Musings on things to come…

January 23, 2016 / Anna / 1 Comment

Good morning to you all from (finally) a rather wintry, bitter cold Milan! Still no snow though! I am excited to get writing again this weekend and over the coming weeks and building my blog, which I think needs and deserves a little more of my time this year. Less procrastination and more productivity is definitely the key! We are all victims of this from time to time and I often more than others it would seem! But alas, I am full of ideas and determination, so lots of writing to do!

Including in the next couple of weeks a further post on my last trip to Venice, a book review and a focus on posts all about Milan, places to go, what to see, what to do!

For now, I leave you with a photo of the Bridge of Sighs – Ponte dei Sospiri – in Venice and will be back soon!

Anna

Things I Love Sundays

December 20, 2015 / Anna / Leave a comment

With just under a week until Christmas, there is a lot of festive cheer in the air and I landed back in England yesterday afternoon to spend the next two weeks here in Essex with my family. This time of year is perfect for giving thanks and being grateful for all we have, so the perfect opportunity to get back into writing my Things I Love feature.

So here is what has been making me smile recently…

-New starts, new friends and my new apartment – Christmas lights all over Milan – Singing with my gospel choir – Laughing with friends – My dog waiting for me at the airport – ‘Driving home for Christmas’ listening to Chris Rea with my Dad – Home-made mince pies – Blazing fires and being warm and cosy – Dinner with friends – Catch-ups – The prospect of quality family and friend time – Cinema trip with my Mum to see The Lady in the Van, which I highly recommend, Dame Maggie Smith is such an incredible actress – Seeing stars in the sky (something I miss in Milan!) –

I would also like to say Happy 1st Wedding anniversary to my dear friends Kate and Chris!

Spontini Christmas Tram in Milan! Why can’t all trams look like this!? It would be amazing!

Have a lovely Christmas week everyone!

Anna

Christmas Spirit and New Beginnings!

December 5, 2015December 5, 2015 / Anna / 1 Comment

Oh dear! I have not done well at blogging recently…with almost a month between my two recent posts! But I am feeling really positive and excited for the future at the moment, what with all the Christmas spirit in the air and so many new opportunities and beginnings springing up, not only for me but my friends too!

Here I am in Piazza Duomo, Christmas 2013! Photo credit: Anna S

I am sitting writing this in my new apartment! I moved last weekend and it is finally starting to feel homely as the boxes and suitcases slowly disappear (and I get an internet connection again!) I consider myself a quite positive and chilled person, but I definitely found this move (my third in Milan) rather more stressful than I had imagined. Not the actual move (for which I am extremely thankful to my friend for all her help!) but for all the other admin and organisational stuff! However, It is the first time I have taken an unfurnished flat and I am so excited to inject my style and personality – it is a complete blank canvas! I have longed for the opportunity to do this for a long time and finally I get to and I couldn’t be happier! My bank balance definitely could though!

This move has given me a renewed sense of admiration for my Dad and all those weekends he spent putting together beds and tables and cabinets and garden furniture! You know…when you hear those dreaded words…’Anna can you come and hold something for me for five minutes? I need your help.’ Oh how I would moan and try to excuse myself only to met by those words every child hates to hear..’It is good for you’. To which you think how can helping fix the bannister, or mend the broken chair possibly be good for me? Just like when children think…’Why do I need to learn another language, everyone speaks English.’ or ‘Sir, why do we have to learn maths equations…I am never going to need it.’ The truth is, it really was good for me! It taught me to be precise and read the instructions…to make sure I have everything I need before I start and that if you get stuck walk away, take a break and come back to the task again…because nine times out of ten, it will seem a lot easier and you won’t end up throwing things across the room in anger!

This year Milan is looking rather beautiful and festive, with some absolutely stunning Christmas lights, pictures of which will follow in another post. Every area and main street has its own theme and design and is definitely getting me in the holiday mood! This weekend is Sant’Ambrogio, a holiday which takes place every year on the 7th of December in honour of Milans Patron Saint, followed by The Immaculate Conception on the 8th, meaning a four day weekend! Since living in Milan I have always seen this weekend as the real beginning of the count down to Christmas. On the same day the ‘Oh Bej! Oh Bej!’ Market starts, which is a lively and fun Christmas market, with stalls running from the piazza Duomo all the way down Via Dante to the streets surrounding the castle! I remember the first year I lived in Milan, a friend and I were exploring the stalls near the castle when it started to snow and in our child-like excitement at the prospect, we ran all the way to the Cathedral as we wanted to see it with the snow falling gently around it. Later that day the snow came heavy and we made snow angels on the terrace of my first apartment here!

