Simple pleasures.

Today's simple pleasure.

Changing bed linen.

Is it just me, or do others get the same pleasure from

choosing a clean set of linen from the airing cupboard,

smelling its delicate scent of lavender as the sheets are flipped open.

Beautiful pillowcases sitting pristine on the pillows.

The thought of settling into an uncreased, crisp, unslept-in bed,

that is white, scented and ......

such a pleasure.

"Brico"

Fifteen years ago, when we were first in France, it was rare to find

a well stocked Brico, "a Do-it-yourself" shop.

Now they are everywhere, possibly partly due to the

influx of English people wanting to renovate old stone

barns and farmhouses.

Now we have Brico-depot, Monsieur Bricolage, Brico-pro, and so on.

You can get everything you need, and more.

Sand, cement, bricks, tiles.......

Garden equipment, sheds, plants,pools. A wonderful selection of outdoor seating, Barbecues, Parasols.

And of course, tools.

I watched as people came out of our local shop this morning.

Everyone carried something.

One had a ladder, one a garden hoe.

A lady carried fencing.

A bag of bits and pieces for a new gutter followed in my husband's hand.

Jean-Pierre came out wheeling an immense pile of

sacks of seed compost, carrying it to a car for a customer.

Maybe it's spring in the air,

but everyone seems to be gardening or renovating!

A winner!

The winner of the length of silk is......

Miss Creativity!

The names were put in a basket, and my husband

drew one out. I havent yet got to terms with the random

thingy.

So please e mail me with your address, Miss Creativity.

A reminder.

I will be drawing the name for my giveaway (March 23rd for more details) tomorrow, Wednesday 30th.

I'm hoping to have a second giveaway very soon, to celebrate 700 posts.

Monday mists

It's a very misty morning here, not the sort of weather that entices

one into the garden. I did run out

just to take a photo of my Silver pear tree,

which is just coming into leaf, and blossom.

Monday is an odd day in rural France.

For many years it was a closing day, and even now

there are shops that do not open.

There is a little town near us that has a very good market

on a Monday morning....but the shops stay firmly closed!

Traditions die hard.

Banks will be closed.

The shoe shop closes.

The electrician closes.

Restaurants may be closed.

Big supermarkets will be very open. All day.

I'm going to get on with my cross stitch today and go nowhere.

A Pause in Lent 3

I dashed in to our local 'Vide Grenier' (translates roughly as; empty attic) this morning, held in the village sports Hall. It's not often such an event takes place, and I was interested to see what was on sale.

As I wandered round, it occurred to me that this was a subject for A Pause in Lent.

What's happening here?

Clearing out. Making space.

In a sense, that is what my mind is doing during Lent, taking out the unneccessary, hunting for the cobwebs, clearing out the parts of me that need change.

Looking at the , frankly, rubbish that was on sale, I felt that perhaps it's a good time to throw out, to re-start, to spend these days coming towards Easter with a clean heart.

The internet isnt always safe.

During the last week, I have heard of two people, whom I follow, that their blogs have been compromised. By that, I mean that unpleasant and threatening comments have been left not only on their blogs, but on their followers' comment lists.

The internet is not a safe place. Do we become lulled into thinking that we are secure, I wonder? Blogging, especially if one has a nice group of friends, is a comfortable place to be. We can share our hopes and fears, we can invite people in to see our homes, we can even put photographs of children on.

I am sometimes amazed at the amount of information which is, innocently, available to all and sundry. I cannot ever approve of children being photographed. There are too many groups of people who would misuse those photos. It is sad to say that we should not trust people, our instincts tell us to trust, but unless we have spoken to or met our blog friends we really don't know who they are. Yet I am convinced that my 'friends' are whom they seem, particularly as I choose mainly to follow Christian blogs.

It is frightening to think that the words 'I'm a happy housewife and mother.....' could actually be in reality 'I'm a 60 year old man and I'm hunting for pictures of women and children'.

We just do not know.

Please be careful. I don't want to be a scaremonger, but we must be aware that people are not all good.

This is, of course, purely my own opinion. You are entitled to disagree with me.

Frannie's giveaway

No, it's not my giveaway.

A sweet young lady called Frannie at Authentic Virtue is having a giveaway, and offering this very nice bag.

I can imagine it being a useful thing to carry sewing, or shopping...or even lunch!

Do visit her blog and see her photos of the family's new house.

Early morning

6.30 am isnt my usual wake-up time, but this morning

my husband is going off to a British Legion

Pistol shooting day (boys day out).

He has to be gone by 7.30, so here we are,

having early breakfast, cup of tea, grapefruit and toast,

just in case you want to know!

I'm going to see a dear friend who is going through a pretty hard time.

We live a good hour away, which in Australian terms is nothing.

Now , with the cost of fuel, we are all very careful as to how many

kilometres we drive.

