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Thanks very much for the comments you've been leaving on last Wednesday's post (click on the link in the sidebar to see it). It's clear that a loose theme with a positive, 'looking forward' nature is going to be useful for us. I'm looking through all your suggestions, in comments and emails, and will come up with something for you by Ash Wednesday, which seems appropriate! The most important thing is that this 'Pause' is designed to help bloggers in their own spiritual path. Therefore I try to keep the rules to a minimum, because how on earth would I know what's right for you? If you want to dip in and out, and not post every week, please do. If you want to tie your posts in with something else you're doing, like a Lent group, readings, giving up or taking on things... please do! See you in Lent!
Sunday, February 19, 2012
A Pause in Lent 2012 - WIP!
A Pause in Lent this year will start next Sunday or Monday (this also reminds us that Tuesday is Pancake Day - not to be forgotten!). Thanks very much for the comments you've been leaving on last Wednesday's post (click on the link in the sidebar to see it). It's clear that a loose theme with a positive, 'looking forward' nature is going to be useful for us. I'm looking through all your suggestions, in comments and emails, and will come up with something for you by Ash Wednesday, which seems appropriate! The most important thing is that this 'Pause' is designed to help bloggers in their own spiritual path. Therefore I try to keep the rules to a minimum, because how on earth would I know what's right for you? If you want to dip in and out, and not post every week, please do. If you want to tie your posts in with something else you're doing, like a Lent group, readings, giving up or taking on things... please do! See you in Lent!
Thanks very much for the comments you've been leaving on last Wednesday's post (click on the link in the sidebar to see it). It's clear that a loose theme with a positive, 'looking forward' nature is going to be useful for us. I'm looking through all your suggestions, in comments and emails, and will come up with something for you by Ash Wednesday, which seems appropriate! The most important thing is that this 'Pause' is designed to help bloggers in their own spiritual path. Therefore I try to keep the rules to a minimum, because how on earth would I know what's right for you? If you want to dip in and out, and not post every week, please do. If you want to tie your posts in with something else you're doing, like a Lent group, readings, giving up or taking on things... please do! See you in Lent!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Amazed!
Blogging creates the most wonderful connections - you know that for yourselves and I've experienced it in many ways before, perhaps most surprisingly with my Californian friend Shelley, who 'bumped into' me on the internet whilst researching a French singer - it's a great story which we told here.
Another one of these 'amazing' connections popped up towards the end of last year, and I'm partly writing this post to tell you about it, and partly in an attempt to re-connect with the person - I'm ashamed to say that when I changed email addresses I lost all the relevant emails and even her address!
So, this lady is Australian, and has a fantastic son called Tobias who is pictured above - along with the cute dog he has a cute little family and they are heading from Australia to Mozambique this year, to work as missionaries.
What made the connection is that Tobias draws the most incredible mazes - it's been a hobby since childhood and he's used it to explore spiritual ideas, as well as to pay homage to the very first maze - the Labyrinth of the Minotaur:
So when Tobias' mum was browsing my blog, she noticed a link to my old friend Rob's blog, and was unsurprisingly drawn to this post, where Rob writes about a worship labyrinth he created on Tynemouth beach.
Realising from my comment that I actually knew Rob in real life, she contacted me to see if I could put her in touch with him. She explained the maze connection and asked for our adresses, as she wanted to send us each a copy of Tobias' book!
How incredibly generous! And how I would like to get back in touch with her to tell her all about how Son 2 worked his way through the 'Simply Amazed' section for children and then tackled the 'Hardly Amazed' set of really, really tricky mazes, and even paid a teeny bit of attention to the spiritual content, and was genuinely interested in Tobias' call to work as a missionary...
Another one of these 'amazing' connections popped up towards the end of last year, and I'm partly writing this post to tell you about it, and partly in an attempt to re-connect with the person - I'm ashamed to say that when I changed email addresses I lost all the relevant emails and even her address!
So, this lady is Australian, and has a fantastic son called Tobias who is pictured above - along with the cute dog he has a cute little family and they are heading from Australia to Mozambique this year, to work as missionaries.
