miss b loves ........extra-special gifts...and an award

Father Christmas was very good to me this year and brought me lots of gorgeous presents but some were extra-special! I especially loved three gifts which were bought in Istanbul....

....a box of Vakko chocolates .......

......decorated with a beautiful Christmas tree brooch which I could also make into a very glamorous tree decoration next year.....

A hammam towel, lightweight, more absorbent than a regular towel and perfect for the beach........

....and a wonderful hamper from the Olive Farm shop.......

miss b loves......Bloomsbury's cupcakes....and another lovely award

Regular readers will know that I can never resist a pretty looking cupcake so when I read about the new Bloomsbury's boutique café in the Dubai Mall when we were in Dubai three weeks ago, I thought it would be worth a visit. 

I was immediately impressed with the cute menus featuring boutique cupcakes......and luxury cupcakes........

Familiar and well-known flavours were there but it was good to see the use of local ingredients too.......dates, saffron, pistachio and rosewater (a cupcake called A Kiss from a Rose!)