Love Through Thick and Thin...

Couples that play together,stay together....My award for "Elderly Kooples" goes to this lovely elderly couple we met while walking in the Valmasque woods.

They both were wearing flat caps, chinos,short sleeve shirts and trainers...so totally in wardrobe sync like the Beckhams used to be !...remember them both in Gucci leather?!!
No? Better not.

"La Guerite" :Paradise found on the Isle Sainte Marguerite-Cannes

September may be upon us but summer is no where near over here...yet!
What us locals can now enjoy are the very pleasures that had our summer guest occupied during the height of the season. 

"La Guerite"is a restaurant/beach/haven across the bay from the Palm Beach on the lovely lush island of Sainte Marguerite (which is part of the Isles de Lerins).

The castle that looms overhead is the very one that housed the "Man in the Iron mask" but there is no sign of malevolence on this quiet,dreamy island. It is all white sand, laid back vibe and some fine food and wine.
And as the sign  indicates:...you are miles away from trouble and strife.

All the negative vibes, body issues and those pesky mozzies....are to be left on the wayside...La Guerite will sooth your soul, nourish your belly and calm your frazzled nerves.
The food is excellent only exceeded by the service which is hands on.

You can only access this little piece of paradise by boat, La Guerite actually runs a pick up service that can pick you up from the port. Call in advance ...it is well worth the short ride.

"La Guerite": Ile Sainte Marguerite- Cannes

0033.(0)4.93.43.49.30/0033.(0)6.17.74.54.94

www.laguerite.fr

London's Dover Street and its New Boutiques.

There is something about revisiting a street that was once...well,dare I say: boring...only to find that it has sprung to life with some truly decent shopping.

I am talking about: Dover Street in London, a street that runs parallel to Bond street and that was once only known for its galleries and the avantgarde shopping emporium:Dover Street Market which is at no.17-18.
Now DSM(Dover Street Market) has some pretty cool neighbours: "Vanessa Bruno" has opened its stylish doors at 1A Grafton street (a zebra crossing away from Dover) which we passed on our way to lunch at the vastly popular American brasserie: "Automat".

I recommend making a reservation and asking for a booth (see above) or to be seated in the bright,light inner sanctum which has a busy,New York vibe to it.

"Automat":33, Dover Street

0207 499 3033

Back to shopping:"Louboutin" is planning an assault on Dover Street with a shop about to open there soon as well as " McQ": Alexander McQueen's little sister label.

Another on trend French label has also opened its doors at no.30A: "Loft"... which is great for separates with a French Flava!

"Acne"is at no.13 with "APC" at no.35....hot,fun,fashion.

"John Rocha":a beloved British designer is on the corner of Dover and Stafford. His boutique is part boudoir and classy as it is chic. Gorgeous gowns,clean cut and his accessories all under one roof. 

French darlings and one of my favourites:"Marithe et Francois Girbaud" (who live by there own fashion rules) have opened on the top half of  bustling Bond Street, a stone's throw from the small and now very classy department store: "Fenwick". There has always been something appealing about their designs which come off as one part fashion ,mixed with one part architecture...funky styles that are not for everyone but true French Fashion Royalty for the diehard fans and followers.

FYI:" Fenwick's": has been spruced up and dusted off and now has a cool "Barneys" style fashion department with some great British designers such as Jonathan Saunders...a must.

The one opening that has really made some noise is...believe it or not:
"Victoria's Secrets"...also on Bond Street ,opposite "Fenwick"s where "Pringles" used to be.

Big, flashy with music that rivals A&F...but with a tad more lighting...and I underline tad !!
Surprisingly enough...all this fanfare is for something that has been around for as long as the WonderBra...and that has been a while. But HEY! if you shout loud enough people will come a runnin' and to be fair..the downstairs section which houses the "Pink"line (and is in actual daylight)...is great for sweats and stuff.
The staff are young ,extremely helpful and polite. They have the "American"approach of retail down pat..I actually felt like I was in New York.

"Have a Nice Day..and thank you for shopping with us!"

Taj Mahal me in the morning...and a Tale of the Unexpected.

I haven't seen my cousin M. for a long time now,so a massive catch up was well overdue. We sweated it out at an outdoor cafe,nursing iced teas and trying to control our excessive sweating.

She was telling me about her trip to India with her friend M.:
"Everyone was telling us that we must get a room over looking the Taj Mahal..because the view is  so beautiful when you get up in the morning."  
"Wow!" I exclaimed just a little jealous.
"Yeah...the next morning we awoke to FOG....which was practically the case every morning!!"
So much for a Room with a View.

