trying for sighs: top ten

Showing posts with label top ten. Show all posts

Monday, 13 April 2015

top ten cafetieres

If someone were to ask me what one of my favourite household items was, I would say without a doubt, my cafetiere. I use it everyday for my morning coffee. Until recently, I had two reliable ones and a cheaper back up (which doesn't pour very well.) But, in the space of a few days, I ended up dropping them both in the ceramic sink!

So, I have been on the look out for a good quality, non drip cafetiere that gets all the coffee in the cup. These are a round up of ten of the best to suit most budgets that I could find. Have you got a favourite make of cafetiere?

This is an amazing bargain from bpsalesdirect on Ebay right now. Not only is it incredibly cheap, but there is a fantastic range of colours to match anything in your kitchen.

A great value basic cafetiere, from M&S, for the price of the replacement glass for many others.

Very similar to M&S cafetiere, I love the colour of this one from Sabichi.

To celebrate their 70th anniversary, the Danish company Bodum have produced these unbelievably priced, funky coloured versions of their famous French press. The only drawback is that the colour combination you receive is random when you order. But hey, we all love a surprise.

Amazing value, this stylish cafetiere from Tesco has a

double wall to keep the coffee warm for longer. A real bargain and no broken glass in the ceramic sink!

Another stylish, stainless and great value cafetiere. Made by ProCook, it is so pretty and sleek that I just want to stroke it. Again, the double wall means that you can take longer drinking your coffee.

This design by Sophie Conran, sold by John Lewis, is one of my favourites. Definitely one to whip out at a dinner party.

This is the one I really love. It is the Chambord, but with a shiny copper finish. I think it must be a limited edition because I could only find it on Amazon.

This modern, shiny stainless Bodum is an update, introduced a few years ago, on the traditional Chambord. It only pours when you press the lever, making it great if you enjoy breakfast in bed. It can be found on Amazon.

Finally, some real class! How gorgeous is this Guzzini stove top percolator at Red Candy. It is definitely the top end of the market, but I love it. It really makes a statement.

Which one do you like best?

Monday, 13 October 2014

my ten favourite scents

'The sense of smell can be extraordinarily evocative, bringing back pictures as sharp as photographs of scenes that had left the conscious mind' - Thalassa Cruso.

I am definitely the kind of person that lives through scent. Certain scents can trigger strong memories and transport me straight back to childhood and years gone by. When I smell a chicken cooking in the oven, I'm sitting right back at my nanna's table eagerly awaiting my roast dinner and I'm instantly content.

Here are a few of my favourite scents which immediately make me feel happy:

Freshly cut roses scenting the house . I look forward to the precious, lovely smell of roses when I walk through the front door after a day at work.

Apple pie baking in the oven. One of my favourite Autumn smells, so comforting and warming.

Pine forests. The fresh scent of pine reminds me of a lovely holiday we had in Skiathos, Greece one year. To get to the beach, we had to walk through an amazing pine forest which was so fragrant and warm.

Vanilla scented candles. Another reason why I love this time of year. Coming home from work, closing the blinds, making a fire and lighting a candle. A perfect way to relax and unwind in the evening, filling the room with the smell of cake.

Sea air. This has to be my favourite scent. It has an overwhelming sense of calm and content over me. I think I must have been a mermaid in a former life as I'm at my happiest when I'm by the sea.

Roasted coffee beans. I cannot start my day without this delicious scent wafting through the house. There's nothing quite like it. It wakes me up and helps me start my day alert!

Cocoa butter body cream. Smells of chocolate and cocoa beans and is good enough to eat!

Freshly washed sheets. The scent of fresh linen, blown dry on the washing line is one of life's little pleasures.

Lavender essential oil. A pleasant, floral scent that has a lovely calming and balancing effect if I'm feeling stressed. I love to add it to my evening baths and diffuse it in an oil burner next to my bed at night.

Logs burning on an open fire. A childhood reminder of evenings spent by the fire at my grandparents, playing cards and eating toffee. These days I like to settle down beside my wood burner with a glass of wine and a book!

Have you got any scents that remind you of times gone by?

Monday, 21 July 2014

ten top summer reads

I promised myself that this month, as part of my bucket list, I would put together a summer reading list. I'm always happy with a good book when I'm sat on the beach or in the garden enjoying some sunshine. Summer is definitely the time of year when I tend to read more as I have more time.

So here it is: I'm not sure I will get chance to read them all, but I am looking forward to trying.

This is the third book in the series of a London fashion editor who moves to France. I loved the first two books. They were perfect holiday reading, and I am sure that this will be too. It is a very true experience of life in rural France. It is guaranteed to make you laugh and cry so keep the tissues to hand.

Time to throw out all your diet books! This is a chic, classy and funny non-diet book that we have all been waiting for. It will have you laughing out loud! Learn to eat like a French woman, with your head not your stomach.

This story is on the beautiful island of Crete, an island I love, which is full of historical events. It is a 'moving and compelling about a lifetime's journey in search of the truth.' A great holiday read.

This is the first crime novel written by J. K. Rowling writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. I am really looking forward to reading this one. It is a compelling mystery set in London, from the streets of Mayfair, the East End and the lively Soho.

Italy is never far away from my thoughts, and this funny book is about three girls who meet at Italian evening classes and become good friends. Perhaps I also ought to start learning Italian, like I have always said I would. Who knows what could happen.....?

Set in the summer of 1972, which just happens to be my year of birth, a boy and his friend begin an operation to save his mother from crisis. A Sunday times best seller.

A book about a scientist with Asperger's Syndrome doesn't sound promising at first, but this has found a huge audience and sounds a little different. It is about Don Tillman who doesn't know he has Asperger's and he takes everything literally. He is looking to get married, but never gets to a second date. That is until he meets Rosie, who is nothing at all like him. She doesn't fit his idea of who he wants to marry, but this book follows the progress of their humorous adventures.

This is the stuff of summer holiday reading. Running away from the unhappy life she has made in London, Ellen Trawton goes to stay in beautiful Ireland. There she meets a a lonely man who has lost his wife in tragic circumstances. However, the past won't go away.

I'm sure lots of you have already read this; it has been massive and it is now a film. It is about a teenage girl, diagnosed with cancer who meets a young boy at a cancer support group. The book follows their relationship, and I suspect that I will have the hanky out for this one.

This is a book I have meant to read for years. Emma Bovary inhabits a romantic dream world, fueled by reading romantic novels. Her husband, a simple doctor, cannot give her the glamorous life of her dreams. Trying to make her dream world come true, Emma has lovers and debts that will ruin their lives.

Have any of you lovelies read any of these? Am I in for a treat?

Have a lovely week.

Monday, 23 December 2013

my top ten christmas playlist

These are my some of my favourite songs that I love to listen to when I'm busy wrapping presents, decorating the tree and baking Christmas goodies. As you can see, I have a very eclectic taste in music!

My favourite song for me though has to be Dean Martin's Let It Snow. I absolutely love it; if there is one song that is guaranteed to brighten my day it is this one. Classic!

Click on the picture to hear them.