Autumn Bucket List

After a long summer, spent wearing sandals, fluttering dresses and eating ice-creams and juicy fruits, I’m ridiculously excited about the recent arrival of autumn, which is absolutely my favorite season. 

Nights are getting darker and you can spot the morning’s frost in the fields, meaning that is finally time to wear cosy sweaters, colorful tights and scarves and enjoy the warm embrace of a woolen blanket.

There are always many lovely things that I want to do in this amazing time of the year so, inspired by a video of my favorite BookTuber Lauren from "Lauren and the Books", I decided to write my own autumn bucket list, and try my best to tick the most of the things during the months to come.

1. Take a walk and crunch the leaves.
2. Read a thriller and a ghost story.
3. Have a movie day under the duvet.
4. Try a new pumpkin recipe.
5. Visit a fall festival.
6. Wear thick fluffy socks.
7. Join a book club.
8. Enjoy a foggy morning walk.
9. Burn some new candles.
10. Bake an apple cake.
11. Explore the woods in their autumnal glory and pick up chestnuts.
12. Wear my favorite sweater to stay warm.
13. Decorate the house with pine cones, chestnuts and beautiful leaves.
14. Drink warm apple juice.
15. Spend an afternoon curled up under a blanket, with a good book and an hot chocolate.
16. Snuggle into a cozy scarf.
17. Make a “London fog" latte.
18. Take my own fall pictures.
19. Make soups.
20. Unwind with a relaxing day at the SPA.
21. Wear my pairs of brogues.
22. Make cinnamon rolls.
23. Wear dark lipsticks.
24. Make homemade granola with chocolate and hazelnut.
25. Go to the theatre.

Love

Martina

September's Lovely Things

Happy Sunday lovely folks!

Autumn is just around the corner and I’m writing these words in my living room, with all the windows opened and the sound of some trumpet players who are performing on the street. It’s about 27 degrees where I live and I’m dreaming about soft blankets, woolly socks, hot chocolate and crispy leaves, but actually I’ve just eaten a huge ice-cream..one of the last of the season I hope!

I’m the worst at keeping update this little place of mine, but there are a few things that enlightened the month of September, that really need to  be shared with you:

1. Scotland: I visited Edinburgh last January and I loved it so much that I decided to come back to Scotland for the summer holidays! The city was even more beautiful with the late summer light, and I also explored St Andrews, a lovely city on the est coast of Fife, and the Highlands, where I tried to spot Nessie in the deep waters of Lochness.
2. The open- air market: on Saturday morning there’s a nice market in my little town, where you can buy fruit and vegetables directly from the farmers! I really love leaving house with my favorite cloth handbag, that my mother made for me many years ago, walk to the small banquet of organic fruit and vegetables and choose the best ones, dreaming about al the succulent recipes and being inspired by colors and perfumes.
3. A new routine: this post is all about weekends, I know, but for me it’s actually the best best part of the week! On Sunday morning I really like to have a slow awakening, with the sunlight coming in from the balconies left ajar, getting up slowly and dragging me lazily in the kitchen to make a cup of tea .. at the moment I’m mad about Lady Grey , with a splash of soy milk, or with sugar and lemon, to be enjoyed in bed with a copy of " The simple things”, the best magazine ever!
4. Fig jam on toast: figs are among my favorite fruits and their sweet and intense taste is enhanced if you spread the jam on a crunchy and warm white bread! I’m a creature of habit and I usually have breakfast with fresh fruit, yogurt and cereals, but for this treat I gladly make an exception!
5. An event called “Silent Fireflies”: a walk in the sunset, accompanied by a soundtrack of stories, sounds and suggestions in search of relationships between energy, life, light and shadow on earth. It ended in a cathedral, in the dark, with Handel’s largo..so moving and evocative that I’ve never felt so close to the spirituality.

Love

Martina

Edinburgh Through My Lens

After mentioning it in my previous post, here I am, ready to tell you all about my wonderful trip to Edinburgh, a city that I’ve always dreamt to visit!