M. was at a party in Jeddah when she struck up a conversation with a charming Italian gentleman who was there with his fiance :
" So have you been to Jeddah before?" asked M. politely.
"No,but I have spent a lot of time in Riyadh in the past" replied the Italian gentleman  amicably.
"Really?" asked M.ever the curious one. "What  business were you in?"
" I sold drugs" he replied nonchalantly.
Hiding her surprise at such a ballsy revelation she continued the conversation: "Yes...we do have a lot of problems with erm... drugs here...a lot of young people buying them....such a problem.."
"Oh, I didn't sell to any under age users" replied the somewhat blase Italian as he smiled and moved on. 
 M. beat a hasty retreat to regain some form of composure before spying her friend and host of the party and pulling her aside: 
"Are you Insane??! ...How could you invite a drug dealer to your party!!?"
"A what? Who!"
"That Italian guy over there..." as M. turned to locate him, he was looking  back at her with an almighty grin on his face.
"Oh for God's sake Mona!! He was messing with you!! Gullible much?"

Turns out Mr Italian is a respectable business man and a teller of tall tales.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon's "The Prisoner of Heaven"& Graham Joyce's"Some Kind of Fairy Tale"

I started my journey with Carlos Ruiz Zafon in "The Shadow of the Wind"...and picked myself up and flung myself into " The Angel's Game" as soon as it was released...both novels are epic in every sense of the word. So you can imagine my glee when "The Prisoner of Heaven" came out a few months ago and took me straight back to 1957 Barcelona and the Sempere & Sons bookshop....this is the story of Fermin now and how it all ties in with Daniel Sempere.
Just buy it...Read it and pray that Mr. Zafon is almost done with the next one...

I love me some good,mind engrossing tales of enchantement and I found that and more in Graham Joyce's novel: "Some Kind of Fairy Tale".
Tara Martin disappears in the woods of Outwoods...and only reappears 20 years later,at Christmas, showing up at her parents doorstep thinking that only 6 months had gone by. Oh Boy! This is good...as it says on the back of the book :
"Some Kind of Fairy Tale" is a very English story. A story of woods and clearings, a story of folk tales and family histories...a story of enchantments that lie behind the evryday.."
I haven't read something this good in this genre since:"The Stolen Child" by Keith Donohue.

Must buy, must read....

Sleuthing in Saudi Arabia and some rip roaring summer reads...

I am a HUGE fan of Zoe Ferraris' novels, having read all 3 and desperate for more.She now lives in San Francisco after having lived in Saudi Arabia with her then Palestinian/Saudi husband and his extended family.
Her novels pick up all the idiosyncrasies and give you a clear and mesmerising insight into modern day Saudi Arabia and is a refreshing new arena for clean cut and absorbing police investigations...CSI SA...and what a refreshing change from their US counterparts in Vegas,NYC and LA.

"Kingdom of Strangers" is her 3rd novel set in Jeddah,Saudi Arabia ...and a riveting read. This is a tale of sleuthing and serial killers,that takes the reader from desolate deserts,to downtown police stations in Jeddah. Zoe navigates us through,alleys and shopping malls, her characters are intriguing and so multi faceted within the constrictions of a non too liberal country.Who would have imagined that Saudi Arabia would become a new playground for literary,modern day (crime)novels and create such a buzz?
Zoe's first novel: "The Night of the Mi'raj" and in "City of Veils", her 2nd introduce you to the main characters Nayir,the Bedouin tracker and Katya Hijazi who works in forensics and is desperate to be allowed into the men only world of police investigation.
Highly entertaining...I can't recommend them enough.

Keija Parssinen was born in Saudi Arabia and lived there for 12 years:a 3rd generation expat.
In her debut novel "The Ruins of Us", based I believe in or around Dammam...Keija tells a tale of love in epic proportions that bound a fiery Texan beauty to her Saudi billionaire student boyfriend. She agrees to marry him and return to the Kingdom with him,despite his family's objection...and how,many years later with 2 grown children,Rosalie discovers that her husband Abdullah has taken a second wife....Chaos ensues, hearts are torn and divided and their son Faisal faces a dilemma that could ultimately destroy their family.
A beautiful and absorbing read.

...Overflowing Trousers hems...

Don't get me started on them!
There is nothing worst than seeing a well dressed woman wearing a pair of trousers that are too long and overflowing onto the pavement...
Look at example numero uno (once again taken from UK Elle...):

....So the print passes the Elle test..but they don't see the pooled hem around her invisible feet? Ridiculous....and yet I have seen it time and again.

No one knows a good seamstress? Would be a shame to spend £345 on these trousers to use as swiffers on the streets of NYC...