Running

If there is one thing I really need in my life it's running (there are a few more thing I need as well;-). After being in lovely Holiday Land for a month I just went out for my first run since ages today ! Endorfines kicking - energy all over the place...and sunshine in Hyde Park on top of that! Could it be better?

For me running is a real ENERGY BOOSTER. My mind clears after a run. I believe that all the workshops I ever held have all been "created in my head" while running. So today. On Saturday I am holding a workshop for some amazing Nike Network people at Träna in Umeå, north Sweden. I love that place! Some cool vibes in that house, and Katarina (manager) I think you should trademark the "helping-each -other" attitude that exist among the staff!!! AMAZING!
We are going to do some cool leadership stuff with this group of people and after running today the workshop is finalized...

So : try running...

Love & Sunshine

Yvette

Froth on my cappuchino...

..and some marshmallows...Anyone?

Trends, people, & what is going on in the world

I love sitting at cafes, drinking my cappuchino looking at people, hearing what they talk about, and how they conversate with their facial expressions, body language...I also love watching what people are wearing, what colours are in, I love fashion, design, photography, architecture, history - and TRENDS...I love the whole human being and how we express ourselves out there in the world. I love conversations about leaders and followers...what makes a leader? Who do we follow? Why?

I love reading magazines and update myself on what is in and trendy all over the world...- and today was a perfect magazine - day in Holiday-land, France. It is raining again, so I headed to the Tabac to get some cool tempting magazines: found the Running Magazine, French edition, Elle Decoration , Art & Decoration, French Elle and the magazine from Gault Millau...Yummy...

So...for the rest of the afternoon, hasta la vista , I'm gone in magazine-land...

Have a trendy day

Sunshine from inside
Yvette

Feng Shui

Do you know what Feng Shui is? In short it's about making energy flow. In all aspects of your life. In the material world as well as in your mind. Springtime is a great time to do some tidying up in the energy fields...Let out old energies - create some new...

What is really refreshing is to take a look at your home. Go through every room and every item and see what items are important to you. If the item is important : you keep it, if it's not: you give it away, to friends or to charity. Simple as that. In my house I now have items that are really important to me. The stuff I had collected before that really didn't mean anything to me just sucked up energy - so I got rid of it...This is thanks to moving around different countries a lot the last ten years and really been looking at what things are important and energy-GIVING. So, it's spring now - create space for fresh energy! Create a beautiful house where the energy is flowing.

Have a zen day!

Zenshine
Yvette

Challanges

Ok, so I will admit it, I'm not a very good driver. This is a big challange for me when being in France. AND I think I am improving:-)



I remember my first encounter with French driving style when I arrived on The Reunion Island 10 years ago...Remember I grew up in a very small town and at the time when I took my driving lisence I don't remember we even had traffic lights... and not to mention nooo roundabouts...



Back to La Reunion: I thought everyone was driving fast and aggressively...I didn't dare to go out there on the roads until after 2 months!!! After 2 months I got a job so I had to drive, hehe...That was GOOD for my self-confidence...I think my driving improved a lot there + later I did a lot of driving in southern Europe.

In St Paul, where our French home is, there is a small passage where you really have to goooo with the flooow to get through with a big family car . I used to close my eyes in the begining which was not a big success... I even asked my partner the first times if HE could drive through ...As he is of the practical courageous kind of characters he just looked at me and so I had to go...Terrifed of ruining our rental car...So I will tell you what was going on in my head : I told myself: " Ok, I am going to daaaaaaaance through that spaaacious passage" ...and what happens ? - All of a sudden this passage gets BIGGER !!! Easy peasy when we put your mind on things, huh? We just have to do that: put our minds to what we want and DO IT!!!!



I believe as we go towards our fears, or shall I say challanges, we grow and move on in life. If we never dare to meat our challanges we will stay in the waiting room...it's our OWN choice! No-one else's. Wheather it's a small or a big challange : just meet it...where-ever you are...I PROMISE you : you WILL grow & develop...maybe life will get a little bit bumpy and maybe you need help ( oh, please ASK for help!!!), JUST DO IT!



