新車落地。Brother Innov-is 30

It must be the decision of God!! I must have devoting too much time to my baby business recently and neglecting my family life. Finally my sewing machine broke down yesterday. A very clear signal to me: STOP SEWING!! And I know this time is serious and it is for sure going to say goodbye to me. 

I made a sweet zippered pouch with cherry charm for mobile yesterday morning and all went very well until I nearly finished my second zippered pouch.  I guessed something went wrong when the needle crossed the zip!!??? The lower portion of the thread doesn't interlocked with the thread anymore...woo...woo...

Getting a new machine is a MUST but what should I get for myself ? I did many searches on the web yesterday night but still haven't decided yet.  This afternoon will be no sewing but a good opportunity to tidy up my messy room!! 

If you are reading this article now why not telling me which brand and model you are using? 

哎呀！要走終雖要走，留也留不住。

我巳經看中新朋友Brother Innov-is 30，應該週末會去帶它回家。

[倫敦] 30小時

30小時可以做些什麼？

先約朋友C吃韓國菜。我點了辣豆腐海鮮湯配飯，再share個泡菜煎餅。好味但好多味精！

我本打算去British Museum但朋友想shopping, 不緊要我可以第二日自己去，所以就去了Oxford Street和Covent Garden。星期六的倫敦人流多過Causeway Bay， 幸好和朋友有講有笑，時間不知不覺地溜走了。

晚飯前有點時間去了Liberty看看布。雖然有sale但仍然好貴呢，布匹選擇多但比較適合做衫。只是看中了些有日本feel的絲帶。

晚餐和另外一對好朋友去了近 Liverpool Street Station食越南菜，因為太好味，又不停講嘢，所以忘記了影相。

第二天同朋友飲茶前有點時間，所以就由hotel行去British Museum, 行了十五分鐘便到了。剛遇到兵馬俑展覽 （The First Emperor），http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/all_current_exhibitions/the_first_emperor/exhibition_tickets.aspx

兵馬俑驚嚇版，小朋友的傑作。紅圈的兩位人兄算是好彩！！

本想去看畫但因為太耐無去，完全忘記了𥚃面是沒有畫廊的。好彩剛好有個不定期的展覽展出Fascination with nature: Birds, flowers and insects in Chinese Art, 都算沒有白行一趟。

多謝朋友R和她老公請我吃了一餐十個好味的飲茶。

今次的trip最開心是到了Spitalfields Market，一睇相都知係這個market是買手作仔。

 

在這𥚃開檔的人都是售賣水準之作。其實除了布物外還有人賣衫，只是我主力影自己鐘意的袋！！（注：有興趣的朋友要注意DIY market只是Sunday先開。）

最後一個驚喜是收到朋友從日本新鮮運到的handcraft magazine,還要是創刊號。又是十個多謝！

成個散曬的我今日休息了一整天。

【羅馬】聖誕吃喝。Green Tea。Gusto Wine Bar

巳經兩年沒有回意大利過聖誕，今年的聖誕晚餐顯得更有意義。

Linguine with clams。

白酒蕃茄煮青口，不是賣花讚花香，真的很好味，所以New Year Eve來了一個Encore。雖然是好吃但仍很想念巴黎的Leon De Bruxelles...

龍蝦配tartar sauce，鮮味十足。

Olive & Feta Cheese焗海蝦。

當然不少得wine & bread。

我愛的海鮮大餐！

餐後有意大利人過聖誕必食的一大堆甜品。我們等到十二時倒數後再喝Spumante(Italian Sparkling wine) 和一定不少得的 Pandoro 和 Panettone。

飽到死的去瞓覺。

大節過後，見盡要見的親朋好友, 終於可以開始我們的真正假期了。

很久沒有吃過好味的中國菜，我們懷著滿心歡喜的心情去試在萬神殿旁的的中菜館 “Green Tea“，聽說廚師是由香港來的，而且在巴黎及上海都有分店。結果還是失望而回。給論是不要再花錢及時間在任何聲稱自己是提供正宗中國菜館上。還是儲備銀彈回香港食過飽的。

可知道花五十歐羅在半島酒店的'Spring Moon"吃點心可以滿足三天了。太唔好味，無心機影相!!!

