Sunday 30 June 2013

English Tea Shop in Angles sur L'Anglin

On the second day of opening Number 15, a Salon de Thé, I sampled green grapefruit tea with an English scone.  Although I make my own there is something very civilised eating one with cream and strawberry jam after a drizzly, morning walk.
With English wallpaper and decor,  a welcoming greeting and a wonderful ambience, the new owners, Nick and Nadia, who, as they say, are on a steep learning curve, provide a little piece of HOME for an expat! or a little English culture for a French resident!
The room is beautifully presented in muted creams and greens with roses in vases on the tables.
The Nina Campbell birdcage wallpaper is a delight as is the pink crockery with tea cups and saucers featuring birdcages.
I wish them every success for the season and hope they may be sometimes open in the Winter!
Postscript:
Cross the bridge to the Low Town and it is on the left! In fact, it has been open for about a month but I have been slow to post!  They serve lunches and beers.
Today I sampled another cream scone AND a chocolate cupcake breaking all my rules as I had been cycling but not far! The sun was shiningly hot. I sat and meditated on how life can be bliss if one does not worry!!!!!!!
I would be delighted to accompany anyone especially if a sturdy walk before or afterwards could be incorporated.  







Too late for a ticket!!!!!!

It's only rock and roll and I like it!
AND HIM!!!

Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones perform on the main Pyramid Stage. Photo credit to Julian Simmonds / Telegraph

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Patrimoine de Pays et des Moulins 16th June 2013

It was extremely interesting to see in a private garden in the village Laireau, a wind turbine constructed at the end of the 19th century, invented by one of the members of the Bollée family who had a foundry to make bells. Other family members invented and made machines and vehicles.
There was an exhibition about these in 2012 at the Musée AutoMotoVelo at Châtellerault. 
You can read the technical information here.







Sunday 16 June 2013

Rabbits!

What a week! It started with the later than anticipated arrival of daughter and granddaughter who were diverted to Limoges on account of an airstrike. Dear Ryanair arranged 4 buses to bring the passengers to Poitiers for 7pm. It was a long day as the two started their journey at 5am and landed chez moi at 20h! Usually my daughter brings the hottest of weathers but this time the rain arrived for their full 3 days although we managed a dry spell on Wednesday. The sun arrived as they departed for more rain and storms in UK!  Ho hum. We've had the most glorious of June weekends. The house was re-arranged to my liking after their visit, mowing of one lawn was essential and I know two more await! The courtyard flowers needed tending and it was a long job to dead head the rambling rose and spray for blackspot and now my Evelyn rose has been infected!!!! Today was Patrimoine and I've thoroughly enjoyed the day. If only I could remind myself of optimism and a lovely world when the Black Spots arrive in my daily life! 
Activity reports will arrive next week.
Meanwhile, isn't this sweet...I wish I had small panes onto the outside world!!!!!! I've just replaced them but when the wooden battens get installed onto the double glazing then I shall hang some small rabbits.  Shall look out for them from now on!!!!!!

Finding a gift

For my son and his wife's first wedding anniversary I found two cotton hearts of counted threadwork as created in my village.
 Les Jours d'Angles ... has existed since about 1850 in this village, where women spent their days pulling threads from silk, cotton, linen and then with needle and thread binding other threads together to form a marquetry of design.  It was used to decorate lingerie as well as other clothing, tablecloths etc...  Today the art is being promoted and protected as PATRIMOINE. You can see women working at the Office du Tourisme and also they offer lessons to those who have the fine point skills and patience for such work. Not I!

Monday 10 June 2013

Colour in Four chairs and Five fishes




I've worked on the courtyard garden, going to great expense with plants, but still in June, it is dull and lifeless.  With my grand daughter's pending visit and tired of looking at the bare faded green horizontal trellis, which is now awaiting two clematis to grow, I waterproofed these cut-outs made in a former life when I hosted my first ex-pat garden party with about 12 other Brits including children. These were to hang in the trees.  I've no idea why except that I was recuperating from an op and early retirement when the creative spirit needed an outlet!

Saturday 8 June 2013

Cinema

Ooooh Chatellerault has been showing THE GREAT GATSBY. On Thursday I discovered that Version Originale was being shown that evening....... so I had to re-organise my day, needing not to arrive too early, needing to do diy shopping before 7pm, supermarket shopping before 8pm and then park.  It was quite strange to walk through the town alone at 11pm!

I loved the film.

I don't have television so am excited by visual techniques.

Cinematography knows no bounds! To begin with, it was a bit of a blast, fantastically imaginative, almost Titanic in concept and ambience and after that thought I remembered that DiCaprio was in the film!  Once I'd got over my surprise, oohs and aahs, in order to cope with the visual grandeur I decided to indulge in the Fantasy, forget about the story, and enjoy every single amazing visual, aural thing.  In fact, a couple of times I found myself chuckling aloud!  I was absorbed in the plot and technowizardryscenery, but after the credits there was some really good music to focus on. During the film it was sometimes quite a jolt to hear modern music whilst viewing Roaring Twenties. I was the last in the cinema waiting to see what the music titles were.  I loved the colours, the sets, the debauchery, the decadence, the obscene opulence as well as the morals being portrayed.

Above all there were lessons to remind me of REALITY.
(It's been a whole week of shifting thoughts and emotions! At last, internal change!) 

