blogging guests from near and far

A week ago I was fortunate enough to win Debra's fantastic Lifescape giveaway, and to celebrate my good luck I invited bloggers to link up to my waterside post.     Thank you so much to everyone who took part.

I promised to draw out one post among the links and talk about the blog behind it.  But I didn't really think that anyone was going to join in !!  Imagine my surprise when 16 dear bloggers linked up.  I didn't want to single out just one, so I did 2 random draws and I now have the happy task of telling you all about Francesca  at her Italian blog Passionedeco and Terri at La Dolfina.

These are two blogs you really need to visit, contrasting, endearing, both loaded with personality.  From Italian mountain lake to the bay of San Francisco,  the pictures on their respective water posts could hardly contrast more.

I wanted to know more about them, so I asked them both a few indiscreet questions ...  Francesca answers in pink, Terri in purple ...

Do you mind telling us if you work?   

I work in my family's business. We produce high quality waxes for wooden furniture and floors both ancient ones. Our brand name is Cera Novecento, my parents started this company in 1985 and I hope I will be able to follow them!   I love my job  so much. 

I used to sell real estate. I worked for a Builder and sold new homes all over the Bay Area

-  How does your blog fit into your daily life?  

F  -  It has become a very important part of my life but I usually take a break from it during weekends which I consecrate to my family, my pets and my garden! I love blogging so much and I have learned and experienced so many things since I have started

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T  -  As for my blog fitting into my everyday life well...  I have been trying to figure out how to balance it with everything else and I must admit many things have fallen by the wayside as I continue to try and find balance.  I have a hard time leaving as many comments as I'd like.    This whole blogging experience has made me more present in my life.  I love how it makes me aware of what I do and how I spend my time.  It's become a record of my life in a way and I'm acutely aware of that fact when I check my sitemeter and marvel at all the people from all over the world who are taking a look at a slice of my life. 

Francesca makes us dream

What is your favourite part of blogging?  

F  -  Unquestionably "meeting" very talented and POLITE (this is so precious, we are often surrounded by "rude" people, aren't we) girls and women! I have now great blogging friends which I adore!  

T  -   Blogging is for me primarily a spiritual experience. ....... being able to connect with people.  I love people and their journeys. I'm fascinated with their stories.  I love to connect the dots of life.

 Terri's new shop

-  Do you know anyone else (a real person - not virtual!) who has a blog, that you can chat to and compare experiences?  

F  -  A childhood friend of mine , Alessia, has a cooking blog called Miss Polpo, she's 2 years older than me and she is mother to a little little boy. Now she hasn't a lot of time for writing!

T  -  I have a wonderful friend who has a blog named Kathysue. Her blog is www.goodlifeofdesign.blogspot.com.  I actually met her last Dec.  at The Alameda Point Antiques & Collectibles Fair.  She did not have a blog at the time but was very familiar with them as a follower and commenter.  I think I was instrumental in influencing her to start one.  ......  She's a natural and loves it.  And yes we talk all the time on the phone...   We have an amazing connection and blogland is so much brighter with her in it :)

 


-  What does your family think of your blog?
 
F  -  Oh, they like it! My mum is my biggest fan! Every single day, as she arrives here at the office, she goes to my blog to check if I have posted something new and then call dad and show him the new post! She's so cool !

Denny, my "husband"  read it secretly but I always understand when he's reading because he smiles and sometimes laugh at me!!!! They're all very supportive and I love them so much! My family is my shelter, really!

T   -  My immediate family is proud of me but sightly bemused.  They don't really understand it but they are very happy for me.  Sometimes they get frustrated when I spend too much time doing it when they are home and want my attention but I am blessed with 2 incredible men who love me and support me 100%.  

-  What is your ambition for your blog?  

F  -  Let me think...well, I do not think I have any special ambitions for my blog! I just hope that people who pass by can find some relax and beauty there.  I hope they enjoy their visits....just that!  Oh yes, another ambitions: I hope I will always be able to keep my "secret garden" (this is how I like to call my blog!) where I like and need to escape from everyday pressure!

 

T  -  I'm hoping to make a living doing what I love and blogging is a faith journey for me.  I have total faith that this is my path and that it will evolve into something more. My husband believes in me and supports me no end.  He is my Prince Charming, my best friend and has been by my side since I was 20 years old.  My ambition for my blog is to lead me to one day make a living doing what I love and I believe that blogging is a big part of the journey... the faith journey that will get me there.

  .................

I hope you enjoyed getting to know these great bloggers.

A bientôt! 

staying in our valley - chez Marianne

 

 

As I try to encourage you to come visit, today I'm not showing you a grand château but a charming property, les Buissonnets, just along the valley from us.

 

Marianne is Swedish  but settled in France a long time ago.  Around her home in the valley she has created a beautiful property with guest rooms, lakes, horses and the space to hold wonderful weddings.

Isn't it funny how, no matter how long you live some where, your original nationality will always be there, discreetly in your roots and inner self.  So it is with Marianne.  Despite her long love of France and the many years she has lived here there is still a distinctly Scandinavian touch to her way of putting things together.

Around her property there are several little houses, each beautifully decorated, providing sweet little homes away from home.

 

 

 

The grounds are beautifully looked after, roses, cherry and apple trees and of course the lakes.  And you know how much I love a lake!

 

When Marianne's guests want a quiet day they can take a book and a blanket and find a quiet spot on the property beside a lake or the river.  Heaven.

Voila!  Another little gem in this valley, another example of why it's a good idea when travelling to see as much of the real France as possible.

in my garden

More pictures from mon jardin ... June advances, the longest day of the year,  temperatures strangely low.  Lots of colour but not enough warmth.