What made the connection is that Tobias draws the most incredible mazes - it's been a hobby since childhood and he's used it to explore spiritual ideas, as well as to pay homage to the very first maze - the Labyrinth of the Minotaur:
So when Tobias' mum was browsing my blog, she noticed a link to my old friend Rob's blog, and was unsurprisingly drawn to this post, where Rob writes about a worship labyrinth he created on Tynemouth beach.
Realising from my comment that I actually knew Rob in real life, she contacted me to see if I could put her in touch with him. She explained the maze connection and asked for our adresses, as she wanted to send us each a copy of Tobias' book!
How incredibly generous! And how I would like to get back in touch with her to tell her all about how Son 2 worked his way through the 'Simply Amazed' section for children and then tackled the 'Hardly Amazed' set of really, really tricky mazes, and even paid a teeny bit of attention to the spiritual content, and was genuinely interested in Tobias' call to work as a missionary...j
But I can't, so, Rob, could you possibly pass on her contact details for me again please, or, if you are reading, LeAnne (have I spelt that right?) please do get back in touch again. We've been praying for you and for Tobias and his family, and I would love to get back in touch!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The Thrill of What You Already Have - February
Finally! I managed to post our inspiration picture early this month, but it took me ages to get some bits and pieces together, and then even longer to put them into a blog post for you!
You'll see the inspiration picture - a vintage railway poster advertising Edinburgh as a destination - to your left in my sidebar. Last time I just used the colours and shapes in the Dunfermline poster to inspire a collection of nicely-toned bits and bobs (geegaws, as Ben would put it...).
This time, influenced by the destination and by the January posts of other bloggers taking part, I've collected things which actually do have an Edinburgh connection. It's probably the only time I'll do that, but Edinburgh is my Scottish base and always has been, I suppose, so it's no surprise.
I found this tin, with a scene of the Scott Monument very reminiscent of the poster itself, in my dad's larder when we were visiting at Christmas. The vintage tin is lined with blue velvet - it's really very plush and unworn. But I have no idea where and when it arrived in my dad's house - I'd never seen it before! Evidently my mum or my grandma found it in a charity shop years ago, and it's been tucked in the larder (which is nowadays a general store room) waiting for me to find it! I asked my dad if he'd like it out on display and he shuddered slightly and told me he was trying to get rid of things, not display more - so it came back to France with us! Maybe it's the first time the tin has ever left Edinburgh, but now it's in good company.
Just below the tin is a little vintage enameled sewing case - just room for a thimble, pins, needle and thread. I think I found that in my Christmas stocking one year in the 1980s...
The little basket you see in several of the pictures popped in due to its colours as much as its Edinburgh connections. But as my mother gave it to me, with a real story behind it, I thought it was appropriate, as Edinburgh is so connected in my mind with my mum. The story is that when my mother's family lived in Canada for a number of years in the 1950s, my mum spotted this little hand-made basket, woven by a Canadian Indian lady who lived near their holiday home. (I've looked up the modern terms for Canadian Indian but am confused. 'First Nations lady' sounds strange, but Canadian friends, what is correct?) My mum was desperate to spend her pocket money on the basket but my grandmother told her it was a complete waste of money and not to be so silly. This caused the usual kind of rift that you get over spending on family holidays, but somehow or other my mum ended up, triumphant, with the basket. And I can't really think of anything else she could have afforded which would have stood the test of time so well, can you?
After that triumph, I don't think any of my other finds seem quite so impressive! The books have some Edinburgh connections - my mum talked me into buying the three enormous leather-bound Bible commentaries in the Bethany Shop, Stockbridge, Edinburgh. I bought the Poems and Songs of Burns from my dad's church book stall more recently - isn't it a wonderful binding? The cannon balls could recall Edinburgh's military history and even the Cannonmills area of the city, if you like, but actually they came from an English battlefield and are really there to hold the books up!