This holiday was a Christmas present from my parents to me and my sister, because they know how much we enjoy exploring new places together!

We arrived in Scotland on the 11^th of January and, after a quick lunch and a little rest, we decided to have a walk to the castle that was all lit up and, despite the cold and the wind, the view that we enjoyed from up there was phenomenal.

As a huge Harry Potter fan I was sure would fall in love with Edinburgh; there are in fact some amazing places that just can’t be missed if you want to lose yourself again in the magical  atmosphere of the J.k. Rowling’s books:

   

    Victoria Street: a beautiful road, with colorful facades and marvelous shops, expecially the “Aha Ha Ha Jokes and Novelties”, which is full of masks and crazy things and it could really be run by Fred and George Weasley, and “ The Diagon House”, a wonderful place filled up with Harry Potter’s things like wands, feather quills, potion bottles, fluffy owls, chocolate frogs and much more. 

-        The Greyfriars Kirkyard: an ancient cemetery that inspired the names of some J.K. Rowling’s characters; the most important one is “ Lord Voldemort” (Tom Marvolo Riddle), that has taken inspiration from the grave of Thomas Riddle which, I must admit, was quite hard to find and we were forced to walk in the mud to reach it!

The day was very beautiful, with a pale sun and a blue sky, so it was nice to wander around the old graves, spotting some squirrels between the branches of the trees and earing the sound of the little birds.

-         

         The Elephant House: this café is better known as the birthplace of Harry Potter, in fact it is said that the author, during her early years in Edinburgh, used to go there to write because she was short of money and the price of a cup of tea was cheaper than heating her flat!

It was lovely to imagine J.K. Rowling, with her laptop and a steaming cup, looking out of the window at the castle and the ancient graves, dreaming about the adventures of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

After an entire morning dedicated to Harry Potter and a yummy lunch with a pie made with pumpkin, potatoes and sage, we decided to explore Holyrood Palace and we lost ourselves in the sumptuous residence of the Windsor, carried away by its charm and enchanted by its history.

Our third day in Edinburgh started with a visit to the National Museum of Scotland, where you can spend hours and hours wandering around all the rooms and looking at the exhibitions.

It was really cold and cloudy outside so, after a quick lunch with a soup at the “Union of Genius”, we went straight to the National Gallery of Scotland, which displays some of the masterpieces of amazing painters like Monet, Van Gogh, Vermeer, Rembrand, Gaughin and many others.

Despite all these important names, my favorite was “ The Reverend Robert Walker Skating on Duddingston Loch”, made by the Scottish painter Henry Raeburn.

The sun shined again our second to last day, so we took advantage of it and we explored the beautiful Stockbrige. I truly loved that charming part of the city, so elegant and quiet on Sunday morning, especially Circus Lane, a little lane full of picturesque mews houses. It was amazing to do a little bit of shopping in the charity shops and have a walk in the market, which is full of great goodies also for vegans, with a huge cup of chai tea latte to warm our hands.

Our trip to Edinburgh couldn’t be complete without a visit to the castle so, after a delicious fish and chips in a cozy pub, we challenged the icy wind and climbed the hill. Learning the story of the castle and have a look to the stunning jewels of the crown was really interesting, but what I enjoyed the most were the prisons, especially the graffiti left over the centuries by prisoners on the wooden doors.

Time flies when you have fun, so the last morning we did some shopping ( I finally bought a Kanken backpack..yeahhh!!!), we visited many second-hand bookshops and we walked along the Royal Mile, popping down the Closes on our way to Holyrood Palace.

It was time to say goodbye to this wonderful city and, I must confess, I did it with a little sadness…Edinburgh really enchanted me so I hope to come back soon!  

Autumnal Little Pleasures

Hello my sweet ladies!!!I’m so glad to be back after such a long time!

