Travel is close to my heart and as we approach the silly season run-up to Christmas, I like to look forward to trips away, preferably in cities at this time of year. Anyone who reads this blog will know that I have an appetite for anything that can be considered a feast for the eyes. Amongst other amazing places on this earth, Hong Kong is utterly breathtaking and I think stands out for me in 3 areas......culture, skyline, and shopping. But not necessarily in that order! In these shots, you can get a taste of the vastness and grandiosity of the shopping malls. There is no expense spared and people are literally crazy for their shopping experience.

 An absolute must is a trip to Lantau Island to see the giant Buddah. These pictures below depict show just how high this amazing landmark is, as the rainy mist is difficult to avoid.

 The skyline will thrill you both day and night, although the use of lights 24 hours a day and the use of lasers, is seriously questionable in terms of the environment.

The streets are spectacularly colourful, vibrant and surprisingly, unthreatening, whatever the hour of day.

You will be mesmerised by the quantity of people , all apparently out shopping at the same time and the street food is remarkable. So I hope you might take the plunge and consider a trip to this eastern jewel - you reallly won't regret it. xx

For some strange reason, all of my recipes on here have involved fish and this one is no exception! Halibut is a real favourite of mine and is well worth the slightly hefty pricetag it attracts. I bought 3 large steaks for £16, which is pretty comparable with fillet steak.

For this particular dish, I seasoned the steaks with rock salt, freshly ground black pepper and olive oil and seared in a char grill pan. I had some vine tomatoes roasting in the oven with garlic and shallots, to which I added fresh thyme.

When the tomatoes were ready I added them to a seperate pan, along with some chick peas. I then added a large bag of spinach. When the spinach had wilted, I added a small tub of creme fraiche and the dish was complete. It srikes a nice balance between summer and winter food - comforting, yet light. Let me know if you try it. xI

I am increasingly becomming a modern maximalist, packing my home spaces out with more and more weird and wonderful objectS. I know I need to pare things down for the sake of my family, but the compulsion remains and even grows with every moment! My latest need has been in changing things around in our main living room - just a little swapping of corners to give a fresh approach, but retaining the same essential pieces.

Another compulsion I have lately, is to juxtapose the new with the old; the conventional with the unconventional and the handmade with the mass-produced. I don't have any explanation for this. Let me know what you think.......

So I said I wanted to talk about creating that Roche Bobois, 'Mah Jong' look. What I'm talking about is that use of colour and pattern or print to give a hippy-ish, carefree flavour. It woukd be brilliant if we could all afford to fill our spaces with Missoni fabrics but that isn't going to happen, so I say, just make the most of what you have - within reason!

Even going into cupboards and having a look at what you've previously put away. There may well be some stuff that stood the test of time or that's just real, quality and timeless. I particularly like vintage pieces mixed with new pieces. All you need to remember is to make sure they tie together for one reason. That could be colour scheme; it could be pattern; it could material...... 

 The look above is linked by pinks, reds and oranges - all different fabrics and patterns. Those below are simply linked by purples and greens - lots of different texture. Bye bye!x

For me, it's always about visual impact and very rarely subtlety, although I do appreciate the simple look from time to time. Not surprising then, that the 'Ma Jong' range of modular sofas/seating by Roche Bobois, appeal to me so much and interestingly, seems to be reappearing in style blogs, magazines and tv clips, so many years after its launch.

It is unquestionably an aquired taste and would send some out there literally wretching at its very being. I think it works best where the space is similarly 'busy'. To restrict the look to the pieces alone, for example , in a white-walled , minimalist loft apartment, would be untrue to to the essence of the design and would merely pander to the 'less is more' brigade. 

The contrasting and exceptionally lively fabrics are similarly used in the above Roche Bobois piece. There is an element of bravery required, in furnishing a living space in this way and these pieces are of course, extremely costly. In my next blog, I want to talk about how the same essential'look' can be achieved, using soft furnishings. TTFN.XX

So I was talking last time, about the holiday in The Algarve that now seems so far away. Well the villa was so inspirational in terms of interiors that I needed to tell you and the exterior wasn't bad either. The colours from flowers that flourish in the sunshine are exceptional and all the natural aspects from the sea, the sky and any greenery are just so much more enhanced - add in a few yellows from furnishings and you have a sensational colour spectrum to lift the spirits.

Bright sunshine;stark whitewash and splashes of colour - bring on summer 2012! xxx

Well, we're heading for Autumn but hopefully there'll be a little taste of Indian Summer before we get there. I've been away for a month or so and want to tell you a bit about where I've been. Nowhere particularly exotic - The Algarve, Portugal.......but extremely hot, enjoyable, lazy, greedy and generally gorgeous all round.

At home, I'm a big fan of modernism with splashes of colour, but the villa myself and family stayed in this year was packed with antiques and old charm character, so I'll share a couple of corners of it with you.

As you enter the porch, you are immediately greeted by the smell of antiques - but not in a bad way! So many times on entering a holiday villa, we all experience that huge sense of disappointment!? You pay so much for the privilege and very often wouldn't board your dog there. Well there was no such feeling in this beautiful house. The wrought iron and glass doors on the hall were striking and clearly made by a craftsman locally. Peppered around, were objects clearly loved by the owners -  little secondhand shop finds or pieces from home and market places.

This quirky little bedroom wasn't actually occupied by us and I thought it was ever so slightly haunted, but that's just me.I couldn't resist shooting the little ,totally genuine shabby chic hole in the old, quality wool rug, revealing the original, rustic, terracotta flooring underneath.

These next shots show coming down into the living space. The beautiful gold brocade rope handrail was charmingand the walls filled with original oil paintings, depicting both local fishing scenes and other holiday destinations.

Finally, heading upstairs to the bedrooms on the next floor, the furniture was equally beautiful and a delicate use of eclecicism, with the inclusion of a contemporary acrylics on canvas painting to match the bedding was a lovely touch. Next blog, I'll take you outside.xx