tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65778471535093266642012-01-27T12:28:26.331+01:00Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.comBlogger2201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-35881678707963812012012-01-15T08:34:00.000+01:002012-01-15T08:34:28.720+01:00

Everytime I go onto Pinterest to find a fabulous quote to share with you all, one that really gets me moving myself. I get lost. Lost in ideas. Lost in possibilities. Lost in a future that is different from my today. Lost in another world. The fantasy world of Pinterest!! This invariably means that the half hour I allow myself to blog fizzles out in a puff of virtual possibilities that, while

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-56269236119862884302012-01-04T09:14:00.002+01:002012-01-04T09:22:40.802+01:00

Resolution number one: NO MORE BEING LATE! Gloups!!! Having said that - I'm not exactly LATE. Technically in France we can send our New Year's wishes up until Jan 31st... However, apparently one's resolutions should be resolutely set before end December. Pfffff! Time is such a human invention! If "To Change One's Life = Start Immediately! I see no reason to wait for Jan 1st to do so!! Anyone

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-86341884500886265532011-12-23T17:01:00.000+01:002011-12-23T17:01:01.549+01:00

SimplyWishing you allSome good humour(Bruce, the French snow man) simple pleasures and a splash of colour This festive season.  Joyeux NoëlSee you after a good deal of food I don't really need :)xxx

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-34965178339317077182011-12-17T00:27:00.002+01:002011-12-17T00:55:53.985+01:00

If you wander around La Rivière with me, you are likely to find tiny glimpses of   hidden in the most unlikely places. I find them peeking out at me when I least expect it!I wandered through the door last week to find that Chickpea,my darling eldest daughter,had thoughtfully tidied my wooden letterpress blocks for me Sometimes it's great to be a messmonster myself.I wouldn't have thought to put

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-40527489591154422902011-12-07T20:07:00.000+01:002011-12-07T20:07:59.989+01:00

Once upon a time my messmonsters were given a lovely pack of 7 Families that had belonged to my Mother in Law when she was a child.  Unfortunately, the cards had been placed under an evil curse that would force some of them to be separated from the pack; lost forever in the great Bermuda Triangle formed between MiL's House, the Car Ride and Our House. To this day they have never been seen again.

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-84384427667400076872011-11-29T14:17:00.001+01:002011-11-29T14:20:49.066+01:00

Stillness is our most intense mode of action. It is in our moments of deep quiet that is born every idea, emotion and drive which we eventually  honour with the name of action. In stillness every human being is great; he is free from the experience of hostility; he is a poet and most like an Angel. Leonard Bernstein I was contemplaing the idea of stillness this morning after I overslept. Beaker

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-2173292992756729132011-11-22T06:39:00.000+01:002011-11-22T06:39:46.137+01:00

It is 4.45am and I have decided to arise earlier on a regular basis in a desperate bid to improve my efficiency ratio on 'school' days and have some peaceful 'thinking' time before 3 whirlwinds of activity sabotage the calm. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do n'est-ce pas? . All is dark and chilly, and the only sound is the gentle takakakakakakakakak of the keyboard, if you don't count the

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-89186683839523210522011-11-15T10:40:00.001+01:002011-11-15T10:43:22.659+01:00

That's exactly what I was thinking this morning at 6.30am when I awoke to find the fire still burning in the hearth. Thank goodness for small mercies! Mind you, a little light also comes in handy at 6.30am in this part of the world, when all is dark and the only sound you can hear are the sounds of mice playing in the pasta packets in the pantry. Nice ;-) There are projects in the air here at

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-77068448501105033752011-11-08T09:11:00.001+01:002011-11-08T09:15:02.755+01:00

Of course I'd like to be able to continue the title of this post with 'but my genius.' But that would be far too obvious. Worse! It would be plagiarism! Perish the thought! But it is a nifty, catchy expression, don't you think?A hint of daring. A touch of 'up yours!''I have nothing to declare but my genius.' MERVEILLEUX! The Irish have the knack for witty, pithy expressions.They can pull them

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-53476736681403814332011-10-31T00:24:00.001+01:002011-10-31T00:28:47.495+01:00

Well, not you exactly. Something else. Something a little too touchy at the moment to write here. For a few weeks there, things were feeling pretty sad here at La Rivière. This thing (read: me) was anyway. Strangely enough, I've never, EVER associated the colour blue with sadness. It's a colour that fills me with Peace and even Joy. Blue is the colour I paint most. So this calligraphy is a far

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-85533354718770182672011-10-27T16:10:00.001+02:002011-10-27T16:13:06.618+02:00

Have you ever noticed that when you finally bite the bullet and do something you've been dying to do but dreading internally, for fear of being out of your league, too big for your boots, or just plain not up to grade, that things just fall into place? Over at Annie Blogs you can win one of my 'Key to Courage' hearts above if you leave a comment on her blog answering one not so tiny question: '

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-87528624042880249602011-10-18T17:35:00.000+02:002011-10-18T17:35:24.853+02:00

Given that: a) Homeschooling has hexed my mind into a seething pit of viscious French verbs and evil rules of grammar, exhausting all form of creativity in the process, and b) Time has packed its bags and left La Rivière in disgust then in a desperate bid to think of ANYTHING something remotely interesting for a blog post, I have resorted to carrying the camera with me about the house hoping to

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-50949611023731162642011-10-14T18:04:00.000+02:002011-10-14T18:04:00.126+02:00

These final days of warm sunshine mean I'm still trying to fit in as much painting as I can after the homeschooling finishes for the day. Coincidentally, I shall be racing off on my poor, neglected mountain bike later to run some errands since I conveniently blew a car tyre last night racing messmonster number two home from singing and don't have a spare. Just in case you weren't feeling too

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-37021413351076299492011-10-04T10:46:00.000+02:002011-10-04T10:46:08.140+02:00

Silence. The word of Angels Each beat of their eyelashes Is a symphony I know an 'Ange' who stays silent for ages. Days pass. A whole month even. Why entire seasons can change before you get word from her. That usually means she's been a busy Ange. Let's look on it as a blessing ;-)I've put a couple of new pieces up in my Etsy shop. The rest are waiting patiently for me to get my camera out. 