During the past months life has been a rollercoaster, with many ups and downs, joys and tears, and I really needed to come back to this little safe corner, doing something that makes me happy.

So let’s skip to the beautiful things of the last few weeks, with a cup of tea and some chocolate biscuits to keep me company:

1. The little drop in the temperatures, which means many more cups of tea and nights spent curled up on the sofa, under my soft woolly blanket! Summer has been unbearably hot this year in Italy, a nightmare for an autumn lover like me, so I couldn’t be happier to start wearing scarves and colorful tights and enjoy the brisk air of the early morning walks to work.

2. Call The Midwife: one Saturday I was wandering around in a wonderful bookshop when a little book caught my attention : “ Call The Midwife” by Jennifer Worth, which is the autobiography of the author, who worked as a midwife in the East London in the 1950. I didn’t buy the book that day but, some days later, I mentioned it to my friends and I discovered that there was the series on Netflix! As you can guess I was thrilled about it, and I was right because I was completely hooked to the series since the first episode!!!

The main character is adorable, a strong woman, independent, self-confident, but also sweet and charming, and I love the setting, which is realistic and fascinating. I’m sure I’m going to finish it in a flash!

3. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, a wonderful work of historical fiction that explores the gap between science and superstition, friendship and romantic love. I had heard many positive comments about this book before reading it and they were absolutely true. However, I must confess, I couldn’t empathize so much with Cora Saeborne, the main character, even if she is an unforgettable heroine, witty, independent and fiercely intelligent.

4. Bristol! Sentimentally speaking the first weeks of September have been quite hard, so I thought the best solution was to take a break from the routine and go away for some days. My cousin was leaving for Bristol for her Erasmus and I decided to go with her, to spend some days in England together, as we used to do when we were kids and our families went on holidays together! We had an amazing time there, with sunny days, a lovely Victorian house to stay in, and many delicious meals. Oh..and I did some shopping too: candles, second-hand books, a new pair of comfy slippers and some delicious herbal teas! Bristol was a balm for my soul and it brought me luck because, once home, little by little, things started to get better!

5. An afternoon to the Botanic Garden. One Sunday I went with my girls on a daytrip to Padova, a city not so far from where I live, easily reached by train. After a morning of shopping, where I bought the most wonderful pair of embroidered jeans and the cutest dress, we decided to visit the Botanic Garden, which was founded in 1545 and it’s the world’s oldest academic botanical garden that is still in its original location.  We wandered around for hours, chatting, laughing and taking pictures…It was truly amazing to be surrounded by all those plants and gorgeous flowers from all around the world.

6. My new leather backpack. “Patience is a virtue” they say..and they are right! After months and months of wishing a backpack, looking for the right one and not finding it anywhere ( I wanted a Kanken at the beginning but it was pricey and I wasn’t fully convinced) last weekend I found THE ONE in Florence! It’s black leather with golden hinges and a big pocket on the front and, moreover, it’s the perfect size to be useful for work, but not too big to look like a schoolbag! I’m in love with it and I’m glad that I waited so long!

Seriously if anyone is still reading my blog after such a long time I thank you from the bottom of my heart..it means the world to me!!! Have a lovely weekend and see you soon!!!

Love

Martina

Wonderful Wednesday # 7

Wonderful Wednesday evening my lovely ladies!!!

I'm all wrapped up in my favourite blanket, warming my feet and my hands after a freezing busy day at work, rejoicing with the idea that tomorrow I have a day off, which is simply amazing!

Actually I'm a little bit ill, with a red nose and many scattered handkerchiefs here and there, so it's a blessing to have an entire day just to relax, write my christmas cards, read a book, drink several cups of tea and finally start my christmas shopping!

So, I really need to stop rambling and begin with my list of lovely things that brightened the past two weeks:

1. Lady Grey Tea. The scented and elegant tea, with bluebottle flowers, I bought some weeks ago from Peter's Tea House! When I was in Dublin I used to drink it every single day and many times a day, but unfortunately in Italy it's very difficult to find, so I've missed it so much! Tasting a cup of Lady Grey, with a drop of soy milk is absolutely heavenly, especially combined with some super christmassy cinnamon biscuits.

