Wardrobe rehab

Every year, at the beginning of winter, I have an overwhelming need to hygge up my home – i.e. the Danish obsession with getting cozy and content. Since shabby-chic is in, I won’t resist the urge to cozify auntie Hortense’s vintage wardrobe. Lined walls and shelves are an unexpected touch that can really liven up an entire piece from the inside out – and who doesn’t love a good surprise?

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Cold sore no more!

A cold sore bubbling up from your lip is unsightly, painful, embarrassing and makes you want to disappear under your duvet. A couple of days before the drama, an unmistakable itching-burning-tenderness around the mouth warns you that the dreaded, disgusting, disfiguring virus is about to strike your exquisite epithelial cells, making your lip look like a cauliflower. A true esthetic and sanitary catastrophe creating days of suffering, distress and misery and knocking your seduction rate well below zero! To add insult to injury, there is no way of covering up the exploding ulcerated mess either, unless you stick a paper bag over your head.If it’s any consolation, you are not alone in this predicament.

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Louna's recipes

With her lovely shiny coat and her cute, smooth, wet nose, Louna is a true beauty. The gloss finish on her little snout, is not purely cosmetic, it also works as a scent chemical absorber and an indicator of this ravishing little canine’s general state. Contrary to popular belief, a dog's dry nose does not necessarily mean a health issue. But a poor little nose that is overly dry, chapped and/or cracking urgently needs help.

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Eradicate red fruit stains

Fruit stains are always a tragedy. They are members of the terrible Tannin gang, not an easy lot to deal with. The fiercest are the red fruit ones, like the deadly splashes left by Giovanna’s heavenly blueberry pie on Raymond’s white shirt: a delight for the taste buds but a demon to get rid of. Next time, the dear boy will have to wear his diving suit to wolf it down without damaging his clothes.

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A kiss is not just a kiss

“You should be kissed and often, and by someone who knows how” said Rhett Butler to Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. He was right, but probably didn’t know to what extent. Since then, scientists have thoroughly studied the subject and proved that kissing is paramount to happy relationships. Not a quick peck on the cheek, like in Planet of the Apes, oh no, we are talking about seriously sensual smooching.

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The magic of banana peels

According to an old Chinese proverb, the best fertilizer is the gardener’s shadow. But adding some extra plant food, such as banana peels, won’t hurt. Unfortunately, the poor dears’ amazing qualities are sadly unrecognized and all this because the slippery banana peel trope severely tarnished their reputation. A most unfair state of affairs when these lovely many-talented yellow envelopes are, amongst other things, fabulous fertilizers. These marvels are bursting with minerals – potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron and lots more – plants absolutely adore, and so do we!

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A gleaming motorcycle

The Harley Davidson Owner’s manual, the bikers’ bible, recommends keeping sodium bicarbonate – aka baking soda – and water close at hand when working on your bike. So, if baking soda is good enough for Harley-Davidson, it’s good enough for Raymond. The dear boy was overwhelmed when he found out that he could prepare his own car/motorbike/boat/bicycle cleaner.

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Refreshing recipes

In our previous newsletter, we promised refreshing recipes to stave off the heat of the sultry dog days of summer. So, its bye-bye ragouts and risotto and hello ice-coolness of fresh fruit and vegetables, BBQ fish and meat, healthy smoothies and sugar free sorbets. Not only are they cooling but they will also give you a glowing skin and a fabulous figure.  Dare savoury granitas such as tomatoes, sweet peppers, melon with ginger or cucumber to totally amaze your guests.

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