Photo Souvenirs

Early January, I decided to clean out my heavy photo albums, full of Kodak photos. Yes, before it was like that, remember? We took pictures with film and, once the roll was finished, we gave it to a photo shop to be developed.

In short, to come back to my story, I had a lot of trouble getting rid of these photos. My passion for travelling started very early, it’s in my roots. You could say that travelling is like breathing in my multicultural family.

That said, with age, my craze for travelling has cooled. 12 hour flights, plus stress at airports and the hassle of organising the whole trip are things that I can only face once a year now, instead of four times a year as I used to do.

What I retain from every trip I have made is the beauty of the country I visited, its culture and customs and the people I met, not to mention the culinary specialties and landscapes. I captured this beauty with my very old non-digital film camera. This is where my passion for photography comes from.

I was overcome with emotion as I looked at these souvenirs of my travels and I remembered lots of details. Travelling for me means always taking time to explore places calmly, at length and passionately. Like when you fall in love and you discover your partner every day a little more...

Here is a post that filled me with joy to compile. These pictures were chosen with difficulty among many. And, in case you want to know, no, I could not lighten my big photo box.

MOROCCO

1. The “guerrab” or water carrier in Djemaa el Fna Square, Marrakesh

2. Inside the Medina - I love those narrows alleys of Marrakech

3. Berber village in the High Atlas

BOAVISTA, CAPE VERDE

1. Sand dunes on Chaves Beach

2. On top of the sand dunes

SAL, CAPE VERDE

1. My driver and guide

2. Very early in the morning when the fishermen arrive

3. Fruit seller (I adore this photo)

NASSAU, BAHAMAS

1. Atlantis Paradise Island, probably the most spectacular hotel where I have stayed to date

2. Sunday parade on the Bay Street, Nassau

MALDIVES

1. The Kanuhura Resort, Maldives

2. Very tanned and pensive...

DUBAI, UAE

1. Impressive city, but not my cup of tea - too much glitter...

2. The Ritz-Carlton Jumeirah Beach, early morning swimming under the cascade

PORTO, PORTUGAL

1. Dom-Luís Bridge

2. Porto Ribeira is the historical centre of Porto

3. Lello bookstore, ranked among the 10 most beautiful bookstores in the world

MACAU

1. The ruins of Saint Paul

2. View from the bay - you can see the Grand Lisboa skyscraper that resembles a lotus leaf

LA VALLETTA, MALTA

1. La Valletta

2. Fort Saint Elmo

THAILAND

1. Golden Buddha statues in Wat Po, Bangkok

2. Woman resting in Bangkok’s floating markets

MONTSERRAT, SPAIN

1. Montserrat is a mountain range near Barcelona. The rocks have very peculiar shapes that reminded me of giant stone figures

2. Montserrat Monastery near Barcelona, the abbey houses the black virgin of Montserrat, patron saint of Catalonia

LAC DES QUATRE-CANTONS, SWITZERLAND

1. Lake Lucerne is a glacial lake in central Switzerland. It is 38 kilometres long. If I were to name my favourite place in Switzerland, it would no doubt be here. A breath-taking beauty spot close to Lucerne.

2. The mountain, the huts, the cows (I love farm animals and especially cows ... aren't they really beautiful?)

Oh, this photo melts my heart, my little Labrador puppy on the day I went to get him. He was the most wonderful birthday present!

Death at the Priory by James Ruddick (2001)

It took three tortured days in 1876 for Charles Bravo to die. Six doctors, including Queen Victoria’s physician, had attempted to save him from the poison that burned its way through his body. The subsequent police investigation revealed a surprising number of people who harboured a grudge against the young barrister - just six months married - and who had both the means and motive to kill him. The dramatic inquest that followed was covered in sensational detail by the press. Yet, in the end, no-one was ever convicted of Charles Bravo’s murder.

James Ruddick arrived at the scene of the crime over a century later to find the mystery still unexplained. Drawing on new evidence, his brilliant conclusion finally and emphatically solves one of the most famous murders in British criminal history.

Author: James Ruddick is a journalist and television researcher. He is the author of several books including “Lord Lucan: What Really Happened”. “Death at the Priory” was nominated for a Non-Fiction Edgar Award in the US.

My thoughts: I read this non-fiction book in May 2012 and in November 2014 and again last December. I loved this book very much because I have always been attracted to the Victorian era. This is not just a thrilling investigation story, we also learn a great deal about how life was for men and women in Victorian Britain. This is the story of their private lives and the traditions in British society. The book reads like a dramatic love affair intermingled with detective work. I really liked the meticulous research.

