Pretty things, and a tag...

Isnt this pretty? I found it on a new website called http://www.secretgarden-deco.com/. It is a French site but I believe the owner is having an English translation done. She has a variety of pretty things for sale, and I think I'll be ordering the candle to send as a present.

I so admire these people who create amazingly lovely blog sites, and wish I knew more about doing it. Some of the backgrounds, covered in flowers are so beautiful. They put photos of their gardens, pictures of houses, pictures of their Antiques. All very enticing! It immediately makes you want to read the blog.

Which brings me to another thing....I wish there was a more attractive name for a 'blog'.

I have been tagged by Rhondi. I think it's one we have done previously, but...here goes.

What was I doing 10 years ago?

Just getting ready to retire from teaching and come out to our house in France to live here full time.

5 things I am going to do today.

Weeding.

The ironing.

Phone a friend in England to say Happy Birthday.

Pick the Broad beans.

More weeding.

5 places I have lived.

Cornwall.

Sutton Courtenay, a Berkshire village.

A town house in Truro.

An old presbytery in the Gironde region of France

Brittany.

3 snacks I enjoy

Marmite on toast (only English people will know about marmite)

Kiwi fruit.

Chocolate...is that a snack??

That's it, I think. Apparently I should find other people to tag, but I dont think I will.

Paris in the rain.

Not that it rained all weekend, fortunately. just a heavy shower when we were doing the tourist thing of boating on the Seine. The system of shuttle boats...hop on, hop off, is so sensible, as instead of walking miles, or going on the dreaded Metro you just hop on the boat at the Hotel de Ville, and hop off at the Champs Elysee.

There is a special something about Paris, not easily described. Even the TGV journey from here to there is fun, rather like an plane journey, fast, quiet, and with obliging stewards with food and drink trolleys! The 'boutique' hotel (never quite sure what that means exactly) Le Villa Mazarin was perfect, just off the Rue de Rivoli, and one of the most comfortable we have stayed in.

We went to Paris this weekend specifically to got to the Opera, having been lucky enough to get tickets for the premiere of Romeo and Juliet , with Anna Netrebko singing Juliet. We've seen her before, in Vienna, and she was, as always , wonderful. Being 5 months pregnant, she has asked to be released from 3 of the performances, but was singing in brilliant voice for us, and looking lovely in a cleverly designed high waisted dress.

The two islands in the Seine, Ile St Louis and Ile de la Cite, are places we had never explored, and found all sorts of fascinating alleys with interesting little shops, wonderful ice creams from Berthillons, and all the family type shops that you don't see in the inner city. Smells of freshly baked bread, coffee and flowers drifted through the air, and we took the time to sit at a pavement cafe watching buskers, listening to the mingling of dozens of languages....and drinking perfect coffee.

Even a short three days seemed to go on for ever. Time stretches, and I want to go back. Tomorrow!

Pink garden

My poppies continue to flower. today there are eight out at he same time, but some are beginning to drop. I shall save the seed and give some away for others to enjoy next year.

Pink photos today. this Broom is a mass of flower, and the bees love it,

A few more garden-y things.

My herb pots sit outside the kitchen. I have parsley, chives, mint, tarragon and basil, and I use them every day in salads and cooking. I love the 'oldness' of my pots. The herbs come up year after year, except for Basil which has to be reseeded.



This pot of geraniums is growing well. I mixed
some Peaches and Cream verbena with it.

The Pink Mayblossom was only planted two
years ago, and last year did nothing. This
year it has surpassed my expectations.



















This hanging basket of geraniums just goes
on and on flowering!

Random Acts of kindness

I'd heard of the phrase 'Random Acts of Kindness' but not really considered it till recently, when someone did me a great service, simply through kindheartedness. So I thought I'd list a few of the kind things done by nice people that mean so much.

The lady who waved me forward in the supermarket queue. She had a huge trolley full and I just had two things, and was in a hurry. She didnt need to, and in France it is unusual to give up a place.

A little boy on the beach who saw his friend drop an ice cream, and insisted on sharing his own.

The lady serving in a coffee shop where I stopped briefly on the way to a funeral for a quick coffee. 'Have this one on me, dear. You look frozen. ' she said with a smile.

My neighbour who turned up on my doorstep with a huge bunch of Lily of the Valley plants. She knows I love them and mine had not come up this year.

My daughter in law who rang 'just to say how special you are'.

All these and many more are gifts in themselves. They dont have to be expensive, they dont have to involve shopping around. Just a moment of thought for another person. Isnt it good to be that person? And isnt it good to be the giver, too.

Garden things

Isnt this lovely? I planted this poppy only last year, when she kindly gave me two flower heads. This year there are already nine buds waiting to open . They seem to take it in turns to come out. As one drops its tissue-y petals, so another one sheds velvety coats and springs open. I have planted another white one nearby, but it's very small yet.

All of a sudden my Aquilegia have opened, dozens of dainty 'Granny's bonnets' swaying in the breeze. This pinky one

is a favourite, but I also have pale blue, pure white and deep purple. There's a timid Delphinium tucked away at the back, struggling after being savaged by slugs, but recovering slowly. This clump of Aquilegia will need dividing in the Autumn--it's getting a bit pushy.

The bronze fennel is being a nuisance. I really thought I had picked all the flowers before the seed could drop last year, but no, here it is, popping up all over the beds. Pretty, and I love the scent, but, pushy!

This is the Geranium season in France. Balconies overflow with bright red flowers, pots burst with big blowsy heads. The local Bar always has a pretty selection of boxes crammed with gaily coloured flowers. The little Breton cottages are hidden behind a mass of geraniums blended with Hydrangeas, a wonderful mix, and so traditional to this area.

