November 28, 2017
Four years ago I knew little about wine except that I loved to drink it and that Rosé was not a blend of white and red! I showed little interest in
the world of wine, struggling through a restaurant wine list choosing basically by price. I am sure I am not alone in this.
How things have changed for me.
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September 8, 2017
Wherever I go, I am always inspired by good design. I recently took to the Croatian Seas and sailed along the Dalmatian coastline with eleven great
friends. Take note of the great friends bit. If you have ever wondered if a sailing holiday is something you would enjoy, choose the friends or family
you will travel with very carefully.
July 21, 2017
The heat and dust of this year’s Tuscan summer has left us floating around in a dreamlike haze. We have come to the end of four quite incredible
retreats and now I get to rest and enjoy my Italian home. Nearly eighty women and a few men (included in our gourmet getaway) have spent a week with my team and I at our Tuscan Getaway.
June 23, 2017
The summer solstice has us all celebrating as we embrace the onset of summer. Mind you, in Tuscany, the summer heat this year has been with us for months – one of the hottest Junes on record according to the local farmers here in Italy. The much-needed spring rain was just a trickle, then departed. The near-drought conditions soon bleached the vibrant green fields of newly sprouted,
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May 19, 2017
My farming adventures began five years ago on a hillside in Tuscany. The rundown property (big understatement) we had just purchased came with a hundred acres and 1000 olive trees. Even though the restoration of the centuries old buildings was years from being completed, harvesting waits for no one. I immersed myself in the camaraderie of farming with family,
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February 3, 2017
Pictures mean so much to me. I should have invented Instagram, but I didn’t! Every picture really does tell us so much. Here is a wee recap in pictures of my 2016. I travelled to Barcelona, Germany and Koh Samui off the coast of Thailand. Back and forth like a uneventful bus circuit between Tuscany, London and Toronto.
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December 7, 2016
I’ve spent the last few weeks filming holiday specials for the Marilyn Denis Show. I have permanent spots of glitter on my face that dazzle wherever I go and my head is already buzzing with endless Christmas tunes on a festive loop in my wee brain! I have given away holiday prizes, jumped from behind Christmas trees for surprise makeovers and demonstrated how to make a centre display from last year’s balls!
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September 29, 2016
Picked by my family… Enjoyed by yours
My fascination with olive oil began five years ago when we bought an organic farm in Tuscany. Even though our rundown pile of buildings needed years of renovation, the olive harvest from our 800 trees waited for no one. As complete novices we rolled up our sleeves, threw down nets so large they could have caught a live tuna and climbed rickety ladders precariously balanced against olive branches full of ripe fruit.
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August 26, 2016
I am alone on my Tuscan hillside. It is quiet. Blissfully quiet. So unlike a week ago, when every nook and cranny of my property echoed from an abundance of chatter. There was a vibrant mix of screams of naughty laughter from 20-year olds mixed with emotional conversations from long lost friends and endless chatter as the next meal for this large mob was discussed.
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June 27, 2016
Today is June 24 – well not when you’re reading this, but when I wrote it. It’s always been a very special day to me. Not because of someone named Jean Baptist but my hero, Josh. It is his birthday – my first born. A child’s birthday is always emotional for a parent – all those memories, but today was packed with a lifetime of intense feelings for me and not just me,
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