my favourite bits of the royal day

I can't help being British at heart.  The wedding has left me with a pleasant sort of fuzzy feeling inside.   If I had to pick out three highlights of what was a very beautiful day and a seamless show, it would have to be the:

oak trees inside the abbey - BRILLIANT!

the drive in the eco-friendly Aston Martin

and DEFINITELY the church dean's cartwheels down the aisle of the Abbey!!  LOVE IT!!

fancy French rooftops

While the Normans are not generally known for their natural exuberance and eccentricity, they are partial to a little roof decoration.  I took these shots in our closest small town.  Sometimes it pays to walk around with your nose in the air!

bon weekend!

French patina and high ceilings

When I first saw pictures of this beautiful room in an 'hotel particulier', the light and muted colours just took my breath away.  Makes me long to unclutter, tone down and generally streamline my house life! !

Take a close look at the patina on the walls, I'm not convinced that even the most clever artist could achieve this look, just the right dose of superimposed and flaking paint - love it!

The overall effect is enhanced by the light streaming through the windows and the lack of furniture,  I would happily pass a little time here....

all photos thanks to Mires Paris

Living France Magazine

Now and again I receive emails asking me about the finer points of life in France:  finding a house, finding a school , finding a riding club, finding a husband (lol!).  Some questions I can answer, but for broader information and great true life stories from people who have settled here, I recommend this  excellent British magazine. 

 

Living France appears monthly, it is well written, beautifully illustrated and features lots of  contributors with hands on experience, - including yours truly !!

Living France covers the whole spectrum of everyday life for someone who settles here;   legal and tax information,  real estate, food and culture, schools and shopping.  A good choice for anyone seriously thinking about moving to France.

french grain sacks on french chairs

 I don't know who was the first person to think of using grain sacks to upholster a chair, but I salute  them!    I love the look, I love the idea of perpetuating something beautiful.

I  have quite a few grain sacks at the moment, including these matching four.   I've kept some for myself, but the others are into the store.

While looking for new ways to use them, I found these shots.  

Love these ideas, just wish there were more than 24 hours in a day to do all this stuff !

Have you already use grain sacks to  upholster?  I'd love to see what you created.  If anyone wants to send me a picture by mail, I'll add their  baby to this post.

In the meantime, if you need a sack ( or four ! ) to  finish a project at home, take a look at the store and see if I can help you out.

.....................

Thank you to Colette at La Brocanteuse, for sending these pictures of 

two Belgian chairs she had  upholstered in grain sacks

my garcons and their knives

My eldest boy flies back to the UK tomorrow, last term at university for this year.  I'm always a little heavy hearted when they have to go away again.  So to sooth my maternal heart, I'm following  his suggestion for a boy's post:    Opinel knives.

We live in the countryside - have I already mentioned that?! - and being a fairly hands-on, outdoorsy sort of family, the children have been encouraged to use tools.  I have always seen my boys with a pocket knife, from about the age of 8.  Whittling sticks, cutting up worms, sharing an apple, carving initials - it's just a  country boy's must-have.

The quintessential French pocket knife is the Opinel.  Inexpensive, fold away, sharp, good looking.  The knives are made in the Savoie region of France; a beech wood handle and steel blade.  Originally designed in 1895, they have since acquired design status and feature in museums worldwide.

 How about you, do you have a favourite accessory you associate with your children?

hermes a paris

La maison Hermes is traditionally known for it's fine leather bags it's beautiful silk scarves, it's distinctive orange packaging and it's age old link to equestrian sports.

Their spring collection this year united all these elements in a joyful hymn to French chic.

all photos thanks to Hermes

happy easter, chocolate and brocante

Easter Sunday is always a good day to get up early and tour a couple of brocante fairs before breakfast.

This morning the valley was filled with a mist that whispered the promise of a bright sunny day to come.  I drove 15 minutes to a neighbouring village and found some goodies before coming home in time to lay the  table for an Easter breakfast on the terrace outside.

The fairs seemed to start a little later than normal today, everyone sure that the bright weather would bring a long day of selling, in no hurry to set up their stands too early.

I found this little jug;

a sweet enamel lunch box;

a lovely old wooden biscuit box;

a beautiful pencil box, charmingly inscribed "plumes et crayons" pens and pencils;

accompanied by some old French school books

 

and most appropriately for Easter these sweet little moulds used for making the Easter chocolates.  A fold out duck mould and three small moulds, in the shape of a fish, a chicken, and a little landscape.

I've started listing some of these treasures , if you are interested in anything just drop me a mail, I'll get straight back to you.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter Sunday!.

spring evenings, gardening and bored dogs

Yesterday evening was delicious;  beautiful colours, warm temperatures ......... a gentle winding down at the end of a long busy day.

I decided to get a little gardening done while enjoying an aperitif, you know how women like to multi-task.  My daughter Ella grabbed her camera, and my very important guest from last week turned up again asking if he could help  .......  

"Hi, what can I do to help?"   ..........

"hasn't she noticed I'm here ? ."..............

"difficult to stay focussed on this gardening thing ".............

"wake me up when you have something useful for me to do ".........

Thank you to Ella for the shots and to Etoile for the helping hand, 

both hugely appreciated !