Which challange is the one just waiiiiiting for you??? Which is the one you really want but doesn't really dare to meet ????

GO AND GET IT!!!!
Best of luck!!!



Sunny sunny regards

Yvette

Life is a Beach

Sunshine to all!!!!!!!!! Theoule today...

Food, delicious food

Graine & Ficelle, St Jeannet, last sunday, Gorgeous place- gorgeous food

We have just visited a wonderful table d’hote in St Jeannet , a small village 10 minutes from where we live. An amazing, passionate woman is running this place called Graine & Ficelle and you can tell she is living her dream …She is definitely “on purpose” there as far as I could sense it! The place is a combined farm with chambre & table d’hotes and the food we had there was absolutely amazing, fresh and flavoured packed – all presented beautifully. The place itself was bathing in nature’s colours: shades of grey, white, beige & brown…loved it !!!

It was so inspiring to see Graine & Ficelle since one of my dreams is to have a chambre d’hotes here in France for sportive & adventurous people and one of the attractions, for me, is the cooking part – I ‘d like to set the table in the evening for everyone to enjoy a meal together in the end of the day, share the days stories, wow….Who would like to join me?


The French are so cool about food and I can talk for ages with them about perfect walnuts from Grenoble, or the juicy lemons from Menton, the rose wines from Provence, the oursins from Cassis, the truffle from Rognes, the flavor packed tomatoes from the south, the olives from Nice, and the list goes on…

For me going to the market in Aix (or for God sake Yvette, ANY kind of food market!!!) is a feast for my senses!!! I can easily spend a whole morning surrounded my fresh, colourful fruit and vegs, cheeses, sea food, honey, spice, bread, cappuchino-break and then more fruit & vegs....As long as it fresh and has some kind of label "local producer" I kind of melt...I have "a thing" with things that grows... As I write this I start to think about the blueberries my parents pick for us in autumn...yummy!!! I belive that in my next life I will be a market lady in Nice, selling all the ingredients you need for a proper ratatouille...

When we are in the area of food I would like to say talk about some more “serious” things!
Be a conscious consumer ! Make it a habit to read the labels when you buy your groceries at supermarkets. Get local products as your first choice so the food doesn’t necessarily have to fly across the globe to get to your table. Go to farmer’s markets and support your local growers. Even in London, where I live, we have them!

And to those of you who have kids: let them enjoy - and grow from REAL food!!! And please give them healthy snacks…fruit, dried fruits, yoghurts & sandwiches are far more better than crisps, chocolates and biscuits. Perhaps I’m very coloured of what I’m seing in the playgrounds in London, UK…perhaps children in other places eat better in the afternoon…(I really hope so) It just upsets me to see how parents, care-takers and nannies give kids all those crap non-foods to little children!!! In general I believe it would be a good idea to be as meticulous with what WE eat as with what kind of fuel we give to our car…

What more with food and I… in my ideal world I have a meal in the evening with the whole family EVERY evening. It’s the Italian Mama in me that wish for this :-)In reality it doesn’t happen - YET ! However it is a core value of mine to cook from scratch and as much as possible sit down and enjoy with all family together.

At the moment we have a wonderful girl living with us who are from India. I love Indian food and we love cooking together in the evenings. Or rather should I say, she is teaching me and I am the happiest assistant she could possibly have! Typically Indian ingredients are so healthy when you cook at home, look at this: turmenic, curry, ginger, garlic, coriander, CHILLIS (love them - love them!!!) , cloves, vegetables & fruits, lentils & beans, yoghurts, …mmm…Acctually Indian food is like a cure, an immune system booster. I strongly believe that if you cook Indian food at home yourself (using little oil) you will have a great chance of staying healthy and your immune system will have this constant boost! Email me for recipies!!!