2. "Fantastic beasts and where to find them". I must confess that this movie has been like a medecine for me. I went to see it to the cinema with my sister on a Sunday evening because, after the sudden loss of my aunt, I really needed to distract myself from the sad thoughts of those days. That night out, lost in the Rowling's universe, was absolutely brilliant: we had a lot of fun together and the movie was fantastic! Am I the only one to have a secret crush on Eddie Redmayne??He's a pretty fantastic beast himself, don't you think?!?!

3. Christmas Cards Swap. Writing and receiving cards, especially during Christmas time, is something that I adore! It's so exciting to open the postbox and find some cute envelops waiting for you to reveal their secrets! I love to collect all the cards I receive because I think it's very nice to reread them sometimes or to use the most beautiful ones to decorate the shelves of your house! I really want to say a big " THANK YOU" to all the ladies that decided to partecipate to my Christmas cards swap this year, it has meant so much to me, and I can't wait to receive your lovely wishes and send you mine!

4. Christmas lights. Since the first night of December the city has been sparkling!!! It's so beautiful to see all the little lights that illuminate the night, especially if you are inside, enjoying the coziness of your couch, watching a christmas movie or one of your favourite series in Netflix, dunking too many spiced biscuits in a steaming cup of tea! Life is for these little pleasures, isn't it?!?

5. Candles. One of the first things I usually do when I come back from work in the evening is to light up a candle, to create a relaxing and cozy atmosphere in the house, so the last time I went shopping I decided to treat myself with three new festive yankee candles: "Christmas Eve", " All is bright" and " Red apple wreath"! Yesterday night I went for the last one,  with its festive aroma of sweet apples, cinnamon, walnuts and maple..definitely the perfect choice!!! 

I wish you a lovely night my readers and, please, let me know what has put a smile on your face this week!

Here all the amazing WW ladies whose positivity will be a balm for your soul: Sally, Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El and Kerri.

Wonderful Wednesday # 6

Goodevening my darling ladies!!!

I'm really sorry to be late again to this merry weekly date, but life has been quite chaotic during the last few days, so here I am, at the end of the day, writing my happy list, glad that I have managed to take some time for myself even today!

Last week my family went through the sudden loss of the dearest aunt of my mother, who was like a granny for me and my sister. We are never ready for such kind of things so, today more than ever, I need to focus on the little pills of happiness that life brought me in the past two weeks to cheer me up a bit:

1. Spending time with my cousin. Last weekend my cousin Francesca came to visit me for a couple of days; she's two years younger than me, but since we were little girls we've always been very close and attached, even if she lived in Florence and we didin't meet very often. Fortunately she's now studying in Venice, which is not too far from where I live, so I've been super happy to host her in my new flat for the first time! We spent the days sharing our secrets, reading the old letters she sent me when we were teens ( which were hilarious!!!), sipping several cups of hot chocolate, eating too many christmas cookies, chatting about life and dreams and watching "Becoming Jane", a movie about the life of Jane Austen. Time flies when you have fun!

2. Wearing my blue beret. It's finally time to pull it out from the closet, hooray!!! One day, while I was wandering around the tiny streets of Venice, I found the perfect hat, the only one that really suits me: a blue woolly beret!

I love wearing it with the misty rain, instead of opening the umbrella, it makes me feel very sophisticated and it gives me a "parisian" look, especially with a touch of red lipstick!

3. Homemade pralines. I'm totally mad about chocolate, especially the dark one, with its rich flavour and its intense aroma! My mother knows me very well and she adores to tempt my tastebuds, so she made some little pralines with dark chocolate and hazels, which were divine! We enjoyed them on Sunday, with the coffee, and the combination was absolutely perfect! Sometimes no one can do things better than a mum!

