🇺🇸🧨💙📯 Happy 250th Birthday, America!! 📯💙🧨🇺🇸

{Cyd Charisse | Photographed by: Clarence Sinclair Bull | MGM Publicity Department | 1945 | Pinned HERE}

Reading through various blogs and scrolling through Instagram, oohing and aaahing at people’s photos of snow, which I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for, I’ve seen many people who have discussed their dislike for this time between Christmas and New Year’s. The general feeling is that we are in a holding pattern, just circling, waiting for the next year to begin. That these are the wasted days before the next big hoorah.

I don’t feel that way at all during this “in-between” time. I think this is the chance to truly relax, to enjoy the season. For the world is quieter around you and you can take it all in. There is a natural slowness to our rhythms at this time and I savour that pace.

Unlike others I’ve seen who took down their decorations on the 26th, ours are still going strong and they will continue to do so until Epiphany (January 6th) and to be honest, maybe a little longer than that. Then the twinkle lights shall be replaced by more candles and a handful of spring blooms. But we are still in winter and I don’t wish away these days. I like to revel and appreciate the season that I’m within.

These “in-between” days also hold another kind of magic for us, as today one of the inhabitants of this little cottage celebrates a birthday. So there is a cake cooling on the counter, dough rising on the stove and a birthday meal soon to be prepared as per the birthday boy’s wishes.

But, everything is still being done at a languid pace as we continue to enjoy the last drops that this year has to offer. And I think that is how it should be.

{Linocut Vanessa Lubach // Pinned HERE}

“Listen girls, if the cake-to-frosting ratio isn’t perfect here, Inez will never let me hear the end if it.”

We’ve been doing a lot of celebrating around these parts as it was my birthday yesterday. We’re carrying on this party train into the weekend and have a few fun things planned.

There is a very special someone celebrating their birthday today. YOU know who you ARE. Happy Birthday and I LOVE YOU! xoxox

Here’s to the weekend, long may it last.

{Image found via Flickr // Pinned HERE}

Happy Birthday Doris Day!

One of my favourite ladies is 95 years young today! I think tonight calls for a little celebration. We’re gonna curl up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and watch a classic.  I’m thinking With Six You Get Eggroll, or The Thrill of it All, or maybe Move Over, Darling?

Well, this was something to put a smile on my face this morning! Google is celebrating Carmen Miranda’s 108th Birthday! You just gotta love that fruit hat! I adore this doodle, it has a Mary Blair-esque quality to it, which is very charming!

I remember the first time I saw Carmen Miranda. I was little, I was watching Turner Classic Movies and they were showing casing Cesar Romero films. They aired Week-End in Havana and suddenly there she was twirling across the stage, singing and dancing. Designed by Gwen Wakeling, her costumes in that movie were incredibly colourful and spirited. The splashes of aqua and tangerine juxtaposed perfectly against her gorgeous olive toned skin and raven black hair. The use of vibrant tones and geometric design in her pinky-raspberry red and white stripped cropped blouse, that was then rimmed with the most luscious grape sized green beads, was simply beautiful.

Happy Birthday Carmen Miranda and Happy Thursday, we’re almost there…

{Doodle created by: Sophie Diao}

Well, we had a birthday in the Michie household yesterday. And, the Birthday Boy requested a new pair of sneakers, as he has literally run through his other pair and his birthday dinner request was to eat at Dishoom. Well, we made that happen.

We had to wait to be seated, but that is never a problem. We were lucky and got a seat at the bar. Watching their bartenders work, is like watching a magic show. I ordered my favourite, an East India Gimlet. Delicious!

We truly feasted! We started with lamb samosas and for dinner we ate mattar paneer, naan bread, Awadhi lamb biryani and raita to cool everything down.

For dessert the Birthday Boy had cinnamon ice cream and coffee. While, I kept to my usual choice, the Gadbad Mitha and a chocolate chai. Happiness is…

The birthday day out was a great success!

{P.S. I do have more to share with you from our time in Denmark, so stay tuned!}

It rained during my walk this morning and I came home drenched! Feeling cold and miserable, I headed up to take a shower and while washing my hair, I heard a loud thump!