Duomo in the beginnings of a very snowy weekend, Christmas 2012

Snow angels!

I have lots of posts planned for the upcoming months and hope to get back to posting regularly. I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of the festive season and keeping warm and cosy! If you aren’t, stick on some Christmas songs, heat up some mulled wine and have a mince pie or a slice of cake!

The magnificent Swarovski Christmas tree last year in Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele, Milan

What do you have planned for the season? Are you visiting any Christmas markets or going away anywhere? Travelling home to be with your family or jetting of to a warmer climate? I would love to hear!

Buon Sant’Ambrogio a tutti!

Anna

A Glorious Autumn

November 7, 2015November 7, 2015 / Anna / 1 Comment

Hello everyone!

Firstly I must apologise for not having written for a while! I really want to get into a better routine and get myself organised so I am posting more regularly, but still being fairly new to blogging, I have some work to do on this! I have been really busy with work and finding a new apartment, which I am very excited about and moving into in the next few weeks, so plenty of packing and organising and best of all…shopping to do!

Last weekend I went back to England for my Mum’s ‘special’ birthday! So Happy Birthday again Mum for last week, you are amazing! I am so glad I got to be there to share it with her and my family! We had a delicious meal last Sunday in a beautiful restaurant called The Barn Brasserie, a very elegant barn conversion. Lunch was accompanied by some stunning piano pieces played live by a very talented young musician – she played all sorts including pieces by Ryuichi Sakamoto and Daria Marianelli, who wrote the soundtrack to the film version of Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley. It was truly a wonderful weekend, if a little too short!

In recent weeks I have become slightly obsessed with taking photos of trees, streets, parks, gardens and any green spaces I see! Is it me, or we having one of the most amazing Autumns ever? I can’t remember being so enticed by the colours and sights of Autumn before. Everyday seems to be more splendid than the last and I find myself really appreciating the colours of the nature around me.

Norfolk, England

Driving home from the airport last weekend, my father and I kept remarking on all the different shades of oranges, yellows and reds lining the roadside and here in Milan I have even seen trees in tones of pinks and purples! Whenever possible I love walking through the park and crunching through the piles of leaves underfoot.

Parco Sempione, Milan

My dog enjoying and exploring an orchard. Norfolk, England

I have always loved Autumn and Winter more than the other seasons. Of course I love to go to the beach and be out in the sun, but I find there is something quite restorative about the Autumn. Maybe it is because we start school/university/new jobs at the end of Summer, beginning of Autumn. For me it always seems a period of possibility and change, much more than the Spring or Summer.

The thing I find annoying about Autumn, is the period when it isn’t quite hot enough any more in the morning to not wear a cover-up or cardigan, but by midday you are too hot, then come five o’clock you are cold again! I wake up and find myself changing outfits between the morning and afternoon! However, once the really cold weather hits, I am ridiculously happy! I love wearing winter boots, coats and big scarves! Here in Milan I have over ten different coats and in England I have about the same again! My Winter wardrobe is much more extensive than my Summer one.

I also love Winter food, my Mum’s leek and stilton soup, goulash, stews, jacket potatoes, roast dinners, blackberry and apple crumbles! Real wholesome, hearty food! Then of course with Autumn and Winter comes Harvest, Guy Fawkes Night, Halloween, Advent and then best of all Christmas – where there is nothing better than walks in the crisp cold with the dog and coming back home to a cup of tea and a real fire crackling away with the Christmas tree lit up in the corner! I love being inside the house all wrapped up and warm and outside there’s a slight frost in the air.

I am getting carried away and all dreamy again…back to Autumn. Who else is enjoying the beautiful Autumn we seem to be having this year? Let me know what it is like where you are, I would love to hear/see! I hope you enjoy my pictures – all of which I have added no filters to – the colours speak for themselves!

