miss b loves ...... festive decorations, classic, modern and quirky too!

Decorating for Christmas is all part of the festivities and this year like last, the lounge has a classic deep red and gold theme .........

miss b loves ........a little corner of Arabia in the North of England!

When we brought back this Arabic lamp from Dubai, I immediatly thought about creating a little Arabic-inspired area on our patio.....

We bought the lantern from one of my favourite interiors stores, Marina Home and I spotted the votives in our local Tesco Homeplus which surprises everyone as they assume they're from Dubai too!

Cushions from the textile souk in Dubai - I just couldn't resist the camel! 

The orange cushion on the left with the pretty embroidery and tiny mirrors caught my eye too....

...and these colourful coasters from the souk too......

More purple and orange in the garden ........

We've had more impromptu barbecues in the last two weeks than in the last two years!

Chicken Tikka Skewers are always a favourite .... recipe here

We even had breakfast outdoors .......now that really is a treat in this part of the world!

The sun has continued to shine well into the evening at the top of the garden ......a more minimalist look here.......

A good spot to enjoy a G&T made with Bombay Sapphire East .....a variation of the regular Bombay Sapphire Gin ... a bit more exotic as it's infused with Thai lemongrass and Vietnamese black peppercorns in addition to the original ten botanicals ......... 

The lantern and votives were birthday gifts from friends.

Finally, after a few wet summers, we are able to enjoy a real summer with clear blue skies and amazing temperatures for the North of England ........sunloungers, flip flops.... it's almost like being on holiday! 

I'm not a beer drinker but we've just discovered Tequieros, a blond beer with a hint of Tequila and lime, made in France - so refreshing in the heat and I actually enjoyed it! 

Sadly, while writing this post, the lovely weather has taken a turn for the worse and the rain is here ........ let's hope the sunshine returns soon!

Next post... Vietnam, The Metropole Hanoi - our special hotel with a very interesting past! 

miss b loves....... stylish pumpkins

via Country Living

There's something about Halloween which encourages us to be creative...... decorations for the home, imaginative cake designs, table settings and party games.

I've stumbled across some very stylish pumpkin ideas which I thought you might like.......Traditional black and orange is always a favourite and this pumpkin covered in black lace from Jess at Red Rose Alley really would make a very stylish centrepiece......
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via Red Rose Alley

miss b loves..........colour in the kitchen

My new Iznik pot stand from Istanbul has inspired a new kitchen colour scheme.......well, we were ready for an injection of colour ........

Espresso maker from Homesense
Le Creuset spatulas from Debenhams

Oven gloves from Homesense

Striped cushion from Laura Ashley
Ginko Leaf cushions from Next

I spotted these cute tea light holders as I was shopping at Sainsbury's and thought they would be perfect on one of the  glass shelves...

For the last few weeks I've been drawn like a magnet to all things orange, purple and olive...... We sometimes have lunch on Saturdays at a lovely casual restaurant called Food by Breda Murphy in Whalley. On the way out, I couldn't resist this Voluspa candle in their gift shop - I knew the colour would be just right and  it smells divine too (vacarro orange and myrhh). The coasters were another find on our travels - the souk in Dubai.  

It's surprising how a few accessories can make such a difference but when will this obsession with colour stop........!

Chilli oil - the perfect shade!

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