November 28, 2015
I have been speaking in auditoriums filled with budding entrepreneurs for years – nowadays they seem to call them ’Start Ups.’ Wikipedia says “an entrepreneur perceives a new business opportunity and often exhibits biases in her perception and subsequent decision to exploit the opportunity.” Not quite sure what this means, but what I do know is this. First and foremost,
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October 8, 2015
The intense heat of our Tuscan summer has now cooled, the leaves begin to turn, the walnuts drop continuously from their branches, the fig trees continue to fruit and our pomegranates burst open, ripe with luscious seeds. It is autumn here in Tuscany in all its splendor.
Our land is dotted with 800 olive trees, some as old at 700 years,
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September 4, 2015
The names of the workers on the massive construction site board on the perimeter of my Tuscan property have long since faded. The crane has gone, the orange
security fence has come down, and the plumbing and electrics are finished. The gravel is down outside and the furniture is in. Air-con is on, bedside
flowers picked,
June 25, 2015
Two years ago I began my Tuscan renovation. It was so very exciting as the ‘ brute’ metal and orange, plastic security fence (compulsory on building sites in Italy) was erected around the property. A portable office arrived plus of course the quintessential portable loo . Many men arrived with strange faces. Machines of every description found their home on the site and a towering,
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May 1, 2015
In seven weeks, 17 women will arrive at my villa in Tuscany. Am I ready? NO! The massively tall crane that has lorded over my reno for three years is finally gone, but there are still cement trucks, diggers, and men everywhere. Lucky me, you may say – but these men are working! There are electricians, landscapers, carpenters,
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March 26, 2015
Life is a funny thing! Just when you are feeling madly exasperated and about to throw in the towel there is often a silver lining that shines through the
fog of despair. We talk about “silver linings” at my Tuscan Getaways. Last summer, as we all sipped chilled Prosecco in the glorious, Tuscan evening
light, there was suddenly an overwhelming gasp.
August 11, 2014
Harry is one of the most popular guys I have ever met. Both men and women swoon over him. They scramble for his attention the moment he enters the room. They seem to grow with importance if he glances their way with his boyish smile.
If he actually stops to say “Hi” they have a tale to tell their friends back home.
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April 4, 2014
This must be one of the most common expressions. A favourite with journalists as they create headlines around badly behaved politicians or celebrities. ‘He was caught with his pants down, as he enjoyed a drink in a remote bar with his mistress.’ Or, ‘you don’t want to be caught with your pants down at work as you surf the net looking for new shoes instead of working.’ We have all been caught in some kind of embarrassing situation but have you ever actually been caught,
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November 14, 2013
Dear Friends,
Hans and I are getting ready for this year’s, our third, olive harvest at our organic olive farm in Tuscany. This year, we will be not only picking the
olives with family and
friends but also with a group of ladies (plus a few husbands) who are here
on a reunion.
October 10, 2012
February, 2012
My first ‘Tuscan’ blog in January captured, I hope, the child-like excitement that I felt on signing the final deed to our Tuscan Property. After years of searching, our dream has come true. We are now the proud owners of a 60 acre olive tree farm in Southern Tuscany that we will restore over the next two years.
