How wonderful to be on holidays is. Nothing to do. Nothing to think about. Just relax and have fun. 

After a week off I would normally need a couple of days to recover from the holidays. This time I reckon I'm going to need some more.

Travelling with two children is amazingly enriching but also absolutely exhausting. We've been in Madrid, where we used to live, visiting friends and family and going to the places we used to go.

Apple & Cinnamon Straws

This week I have been feeling a bit crummy. This is something I am not really used to.

And I must confess I cannot stand it. Feeling sick, looking sick, not being able to do what you want to do or even what you need to do is something that overwhelms me. 

I try to use all sort of strategies to let my body know that it must get well as fast as it can. I try to carry on trying not to be bothered by the faintness. I try to convince myself: you are not ill. You are definitely not ill. Like a mantra.

Baked Cannelloni Cake

It is amazing how powerful words can be. How meaningless ideas floating in the depths of our mind suddenly seem to fit together and make sense.

This is something that doesn't happens too often, and maybe just because of this, when it happens, it’s like a breath of fresh air that makes us feel a bit wiser and slightly older too.

In my case, the trigger is usually something I hear or see. Whether it's a song, someone else’s conversation (yes, it’s something I cannot help, especially if it seems interesting!), a suggestive image or a mundane scene.

Chocolate Chip Cookie In a Cup

This week I have been unable to think about anything else but cakes. And muffins. And macarons. And icings, frostings, sprinkles, chocolate, fillings. And my sugar levels had gone through the roof.

A couple of weeks ago I received an amazing email. I was invited to join one of the sweetest and most extravagant cake events that has been ever held: The Big Cake Show. It was only a week before and I had lots and lots to prepare. I started working like mad, and I involved almost anyone who was around in cutting, peeling, labeling, sticking and packing. Family and friends worked really hard to make The Tiny Marmalade stall look amazing (special thanks to Fran, Isa, Ana, Cecile, Juanma and of course my unconditional other half!). And I must admit it was exhausting… More than 700 tiny jars canned in just 4 days. A burn on my arm. A lot less hair. An average of 3 hours sleep per day. Tons of chocolate. Litres of tea. A bit of sobbing and weeping. A lot of fun and hysterics.