Giardino Valentino Bompiani, Milan

Anna

Things I Love Sundays

September 20, 2015September 22, 2015 / Anna / 5 Comments

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It has been a busy and full week back at work and I have to say it is taking me a little while to get used to it again! However, it has warmed up slightly here and the sun is shining bright today…which puts you in a good, positive mood!

I am thinking about doing my ‘Things I Love Sundays’ feature every two weeks, or as a month review, but I haven’t decided yet. What do you think?

For now however, this week I have been loving…

–Going back to work and seeing all my students! – Getting organized – Making new friends – New opportunities arising – Lavender and Chamomile room spray –Saturday lunch with my girls – Catching up with friends who live way too far away – Being asked if I live in a library because I always have new books…then being told by a little girl we should open a library together and call it ‘La libreria dei sogni’ The Library of Dreams – Chamomile, lemon balm and lavender tea (Loving Lavender and Chamomile everything, at the moment!) – Discovering new places in Milan I haven’t visited before, like the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio (pictured below!) –

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The outside of the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, Milan

What have you been up to or enjoyed this week? I want to hear!

Here’s to a productive and happy week ahead!

Anna

A few days on the Suffolk Coast

September 20, 2015September 20, 2015 / Anna / Leave a comment

Whilst I was home for the summer, my parents and I (as well as the dog!) decided to spend a few days in Suffolk. We stayed at The Westleton Crown on the Suffolk coast between Southwold and Aldeburgh. The Crown is a charming hotel, restaurant and traditional pub, serving delicious food, with a great atmosphere and of course dog-friendly – Robbie loved sitting in the lounge after dinner! All the rooms were named after birds, rather than having numbers, which was a rather charming touch! I was in the Wren room and my parents in the Nuthatch.

We had a very relaxed few days visiting Snape Maltings, Southwold Pier, Dunwich, Dunwich Heath and Woodbridge. The countryside in Suffolk is beautiful, especially Dunwich Heath where we went for a really lovely long walk (getting just slightly lost at one point), before heading back to the National Trust tea rooms for tea and scones! Perfect and how very English!

It was a rather rainy day when we visited Southwold Pier, but I love how this image looked when I gave it this filter! Slightly mysterious!

The Pier has an ‘Under The Pier Show’ with hand-built machines, all a little quirky and out there! I had a go on the ‘Crankenstien’, which you have to wind up and watch as Crankenstien becomes more and more angry! It made me jump when he suddenly screams at you!

British street artist Pure Evil, created this piece of art to commemorate George Orwell and the time he spent in Southwold. Orwell wrote ‘A Clergyman’s Daughter’ whilst in Southwold. The artwork will remain a permanent feature of the pier.

The stunning Dunwich Heath

Giant (and surprisingly comfy!) deckchairs at Dunwich Heath!

In the village of Westleton, where we stayed, there was a really interesting and quirky second hand book shop! My Dad found three history books, and when you wanted to pay, there was an old oil can and a wooden stick which you had to beat to get someone’s attention! Very eccentric…but charismatic! They even offered us a cup of tea!

If you have never been Suffolk is a lovely place – great countryside, friendly people and it feels very traditional, very British! If you have been, where did you enjoy visiting? What did you see and do?

Anna

Bellinis at Brunch!

September 2, 2015 / Anna / Leave a comment

At the weekend I went to London to visit some friends, two of whom used to live in Milan, but left about a year ago! It is always super fun to catch up with friends and as I can’t make it back for Anna’s birthday in October I took her to an early birthday Brunch on Sunday, at the Bourne and Hollingsworth Buildings on Northampton Road.

Both of us enjoy getting a little dressed up at the weekend and heading out for a lazy brunch, or wine-fuelled lunch and so I wanted to try and find a really cute place which was new to us both! I researched cool places for brunch in London and discovered the B & H Buildings! The space is really lovely and the decor is amazing! There are lots of different patterns and textures on the furnishings and the place is filled with plants and flowers! It has a really cheery atmosphere and all the staff were super friendly and helpful!

We both opted for the poached eggs on a muffin with avocado, chorizo and pico de gallo (delicious!) and we had bottomless (yes that’s right…bottomless) bellinis! They kept coming round with a jug of bellini and filling up our glasses! It was fabulous! So much so, we had to move to the bar for a coffee before we left!

A little merry we left ready to go on with our day and headed over to see the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace! Post to come on this soon!

