True Grace

At the moment I am burning a deliciously scented candle made by an English company - ' True Grace' - rather a lovely name too I think. The scent is Wild Lime which is a citrus fragrance - a balance of limes, bergamot, grapefruit, mandarin and lemon with herbs and amber... It is so refreshing and even when it is not burning the wax gives off a lovely fragrance as you go by.... Delicious... And the etched glass container is very pretty too...

But if citrus is not your 'thing' then there are many other fragrances to ponder over including Apple Blossom, English Lavender, Freesia, Logfire, Hyacinth, Green Fig, Jasmine Tea, Stem Ginger, Cedar etc. etc. - in fact there are 37 different ones so definitely there is one to suit most people...


So who are the creators behind the candles?
ARCO (the name behind the TRUE GRACE line ) is a British luxury fine candle manufacture founded in 1991 by husband and wife team Philippa Nolan and Roger Biles and they started life manufacturing bespoke candles for the likes of Calvin Klein, Heals, House of Fraser, Jigsaw, Kenneth Turner, Laura Ashley, Liberty, Margaret Howell, Molton Brown, Muji, Mulberry, Penhaligons, Pringle and Space NK.

In 2003 they launched the True Grace brand, with an emphasis on quality and tradition, all products being handmade from their factory in Wiltshire, England. Philippa and Roger have developed a special formulation of clean burning 100% Natural wax, derived from Rapeseed Wax, Beeswax and a secret ingredient, the unique blend is specially formulated to burn cleanly and perfume beautifully.

Each candle produces a wonderful fragrance due to their 10% scent content– one of the highest in any candle on the market – and has an impressive burning time of 40 hours.

If you have not tried this brand then I think you will be pleasantly surprised and for a product of this quality I think that the UK retail price of 20 pounds is really pretty good value......

(To find out more about the True Grace products click HERE for their website)

What a lot of bottle!

Apologies, I do realise that the blog has been heavy on the food side recently but I just thought I would show you these lovely little bottles ......

I am using them for individual portions of milk -for cereal for example... also would imagine they would look nice on a little tray for afternoon tea or for breakfast with coffee.....

They are Pellegrino bottles... Not the huge versions that hold the sparkling water but the ones that come in packs of six which have sparkling lemon or orange drinks in them... They have caps that you have to take off with a bottle opener - do you know the ones I mean? Usually there is a date stamped on the side of them and you can easily get this off and clean them thoroughly at the same time by putting them in a hot wash through the dishwasher...

And hey presto - cute, little individual bottles..... - Very appealing and free ! (well, after you have bought the drinks initially of course)

Why I need KNEAD ....!

This is Knead Bakers near us where you will find the most the most wonderful array of delicious edible goodies....

Such a great place to visit for breakfast on a sunny Saturday morning and that is exactly what we did today.

I even love their brown paper bags (of course what comes inside them is pretty good too!).

Great rustic decor too.

This is what they are saying about Knead Bakers (image taken from their website) - they have been noticed where it matters, for example in 'The Foodies' Guide to Melbourne' publication and of course now in this blog too!

Friendly, welcoming and most efficient staff - happy and willing to pose for the photographs too! (Note.... - Bread nearly all sold out - well, they do open early).

Aromatic and delicious coffee.

And sublime breakfasts....

Mine - sauteed mushrooms with thyme and spinach and Mr SE went for the same mushrooms but with a poached egg. It was fabulous. But then again everything I have ever had from there is. All produce is handcrafted in house down to the relish that they serve with their pies.... They serve breakfast, lunches and in between temptations as well of course as you would imagine selling a diverse range of breads including baguettes, rye sourdough, ciabatta, wholemeal sesame, sprouted rye and good old fashioned rustic white bread to name but a few....

'Needless' to say Knead is winner in my eyes..... !

You say Tomato

I say KUMATO........

I have to say that these KUMATO Tomatoes are absolutely delicious... And I love saying their name... Kumato Tomato... love the rhyming aspect (am easily pleased!) I am not sure if they are available in USA or in UK but they have been available in Australia for a year or more and I am hooked... just love them.. !!

