Fresh greens II

The citrus colours in the garden - so refreshing on a hot summers night.

Fresh greens

I love the freshness of green. My eye's always drawn to it when I'm vintage hunting.

St Remy de Provence

One of my favourite places on earth, here are some photos from my last visit. St Remy is the perfect Provencal village with beautiful shops and lovely windy lanes to stroll down. All the rambling maisons have those lovely little French details - blue shutters, red geraniums in pots. It all looks so effortlessly beautiful. I always come back inspired.

My favourite things

I like to mix old and new in Lilac Cottage. Some of my favourite finds are coloured glass, especially green depression glass. Some of my best pieces I've found on frequent trips to the USA. One of my regular haunts is the Californian town of Ventura - a collectors paradise. I bought the lovely white glass spice jars there.

My favourite shop for new collectables is Anthropologie, like the beautiful butter dish here. No longer do I have to haul bag loads bag on the plane now they have opened at store on Regent Street!

Did I mention I love enamelware too? Here's a mix of old and new in the kitchen.

Cottage gardens LA style

Now there's open garden events, and then there's open garden Beverley Hills style! Gorgeous, and frankly jaw-dropping houses with the most wonderful gardens and of course bouganvilla in abundance. How I wish we had the climate to grow it outdoors all year round here.

Walberswick and Southwold, Suffolk

Vintage Provence

Vintage heaven in L'Isle sur la Sorque, Provence. I spent a wonderful day here exploring all the antique stores, although it's pretty pricey. The best buys were furniture but as I was travelling Eurostar I had to make do with a few small items. I always try and haggle for a better price despite my rudimentary French .

June in Lilac Cottage garden