this is a photo I took of myself while styling and photographing the front cover.

The book has received such an incredible response! It’s very exciting. I will tell you more about what’s been happening soon but in the meantime I’ve been inundated with inquiries about it’s availability in Europe and Australia and I thought it best to let you know what I know thus far…

The book should be available here in Europe and in Australia in the next week or so.

But that’s all I know!

My publisher will keep me informed of when and where, and as soon as I find out I will let you all know in a special post.

So, for those of you in England, France, The Netherlands, and Australia – please keep an eye out at your local bookstore but know that I will tell you as soon as the books land in your country. Inquiring and ordering a copy from your local bookstore will help ensure the books are sold in your area.

I can’t wait to see the book in an actual bookstore. Last week when I received the list of independent booksellers in the US and Canada, I was overjoyed. But then, as I started to try to list them on the book’s webpage (the list is too long to do so as you can see I only made it through a couple of dozen, but if you live in a particular city and let me know I will put it on the page as requests come in) and looked up their addresses on the internet, I was overwhelmed to find that the quaintest, most beautiful bookstores dotted all over the continent were stocking my book. I shed a private tear… is this really happening?

I now have a little folder on my desktop filled with beautiful stories shot by Petrina Tinslay, with thanks to our numerous requests for more when Petrina shared her dubai story of images here in the (bloghouse) a month ago (thank you dear readers, and thank you dear Petrina!).

So today I thought I’d share one with you since it seems I’m on a food-lovin’ frenzy this week (oh spring, you do excite my tastebuds). Petrina shot this gorgeous story for Food & Wine magazine, which featured in the August 2008 issue. I love everything about it…

My dear friend Yvette is in da (blog)house kitchen this evening, cooking – and drawing – up a storm with rhubarb and a traditional Dutch dish called hangop. Now shock horror: I have never tasted hangop! I know, embarrassing. But Yvette just told me about it the other day and I was secretly wanting her to give me her secret recipe so I could make it. And she has! For you too! She is a sweetheart. Please welcome fabulous food stylist Yvette Van Boven back in the kitchen (click here to read her full post with photo and recipe).

encore merci ma chère Yvette!

xx

meanwhile, everybody’s favourite peony is dying.

can someone please take this camera out of my hands.

Last night French Boy and I decided to eat out. It’s a rare decision for a Monday night, but I hadn’t made it to the grocery store during the day as I had planned (note: I didn’t MAKE the time to GO to the grocery store) and we had no food to speak of in this little boat of ours.

So off we went, with no plan in mind of where to go.

We ended up at the only Indonesian restaurant that we truly love here in Amsterdam. Dining in this restaurant is a rarity on any given night because usually it’s too packed and we are too spontaneous to make a reservation so we just don’t go. But last night, it was just nicely packed which means we didn’t have to wait too long for a table. So we went to the bar and ordered some wine, and then in no time, our table was ready.

But I’m not writing all this to tell you about the restaurant, or what we drank, or what we ate. I’m writing to tell you how this place makes me feel. And the only word that I can find that comes close to the feeling is ‘home’.

However. I’ve never lived in Indonesia. I don’t speak Indonesian, and let’s be honest, my skin is almost as white as it can come, with a splattering of freckles to boot.

So how is it that the moment I open the door to this bustling dining hall, I feel ‘home’? Well, this is my theory…

(Click here to read more…)