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-76531485477865823602011-09-07T08:31:00.001+02:002011-09-07T08:34:14.693+02:00

It feels a bit like a hurricane has passed over La Rivière since my last post, leaving me quite breathless. I'm not quite sure whether I'm coming or going. photo from here In any case, in a couple of hours I'm definitely GOING - taking off to Wales again for another retreat where I'm hoping to find myself before I return to France! In the mean time, I thought I would give you a bit of an update

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-62603223129983015502011-08-22T23:58:00.002+02:002011-08-23T00:08:03.721+02:00

I can't believe I got back from Paris nearly a week ago .There's something about that city that still pulses inside me even 16 years after I first landed.Truthfully, when I'm there in August ...ie: the weather's balmy,  there are no traffic jams,  (Champs Elysées, one Friday night in August) there is almost no doggie doodoo in the streets and we can grab a park anywhere, even on la rue

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-41500646578778984302011-08-10T02:32:00.000+02:002011-08-10T02:32:33.636+02:00

It's nearly 1.30am and if I was a sensible girl, I would already be well in bed catching a few zeds before the alarm goes off at 6am. Sensible, however, is a word that's been banished from my vocabulary due to its palid shade and boring, flat heeled, black shoes.  Tomorrow is a mission of LOVE - and we all know that LOVE overrides practical sensibility by a long shot. LOVE prevails. LOVE lifts

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-13958891585198821272011-08-08T09:48:00.001+02:002011-08-08T17:36:27.612+02:00

Hi possums, After a brief stint of doing nothing for oh, all of five minutes, I got the impulse to get busy again. There's a definite magnetic pull towards my studio when the messmonsters are engaged in their own frenzied activity hundreds of kilometres away from the house. I guess I can legitimately count my meditation time as delightfully doing nothing (or just 'Being' - as you so eloquently

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-34907129700640895322011-08-04T10:45:00.001+02:002011-08-04T10:48:25.681+02:00

"... Seeing cannot take place until you pause. Real creativity cannot occur as long as the creative impulse is constantly sublimated into habitual activity. At this late stage of conditioning, doing nothing alone can allow transformation to happen. Yet doing nothing must be based on clarity of vision. Knowing how to pause, not just outwardly, but throughout your being is a consummate art of

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-23120562745394447092011-07-31T09:17:00.002+02:002011-07-31T09:22:20.432+02:00

Thanks for your emails and comments. It looks like British Airways has come to the rescue and we will indeed make it over to the ditch to London. Direct from Toulouse to boot :) Strikers thwarted! Did you notice the blue background behind Pierrot and Columbine? It's a medium sized door I'm working on. Stormy blue. Sort of fits this summer strike theme… And here are some paper shells I've been

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-28169396077973352872011-07-31T00:02:00.001+02:002011-07-31T00:10:03.126+02:00

If you have been paying attention my dearest Possums, or dropped by recently, you would be aware that I had planned to write a post this weekend. Yesterday in fact (one day late is better than one month as is my wont of late, n'est-ce pas? ;) It was going to be upbeat. Racy. Dare I say witty even. First of all I was going to give you the secret recipe for the lime putty (ever had a witty lime

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-43281861235946628072011-07-28T17:00:00.001+02:002011-07-28T17:08:06.630+02:00

While I whip you up a lime putty recipe and finish off my next piece that I PROMISED I'd blog about tomorrow, Seth at the Altered Page came up with an offer that was too good to refuse: Dig up some buried treasure in the form of a favourite blog post from the past.  The post below is one of my personal favourites. Why? Because one year on, I'm still thrilled that I went ahead and followed my

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-71549793473366716412011-07-25T23:02:00.003+02:002011-07-25T23:10:36.528+02:00

Sigh - sort of. Playing around with a Curvy Roman hand that is - 'La Cursive Romaine.' I'm still only just getting the hang of it but have been enjoying it's soft rise and fall, similar to the gentle swell of the tide. You see, when the family goes away (hijacking the camera in their wake - hence yet another long absence from yours truly)  I tuck myself away in my atelier with a text that

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-82127629017749598542011-06-23T01:14:00.000+02:002011-06-23T01:14:38.176+02:00

I'm back from London.  With THESE!!! I had to wear them home!! Incidentally, I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in 12 months in the line-up for customs. She was behind me. Eying off the SHOES thinking 'I could really get on well with the girl wearing those...'Then I turned around ;-) Funny how life works, isn't it! I also came back with 2 other pairs: both rather more sophisticated, rather

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-29782477721190445762011-06-17T00:12:00.001+02:002011-06-17T00:24:08.443+02:00