And these are some of mine, planted only a week or so ago when the frosts were safely out of the way, and already making good progress. They sit on the terrace by the two olive trees, and in a few weeks will be a mass of colour, falling over the edges of their pots, abandoning themselves to the Summer sun. I hope.

On our own again

Our friends have left us today, and are on their way to the ferry port for a night crossing to England. We shall miss them so much. They are the sort of friends who are much more than just 'visitors'.
Most days we have loaded ourselves into their very comfortable Defender and gone somewhere, shopping in markets, paddling on beaches, seeing new places. All the things you do with visitors, but not often on your own. They were kind enough to take over the driving, no mean offer with the price of diesel at the moment.
Some days were just too hot to go anywhere, so we lay on the terrace in long chairs, relaxed, read the papers, didnt finish the crossword, discussed the state of the world.........
So, now we are on our own. Only two chairs on the terrace. Back to the real world of mowing the lawn and doing the ironing. Maybe, even some much neglected sewing. Or, gardening even. The pool is open but not quite at the temperature I like, so hope the sun will continue to shine.

And this is where we were........

With our friends the 'Backsons', we visited Larmor Plage, a small seaside town. It was the hottest day we have had for a long time, and we found a parking place at the top of the town, strolled down to the water, and went to our favourite little beachside restaurant.

We sat out on the terrace, ate very fresh Sea bass and people watched. Children were having a wonderful time, in and out of the water, adults were risking certain skin cancer, but everyone was enjoying the day.

It' so nice to have time with like-minded friends, who dont want to do anything more than stroll, meander, chat, catch up. Tonight we sat out on the terrace by candlelight until it got too chilly. Another such day is forecast for tomorow.

Busy..............backson

As Christopher Robin said in his note on his house, Gon Out, Bisy,.... Backson. (Then translated by Owl as, 'Christopher Robin has gone out with a Backson. He and Backson are busy somewhere'.)
We have friends, favourite friends staying for a week, so every day is spent doing things together, shopping, eating out, catching up. We are, in effect, out somewhere with the backsons!
So, see you next week.

My terrace is ready. the roses are budding. The sun has actually shone for a few hours. What more is there to do to prove that Summer is, maybe, on its way?

Geraniums. It is finally time to plant out the geraniums that have been waiting in the wings for the last frosts to go. Huge terre-cuite pots are waiting, and I love the flower filled stems of the balcon geraniums that are so prolific here.

Tonnelle...that's what the French call the small marquees that we like to put on our terraces. You can see the white framework is ready. But sadly, when I got the fabric cover out it had several splits, and only a year old! Being economical I found some strong cream fabric, stitched all the splits together ..............and watched as new and bigger split appeared as we put it up. Economy forgotten, we bought a new roof cover, which thankfully is the same model and colour as last year's.

What else? Well, I think just sun, lazy hot days, a good bottle of chilled white wine, some super nibbles on a pretty UPL plate, and, as they say, voila!

Coffee morning

I'm up early today, that is , early for me, ie 7am. Yes I know lots of you do that every day, and so did I before retirement!

Today the plumber decided that the only time he could possibly get here, having put me off several times already, was 7.45am. So he is here , doing bathroomy things, and I am lurking in the study. I dont feel like his brand of jollity this morning.

Later, round about 9am, I'm off with my basket of goodies to a Church coffee and cake morning. It's in aid of Wells in Ethiopia which is this year's Bishop's Appeal. I've made two cakes, one a rather yummy chocolate one, with icing.....mmmm, and another plain sponge. I'm taking a tray of potted out Nicotiana plants. These are what I call the 'real' tobacco plants, white, perfumed and very tall, much nicer than the coloured non scented hybrids, and they grow up to three feet tall, possibly more! there were 1000 seeds in the packet, so it said, and I must have a good part of that in little pots in the greenhouse

I so hope that people will come and buy, and make the morning a success.


PS. They did! The plants were all sold, the cakes eaten, and the coffee appreciated.

A small hotel

Every now and then we set off for another part of France. Whilst we live here it is good to take the opportunity to explore and there are still so many parts we haven't visited. Before we lived here we used to come over for holidays whenever possible, usually renting a gite, and discovered beautiful Normandy, amazing Basque country, the Pyrenees, the Loire, and more.

Having lived near Bordeaux for two years, we have many friends there, and sometimes go for a visit. Now we have only one of us who drives , I make an excuse to stop half way, and this little hotel has become a 'stop off' for us.

Its name is 'L'Hotel du Donjon', which isnt very appealing, but it is in the small town of Aulnay , in the Charente region, and there is an ancient dungeon in the town. We first found the hotel almost by accident, driving through and looking for somewhere to stay. The front is facing the village square, and the pretty garden is not visible till you are actually inside. M. and Madame had only tken the hotel over a month before our first visit, and although it was their first foray into the hotel business, ran it with charm and friendliness. Madame is , like me, an avid cross stitcher , and many of her works are on show. We asked where we could eat that night, and she kindly offered to cook a light meal for us, which was delicious. Now, it has become part of her repertoire as so many people request an evening meal.

There are only ten bedrooms in the hotel, all very attractive and with their own bathrooms, and even one on the ground floor opening into the garden. We like that one!

I think we have stopped there three or four times in the last two years, and we were delighted that our letter to Alistair Sawday had been followed up, and the hotel is now included in the guide book.

Just a small hotel, but, so restful and charming.