Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

Brighton...such a pretty seaside town and I especially loved the carnival atmosphere.

Took my trusty Polaroid camera along too so I really felt like I'd stepped back into the 70s!

A sunny Saturday...

This post is dedicated to my family and friends in Australia...as proof the sun does shine in London! :o)

Spent a wonderful afternoon in Hyde Park. We sat in the sunshine reading and watching the activity buzz around us. The colourful women below were taking part in a charity walk for mouth cancer, I think. There were loads of other people walking, but none as dressed up as them. They seemed to be having fun. I saw another couple walking - he dressed as The Tin Man and she Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I was however, too slow with the camera.

Off for a drive into the countryside tomorrow...please sun, come with.

Meeting an idol...

Just got home from Selfridges, where I met Nick Hornby, my favourite author. He was there for a book signing, promoting his new novel Juliet, Naked, which has just been published. What an awesome guy. Genuinely happy to be meeting and chatting to his fans.

I was lucky enough to see him in New York a couple years back, where he did a reading from his book Slam at Barnes & Noble. I bought the book there and then, but the queue to get it signed was waaaaaay too long. I was more patient this time around (plus the line was shorter) and have my personally signed copy of his new book right beside me.

As a writer myself, he is one of my greatest inspirations. Not only does he write engaging novels about every day people living every day lives, many of which have been adapted to film, he has also co-written a screenplay, An Education, to be released in the UK at the end of October.

Mr Hornby, thank you for writing such wonderful books. I dare to dream of a career as stellar as yours.

Got hiccups...

I've discovered a cure!

I contracted a rather serious (and noisy) dose of hiccups just before bedtime (what are the chances), and despite attempts to get rid of them via the traditional methods of holding my breath, gulping water, standing on one leg, doing a cartwheel...ok...I may have made some of those up...whatever, the hiccups were still hanging on, begging me to stay awake a little longer.

Then wa-la...I discovered a cure.

Next time you get the hiccups, give this remedy a whirl:

Lie on your side, relax, then breathe slowly, gently and deeply. My hiccups were gone within a minute.

Sweet relief and a good night's sleep...finally!

Get outta town...

...and into the countryside!

I've just returned from a week in Cornwall (south west England), and boy was I treated to some dandy weather. The sun streamed through my bedroom window around 7am each day, beckoning me to get out into the open, deep breathe the fresh air and make the most of the glorious day ahead. Water, sunshine, sailing boats, rolling green hills, flowers, trickling streams...I feel relaxed just thinking about it.

I've always considered myself a city girl - New York is one of my favourite places in the world - so it came as quite a surprise when I found myself contemplating village life. Its simplicity and serenity are the draw cards. There's no pressure to be anywhere or do anything. I could just be. And when I can just be, I am inspired, refreshed and focused. Plus, there was a great pub serving scrumptious food just down the road!

Hope you enjoy these images of idyllic Cornwall...