As you can see, I've got a case of the blues.  Up to my elbows in it. Literally!You have to use your fingers to knead out the bumps made when mixing lime powder and fine sand with water, before you add the acetate that binds it all together so you can plaster it to the wall. There's something that drives me crazy about blue pigmentsBleu Céruleum…Bleu outremer... I know I have a big load of

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-60457682687789443212011-06-06T23:58:00.000+02:002011-06-06T23:58:35.128+02:00

This post isn't quite about what you might think it's going to be. I bet you're thinking I'm going to be going on and on and on etc about my own brand, or someone else's; one of my favourite brands perhaps. Or maybe have a bit of a rant about a terrible branding campaign. Tricked ya!  I have been far too busy putting the final touches (ie: a HUGE WINDOW) on my studio or atelier as we say here in

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-8441608536799268762011-05-30T23:00:00.000+02:002011-05-30T23:00:33.847+02:00

Au clair de la lune mon ami Pierrot (not often you see a sad face around here, is it?) Prête-moi ta plume pour écrire un mot(Be a sport! Loan me your quill, I have a few words I'd like to share) Ma chandelle est morte, je n'ai plus de feuOuvre-moi ta porte pour l'amour de Dieu(Go on. For the love of God open your door. I can't see a thing out here) (background of a wee door I'm about to start

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-16649398419089745042011-05-26T00:00:00.001+02:002011-05-26T00:03:14.404+02:00

(photo found at this wonderful Australian Artist's blog) I will find a way to photograph everything I've been working on before the end of the week gulp - that's in two days so I can share it with you next week!! NO EXCUSES. It's also EXCEPTIONALLY important that I rise early tomorrow and go for my 'patience of a saint Mum' run before the Messies get up, so that I can paint a special request

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-3395683372969209012011-05-19T12:53:00.001+02:002011-05-19T12:56:06.930+02:00

Nearly a month ago I was meant to be taking off for 9 days. It seems that every time I go to Wales, I come back only in body, and my (freshly upgraded) mind remains in Wales for a good couple of weeks afterwards. In the mean time, I have returned to Glorious Spring. Homeschooling outside. Painting outside. Life outside. And birds, eggs and birdlings everywhere ;-) It's literally a bird watcher's

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-16364278283724652682011-04-23T23:43:00.001+02:002011-04-23T23:47:11.945+02:00

As a would-be (by origin, not location UNFORTUNATELY) beach babe, toes-in-sand scruncher, and all round vagabond, imagine my joy when I stumbled on this colourful book : Inspiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired was I. Am still going through a yellow phase which I have subsequently put down to withdrawal symptoms: it has now been 5  months since I have had the pleasure of glimpsing, let alone

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-20868982652354049362011-04-15T01:10:00.000+02:002011-04-15T01:10:55.248+02:00

Go on! Watch this. It's less than three minutes  long It will make you smile It made my day  So - did it make you smile? Do you feel a little gratitude for those crème brulées that you love? Have you been following your heart (to the crème brulée section of the supermarket)? I have a little personal gratitude to share. For Jeanne, who gave me a sweet blog love award a few weeks ago (yes - I do

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-88827704251463853232011-04-11T21:54:00.002+02:002011-04-11T22:01:24.297+02:00

...I think I'll take a walk in the park Hey Hey Hey it's a beautiful day :) 6.15 wake up½ hour drive to the pool1hr trainingback in time for breakfastBeaker leaves for work 9am start torture lessons with messmonsters1.00pm feed the starving hordes3.pm finish torture lessons EXCEPT FOR GEOGRAPHYThe four of us striding through the fields with compasses in order to reach the village town hall 'the

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-72302837307591082472011-04-06T15:58:00.000+02:002011-04-06T15:58:30.238+02:00

The world is bathed in sunshine... Butterflies and bees sail effortlessly over the waves of daffodils, dandelions and daisies that decorate the sea of green that is our lawn 'La vie,' in all its splendour, calls me outside... But before I swan off... Just wanted to leave you with this thought found 'here' It struck a chord in me today :) Compromise. It is one thing to meet another halfway. It

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-76700038818023083862011-04-03T17:03:00.000+02:002011-04-03T17:03:10.339+02:00

It's been nearly a month since I blogged… Does that sound like how a confession should start?  Oh paff! Winter is over. Spring has popped it's flowery yellow head around the corner and shouted a big 'cooooooooeeeeeeeeee' to us here at La Rivière. Well, maybe not Cooooeee as that's Aussie Speak and we're in France. You get the picture I'm sure.  It's time to start afresh!  I'm setting sail again.

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-32491703345885206992011-03-10T16:38:00.000+01:002011-03-10T16:38:06.335+01:00

Today is Pomme's fifth birthday.  Pomme is the grandson of 'Papsea,' who organises mighty big yacht races all around the world. Pomme is also my godson, and loves bobbing up and down in the waves. Indeed, he is an intrepid sailor always ready to discover new lands. Seeing there's a big birthday out there on the high seas, it seemed fitting that for Wishcasting Wednesday (Yes I am aware that

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-38406852896957594082011-03-05T20:13:00.004+01:002011-03-05T23:48:44.541+01:00

While sailing round the great bloggie seas last year I navigated around the coast of this blog, to finally cast anchor at the port of Anne Wood. There I discovered, amongst slivers of antique wedding dresses,  her template for papier maché boats. I've been dreaming of making them ever since... Finally over the last couple of weeks, snuggled in by the fire with a darn good reading lamp, I started

