It’s harvest time, so my thoughts turn naturally to the farming communities. My farming ancestors would have felt right at home in some of these houses, and probably hopelessly intimidated by some of the others.
Northern Italy may not always have the best weather, but the region of the lakes surrounded by mountains has always been popular with the wealthy Milanese and the rich from other European countries as well. Nowadays it seems to be THE spot for weddings and honeymoons. I’m trying to prolong the summer and keep the tone light with some of my favourite villas on Lake Como. However, my thoughts are with my friend Ilaria living in Livorno in Tuscany, where they’ve had severe flooding this past week.
As autumn draws near, can there be anything more beautiful than Japanese maples bringing colour and balance to the calm contemplative harmony of a Japanese garden?
As the climate grows hotter and drier in summer, soon all of our gardens may face the same challenges as these roof gardens. But aren’t they dreamy, especially in the summer heat?
We can never have too many pictures of writers’ desks, can we? As I prepare for an intense week of writing and thinking about poetry in Wales, here are some voyeuristic peeks into writers’ studies.
I prefer the lived-in look in a library, with a few higgledy-piggledy piles of books which give me an insight into the owner’s current preoccupations. But of course there are people who get interior designers to create libraries for them. Some of them do look quite tempting, but I doubt any designer would put up with my excessive expectations of indulging the books.
For those days when you just need to go off-grid and get away from it all, here are some dream-like cabins in the woods. (Appropriately enough, following my review of Do You Hear Me yesterday, which also takes place in a forest, although under less pleasant circumstances.)