This is my other recent Edinburgh find - and I got it at the English Christmas Market in Toulouse! The title was vaguely familiar and it turns out that this is a reprint of books by an author which my grandma collected in the 1940s. The Silent Traveller is the pen name of a Chinese artist and writer who arrived in the west in the 1930s, and wrote charming and insightful books about what he found, illustrated with his own Chinese-style drawings. If you can find one of his books about a city or area you know, I think you would be really charmed by it!
Here's the whole set-up - I always put them in a dark area, which is bad for photography but just right for seeing when you enter the house! You win some, you loose some...
*
I'm really enjoying the other 'Thrill' posts that are coming up. The diversity is what's impressive. If you look in my sidebar you'll see that some people are using the theme to think in terms of colour, others are looking at geography/travel, some are using at as an exercise in story-telling/nostalgia (as I've done this time, I realise) and others have done something different! I think that's great. I wonder if it has to be about household items anyway? What about an outfit based on the colours or themes? That might be fun! Please feel free to go wild with the theme and do what you like...
You'll see the inspiration picture - a vintage railway poster advertising Edinburgh as a destination - to your left in my sidebar. Last time I just used the colours and shapes in the Dunfermline poster to inspire a collection of nicely-toned bits and bobs (geegaws, as Ben would put it...).
This time, influenced by the destination and by the January posts of other bloggers taking part, I've collected things which actually do have an Edinburgh connection. It's probably the only time I'll do that, but Edinburgh is my Scottish base and always has been, I suppose, so it's no surprise.
I found this tin, with a scene of the Scott Monument very reminiscent of the poster itself, in my dad's larder when we were visiting at Christmas. The vintage tin is lined with blue velvet - it's really very plush and unworn. But I have no idea where and when it arrived in my dad's house - I'd never seen it before! Evidently my mum or my grandma found it in a charity shop years ago, and it's been tucked in the larder (which is nowadays a general store room) waiting for me to find it! I asked my dad if he'd like it out on display and he shuddered slightly and told me he was trying to get rid of things, not display more - so it came back to France with us! Maybe it's the first time the tin has ever left Edinburgh, but now it's in good company.
Just below the tin is a little vintage enameled sewing case - just room for a thimble, pins, needle and thread. I think I found that in my Christmas stocking one year in the 1980s...The little basket you see in several of the pictures popped in due to its colours as much as its Edinburgh connections. But as my mother gave it to me, with a real story behind it, I thought it was appropriate, as Edinburgh is so connected in my mind with my mum. The story is that when my mother's family lived in Canada for a number of years in the 1950s, my mum spotted this little hand-made basket, woven by a Canadian Indian lady who lived near their holiday home. (I've looked up the modern terms for Canadian Indian but am confused. 'First Nations lady' sounds strange, but Canadian friends, what is correct?) My mum was desperate to spend her pocket money on the basket but my grandmother told her it was a complete waste of money and not to be so silly. This caused the usual kind of rift that you get over spending on family holidays, but somehow or other my mum ended up, triumphant, with the basket. And I can't really think of anything else she could have afforded which would have stood the test of time so well, can you?
After that triumph, I don't think any of my other finds seem quite so impressive! The books have some Edinburgh connections - my mum talked me into buying the three enormous leather-bound Bible commentaries in the Bethany Shop, Stockbridge, Edinburgh. I bought the Poems and Songs of Burns from my dad's church book stall more recently - isn't it a wonderful binding? The cannon balls could recall Edinburgh's military history and even the Cannonmills area of the city, if you like, but actually they came from an English battlefield and are really there to hold the books up!
This is my other recent Edinburgh find - and I got it at the English Christmas Market in Toulouse! The title was vaguely familiar and it turns out that this is a reprint of books by an author which my grandma collected in the 1940s. The Silent Traveller is the pen name of a Chinese artist and writer who arrived in the west in the 1930s, and wrote charming and insightful books about what he found, illustrated with his own Chinese-style drawings. If you can find one of his books about a city or area you know, I think you would be really charmed by it!
