Amelia-May: A Little Bit of Italy

05/08/2026

Greetings Friends... yesterday we went into Southampton city centre to the Queys shopping mall and the day before we went to Wi******er Castle.... it is a very extensive castle that is well preserved and well patronized...
The Queys is a very nice multi level mall and is a central shopping centre that has a food court at the top and lower level slopes down into the street below...

I was keen to visit Hayling island but sadly it was windy, has a steep shelf pebble beach but the water temp was mild... quite good breakers and a wind surfer was out there for a while... this has been the first windy day we've struck and after a couple of hours at a noisy amusement park and the wind i was pleased to go have coffee at a quiet Cafe to have a slow down before going home...

I put on my little apron and felt like a character out of a Beatrice Potter story as I gathered the freshly ripened blackberries... the streets here are all lined in blackberries and down pathways and byways etc... it is delightful being here... I could easily slip into this lifestyle... England is very pretty... but i think what's nice is that the people are very friendly plus while we speak the same language we are picked up on our vowels.

We are staying in a 16th century brick house with exposed oak beams... the floor is up and down over it's 3 floors... and the ground outside slopes to one side so the house is built with some steps in it to match the contours of the section.
I am still enamored by the beauty and variation of the dwellings .... blocks of era styles then something completely yesteryear ... new. Subdivisions are going up all over... however they are surrounded by pockets of green.... and the roadways are green and leafy and overhang the roads...
The newbuilds are 3 floors in some cases and up to 5 bed 2 bath, extra toilet on a small footprint house so that there is a section out back for living.... they are built close to the street to maximize land use.... I have been doing a mental comparison to what we saw in north canterbury 2 weeks ago.... very disappointing how close the houses are together... I stood in a bedroom in a house and could see all the neighbour's through 1 window... I found it stifling.... worse than being in an apartment block as there was no clear air in front of me.. it was very off-putting.
That's all for now. Xx Til next time ...Stacie

29/07/2026

Greetings Friends.... well we are having a busy time here in England... my gc arrived on Saturday to spend time with us and it's been one lovely delight after another... they are camping atm and we are having adult time with our uk family...
We went to Titchfield last Friday and I forgot to bring my phone to take photos...but its a charming village with a lovely paved square, pretty shops and flowers everywhere... and an old Mill that is a huge antique co-op type shop with very interesting pieces... I could've had a bit of fun in there easily.
Yesterday we went to Bishops Waltham... a village in Hampshire... we had a coffee and a short wander around... found a very pretty street with a 500+ year old pub and beer garden... it turned out one of our family group members knew the owners ...
It's lovely to see in person these quaint historic villages and their mixed architecture... dressed with tubs of pretty colour it creates such lovely memories....
Tomorrow we are going to the Isle of Wight for the day.. xx S

27/07/2026

How pretty is this?
I could definitely move in here!!

23/07/2026

Greetings Friends... we are enroute to Singapore for transfer to our London flight...it gets darker as we fly towards Singapore!!
We've had 3 lovely days in Kuala Lumpur ... after collection from the airport we were taken shopping to the Pavilion Mall... all the well known Designer names and beautifully presented... very clean, sleek and the city is alive with lush greenery... fro. Our apartment we saw the progress of a building that we watched men dig by hand, foundations for what turned out to be a huge house, all made of concrete and 3 floors so far.... only the shell is created to date and the builders have moved on to another site.
There is a nice mall we can see from the apartment... it has a broad selection of eating houses and shopping of all manner.... we were taken to a very nice tea shop last year and was able to find it again and eat these fabulous chocolate hazlenut brioche... memorable....
Food and eating out is the main social pastime I am told.. and if you ask someone to join you for dinner, you are the host and the account is yours... Last night I learned that people drink hot water at a meal!! But mostly it is tea .... No alcohol to ramp up the account... the selection of different types of dishes and flavors are endless and very affordable to dine out several times a week... appealing !!
Today we went to an area of the city called Jalan Petaling... to the Petaling Street Market..
We walked from the train station to this area and stopped outside a restaurant..Dow and I both said "we have been here before" which was quite funny as Nick thought he was taking us somewhere really special... without knowing that it was the restaurant a friend of his took us to. More soon... not long til we board now xx Stacie

14/07/2026

Greetings Friends... well I am finally feeling a little more relaxed with where things are... I am packed, all my deliveries arrived and all my list ticked off....
Some lovely new styles coming in for Spring... and more to come no doubt...
Talk soon xx Stacie

11/07/2026

Greetings Friends.... A bit of a crazy busy time of late as I try and start packing up a few things in the showroom and finish off a room in our house...ready for Sale... there is always more to do than one predicts...
As for the showroom, we'll that is proving trickier than I expected too...I could still here here in September at this rate..
I was in negotiations for some showroom space which has fallen through due to the owner wanting a 3 year lease.... That level of commitment does not suit me so I will have to tailor my activities accordingly...
I am taking a few weeks off for some R&R but I will keep you all posted with any interesting news.
Til later... 💖 Stacie

02/07/2026

Greetings Friends, it's been good to see Ladies buying my display items.... Thank-you...I have collected so much... and while I am in negotiations over a retail outlet, I just need to downsize im my home too.
Showroom hours will be 11-3 until next Friday 10 July. Then I will be organizing matters on the home front...

27/06/2026

Greetings Friends... we started packing today... at this stage I will be open on Monday and Tuesday..
There are some fabulous new styles coming out this year... check out this new Parisienne fun wear...
I'm taking orders 😉 wink xx

25/06/2026

25/06/2026

Greetings Ladies... its been a wintery week.. or 2??
Busy days here ... sorting through hoarded stuff as well as prepping Spring and summer stock...
I thought we needed a bit of bright-ness to look at in the window.. So I teamed up this gorgeous red Marcella coat with an Amelia stripe dress in black ... with tights, boots and merino under layering our Linen is still the go-to choice to crawl out of winter doldrums... Get the best from your Linens with under and over layering... have fun and keep smiling...
A few more of my props for Sale and Nesti Dante soap just in , 2 for $25
💖 Stacie