Pretty spring pasta

I had the prettiest lunch today. Look at this flower pasta! It's perfect for spring and it tasted wonderful, too. For a split second it even made me want to make my own pasta (do you?)... but nahh I'm too lazy.

I was equally impressed with the peppermint tea. They brought me a pot of hot water and... a bunch of leaves. I was a bit sceptical but it worked!

Earthquake in Japan

I have been glued to CNN all day. I can hardly believe my eyes when I see all the shaking - ceilings and windows crashing down - and the sheer force of water washing away cars and buildings with such "ease"; they looked like my son's lego.

And the thought of something like 13 million people "stuck" in Tokyo, unable to go home (to the suburbs) because there is no public transport... Just imagine?!

And one event affecting - according to CNN - 20 other countries... tsunami warnings in Hawaii, the West Coast and as far away as South America! Unbelievable.

It is so incredibly scary and sad. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those suffering in Japan.

A (sadly) returned Chanel

Did you know that earrings are some of the "cheapest" things you can buy at Chanel?

I got this pair for about 250 pounds but saw a cute pair for 100 pounds, too! What a bargain!

Sadly, I had to return them because I - well, my body, certainly not my mind! - reacted badly.

There I was, feeling totally glam during the day... I'd had them on for about three hours and then my ears started to itch and irritate... and when I finally took the earrings out, my ears were bleeding a bit.

Of course I didn't want to return them. But I dragged myself back to the Chanel boutique. At first they refused to give me a refund. They were just going to give me store credit but I made such a fuss that they finally agreed.

Are you lucky enough to be able to wear Chanel earrings? I guess I will have to stick to their more expensive products :-p I saw some beautiful necklaces but they were at least four times the price of these earrings...