When I came downstairs, I saw a pile of mail and a thin cardboard package the postman had shoved through my letterbox and what was inside? Well a birthday gift from one of my dearest girlfriends! She had sent me Susan Branch’s new BOOK!

I hurried into the kitchen, to get the kettle going. I made myself a cup of tea, cut a slice of birthday cake, lit my candles and in the dimness of the morning started to flip through the book. I know it’s cheating to look before you read, but I just couldn’t help myself!

What a lovely surprise and a wonderful way to start the weekend!

Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday. We kept it simple, which is just what I wanted. We ordered a pizza, drank sparkling raspberry lemonade and ate a pale pink frosted birthday cake, with gold confetti around it’s edges. I baked one of my favourites; a Southern wedding cake and it tasted of vanilla and a hint of almonds. HEAVEN!

I pulled out the old projection screen we have and Mr. Michie set up the projector and we watched “Move Over Darling”, one of my most adored Doris Day movies.

Today, someone else I love dearly celebrates her birthday. You know who you are! I love you and I hope that you have a wonderful day! xoxo

{Image by Rifle Paper Co}

Friday has come at last and I am so happy! My Birthday is this weekend and we are going to start celebrating tonight, with dinner from Five Guys and watching a good movie on our vintage projection screen for Friday the 13th. I’m voting for The Goonies or maybe Sixteen Candles.

We’re gonna make my birthday cake tonight and tomorrow I want to get up early, grab some coffee and walk through Regent’s Park, one of my favorite parks in London. I want to stroll around when it is still peaceful and the zoo animals are just waking up. We are going to visit the new Folk Art Exhibition at the Tate Britain and maybe grab a bite out.

And, we shall just take it from there. I don’t want anything too planned out, just something fun and simple. I also want to carve out a little time this weekend to finish my Copenhagen posts and one or two other things that have been on the back burner!

The sun is out today, I was lucky and got to have my Friday meeting out on the balcony. So over business, I could work on my tan. Life is good! Here’s to Fridays and Birthdays and THE WEEKEND! Long may it last!

{Image: Erin Gregory, found HERE, Pinned HERE}

Well May 5th came and went for me this year. I have to tell you that there are times where my working week gets the better of me! We are up by 5 and I am home past 6 every night and by the time we make dinner, do the dishes, have a few minutes to talk, do a few things around the house, speak to my mom or my sister or sometimes I’m lucky enough to speak to both, it is time to hit the hay before 5 o’clock rolls around again, because it comes around all to quickly.

I have so many things I want to share with you. I have yet to share with you about going to my Shibori Dying Class, or about visiting the Matisse Exhibition or the number of other things that flit through my head. I will get there. I just need to work harder on my work/life balance. It came to me last night that 5 years of being in this space came and went unnoticed by me this week.

When I started this space 5 years ago, I didn’t know where it would lead, but it has truly grown into its own. A year ago I moved into this new space that I call my writing home. I love the simplicity of my site. It is colorful, yet simply elegant, it lets me showcase my writing and photography without a lot of fluff and that is what I wanted it to be.

Thank you for sharing this space with me. Thank you for coming to visit me and read my words and view my pictures. I write for me, but it is nice to know that my writing not only touches my own soul, but you have shared with me that it touches yours too.

When I did think of writing about my 5 years of blogging the other week, I had made a Kentucky Derby Pie. It turned out perfectly. A slice was cut and fresh vanilla whipped cream was pillowed on to the top, but Mr. Michie stole a bite before I could get a picture.

So, instead of sharing that pie with you and recipe, I shall share a cake recipe with you, as cakes are a wonderful celebration of life. The image and recipe comes from the lovely Twigg Studios. The pie recipe I will share just as soon as I make another one. Pies should be made to share, but unfortunately, this one was just too good, we were greedy and devoured it ourselves before we could even give away a slice!

For the full Mandarin & Lemon Cake recipe and assembly instructions please visit Twigg Studios, HERE

Image pinned HERE