It is the true story of Florence Campbell, a wealthy young woman unhappy in love. She was married twice to men who did not suit her. After becoming the young widow of the handsome, alcoholic and much courted Captain Alexander Ricardo, she embarked upon a long love affair with Dr James Gully. Florence met the brilliant and eminent Dr James Gully, 30 years her senior, at Hydro, a high-class sanatorium in Malvern, the Worcestershire spa town on the Welsh borders. She went there for a while - alone - to figure out what to do with her unhappy and abusive marriage to Alexander Ricardo. This “cure” was a typical Victorian compromise to find a solution to marital issues. Her unhappy marriage to Alexandre Ricardo had come to an end and she desperately wanted to file for divorce, an unpopular procedure in Victorian society.

Dr Gully brought her the love, tenderness and support she so badly needed. But their love affair became known and both were rejected by the prudish society of the time. To be accepted again in high society and to regain a social life, she sought a husband and met a young barrister, Charles Bravo, whom she married. Her new husband was a brutal, cold, calculating and opportunistic man. Sadly, the marriage was a very unhappy one right from the start. Six months after their marriage, Charles died in atrocious suffering due to poisoning.

Two senior detectives from Scotland Yard were assigned to investigate Charles Bravo’s homicide. They narrowed their inquiries to a handful of suspects all of whom had the opportunity to administer the poison. There was Charles’s Bravo wife, the beautiful and wealthy Florence. There was the couple’s housekeeper, and Florence’s long-time companion, Mrs Jane Cox, who had faced dismissal at Bravo’s hands. There was also Dr James Gully, Florence’s lover and one of the most prominent physicians of the period. He bore a grudge against Bravo for stealing his mistress. Or perhaps the other servants?

After five weeks of inquiry, the jury announced that there was insufficient evidence to name Bravo’s murderer and all the suspects were duly acquitted.

Thanks to the investigation of the author James Ruddick, one can see more clearly. But do not count on me to give you the outcome, otherwise it will spoil the pleasure of discovering the story...and, believe me, this easily approachable book is well worth reading.

Beauty Advent Calendar 2016 Feedback

Hello ladies and gents!

Many of you were curious to know what was hidden in my Lancôme Advent Calendar ("Countdown to Christmas" blog post). So here is the answer!!!

The Lancôme box was packed full of iconic beauty products, from their perfume “Trésor”, to their Nourishing Fragrance-Body Lotion “La Vie est Belle”, to their long lasting powder blusher colour veil “Bush Subtil”, to their gentle softening face and eyes cleansing fluid, to their discount voucher, plus there was a lot of mini makeup treats in there too.

Every morning I was excited to open these little golden boxes to see what was inside. I can tell you that my enthusiasm got to those around me…hahaha...

Happy Year 2017 to all my faithful readers.

Lots of Love.

This post, like all my blog posts, is not sponsored.

Irish Lemon Cake

Today I will take you on a trip to Ireland. I made this cake last November. This is a moist cake with an intense flavour of lemon that gives it its freshness. A real treat which I highly recommend for teatime or summer picnics.  It is very easy to carry and store.

A piece of advice, keep some slices in reserve for yourself, because your loved ones will leave you only crumbs...I know what I'm talking about...

Ingredients:

175 g butter

175 g sugar

175 g flour

3 eggs

Zest of 2 lemons (bio lemons preferably)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Lemon syrup

115g sugar

Juice from the 2 lemons

Preparation:

1.  Preheat oven to 160 ° C

2. Mix the softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the eggs, one after another, while continuing to mix.

3. Gently incorporate the flour, baking powder and the lemon zest.

4. Pour into a cake mould and bake 45-50 minutes at 160°C (Check if the cake is cooked by pricking with a knife, it should come out clean)

5.  Remove from the oven, but leave the cake in the mould.

6.  Meanwhile, prepare the syrup.

7. Gently heat the lemon juice until the sugar is dissolved.

8. Pour the warm syrup over the cake. Wait until your cake is cold before you unmould.

Serves 8

Black Love by Dominique Noguez (1997)

“I had never looked at her eyes so closely before. They were of a dark brown, almost as dark as the pupils. I could not write that I looked into the depth of the eyes, because those eyes had no depth. They were only a black, desperately opaque surface, inhuman eyes, of a bird of prey or a lynx, with the hardness of marble or a meteorite, eyes which looked at me but did not see me, which did not love me, which would never love me, which neither love nor would ever love anybody, eyes from another world.”

Author: Dominique Noguez was born on September 12, 1942 in Bolbec. He is a French writer. He has been awarded several literary prizes: 

1995: Roger Nimier prize for "Les Martagons"

1997: Femina prize for "Amour noir" (the subject book)

2013: Jean-Jacques Rousseau prize for "Une année qui commence bien"

My thoughts: I remember as if it was yesterday how I was absorbed by reading this book. I could not put it down and in the early hours of the morning I had devoured it. It is a story of passion and unrequited love. It traces the tormented life of a man fighting for the woman he loves. He hopes to see his love reciprocated... This story takes place in Biarritz, in the French Basque Country. While writing these lines and flipping through this book again I was smitten by a terrible desire to re-read it. If you enjoy (dramatic) love stories, you will adore this novel.