4. Things you'd miss if you didin't have them: My family, My best friend, Cloe.
5. Things you do when you are bored: Read, browse Bloglovin, bake a cake.
6. Things you enjoy when it's sunny: The smell of suntan cream, straw hats, colorful dresses.
7. Films: Brightstar, The Holiday, Les fabuleux destin d' Amélie Poulain.
8. Songs: Fix you by Coldplay, Passenger by Lisa Hannigan, Orinoco Flow by Enya.
9. Brands: United Colors of Benetton, The Bridge, Stradivarius.
10. Outdoor things you like: Walk in the woods with Cloe, pick up blackberries and chestnuts, wander in the countryside after a snowfall.
11. Events: Christmas, The Yarndale festival, Carnival in Venice.
12. Cartoons: One hundred and one dalmatians, Cinderella, Pocahontas.
13. Buildings: Hilltop Farm, Westminister Palace in London, Notre Dame de Paris.
14. Anything in everyday life: Pancakes for breakfast, chatting with the closest friends, cuddles.
15. Traits in a person: Loyalty, Passion, Altruism.
16. Infuences: My grandfather, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Beatrix Potter.


17.Drinks: Hot chocolate, Earl Grey tea with lemon and sugar, mulled wine.
18. Experiences: Live in Venice for 6 years, a year of Italian National Civil Service, starting a blog.
19. Things to watch: "Don't tell the bride", "Location, location, location", "Bake off Italia".
20. Youtubers: Choncey Boddington, ClioMakeUp, Scared Toast.
21. Blogs: SallyTangle, Sailboat, Cider with Rosie.
22. Books: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Harry Potter, One day by David Nicholls.

I tag you!!!
Love
Martina

Monday 3 November 2014

The A-Z Bookish Survey


Author you've read the most books from
I've read many books from J.K. Rowling and Tracy Chevalier.



Best sequel ever
I'm not fond of sequels, but my favourite one is "World without end" by Ken Follet.


Currently reading
I'm reading "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte. It was amazing to visit her beautiful house in Haworth last month and I think this is the perfect book to get into the winter's spirit!


Drink of choice whilst reading
When I'm reading, my favourite drink choice is an hot chocolate , a cup of tea or  an herbal tea.

E-reader or physical books
I have no doubts: physical books! I love to keep the books that have influenced my life in my bookcase and I like the simple fact of leafing through the pages.

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school
The fictional character of my dreams would have been Noah from "The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks...handsome, dreamer and madly in love!!!

Glad you gave this book a chance
Being a huge fan of J.K. Rowling I was so curious about her book " The casual vacancy", but the plot didn't arouse my curiosity at the first time. Fortunately last summer I gave this book a chance and I really devoured it!


Hidden gem of a book
"Oranges are not the only fruits". I discovered this book when I was on my first year of English Literature at the university and I love it so much! Jeanette Winterson is a fabulous writer and her style is funny but intense at the same time.

Important moment in your reading life
The first year of university has been an important moment in my reading life because I've had the chance to discover many hidden authors and to approach the classics in a passionate way.

Just finished
I've just finished " The fault in our stars" by John Green, a touching and moving story about the power of true love, that has warmed my heart.


Kinds of books you won't read
I usually don't read crime and thriller books, but I've loved "The cuckoo's calling" by Robert Galbraith (pseudonym of J.K. Rowling).


 Longest book you've ever read
The longest book I've ever read is "World without end" of 1367 pages.

Major book hangover because of
I've had the major book hangover because of "Memories of a geisha" by Arthur Golden, a wonderful story absolutely well written.


Number of bookcases you own
Two

One book you've read multiple times
"Falling angels" by Tracy Chevalier. I've read this book for the first time in italian, when I was eighteen , and for the second time last year, in english, loving it even more!!!


Preferred place to read
Curled up on the sofa, with my favourite blanket and my cat Minù sleeping at my feet.

Quote that you like from a book you've read
" On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur, l'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." 
- Le Petit Prince - 


Reading regret
Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of classics, but I'm aware of the fact that I'm loosing many gems of literature, so I really want to try to go beyond this limit.

Series that you've started and need to finish
A series that I've started but I need to finish is " The Circle of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Three of your all-time favourite books
Falling Angels
The Pillars of the Earth
Le Petit Prince

Unapologetic fangirl for
" The tales of Beatrix Potter"..I'm looking forward to read them to my future children.


Very excited for this release more than others
The new book of Ken Follet : " Edge of Eternity"

Worst bookish habits
The bad habit to buy new books before I've finished to read the ones I have at home.

X marks the spot - start at the top of your shelf and pick the 27th book
"The Last Runaway" by Tracy Chevalier


Your latest book purchase
"The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton

Zzzz-snatcher book - last book that kept you up WAY too late
"The language of flowers" by Vanessa Diffenbaugh...I've read it in two days and I've stayed up late at night to discover the end!


Martina