As you will see from the photograph they are darker - almost brownish or blackish in colour ... They are a little more expensive than their ordinary red skinned cousins but the taste is much stronger with a sweeter, crisper finish.

Especially good tossed with freshly cooked linguine pasta, a little olive oil, plenty of fresh basil, salt and pepper and a tiny bit of red wine vinegar - oh and a few shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese too... Delish!

Would be interested to know... have you tried them - are they available where you live?

Ma Maison

Yesterday I was working at this lovely shop - Ma Maison Home Couture where I am pleased to say I am going to be helping out on a regular basis, one day a week.... I have written about it before - it is the shop that is located opposite Peony and is owned by the charming and delightful Shelly.... She has a great range of linens, china, glassware, soft furnishing, books, bath products, tableware, stationery, gourmet foods, gifts - in fact a really wonderful selection.

Look at these - gorgeous, generously sized cushions with French images - adore the map one of Paris - in fact this sold not long after I took the photograph!

Here it is in close up....

Great selection of china - look at the nautical / striped theme china (Kate Spade) - very topical at this time and looking so fresh too...

A selection of bed linen and pillows and throws, lovely padded cushiony hangers and at the front wonderfully scented water for helping out with the ironing...

And these are fun! Cupcake print aprons - so pretty. Also note the lovely selection of chocolates and sweeties just behind on the counter.....

Definitely worth a visit if you live in Melbourne.


http://www.ma-maison.com.au/

Had a hot date tonight...(more photos added)

with this lovely man - Mr Ronan Keating! Below are some of the photographs that we took - not all that great but they do give the atmosphere - eagle eyed amongst you will see that he changed halfway through the concert!

Such a great concert - the last one in his tour of Australia - he flies off to New Zealand tomorrow for more of the same... Will post about it more tomorrow and see if any of the photographs we took are actually worth putting on the blog.... (LATER... have done.. see above)

He performed many of his old ones including the lovely "Life is a Roller coaster" and "When you say Nothing at All"..... He was very amusing and seemed such a genuine and very nice person all round - and I just adore that Irish accent too... All in all a great evening.

(And yes, I did have some sweet dreams!)

The Linen Press

The Linen Press is another one of my favourite UK companies for lovely quality and competitively priced items mainly for the home but they also carry a small range of linen and cashmere clothing too. They are I believe just an online company - I am not 100% sure that they send overseas but I am sure that if you contacted them they would be more than happy to. I have always found them to be most accommodating.




They have a wonderful selection of ticking items in black and white - this ironing board cover is well padded and I love its 'retro look' too. It works extremely well giving a good insulating layer - this is from personal experience as I bought it ages ago and brightens up the chore of ironing no end!

I also have this ticking tablecloth.....

And, oh yes, this too - bathmat trimmed in linen. They are a really nice generous size.

A selection of their bedding - they do pure linen as above, also Irish linen - very special - believe this one is called "Chatterley" (hence the wellington/gardening boots, perhaps! )

This is a lovely range - pure cotton with a linen trim.... I have this set too...


So I have shown you just a small selection of the items that they do... definitely well worth a look at their website for more ... Their pure goose down duvets ( known as doonas here in Oz - rather like that name I have to say!) are absolute luxury - as light as feathers but so warm and snugly too.

Rather makes me wish I was somewhere cold right now!

A favourite artist

I first bought one of Eric Masefield's paintings around 12 years or so ago. Then he was only exhibiting and selling through one small gallery in Rye in East Sussex, (UK) so I am delighted to see that not only is he still churning out the work but that much of it on this gallery's website - Castle Arts is already sold. I say still churning out because Eric Masefield came to painting quite late in life - well after he retired..... I have two of his beach scene paintings and three earlier works of his - still life pieces depicting vegetables and fruit which I have hanging in the kitchen of our cottage in UK.



Here are some images from Castle Arts website. Click on either of these links if you would like to see more of his work though.





Daisy and Buddy (SOLD)

Sunday Lunch (LOVE this one)

Walking by the Sea II

Shrimping

I also had the pleasure of meeting him once and visited him at his house where I bought a couple of paintings straight off the wall of his dining room! He was such a charming man and I am so pleased that he has the success of having his work stocked by major galleries and selling it too... Wonderful.

