Olive Oil and Chardonnay Pound Cake with a Sharp Citrus Drizzle

Posted on May 15, 2013 by sofagirl

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Baking has always seemed like a science to me: I’ve heard stories of epic fails – and tasted epic successes – so entering the arena always felt daunting. And unnecessary. Sofabrother is a great baker, my mother Glenis is too. … Continue reading →

Ladies who lunch – 90210 revisited

Posted on May 12, 2013 by camparigirl

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If you are new to LA and have noticed that women you  just met and briefly socialized with bid their farewell with “we should do lunch sometimes”, let me break it to you: don’t count on the lunch invitation ensuing … Continue reading →

Thought for the week …#34

Posted on May 11, 2013 by sofagirl

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“The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which bridge to burn” David Russell

Green grows the graffiti – Moss art.

Posted on May 9, 2013 by sofagirl

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We love urban art at campari & sofa.  Show us something beautiful created by a hip young thing with a spray can – and we will happily walk past a fancy gallery, grab a coffee and sit on the sidewalk … Continue reading →

Beyond challah – finding common ground with Orthodox women

Posted on May 7, 2013 by camparigirl

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With the corner of my eye, I saw the rabbi, standing on the side of the road, flailing his arms, trying to catch my attention. I stopped. It’s not the beginning of a rabbi joke – I was actually on … Continue reading →

Food and Wine after 50 … friends or foe?

Posted on May 6, 2013 by sofagirl

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When I was in London late last year I was stunned by the amount that people were drinking. I had honestly forgotten that it was perfectly ok to have two or three with lunch, a couple of cheeky cocktails pre-meal, … Continue reading →

Thought of the week… #33

Posted on May 4, 2013 by camparigirl

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If you can think of life, for a moment, as a large house with a nursery, living and dining rooms, study, and so forth, all unfamiliar and bright, the chapters which follow are, in a way, like looking through the … Continue reading →

Chocolate-Peppermint Shards

Posted on May 3, 2013 by sofagirl

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Sofabrother likes to try his hand at confectionary every now and then. Mark works fulltime with Knead Bakery – so baking when he gets home is the last thing on his mind.  But we had some friends around for supper … Continue reading →

Seeing what could be … Thomas Lamadieu fills the sky.

Posted on May 1, 2013 by sofagirl

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Thomas Lamadieu is inspired by slivers of space, the shards between skyscrapers, reflections in puddles, chinks around corners. He takes the photo, adds in a few lines, shifts perspectives and what you thought you saw then is not what you see now. … Continue reading →

Extraordinary women: Anna Merz, the rhino angel

Posted on April 30, 2013 by camparigirl

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The roar of the helicopter breaks the silence of the otherwise undisturbed plains. A man leans out and fires a couple  of tranquilizer darts into the thick hide of the rhino. Dust kicked up, grass blades flattened, a handful of … Continue reading →

Are we dressing appropriately for an epidemic?

Posted on April 29, 2013 by sofagirl

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I was standing in line at my local supermarket the other day when the man behind me gasped. I looked up from the mag I was browsing, to see what had got his goat. At the check-out till ahead of … Continue reading →

Tired of being good

Posted on April 28, 2013 by camparigirl

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Recycling is second nature. I haven’t kept the tap running while brushing my teeth in 20 years. My toilets have been upgraded to low flow; the water I drink is filtered rather than bought in plastic bottles. I don’t microwave … Continue reading →

Thought for the week …#32

Posted on April 27, 2013 by sofagirl

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“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” Plato (This beautiful image  ”Kenyan Children at Tribal Dancing Competition” is by Sheila Davies and was sourced here)  

“Childless at Fifty? What is wrong with you?”