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-51199933838037222242011-03-02T16:38:00.003+01:002011-03-02T19:07:17.010+01:00

It's school holidays in South West France and even though we are homeschooling I decided to jump on the bandwagon and give us all a week's break from the routine. Who am I trying to kid? It's me who needed the break :) The messmonsters whinge, wine whine, grumble and ignore me when I suggest ways of using the endy bits of wax crayons (and pencil stubs for that matter so I'm working on a piece

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-24825783360325650122011-03-01T17:58:00.000+01:002011-03-01T17:58:13.031+01:00

This is one of my favourite sayings! While I was contemplating the innate beauty of rust at A New York Magpie's Eye this afternoon I stumbled over it again in the form of this great giveaway over at A Prairie Thistle Life. I'm a sucker for inspirational jewellery and while I'm significantly reducing my chances of winning by letting you in on it ;-), thought it was so gorgeous that I really did

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-36005301655605053962011-03-01T12:52:00.001+01:002011-03-01T12:56:08.648+01:00

This lovely woman...did not become my overbearing senior.Although she did suggest I enter the familyas her husband's 'second' wife.She even let me try on her hand woven blanket to get a feel for the life I could aspire to.I reckon she'd seen the size of my backpack and decided I'd be perfect for hauling bales of hay up the slope to the house ;-) This was the warning of the fine I did not get for

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-30272639618411496992011-02-24T13:02:00.000+01:002011-02-24T13:02:45.901+01:00

The sun's come out. There's definitely spring in the air.I can hear messmonsters laughing outside.I am in a yellow phase Sending a big splash of yellow to my family and friends in New Zealand who now have to rebuild again after the Earthquake. It's my way of sending Hope. Good vibes. Prayers. If I could paint the world yellow, would it start to grow back beautifully?Like spring daffodilspoking

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-41207143345224623602011-02-21T14:07:00.001+01:002011-02-21T14:14:19.513+01:00

I have a wee secret to share. I'm a little embarassed to mention it actually. You will probably laugh. I am supposed to be a grown up after all.  I'm afraid of the dark. (There! Now you know!) Not the dark inside my house. I can still manage to function inside during an electricity cut :)The dark outside.The intensity of the night shadows in my garden pales in comparison to the intensity of my

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-67139596711424220852011-02-09T18:15:00.000+01:002011-02-09T18:15:15.040+01:00

I have just raced in, breathless from an hour's bike ride over the hills of the Gers. The fields look like huge, green, waves of earth and I just felt like this little cork struggling to bob up to the crest of each one. Victorious and grinning with each rise to the top! I  imagine I still looked somewhat akin a cork struggling and bobbing my way up the crest of each one though!! Hehe, I would

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-16897365702555694282011-02-07T01:00:00.002+01:002011-02-07T01:05:39.092+01:00

*@!!!*!!@&!!** (Mac Speak for ARGHHHHHHHHHHH)  I just spent half an hour trying to be brief yet witty in my explanation as to WHY I have been having soooo much trouble posting about India, and with one false 'tap' on a key, I've wiped it all. SighThat will teach me two things:1) Not to make excuses(sheepish grin)2) to be more present with what I am doing :) Honestly though, the real problem is,

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-20819017455460080602011-01-30T22:36:00.000+01:002011-01-30T22:36:32.426+01:00

… cannot be seen,  or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.Helen Keller Science experiment #1 for kids, and kids at heart.Do bubbles freeze???Have you ever wondered that? Wait till you see what other tricks I've got up my sleeve to get the messmonsters outside and breathing deeply in sub zero temps :) Some of my OWN artwork nearly ready to post (not counting our recently constructed

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-24082328431068686602011-01-26T23:35:00.000+01:002011-01-26T23:35:19.444+01:00

I am obsessed with words once again Especially the printed type ;-)The homeschooling seems to have settled into a full speed ahead gentle rhythm that is finally allowing us all   ESPECIALLY MOI to get our hands into the paint and feet into the mud (read: calligraphy and running through the fields, not necessarily at the same time) And thankfully, no time for house work So in between reading all

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-31827539851135591842011-01-20T00:44:00.002+01:002011-01-20T00:48:34.077+01:00

… depends ... ...on what... …you are...  …looking for! Just a reflection… There seem to be treasures everywhere I look at the moment.  Even after midnight Much love P.S. Stay tuned for some Indian colour :) Even though I'm still in awe of the steely grey beaches on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-56404001109847996902011-01-12T02:13:00.001+01:002011-01-12T02:19:49.533+01:00

Would you think I was ludicrous for trying to bring Wordsworth to the ears of my three young messmonsters?  Had you been at our dinner table this evening, I'm sure you would  have said YES. Then you would have erupted into the same fit of giggles as Chickpea and Libellule when their nearly 7 year old brother let out a resounding BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRP! just as I was preparing to inspire

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-85864792688259083472010-12-31T18:31:00.005+01:002010-12-31T18:43:26.609+01:00

 ... but it's even harder to give up when you know it's every thing you want!!!Anon.(starring Pomo, street dog who followed us all the way up to 3,500m altitude. She was that HUNGRY!!) I've been home for 2 weeks now - just in time for Santa to come and go.I shouldn't tell you that, should I, seeing I have been so remiss in keeping in touch :(I have soooo missed you. REALLY I HAVE.I wanted to

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-31590019639644130652010-10-14T00:26:00.000+02:002010-10-14T00:26:05.614+02:00

