We love our new lives in Andalucia and are immersing ourselves as much as we possibly can, mid-renovation. Sometimes though, especially in the cooler months - and this is why my thoughts are turning...
Lifestyle…
Slow design. Slow life.
This doesn’t mean we’re lazy – far from it. It just means that we’ve stood back, taken stock and slowed down the pace of things. We’ve (largely) stopped the 9-5 working day and we spend more time living. It hasn’t been easy making such big changes – coming from a city that never stops to a rural village has taken some getting used to, but we’re getting there. Our whole lifestyle is becoming much more balanced.
Our lifestyle now much more takes into account what we buy, what we eat, how we cook, how we relax. How we’ve largely weaned ourselves away from convenience and are now taking a much considered approach to how we live our lives. We still work full time from home and we’re planning our next adventure, but we do try to make time to live life.
Slowing down has had such a positive impact, that we want to share what inspires us and what has enabled a shift in our lifestyle.
What we’ve done isn’t rocket science. It’s just about savouring moments that we might have missed before, because we were just too busy. Too pre-occupied. And even if it’s just watching a sunset, getting in the car and having a night away or making a spicy curry on a Friday evening, listening to Kylie Minogue, well – we savour it…
recent lifestyle blogs
pizza express : alcaidesa
*This is NOT a sponsored blog post. We paid in full for all food and drink.* Living in Andalucia, we are certainly not short of excellent food options. Obviously tapas restaurants abound, and we've...
the best bug zapper we’ve found so far…
Since moving to warmer climes in Europe, we've become quite adept at dealing with bugs and mosquitoes. One of the first things we had installed in our house in northern Istria, were insect blinds at...
the butter bell
Have to admit, until fairly recently, we'd never heard of the butter bell. We just did what I suppose most people do - keep the butter in fridge, where it's always too hard and cold. Or, leave it...
at last…online grocery delivery!
We're very used to getting in the car and driving to the supermarket. We're not lazy - it's just we've had no alternative. We live in a small village and although it has four very renowned...
spicy spanish sausage stew…
I like nothing better than a one pot dish, into which I can just chuck everything and leave it to get on with cooking itself. Recipes like this one, also have the advantage of being easy on the...
ca’n llimona : soller : mallorca
This restaurant is probably known, and frequented by, all of our friends who’ve ever been to Sóller, but just in case you, like us, didn’t know about it, here’s the low-down on Ca’n Llimona. Tucked...
the first sign of spring…
Without realising, until very recently that it's actually become an annual tradition, there's a default meal we always make when the first warm days and lighter evenings arrive. It goes back to when...
easter : 2021
It really only seems a couple of weeks ago that it was Christmas, and yet here we are, having just had Easter weekend. Sometimes we feel that we don't seem to do much with our time, but with a...
hotel adriatic : rovinj : istria
The Adriatic Hotel is located right on the picturesque harbour of Rovinj, a Venetian town on the south western coast of the Istrian peninsula. It is in the pedestrianised old town, full of pastel...
hail the hasselbacks…
I can eat a potato in any guise. They form a staple of our culinary output : creamy mashed potatoes with coconut milk cheesy mashed potatoes, usually on top of a shepherd's pie or a fish pie home...
simple supper : no fuss…
Sometimes, all you want, is the simplest meal, which doesn't take forever, uses just one roasting tin and packs an absolute punch in terms of flavours. And this is just what this meal provides....
brussels sprouts risotto…
Yes, you read that right. A risotto with brussels sprouts. A rich, blue cheesy, creamy risotto packed with those little green globes of gorgeousness. You might guess that I love a sprout - and if...
tasty tapas in malaga…
“Traditional” tapas restaurants and bars are abundant in Malaga and we’ve yet to experience one other than very good. Value is always exceptional with most providing complimentary tasters if you’re...
salmon & potato bake…
We're doing a whole lot more cooking at home these days - as everyone is - but we're dreaming of the time we can occasionally escape the kitchen from time to time, again. Until then though, we're...
winter walks…
It's absolutely freezing in Istria at the moment. That's right, freezing. Not the wall to wall sunshine & heat we'd naively thought we'd be experiencing, all year round 😉 But, we're also just a...
christmas : 2020
Well, it's definitely been a funny old year. Since returning from our Christmas road trip, back to the UK, in January, we have been nowhere. Coronavirus quickly put paid to our usual kind of year....
walnut pesto…
There are certain foodstuffs that we buy, that I know should be so easy to make ourselves, but for some reason, never get around to it. Either, there's something we don't have from the ingredients...
smoked tuna with pasta…
Almost with the flick of a switch, summer seemed to end yesterday, and autumn arrived. The temperature dropped and grey skies replaced the bright blue sky we seem have had for weeks and weeks....