4. The perfect autumn/winter lipstick. This weekend I took some time to reorganise my make up products so, with the help of a friend who is really into the world of beauty, I tried all of my lipsticks to decide what to keep and what to throw away! It was a big fun and, as always after a big clean up, I felt very pleased and satisfied and I decided that I deserved a treat for my good job!Luckily my cousin Francesca came at the right moment, wearing a wonderful berry lipstick with a pinkish-red undertone! It was love at the first glance so you can imagine my happiness when I tried it and I discovered that it looked amazing on my lips too!!!In addition it was super creamy, soft and comfortable to wear so, as you probably imagine, the day after that lipstick was already mine!

Even only the fact of writing this little list of lovely things has brightened my day, so please don't hesitate to let me know what put a smile on your face last week, because your comments always make my day!!!

Here all the amazing WW ladies:

Sally, Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El, Mimmi, Kerri.

Love

Martina

Wonderful Wednessday # 5

Goodmorning beautiful ladies and Wonderful Wednesday!

How's your week going so far? Mine started with a Monday blues, due to a long stressful Sunday at work, that didn't allow me to take the break I needed! I cured it with a cup of green tea and a huge slice of strudel my father made for me with the secret recipe of my granny's mother ( she was from Austria, that's why this cake is so delicious!), so today I feel really better! Fill my belly with comfort food is always the best way to cheer me up!!!

Last week was full of lovely things, so it's better to stop my rambling speech and start with the merry list:

1. A new blanket. During the weekend my mother surprised me with the most adorable of the gifts: a colorful woolly knitted blanket, she made with the wools we bought at the Yarndale Festival of Skipton two years ago.
   I remember that I was so in love with that blanket that I carried the balls of yarn all day long, even during our walk in the woods; I had no idea she was finishing it, so you can imagine my happiness when I unwrapped the package and I found the blanket of my dreams, ready to keep me warm during the long winter nights!
2. “ We've always lived in the castle” by Shirley Jackson. This is a bizarre, sinister, chillingly, terrifying story, that leaves you with a growing sense of unease. I barely devoured this little book because I really couldn't put it down! Pages after pages it kept me hooked with its plain creepy atmosphere! Here the first lines:
   “ My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all, I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same lenght, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the deathcup mushroom. Everyone else in our family is dead”.
3. An afternoon to the cinema to see “ The girl on the train”. Last Saturday it was cold and rainy, the perfect kind of weather for a trip to the cinema, to be conforted by a good movie!
   I was looking forward to see “ The girl on the train”, based on a book, wrote by Paula Hawkins, that I read and loved last year when I was in Dublin, so I decided to buy the tickets and enjoy it with one of my favourite ladies! What I liked the most about the book was the atmosphere of suspance, the idea of looking out from the window of a train and imagine the life of the people you see passing by, which is something that I used to do when I took the train to go back and forth from the uni.
   Despite the fact that the movie is set in the USA instead of in the UK, which in my opinion was a big mistake, it's a very good film, with an Emily Blunt's terrific performance and a nice underlying mistery throughout.
4. Colorful tights. Dark green, burgundy, navy-blue, ochre, brick-red, purple, petroleum-blue ...my chest of drawers is full of adorable tights so, during autumn and winter time, I can indulge on matching them with all my dresses! The simple fact of wearing this kind of outfit make me feel happier and brighter, since the first glance in the mirror. Today I went for a checkered burgundy, blue and ochre dress, with navy-blue tights, brown leather ankle boots and my little hedgehog brooch that I adore!
5. Dried cramberries. I must confess that I started to enjoy these little sweet treats to prevent urinary tract infections which I suffer from, especially when I'm super busy and stressed out, but I easily became addicted to them because, in addition to their surprising health benefits, they're also delicious! I add them to the yogurt and muesli in the morning, I eat them when I'm running from a place to another at work and I feel starving, but they're also perfect to be tasted like chips, one after another, when I'm relaxing on the sofa! It's always time for crambierries, isn't it?!?!