... strings of tension waiting to be struck. Ralph Waldo Emerson Prayer beads in hand, photograph Sam Webb 2010 I too have prayer beads in hand.They have been very useful ever since I realised last night that I'd COMPLETELY forgotten ALL ABOUT MY VACCINATIONS!Which gave rise to a lovely discussion between three girlfriends about all the horrible diseases I was likely to catch while I away...If I

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-76513688107767923292010-10-11T23:22:00.001+02:002010-10-11T23:24:13.935+02:00

"... the path not taken and the forgotten angle. These are the journeys I wish to record. Not the ones I made, but the ones I might have made, or perhaps did make in some other place or time. I could tell you the truth as you will find it in diaries and maps and log books. I could faithfully describe all that I saw and heard and give you a travel book.  You could follow it then, tracing those

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-76455175518034785292010-10-10T23:59:00.005+02:002010-10-11T00:43:51.171+02:00

"Naked I came into the world, but brush strokes cover me, language raises me, music rhythms me. Art is my rod and staff, my resting place and shield, and not mine only, for art leaves nobody out. Even those from whom art has been stolen away by tyranny, by poverty, begin to make it again. If the arts did not exist, at every moment, someone would begin to create them, in song, out of dust and

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-15430614999806173062010-10-07T00:41:00.002+02:002010-10-07T08:15:07.976+02:00

Whoever made that up didn't have real kids! Messmonster:|mesmonster  ˈmesmänstər |noun [usu. in sing. ]: * Accomplished perpetrator of immediate and apparently permanent chaos disguised in a miniature human body. Thrives on a mixture of bribery, threats, stolen jelly beans and what appears to be NO sleep. Characterised by its uncompromising strength and determination in the face of authority.

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-42437228103242476992010-10-01T20:51:00.003+02:002010-10-01T22:02:45.478+02:00

If each drop of water were to say: one drop does not make an ocean, there would be no sea. If each note of music were to say: one note does not make a symphony, there would be no melody If each word were to say: one word does not make a library, there would be no book If each brick were to say: one brick does not make a wall, there would be no house If each seed were to say: one seed does not

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-46013950780931267982010-09-29T03:21:00.000+02:002010-09-29T03:21:54.571+02:00

... I dare you to share with others the fruits of your daring. Catch a passion for helping others and a richer life will come back to you. William H Danforth Thanks to my darling friend Kimberly's very kind, and VERY SURPRISE birthday post, you are all aware by now that I've just hit the big FOUR O! I have to admit, I kinda like it! In fact I love it. I wouldn't be 20 again for anything. It's

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-20103961369480374572010-09-16T16:13:00.001+02:002010-09-16T16:14:58.972+02:00

Hello there! My name is Kimberly today I am visiting from across the sea, OVER HERE.  I am so excited to be here, although, truly, I would rather *really* be there, with Ange and her beautiful family (which, as some of you may know, have been my second family for some time now...). smiling while cutting herbs... So, as you know, Ange is away this week, and I am quite certain that you have

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-59152202131363293042010-09-09T01:16:00.000+02:002010-09-09T01:16:16.524+02:00

is a virtue. Now who was the wise saint that came up with that one?? Abandoned in Cyber Limbo by Orange (the new name for France Telecom but never-the-less still my favourite colour), I have been stranded for over a week with no home telephone or internet connection. Just in case you were wondering why I haven't dropped by...  Of course if I was a non-patient homeschooling mother, I could be

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-63259670834841858402010-08-26T09:00:00.356+02:002010-08-26T09:00:05.196+02:00

... can possibly find out how far one can go.T.S. Elliot How long has it been that I have been promising you the story of my travels to Wales and why I went there? Actually, don't tell me. Guilt and remorse are pushing me down, down, down into the depths of my paint tin for not having approached my blog since almost August 2nd. Tsk Tsk! Shame on moi!!  You'll be pleased to know that I can't sink

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-86147651960928848872010-08-24T17:11:00.000+02:002010-08-24T17:11:42.384+02:00

... and land on barbarous coasts. Herman Melville, Moby Dick Talk about barbarous coasts! Cleaned out the garage. Painted the ceilingS. Painted the kitchen. Cleaned out the office and upstairs ready to place the new home-made shelves for homeschooling. Breathe IN. Breathe OUT. Breathe IN! Gasp! These are just a few of the reasons I appear to have sailed off the end of the world.  Mayday! Mayday

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-82402469348933910272010-08-02T08:20:00.001+02:002010-08-02T08:24:47.450+02:00

...you must shut your eyes and singPablo Picasso It's been kinda like that recently. I'm not sure if it's the sunshine that I was convinced had given up on Southern France and taken up permanent residence in Aussie, the messmonsters who gaily go about making more mess for me to clean up or the great friends who've been popping back into my life after long absences ... But sing I do! And Fling! 