Here's the whole set-up - I always put them in a dark area, which is bad for photography but just right for seeing when you enter the house! You win some, you loose some...*
I'm really enjoying the other 'Thrill' posts that are coming up. The diversity is what's impressive. If you look in my sidebar you'll see that some people are using the theme to think in terms of colour, others are looking at geography/travel, some are using at as an exercise in story-telling/nostalgia (as I've done this time, I realise) and others have done something different! I think that's great. I wonder if it has to be about household items anyway? What about an outfit based on the colours or themes? That might be fun! Please feel free to go wild with the theme and do what you like...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Questions in the run-up to a Pause in Lent
For a good few years now we've been 'Pausing' in Advent and then again in Lent. The idea is linked to journalling, perhaps - it shares the notion of making a commitment to stop, reflect and write down hopes, thoughts, experiences, questions, goals and so on.
j
In Advent the 'Pause' is a very accessible and straightforward one - everyone, whatever their background, can get caught up in the whirl of Christmas preparations, and lots of people appreciate taking a pause from the rush to reflect on something a bit less material. Some of the really popular Pause in Advent posts have been just that - a reflection on the things that really matter like family, home and love, rather than presents and spending.
Lent is a very different matter, because we don't go crazy in the run-up to Easter. Well done us, I say! So the take-up for the Pause in Lent is smaller, and usually mainly Christian - Lent has some really obvious Christian notions and it's easier to get a handle on it if you are practising it as part of your faith. But anyone is welcome to join in - as always, what am really curious to know is: what is YOUR take on Lent? I don't care if it's not the same to other people's (in fact, dare I say it, I prefer learning about something that's different to other people!)
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I have some questions for you in the run-up to Lent 2012 (the posts should start on Feb 26th or 27th), and I wonder if you have any questions for me. My question is: shall we do a Pause in Lent the way we've always done it before (click on the logo in my sidebar for some previous posts) or should we 'tweak' it a bit to prevent it from becoming stale - should we introduce a theme or a key question or something else?
*
I also hope you have some questions for me - particularly, there have been questions about where I got my Pause in Lent image from, so I'll answer that one in my next Pause post. But is there anything else you'd like to ask? Related to the Pause or Lent in particular, or on another subject? Go on, I'm in the mood to be grilled...
j
In Advent the 'Pause' is a very accessible and straightforward one - everyone, whatever their background, can get caught up in the whirl of Christmas preparations, and lots of people appreciate taking a pause from the rush to reflect on something a bit less material. Some of the really popular Pause in Advent posts have been just that - a reflection on the things that really matter like family, home and love, rather than presents and spending.
Lent is a very different matter, because we don't go crazy in the run-up to Easter. Well done us, I say! So the take-up for the Pause in Lent is smaller, and usually mainly Christian - Lent has some really obvious Christian notions and it's easier to get a handle on it if you are practising it as part of your faith. But anyone is welcome to join in - as always, what am really curious to know is: what is YOUR take on Lent? I don't care if it's not the same to other people's (in fact, dare I say it, I prefer learning about something that's different to other people!)*
I have some questions for you in the run-up to Lent 2012 (the posts should start on Feb 26th or 27th), and I wonder if you have any questions for me. My question is: shall we do a Pause in Lent the way we've always done it before (click on the logo in my sidebar for some previous posts) or should we 'tweak' it a bit to prevent it from becoming stale - should we introduce a theme or a key question or something else?
*
I also hope you have some questions for me - particularly, there have been questions about where I got my Pause in Lent image from, so I'll answer that one in my next Pause post. But is there anything else you'd like to ask? Related to the Pause or Lent in particular, or on another subject? Go on, I'm in the mood to be grilled...
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Le jour de la Saint-Valentin
Happy Valentine's Day! Here we're celebrating with snow, flowers, biscuits and hearts... what else? (See the final photo in this post from 2010 which shows another snowy Valentine's Day in the south of France).
Ben gave me the campanula, complete with a specially-made heart on a stick - not just any stick either, as he made it at work and used a waste pipette, so it's a true scientist's heart! Spot the grubby plate - no staged photography here (today, anyway...).
Son 2 made and decorated the biscuits yesterday. He is not giving a Valentine to the girl of his heart, as it would be embarassing (complex circumstances are involved). So he's taken out his romantic attentions on the rest of the family, badgering me and Ben to know what we would be giving each other!