I looove having friends over for lunch and dinner. The best times are those times when we enroll our friends either by cooking with us or bringing something like when we invite people to a tapas party. I like it when people can mingle, talk and the athomsphere is easy-going. (Saying that I don’t mind a proper champagne party either…every now and again) . An ideal day is when friends join us to Borough Market in the morning and get the ingredients and then cook together in the evening…food, friends and great conversations…can it be better???

So, anyone who is in London in the end of April, let’s make a party together, celebrating spring…we are full of inspiration from France…

Lots of Love and Sunshine from inside
Yvette

Seasons and the Rythm of the Day

Spring, the village St Jeannet yesterday

I was born 100 km north of the Artic Circle, in Sweden, where there are four clear-cut seasons as far as my emotional memory has recorded it : mild, short summers with light day&night, crisp & colourful autumns, cold, dark and long winters and looovely sunny springs. From a very early age seasons came to play a big role in my life. I got used to living according to them when I grew up.

As I moved on in life, to warmer destinations, the seasons sometimes felt a bit blurred for me. However, there are always signs that there is seasonal change going on. When we lived in Aix-en-Provence , 4 years ago, one great way of experiencing the seasons was to look at the vineyards. We saw how the vine changed: green leaves in the summer, grapes ready to be picked in autumn, dry trunks in winter on which you never believed anything could possibly grow again – and then : fresh new leaves coming out again in spring! It was lovely to follow !!!

When talking about living with the seasons I would like to say something about food as well, because it so linked to each other. One of my big passions in life is food! The best is when we can eat what is offered from Mother Nature in season. I am aware that it’s easier here in southern France, than in Sweden…AND we can do what is possible with the environment we are in and what is available. For instance when in summer: indulge in strawberries , when autumn & winter arrive make stews with potatoes, onions, leeks and carrots- those comfort foods warm us up. When spring is here again be ready for the first asparagus and enjoy lighter meals!

When I live in accordance to the seasons I can feel my energy is flowing. There is little struggle and more flow. For example in summer I get up earlier and go to bed later- following the pattern of the sun…in winter I kind of hibernate and allow myself to rest longer. As a matter of fact, think of the timing of the day as well. Find the rhythm of the day that is good for YOU! Be and Do according to the time of the day. You can divide the day in blocks and think about what you want to prioritize in every block, what kind of energy you need. Spray every block with that kind of energy: perhaps mindful in the morning, alive-and-kicking in the middle of the day, sharp in the afternoon after a great cup of coffee? -Calm and yogi before going to bed?

I would love to hear stories how YOU live according to the day and the seasons!

One last thing, dark chocolate can be taken anytime of the day, any season...



Love and sunshine from inside

Yvette

The Artist's Way

Chagall's La Vie

When in St Paul it's impossible not to be inspired by all the artists that have been passing this little village...Opposite our house the French author and poet Jaques Prevert used to live, Marc Chagall was buried here in St Paul, in the legendary restaurant Colombe d'Or numerous artists, actors and music makers used to enjoy themselves. Picasso was one of them Yves Montand another. The Maeght Foundation boasts with an amazing collection of Miro's among others...and my absolute favourite is Chagall's La Vie, Life...

It's easy to understand why all the artists came here...with the omnipresence of beauty - who could resist this place? La vie est belle here. No doubt about it. When talking with people here you will hardly find anyone who was born here. They...or shall I say we...all came, drawn to the sun and the energy that is given from living life outside.

For me nature is healing, a day by the sea, or an afternoon by the mountains and my batteries are charged, revitilized and ready to go again. What about you? Where / How do you charge your batteries? What does nature do for you?

Love & Sunshine in abundance

Yvette

Le soleil!!!!!!!!!

Could it be better? The beach just to yourself...

Happiness

As I see it happiness is something we find within ourselves...Try to wake up with a "half smile"on your lips, saying to yourself as you are still in bed : "I'm back", celebrating that you are ready for a new day, alive and kicking...ready to cease the day. Life is a precious gift and a gift worth celebrating every day...Carpe diem everyone!

Love & LOTS of sunshine
Yvette