Author Archives: fortewinks

About fortewinks

A PA at 19 and self employed PR at 26, Giovanna is now a British healthcare entrepreneur and public speaker. She is also a bon vivant, mother of two accomplished daughters and Nonna to a gorgeous grandson. FirstBorn has travelled extensively teaching street children in Mexico City, working with the unwell in a Myanmar Monastary and living live to the full. She is now a teacher of Spanish in East London and a Certified Massage Therapist. Youngest-of-All is a Melbourne Top 30 under 30 Chef, founder of the city's finest destination for pastries and soft-serve and this year listed in the top 3,000 bakeries in the world: monforteviennoiserie.com @monforteviennoiserie

The poet, new friends and fifty strangers: a Christmas story.

Posted on December 30, 2015 by fortewinks

Sunday. How I love Sunday. We wake just before ten to catch Radio 4’s finest, and with breakfast in bed relax to the familiar theme tunes that herald our favourite listening. All this before rising to buy flowers on Columbia … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Education, Entertaining, Family, Food and wine, Friends, Health, Home, Life and romance, London, Uncategorized | Tagged Albion & Boundary, Beauty Story, Body Shop, Budgens, Curry's, Dixons, Emrys Architects, Eyre Brothers, Genesis Cinema, Hammade, Harringtons, Harvey Goldsmith Productions, Hix Restaurants, Honey Kalaria, Jamal Delights, L'Oreal, Leon, London Small Business Centre, Lush, Marvling Bros, Moore Stephens, Moroccan Essentials, Mr Start, O'Oreal, Outstanding Careers Limited, PC World, Rachael Smith, Rapha, Sainsbury's, Skin & Tonic, Stirling Ackroyd, The Rivington, Toni & Guy, Urban Species, Vogue | 1 Comment

Diaries: soulmates, dates and derring-do.

Posted on November 29, 2015 by fortewinks

“I need the dates of all the countries I have visited since 2005,” said The Exocet from Australia. “Could you please try and remember when and where we went on holidays and trips away?” Of course my darling; I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Entertaining, Family, Feminism, Friends, Health, Home, Life and romance, London, Motherhood, Uncategorized | Tagged Bethnal Green, boyfriend, children, Dating, diaries, diary, Family, life, memento, memories, Romance | Leave a comment

A new life-work balance … with buttercups and daisies

Posted on November 15, 2015 by fortewinks

The start of this year heralded what I have come to think of as The Cancer Months, now happily behind me. Life has settled into a slower steadier pace; my body won’t accept any more or less and I listen … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Family, Friends, Health, Home, Life and romance, London | Tagged Bethnal Green, Bottega, business, cancer, Curtain Road, flowers, healthcare, meadow, medicine, Peezy, Rivington, Shoreditch, walking, work | 1 Comment

A brief skirmish with Cancer

Posted on July 12, 2015 by fortewinks

It started with an abdominal pain. The ache had been there for a while but as I had taken up Pilates and was using my core muscles more intensively, it became more intense too. It feels like a twisted bowel … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Friends, Health, Hospital, Life and romance, Motherhood | Tagged Barts, BMI London Independent, bowel, boyfriend, cancer, colonoscopy, colostomy bag, diet, Dr Gareth Parkes, Family, hospital, life, Moss Pilates, Mr Shafi Ahmed, NHS, recuperation | 2 Comments

Giving out the Gongs: a prize day at school.

Posted on July 4, 2015 by fortewinks

They say everything comes to those that wait. A Prize never came my way at school but then I didn’t expect it to. I was diligent only in my enjoyment of life itself; the academic benefits of attending one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Education, Feminism, Friends, Motherhood, Nuns | Tagged education, Feminism, Fun, Girls, life, Mayfield, Middle House, Nuns, prizes, school, St Leonards Mayfield | 1 Comment

Girls on Tour: The Three Graces and a Tasmanian Roadtrip

Posted on May 18, 2015 by fortewinks

The Three Graces at Nubeena. Painting by Tornado. Australia is a substantial and beautiful country that until recently left my interest unpiqued. Until that is, Exocet (Youngest of All) deemed her culinary career incomplete without experiencing the territory’s joyful food culture; she … Continue reading →

Posted in Design and architecture, Entertaining, Family, Food and wine, Friends, Life and romance, Travel | Tagged Art, australia, avoca, boyfriend, cape raoul, daughters, family, female factory, Food, food and wine, friends, friendship, geology, Health, hobart, life, love, melbourne, MONA, oatlands, tasmania, white beach, wine | 3 Comments

First impressions: the prêt à porter (re)collection

Posted on February 15, 2015 by fortewinks

The black lace skirt with flesh tinted lining, a pale yellow silk blouse, one richly floral Chinese dress and a pair of black suede heels. These represent a handful of perfect pieces that hold memories, some momentary others momentous but … Continue reading →

Posted in Design and architecture, Feminism, Friends, Life and romance, London, PR, Shopping | Tagged architecture, black, boyfriend, cobbler, fashion, floral, frock, garden, launch, pret a porter, restaurant, roses, shoes, skirt | Leave a comment

PianoForte: lessons learned and practice making perfect

Posted on January 27, 2015 by fortewinks

Some moons ago a dinner discussion with Beautiful Boyfriend touched upon the matter of artistic aptitude and my former piano-playing prowess was mentioned. I had triumphantly achieved Grade 6 in practice and theory, foolishly giving up when my teacher refused … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Feline frolics: an East End speakeasy and a cast of urban cats

Posted on October 12, 2014 by fortewinks

It was the shimmering pink feather that gave the game away, nestled within the fronds of her fur. Oro came home after a night out, an exhausted Max following slinkily behind, the coat between his ears curiously flattened. The cat … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertaining, Family, Friends, Life and romance, London | Tagged base dale, Bethnal Green, boudoir, cats, Columbia Road, Durant Street, East London, feather boa, Max, MAXI, nightery, nightlife, Oro, rooftop, speakeasy, taxi, tuxedo | Leave a comment

Moving out, moving in: one street and a grand new chapter

Posted on August 11, 2014 by fortewinks

“October,” he said. “I’ll need the house back for my daughter.” My landlord sounded vaguely apologetic but businesslike on the phone. I had been his tenant for nearly seven years, moving in a hurry to escape with my daughters from … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Feminism, Friends, Health, Life and romance, London, Motherhood, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged boyfriend, Daughers, evolution, growing-up, happiness, life, motherhood, moving house, parenthood, travel | 3 Comments