Recently I have been busy networking with other writers, talking mostly about Provence. When the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce tweeted about me last week they referred to Shutters and Sunflowers as ‘a fun Franco British blog with a US flavor’. …
Sonoma County, California on a late October afternoon. Rows upon rows of golden, burnt umber vines stretching along the valley and over the hillsides. Overhead, a deep, sapphire sky, kissed every so often with small puffs of cotton wool clouds. …
Exploring a new city is always such a thrill, I like to walk its’ streets and avenues acquainting myself with its atmosphere and vibe. I have just had a mere 24 hours in Chicago where I was instantly surrounded by …
Spoiled as we are by the continuing warm weather in Northern California, there are still signs everywhere that Autumn has danced her way back into our lives. Leaves carpeting the ground, acorns scattered below the trees and a distinct chill …
I have found in life that things often happen when you least expect them. Yesterday morning I stopped in a wonderful store, I am seldom in the neighborhood to visit, Market Hall in Rockridge, (just along College Avenue from Berkeley) As soon …
Pumpkins are such happy things, when I see them arranged in a pile as they are so often are at this time of year, well pumpkins make me smile! Life is a journey, a journey, that regardless of how well …
Meandering amongst the trees, staring up in wonder at the daylight peeking through the branches, rays of sunshine streaming down the towering trunks of the redwood trees in the Muir Woods 10 minutes drive north of San Francisco, one can …
The 350 miles, which separates San Francisco and the Bay Area from Los Angeles and the beaches of southern California, stretches like a flattened snake skin, slithering its way silently down the valley. The accompanying ribbon of traffic twists and …
For me, one of life’s greatest pleasures is being able to eat al fresco, shaded by a canopy of leaves, a gentle breeze cooling the air under a sun drenched, cornflower blue sky. Delicious food, wine and most importantly good company are the only ingredients …
Every year at this time the air smells just that bit fresher, newly unfurled leaves seem greener than you recall, the daffodils are just that bit more dazzling, their trumpets bobbing up and down in the breeze as if announcing …
