This is a great way to spend a Sunday morning.   Wander along Columbia Road and watch all the flower and plant vendors selling their amazing wares.  Then browse the row of ecletic, boutique shops lining the street, listen to a quirky band or two, then grab a good frothy coffee to ponder the rest of the day.

A new beauty blog for mums and mums-to-be has launched called Goldilocks Beauty, started by Janine Phillipson, a mum herself and beauty journalist.  I just so happened to be the lucky winner of some Liz Earle skin care products by being one of the first subscribers to her newsletter, and my products have just arrived in the post so I’m so excited to try them all out.  Do check out Janine’s lovely blog and pick up some tips while you’re there!

The annual horticultural event in South Harting encourages locals to submit their most prized crops and blooms into a competition.  Presentation is high and all submissions are displayed in a huge white marquee.  I am a sucker for dahlia’s and they always have lots of amazing varieties of these - so colourful and so beautifully designed by nature.

A trip to this northwestly region of Italy and I’ve fallen in love!  After a short hop of a flight from London then a drive out of Milan to the rolling hills and valleys south of Tortona and north of Genoa, it’s all beauty, tranquility and rustic countryside. Sleepy villages are perched on hillsides and hilltops with old houses and churches in distressed colours of cream, ochre and terracotta, with narrow winding streets miandering through them, against a backdrop of piercing blue sky.

All this is just the setting, there’s also the amazing local food - salamis, cheeses, tomatoes, breads, pizza, pasta, etc. and the underated yet excellent wines of the Colli Tortonesi (DOC).  There are also beaches an hour or two south for a refreshing dip in the Mediterranean, and plenty of local swimming pools.

Village rooftops and colourful chairs for lounging in the garden.

Heirloom tomatoes with olive oil and garlic. Ricotta stuffed courgette flower.

Winemakers labels pasted on a pillar and farm scene at the Valli Unite co-op.

Valli Unite - a co-op winery and farm with restaurant and shop selling all their produce.  Gorgeous setting on the top of a hill. We tried their wine, cheese, salami and bread which were all delicious.

The pitch is prepared for the first match of the season as the white lines are pasted onto the grass and the aisles are given a fresh coat of yellow paint at Craven Cottage, it’s a great sight to see.  And just as a new manager is announced. Farewell Mr.H.

I love Rutzou clothing - the sense of colour and pattern is so refreshing, as created by Danish designer Suzanne Rutzou.  I’ve had a couple of her pieces in my wardrobe for a few summers now and still wear them and wear them.  This cool patchwork jacket is from her SS’10 collection - gorgeous, fun and timeless!  And some Gee’s Bend inspiration perhaps?

A visit to Jutland in Denmark and you’re never to far away from water - there are many lakes, rivers and ofcourse extensive coastline, so lots of boats, fishing, canoeing and swimming.  Also noted the churches painted white with little black crucifix’s on them.  The Kunstmuseum in Silkeborg, very close to one of Denmark’s cleanest lakes, has a good smattering of Danish and Swedish modern art, and some cool organic outdoor exhibits. The lake swimming was refreshing and beautiful!

Having a few days of relaxation in Denmark.  Lots of lake swimming and lovely weather.  Canoes and boats on a lake in Silkeborg.

It was great to see some of my Happy Jack products on ITV’s This Morning show, presented by Danielle Proud as part of the Brit-themed barbeque feature.  Have a look here

Remember the cows in New York?  Well now there is a fantastic array of pacaderms around London, all with fabulous, fun and colourful painted hides.  To find out more about the project and the elephant locations, have a look here.

Quite possibly the best mocha in London, what beautiful handwriting, available at Le Pain Quotidien and served in a coffee bowl.  Later in the week had delicious paella at a Paella & Primrose party hosted by a very old friend and her husband, there were two varieties - seafood and chicken with fava beans.  Yes, it looks like an enourmous amount of food but I saw that seafood pan practically empty by about 10pm, I was quite disappointed to not get any seconds!

At last Anthropologie has opened in London.  Their first shop opened on Regent’s Street a few months back, and they’ve just opened on the Kings’ Road, Chelsea in the old Antiquarius building.  When I was a student at Chelsea School of Art some years ago, I used to love strolling through the Antiquarius market on Saturdays, so it’s sad to see an old institution gone, but refreshing to see that Anthro’ have used the space so nicely.  When I used to live in New York I would go to Anthropologie on Saturdays and spend some of my salary on their lovely clothes, which are timeless, eclectic and colourful, and don’t follow the tighter rules of fashion.

This enchanting patchwork donkey was standing at the gate to the arboretum at Stansted Park.  It’s made by Pretty Scruffy, a handmade crafts co-op that give vintage fabrics new life.  If you’re down that way it’s well worth dropping in to see their studio.