可是正在和吃不完的甜點和極度好味但十級油膩的意大利菜搏鬥時，消化不良和感冒正向我招手了。有先見之明的我，怕兩個星期都是吃意大利菜, 不厭帶其煩的帶了電飯煲。

食了兩天白粥，又開始食“中““意“fusion菜了，例如白飯配意大利肉丸！

病癒後又再出動，到了有情調Gusto Wine Bar ，我是滴酒不沾的只點了橙汁。六時前有普通的snacks供應，六點後開始供應熱食的appetizers。

Wine Bar的後面是餐廳。

【羅馬】Rothko 展覽。乾隆皇帝展覽

到座落在Repubblica站的Palazzo Esposizioni看了Rothko的展覽, 除了展覽了他後期廣為人知的方框作品，也有展示他早期風格完全不同的作品。真很難想像簡單的方方框框會變成如此有名的藝術作品

第二天我們去看放在紫禁城內的三百多件和乾隆皇帝有關的展覽。沒有到過紫禁城的我們真的很喜歡這個展覽。現在V先生知道什麼是八旗子弟，看過乾隆的真跡，玉如意，還有當時乾隆很喜愛的意大利籍畫師Giuseppe Castiglione的作品。一個洋人用西洋圖工繪畫乾隆一家上下過年的景象，真的很特別，也特顯了這個展覽在意大行擧行的意義。

展覽館入口

看完展覽有記念品賣

Giuseppe Castiglione, traditional Chinese: 郎世寧; (July 19, 1688 – July 17, 1766) was anItalian painter, court artist and Jesuit missionary to China.

Born in Milan's San Macellino district, Castiglione studied painting in Italy with Carlo Cornara of the renowned Botteghe degli Stampator painting studio. In 1709, he became a Jesuit and in 1715, he went to China as a missionary. His skill as an artist was appreciated by the Emperor Qianlong and Castiglione spent many years painting various subjects. His style was a unique blend of European painting with Chinese subjects and themes. He was also in charge of designing the Western-Style Palaces in the imperial gardens of the Old Summer Palace.

While in China, Castiglione took the name Lang Shining (郎世寧). Apart from his paintings Castiglione also designed a summer palace for Emperor Qianlong. He died in Beijing.

我跟V先生說不如今日唔好去睇exhibition，好貴呀d飛。回應是："藝術是無價的，不要這樣cheap啦，香港人"！！

﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣

我不懂看意大利的電視節目，最多只愛看音樂節目，所以話音樂真是世界語言。我愛古典音樂，更愛看日劇“交響情人夢“，我用這個假期KO了這套劇，雖然沒有英文字幕但Ｍr V也陪我看罷整套DVD, 由再一次證明音樂是無份國界的。

Reindeer

從意大利回來之後忙着拆禮物，足足拆了一個星期，


這個聖誕老人真係唔話得，不但把我們的家從香港搬過來，更把可惡的塵垢帶到我們潔淨的家。害得我以為自己又傷風。吃了傷風藥，無效。再試中藥，又無效！！直到前幾日想到用暖水袋取暖時，傷風又發作。

經過深入調查後，發現幕後主腦是.......付在毛公仔上的塵垢令我鼻敏感！

暖水袋是在可愛的Reindeer裹！好sweet！但當前最重要的是好好的和Reindeer洗白白, 好讓它早日投入服務。

【羅馬】聖誕日。Piazza Navona

聖誕日在晴朗的一天出發。

由於所有商店都在這天關門大吉，我們到Piazza Navona的聖誕市集看看。雖然年年都是賣同樣的商品，但這就是傳統呢！

我最喜歡鬼鬼祟祟的聖誕老人和美麗的天使。

在意大利，1月6日還是Public Holiday (La Festa dell'Epifania)，是和一個老婆娑有關的。我叫她做“聖誕老婆“。

According to the legend of la Befana (聖誕老婆), the Three Wise Men stopped at her hut to ask directions on their way to Bethlehem and to invite her to join them. She refused, and later a shepherd asked her to join him in paying respect to the Christ Child. Again she refused, and when night fell she saw a great light in the skies.

La Befana thought perhaps she should have gone with the Three Wise Men, so she gathered some toys that had belonged to her own child, who had died, and ran to find the kings and the shepherd. But la Befana could not find them or the stable. Now, each year she looks for the Christ Child. Since she can not find him, she leaves gifts for the children of Italy and pieces of coal (nowadays carbone dolce, a rock candy that looks remarkably like coal) for the bad ones．http://italian.about.com/library/weekly/aa120600f.htm.

意大利人像中國人一樣迷信。深信這些紅辣椒能將別人的bad wishes一一送走。