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

Tales from the traveling (female) business executive

Posted on January 15, 2013 by fortewinks

George Melly where are you now? Photograph by Colin Bell About four years ago, my company took part in a healthcare event in Harrogate. I secured a nice little deal at the deliciously luxe Hotel du Vin and after a … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Feminism, Food and wine, Travel | Tagged business executive, De Vere. travel. business travel, dining alone, Forte Medical, Giovanna Forte, Hotel du Vin, hotels, Manchester hotels, The Mitre hotel manchester, Virgin Trains, working women, York hotels | Leave a comment

For the love of a good man (or few)

Posted on December 30, 2012 by fortewinks

Men. Don’tcha love’em? I do. In fact, I very do. Why? Well, as my year-end blog housekeeping took me on a walk of posts passim, I noticed that I have mentioned the Beta Boys on a number of occasions. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Feminism, Friends, Life and romance, Uncategorized | Tagged Attention, attraction, attractive, Beta Boys, brain, brains, chemistry, Clavicle, collar bone, collarbone, Eric Morecambe, expressive, eyelids, friends, humour, men, Morecambe and Wise, New Year, nostrils, Physical attractiveness, sex, sexism, sexuality, sexy | Leave a comment

Preparing for Launch: how The Hood came good

Posted on October 14, 2012 by fortewinks

A launch isn’t just any old launch when it’s yours. When you are CEO of the company launching the thing to be launched, you can’t feign invisibility, safe in the knowledge that your lack of cuticle care will go unnoticed. … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Entertaining, Food and wine, London, Uncategorized | Tagged 3Thirty, Andy Goldberg, business, CEO, clothes, Cowshed, Dames Chair, design, Dr Vincent Forte, Eyre Brothers, fashion, Forte Medical, Giovanna Forte, manicure, Mark Hix, Medical Futures, MSU, Neighbours, pamper, pedicure, Peezy, product launch, Rivington, shoes, Shoreditch, Shoreditch House, Sonia Rykiel, Start, Tramshed, women in business | 1 Comment

The holiday: Gozo far … and find unspoiled heaven

Posted on August 30, 2012 by fortewinks

Sunbather from ancient Gozo Excitement mounted as my long awaited, high-pamper-factor, sun-filled holiday hove into view, destination Gozo, a tiny island of the Maltese archipelago, which lies about 80km south of Sicily and 290km north of Africa. As yet unsullied … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertaining, Food and wine, Friends, Health, Life and romance, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged Food, friends, Gozo, Health, holiday, Malta, sun, Ta'Cenc, Ta'Mena, tan, wine, Xlendi | 1 Comment

Rumpelstiltskin, Fatsia and Flourishing Fuchsias

Posted on June 18, 2012 by fortewinks

Writing a story about a yard seems unprepossessing by any stretch of the imagination, but bear with me if you would. Because this is in fact a rather touching tale of how an Ugly Duckling Yard grew up to become … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Friends, Life and romance | Tagged Bergenia, Fatsia, garden, garden furniture, Gardens, hammock, London, London Brick, paving, planting, plants, Rumpelstiltskin, soil | 1 Comment

That was a week, that was

Posted on May 20, 2012 by fortewinks

Seven days in the middle of May: a more varied, demanding, entertaining week I can hardly remember and although it threatens to belie description, I’ll try. My efforts are necessary if only because, as a failed diary keeper this blog … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Entertaining, Family, Feminism, Food and wine, Friends, Life and romance, Uncategorized | Tagged Articulate Communication, David Eyre, Dragon Rouge, Entertainment, Eyre Brothers, Forte Medical, Girlfriends, Good Food, Hanway Street, Old Fire Station, Peezy, Prosecco, Smith + Village | 2 Comments

Beauty: a work in progress

Posted on May 7, 2012 by fortewinks

My birthday fell due last week, and as all birthdays do, it fell, took place and passed. But this nonentity of a birthday, ostensibly a nothing year, arrived on an ill-wind, one that ruffled my middleageing feathers in most unexpected … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism, Friends, Health, Life and romance, Uncategorized | Tagged beauty, Birthday, Brunswick Centre, Chantecaille, Erica Jong, fifty, forty-nine, Francesco Picardi, hair, hairdresser, happy, lipstick, Mac, make-up, mascara, Middleage, Pink Lady, Space.NK, Vespa | 6 Comments

Paddington Station, 3pm, Thursday. Bank Holiday Weekend began on a train destined for Bristol where my friend would meet and greet me. The journey was spent trapped between the window and a wall of strangely amplified sound: burger and fries … Continue reading →

Posted on April 9, 2012 by fortewinks | 5 Comments

London taxis and the art of Cabversation

Posted on March 13, 2012 by fortewinks

I am a Black Cab Queen. I love the London taxi and the driver behind the wheel. I adore the lucky dip quality implicit in climbing aboard; will I find optimism or gloom within? Cynicism or hope? Soulful entertainment or … Continue reading →

Posted in Friends, Life and romance, London, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged bethanl green, black cab, death, divorce, grandchildren, hackney road, krays, marriage, Monument, parenthood, philpot lane mice, puerto banus, sex change, stepchildren | 6 Comments

The G-Plan Diet: lazy and tasty

Posted on March 4, 2012 by fortewinks

The most important words between people are often exchanged over the table. Food is currency. Food is glue. Food is the stuff that brokers and builds friendships and relationships of any hue; and if they need celebrating – or even … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertaining, Family, Food and wine, Friends, Life and romance, Uncategorized | Tagged anchovies, chicken, Chili pepper, Cook, cooking, eggs, family, Food, friends, Garlic, ginger, green beans, Niçoise salad, Olive oil, pancetta, Potato, recipes | 3 Comments