Tuesday 22 October 2013

Colombia, Barichara; Adventure, romance and art.


 For so long Colombia spent time in the news for all the wrong reasons. In fact when we first moved to Ireland and people asked Vanessa and I where we were from, "Colombia", was usually quickly followed, by "oh gosh, poor you,  must have been so dangerous with the mafia and the drugs".  I soon developed a canned response highlighting all the other exports it was famous for;  flowers, coffee and emeralds to name but a few! I'm genuinely over the moon to say that in the last decade there has been an incredible turnaround in the country, both economically and socially and perhaps equally importantly, how it is perceived internationally.  Its daring tourism campaign "The only risk is wanting to stay" was a huge success and peaked an interest with people.  As its political climate improves it's becoming a very real player in the world stage. These days when asked where I'm from, it's more common for people's reaction to be "Wow, I'd love to go there/ it was my favourite place when travelling/ my little brother is heading there on his gap year"

I feel incredibly lucky that Vanessa and I got to experience our early years in South America. Firstly in Ecuador, on a large farm in Maglaralto, then in Colombia in the colonial city of Cartagena. About four years ago mum and dad moved back to Colombia full time and our love affair with the place continues; the biodiversity (it's the second most biodiverse country in the world), the people, the festivals, the music, art and the climate are all infectious. 


There is a particular place in Colombia, that has a very special place in my heart and that is Barichara. It is there, in the main square in the midst of ear popping fire works, live music and perhaps one too many aguardientes that my now husband proposed to me, on one knee on new years eve 2006. 

It is very rare these days, to be able to arrive in a place and to feel, even if only for a few minutes, that you could be the first non local to set foot there, that you could quite possibly be the first to discover it!  
Well, that's the beauty of Barichara. 


Walking along the paths of red and yellow earth leading up to it, as you catch a glimpse of the palm trees and cathedral dome, you'd be forgiven for thinking you'd somehow ended up in the movie set for Indiana Jones or Romancing the stone! But this is no movie set, it's much much better, a town that has been here since the time of the Spanish conquistadors!


The streets, cathedrals and churches are made from stone, while many of the houses are constructed from compressed mud painted white. It is so loved by Colombia that it has gained National Heritage Status. 



    Many artists have moved to Barichara as a result of its unique atmosphere and tranquility. Craft workshops and galleries are now part of the town's draw. There are so many wonderful places to stay for visitors to this little town. Houses with beautiful internal courtyards and that embody and promote all Barichara is famous for. Art, history and a sort of serenity.   La Nube Posada is one of these places.  The house was once owned by a rich landowner who kept horses in the internal courtyard, which is now surrounded by guest rooms. It's current owners have created a wonderful retreat where less is more.



David enjoying the best resting spot at La Nube Posada. 

If you are ever lucky enough to visit Barichara and the surrounding areas you cannot miss the Cascadas san Curi; an incredible cluster of 200 meter high waterfalls.


You follow a series of wooden ladders and ropes, which would almost certainly not pass health and safety here in the U.K (but life's too short to worry about all that) to reach the pool of the waterfall where you can swim.  These waterfalls really have to be seen to be believed, such an incredible piece of natural beauty and climbing them an utterly thrilling experience.






So that is a little taste of my Colombia. A tiny little taste of the magnitude of what it has to offer. Vanessa and I are planning a sourcing trip to Colombia for Ginger & Mora very soon and have some darn exciting things planned. We will let you know about those plans as soon as we can! 

Have you ever found a hidden gem of a place?  We'd love to hear about it.  

Saturday 12 October 2013

Autumn brings "La Vendemia"

With the cooler, shorter days comes the spectacular changing colour of the leaves on the trees and most magically of all here in Tuscany, the maturing of the grapes on the multicoloured vines. Every year it is a spectacle to be enjoyed, so much so that while driving past the vineyards I have to stop and admire the scenery despite the fact that I go past these vines every day on my routine drive abouts.


Just like an artist's work, the vines are like a unique painting and each year the same vine may colour and behave differently to the year before, creating swirls and waves in tones of yellow, orange, red right through to a deep purple. Of course all this changing and varying of colour has a scientific explanation but it's far more romantic to watch it happen without thinking why or how! 



Once the vineyards have morphed into an impressionist's painting, it's time to gather friends and family and get picking the ripe bunches ready to be made into our beloved Vino. In fact most weekends from now onwards can become a fully booked agenda of harvesting in one vineyard or other as requests to help out come from all directions.




 It then becomes a day's outing for the young and old and traditionally lunch is usually included into the bargain, with of course the promise of a few bottles of wine! 
 
Have you ever taken part in a harvest where you are?
 

Tuesday 8 October 2013

Kicking leaves and catching rays.