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-7359751922727167632010-07-17T13:28:00.000+02:002010-07-17T13:28:42.281+02:00

You might have noticed I can't quite make it back to blogging. This is just a glimpse of why ... It's summertime and I'm completely overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude for life in general. Well, there you have it! From time to time I have a soppy moment ;-) Make the most of it as the humour will be back next time. I know, I still have to tell you where I went and why in Wales. I still have to

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-43531150045566714482010-07-06T20:40:00.002+02:002010-07-06T21:16:38.918+02:00

I would like to say I have writer's block. In fact - I almost passed it off that way ;-) I will admit to spending an inordinate amount of time over the last week playing in my own back yard, painting, and watching my youngest messmonster play with his little Italian best friend.They talk and talk like two old dames.It's fascinating enough for me to spend my whole day observing them from behind my

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-72957220137137939552010-06-28T23:48:00.000+02:002010-06-28T23:48:04.667+02:00

Given the ahem, intriguing title, you may be asking yourself just what exactly I was up to during my time in Wales ;-) Was I on a luxury, week long spa with black peat body packs and  pure merino sweat blankets?  Noooo friends - but given the copious amounts of great vegetarian food that I lacked the strength not to take extra servings of, I had to run a lot of kilometres through the black peat

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-52570121877822604222010-06-23T17:45:00.001+02:002010-06-23T17:50:06.195+02:00

...means finding the courage to lose sight of the shore!(who DID say that?) The last 20 days have been magical, trying, not with out their challenges, and not unlike discovering an ocean either. After the usual French air traffic strikes that kept me across the other side of the ditch in lovely Wales a little longer than I expected (I vaguely thought about swimming across but my suitcase doesn't

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-18542691554499824832010-06-03T13:06:00.000+02:002010-06-03T13:06:03.641+02:00

...so they did it anyway. Attributed to Mark Twain I told you I had a secret to tell you. A couple of you already know because I've whacked you over the head with it hinted about it. But I'm still shy about saying it. Seeing I'm hiding away for two weeks (I'll tell you why and where when I get back - hehehe - just for some more suspense), I thought it was safe to tell you now.  See that plank

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-8763975514160323272010-06-01T23:20:00.000+02:002010-06-01T23:20:28.608+02:00

Today as I was urging my bike against the wind that hurtled across La Vallée de la Save, my mind was frequently peppered with the words and images I was going to use to describe the incredible transformation of Joan (you haven't forgotten her already have you?).  And as I huffed and puffed pedaled, I realised that the transformation really isn't Joan's, but my own.  'Huh??' you ask, 'Oh no not

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-51365459751438928102010-05-27T23:10:00.002+02:002010-05-28T13:43:15.517+02:00

...it has got to come out!William Faulkner This is one of the many pieces inhabiting my studio dining room that has already been through many reincarnations. I am still unsure what it's first life was exactly, but what I do know is that I rescued it from a premature death by burning when I 'tidied out' a friend's Mother-in-Law's barn... (Remember the blue shutter? This is a smaller member of the

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-51638064404424845432010-05-24T00:00:00.001+02:002010-05-24T00:10:39.008+02:00

... you don't know what you can't do!Henry James Ha! I've always taken that statement by Mr Henry James in a very positive light. It says to me 'how do you know it's not possible if you if you don't try?!'  Now, it's not that I've reached my limits or anything (heaven forbid!!),  but it's definitely been a week where every, single attempt I have made at finishing a piece of art has gone

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-12276262986779217082010-05-17T23:43:00.001+02:002010-05-17T23:49:20.247+02:00

...the rain has gone I can see all obstacles in my way gone are the dark clouds that had me blind it's gonna be a BRIGHT BRIGHT sunshiny day! (Johnny Nash) I've been hiding from my MAC in a guise to concentrate on my calligraphy. (Have you noticed the very infrequent posting? Please say yes ;-) It mostly worked. But I was caught between seasons...Then today the sun shone down on La Rivière... and

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-18442986581703170912010-05-12T19:57:00.000+02:002010-05-12T19:57:39.596+02:00

Sorry! I couldn't help myself.  It's just that every time I say the name Amelia I sing it to the tune of 'Cecilia' (nope- don't ask me why - just a stupid schoolgirl rhyming thing) and off we go again... I have been making lots of progress artistically myself these days but have had no time to photograph the results. Let's face it, with the rainy spring weather, the light hasn't been that good

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-24418584966164270682010-05-11T11:14:00.000+02:002010-05-11T11:14:43.241+02:00

I desperately tried to get to my blog for the last two nights. And the last two nights storms have had me in bed consoling the messmonsters, counting the kilometres between the storm and the house, and making firmly sure my modem was UNPLUGGED.  We now go accoustic here in the country after having more than one internet connection frazzle itself out complete with perm and electric guitar in a

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-46219108023920999832010-05-05T23:57:00.002+02:002010-05-06T00:16:54.055+02:00

... that their thinking is done by their head;  it is actually done by the heart  which first dictates the conclusion,  then commands the head to provide  the reasoning that will defend it." - Anthony de Mello  via Whisky River (Thanks again to this most inspirational blog) (Photo: Reflections. Taken for the C&C photo assignment that I forgot to post ...Ahem!) The above quote pretty well

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-37495200909453893842010-05-02T23:57:00.003+02:002010-05-03T00:54:54.215+02:00

Is it Sunday again already? Just the right day for some inspiration from a Saint!I promised Jeanne (as well as you!) that I would post my 10th photo and corresponding post. What a blast from the past! So here it is... Aime, et fais ce que tu voudras... One of my favorite pieces, sold last year to a lovely psychologist for her office Tonight between cooking the kids' dinner, cooking lasagne for

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-67362318399811616002010-04-30T20:15:00.001+02:002010-04-30T20:17:26.902+02:00

Before I start this post I have to thank both the lovely Amanda at Small Acorns and the gorgeous Jeanne at A Collage of Life for tagging me in their game. I have been so flat out trying to organise the coming months of my life (Exciting news for me to tell you when it's all sorted out properly. SHHHHH. All will be revealed), that I had almost...  I said Almost...Nearly...forgotten to blog They

