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Introducing Healthy Fast Food Recipes

Sunday, 28 October 2012 by 13 Comments

Ever since I’ve deleted the old content of my blog I was asked about my health food, soups and salads. So I came up with something new I really enjoy making – ‘Healthy Fast Food Recipes’.

Staring today with a beet & egg salad I had for lunch yesterday.

If this dinner is for one just half size all the ingredients, add one for each person.

Hard boil the eggs. In a wok pan, wok the roughly chopped red onion in the olive oil and season with salt an pepper. Add the roughly cut cooked beets and wok until they are warm (not hot) Toss everything on a plate, add the parsley and crumble the blue stilton over the other ingredients. Garnish with salt and pepper.

Happy Sunday xox

Filed Under: Food, Healthy Fast Food

Bedding Trends – The New White

Friday, 26 October 2012 by 4 Comments


Cath Kidston Spring Bouquet Duvet Cover


Joules Piggy Farm Duvet Cover & Joules Bunny Cushion

This a sponsored guest post. All designer ranges stocked at John Lewis and handpicked by me.

It’s no secret that this little corner of the internet is a big fan of the ‘white is alright’ school of interior design. And, as our John Lewis guest blogger explains, pops of colour, pattern and texture become ever more striking when built upon a bright blank canvas. Let us introduce you to the ‘new white’ bedding trends for autumn/winter:

Charcoal
Adding depth and warmth to bright whites, charcoal is the perfect shade to bring your bedding into the autumn/winter season. There’s no need to invest in new bedding – just add accessories such as cushions, pillows and throws in rich greys, choosing pieces in tactile materials such as fleece and satin to add a luxurious air to your bedroom.

Texture
As well as with accessories, texture can also be added to white bedding through the duvet cover itself. Pleated designs and origami-style tucks bring interest to classic white bedding through areas of light and shade. What’s more, there’s no need for ironing!

Colour pop sheets
Another way to make your mark on your bedroom interior, while keeping your pure white bedding, is to pair with bright colour pop sheets. Inject some Mid-Century style to complement statement accessories, such as a bold and bright Marimekko Fat Boy, by playing with glimpses of colour. Pull back a corner of your duvet to uncover bright red, yellow or blue. Or match colours to vintage-inspired floral print accessories with coral or duck egg sheets.

Nature fusion
If you want to bring a little bit of the outside in, but full-on florals aren’t really your thing, add subtle nature-inspired motifs through this season’s delicately embroidered covers. Look for gold and silver details, or alternatively choose understated sketch designs – such as those depicting leaves or feathers – or small and scattered floral details.

Stripes and checks
Finally, if you’re a fan both of bright white minimalism and bold pattern for the bedroom, these needn’t be mutually exclusive. Go for thin stripes in primary colours or black to help inform the themes of your room. Geometric designs work well with equally bold pieces, so choose colour block accessories and furniture with sleek and simple lines.

Filed Under: Press, Sponsors

A Wee Outing

Thursday, 25 October 2012 by 9 Comments

I can not even start to count how many times I want to thank you guys for the amazingly heartfelt comments you left on my previous post. Bo and I sat crying on the sofa reading through them, it really touched us both as it’s the life we live and to know that there are so many people out there who applaud our way of living and who like, and strive, to live the same life … gooooosh it overwhelms me with energy and hope.

A million thank yous.

Before I go back to regular blogging, at last!!! I have to share these photographs I took at my second home, Piet Hein Eek’s place in Eindhoven The Netherlands, yesterday.

I had a little lunch, chat and walk about with a few of my blogfriends. Although it was packed with people for the Dutch Design Week, we managed to create our own little island with some soup and planks filled with beautiful cheeses and meat.

I can Highly recommend you pay a visit next time you are in The Netherlands. Don’t just travel to Amsterdam as Amsterdam doesn’t really reflect The Netherlands, it’s just another European capital. Travel south instead, explore ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Breda, Eindhoven and most definitely Maastricht. It will tell you so much more about the Dutch and the Dutch way of living. Southern Dutch people are lovers of the good life, quality goods, fine food and most of all they are very welcoming. Ha, guess who’s from the south!

I love you all so much and can’t wait to share with you again.

Filed Under: Out & About, Restaurants, Shops

Let’s just call the whole thing off

Wednesday, 24 October 2012 by 161 Comments

Today, while planting massive hydrangeas in my front garden, I’ve made a few decisions. Note that I do make major life decisions either in my garden or in my bathtub.

I have not been very happy lately and that’s quite unusual for my manner. I do not have an awful lot of stuff not to be happy about. I have a quite simple life with no responsibility but myself and my animals.

It’s my blog career that doesn’t please me. This year has been crazy with book deals, TV deals and other deals I don’t want to deal with.

Some people would be super excited with book and TV deals, not me I came to know. I like to be in control over everything I do and freak out when people want to mingle with that. I have a very personal blog about my home, garden and lifestyle so when other people want to turn that into something commercial it effects my whole life. I don’t want a TV show that’s set in my home where people will mock me, mock my life, mock everything I believe in. I don’t want some publisher to tell me what to write. And I certainly do not want a TV channel to forbid me to write about political and religious views I may or may not have. If I God dammit mother Mary Christ Jesus David Cameron Loreal Chanel Dior and all of the Max Factors in the world want to mention a brand that’s not one of the TV channels sponsors I get sued … Hello, it’s my blog.