Receiving your lovely comments is something that truly make my day!!!

Please let me know all the beautiful things that have put a smile on your face during this week!

Here all the amazing WW ladies:

Sally, Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El, Mimmi, Kerri.

Love

Martina

Wonderful Wednesday # 3

" Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-

    I took the one less traveled by,

    And that has made all the difference."

Wonderful Wednesday my lovely ladies!!! Here I am, beginning this post, which I was looking forward to write, with one of the quotes I love the most and make me feel all the autumn vibes! This is my favourite verse of a Frost's poem my father used to repeat  when me and my little sister were little girls and we went walking in the woods together, picking up chestnuts and drinking hot chocolate from a thermos brought from home!It's a gift to have such good memories! 
Happiness comes suddenly, when you least expect it..for me it was on Monday night when, opening my blog, I discovered with joy some of the most adorable comments I've ever received from some of the ladies of this merry gang!!! Kate, Cat and Kerri..if you are reading this..the warmest of the hugs is all for you..you truly made my day!!! 

So, now let's go straight to the point:

1. Cooking dinner with my mum. Last Saturday two of my favourite girls came for dinner for the first time in my new house, so I decided to prepare something special ( we usually go for a pizza) to celebrate the beginning of my independance. After a quick trip to the sumermarket, my mum decided to help me so we planned the menu and started to cook together; we had so much fun preparing a starter of swivels of puff pastry with cheese, ham and grilled zucchini, a pumpkin and potato soup with chopped walnuts and the most fragrant of the apple pies! Living in my own flat means that the moments I spend with the family become unique and precious, away from the small disagreements of the daily life.

2. Jane Eyre. Autumn is Jane Eyre's time of the year, isn't it?! Rainy days, dark clouds, fallen leaves, the early morning frost, steaming cups of tea.. everything reminds me the mysterious atmosphere of Thornfield Hall. 
Having said that, you can imagine my excitement when, during my last trip to the local library, I found out that I could rent the first movie of the book, which I was looking forward to watch! It was such a pleasure to spend a cosy night in, enjoying that passionate and anguished love story, that never fails to move me. 

3. Cuddles with the little boy of a friend. Even though I've always had a sweet nature and a passion for kids, I really need to find a frog to kiss and turn into a prince before being ready to become a mum.. and I suppose it will take some time. However last Friday I went to my friend's house to visit her lovely newborn, a chubby little boy, with deep blue eyes and a soft skin, which smelled of babypowder. It was so nice to cuddle him and make him smile and giggle, but moreover to see my dear friend being such a brilliant mother.

4. Buying tickets for three plays at the theatre ( "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie is among them). One of the things I love the most about living in this new little city is the old theatre, renovated some years ago, which is just four steps from home. Going to the opening of the theater season on Saturday morning and buying tickets for three of the plays in the programme made me feel like a sophisticated lady! I know that is just a little theatre of a tiny provincial town, but the idea to spruce me up for an elegant night with my besties is thrilling!

5. Morning ritual. Since when I moved house, every morning I try to leave the bed at least half an hour earlier than usual in order to eat my large bowl of muesli and soy yougurt ( this week I'm all about the strawberry one) and sip my coffee on the sofa, wrapped up in my woolly blanket, warming my hands around the steaming cup. It's a morning ritual that I'm appreciating every day more, the perfect way to start a new day slowly, enjoying the silence, the pleasure to be alone with my thoughts and the beauty of the town that wakes up.

Despite the fog that wraps the town, I wish you a lovely day my darlings and I'm really curious to know what has made your week a beautiful one! Your comments are gifts that fill my heart with pure joy!!!
Here all the fabulous WW ladies which I must thank fo all the positivity and optimism they gave me in all these months:

Sally, Jo, Helen, Michelle, Sarah, Kate, Cat, Sam, El, Mimmi, Kerri.

Love

Martina