Life is still unwritten

Detail Duomo

Following on from my last brief blog post 'Explore, dream, discover' I saw something on the front of a travel book this weekend in Milan which caught my eye and my mind.  'Life is still unwritten' .. how true.  We just don't know what's around the corner no matter how we plan it.

Danny Boyle wrote in his show program for the Olympic Opening Ceremony "..the idea of Jerusalem - of a better world - the world of true freedom and true equality. A belief that we can build Jerusalem. And it would be for everyone"  Isn't that what we'd strive for if only we thought it possible? We saw a glimpse of it while the games were on .. people just happily getting along regardless of race or religion. It's a shame though that only people with the means to afford it could go .. it would be wonderful for everyone to have experienced that atmosphere.

One of my best friends and I have been going to Milan for a long weekend every August for more than a decade now. We've always invited other friends to go but in the end they would pull out thinking it was little beyond their means, specially when the word 'shopping' came into it .. the guilt factor in full force! Believe me it's so do-able. It's a short flight from London, there are always hotel deals to be had in August .. it's a city break! Our mission has always been to shop for the new season's wardrobe, eat fabulous food and enjoy just being girls together. This year however turned out to be just a little bit different.  

Stylish kid's fashion

Expectations out the window we have come to the realization that although it is great fun to acquire more things to stuff into our wardrobes, the truth is we actually don't need that much.  Maybe it's about getting older or just that we're coming to appreciate that we have more than enough. (Perhaps some of that Olympic spirit has rubbed off on us!) Our experience this year was much more positive, relaxed, more selective and surprisingly more enjoyable. We spent our time talking about life and the things we still want to see and do .. there is still so much out there. For us life is definitely unwritten!  We can create it ourselves and change our minds at any time if we want to!

Don't get me wrong though .. we still shopped and bought and drooled over expensive shoes and make up .. after all life has to go on!!  

http://www.timeout.com/milan/features/54/shopping-in-milan 

Explore, dream, discover

”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

More trips on the horizon in the next 3 months so will keep you posted as they come up.  Miami, Florida and Jamaica have just been added to the itinerary so there will be exciting things to share I hope!

Now going off to watch the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games!!  Catch you soon!

Olympic Fever

It's been over a month now since I last blogged thanks to being very busy with work leading up to and during the Olympic Games. All that hype about London being gridlocked and overcrowded just hasn't eventuated and my journey to work at the studios just overlooking the Olympic park has been a very pleasant experience indeed! 

Being right there at Westfield Shopping Centre has been great too! I have visited my favourite budget make up store Kiko Milano a number of times already and always seem to come out with something! I used to buy it every time I visited Italy and now it is available in the UK and the prices are pretty much the same. I love the eye shadow and nail varnish colours! I can't tell you how many people I have turned on to this brand lately... including all the ladies visiting from the USA who work for a certain TV channel and share our make up room at our studios overlooking the Olympic Park!

I now have a couple of days R&R then I am back there again next week. It will be weird once it's all over. In between I'm still squeezing in work trips around the country on another show .. all good stuff though. Keeps me busy and in the traveling mode!

My next non-work related trip will be in a couple of weeks when I will be going back to Milan Italy for my annual girls shopping weekend and I'm so looking forward to the break! The weather is always hot and we go to check out the new winter collections (and of course buy a few things) sip cocktails and prosecco, eat wonderful Italian food in the evenings and catch up on all the goss!! 

The week after that it's back to work for a stint in New York for the US Open Tennis before resuming my normal schedule in London again. Hopefully the weather will be good for us and will be hurricane free this year. And of course, we hope that Andy Murray will finally win the title and give us a reason to go back next year!!