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Monday 12 September 2011

A trip South

I stayed with friends in the South of France.  Bliss.   You can see the sea from their front door.    Took a picture to show just how close it is.   Amazing.

From "my" bedroom window.

Can even see if people are swimming or if the beach is empty before you go down.

Then I went to St Tropez for the morning by ferry.

Ste Maxime from the ferry.


Found a café on the first floor overlooking the port.   For 2,50€ coffee you can spend hours looking at all the coming and goings.  Bliss.


Back to a figue flan for lunch.

Thank you friends for a lovely restful time.

Monday 29 August 2011

A change

Back in January I decided to sell my shop - never believed that it would really happen we sign the final signature tomorrow morning.   
A new life begins. 
I shall have to acknowledge that change involves. . .change!
I decided to re arrange my new atelier.


Beat this for organization.





A new creation.
A crochet bracelet for a client with an amazing button.



 

The entrance hall with fresh roses.

Fendi keeping guard - entrance to the new locale!

A few souvenirs of past embroideries.

"Most of the things worth doing in the world have been
declared impossible before they were attempted."
     -- Earl Nightingale



Saturday 13 August 2011

A peach omlette








In the meantime I have a peach thief in the garden. 


Would you believe that "Fendi"  my basset hound -  has a passion for peaches.   She  reachs up and literally devours all the peaches -well she snatches a peach off the tree and and then loads of other unripe ones fall on the ground.  You wouldn't have thought a dog would like fruit now would you - so to prove it I have caught her in the act!

















I have three precious peach trees/peche de vigne type in the garden.   They yeild kilos and kilos of peaches about this time every year even though they have this dreadful maladie called "peach cloque". 






  I just noticed that in my neighbours garden he has the same type of tree - but hanging from his branches are empty eggs in a plastic bag - and his trees don't have this disease !
How about that for a unfathomable bizzarie. 
My neighbour ties a plastic bag with two or three empty egg shells in Springtime or just about the time the tree is about to flower and until fruition.   The coquille must be emptied completely by piercing a hole at each end and draining the yolk and white - then washed and placed in a bag and tied with string to a branch - voila c'est tout.  No more disease.   Well it works for him and I will let you know next year if it does for me.    How this can possibly work scientifically I do not know.

Wednesday 3 August 2011

A Republican Baptism


My daughter and son in law decided to baptise their baby daughter but didn't feel like involving the church.   There is in France what is called a baptême républicain also called a civil baptism.    This happens before the Maire of the village or town and is symbolic really as has no real value although the godparents are morally advised to overlook education, and teach the child republicain values until the age of 18.  The child receives a beautiful certificate and gives everyone the chance to get together and have a jolly good day.




En route for the Mairie this Saturday.







The smallest Mairie in France.

Gathering in front before the ceremony.

Léli Louise and Isabel.



Just enough room for the baptised to be girl and parents.

The dearest little shoe.

The cousins.

One happy baptised Adèle.

Opening of the presents after a simply sumptious lunch.

Then the serious business begins.  Tarot.
A wonderful day to remember forever.

Sunday 24 July 2011

Truffle jar

Last night we had a wonderful dinner with friends.  They live in Paris most of the time but come to the "country" for a weekend break.    Food is their passion and although they had been in their weekend house for a couple of hours only - they had had time to grill a fish on the open fire and prepare these three vegetable dishes. 
Carrots, green beans and puree of courgette with garden sauge/sage.  The fish had a delicate flavour of smoke, the colours of the exquisite dinner service,  lovely wooden table and aromas of the wood fire made me immortalise this moment.




There was a present for Jean Marie.     Catherine who has been on truffle hunts with Jean Marie - had found this delightful truffle jar in a vide grenier.   Such a lovely shape - I have been looking on the web to find out the origin of the curved glass and why it would be called a truffle jar.    So far no luck - there are other truffle jars on ebay for instance but none quite like this one.    Can anyone enlighten me?   Would love to hear from you.


Sunday 17 July 2011

Prizegiving

It is the tradition on the 14th of July to play petanque or boules.   With the village of Viserny in the background the new school building has the most perfect flat sandy meeting place. 

Mimi waiting for others to arrive for the 7pm aperitif.


 This year we were invited by the municipality to decorate an useful object
in the patriotic colours.  There was an interesting selection of objects presented.   A ladder, basket, bicycle and
I made a little bag and decorated it in bleu blanc rouge of course.


Paris Match with the General de Gaulle and the Queen - this entry was brought by our newly arrived British couple in the village.   A prize was won



The children played games, while others chased the cochonet.



And we all enjoyed a great meal.  Vive la France et bon appetit.

Sunday 3 July 2011

A brand new workshop









What a week.   This time last Sunday Jean Marie and I were discussing what we could do with my "to be"
workroom downstairs.  A dirty old carpet - dampy smell and flaky paint would describe this room.       I wanted a wood floor as I think this is so warm and welcoming to any room - so went to the shop and bought what was needed.   Jean Marie worked non stop all week long taking up the carpet, putting down this floor and believe me it was hard work as none of the walls are straight.    So this is the result ...



Old shelves sanded down and put back to back with a large formica top make a superb working table.


The shelves are bare for the moment but won't be empty for long as I am eager to start organizing.   Bravo Jean Marie and thank you for doing this for me.    As soon as the shop has been sold and I have moved out this will be my new office/workshop.   

Monday 20 June 2011

sardines at the café

The most incredibly busy day yesterday - Sunday usually my day off.   Had to get up at 5:30 am to start getting ready for the annual vide grenier in my village.    


Taking out all the rubbish from my garage took quite a while and to my amazement the village was already crawling with people - parking their cars, vans and trucks and unloading boxes and baskets and sofas, and chairs.    Interestingly enough baskets, lamps, fire guards, wood chest of drawers and tables are not à la mode anymore - but DVD's, '60s furniture and objets, toys and childrens clothes sell well.

 The organizers were putting up the tent for the buvette and overhearing their conversation one asked the other for a "sardine".   Well at 7am in the morning I thought it a bit odd and well a new one on me eating sardines with café   - anyway at he end of the day we had (yes another)  bottle of sparkling local wine and again the subject of these sardines came up.   

Turns out that this is a folklorique way of saying tent picks - there are three terms.  
"Piquets" which are metal stalks with a crochet loop at the end for firm ground.
"Sardines" - flat metal bars for hard soil or ground
"Marquereaux" -  large sardines or very large flat metal bars for very hard soil


Sardine obviously comes from the way these little fish are packed together so tightly but marquereaux ? well I'm open to discussion.   Have a good week everyone.







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