Proud, proud Mummy

Our family has reached another milestone this weekend and I am not sure if to be happy or sad. I have decided to focus on the positive. 

Expat daughter, our baby girl, has graduated from High School with flying colours and a whole load of honours... yes, I am a very proud mummy... and Papy needs to wrap his head around the fact that she is no longer a baby girl!

Expat Girl is a beautiful, confident, strong-headed and focused young lady who cares about others as much as herself. She goes out of her way to include everyone around her and is a tireless advocate for the less-fortunate. She's a believer without being a dreamer. She is a doer and won't wait around if she's set her mind to something.

She is convinced she can make a difference in this world and has proven how to in more than one occasion already. Her life is not about finding herself but to create herself as she grows into a resilient and determined young woman with a bright and diversified future ahead of her.

Whatever it may be that you wish to achieve, my love, you go get'em and keep reaching for the stars. Remember to be happy ALWAYS, pursue your passion and work hard. Excel in what you are good at, look after others and trust your instincts for they will guide you through thick and thin.

And one day, maybe, your peers' prediction will come true when they voted your name as most likely of Class 2021 to become President. 

Happy Women's Day

To all my girlfriends across the globe - most of whom I have not seen in a very long time - stay strong, knowing you are unique and beautiful, that your voice is powerful, your heart compassionate and your ambition always welcome.

The time will come when we can travel again and fall into eachothers arms, tears will flow and many new memories will be made. For the time being, take care and stay in touch. I miss you!

Pretty in Pink

My friends know my signature colour is pink. My readers know my favourite Parisian monument is the Eiffel Tower. Every year on October 1st the two come together for the launching of Pink October to support breast cancer awareness month. 

The association Le Cancer du Sein, Parlons-En!, now nicknamed "Ruban Rose" (Pink Ribbon), is launching the 27th edition of Pink October in France, an informative operation to raise awareness and support the research against the disease lasting all month long. 

An evening stroll under a near full moon just made it all the more magical.

Coco Chanel Tour

My first week back in Paris and - thanks to a tip from my girlfriend in Tokio - decided to meet up with a Dutch friend for an "after-work" guided tour on the theme of Gabrielle Chanel. How to resist an invitation to retrace the history of the Chanel brand, from the creations of Coco to the legendary tailors of Karl Lagerfeld in preparation of the biggest Chanel exhibition ever to be inaugurated at the Palais Galliera, Paris' Fashion Museum on October 1, 2020!

During our tour we took a closer look at the secrets of rue Cambon, the Parisian address where Coco put her suitcases in 1918 before settling in at the Ritz place Vendôme where she died in 1971.

As the story goes, there was once upon a time a young woman named Gabrielle Chanel who masked her peasant origins and created her own Haute-Couture legend with a little help from Boy Capel, her British sweetheart. Symbol of French elegance across the globe, Coco Chanel broke codes and liberated the bodies of modern women in more than one way.

Founded in 1910, the house of Chanel created the new feminine silhouette, a stylistic revolution. The ankles became visible, the waist was released from the corset, the skin featured a tan, and hair was cut shorter. During the Roaring Twenties, the young designer redesigned the Parisian silhouette which resisted fashion trends and the passage of time. The chic sportswear outfit, the famous little black dress and her daring Chanel “N°5” fragrance all became the pledge of the timeless and the epitome of French elegance.

As Coco would say: "A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous." However, my favrourite Coco quote is: "You can be gorgeous at thirty, charming at forty, and irresistible for the rest of your life."

Celebrating Friendship Day

She's got my back, she's always good for a laugh, and sometimes I swear she can read my mind. We've been through ups and downs together as kids, as teenagers, as young adults and as wives and mothers. She knows my history like no other person does. She has been by my side for 50 years. She is the family I have chosen, she is the sister I never had, she is my polar opposite. 

We recognize the individual qualities both of us possess that make us strong and different. We each have our own special energy, and we feed off each other to make us stronger.

They say a friendship between a Cancer and a Leo is one in which both friends could understand and provide for each other. The best aspect of a friendship is their desire to maintain an intense, deep, and earnest relationship. Cancer and Leo complement each other, and could assist each other in several ways. Together they make a wonderful pair, and their common desires and goals call for a harmonious relationship.

