Heatwave

Too hot to do pretty much everything.. except maybe for a day at sea! : )

Last Saturday we spent a lovely day  visiting the castle of Duino, with its beautiful gardens and the magnificent view on the northern adriatic coast. The whole area is also interesting from the historical viewpoint, since it is possible to see not only the beautiful inner rooms of the palace, but also the underground bunker built by Nazi soldiers during World War II. 

After leaving the castle, we followed the Rilke trail to the beach of Sistiana.

Despite the fact my bf and me have been together for more than 4 years, and that we definitely live not far from the seaside, this was our very first day at the beach together, can you believe it? : )

There were so many flowers (and a friendly kitten too)

And the whole trail is just amazing - one of the places I loved most as a child, it was great to come back!

And after a bath in the sea..

..what a better way to end the day than homecooked clams and salmon? : )

Hope you had a lovely weekend! : )

Big hugs,

Mij

Edit: welcome to the new followers and whoa! I just realized this is my n.200 post! Time has gone by sooo fast : )

The periwinkle bunnies

A tiny bunny saw a carrot.. how yummy!

He was already foretasting the sweet flavour of the root, when all of a sudden a whole battalion of rabbits was around him. And they're were all yearning for the same little carrot! :D

Only one bunny did not get closer. He was so minuscule that he really did not need to worry about food. A grain of rice was big enough for him to carve his nest in it! : )

Artisans I love: Danielle from HandyMaiden

Have you already met the gorgeous pet totems from HandyMaiden?

I am absolutely in love with her recent Stellar collection (you can see her adorable fox in the pic above), but all of her tiny, detailed animals are super cute, and her Etsy shop is definitely worth a visit. Plus, it's funny, as you can find the most brilliant creations (and titles), from the Meritorious Pig

to the Seals of approval! : )

One last thing, I obviously do not earn anything from showing here the work of other artists. The whole "Artisans I love" series only aims to share with my readers the talent of people I admire, and I do not receive money nor benefits from them. 

I just love the idea of promoting handmade creations that captured my attention, with the genuine hope of inspiring other people as well. 

In some cases, I am a happy customer of the artisan I write about, in other cases I am also a friend. Sometimes - and this is the case of Danielle - I am just a secret admirer. : ) 

Hope you will love her work too! : )

The unexpected fair

This weekend a beautiful historical reenactement took place in our city. Many actors and musicians gave brought back to life the 14th century routine, with the most detailed costumes, tools and stands. We spent an awesome day wandering around the historical market, and I got myself some delicious honey and hazelnut cream, homemade mead and a butterfly leather mask (you can see me in one of the pics below, wearing a white dress that made me look a bit like a Renaissance girl, the only problem being that I dress like that quite often in my everyday life :D). 

Moreover, since we live in the old city center, we were lucky enough to see the parade passing right under our windows, which was quite exciting - there were horses, falconers, warriors and jugglers. It was overall a lovely experience, and sometimes I wonder why I need things to happen right under my nose to enjoy them. I definitely need to get out more often! : )