love where I live

One of the great things of living in Raynes Park: It's a stone's throw from beautiful Richmond Park and Wimbledon Common. Last Sunday, the sun was shining, everybody was out and about and for the first time in months, it felt like Spring is not such a silly idea. Boy was I wrong! A week later and temperatures have plummeted below zero again with icy flurries in the air.

Well, when the sun was out a week ago, I captured my beloved Wimbledon Common and Village with a few instagram shots.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Just for fun, I've assembled a whole load of "fantasy" birthday cakes for moi for today - it's my birthday! Thanks for following my blog and hope 2013 will be a wonderful year for Mengsel.

I'll just imagine tucking into these beauties. Yum!

Chocolate fudge cake with raspberries and amaretto cream

-receipe from What Katie Ate

Whisky and Dark Chocolate "Beautiful and the Damned" Cake

- recipe from Poires au Chocolat

Mascarpone Meringue Cake

-recipe from Sweetapolita

Darkest Choclate Crepe Cake

- recipe from Martha Stewart

The best cherry & chocolate cheesecake

-recipe from Jamie Oliver

Are you picking up on the chocolate trend? Hehe

marie antoinette colours

Over here at Mengsel, I'm always inspired by colour trends. With Spring coming up, I've been looking at some sugary hues. One of my favourite films (stylistically), is Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola. The decadence of the era with a bit of an edge is so beautiful.

A colour palette...

Featured in The Simple Things

Mengsel's colourful "Toucans"cushion made an appearance in The Simple Things Issue 03. I just love this magazine! Beautiful photography, yummy recipes and pretty things for the home.

Shop the "Toucans" cushion HERE

Yearning for Spring

Today is only the first day of the second month of this year, but I seriously cannot wait for Spring this year. Usually, I visit my family in South Africa with my husband around Christmas, New Years and early January, but we didn't this year. Going in April when hubby's competing in Ironman South Africa - Yay!

We spent Christmas and NY in frosty London, bundled up inside watching the 1st and 2nd series of Homeland and drinking red wine in front of the fireplace to keep warm. Not an entirely bad way to spend a holiday, but I miss sunshine and flowers!

These beautiful blooms on My Pinterest Board made me anticipate Spring even more. I think I might even make it to the Chelsea Flower Show this year. I've never been. Is it worth it?