With our two vibrant, eclectic, volatile, interesting halves of a friendship, we never get bored. We might be very different, but it only makes our dynamic that much more interesting. The rare days we get to spend together are very special and always a beautiful adventure.

Most importantly, we are always complementary, never in competition... never have been, never will be. The two of us are yin and yang, we rely on each other, and it just works.

Bonne fête Maman

10 questions to ask yourself to take stock after confinement

We are all looking forward to going back to "normal", even if we are not quite sure what the new normal will look like. The faster we let go of expectations of “normal,” the faster we adapt. This period of confinement has allowed us to figure out what is actually important to us and focus on that.
Here are ten questions to ask yourself after confinement.

1.) What have you stopped doing and don't want to start again?
2.) What did you start and want to save time for now?
3.) What do you miss the most? Make your top 3.
4.) What didn't you do when you absolutely wanted to get started?
5.) Is it too late? Is it really important?
6.) What did you find out about yourself?
7.) Are you surprised?
8.) Is your personal experience of containment generally positive or negative? Why?
9.) What expectations of “normal” are you letting go of today?
10.) What beauty are you creating, cultivating, or inviting in today?

Happy International Women's Day

When I left Lugano nearly a decade ago, one of my local friends presented me with a Ticinese translation of Audrey Hepburn's quote: "I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles."

Today seems like a perfect occasion to share this unique version of the famous actress' quote. A big cheers to all my girlfriends across the globe but especially my Lugano ladies who are keeping a close eye on their neighbours down the road.... Lombardia!

Hang in there... “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart… I'll always be with you.”

Charlotte Perriand, pioneer of modernity

When your BFF comes to town the best place to take her is the Fondation Louis Vuitton. It is an outing that combines trendiness, beauty, art, culture, nature and food all in one!

Little did I know about Charlotte Perriand, a French architect and designer, but that wouldn't really matter because the magnificent building is so impressive whatever is inside will be just fine.

Boy was I in for a surprise... who knew that this multitalented artist was Le Corbusier's sidekick... or shall I say his famous chair was actually designed by a woman named Charlotte Perriand? Her work aimed to create functional living spaces in the belief that better design helps in creating a better society. Her approach to design included taking in the site and appreciating it for what it was.

Charlotte Perriand wanted to work for Le Corbusier and pursue serial production and low-cost housing. She was inspired by Le Corbusier's books, because she thought his writings that criticized the decorative arts aligned with the way she designed. When she applied to work at Le Corbusier's studio in October 1927, she was famously rejected with the reply "We don't embroider cushions here." A month later, Le Corbusier came across her work while visiting the Salon d'Automne, which convinced him to offer her a job in furniture design.

At Le Corbusier's studio, she was in charge of their interiors work and promoting their designs through a series of exhibitions. Perriand described the work as being highly collaborative between Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and herself; they were "three fingers on one hand."

I spent three hours strolling in and out of gallery halls exploring the links between art, architecture and design by a pioneer of modernity, a leading figure of the twentieth century design, who contributed to the definition of a new art de vivre.

Charlotte Perriand truly invented a New World as the exhibition's title promised. It was a pleasure to be taken on the journey of her long, productive, fascinating life.

Recognise the chair and the chaise-longue in front of Fernand Leger's painting?

Charlotte adored Isamu Noguchi's lanterns

A miniature model of Charlotte's world

Snapshot of the past

Avangarde, timeless and so up-to-date

A page out of Charlotte Perriand's scrapbook

The embodiment of Charlotte's vision of a “synthesis of the arts”

Perfect layout for today's chambre de bonne on the 6th floor!

How small, simple and functional can a kitchen be?

My absolute favourite: "Le refuge tonneau" is a

transportable mountain igloo with the interior space of 8m2 built in 1938!

The artist's concepts were in high demand and she worked on many projects from ski resorts to student housing.

Charlotte Perriand put into practice the concept of prefabrication where all components were prefabricated and organized around a tubular steel frame. 

The refuge camp for 6 people had everything you needed to stay toasty on a cold winter night.

Charlotte Perriand looks like quite a character! 

In 1940 the artist sails for Japan where she has been appointed as an advisor on industrial design to the Ministry of Trade and Industry. The teahouse she designed in 1993 in the garden of UNESCO’s global headquarters in Paris, is an affectionate homage to the ones she had visited in Japan.