When I have waved goodbye, I shall go and look at the

new buds on my Camellias, chat to the cherry tree,

and give thanks for the early morning beauty around me.

Then a few moments with my book (Psalms for Women)

and I'm off!

Don't forget my giveaway (previous post).

Giveaway!

A giveaway for no particular reason,

except that I am having a huge tidy up of my cupboards.

This fabric was bought in Thailand, and was sold to me as silk.

It is quite a heavy fabric, hangs well, and has an unusual

pattern down one side edge.
There is a sheen to it, and in some lights it looks green, in some
it seems red.

There are three and a half yards of 36 inch wide fabric,

enough to make a skirt or a pretty top.

All you need to do is to leave a comment, telling me what you think

you might make with it.

I'll draw next Wednesday 30th March.

I will post anywhere.

.

New Cross stitch

This is my new project.

The design was so kindly sent to me by Carolien,

in Holland, who does beautiful embroidery.

One of the drawbacks about living in rural France is the lack of

specialist sewing shops. I can buy fabric for quilting,

but to find cross-stitch designs, and Aida fabric,

is almost impossible. So I was so grateful to

Carolien for finding this, and sending it as a gift.

So very generous.

Many designs by 'Told in a Garden' are based around the

Amish way of life, and I have sewn four others which I hope one day

my grandchildren will keep. It was a great joy to introduce the designs,

many years ago, to my sweet s/daughter, who swiftly stitched

four or five and had them made into beautiful cushions.

This one will be a Wedding present for a girl who

has had some very hard times, but has found

happiness at last.

I have until June to finish it!

For Pondside!

Pondside often writes about her walks around the lovely

area of Vancouver Island where her house is situated.

Recently she referred to a woodland walk,

a wild and woolly walk,

where the 'mahonia carpeted the forest floor'.

That intrigued me, as Mahonia here is very much a polite

garden shrub, and not very wild or woolly.

I've never seen it growing wild.

Mine is in full bloom right now, and gives out a beautiful perfume.

But it is only one shrub, sitting, not carpeting!

Lent 2

I'm linking with Floss and others in 'A Pause for Lent' (see sidebar).

Many people, particularly non-Christian friends, have asked jovially, 'What are you giving up for Lent, then?'

As children we did give up our chocolate or our sweet ration. Somehow that isn't what I want to do as an adult.

I'd rather 'give more'.

This giving more has to be very personal. I said last Sunday that I was reflecting on the 'holes' in my Christian life, and it's been a bit like a piece of knitting, watching stitches unravel as I thought about where I was.

I need to act on the principles that I discover. It's easy to read a portion in the Bible and then close the book. I need to spend time reflecting, thinking, acting, giving more, not just 'What is God saying?', but 'What is God saying to me?'

James 1, v 23,

'Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says, is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like'.

Cherry Blossom.

I learned something this morning.

Whilst I took the photo of our glorious Prunus serrulata,

I couldnt help thinking of Japan, a country well known for

having the most beautiful cherry trees.

Checking facts on Wikipedia showed me that in Japan

the cherry tree is very much associated with mortality.

The trees are often referred to as 'clouds' due to their blossoming en masse,

and their extreme beauty and quick death is associated with the transience of life.

Woodblock print of Mount Fuji and cherry blossom.

Somehow that left me feeling sad. But it is good to know that also

cherry blossom is an emblem of love and affection, and represents Spring.

We can only pray for the people of Japan as they go through

the aftermath of the recent terrible tragedies.

Red Nose Day

( Edit, 19th March; £74 million raised so far!!)

Those of you across the water may be wondering about the many references to Red Nose Day today.


It is one of the biggest ways in which the Charity Comic Relief raises money. It's a day when all over the UK people are 'doing something funny for money'. The red noses are just a fun way of showing that one is involved. Even cars wear them!






Comic Relief is a Charity formed in 1988 during the time of famine in Ethiopia. Their statement is 'to bring about positive and lasting changes in the lives of poor and disadvantaged people.......'. Every £1 donated is spent on Charity projects. All salaries and operating costs are covered by sponsors, such as BBC, BT and Sainsburys.


Up to this year £650 million has been raised.






Today is 'Red nose day' and clubs, schools, and individuals will be joining in. 'Celebrities', or in other words, people who are in film and Television, will be joining in a televised event tonight.






The charities supported by Comic Relief range from small local projects to world wide needs, in the UK helping disabled people, older people, providing support homes for women suffering from domestic violence.


Then it has also educated people in Africa about HIV and AIDS, immunised children, helped to rebuild communities, built wells for fresh water, schools for children who would otherwise have to walk miles.






With so many areas of our world having so little, this is a worth while Charity to support today.

It must be Spring

Is it because it's Spring?

Yesterday I had a real need to do some re-arranging,

not Spring-cleaning, so much
as Spring-tidying.

