Daily Jewels

From Left : Skagen Denmark Watch -London UK
Thin Layered Ring- Taxco, Mexico
Curved Ring - Gamla Stan Stockholm, Sweden

From Right : Hammered Copper Thick Ring- Vernon BC,
(handmade by my dad)
Elongated Teardrop Ring - Tiffany & Co found in Vancouver
Sami Swedish Leather Reindeer Bracelet with a reindeer bone button and nickel braiding - Umea, Sweden
(handmade by my friends mom)
 

The Top 100 films that inspire travel

I read this on Telegraph UK this morning and realized that films have such a big impact on travel.  I usually choose films that are based somewhere I have been or always wanted to visit.  I tend to watch international films to keep myself always travelling and learning new cultures.

British Airways has compiled a list of the 100 greatest films that inspire travel, based on recommendations from celebrities and passengers.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom helped select this list.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10139260/The-top-100-films-that-inspire-travel.html

I have marked the ones I have seen and hope to see them all in the next year.

The top 100 films

A Good Year *

A Room with a View

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

Amélie * +

Anchorman – The Legend of Ron Burgundy *

Annie Hall +

Around the World in 80 Days

Australia *

The Beach * +

Before Sunrise *

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel *

Blue Hawaii

Braveheart *

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

To Catch a Thief  +

Casablanca

Casino Royale (2006)

Chariots of Fire

City of God

Cocktail  +

Coming to America

Crocodile Dundee

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon *

The Darjeeling Limited

The Dark Knight *

The Da Vinci Code *

Dirty Dancing *

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

Dr. No

Eat Pray Love *

E.T. *

The Endless Summer (1966)  +

Enter the Dragon

Evita *

Forrest Gump *

Four Weddings and a Funeral

From Here to Eternity (1953)

Ghostbusters

Gone with the Wind

Gorillas in the Mist

The Hangover *

Havana

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Holiday

In Bruges

Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indecent Proposal  +

Into the Wild * +

It Started in Naples

It’s All Gone Pete Tong

Jaws *

The King and I

La Dolce Vita

L.A. Story

La Vie En Rose *

Lawrence of Arabia

Life of Pi

Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring)

Lost in Translation *

Mamma Mia *

Manhattan +

Memoirs of a Geisha *

Miami Vice

Midnight in Paris *

The Motorcylce Diaries *

Moulin Rouge! *

National Lampoon’s European Vacation

Notting Hill *

Ocean’s Eleven (1960)

Out of Africa

The Piano  +

Planes, Trains and Automobiles  +

Pretty Woman *

Quadrophenia

Roman Holiday +

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen *  +

Searching for Sugar Man

Sex and the City 2 *

Seven Years in Tibet *

Shirley Valentine

Sideways

Skyfall

Sliding Doors

Sleepless in Seattle *

Slumdog Millionaire *

Somewhere

The Sound of Music *

South Pacific

The Spy who Loved Me

Stand by Me

Summer Holiday

The Talented Mr Ripley *

Thelma & Louise *

Top Gun

Under the Tuscan Sun *

Up

Up in the Air *

When Harry Met Sally *

24 Hour Party People

Chet Faker

Chet Faker has been rising high into the music scene.

Hailing from Melbourne already wining Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

Fool of Me with Swedish twins Say Lou Lou

Vintage Stripes

 Many Stripes in my wardrobe, these are a few Vintage shirts I have picked up along the way over the years

A Collection of Espresso Cups

The very first tea cup I ever had was a little espresso cup made in Japan with Scandinavian folk art flower prints.  My neighbour when I four, a sweet older lady named Rita read tea leaves and also told fortunes for a living.  I would run over to her house everyday for tea and a visit.  I do remember her showing me how to slightly tilt my glass as the tea was finished and she would look deeply into my little cup and tell me stories of what it was going to be like when I grew up.  I do not remember the stories however, I do remember the moment in time very clearly.

The Ukrainian cup was given to me by my best friends, she saw them and new I would fall in love with them.  As  Ukrainian/ Canadian decent I do collect the odd Ukrainian art piece or dish wear. 
-Made in Canada

I picked up 2 of the Sail Boat Cups from a antique shop in Kelowna, originally for a friend, but fell in love with them myself and kept the two.  
-Made in England

The white espresso cup with no handle I picked up from my last trip to Stockholm from Åhléns the Swedish department store

The Pretty white, blue and gold and the plum and gold cups where my latest find at a local thrift here in Vernon BC.  They were marked $20 and $10 and I was in the store the day they had 5 items for $25 so it was a steel of a deal.
Blue and White Made in the US
Plum and Gold Made in England

The green little cup with the village boat scene is Danish Design one of my favourites was also found here in Vernon at a thrift.  Later that month my friend, not knowing I had bought this cup found a little dish with a lid matching to this exact collection.  I was floored to have another matching set of this lovely design.

Now to get my Espresso Machine up and running again and have friends over for afternoon fika

Flowers in your hair

A few amazing times spent in Sweden during Midsummer.

Summer Solstice happens June 21 and Swedes escape the cities to their beloved summer houses to rewind, drink schnapps, eat pickled herring, sing, and dance with flowers in their hair



Every Swede has a red and white house

My first experience with the Midsummer tradition was spend near Gnesta back in 2009.  I lived in Stockholm as an Au Pair and this was my friend Philly's Families summer house.

Philly and I stroll





Picking my seven wild flowers

Meatballs and I'm in charge

Song and Dance around the May Pole

Finally after 3 years getting to venture back to Sweden while living in London I made it for the very special  Midsummer.  These summer house where North of Stockholm near Edsbyn.

Front doors are lined with wellies for the un suspected Swedish weather

Fredrik surprising his dad with a new boat for a birthday gift

Enchanting Swedish forest

Mirre in a sit still moment

If your not a Converse wearing Swede then bless you for standing out

Nothing better then hard bread for every single meal



Midsummer lunch   Potatoes, Smoked Salmon, Hardboiled Eggs and always a caviar dill crème freiche sauce



Why wouldn't you have lunch in your wood shed?

Fredrik & I

A Swedish Siesta food coma

Midsummer smorgasbord dinner

Looking for Grizzly bears

Edvin and I strolling

Lovely Martina

Fredrik Olov

The sociable Swedes much more sociable after a box of Rose

As dark as the sky will get tonight

a barn social since 1845

Loka, Matpotatis and an old wood burning stove

Snug up to you Sheep

a traditional Swedish dance

Always one ball hangs lower

Swedish Midsummer cake for breakfast the morning after

Photo: Heather Walmsley

Winter Sisters

On Christmas Day this last year we decided to get out in the wintery forest and take some sister photographs.

I had a Winter solstice party so we decided to incorporate the head wreaths in the photos, also with a wool blanket I got at a flea market in Vancouver for $10. Our dog Bindi enjoyed the sister action as well. 

Photo: Emily, Heather & Alex

Vernon BC, Canada 

December 2012