Hotel: Saint Valerie, Juan-Les-Pins, Cap D'Azure

My beloved is attending the advertising conference that happens annually in Cannes and so it seemed rude not to join him for a few days. This post is written poolside at the Saint Valerie Hotel Juan-Les-Pins which is truly gorgeous. A couple of villas surrounded by lush gardens and big shady mulberry trees where you can sip cafe with the beautiful people. Whopping great bedrooms with shady shutters and slipper baths in big adjoining bathrooms. Very french and stuffed with antiques, the staff are attentive but they still retain the ever-so charming minor chaos.

We had dinner last night at a local restaurant sipping pale provence rose and then wandered the streets dodging the mopeds along the promenade. True heaven!

Today Im meeting my skipper brother in law for lunch on his yacht in Cannes and will indulge in a spot more people watching!

And... breathe...!

It's been a while since I posted and I thought I might pop in and explain why. With the excuse that my elderly father is coming over from the UK for Christmas, and what was I going to do with him in Sydney, let alone with all those stairs in the Surry Hills house, I've rented a little somewhere special on the northern beaches for a couple of months.

And oh, how lovely it is to be back! I feel sane again. There are birds popping in for morning visits (M calls me Dr Doolittle), dolphins, morning runs and swims. I'm cooking and I feel inspired again. I even managed to do some writing work (unofficially of course) last week for a event concept and it was one of my best evers, even if I do say so myself!

M is coming up after work on his gorgeous motorbike on days that he doesn't have his children. And I've got space from them all when I don't want to be part of somebody else's family. Hooray!

I do like to be beside the seaside

In England still which has been a delicious summer of running around between the homes of my friends and family. Exhausting at times but I wasn't quite ready to go back to Sydney just yet, and with the impending delivery of my sister's baby, I've got a good excuse.

My dear friend G has not had a holiday in so long, mainly because he has been working hard on his fabulous business. We have had a long standing tradition of good weekends away, whenever we can. My trip back this time gave us a good excuse and joined by our lovely friend K, we escaped from London St Pancras on the new fast train to Broadstairs. We stayed at Belvedere Place, a fabulous B&B run by an ex-photographer who has seen sense and moved to the seaside. Her creative talents have not gone to waste - the house is comfortable and stylish and her breakfasts are the best I've ever had. Haddock and samphire with a yummy poached egg and tiny tomatoes pan fried with seaweed. All eaten around a communal table covered in the newspapers, where we could happily have sat all day.

Far too much to do however and we had a fantastic weekend, with early morning dips, brick a brac markets, pearly kings and queens and punch and judy. The weekend was polished off at the Oscar Road cafe, just off the seafront, where we polished off almond cake and tea before taking a short cut back to the station.