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-23454609351143531992010-04-27T00:42:00.001+02:002010-04-27T08:39:23.824+02:00

... To you I shall be unique in all the world. an extract from,Le Petit Prince by French aviator Antoine de St-Exupéry1900-1944 This piece is for Sarah, who recently missed out on a long awaited and well deserved holiday to France, and who has a beautiful blog called Hyacinths for the Soul. It has taken me months (since she won my contest back in January!) to finally come up with an artwork to

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-51549092217876033952010-04-22T00:58:00.002+02:002010-04-22T02:21:24.663+02:00

"Houston Ange, we have a problem!" said the slightly worried voice on the other end of the line... from the Avignon TGV station......3.5 hour's drive East of Toulouse  "All trains to Toulouse have been cancelled, she said"- Cancelled? What about one to Beziers, Narbonne, Montpellier, Perpignan or BORDEAUX? I suggested. - Cancelled. I don't understand. I only bought my ticket last night and they

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-90888902273380731852010-04-14T10:57:00.001+02:002010-04-14T11:15:25.156+02:00

While my gorgeous visitor is under running water somewhere upstairs I'm sneaking in a blog post and catching up with C&C Photography's photo assignements. Thought it was time to improve my photographic skills. "Ange, this will help when you want to take pictures of your own work!" I said to myself. 1st assignment: photograph A WHITE EGG Try and find a white egg in France! Camilla suggested I

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-50939995898441296012010-04-11T11:09:00.005+02:002010-04-11T11:16:19.729+02:00

Cette façon de voir les choses me semble très juste... C'est exactement le genre de réflexion qui me passe par la tête pendant que je peins dehors par ce dimanche ensoleillé. La vie au bureau ne me manque pas finalement, même si je prends des risques... I think I found this photo at FIT TO BE SEEN Very, talented photographer, Andrea always provides a unique perspective on life through her lens

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-50316267856381999612010-04-08T01:04:00.002+02:002010-04-08T13:22:41.844+02:00

Now that's what I call FUNCTIONAL ART!  I have recently fallen in love with the works of Cal Lane,a woman who has quite a way with a blowtorch! I can't imagine how much time it must take herto achieve such intricate precision in her work This is how she describes her approach: "I have always been interested in embracing the very thing that repels me in order to understand it: I prefer to make

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-2310247495060778512010-04-06T12:05:00.004+02:002010-04-08T13:24:58.976+02:00

Lots of late nights, learning and laughing ...A few glasses of good red wine...Some ummings and aaahings...A website is born! Thanks so much to Nathalie @ Coaching and Web for the hours and hours and hours and hours (ad infinitum)she has spentwriting the code,andgenerally putting it all together.I think she's done a great job! Thanks to Mlle Julie@ Being Ruby for the great work she did on

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-16884118875784385592010-04-03T19:00:00.002+02:002010-04-03T19:08:43.966+02:00

I know I've gone MIA again. It's just that I'm trying to:  finish my new website, organise some exhibitions grow an extra pair of hands, paint clean the house get some sleep fit in some sport and play Easter Bunny all at the same time.The good news is we will have lots of Easter Eggs and  a real, grown up Website ready for Monday.Am recovering after telling my imaginative Libellule the horrible 

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-53396515840755593002010-04-01T17:12:00.002+02:002010-04-01T17:16:57.205+02:00

Before I get into today's rather short post (thought I'd give you a break after the last tome), I just wanted to thank you all for your inspiring and uplifting comments regarding my 'education' dilemma. They have given me lots of food for thought and a good deal of encouragement. I will show you all a picture of that hand painted manifesto as soon as it is finished - and keep you posted about the

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-55497405666773787302010-03-30T13:56:00.001+02:002010-03-30T14:03:41.739+02:00

The French have an expression I love ... 'Refaire le monde' Literally, 're-make the world' or Make the world what you'd like it to be. It's a popular expression used to describe those moments whiled away in conversation with friends. It evokes images of wonderful dinner parties or lazy afternoons chatting away the hours, of dreams for the future and memories of the past. For the French, ' Refaire

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-54893971924172828222010-03-29T10:13:00.001+02:002010-03-29T10:15:51.854+02:00

"Didn't the fox never catch the rabbit, Uncle Remus?" asked the little boy the next evening."He come mighty nigh it, honey, sho's you born--Brer Fox did.(from, The Wonderful Tar Baby Story, as narrated by Uncle Remus) Mighty nigh but not quite, eh Uncle Remus!!Meet my my newest excuse for not showing you any new work... 10 feeds per day  and some serious supervision so he doesn't go AWOL from

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-60973709063632353072010-03-24T18:33:00.003+01:002010-03-24T18:59:51.589+01:00

"...but it was so long since he had heard a bird sing in his garden that it seemed to him to be the most beautiful music in all the world. Then the Hail stopped dancing over his head, and the North Wind ceased roaring, and a delicious perfume came to him through the open casement. 'I believe the Spring has come at last,' said the Giant; and he jumped out of bed and looked out.  What did he see?