Are you a brunch or lunch type of person? Where is your favourite place to eat? Favourite type of food?

Anna

The Liebster Award

September 2, 2015 / Anna / 1 Comment

Thank you so so much to Caitlin at Caitlinfmc, for nominating me for The Liebster Award! Being very new to this whole blogging thing, I am really very grateful! Check out her blog, she is a film student and writes about all sorts of things, including films, music, book reviews and advice for University students! It’s fab!

These awards only have a few rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you with a link back to his/her blog
Answer the questions asked by the nominator
Nominate 5 – 10 bloggers with under 500 followers
Create 10 questions for the nominees to answer.

First I have to answer these questions:

1.) What inspired you to start blogging?

I finally started my blog this year, as I missed spending time writing and researching. I wanted to set myself a challenge and also share my random thoughts and ramblings!

2.) If you had a super power what would it be?

I would be able to fly…..no more airports, I could go home whenever I wanted!

3.) Where in the world do you want to travel to most?

I think probably Africa! I would love to go on a Safari…maybe even a horseback one!

4.) What’s your dream career?

My dream career would probably be to be a film actress or to work in musical theatre!

5.) What was the last song you listened to?

The last song I listened to was ‘Volare’ by Gipsy Kings.

6.) What was the last film you watched?

The last film I watched was ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ at the cinema with my family.

7.) What is your biggest goal to succeed in life?

This is a hard question, but I would probably say my biggest goal is to be happy and content….and maybe to write a novel!

8.) List three things that make you happy?

Three things which make me happy are my family and friends, music and my dog!

9.) Which would you rather be, able to read minds or fly?

Fly of course – but then I wouldn’t be able to use ‘Oh the bus was late!’ as an excuse!! Haha!

10.) What is your life motto?

This is another difficult question…but I would probably say to try and always see the positive in everything! It is something my Grandma always taught us and I believe in strongly!

Thanks again to Caitlin and here are my questions…

What do you enjoy most about blogging?
What is your favourite book?
If you were throwing a dinner party and could invite five famous people (dead or alive) who would you invite?
What is the most precious thing you own?
What can you not live without?
Would you rather swim in a lake or the sea?
What is your favourite song?
Puppies or kittens?
If you could play any musical instrument, what would you choose?
If you could speak any language (other than English) which would you choose?

And the nominees are..

Anna

Things I Love Sundays

August 30, 2015August 30, 2015 / Anna / Leave a comment

Good evening!

The end of another great week and what a busy one it has been! Only one more full week at home until I head back to Italy, so I will get straight on with just some of the things I am thankful for and loving this week…

– Macarons from Ladurée – Quality quiet time to read and evenings spent writing – Meeting my Auntie and Uncle in London after not having seen them since I moved to Italy – 1940’s Fashion – Spending time with my parents – Long walks in the country – Staying with friends who used to live in Milan and laughing the night away – Bellinis at brunch for my friends birthday – Seeing the state rooms at Buckingham palace –

The ornate gates outside Buckingham Palace

I have lots of posts planned for the next few weeks, including a review on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time play, photo posts from my break in Suffolk and weekend in London and how living in Italy has changed me, as well as how I am still British through and through.

I hope you have all had a lovely weekend!

Anna

A Day at the Zoo

August 27, 2015August 27, 2015 / Anna / Leave a comment

I don’t think I had been to the zoo in at least ten years, so my friend and I decided it was the perfect day trip for the Summer holidays! Our local zoo, Colchester, has recently been rated 2nd best in the UK and 11th best around the world! It is home to over 270 species and is set in 60 acres of parkland and lakes. The zoo partakes in many different breeding and conservation programmes and helps to protect threatened and endangered species.

It has changed a lot since I went there as a little girl and has some fascinating new animals such as the adorable Red Pandas and the Sun Bears! We had a lovely day exploring the zoo, I even fed an elephant and a giraffe! We managed to catch a picture perfect moment when two sea lions had a cheeky kiss as they passed over our heads in the sea lion tunnel and saw two lions hugging! So sweet!

I also posted this photo in my last ‘Things I Love Sunday’ post – but I just love it, so I am including it again!

This is one zoo I would definitely recommend, not only for the animals and the awards it has won, but for all their efforts in helping to improve animal welfare standards, research work and education programmes. Hope you enjoy some of my photos!