recent Lifestyle blogs
conscious gift wrapping

conscious gift wrapping

When we travel back to England for Christmas, we don't fly. Flying is a real hassle, even when it's the short two & a half hour flight we do from Pula to Manchester. Plus, we're becoming more & more aware of the impact of flying - but, we have to get back some...

stari podrum restaurant : momjan : istria

stari podrum restaurant : momjan : istria

Restaurant choices in Istria are huge. Even the tiniest hamlet will usually boast a konoba, serving food of an excellent quality. If you love pasta, gnocchi, stews and truffles, then Istria is definitely for you, as these do form the staples of many restaurant menus....

spaghetti al limone – a taste of summer…

spaghetti al limone – a taste of summer…

Spaghetti dishes are often our go-to meals, especially if we’re a bit short on time. Current favourite is just flash frying, in olive oil, chilli flakes and garlic and mixing through spaghetti, and sprinkling with parmesan. Done in less than 10 minutes. But recently,...

plastic not fantastic

plastic not fantastic

Italian supermarkets are generally very, very good. Produce is usually always very fresh, and locally grown – great for the carbon footprint – and often loose, so you can avoid the plastic overload. Fish, meats and cheese are often sold in the same way – loose,...

tv or not tv? update 3

tv or not tv? update 3

When I last blogged about the saga of our TV journey, it was early January and Mauro, from T-Com had been out and had given us a glimmer of hope that we could, one day, have fixed line internet. Meaning we could one day, at some point in the future, have TV like we...

tv or not tv? update 2

tv or not tv? update 2

When I ordered the SkyBox – the one that I thought would solve all of our TV issues – I hadn’t realised where it would be coming from. But early on Christmas Eve morning, I knew exactly where it had come from, as we’d brought it all the way back to England with us...

tv or not tv? update 1

tv or not tv? update 1

So, nine days after ordering, and paying for it, the Sky digi box and viewing card arrived. The UPS driver went away with a bottle of wine and we oohed and aahed over the delivery. A very exciting delivery and a very exciting day… Everything was connected, the card...

patience…

patience…

The one thing that we have realised since relocating to Istria, is that PATIENCE is a quality which we must have, at all times. Every waking minute. Because usually, nothing happens quickly. And never immediately. We are gradually shaking off our (*my*) impatient...

the saga of the internet…

the saga of the internet…

Initially, it seems that *everything* in Croatia is complicated and fraught with much dramarama. Getting utility bills put into your name, buying a car, finding where to buy paint and white goods and furniture, getting car & house insurance, knowing how to hop...

pizza sunday

pizza sunday

When we lived back in Didsbury, we often used to eat out on a Sunday – and no Sunday lunch was ever really the same, such is the variety of restaurant types in the locality. Here in Istria, we have a lot of excellent restaurants near the house, but the closest are of...