Things with Ginger & Mora are going well, which is wonderful. It does mean that I am spending lots of  time running around these days (aren't we all?), balancing a growing business and family life. With so much going on, sometimes it's hard to just sit back, and enjoy the "now".  I guess that's what makes those unexpected "take your breath away" moments so special, the ones that even when you're in a rush make you stop in your tracks. The thing is, it's almost always something simple, free and spontaneous that creates that moment. 


With the change in season from summer to autumn, here in the U.K, we are so lucky to be getting this utterly beautiful early morning and evening light. It just makes you want to bathe in it's rays.  It's impossible, at least for me, not to stop and just take it all in.


With the help of my three year old daughter I have enjoyed some wonderfully simple pleasures this week; from trying to "catch" the early morning rays, to playing amongst those deliciously crisp golden leaves of the season. 

 

Because the song really is right, "the best things in life are free"...

What simple moments have you enjoyed this week? 






Sunday 6 October 2013

Sunday is a Funday


Sundays for our family here in Italy usually mean a day trip somewhere new or a big lunch at the Nonni's farmhouse. Either of these options are always thoroughly enjoyable and certainly make the weekend seem like it lasts much longer!
However I have to be perfectly honest and say that for me some of the best Sundays are spent right at home, doing a few mondane last minute jobs around the house or simply spending some quality time with my hubby and two little ones.
With the arrival of Autumn, what seems like the last of the summer's sun has appeared after a day or two of rain and everything feels brighter and fresh.  It's the perfect kind of day for a walk in the countryside, some gardening or bit of good old baking!
My sister has, unsurprisingly, had the same idea this Sunday and spent it enjoying a beautifully sunny day in her Essex home as I have in mine here in Tuscany. What follows are some of the pics we messaged each other throughout the day and it's funny to see how although we live in two quite different countries, we still spend our carefree Sundays enjoying very similar things!

                                          



                                           

While out and about walking along country roads or through vast fields, part of the attraction for our girls is to pick pretty flowers and make tiny bouquets to carry. Once home we add our colourful finds to our own garden blooms to arrange in glass vases around the house reminding us of the weekend.


                                            
                                           

                                              
                                
                               
                                

We do enjoy to spend lots of time in the garden and at the moment there's a lot of work to be done to prepare our outside spaces for the winter.  On a sunny Sunday like today, the whole family takes part in some horticultural fun! 

                                          



                                          


Of course Sunday at home means time to make pancakes in the morning and yummy muffins or cupcakes to decorate in the afternoon!

                                             




All in all it's not hard to see why we love Sundays at home ( despite the fact that of course a Sunday always comes with the dreaded feeling the next day is a Monday!) 
What do you get up to on a funday Sunday? 





Tuesday 1 October 2013

GYO and why we do!


If you have been following our blog, by now you'll know that we love food, making it and of course eating it! There is another aspect of food however which we are also passionate about and that is growing it. Whether your garden is limited to a window box or you're lucky enough to have a spacious garden, the benefits to growing your own really are too many to count and you'll undoubtedly reap the rewards when giving GYO a go!  Between my in-laws farm and our own garden in the countryside just outside of Florence, we manage to produce enough fruit, vegetables, eggs and meat to allow us to be reasonably self sufficient. 

My sister hard at work in her own garden

On the british side, my sister's family in their Essex garden also have a wonderful glut of a wide variety of veggies and fruit each year which means our text messaging is often full of pictures of the "fruits" of labour in the garden and comparing what is growing at the time! 


My sister's autumn harvest last year.



Growing your own vegetables does not mean that one necessarily needs lots of land or even a garden, it really can be done even in the smallest of spaces! With good soil and some care you can provide yourself with fresh herbs, salads and even grow some larger veggies like tomatoes and aubergines.. My sister has often grown strawberries or tomatoes in hanging baskets with great results.

There's no denying that the flavour of freshly picked and home grown is hard to beat and if there are children in the house, the experience of watching their food grow always makes for a fun and valuable lesson! The sense of accomplishment my son and daughter get when picking salad leaves they have sown themselves is a pleasure to see.




 With huge supermarkets at our fingertips providing every type of fruit and vegetable throughout the year, the importance of seasonality and provenance seems to have been somewhat lost. Really knowing where your food comes from and enjoying it when it is locally at it's very best is truly a pleasure. Even if you don't have space to grow lots of veggies try and find out what's in season before heading to the supermarket. You'll soon find that you're not serving up the same old choices throughout the year.  

Without a shadow of  a doubt though, for me the best bit about having a veg patch is how easy it is to create something full of flavour in a few minutes. Take some eggs and potatoes and ten minutes later you can have the most delicious supper. 




Figs, great at this time of year, wrapped in some prosciutto ham also make for a wonderful primo, or starter for friends and family and in late summer are a firm favourite round our table!


Figs from the garden wrapped in parma ham with buffalo mozzarella.


Have you tried growing your own? What's your favourite veggie or fruit to grow at this time of year?