Posted on April 26, 2013 by sofagirl

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There are two questions I get asked with an annoying regularity. They come as a pair. The first is: “Why aren’t you married?” This one I despatch easily – I either go for the laugh – “still waiting for that … Continue reading →

The Happy Show – Stefan Sagmeister’s take on how to get to “happy”

Posted on April 26, 2013 by camparigirl

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“Research psychologist Jonathan Haidt describes the mind as a small rider, the conscious, sitting atop a giant elephant, the unconscious. The rider thinks he is in charge and can tell the elephant where to go, but the elephant has his … Continue reading →

Are we what we eat – or have we made an enemy of food?

Posted on April 24, 2013 by sofagirl

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We have a ‘normal’ history with food in sofafamily. We sat down to dinner together every night: with instructions to finish what was on our plates. Most times that wasn’t a problem. But  there were certain things we hated. Most … Continue reading →

A florentine from Florence

Posted on April 23, 2013 by camparigirl

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The year I spent studying in Florence is a blur of long nights in an old shared apartment in the center of town,  walks along the narrow streets to the University building, the ice-cream cones from Vivoli and the double orders … Continue reading →

This much I know – Graziella Arcovito

Posted on April 22, 2013 by camparigirl

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This is part of an occasional series of interviews in which we ask older women to look back on their lives and pass on some words of wisdom to younger women. Graziella Arcovito, 78 years old Some boyfriends come with … Continue reading →

Monkeys with money and guns.

Posted on April 21, 2013 by sofagirl

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The last seven days have been filled with the horrors of humanity on it’s worst behaviour. We’ve taken to throwing bombs at our problems – and during the past week we exploded a marathon, decimated a wedding party, destroyed a … Continue reading →

Thought for the week …#31

Posted on April 20, 2013 by camparigirl

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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world” Margaret Meade

Of Law and (dis)Order

Posted on April 19, 2013 by camparigirl

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Since becoming an US citizen, I have been experiencing all kinds of treats previously not open to legal aliens: voting, volunteering in the Presidential election, whipping out my blue passport when re-entering the country, by-passing the immigration lines (alright, I … Continue reading →

Tuna, tomato and basil with peas: the no-cook, rave-review pasta sauce

Posted on April 17, 2013 by sofagirl

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When the Nieces and Nephew come for dinner – I try to cook something they like, will eat with the minimum of fuss, that allows us to sit easily around a table and chat, that gives them good nutrition … … Continue reading →

….it’s what we do that counts. A further thought on Marilyn and us

Posted on April 15, 2013 by camparigirl

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Last Summer, my mother suggested a strange outing: “Will you take me to see Marilyn Monroe’s gravesite? I think she is buried in Los Angeles”. It turns out Marilyn is buried in a pretty, small and serene cemetery just behind … Continue reading →

It’s not what we say …it’s what we do that counts.

Posted on April 14, 2013 by sofagirl

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“I owe Marilyn Monroe a real debt …. she personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night …. The … Continue reading →

Thought for the week …# 30

Posted on April 13, 2013 by camparigirl

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Women’s welfare is central to economic stability. Hillary Clinton Photo from dailymail.com

Things that drove me nuts this week …

Posted on April 12, 2013 by sofagirl

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There is a genius BBC series called “One Foot In the Grave”.  The Hero: newly retired, a little lost and continually having to deal with idiots – had a catch phrase: “I don’t belieeeeve it”. If you have never seen … Continue reading →

Toy Stories …. children from around the world – and the toy they prize the most.

Posted on April 11, 2013 by sofagirl

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Italian photographer Gabriele Galimberti traveled the world for 18 months in search of toys. Not just any toys – he met children and asked them to show their favourite toys or most prized possessions. He wanted to see if, amidst all the … Continue reading →

Having it all? How a real life executive, wife and mom tries (and what we can learn)

Posted on April 9, 2013 by camparigirl

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A few weeks ago, on the eve of the publication of Sheryl Sandberg’s “Lean In” (and the subsequent millions of words written for and against it), sofagirl and I looked back at our experiences as women in the corporate workplace, … Continue reading →

Thought for the week ….#29

Posted on April 6, 2013 by sofagirl

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Screw that – Andrew Myers and “painting” faces: one screw at a time.

