HEADSPACE + HEARTSPACE Page 8 of 21

Honeymoon (2): Castel Monastero in Tuscany

Posted on 2013-06-09 at 12:35 pm.

After Florence we headed off into the Tuscan countryside for some chill out time in a beautiful old converted monastery. I had read about Castel Monastero in several ‘luxury spa’ and ‘best hotels’ books – the name kept popping up again and again so we decided to try it out. The place was perfect for us after the manic few weeks that precede a wedding. It was so peaceful and relaxed, giving us plenty of time to reflect on the brilliant time we had at our wedding, as well as talk about the kind of marriage and life we want to share in the years ahead.

We borrowed the hotel’s bikes and cycled past the olive groves surrounding the estate, soaked in the spa (which we had completely to ourselves, complete with strange dead sea salt bath) and then came back to the stunning hotel bar for very welcome cocktails!

One of my favourite parts of this section of our honeymoon was the stunning Gordon Ramsay restaurant in the basement of the hotel. ‘Cantina’ is built inside a vaulted wine cellar, reached down a narrow set of uneven stone steps lit only with candles.

These photos don’t really do the place justice. It was so atmospheric and the food was divine, paired with delicious wines from the hotel’s own vineyard. They happily made things to order if what you fancied wasn’t on the menu, and nothing was rushed. We ended up eating here three times!

We discovered the best creme brulee in the world…

While at Castel Monastero we also hired a driver and went on a long tour of the local vineyards. Such fun! More on that in my next honeymoon post…

Every day of our honeymoon felt like a precious gift of time to relax, soak up the beauty of the Italian countryside, and spend time together. We are grateful to our families and wedding guests who contributed to our honeymoon as our wedding present. The gift of travel was the perfect gift for us.

You can read my other honeymoon posts here: (1) Florence / (2) Castel Monastero / (3) Winetasting in Tuscany / (4) Borgo Santo Pietro / (5) Pasta masterclass / (6) Pisa and home

Places & spaces: The canal boat cafe and book shop

Posted on 2013-06-05 at 8:48 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Welcome to ‘Places and Spaces’, our new Wednesday column where we share places we go to think, get inspired, or come alive. The environment around us has such a bearing on how we feel, and sometimes a change of scene can make a world of difference to your perspective, thought process, or decisions.

Today I want to share somewhere I discovered recently when stepping out of the office, hopping on a train and going to London for the day. I was there researching a super-secret new project with Rachael Taylor, and we decided to walk between tube stations taking a detour by a canal. And look what we discovered – a travelling cafe and bookshop, in two separate barges moored alongside each other! It didn’t take much to persuade us to stop and have our meeting with a slice of cake and a steaming cup of tea, sat inside the floating cafe.

When we found the boats they were near Angel Tube but they never stay in one place for more than a week. Ahh life on a canal boat…

‘Word on the Water’ canal boat bookshop

Canal boat cafe

Who says you have to be stuck in a boring office to get productive work done?

Where is the most inspiring place you have ever had a meeting?

Honeymoon part 1 – Florence

Posted on 2013-05-24 at 9:21 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

And so to the honeymoon story… After our brilliant wedding (pictures of which are coming soon), we headed off to Italy for our honeymoon. I don’t know what it is about the word ‘honeymoon’ but it has a dreaminess about it which perfectly describes how you feel when you are on one.

We flew into Pisa and took a train through the Italian countryside to Florence, a beautiful city packed with history and art at every turn.

We only had one night in the city, so spent many hours walking the cobbled streets, strolling through the Boboli Gardens, basking in the sunshine and eating gelato.

Borgo San Jacopo inside Salvatore Ferragamo’s beautiful Hotel Lungarno where we stayed

We had promised ourselves that we would eat and drink whatever delicious feasts we fancied while away, so we started with dinner at Borgo San Jacopo, a fine dining restaurant I had visited on my own a few weeks before Mr K and I first met.

Back then, as I sat by the window overlooking the River Arno shortly after my 30th birthday I made a promise to myself that when I met the love of my life I would bring him here – so it was the perfect place to start out Italian honeymoon.

You should have seen Mr K’s face when the ‘amuse bouche’ appeared as a gift from the chef. I think he thought this was the world’s tiniest starter (or some kind of culinary joke – but it tasted delicious!)…

Pop back soon for Honeymoon part 2, when we venture into the Italian countryside for a taste of Tuscany…

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You can read my other honeymoon posts here: (1) Florence / (2) Castel Monastero / (3) Winetasting in Tuscany / (4) Borgo Santo Pietro / (5) Pasta masterclass / (6) Pisa and home

Wedding photos – sneak peek!

Posted on 2013-05-19 at 11:21 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Spending this Sunday morning going through our wedding photos. Brings back such happy memories… It was such an amazing day. Here’s a little sneak peek!

A flood of photos coming soon – hen do, wedding and honeymoon, with all the details – can’t wait to relive it all

Beth x

[All images: NavyBlur]

Gardening / procrastinating

Posted on 2013-05-03 at 5:05 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

You know when you have been away from something for a while, and things have piled up, and somehow you need to attack the mountain but just can’t bring yourself to do it? That’s what it feels like with blogging right now. I have SO much to share with you after an incredible few weeks off for my wedding and honeymoon – we were showered with love and I don’t know enough ways to say thank you to so many different people. But somehow it is hard to know where to begin!