A good weekend to one and all.

Swedish Photograph

Just received via email... to be read or looked at in conjunction with post below.... - the view from his hotel balcony - thought it was rather a lovely photograph with the two flags together aswell.....

Musical Hotel in Sweden

Mr SE has now flown on to Stockholm in Sweden and is staying in an ABBA hotel... I am deeply envious. Well, to be exactly precise it is owned by an ex- member of ABBA and regular readers to this blog will know (as do some of my friends in UK ) that I have a secret crush on ABBA and their music....!

It is called The Rival....

And looks really rather 'groovy' if I can use that word without sounding too old fashioned!

Owned by Benny Andersson..... Apparently he has even written a special song for the Hotel staff that you can download from the hotel website!!

Take a look HERE.... Oh lucky Mr SE - maybe the staff will put on a show whilst he is there!

Beach and Breakfast

Thought I would show you three photographs to illustrate two points in my list I wrote yesterday regarding my favourite things about Melbourne.

Above and below - a beach so close to the City. In the first photo you can see the city clearly in the background - the other photo is taken looking out towards the other way...

Just lovely isn't it ?... But not quite as lovely as the breakfast below... YUM! Perfection on a plate and served with a delicious coffee - what could be nicer?

Ed Note : Not that I was beach visiting and breakfasting today... (these are photographs from my 'archives'!) It was the first day back (after the long summer break) at Peony and it was Sale time too... busy, busy busy - we did not stop all day! If you live in Melbourne definitely worth a visit before all the bargains go!

Melbourne - Australia Day

Today is Australia Day in this fair land that is my home for the time being which got me thinking... there is nothing really like it in the UK... Yes, we have St. George's Day but that is not a national holiday - here it is basically a day off and a family day (rather like Christmas) and a day to give thanks too... USA has Thanksgiving Day and France has Bastille Day - a day for families to converge and just be together.... Rather nice really...

And so then I thought well, yes.... I love my 'home' city of Melbourne, I really do - and these are things I particularly love (in no specific order....)

• The architecture (the great variety - from the wonderful modern skyscrapers to the period weather boarded homes).



• The green spaces within the city - the parks and in particular the Royal Botanic Gardens.



• The laneways and arcades.



• The cafes (and especially the lovely breakfasts available).



• The people - Meburnians are wonderful almost without exception - friendly, open and welcoming and most all with a 'can do' attitude.



• The art galleries and theatres.



• The beaches and coast line in general including the docklands area.



• The coffee (consistently good).



• The markets - from fresh food to 'flea'.



• The trams (and the transport system in general in the city).



• The River Yarra



• The fact that there are seasons in Melbourne - in fact a common saying is that you can get all 4 in one day... Or "If you don't like the weather, wait a couple of hours"..... At least in winter it is cold enough to wear tights here!



• The food - again, almost always of a good standard and what variety too!

And so there it is - my list... Happy Australia Day to all my fellow country dwellers... and a good day to you all wherever you call 'home'.

Fabric with a French influence

I have always loved British designer Kate Forman's collection of wonderful fabrics and wallpapers with a decidedly French influence and I think you might too. She also does a range of accessories made from the fabrics. All items are available on line, but I am not sure if she posts overseas, sorry! Here are a few gorgeous images though from her website : Wonderful restrained and faded florals. I would SO love that dining room.

Beautiful taupe coloured plain linen in these curtains.

Cushions available to purchase; already made up if you so desire.

Adore this fabric - so subtle.

One of my very favourites - this lovely red fabric - goes by the name of "Pandora".

Hope you enjoyed- from the 'secret address book' of SE!

(All images from her website - http://www.kateforman.co.uk/ )

Music to stir your heart on a Sunday

I urge you to listen to this - three 30 second bursts from my favourite Classical 'boy band' Blake ....

The second and third excerpts especially make the hairs stand up on my arms!!

This is taken from their third and latest album 'Together' - not only are they all rather easy on the eye (!), I am a teeny bit biased as I know one of them personally - Jules Knight (front, first photo and bottom right hand in second photo) - and have done since he was around 10 years old but they are all equally lovely young men....

Enjoy!!!