It's been a long while since I read the novel so at this moment in my life, it was salutary to hear the dialogue that we can't move ahead without letting go of the past, that we can't live LIFE if looking in the rear view mirror! The past can't be recaptured and we must try to learn from it! That resonated!

(My daughter said 3 years ago, "the past is not the future".  It has taken some time to come to terms with the fact that I CAN CONTROL (to a certain extent :) MY FUTURE!)

I think the film captures the illusion and reality that are sometimes present in our daily lives. Things might not be what they seem. One has to look for Truth in the unknown and known. One can have dreams and ambitions but should try to understand that they can't always be achieved. In order to strive to the future and hope for better things, we have to let go. (I've got an attic of stuff to let go!!!!)  Nothing is perfect and if we try too hard we might fall and fail.  Of course money doesn't buy happiness, so be content with what one has without being greedy for materialistic pleasures.  If Love is put on a pedestal then when Love falls will there be anyone to catch Love?
Money Can't Buy Me LOVE.

That sort of thing! 
Yes, a very thought provoking film if you abandon yourself to the experience! IT WAS FUN! :)

Friday 7 June 2013

Chamber Music and Irises

I love the colour of the Siberian iris at Days on the Claise.

At the weekend I attended a wonderful concert in the beautiful church of St Pierre de Maille.
During the interval, at the table where refreshments were served, there was a delightful bowl of pink irises. Impressionant! I had never seen that colour before.
A few days later my French neighbour was weeding her garden when I admired her peonies, roses, clematis in a very English country garden. Sometimes in summer the aroma in the air is breathtaking. When I exclaimed about her different coloured irises and told her about the pink ones, off she went to show me the catalogue for Cayeux : a business that sells irises in UK and France. 
I was very impressed.  I suppose I could plant irises at the end of the garden on the bedrock rockery.
I have now researched that one is supposed to cut off each faded flower and also  with a neat diagonal cut prune each stem before the roots are divided.  I am not a gardener but try hard!
This year my irises flowered abundantly. They were a pale lilac and had been taken from rhizomes from my friend's garden 2 to 3 years ago.  Neither of us remember the irises flowering in the past! All these associated irises 'stem' from the same small sample I acquired on a walk 'somewhereinfrance'.

The chamber music was exquisite:

Schubert: Piano Trio no 2 Eb major opus 100 D929
Faure:  Piano Trio D minor opus 120
Brahms: Piano Trio in Cminor opus 101

These photos were taken at Vicq when the Gartempe was flooded:
It's a shame that such resplendent kings do not linger for the summer.

























Tuesday 4 June 2013

Removal day two years ago today

My house did not have a bath, shower or indoor toilet but it did have some heating.  I could go it alone to start a new phase of my life.  I remember sitting on the window sill after the removal chaps had left with the thought "I must do some knitting!"  I still haven't yet made those needles work although on a few occasions I started crochet only to not continue!

Two weeks after moving two years ago,  he, whom I'd considered my best and eternal friend, gave me a digital copy of a photo he took with my camera when we were courting in the Auvergne mountains.  I must find the original in my collection somewhere.

I was determined to climb that mountain whilst recuperating from Fibromyalgia (CFS). It must be 15 years ago ish!!! The found stick which had broken several times helped get a grip on the steep descent. There were places where I had to crawl down backwards!!!! I'm thinking that those last two sentences are descriptive of the last 2 to 7 years but this last month after the accident I am aware of describing life as if I am hauling myself up the mountain again.  Well, I'm a lot more grey but essentially not much different, in body and in mind!  I still have determination to survive the struggle but it's rare I get such muddy knees!

I remember OUR achievement and wonderment at the carpets of wildflowers in the basin of the volcanic bowl.   That mountain had ski chair lifts abandoned in August!

Very fond, positive memories.
Those boots were the comfiest ever.... and I know that top and those shorts are in my summer DIY clothing box. Very frugal!

Sunday 2 June 2013

TLC

In need of TLC and a treat for my inner soul,  the walk manifested itself to the bridge and beyond, where talking with a French person in the street, I became less stressed.  Then my feet invited me to test the new proprietors of La Grange des Dames, which I highly recommend.  The new owner is absolutely charming, extremely accommodating, adjusting the menu to the customer request of my favourite pancake with apple, chocolate and ice-cream instead of apple, caramel and Chantilly cream!  IT WAS DELICIOUS and the purse did not worry!!!!!!
If French summer heat gets too much, go inside for the wonderful secreted cavelike area. Then there is a higher terrace which wasn't necessarily clear (to me) as one sits down on the first outdoor terrace. 
I LOVED IT and will go as frequently as I can.

Saturday 1 June 2013

Ferrari Fast Cars

Ooooooooooh I wish!!!!! but financially it seems obscene
However, I went as it was a charity fundraiser for Cancer.
I drove South to Le Vigeant.
I'd never been to motor racing before and know nothing about cars.
but they are truly works of art and speed.
It was a warm day and as food is always expensive or rubbish at French events I took my picnic.
Plenty of other nice Porsche, Bugatti, Triumph, Morris, etc

I like this green one which was on a photoshoot.  
I copied what the guys behind the camera were doing and got this low-down shot.
The day was a bit like being at the horse races but no one was dressed up. 
In fact it was difficult to discern who had money and who hadn't.
I suppose if you own a Ferrari you haven't got much left. 
Some had huge lorries in which to transport their precious coloured precision modelled treasures.