“There are always flowers for those who want to see them” - quote by Henri Matisse

For Valentine's Day sweetheart offered me nice gifts. This very cosy brown blanket to keep me warm when I read on the couch. This great bestseller book ordered in the UK because it was not yet published in Geneva. A Chanel gift because it is the essence of Parisian elegance....

and these beautiful flowers because I am addicted to them…

Even if a bouquet of flowers is ephemeral, it is a moment in life and every moment is precious when it comes to expressing feelings - friendship, love, gratitude, joy…

...and as they are my preferred subject to photograph, here are some pictures...

Dutch low-fat quark torte with raspberry coulis

This recipe is from an old school friend who came from Rotterdam. I remember being very impressed and couldn't believe she had prepared it since my friend hated cooking and the torte was scandalously good and looked nice. One day, when she came to my place, we made it together. I highly recommend it to all those who love cheesecakes and tortes, it is extremely light and fresh with the texture of an airy mousse and a discreet cheese taste.

Ingredients

60g butter

200g brown sugar

200g “petit beurre” biscuits

500g low-fat quark

1 untreated lemon (for zest and juice)

8 sheets of gelatin

3 eggs

2 caps kirsch

Circular mould with a removable bottom (I used an 18 cm diameter one)

Preparation

1. Crumble the “petit beurre” biscuits in a bowl, then add the melted butter and the kirsch. Mix by kneading with your fingers. Line the bottom of your mould with the mixture and use a glass to flatten and spread it evenly over the entire base. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest.

2. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl with 100g sugar until the mixture whitens. Add the quark and the lemon zest and mix.

3. Moisten the gelatin in a little cold water, then squeeze dry. Put the gelatin with the lemon juice and heat in a pan (until the gelatin melts). Pour in your quark mixture.

4. In another bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Then gently fold them into the quark preparation.

5. Take your biscuit base from the refrigerator and pour in the mixture. Place in the refrigerator for 24 hours without opening the mould.

6. Open the mould, cut into slices and drizzle with raspberry coulis.

           

Serves 10

For the raspberry coulis you need

80g sugar

250g raspberries

1dl water

Preparation

Heat the water and sugar in a saucepan. Add the raspberries and stir for two minutes. Use a plunge mixer to make a purée and then pass the coulis twice through a fine strainer. Reserve the coulis in the fridge until serving

Betjeman & Barton

Tea is one of my favourite drinks: I drink it all day long. I’m currently trying to reduce my daily intake, simply because, to be honest, I am quite vain and don’t want to have yellow teeth! Nevertheless, tea is one of the healthiest drinks with endless benefits.

That said, let me introduce you to my favourite tea shop in Geneva. Betjeman and Barton, which is synonymous with excellence in matters of tea. This is where I procure my tea from the large assortment the shop has on offer.

It supplies several well-known salons in Geneva, such as the Hotel de l'Angleterre, and the Chocolaterie de l’Arvre, to name but two. When you enter the shop you are systematically greeted with "Would you like a cup of tea?". The shop is quite proactive; it organises events around tea.

Last year, the shop completed twenty years of existence. To mark the occasion, the owner, Véronique, published a beautiful book entitled "Il est Thé une fois" (Once upon a Tea) and offered it to her best customers. The book has different sections: the history of Betjeman and Barton going back to 1919 in Paris, the story of B&B in Carouge which introduces us to her team of dedicated women, customer testimonials and splendid photos and illustrations. I was offered a copy last February when I went there to replenish my stock. Some of the teas have poetic names such as "Il était une fois Noël", "Thé noir Luxury", "C'est jour de fête" and so on. My favourite remains "Earl Grey", sweetheart adores "Milky Oolong".

I want to say thank you to Marie who allowed me to take these photos last year.

Betjeman and Barton

Rue Saint-Joseph 35

1227 Carouge, Genève

Ayurveda massage given by an Indian practitioner, Mr. Tiwari

If you expect a chic salon with designer furniture and all the trappings, let me set you straight on this point right away. The salon is in an apartment shared with another health institute: the space is unpretentious, clean, quiet and cosy. However, if you want to enjoy an excellent Ayurveda massage, then you have come to the right place: a good address, made popular by word of mouth. You may have to wait for an appointment because it is often fully booked, despite its relatively high cost (worth every penny, to my mind!).

I go there from time to time, only when I need it, and have always experienced a quality moment of well-being with Mr. Tiwari, a peaceful man with a lovely smile, as well as being a brilliant practitioner of Ayurveda. Before your massage you do a short yoga relaxation session with him, then your warm oil massage begins.

I recommend Mr. Tiwari to you if you want to explore Ayurvedic medicine, also called Ayurveda, which originated in India several thousand years ago. Ayurveda means “the science of life.” Its aim is to integrate and balance the body, mind, and spirit, to help prevent illness and promote wellbeing.

Jai Prakash Tiwari

Rue des Charmilles 4

1203 Genève

Mobile: +41 79 798 85 15

Jai Prakash Tiwari

Ayurveda massage practitioner. Naturopathy, Ayurveda, health and sports massage.

Just to clarify: no, this is not a sponsored post. My massage was provided at the full client rate.

Remembering Datai Bay...a hidden gem

If I had to describe a heavenly place to spend a romantic (or family) holiday, it would be this one: it meets all the requirements.

Magnificent beach, impressive rain forest, stunning room, good food, good spa, impeccable service, memorable sunrises and sunsets...A tranquil, hidden place in the middle of nowhere.