Posted on April 4, 2013 by camparigirl

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  My Tudor period is still in full swing, although I am running out of additional reading material to explore. Whenever I go on a history binge, I like to put faces to the names of people I am reading … Continue reading →

A weekend away – how to deal with rain time in McGregor

Posted on April 3, 2013 by sofagirl

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Our friend Tracey of bellowblogs fame was feeling a bit burnt out and wondered if she might come hang out for a week or so. She is involved in an exciting new project that is occupying her time and energy – … Continue reading →

Enough to put you off chocolate for ever – terrifying Easter bunnies.

Posted on April 2, 2013 by sofagirl

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I have a friend who is terrified of clowns.  He is a big, husky, rugby fellow – who can be brought to his knees: shivering, weeping and sweating at the sight of Bozo – whether in real life or in … Continue reading →

10 questions that will reveal all … (apparently).

Posted on April 1, 2013 by sofagirl

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Psychologists say these are the 10 questions you need to ask to truly get to know somebody. Who knows if that’s true – but I read it in a magazine so it must be. As we are always up for … Continue reading →

The mixed emotions of watching our parents change

Posted on April 1, 2013 by camparigirl

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My father has never seen where I live. I have been in the States for the past 18 years and, besides a few photographs I showed him, he has no idea of what my house looks like, or Los Angeles … Continue reading →

Thought for the week … # 28

Posted on March 31, 2013 by camparigirl

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Anger is a waste of time. Ruth Bader Ginsburg US Supreme Court Justice

When it’s impossible to look away – a journey through Tyler Hick’s photos

Posted on March 28, 2013 by camparigirl

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The last couple of years must have been rough for Tyler Hicks. The Pulitzer prize-winning photographer, who has covered wars from Kosovo to Afghanistan, and has done extensive photo reporting all over Africa, was abducted for four days in March … Continue reading →

It takes a tribe – Surviving our 50s with a sense of humour

Posted on March 27, 2013 by camparigirl

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This post first appeared on the Huffington Post Blog on March 19 I stepped off the plane, late in the evening, exhausted but in a chatty mood, energizer- bunny style. I still felt energized on the following days too, rushing … Continue reading →

Sweet tart: Lemon Sorbetto

Posted on February 23, 2013 by sofagirl

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I’ve not been very successful with my ice-cream making. Mainly because I haven’t gone the gelato route and created a custard to start the process. The simple start-out recipes I have been using mean I’ve literally been freezing cream – … Continue reading →

Ethereal Meringues

Posted on February 16, 2013 by camparigirl

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In my imagination, meringues will always be linked to Sunday mornings: my small hand holding my dad’s, entering our favourite patisserie, the aroma of which I can still evoke in my nostrils, to choose a dozen pastries to take home … Continue reading →

Child’s play – recreating tragedy. Art or schlock-horror for horror’s sake?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by sofagirl

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‘In the Playroom’ is a series of images depicting children re-enacting disasters, current events, trials and political screw ups of our times. Canadian photographer and art director Jonathan Hobin covers the gamut – the 9/11 attacks, seal clubbing, the murder of a pre-teen beauty … Continue reading →

Our medical choices – lessons learnt from Angelina Jolie

Posted on May 14, 2013 by camparigirl

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Few things irk me more than the dissemination of useless or misleading information, especially of the medical variety. I love nothing more than to question my omniscient i-Pad on matters from cooking to disease symptoms – don’t we all? – … Continue reading →

“Shut-it Monkey” – how to be happy in six easy (hah!) steps.

Posted on May 13, 2013 by sofagirl

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A few months ago a friend of mine called. His housemate had been through a trauma and needed to speak with someone “who didn’t know her”. She wasn’t sleeping much, had nightmares when she did and was lashing out at … Continue reading →

The last Campari of the summer: perfectly bittersweet.

Posted on May 10, 2013 by sofagirl

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I was awake early this morning – it was just after five and still dark. The nephew and nieces were asleep next door and had pinched all the blankets from my bed to wrap up against the chill whilst we … Continue reading →