I started on the very large cupboard in the Spare bedroom.

Everything came out, and only half went back in.

Why have I carted blankets around for 30 years....in case they came in useful?

Well, they are gone to the Red Cross now.

Clothes, boxes of 'things', curtains.... all were found a place

Then I went on to the bedlinen cupboard, which was in its usual muddle

Have I gone a bit over the top, maybe?

Single sheets together, duvet covers together, double sheets together.
It looks so very organised.

And lastly I re-arranged the mantel shelf in the sitting room,

and brought in the two beautiful figures from my bedroom.

The girl with the dove was my mother's wedding present to us.

The little girl with the goose came from Spain on one of our holidays.
They give me so much pleasure.

(Kitchen cupboards are next on the list!)

A bit of a shock for the village

Oh dear.

This is a very ordinary French village, nothing particularly

special about it. we have the usual number of shops,

a post office, Bars, Dr's surgery, Boulanger.........

Lately there have been furtive glances,

embarrassed gossip,

one or two giggles amongst the young.

What has happened?

Well, it was discovered that the Hairdresser was running

a website with, um, adult photos on.....

and some of the people would have been a bit chilly.

It is not, the Mayor took pains to explain, a pornographic site.

Just some people who chose to display themselves.

But it got swiftly into the local newspapers.

And the Hairdresser seems to have lost all her lady clients.

It certainly isnt what you would expect of a quiet

French village.

I don't think that I have seen such a proliferation of Daffodils as we found

in England last week. Every town that we drove through

was approached by lines of gold. I don't know

if they had been planted by Councils, or if they had just

developed, but they certainly lifted the spirits.

We are very privileged to have a dear friend with

a very lovely Cornish garden, with whom we stayed.

I gazed out of my window every morning and wanted

to paint pink and

red Camellias, daffodils and hellebores.

The photo is of a small natural woodland at the side,

where daffodils have just been allowed to flourish

and grow wild. I could have wandered there for ever.

There is indeed peace to be found in a garden.

(If you click to enlarge the photo it seems

that you enter into the woodland)

Lent 1

I am sharing in 'A pause for Lent', organised by Floss.

Lent is traditionally a time of reflection, a period of 40 days

as we approach Easter.

Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness, fasting , praying.

How will I spend the next forty days?

We have spent this last week with dear friends

who have suffered the loss of a lovely husband and father.

He was in his eighties, and looking back over his life

made one realise how fleeting every moment is,

how important every day is.

I want to spend some time looking at my life,

seeing where the 'holes' are,

making it a season of renewal.

(Edit; this was supposed to be posted on Sunday 13th.

I obviously havent got my pre-posting right yet)

Spring beginnings

Leaving you with a few Spring flowers

whilst we are away.

These first few baby daffodils and pansies

gladden my heart, and give me hope for the next season. We'll be back next week.

Good bye dear friend

You might remember this lap quilt that I made just before Christmas. It was for a very dear old family friend who was in a Care Home, very fragile.

Yesterday we heard that he had passed away in his sleep, just as we prayed he might.

He has been part of our lives for thirty years, a much respected and loved man.

He will be deeply missed by his family and many friends.

We shall be going over the channel for the funeral sometime soon.

Spring buds

How lovely to bring in some bare twigs,

and watch them blossom in the warmth.

My cherry tree is going to be covered in flower very soon.

Spring is here!

It wasn't like this in my day.........

My lovely and talented grandaughter will be going to Leeds University later this year, and this week she has visited to book her accommodation.

This is the building where the student rooms are situated.

They have their own bedroom with en-suite bathroom. There is a lounge and a kitchen available. Four or five rooms are grouped together to make a sort of apartment.

There is twenty four hour security, which is good to know. A gym and leisure complex is also available.

I can't help contrasting this with my college days! All females in shared rooms, in a courtyard block of twelve, sharing two bathrooms. One kitchen. The security was provided by a very fierce warden, who checked the length of your skirts before you left the building. Leisure complex? Well, we had a mile long drive to cycle down...to catch a bus into town.

Eee, they dont know they're born, these youngsters!!!

A super film

What a very comfortable little cinema this was.....when one finally entered. There was a long wait, standing in the very small foyer until the previous film ended and the audience left. Our tickets cost a whole 4 euros (roughly equivalent to £3.20), which I think is somewhat different to English cinema prices.

Then in we went, and found these very nice red seats, and a cinema only half full, which was surprising. There were both French and English people

in the audience.

The first half hour was given over to local firms advertising, and we had to giggle, as it reminded me of the solemn ads of the 50s, so old fashioned!

The film itself was so worth waiting for, and I'd love to see it again. It was a bit distracting to have French subtitles running along the screen, but it was easy to blank them out and concentrate on the dialogue. I can't add anything to what has already been said by the critics and Oscar-givers. If you have a chance, do go and see The King's Speech.