"La maison au bord de l'eau" never saw physical execution un til the LV foundation decided to give it a go. The plans for "the house by the water" were first drafted over eighty years ago, in 1934.

The inside living space... 

... and the original sketch by Charlotte Perriand.

Betty Bossi, a Swiss hero

On a total different note and feeling slightly homesick, I have decided to share my Swiss hero character with you today.

If you grew up in Switzerland you will know who Betty Bossi is.

Hardly anyone knows her outside the Confederation, but generations of Swiss have grown up with her. Inventor of the fictitious character Betty Bossi is the Zurich advertising specialist Emmi Creola, born as Emmi Maag in 1912.

Taking inspiration from Betty Crocker, Betty Bossi was created by Emmi Creola-Maag for Unilever to help sell margarine to the butter-friendly Swiss. This took form in 1956 as a magazine style leaflet called the Betty Bossi Post, which attempted to answer the eternal question "What Shall I Cook Today?". French on one side and German on the other, the leaflet was so popular that it grew into a full magazine, and then a recipe book.

In 1977 Betty Bossi split from Unilever and it became its own, separate publishing company. The brand continued to flourish, publishing countless cookbooks and expanding into TV and radio, as well as recipe development and convenience foods. Today Betty Bossi is Switzerland's biggest cookbook publisher and can be found in most every household.

Emmi Creola-Maag's creature Betty Bossi became the "cook of the nation" and conquered television when no one in neighbouring Germany thought of cooking shows. Many believe that Helvetia's national cuisine would be different without Betty Bossi.

In 2012 the company was purchased outright by the supermarket chain Coop, which had previously taken a 50% stake in 2001. Today Betty Bossi continues to be one of the dominant authorities on Swiss cuisine, especially for the home cook. The shelves of Swiss houses are lined with her cookbooks and Coop, uses her name on everything from orange juice to ravioli.

The "Betty Bossi" newspaper today has a circulation of around 900,000 copies. Over the past decades, I have had my magazines sent to Geneva, to Buenos Aires, to Milano, to Madrid, to Lugano and now I look forward to receiving my monthly Swiss dose of homemade flavours in Paris. I have been a loyal reader since 1996 because as Lin Yutang once wrote: "What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child?"

Chilling in Ibiza

When you just can't get enough of the island vibes...

An evening walk through Villa Dalt, Ibiza's old town 

There is always time for a Tinto de verano

Shall we or shall we not?!?

This pink flamingo terrace has my name written all over it

 

Will it be a spectacular sunset tonight?

Morning swim all by myself 

When nature turns trendy

A souvenir to take home

Siesta behind closed shutters

Aperò time with friends 

Happy Hour at the beach

Let's meet in Ibiza

A 12 hour pit stop in Paris to change my suitcase from wellies and rain jackets to bikinis and flip flops... a change I am happy to make any time.

The rendez-vous had been planned last year following a reunion with my Lugano girlfriends. After eight years we had finally got our act together and arrived in Ibiza from Lugano, Barcelona and Paris to reunite and have some fun.

We got a taste of the Ibiza vibes and decided to repeat the experience again this year. The perfect excuse to spend four days without hubbies or kids to pick up where we left off, create new stories and catch up on each other’s state of mind.

A hike, a swim, a lunch, a cocktail, a paella, a bio farm visit, a hippie market shopping spree, a rooftop terrasse view and lots of beach time all makes it so much more fun when in Ibiza.

But it is so much more... a time to reconnect, to kindle cherished friendships, to find a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on. FaceTime, Facebook, WhatsApp are great but nothing beats a good giggle on the sofa at 2am in the morning with your girlfriends.

So here is to you my Breganzona ladies... we have a date with David Guetta for next year!

Hiking up the hill to get the perfect angle of the magic island of Es Vedra

Lunch with a view

The beach all to ourselves but the sea is a bit choppy

The perfect beach spot

A "light" Spanish lunch

Checking out the trendy spots...

... as well as the natural ones!

Loving the vibes 

Make a wish... you're in Ibiza!

Anything goes at the hippie market

A creative corner

A new discovery: the Ushuaia Tower terrasse 

Bopping with all the youngsters to David Guetta