Back to the Chateau

Chateau Dumas

When I went to France as part of my birthday year celebration in 2011, I thought that would be it.  I had been to Aix and Paris with my brother years before and it was nice, but I didn't think I would return.

I was much more of an anglophile.

When my dad offered each of his adult children a trip anywhere in the world, I chose England.

I knew English horse racing from reading Dick Frances, and Regenecy history from reading Georgette Heyer, and the geography from hundreds of cosy English mysteries.  It was a world I felt comfortable in.

Then my birthday year happened and different artists I admired were part of two separate week long workshops in rural France.  I had to go!

In between the workshops I spent 10 days with my husband, mostly in the Langedoc Roussillon region -- Carcassone, Collioure, Ceret.  I love that it's also known as the Spanish Frontier!


The Fauve Walk in Collioure

We discovered a double-walled medieval castle; a town dedicated to "wild" artists and the views that inspired them; two museums featuring the amazing work of Josep Reira I Arago; a full set of Picasso ceramics; amazing food.
My husband, who told me before we married that he didn't like to travel, was bitten by the travel bug!





France is a beautiful country.  But there are a lot of beautiful countries.  What touched my heart were the people.  I speak no French (tho apparently I can say that sentence in French with an acceptable accent!)  Sometimes the people I met spoke no English, like lots of the flea market vendors or the deli owner who sold us wonderful take away food.  It was a surprise to discover I know the words for different meats (as a cook, I'm a vegetarian, so that ability is odd).  Sometimes they knew English, but  weren't comfortable speaking it.  I'd ask combien (how much)? And then have to ask them to write the numbers. . . I got good at charades!

What I found were people genuinely helpful, and kind.  They made me feel at home.
I love the climate and know a lot of the plant names (interesting how similar those aspects are to where I grew up)! Oh and have I mentioned the brocantes and flea markets?

So since the 2011 trip I have been to France and the Chateau twice more.
Paper/mixed media art workshops two years ago and last year Shibori.




 Shibori at the Chateau

So it is with a great deal of joy that I will return to France next week.
I'll spend 2 weeks at the Chateau assisting my teacher friend . . . 

. . . and about 5 days in Toulouse

Walking around, paying attention to art & architecture, taking in a yoga class (the teacher is from Australia -- I'm adventurous, but yoga in French is prob too much for me!), and hanging out at my favorite flea market on as many Saturdays as I can manage! 

I have never found the chateau's internet particularly robust!  Still it is my goal to document this trip as I am on it, so come back every couple of days and see what I'm seeing and doing!

Pink Saturday

Happy Pink Saturday.  Click here to go to Bev's blog and see the list of this week's participants.  Do check them out!

This is my favorite pink in the shop.

As you can see, it is a bit the worse for wear.

I have photographed it many times for this blog.

In this picture you can't see the crack.

The plate is beautiful in shape and surface design.

I love the deep rose colour.

But what I love the very most is the Yankee thrift.

This plate was repaired, probably in the 1800's.
They used staples!

As you can see, the repairs are not elegant.
They did not use materials like we have today -- super-glue or porcelain repair kits.

 The repairs are not hidden, but this beautiful plate didn't get thrown away.  It might have sat on a shelf, maybe the crack was even hidden.

 

And because some Yankee housewife asked her husband to repair her favorite plate, I now have it to make me smile whenever I see it!

Pink Birthday Reminiscences

Happy Pink Saturday!

Happy Birthday Friday!

I have always loved my birthday!

It's just far enough away from Christmas to feel special. I'm close to my dad and we celebrated in January. My brother & sister's birthdays are snuggled up against 4th of July, so the year was divided in half in the nicest way.

I grew up in Southern California so it was never a particularly cold day. It snowed on my 11th birthday! Not much, 1/2 an inch of so . . . I was in awe that this amazing thing happened on my birthday. It hadn't snowed in LA for 10 years! I planned to wear my party shoes to school and I didn't let a bit of snow dissuade me! I just had to be really careful on the playground not to slip and fall!

And as beautiful as the snow was, I remember being out in the front yard with my dad as he worried about the snow/frost killing the lawn. Like the rest of our neighbors we had dichondra, which is not a grass at all. Very pretty, but oh so delicate. Walking on it while it was frosty was sure to leave a tell-tale footprint. Y'know I still think anything but dichondra isn't really a lawn!

Irresistable pink cake with yellow roses.

Freshman year in college a dozen yellow roses were delivered to my dorm room. I may have been a hippie at a hippie college, but I was thrilled at this gift from my Nana. When Nana found out they were sent early she must have given them what-for cuz on the day of my birthday another dozen yellow roses were delivered to my dorm room! I wandered around handing out yellow roses all day!

Today is Suzanne & Nina's birthday. Suzanne I met the first day of college freshman year. Nina I met when we were in 3rd grade and moved in across the street from each other. I love almost-sharing my birthday with them.

This has been a fun week. I've eaten lunch out every day and not felt guilty. I talked to my mom and liked it! I talked to my best friend Kath -- every time I do it's so clear why we've been friends since high school! I started re-reading Eat, Pray, Love and it's just as good the second time! I discovered an L.L.Bean outlet store and bought a men's field coat and called my mom again to tell her about the gift she bought me!

Next week I may have to get serious. But this week was all about celebrating!

Play Day

Saturday was all about play and it had lots of different components.

UP IN THE AIR JUNIOR BIRDMAN

I took the day off from glittering and Kath took the day off from policy making and we played!


We didn't go up in the plane, which is playing for Kathy & her friends.

The wind would just have bounced the aircraft around.

I am being offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly in a WWII training plane.
It wouldn't work out time-wise, but the truth is, I'm a scaredy cat when it comes to little planes.

FARM GIRL FOR A DAY

Down the road from the hangars, a family related farm festival was going on.

Broom Making

Sorghum is used to make the brooms.

Colored Sorghum.

Corn
Turned in to meal and made into pancakes.
We bought a bag of mix and it's today's breakfast!

I like the historical irony!

This wringer washing machine certainly would not be considered easy by today's standards. But I bet it was a whole lot easier than what the farm wife had before.

Vintage and antique farm equipment

Well used, rusty vehicles.

Equipment in show condition.

Notice the blades of grass out of focus at the bottom on this pic?

Kath was down on the grass taking beautiful close-up arty photographs.

I grabbed the camera out of her hands, told her to stay put and captured her "technique!"
Hard not to laugh!

Monogram Linens

Yesterday over at Attic Charm, Laura's post was all about The Beauty of The Upper Case. She wrote about her love of monograms and said she didn't have examples of the elaborate entwined letters so often on vintage linens. I thought I would share some photos from my linen collection.

I'm particularly fond of the intertwining M and A in the center.
I bought a collection of monogram linens at an estate sale some years ago. When I look at them now, they remind me of my Silver Bella swap partner. They might be her daughter's initials if R is her middle name.

I like this one, but what are those letters?

I actually believe this is E and T.
One really needs magical powers to decipher it!


Is this a monogram where the last initial is largest in the middle?


Can you see initials in this? I can't!
But it's the most wonderful heavy-weight linen towel, large enough to dry a person after a bath.

Hope you have enjoyed these.
Now back to ironing more linens for the shop!