Datai Bay is located on Langkawi, an island to the north-west of Malaysia, less than an hour's flight from Kuala Lumpur.

Four years ago, I stayed at The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort. It is surrounded by a ten million year old rainforest and by an eight thousand year old coral reef.  The architecture blends beautifully into its environment.

The hotel entrance is at the bottom of the hill - we arrived in an open style lobby and reception. On arrival, we were welcomed with instrumental music, and we were served drinks and given a refreshing towel.

The hotel has four restaurants: fresh seafood, Malaysian, Japanese, and the main restaurant, which serves a daily breakfast buffet and specialises in Italian cuisine in the evening. I found the food quality very good, but not gastronomic.

I stayed in a standard bedroom: large, beautiful and modern, with plenty of natural light coming from the large glass doors. The room had a balcony from where I could view the lush garden and the swimming pool. The lovely bathroom was very large with excellent toiletries. I also loved the attention to detail: on the small table in the bedroom, there was a plate of fresh fruit which was replenished every day, along with a welcome tray of chocolates and bottles of water, daily papers etc...

I was enchanted with Datai Beach, arguably one of the best beaches on Langkawi, which is quiet, secluded and clean. This remote beach is difficult for the public to access, so it is only shared by two hotels: The Andaman and the Datai Resort.

Every day in the morning I walked the entire length of the bay before taking a dip at the beach. After, I would sunbathe on one of the many readily available beach chairs. In the afternoon, I used to spend some time at the resort’s lagoon-style pool. During our stay I enjoyed watching the sunset while having a cocktail on the beach.

Another memorable experience was my long walks along a paved path that led up to the V Botanical Spa villas located on the hillside. From there, the view of Datai Bay and the Andaman Sea was breath-taking. A “must do” at The Andaman is its Spa - V Integrated Wellness. The Spa treatments were excellent and worth every penny. I loved the massages and was able to choose the oil I wanted. The environment was gorgeous.

The Andaman has a number of activities on offer, from rainforest nature walks, coral nursery visits and cooking classes to golf and kayaking. Nevertheless, if you want a thrill you can always visit the Crocodile Farm, one of the two main tourist attractions on Langkawi…While I was at the hotel I admired a wonderful wedding from a distance, which was a perfect intimate celebration for about 30 guests.

But, my nostalgic review would not be complete without my friends...the monkeys. Those clever creatures, who stole my fresh fruit every day, were so cute and funny. Completely unafraid of humans, they used to approach me and escort me on my way up to the Spa on the hillside. They were an entertainment in themselves. I loved to watch them and hear them leaping from tree to tree or from balcony to balcony.

Note: All the photos were taken with my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W50 compact camera.

If you are a lover of Asia, them check out this (my favourite) fabulous blog www.The Yum List.net

Whom Not to Marry by Father Pat Connor (2010)

This is the new single woman's Bible that shows how to distinguish Mr. Right from Mr. Right Now. Father Pat’s philosophy: a love affair may lead to marriage, but love itself cannot make a marriage work. That is why it is important to weed out the bad seeds before you fall in love.

I cite below a few of Father Connor’s Commandments to know whom not to marry:

• Never marry a man who has no friends, because he will not be able to have the intimacy that marriage demands.

• Never marry a man who cannot present you as his fiancé. If he is reluctant to use the term "us," or introduces you simply as a "friend", he is not ready to get married.

• Never marry a man who lives under his mother's skirts. There will be no space for you.

Author: Father Pat Connor has been a Catholic priest for more than fifty years. Having presided over more than two hundred weddings and conducted pre-marriage and marriage counselling for more than forty years, he is something of an expert. Born in Bordentown in Australia, where he is based, Father Pat travels the state giving talks on the subject of Whom Not to Marry. He also spent nine years in India as a missionary. This is his first book.

My thoughts: I read this book a few years ago in the Portuguese version. I am so glad to introduce you to this cute book which is written in a gentle, familiar tone that makes reading easy. I truly liked the way Father Pat covered this topic and I had a good time reading it. I also found it to be very perceptive; simple advice you ought to take into consideration when you are engaged and before you get married. Personally, I believe in intuition mixed with common sense. Value yourself and love yourself above all others. Remember, love always comes when least expected. Never search for it and when you meet the person who makes you smile, understands you, accepts you as you are; with your strengths and weaknesses, cherish him and don't take anything for granted. Nice guys exist, don't doubt it!

DIY gift idea for Valentine's Day

Today, I just want to share with you a very simple, quick and romantic DIY gift for Valentine's Day. Sometimes a little gesture is worth millions...

1 - Search for your favourite poem, THE ONE that has a strong meaning for you and Mr Lucky Man.

2 - Buy a beautiful sheet of paper, a soft colour is better.

3 - Buy a flower with petals (they are easier to dry and keep the petal shapes). I choose a red gerbera, a seasonal flower which looks like a daisy but is bigger and has a vivid colour. The gerbera expresses wonderment, cheerfulness, friendliness and depth of feeling.

4 - Dry the flower for at least one week in advance. Grandmother’s tip: to dry flowers flat, in order to slip them into the envelope of your romantic letter, you can lay the flower flat between sheets of newspaper and place a heavy dictionary/book on top of it.

5 - Choose a handwriting style of font in Word and print the poem on the gorgeous paper you bought.

6 - Fold your romantic letter with the dried flower inside and put in the envelope. Et Voilà!!

For Valentine’s Day we tend to celebrate twice; once at home and once out. So, I will prepare a lovely menu and place the precious envelope on top of his present.

Hope you enjoy this suggestion.