I'm sorry not to have been able to visit many of your wonderful blogs this week.  I have missed out on so much, but a very busy schedule made it impossible.  Next week I shall be making up for lost time!

Wishing you a happy rose-filled weekend!

finding a haven in paris

Fairly regularly I receive emails from blogging friends, planning a trip to Paris and needing some ideas on where to stay, what to do.

As you know I'm more of a country mouse than a sophisticated town mouse, and I never really felt very apt to answer.  Now however my problem is solved.  I recently made the acquaintance of Erica whose  company, called Haven in Paris,  rents stunning apartments in Paris.

Erica explained to me that she is very picky about the apartments in her portfolio, and takes pride in every detail being perfect.  What is sure is that they are all positioned in the best areas of the city, perfect for stepping out and visiting on foot.

The other good thing is that Erica and her team have created a HIP Paris blog, where you can find great ideas for things to do while visiting this beautiful city.  They seem to have most things covered, be it the definition of the ideal baguette, the latest art gallery en vogue, how to bake the perfect moelleux au chocolat or confidential shopping tips guaranteed to make you as savvy and chic as the best parisienne!.  

girls guide to paris

So the next time I'm asked for advice I'll no longer have to stutter and apologize and sound totally hopeless, I'll simply turn to HIP for advice, and amaze everyone with my unending knowledge and sure-fire tips.
Thank you Erica!!

vintage french linen - to have and to hold

I've already told you how much I love old French linen, well today I'm really excited because  this weekend I've been able to find several unusually beautiful bed sheets to put into my etsy shop.

One of my really great pleasures in life is slipping into bed between freshly pressed linen sheets.  Best of all vintage linen.  I love the weight of the linen, the soft smooth texture, the way they feel cool in the summer and warm and comforting in winter.  I never sleep better than in old French sheets.

Today it is still possible to come across bed linen, over 100 years old, and in perfect condition.  If you are lucky it's monogrammed, if you're very lucky you get ladder work, lace or other embroidery too.  Sometimes there are slight signs of wear, or even a tiny and perfectly darned hole, to me this just adds to the charm.

Traditionally the most beautiful sheets were embroidered as part of a young girl's trousseau.  The wealthier the family, the more ornate the handwork,  and the finer the weave of the metis, or cotton and linen mix.  There are few places today who produce such fine and long lasting materials.

A fine bed sheet with a deep turn-down was particularly useful after childbirth when  the mother "laid in" and received polite and congratulatory guests in her room.  Today that same deep turn-down looks wonderful when the sheet is used as a curtain., just flip over the turn back and fix hooks to the fold, and you have a pretty and unique curtain.

When I am lucky enough to find antique sheets that have never been used, I particularly enjoy watching the linen fade from slightly blotchy beige, to a beautiful smooth creamy colour.   The first thing to do is to soak the linen sheet or pillow cases or cloth in cold water for 24 hours.  After that I wash it once or twice at a lukewarm temperature.  The material is softened without damaging the fibre.   After this, as the sheet is used and washed it becomes progressively whiter.

The best thing is that when they're not being used on beds, they even look great in the linen cupboard!

Une terrasse a Paris

As summer finally arrives here in France, not everyone has space to enjoy open fields and never ending gardens.  In Paris, small, private, secret even,  terraces come into their own at this season.  A space to enjoy intimate dinners with friends, to work alone, to enjoy a cup of coffee or a glass of wine before affronting the busy city.  A space to clad in green, to enjoy the blue roofs all around, to ......  feel privileged.

photos 1,2,3,4,  marie claire mason  5   hotel raphael

visiting our valley - the rose gardens of miserey

You know how sometimes you come across a place or a person that is so totally delicious you're torn between telling everyone about it or keeping it greedily just for yourself?  Well, that's how I feel about Monsieur and Madame de Roumilly and their beautiful château and rose garden.

 

 

If it wasn't all uphill, I would cycle to their home, they live in a village just above our valley.  His family bought this sweet doll's house of a château many years ago, and have lovingly restored it , and created gardens that people come from afar to visit.

 

 

I adore their old greenhouse with it's unusual rounded roof and generous roses climbing all over.

 

When Madame was creating the gardens, she wanted an idea for planting up a field; she thought of the very catholic theme of heaven, purgatory and hell!  Not one to be easily scared, she researched plants worldwide to fit into her theme.  The result?  A fascinating walk between rose bushes displaying  fiery reds and oranges, huge thorns and fierce prickles, a walk through hell.  Cross the path of purgatory, lined with 12 yews representing the 12 apostles, and you enter Eden, pastel coloured roses, mostly thorn less, smooth stemmed.

It takes almost 2 hours to walk around the park and gardens.  I have done this walk many times  in the company of Madame de Roumilly who never seems to tire of telling people about her rose collection, or the origins of the more unusual plants.

These pictures were taken just as their fantastic rose border was coming  into flower.  Many of the unusual roses are from America, others from Italy

Back at the château I love to chat to the charming owners.  Monsieur de Roumilly has always supported his wife's plans for the château and gardens, and through the years has turned his hand to many a project.  From rebuilding stone walls to hand painting door panels.  The restoration of this lovely family sized château has been a real labour of love.

There is so much more to say, but in the end I have to let the pictures talk for me.  Maybe one day you'll come this way and we'll be able to wander around the park together.  We'll ask permission to let ourselves in  early in the morning - it might mean getting our feet wet in the grass, but it will  be worthwhile simply for the joy of seeing colours at their very best.