The composer next door

{Chopin museum, Valldemossa, Mallorca, Spain}

I always thought it must have been so dreamy for Chopin's Mallorca neighbors, back in the day when he lived & composed there. So I was thrilled to learn our new neighbor is a composer!

{Valldemossa, Mallorca}

The neighbor's been hard at work on a piece for London's Covent Garden & I love closing my eyes when spellbinding piano music fills the air...daydreaming of old Mallorca. :)

~ Have a dreamy, spellbound weekend! ~

P.S. Isn't it great when neighbors make life nicer?

P.P.S. I'll be traveling and offline rest of today, but can't wait to visit your blogs when I'm back!

(Images via Recollections of a Vagabonde and Travelpod.)

10 small pleasures I love {+lovely bloggers}

{I love long soaks in a bath - wouldn't mind this one}

Wonderful Stacey at Design Addict Mom and lovely Amber Blue Bird passed along the Happy award - Amber also passed along the Substance award. Thank you so much!

I've mentioned Stacey here before - I can't seem to get enough of her delightful posts (but it's a healthy obsession, heheh) and addictively-jaw-dropping images. Amber Blue Bird not only has the sweetest sense of style, but her awesome musings just make me smile :)

I'm to reveal 10 things I love, which I did recently, so I'll reveal 10 simple pleasures I love...because it's the small things, isn't it? :)

#1. Sipping Earl Grey tea (or a cappucino or hot cocoa:))

#2. Sushi

{Mastroianni in Fellini's 8-1/2, 1963}
#3. Hearing Italian, especially if Marcello Mastroianni is speaking

{Franz Schubert as a youth}
#4. Playing Schubert and Chopin on the stereo or piano

#5. That first sip of beverage when you're thirsty

#6. A package in the mail

{Latest magical sightings: Hawaii and Guildford, UK}
#7. Shooting stars

#8. Swimming at night (mentioned previously, bears repeating:))

#9. Singing at the top of my lungs in a car with girlfriends {Recently, we did so to this song (click here if music won't play)}

{A wonderful Alicia Keys ode to NY}

{Cape Town, South Africa}
#10. Watching waves - the best things in life are free!

I'm to pass each of these to 10 people, but many of you have these awards! I'll try to avoid the blogging police and give the award only if you don't have it (to my knowledge;)).

{Although you may not have time or inclination to make lists or pass on awards, I just wanted to let you know how much I've enjoyed your blog!}

Substance award to:
Stacey @ Design Addict Mom
Signe @ SignePling
Melissa @ Oh, My Darling
Connie @ Sogni e Sorrisi
Melissa @ So About What I Said

Tiffany @ Dancing Branflake
Jessica @ The Beat My Heart Skips
MarchMusings @ Style Nuggets
Jeanette @ Everton Terrace
Krysten @ After I Do

Happy award to:
Rowena @ Rubber Slippers in Italy
Kat @ Our Adventures in Japan
Ren @ Lady of the Arts
Lisa @ White Cotton Tee
Justine @ Justine Gordon
Rosie @ Rosie's World
Ashley @ browneyes.42
Annie @ All Natural Annie
Bombay Beauty @ bbNY
Nicole @ Scraps of Color

Thanks again Stacey @ Design Addict Mom and Amber Blue Bird!

(Images via Arzhine, Rsms, bluewaikiki, E-Film Blog, free-scores, Pedro Moura Pinheiro, Evie Marie, Science Facts, Bali Villa, Moneywise and neilalderney123. Joan and Justine, thanks for #9 :)).

Tagged! 10 things I love

I've been tagged by You can call me Meghan to reveal 10 things I love. Thanks, Meghan! My family and friends are a given, so in no particular order...

{The Maldives}
#1. Traveling - I'm always moving to new places so it kind of goes together :)

#2. Paddling down a lazy river (I love water)

#3. Eating, of course! Today, I'm succumbing to these chocolates

#4. Secret grottos and waterfalls

#5. Music has always been important. I love many genres.

#6. Late afternoon light

#7. Seeing butterflies

{I love this dancing image from a Netherlands dance festival}

#8. Dancing! (I'm awful at it! But love how it makes me feel.)

#9. Man's (and woman's! :)) best friend

{English sunrise, Scholes}
#10. Sunrises and sunsets - like daily doses of magic

I'm excited to hear what you love too! :)

(Images top to bottom via FreeWine, Druid Labs, Ozgur Mulazimoglu, morberg, blmurch, Creativity+, Haags Uitburo, nattu, Laughing Squid and tricky.)

Have a relaxing (US) holiday weekend!

Just a Labor Day weekend warm-up! (In case of food coma, see image #1.) :)

~ I'm signing off early this week, so have a fantastic, long weekend of non-labor! ~

(Images via Indigo Bay Island Resort and Spa, LittleSparkle, hn, FeeMail, Roberto, sassyradish, aspros, BillBrady, sugars and lilxerica.)

San Francisco dreamin'

(via)

San Francisco is so beautiful, I've always wanted to live there for a bit. Instead, I landed in East Coast cities (NY, DC etc). For the past 4 years, I've also been going between the East Coast and London.

The famed seals of San Francisco (via)

The famed garbage barges of New York City (via)

The famed football hooligans of London (via)

Mind you, there's nothing wrong with the great East Coast cities or London. They just sometimes call for more...je ne sais quois, no?

Golden Gate Bridge (and CRAZY wave, via)

Pacific Heights (via)

San Francisco dusk (via)

But a person can dream! And I'm good at daydreaming, if nothing else. For now, there'll always be lovely San Fran images to ogle...

Swimming at night

Tivoli villa, Italy

Pefkochori beach, Greece

This heat! I'm lucky to be near an outdoor pool--nothing like a night swim, under stars. Wouldn't a night dip in these Italian or Greek waters be lovely? Both look so refreshingly inviting.

(Images via Homeaway and TripAdvisor).

Greek vignette

Just came across these in my files, from a friend's previous trip to Greece, and couldn't resist posting. Don't they make you want to hop the next plane over?

(Thanks Laura!)