A La Waïki

Garlic, lemon and herb grilled butterfly chicken ~ Recipe

How to make the best chicken ever? The answer isn’t in the type of chicken you buy, the answer isn’t in the way you cook it, whether it’s grilled, fried, roasted… none of that matters. The answer isn’t even in the seasoning. How to make the best chicken ever? By letting it marinate for hours…

Living and dining room tour

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a mini house tour on my blog. My last one was a couple of years ago when we still lived in the duplex apartment. We moved to a bigger house in March 2017 and it was our very first time moving into a blank canvas, completely unfurnished space….

Cutting the cord again: My struggle with pre-adolescent detachment

I’ve heard of adolescent emotional detachment but after thinking about it for some time, I think the phase I’m currently going through with my sons is “pre-adolescent detachment”. I suppose it’s the milder, slightly less challenging version of it. My 10-year old and 7-year old sons have reached the stage in their lives where their…

And just like that, this mama is now running a business

I never thought I’d see this day. For many years, I have entertained the idea of starting my own business, without really taking the plunge. “I’m not much of a business person…” “It’s not for me”… “I can’t handle the workload, the accounting, HMRC demands, etc.” Well here I am today, doing all of these…

Why so many of us fall out with our mothers during pregnancy

I was having a conversation with a friend recently about how volatile our emotions get during pregnancy, and how damaging this can be to our relationships with the people we love the most: our significant others, typically – but also our mothers. And today I’ll focus on our mothers. My friend, who also recently gave…

I did not go and see Black Panther at the cinema and here’s why

“This movie looks amazing”, I thought, the first time I watched the trailer. It definitely caught my attention. The cast, the colours, the wardrobe… I can’t say I was left indifferent. And then the film came out. The excitement that ensued was palpable. Countless Twitter threads about the importance of Black Panther; an avalanche of…

Dinner at Kinkao ~ Review

A few weeks ago we celebrated my mother’s birthday at the Thai restaurant Kinkao, situated on the Isle of Dogs. The restaurant used to be called Elephant Royale and my family and I had visited on numerous occasions. They recently went through a rebrand and the restaurant is now under new management. The menu is…

Unplanned and unassisted ~ You won’t believe my home birth story

It’s 6.30am on December 11th and I’m now 40 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I wake up with what feels like contractions that are stronger than the pre-labour pains and Braxton Hicks contractions I’ve been feeling over the past few weeks. By that time, as you can imagine, my patience was starting to run out….

Our baby’s nursery

This week I gave birth to a little girl, and today I’d like to share with you photos of her nursery, which I started working when I was about 20 weeks pregnant. We had a spare room in the house that was always intended to be for a new addition to the family, so working…

Mango chutney chicken thighs ~ Recipe

I made these chicken thighs last week, marinated in mango chutney and garlic the night before. They were such a hit with my little family, and after I posted the photo on Instagram I was asked to post the recipe on the blog. So here it is – Mango chutney chicken thighs, you can accompany…

My public secret affair

Pregnancy is probably the most visible physical experience a woman can go through in her lifetime, yet at the same time the most personal. For some, so personal that the goal is to keep it under wraps for as long as possible. From conception to birth, the details, the ups, the downs, the aches and…

Cake date at Peggy Porschen, London ~ Review

It’s been a great start to summer 2017, we’ve just enjoyed a whole week of constant sunshine and high temperatures. It was the perfect occasion to go on a little cake date with a good friend of mine. I first came across Peggy Porschen Cakes on Instagram, through different influencers whose photos of pink roses…

Equestrian home decor ~ 10 Interior design ideas

It’s a shame I can’t impose my love for horses on my beloved family. Our apartment is relatively small and whilst a small touch of it would be regal, it would also create a kind of equine-themed claustrophobia that I wouldn’t want my family to suffer from!

New year, new drive

New year, new drive. New year, new habits. New motivation. New workflow, new deadlines. This is more or less what you can expect from me in 2017 – and I’ll try my best to stay committed to this. A lot of people have told me that I’m onto something, with this blog. And I’ve started…

The adventures of Selika ~ An upcoming equestrian film

Some time last year I came across a photo of the real Selika Lazevski (pictured above – left) and was left completely mesmerized. Selika was a black écuyère, a dressage rider who rode in French circuses and hippodromes in the 19th century. I developed a fascination for her, talked to my friends about her, posted her…

When the “GIRL BOSS” feeling slowly disappears

I often go back and watch the work I created in the past. A small portfolio of stories I conceived, brought to life and shared with the world. Watching my films takes me back to the times when my creativity was at its optimum. Whether I teamed up with other creators or worked alone, my work brought me joy…