It’s nearly nine (du soir), and I have just poured myself a glass of vin blanc. I am exhausted. It’s been a hectic day, and I need a good night’s sleep to get me through tomorrow’s shoot. But, before I put head to pillow, would you fancy coming for a wander with me?

Since we’ve had breakfast and tea in Paris, chatting with old men about the delights of Corsica and an after lunch laze-about in the Jardin Du Luxembourg in the afternoon: now it’s time for a late night stroll in Amsterdam, through the canal district. On this wander, we might see some of Amsterdam’s funny crooked buildings, find a stylish old wooden dinghy, peek through the window of someone’s beautifully decorated home, find some cool boutiques, and stop by a canal to take in the incredible view.

So come on, let’s see what we find along the way – but mind your step, the cobblestones do tend to jump out at you every now and then in the dark…

i thought we should linger in paris a little while longer, perhaps catch some sun and unwind for the afternoon. would you like to? except this time you have to guess where we are (i will put the answer in the comments so as not to drive you crazy). so click on the play button below while i transport you to one of my favourite quiet(ish) sanctuaries of paris…

as you know i like to take you with me as much as possible when i am traveling. and on one of my recent trips, I came up with this idea – snapping a photo and recording some of the city sounds where the photo was taken. Starting in Paris, this one was captured while i was sitting in a cafe one morning, sipping my tea in the 6th. There were some men sitting by us, talking about what Parisien’s love to talk about most: food.

So welcome to my first post of this special series called soundscapes…

To listen, just press play below the photo and come with me to Paris, for the moment. Enjoy…

I promise I did not forget. Here are my picks for this fine Monday…

Above, a little patience in a bowl, from the very sweet Paloma’s Nest.

this eight petal flower pinhole piece from heather smith jones. stunning.

and i love these delicate slim lined pouring vessels from up in the air somewhere.

Well, I made it back onto my bike over the weekend, but not without trepidation. Thank you for your awesome ongoing encouragement, it has helped so so much. This morning I was on my way in to a meeting – in a taxi – and I can tell you, my heart was in my throat every time we passed someone on a bike. But this driver was a good one and was very cautious. Phew.

I have so much to share with you this week, but it is also a frantic week of productions so let’s see how I go. Right now I am moodboarding, tomorrow I will be sourcing, the next day cooking, the next day shooting, the next day… well, catching my breath I imagine. I will be back here every moment in between. See you then!

Oh yes, and as I always like to end, I hope you have enjoyed this installment of…