Enjoy!

L xx

Can you think of a better way to start a Sunday? Fab Frandie Macaron!

Enjoy your day,

L xx

All that remains of our delicious (if I say so myself!) home-cooked roast dinner.

All aboard the gravy train!

Gravy for any occasion:

The result? Perfect gravy for all the family…yum!

I hope you’ve enjoyed a fun-filled weekend.

Lxx

What is your middle name?: Clair
What was favourite subject at school?: English or Drama
What is your favourite drink?: A cup of Earl Grey tea
What is your favourite song at the moment?: I’m loving Passenger’s Let Her Go at the moment
What is your favourite food?: Mmmm, I’d probably pick anything Italian…
What is the last thing you bought?: French vocabulary books
Favourite book of all time?: I’d probably have to say Pride and Prejudice, I just love Jane Austen
Favourite Colour?: Blue
Do you have any pets?: Yes, a dog called Molly and two cats, Poppy and Buzz
Favourite Perfume?: Miss Dior
Favourite Holiday?: Anywhere warm, I like beach holidays and summer city breaks
Are you married?: Yes, this year we celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary this month!
Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times?: Yes, too many to count
Do you speak any other language?: Spanish and hopefully French soon!
How many siblings do you have?: One sister, Hollie
What is your favourite shop?: There is a lovely antiques shop in Honiton, called Fountain Antiques, which I love browsing in
Favourite restaurant?: Locally it’s The Holt in Honiton…delicious!
When was the last time you cried?: I cry watching TV a lot, but the last time I properly wept was watching Comic Relief…I have to turn it off after 5 minutes
Favourite Blog?: I’d have to say The Londoner
Favourite Movie?: Shawshank Redemption, The Colour Purple, As Good As It Gets, Dirty Dancing…the list is endless!
Favourite TV show?: I love Mad Men, and we’ve just started House of Cards which is brilliant. But, you can’t beat a good ol’ episode of Friends
PC or Mac?: Mac
What phone do you have?: iPhone 4S
How tall are you?: 5ft 6
Can you cook?: Yes. When I first met my husband I wasn’t great, but now I do all the cooking. I’d still love to learn a bit more from someone professional

A brunch at Toast Cafe in Honiton is a great way to start the day, especially in their beautiful, sunny garden.

Boys being boys, spotting tadpoles.

Beach fun and sea mist at Budleigh Salterton.

Vogue, strike a pose…

I hope you all enjoyed the beautiful weather this bank holiday Monday…here’s to the four day week!

Lxx

A beautiful, sunny Sunday in Devon with my family… some of my favourite things.

Happy bank holiday weekend!

L xx

Last month I was invited to the launch of the Natwest Venus Awards Devon at Sapphire Living Space at Dart Business Park, Topsham.

With the success of the Dorset and Southampton awards, organiser Tara Howard decided to expand and reward even more women. With the help of Celia Delaney of SpeakingSuccess they hope it will prove a great success.

Speaking about the awards Tara says: “It is important women reach their full potential and we intend on helping them do that with encouragement and self-empowerment.”

I, for one, am in full support of anything that recognises the work done by women. I think here in Devon we have an active community of women in business, including those who work from home and juggle busy family and work lives.

As you may know, if you read my blog regularly, I have just joined Exeter-based company Aspect Windows, and here I have come across a couple of women who are demonstrating their business prowess in a male-dominated industry.

But it doesn’t end here. As an avid Twitter ‘geek’ I follow a number of strong, independent business women who are all making a name for themselves in our beautiful county (and further afield!). So, I have no concerns that the Natwest Venus Awards Devon will have no trouble in celebrating and recognising these inspiring individuals.

At the event I was able to meet plenty of lovely, like-minded people and learn a little more about the categories, including The Heart Business Mother of the Year (a woman who successfully juggles business and a family life), The Exeter Daily Employee of the year (a lady who goes beyond the call of duty) and The Old Bag Company Inspirational Woman (for a woman who goes out of her way to help others).

Nominations are open until May 18th, so if you think you know someone who deserves a ‘pat on the back’ for her achievements, let her know by nominating her for an award.

Good luck!

L xx

It’s been a busy weekend celebrating my eldest’s 6th birthday (that flew by fast!).

Lots of fun, filled with cake, Harry Potter and bowling…perfect!

Lxx

So, last week I was wandering through Ottery St Mary on my way to buy some fruit and veg from the lovely Otter Produce, when I passed the fishmonger. Outside, there was a sign which read: ‘Local crab on sale today’. I couldn’t resist, I love all things ‘local’…food in particular!

After a friendly chat with the fishmonger he told me that they were struggling to source local crab at the moment, due to rough seas. He also had a great variety of lovely looking fish and shellfish – I plan to return for some mussels soon, I have a great Thai recipe which I know the hubby adores.

Delighted with my purchase I practically skipped back to the car!

Right, now for the recipe. The best part of this is that it is super tasty with very little hassle, ideal for a lazy weekend lunch or quick supper.

Spaghetti with crab, lime and chilli (serves 2)

150g of crab meat – I prefer only the white meat but toss some extra brown meat in my husband’s portion.

Juice and zest of 2 limes

Juice of 1 lemon

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/4 cup of chopped parsley

1/4 cup of chopped spring onions

1 small red chilli, finely chopped

1tsp of sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

200g of spaghetti

Place the crab meat, lime and lemon juice and zest, garlic, parsley, spring onions, chilli, salt and pepper in a small bowl and stir in the olive oil to combine. Cook the spaghetti, according to the packet, and drain well.

Then finally, toss the pasta into the crab mixture and serve… simply divine.

Let me know if you try this, and I’m also very keen to try new recipes if you have any favourites.

Lxx

Ahead of our family holiday to the south of France this summer, my hubby and I have set ourselves the challenge of improving our conversational French. Oh la la! I’ll keep you updated on our progress.

Wish us luck!

Happy Sunday,

Lxx