So today I called the whole thing off, TV and book.

Quite weird as I have a blog already and because of the blog I got those deals, but because of those deals I have hardly time left to blog …. eh?

I walked away from all the responsibilities that chocked me right into my garden where the beautiful autumn sun was shining and planted, weeded and felt insanely happy again. My hens were sunbathing under the laurel hedge while Boo observed them.

I’ve learned that I’ll have to stick to the things I want to do and not to those created by other people who don’t write my blog or, as a matter of fact, write a blog at all. One day I might write a book or be on TV but not just now and not in the way I don’t want it to be.

I want to plan fairs, festivals, write and publish my own books. Work, chat, laugh, inspire and share with bloggers and readers. I just want to be 100% me and not some commercial hoo-ha.

I celebrated my victory with a massive salad (obliviously, cake would have been much better) and a big pile of magazines.

Life is clear and good again.

Thank you so much for being here as it’s you I keep this blog for xox

Filed Under: Garden, Life & Style, Outdoor Life, Yvesworld

The Prop Shop is Stuffed

Wednesday, 10 October 2012 by 3 Comments

All sorts of market leftovers for sale in The Yvestown Etsy Prop Shop.

Filed Under: The Shop, Yvesworld

Signs of Autumn

Wednesday, 10 October 2012 by 29 Comments

The light in my home is darker and harder.
The kitchen island is back in it’s old spot as I’ve missed it so much.
A big Toast basket is filled with fresh bread and vegetables.

I should really put these summer hats in storage but they are too pretty, I can’t part just yet.

I’m piling again; magazines, cushions, blankets and logs … plus the odd hedgehog.

I’m composting and feeding the chicken at the same time. You know chicken are great for composting as they speed up to progress so so much, it’s unbelievable. I’m going to expand the chicken coop in spring and put my greenhouse in the coop and two compost heaps, man alive will I never have to buy compost again.

We are wearing hoodies and scarves again. Boris and I never wear coats as we both find them extremely uncomfortable and we can’t move freely. We wear hoodies and cardigans instead in many colours and patterns. The dotted one is from Boden as is the Fair Isle scarf, I initially bought the scarf for myself but now Boris is wearing it. I’ve made the crochet scarf last year of the acrylic yarn I sell in my shop. It’s washed many – o – time and it’s still super snuggly for an acrylic. Boris his shoes never look that new as those in the photo.

They normally look like this:

On a good day …

Filed Under: Kitchen, Life & Style, My Home, Yvesworld

A Sweet Diet

Wednesday, 3 October 2012 by 40 Comments

It’s been almost a year and a half since I’ve started my much needed diet. I didn’t diet to become pretty I did my diet to become healthy, or rather stay healthy. After the scary blood disease I had in 2010 I became heavier and heavier. The 6 months I spent in hospital doing absolutely nothing but eating chocolates and watching an Australian TV show about mermaids around dinner time where my highlights of the day. Hospital food and chocolates where my highlights, it was a sad time.

I first started to loose the difficult kilos by doing the Cambridge diet with much success. After that I went on to no carbs, another success. And now with minus 45 kilo (quite embarrassing but no lies here, it’s my platform) I’m almost back to my old weight. Almost that is. It’s harder now and I need to move on to exercise … exercise, I kind of cringe by the word alone. Exercise, exorcism, execution … all the same category to me.

So I joined a gym. I didn’t know that gyms smell of sweaty people. I can’t stand the smell so I tried to go at times when the gym was empty, during lunchtime and would watch ‘Homes Under the Hammer’ while I cycled. I felt so lonely and pathetic on that equipment, so I gave up. I’ve replaced the smelly gym with nature and started walking and cycling outdoors. It’s cheaper, environmentally friendly, healthier and much more inspiring.

I’m not dropping kilos like a manic like I did before but I do feel more content.

I always thought it was the bread, savoury things and the pasta I’d miss doing a diet but I came to know that I miss sweets. Jelly Beans, HARIBO Gummy bears, Piña Colada cocktails, ICE CREAM and anything else that contains a lot of E numbers.

Banning them out doesn’t work for me as I’ll dream about all of the above mentioned and wake up in the middle of the night yearning it. One thing I’ve learned is that you should never withhold yourself from eating something you really want as you’ll eat it in the end and eat more of it. You’ll have that mini Magnum you’ve wanted all day and swallow it whole. You’ll need another one because of the greediness you didn’t get to experience the taste. And once you’re at it you might as well have a third one.

I’ve put myself on a ration by half filling Mason jars with two of my favourite sweets. I’ll have to do 2 weeks with half a jar each. It works, I’ve lost 45 kilos so far and still eating sweets.

Please feel free to share your diet tips or great exercise routines I could do at home.

Filed Under: Food, Life & Style, Yvesworld