I made Ben this heart card, with a design based somewhat on one I saw on Carolyn's blog - I did ask first! I wanted to link to Carolyn (her blog is Mess, Muddles and Fun) but something on my computer is going crazy and not letting me highlight, so I can't, sorry!
Ben gave me the campanula, complete with a specially-made heart on a stick - not just any stick either, as he made it at work and used a waste pipette, so it's a true scientist's heart! Spot the grubby plate - no staged photography here (today, anyway...).Son 2 made and decorated the biscuits yesterday. He is not giving a Valentine to the girl of his heart, as it would be embarassing (complex circumstances are involved). So he's taken out his romantic attentions on the rest of the family, badgering me and Ben to know what we would be giving each other!I made Ben this heart card, with a design based somewhat on one I saw on Carolyn's blog - I did ask first! I wanted to link to Carolyn (her blog is Mess, Muddles and Fun) but something on my computer is going crazy and not letting me highlight, so I can't, sorry!I'll leave you with a last glimpse of Son 2's biscuits (made with a Christmas present Cookie Press) and the recipe for very easy shortbread which I promised Serenata. As I said yesterday, this came originally from Sumea who got it from her Scottish friend Betty, so it's a lovely, practical way of sharing some more love about on Valentine's Day:
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9oz plain flour
4oz cornflour (I use polenta for more texture, it depends on what you like)
4 oz caster sugar
8 oz butter
pinch of salt
*
Melt the butter slowly. Put all the ingredients together into a bowl, add the melted butter and knead together. Press into a tin or flan dish and bake at 160° for about 50 minutes (much less time in our fan oven) until pale gold. When it comes out, prick it with a fork for decoration, cut your portions with a knife and sprinkle with sugar. Leave to cool in the tin. Remove before it gets completely cold (i.e. don't leave it until the next day!)
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So, so easy - I use it as a 'panic' recipe when I realise I've got nothing else to feed the family and I don't have time to bake anything more complex! I hope Serenata's dad enjoys it...
Monday, February 13, 2012
Blogging connections and a giveaway winner
Life is strangely busy here in the (slowly) melting snow. I'm popping in to draw the giveaway winner for this, but before I do I just want to tell you what else I'd like to share with you in the next two holidays weeks.
I want to tell you how blogging led to Son 2 getting hooked on incredibly complex mazes, created by a young man on the other side of the world...
I want to share a recipe (especuially for Serenata) which originally came to me years ago from the lovely Sumea, who blogs when she can at Morikomiori.
I want to tell you how blogging led to Son 2 getting hooked on incredibly complex mazes, created by a young man on the other side of the world...
I want to share a recipe (especuially for Serenata) which originally came to me years ago from the lovely Sumea, who blogs when she can at Morikomiori.I want to share my Thrill of What You Already Have photo - lots of people have already done their posts, and my collection is made, but not yet posted:
I want to tell you what Son 2 is cooking up for Valentine's Day!
But before I have time for any of that, I'll pick the giveaway winner. I just want to say that giveaways can be such a good way to meet friends - one year I got to know Kit, when she won a giveaway of mine (English roses, I think), and then I got to know her daughter, too, who also has a blog! I really enjoy following both of their mountain-living blogs now, and their lovely comments here. So now to the draw...
......................................................................................................................
Ooh - the winner is Gill, who made the second comment! Congratulations Gill - I will email you and I'll need to know your address so that I can post your parcel!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
A week of snow in the south of France
Well, how unexpected!
It's snowed here at some point over each of the last few winters, and winter 2010 was pretty heavy... but in general, snow is not much seen down here.
What's unexpected this time is that the snow not only fell...
... but it lasted!
Finally, we have a lot of birds visiting our feeders.
If Eeyore really lived in that little hut (above right), he'd have reason to be miserable. In fact, it houses the pool filtering equipment. But I like to imagine Eeyore there.
It's snowed here at some point over each of the last few winters, and winter 2010 was pretty heavy... but in general, snow is not much seen down here.
What's unexpected this time is that the snow not only fell...
... but it lasted!
