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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April 27, 2016
I am not a particularly spiritual person but I do believe that homes have a soul, a spirit. I also believe that we are just fleeting guests within the
walls of our homes whether we live there for a couple of years or a lifetime. The front door that we enter and those walls that protect us are an integral
part of the chapters of our lives.
March 18, 2016
La Dolce Debbie, the documentary series about my journey renovating an ancient property in Tuscany comes to an end this week. I have to say my heart is full. The response has been overwhelming. I’ve received thousands of emails from viewers who have shared their dreams, their joys and pain and their hopes for tomorrow. This documentary has hit a chord with so many of you.
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February 11, 2016
LA DOLCE DEBBIE airs on OWN Canada 16th Feb 2016 at 8.30 PM
I am convinced that life is just one big circle. I find it truly amazing how people and events constantly pop back into your life. In the last few weeks
I have been having conversations with childhood friends who were at my wedding 30 years ago,
December 23, 2015
“The mystery of human existence lies in not just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.”
– Fyodor Dostoyevsky
As I am saying goodbye to 2015, I would like to share what I have taken out of the turbulence and atrocities of this year. It is simplicity. The joys of a simple life.
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