So I am going to ease myself in gently with this little musing about gardening, and tell myself that I’m not really procrastinating about sharing everything else…

Last summer brought so much rain to the North of England that our garden became an explosion of green. The black bamboo has gone wild and shoots way up into the sky. The wisteria has climbed thick across the canopy which hangs over our little sunken table. And there are lots of (pretty) weeds around. So we decided to do some gardening – starting with getting rid of the old water feature put in by the previous owners of the house, and replacing it by a sawn-off beer barrel filled with pink and white pansies.

Doing physical work in the garden felt so good – I loved picking away at the earthy compost with radio tunes wafting through the air. I felt like I had earned my achy back, and the cups of tea tasted even better outside.

I think the thing I liked the best was the fact that my head pretty much emptied of anything while I was working with the soil. My head is normally a very busy place, so it was a kind of meditation to me.

I have to confess I know very little about gardening, but I would love to learn more. Our neighbours are fantastic, dedicated gardeners who spend hours and hours plucking and trimming, sweeping and nurturing, and their garden looks gorgeous as a result. Maybe this can be a new hobby for me in the years ahead? Anything that wears the body but relaxes the brain sounds like a good tonic to me.

Are you green fingered? What is it you love about gardening? Any top tips for a novice like me?

Love is in the air! Time out for good reason

Posted on 2013-03-15 at 5:27 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

There are some times in life that are so precious they just have to be savoured, for as long as possible. Getting married is one of them, which is why I have decided to take five weeks off work to enjoy every moment of my upcoming wedding and honeymoon.

“What will she be wearing?” they all asked

I am so grateful that Do What You Love gives me the flexibility to do this. Please know that the team is still here to support everyone involved in our courses, and we will still be blogging over the next few weeks (if a little less regularly) – and then I will be back with photos of hand made loveliness, tales of romantic adventures and a brand new name! (Along with a LOT of exciting changes and new things to share with you…)

Wedding wobbles

Posted on 2013-02-20 at 9:40 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

I have had my first wedding wobble this week – nothing to do with actually getting married – can’t wait for that! But more to do with the getting-things-done-by-the-wedding piece. My man and I spent a dreamy day on Sunday planning our service etc, but ever since the long to-do list we created has been weighing on my mind. Haven’t ordered the flowers yet! Or the cake! Or finalised the menu! I am normally a master of organisation and until now have been completely unstressed about it, but this week I just suddenly felt overwhelmed with the need for everything to be perfect, and done already.

But then my lovely man reminded me that whatever happens it will be perfect because we are going to become Mr & Mrs in the company of family and a tiny group of close friends, and it will be a happy celebration of love. It is so true, and deep down I know that, but that doesn’t stop me wanting to make everything by hand and make it all gorgeous.

I was up at 6am this morning sorting all my inspiration images and making lists (my default action when feeling worried about something), and two hours later I felt much better. Sometimes the big things can take on a life of their own which distracts you from the most important thing – WHY you are doing it in the first place. It’s true in business and it’s true in life.

So from now on, for the countdown weeks ahead, I am going to clear my diary of anything that isn’t a priority, breathe deeply, and focus what is really important: Transitioning from one phase of my life to another with the man that I love.

Thought for the week (8)

Posted on 2013-02-11 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

When it all gets too much remember this. Learn to say no. Hire someone to help you. Delegate. Choose not to do everything, so you can make it possible for you to do anything.

Thought for the week (7)

Posted on 2013-02-04 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Take the plunge. Move closer. Use your fear.

What do you desire?

Posted on 2013-01-22 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Those of you who have taken the Do What You Love e-course will know that something life changing happened to me nearly two decades ago, when I was 17 years old. I was on a boat in the middle of the Bay of Biscay, on the first of many big adventures, when I had a major a-ha moment. It was the summer before my final year of sixth form (like high school in the US), and I was getting ready to apply to university. Up until that point my mind had been set on a career in finance, and that had been a major influence on my academic choices. But then, on one particular glorious day on the high seas, I realised that I felt free, and that that was how I wanted to feel for the rest of my life.

Ever since that day I have used ‘How do I want to feel?’ as a major driver for how I make decisions about my life. I have not once made an important decision without considering this, and I think it is the most powerful question of all.

If you have never asked yourself ‘How do I want to feel?’ in relation to any or all parts of your life, try it. It works miracles. It not only opens your eyes, but gives you a completely different perspective. And it means you chase what your soul desires, not what your peers or bank balance tells you you should. And there is a major difference.

Recently Danielle LaPorte brought out a brilliant new programme called The Desire Map which, at its heart, asks this simple but powerful question. But Danielle digs deep beneath the question, and helps you excavate your desired feelings in every area of your life. I have been doing this for the past twenty years, but never before has someone so brilliantly and clearly laid out a path to help you work through your own feelings to find what it is you truly desire. And therein lies the key to where your best life is waiting.

The Desire Map is a brilliant resource which I would highly recommend if your New Year’s Resolutions feel a bit like a soulless to-do list, and you want to dig deeper this year.

Go on, make 2013 the year you use your desired feelings to make your decisions, and ultimately do what you love, for life.