Finally, we have a lot of birds visiting our feeders.
If Eeyore really lived in that little hut (above right), he'd have reason to be miserable. In fact, it houses the pool filtering equipment. But I like to imagine Eeyore there.Look away now if you don't like mice!
I'm perfectly happy if they stay outside, but I'm afraid some of this one's relatives strayed indoors and tried to steal our Christmas chocolates. They Are No More...
When the snow started falling, over a week ago now, Son 1 was excited enough to get a wellie boot on one foot and a trainer on the other, and wrap up warm enough to shuffle around the garden on his crutches. Raja followed, doggedly.
Now we're at the stage where a thin layer of snow or, worse, ice has sat over everything for about a week. Crutches are out of the question, so Son 1 is stuck back indoors and, when I'm not working, we're playing endless but enjoyable games of Carcassone. At the moment, I'm winning the latest round...
Don't forget to enter my giveaway in the post below, to win four little collections of French vintage goodies!
I'm perfectly happy if they stay outside, but I'm afraid some of this one's relatives strayed indoors and tried to steal our Christmas chocolates. They Are No More...
When the snow started falling, over a week ago now, Son 1 was excited enough to get a wellie boot on one foot and a trainer on the other, and wrap up warm enough to shuffle around the garden on his crutches. Raja followed, doggedly.
Now we're at the stage where a thin layer of snow or, worse, ice has sat over everything for about a week. Crutches are out of the question, so Son 1 is stuck back indoors and, when I'm not working, we're playing endless but enjoyable games of Carcassone. At the moment, I'm winning the latest round...Don't forget to enter my giveaway in the post below, to win four little collections of French vintage goodies!Sunday, February 5, 2012
Looking Four-ward Giveaway!
Well, friends, it has been three years since my first blog post!
However, I don't seem to feel interested in the number three: I am, rather, looking ahead to the fourth year, which begins today! That's why I've called this giveaway my Looking Four-ward post - can you forgive me?
With this in mind I want to give you the chance to win four sets of four sweet French collectables, all bundled up in a little surprise wrapper! The first collection is a set of four vintage children's handkerchiefs - they were given away free with 'Alsa' brand baking powder. I especially love the gypsy one, which is in green, but you may have other favourites!
The second set of four is antique French postcards: they have romantic pictures and poems on the front, and several have messages or addresses on the back too. They date from the early 20th century.
Now we come to four rather special, quite large, Mother of Pearl buttons from my collection. Actually, these might not all be French, because I've collected these for years and some could come from the UK.
And finally some French ephemera and kitchenalia - a match-box cover with a little proverb, the number 37 (probably from a police uniform?), a Notre Dame brooch and a little madeleine tin.
I don't know what you'll do with these four collections, but I think you could have fun with them!
To have the chance to win, please leave a comment here. I'd love it if you would publicise my giveaway, so if you take the first or the final photo here and put it into your blog with a link, please let me know in a second comment and that will give you a second chance to win. If you're new here and would like to come back, do feel free 'follow' and/or to browse through other events like The Thrill of What You Already Have and A Pause in Lent, which you'll find in my sidebar. It's been quite an incredible three years with you all - probably the most formative of my adult life, aside from university. I'm really looking forward to the Fourth!
However, I don't seem to feel interested in the number three: I am, rather, looking ahead to the fourth year, which begins today! That's why I've called this giveaway my Looking Four-ward post - can you forgive me?
With this in mind I want to give you the chance to win four sets of four sweet French collectables, all bundled up in a little surprise wrapper! The first collection is a set of four vintage children's handkerchiefs - they were given away free with 'Alsa' brand baking powder. I especially love the gypsy one, which is in green, but you may have other favourites!
The second set of four is antique French postcards: they have romantic pictures and poems on the front, and several have messages or addresses on the back too. They date from the early 20th century.
Now we come to four rather special, quite large, Mother of Pearl buttons from my collection. Actually, these might not all be French, because I've collected these for years and some could come from the UK.
And finally some French ephemera and kitchenalia - a match-box cover with a little proverb, the number 37 (probably from a police uniform?), a Notre Dame brooch and a little madeleine tin.
