How was Mercury Retrograde for you?

So we have all survived gone through another Mercury retrograde period.  Now for those of you who are not well acquainted it is one of the two astronomical /astrological things I take note of,

the other being a full moon.
  

Via

Mercury retrograde is one of those things that even die hard 
anti-astrology people tend to heed.
The planet Mercury literally goes back on its own orbit about three to four times a year and it lasts about a month and it usually creates a bit of havoc, delays, and wires get crossed. But it's not all bad, it is a good chance to catch up on things and people and regroup. 

Via principalspage.com

No I don't believe in werewolves but if the full moon can affect oceans then I don't see why it is odd that being mostly water ourselves we are also not influenced by this.  Even the police and emergency services always keep abreast of the moon's cycles as accidents and also happy incidents such as births peak on a full moon.

July / August 2013 US House Beautiful Review

Hello there!

There was a double issue of July and August so I am not late with the review of the summer issue of House Beautiful!

Now it is always interesting the upcycling or lateral use of items.

The napkins below look kind of like tea towels or Moroccan bath towels but they make a lovely graphic modern statement.

I once went to a riad in Marrakech where they cut up similar looking fabrics and used them for sarongs, curtains, tea towels, pillow covers.  
It is a nice reminder to try and use different cloths and designs for unlikely uses.

Momogramming mad just as Heidi from Adelaide Villa predicted in this post.  Or you could give each guest a bucket with their own wine bottle but at least they can't touch yours?

Loving the playful nature of these sketches.

What I would love is interchangeable wallpaper because as much as I love all these patterns I would have a problem committing.

Most of you know how I feel about haphazard throw styling so I will deduct two points for this issue for FLTS otherwise known as 

faux lazy throw syndrome.

The throw is touching the floor - I know it's a new rug but still.

The monogrammed towel is covering the lone lovely pink accessory on the outdoor lounge. 

A Day in the Life of Mayr Clinic Resident...

A lot of people have asked me what one does at the Mayr Clinic so I thought I would show you a normal day for a normal patient here.

Mind you, everyone has their own schedule with their own prescriptions so please bear in mind that this is my own.

There are some things that most people doing the Mayr Cure have to adhere to.  As I mentioned before, this place is a bit like boarding school but with a honor code that expects you to do it without being nagged and told repeatedly.

A sample of the daily activities offered to all the guests.

First thing you do as soon as you get up is have a solution of epsom salts and an alkaline powder.
 The epsom salts is made to flush out your system and the alkaline powder is to lower your ph as released toxins increase the acidity in the body.

Greetings from the Mayr clinic in Austria

Grüß Gott or Grus Gott as they say round these parts.
It means something like may God greet you. 
You are supposed to respond if I see him, Wenn ich ihn sehe or hopefully not too soon, Hoffentlich nicht so bald.

I have been a little quiet on the blogging front as I arrived here last Thursday for a duration of 24 days.  I am doing my annual physical MOT at the Mayr Clinic.  Some of you may have heard of it recently as plummy Plum Sykes did a feature in US Vogue about a Mayr Clinic just two miles down the road from where I am. 

There are quite a few clinics in Austria that follow the Mayr Cure.

Roman Abramovich famously hired the Lanserhof Clinic when he was going through his divorce.  Another great Mayr Cure based facility that some of my friends went to and I would have joined except I went off to Southeast Asia in March is the Park Igls.

My Gesundheitszentrum ja wohl!

Martha Stewart Living May and June 2013

I am doing a double issue post as May in itself didn't warrant one.

I don't like to do posts that are simply copy and paste in general but I have a subscription to it so I just thought it was a waste not to share.

So I picked the best tips from Martha from both issues.

It's a sign of the times that now hand made anything surely tastes as good as most artisanal products.

Ricotta is an ingredient that you can use in both savoury and sweet dishes so it would be worth making from scratch.

Here's how Martha does it.