Before I got diagnosed with breast cancer in autumn 2016, I was very careful with my skincare routine, my general wellbeing, my fashion and I wouldn’t miss a Pilates class for the world. Then, devastated by the diagnosis, I gave up on all of these, step by step, and let the medical team take over and be in charge of me. Surgeries, chemotherapy, radiotherapy were about to change my life. So I stopped plaiting my hair, I stopped exercising, I stopped pampering myself, stopped wearing make-up…what’s the point I was thinking. Until one day, when I looked at myself in the mirror, and didn’t recognise my reflection. I looked sad…
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I did it…
That’s it, I travelled to Martinique by myself, my first long haul flight without my other half or my daughters since finishing my breast cancer treatments. At first it was nerve wrecking and absolutely scary, just the thought of travelling so far without anyone to accompany me. And all I managed to pack were a few swimsuits, flip flops and scarves, a dress or two, plenty of sunhats and sun screams and all my medicines and food supplements. What an interesting suitcase that was… Once I landed in Martinique I realised that it was the best decision that I ever took, I was going to spend the next four months…
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On a Wedding Day
And finally the first opportunity of the year to wear something special and to be more like myself, Diana….Bravely, I went shopping alone, visiting my favourite shops to find the perfect guest wedding outfit. I knew what I wanted to wear, but I didn’t know how to dress my new curvier body which had changed the size of my arms and of my waistline. So I had to adapt my choice of clothing so that I could still feel beautiful and comfortable. I didn’t care that I had to wear size 16 clothes versus size’s 12 seven months earlier as long as I looked good and stylish. So I settled…
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Why Me?
When on 21 September 2016 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I heard my own voice crying to the world, ‘why me!!’ and within seconds, my world, my life was changed. I felt lost, small, vulnerable, alone, scared and wanted to run far away from this horrible nightmare. Surely this doctor in a white coat couldn’t be right. She gave the wrong diagnostic, it certainly was a mistake. It couldn’t happen to me. After all, I breastfed my two children, had a healthy lifestyle most of my life and as there weren’t any breast cancer cases in my family’s medical history, this couldn’t be right….But sadly it was, and after shedding buckets…
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They often ask me why I left Paris…
Paris 1987, Champs de Mars with my best friend Today, 26 years later, I still remember the time when I resigned from my PA job in Paris to finally follow my dream to go abroad to learn a foreign language. Three years earlier I had to turn down at the last minute an au pair job in Austria but this time, in 1990, nothing apart from my own fear would stop me from going to England and this time there weren’t any reasons to be held back by fears of the unknown of a foreign country as I was going to live with my then French boyfriend who had recently settled…
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Tears, Friendships
Today, as I was seating down in my quiet living room, I started to cry. Tears and tears were trickling down my face, uncontrollably. I let them fall not wanting to control my crying. My heart was full of upset, frustrations, lonely and hurt and I finally could express my sorrow by crying alone. Why? Usually a happy person whose simple pleasures of life are enough to make me feel on top of the world, today and since a few days ago, something has been bugging me, something that I should not accept. Having a great capacity to listen to other people’s problems and also to often find the right…
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Simply Flowers
When I used to live in Paris, my favourite flowers were giant yellow tulips but since living in the UK I never found them at a high street price. In fact, I find that flowers in the UK are pricier than flowers you can find on Parisian markets. So during my first years in London, I hardly bought any flowers as being a student wouldn’t allow many extras… But luckily, one’s doesn’t remain a student forever and I can now regularly indulge in bouquet of flowers to adorn my home. Also I now have a preference for peonies or double roses, I don’t limit my choices to these. My mood…
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High Heels
I saw these high heels shoes in Topshop, tried and bought them within 20 minutes. My daughter was happily shocked as I hardly ever shop impulsively but this time I didn’t even blink. I fell in love with the style, the wine colour and patent texture of those leather shoes which are surprisingly very comfortable…well, I wouldn’t strut in them on the London tube!! I already planned to wear them on at least 3 occasions: for Valentine’s dinner with my husband, a black tie event in Spring and possibly for a dinner with the girls. Every woman should have a classy pair of high heeled shoes in her dressing room. They…
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Green Tea, Every Day…
Honestly, can I write a whole post on green tea? My Papa introduced me to green tea during one of our monthly dinner dates at a Vietnamese restaurant near my home in Paris in the late 70’s. My Dad, who had lived in Vietnam in the mid 50’s really fell in love with Vietnamese cuisine and cooking, which he later introduced to me when I was 13 years old. To accompany our meals, my Dad would always order some green tea, especially in winter to help keep my chest warm as I often had asthma attacks. I remember how I instantly loved green tea that was delicately flavoured with bergamot or with fresh mint. Back then, my Dad even…
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La Galette des Rois
The galette des Rois is a patisserie that is traditionally eaten in France to celebrate the Epiphany, which according to the Christian Bible falls 12 days after Christmas, when the Three Wise Men (or Kings, rois = kings) visited the infant Jesus and when St. John the Baptist christened him. Ingredients for the frangipane (almond filling): 100 grams of powdered almonds 100 grams of fine brown sugar 100 grams of unsalted butter 2 eggs 2 tablespoons glass of white or dark rum (from Martinique if you can) 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract 2 puff pastries (shop bought or homemade) For the finishing: 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons of water 3 tablespoons…