I don't know what you'll do with these four collections, but I think you could have fun with them!
To have the chance to win, please leave a comment here. I'd love it if you would publicise my giveaway, so if you take the first or the final photo here and put it into your blog with a link, please let me know in a second comment and that will give you a second chance to win. If you're new here and would like to come back, do feel free 'follow' and/or to browse through other events like The Thrill of What You Already Have and A Pause in Lent, which you'll find in my sidebar. It's been quite an incredible three years with you all - probably the most formative of my adult life, aside from university. I'm really looking forward to the Fourth!THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED - I'm going to delete the non-entry comments so that I can count the draw fairly...
Friday, February 3, 2012
Maître des Crèpes
Or Crèpemeister, or whatever you want! This is Son 2:
When he first arrived in France their little 'French as a second language' book gave them a recipe for crèpes and he's been helping me make them ever since. Now he's pretty much independent, and as he's such a perfectionist he prefers the way he makes them, anyway!
Yesterday was Candlemas, la Chandeleur in French. That's the French Pancake Day, so it was handy that Son 2 came home from school early to take possession of the kitchen. The cause was this:
Just enough snow to keep the teachers from further out of town from getting in for their lessons!
Son 1 and his knee say 'Hi'! We spent yesterday evening eating pancakes and playing Carcasonne. It's not such a hard life...
When he first arrived in France their little 'French as a second language' book gave them a recipe for crèpes and he's been helping me make them ever since. Now he's pretty much independent, and as he's such a perfectionist he prefers the way he makes them, anyway!
Yesterday was Candlemas, la Chandeleur in French. That's the French Pancake Day, so it was handy that Son 2 came home from school early to take possession of the kitchen. The cause was this:
Just enough snow to keep the teachers from further out of town from getting in for their lessons!
Son 1 and his knee say 'Hi'! We spent yesterday evening eating pancakes and playing Carcasonne. It's not such a hard life...Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Thrill of What You Already Have - February Picture
It's snowing! Here in the south of France that's quite an excitement, let me tell you... Ben and Son 2 are planning a skiing trip on Saturday. Son 1 and I are planning another quiet day, but he's becoming more mobile and suffering less pain so we are quite happy with a quiet day on those terms... He's just worked out how to play the (new, digital) piano with his leg stuck out sideways, so he's a whole lot less bored now.
So it's February! I managed January's Thrill of What You Already Have post towards the middle of the month, but I'll be aiming to give you the pictures earlier in the month from now on - here is February's vintage rail tourism poster:
I'm quite excited by this one! For a start, my Scottish connections these days are all Edinburgh-based, but my imagination is really captured by the great age of steam trains, along with all the historical monuments captured in the poster.
The aim is the same as last month - use the inspiration of this poster to rummage through the things you already have, to create some kind of display that allows you to delight in possessions you didn't have to rush out and buy! Last month some of the participants decribed it as 'home shopping', which I thought was fun. If you want to know more, the basic rules are here. I'll be doing my rummage over the next few days, and will post a photo or two once I've got a collection I'm happy with. Let me know on this post (or on my next one) when you've posted your February 'Thrill', and I'll put a link to it in my sidebar. Have fun!
So it's February! I managed January's Thrill of What You Already Have post towards the middle of the month, but I'll be aiming to give you the pictures earlier in the month from now on - here is February's vintage rail tourism poster:
I'm quite excited by this one! For a start, my Scottish connections these days are all Edinburgh-based, but my imagination is really captured by the great age of steam trains, along with all the historical monuments captured in the poster.The aim is the same as last month - use the inspiration of this poster to rummage through the things you already have, to create some kind of display that allows you to delight in possessions you didn't have to rush out and buy! Last month some of the participants decribed it as 'home shopping', which I thought was fun. If you want to know more, the basic rules are here. I'll be doing my rummage over the next few days, and will post a photo or two once I've got a collection I'm happy with. Let me know on this post (or on my next one) when you've posted your February 'Thrill', and I'll put a link to it in my sidebar. Have fun!
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