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-16124398664338759172010-03-21T22:54:00.005+01:002010-03-21T23:08:55.111+01:00

A slender acquaintance with the world  must convince every man  that actions, not words,  are the true criterion of the attachment of friends. George Washington If you've been reading recently you'll know that I've been on a lucky streak. This lucky streak has been going on for most of my life. Well - that's how I see it anyway. But recently, things have really been picking up! Life has been

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-3645566698370067082010-03-19T23:52:00.002+01:002010-03-20T08:32:09.516+01:00

It is nearly midnight and I have rewritten this post 5 times now. Sometimes I wonder if it is just me that takes so long to find the right words - or if you all have the same dilemma.  Do you? Of course, a good dose of the wearies doesn't help. Nodding off on your keyboard only reduces your alphabet to a lot of zzzzzzzz's! Never fear though possums - the old second wind has kicked in and we may

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-69411197559412881942010-03-17T19:36:00.004+01:002010-03-18T01:03:58.332+01:00

"The gaps are the thing. The gaps are the spirit's one home, the altitudes and latitudes so dazzlingly spare and clean that the spirit can discover itself like a once-blind man unbound. The gaps are the clefts in the rock where you cower to see the back parts of God; they are the fissures between mountains and cells the wind lances through, the icy narrowing fords splitting the cliffs of mystery

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-51753242868009203622010-03-16T23:29:00.001+01:002010-03-16T23:31:44.357+01:00

"When you think things are badwhen you feel sour and blue,when you start to get mad...Just do what I do!" "Just tell yourself, Duckie, you're really quite lucky!Some people are much more...oh ever so much more...oh muchly much -much moreunlucky than you!" For suppose that you lived in that forest in France,where the average young person just hasn't a chanceto escape from the perilous

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-66238046409363905162010-03-15T20:32:00.002+01:002010-03-15T20:37:13.552+01:00

A gorgeous sunny day to take out my quills and nibs... This wooden heart has been winking at me from it's hiding place in my dining room ahem! studio for a couple of months now La Marquise de Sévigny was a wise woman all the way back in the 1600s I guess she meant a heart that loves... Never grows old!More about her and the heart when it is finished,(needs an English translation on the back)

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-12893070764612371992010-03-14T23:10:00.000+01:002010-03-14T23:10:33.276+01:00

... en le partageantBuddha En attendant la reprise de mes pinceaux adorés... DEMAIN! je jette un coup d'oeil dehors et je retrouve toute l'inspiration qu'il me faut ;-) Cette semaine, un peu plus de calligraphie à partager avec vous...

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-78850968230148245262010-03-12T01:00:00.013+01:002010-03-12T01:23:29.955+01:00

(thank you Jackie for the wonderful photo) Alors les filles??? This is exactly what I would like to teach my girlsWell, one day... once I've taught them how to 'eat proper' anyway ;-)I'll lead by example then shall I?What about you?

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-22181574269536588332010-03-10T16:34:00.002+01:002010-03-10T22:51:34.649+01:00

If you read further down below you'll notice I started this post earlier on this morning. We were in the process of chatting about one of the things I love doing best: thrifting then upcycling 'stuff' into what I like to call 'Functional Art!' Possums it's more than just decoration... Better than an addiction...It's a lifestyle! (vignette of my garage after a 'tidy up:' from 4 year's of '

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-74029893999925682002010-03-10T11:55:00.002+01:002010-03-10T14:48:17.905+01:00

Hello Possums! This is going to be one of the fastest posts ever written. My fingers are going for the sprint record at the typing olympics and it's shaking the whole house.For it is a post that MUST be written. Only now, after teaching Pokemon's pre-school English class this morning (If you're happy and you know it, CLAP YOUR HANDS !!) and taking an hour to put a collage of 4 photos together I

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-10805642722743066472010-03-09T21:14:00.000+01:002010-03-09T21:14:58.342+01:00

THE SECRET OF SUCCESS, a book of quotations celebrating human creativity. Bruce Mao Designs 1. Allow events to change you.You have to be willing to grow. Growth is different from something that happens to you. You produce it. You live it. The prerequisites for growth: the openness to experience events and the willingness to be changed by them. Still no time to paint... or calligraphMy quills and

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-65882831334212092412010-03-08T23:55:00.001+01:002010-03-08T23:58:26.877+01:00

And ... "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Then (if I am to believe Mr Ralph Waldo Emerson)that must be why I'm still up burning the midnight oil on exciting projects... Lucky I converted this old storm lantern into a lamp a while agoMidnight oil's not easy to find in these parts ;-) Back soon...

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-88657958953252353712010-03-05T01:00:00.000+01:002010-03-05T01:00:02.569+01:00

Can't work on any project without a decent cuppa. Has to be a realllllllly milky latte or a great Jamaica flavoured Yogi Tea. What ever I'm working on - well, it's just an integral part of the process. Sometimes moreso than I initially intend it to be ;-) Ahem. See?I've nearly finished editing this project for an NGO It's been fascinating... ...something I've really missed over the past 5 years

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-80026084481892843052010-03-04T19:16:00.000+01:002010-03-04T19:16:46.056+01:00

"Our lives are not as limited as we think they are; the world is a wonderfully weird place; consensual reality is significantly flawed; no institution can be trusted, but love does work; all things are possible; and we all could be happy and fulfilled if we only had the guts to be truly free and the wisdom to shrink our egos and quit taking ourselves so damn seriously."- Tom Robbins(quote found

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-43631871415960950152010-03-03T17:58:00.001+01:002010-03-03T17:59:13.143+01:00

Now I'm sure you'll all agree that there are some surprises that we could all do without.Just ask my Libellule who, after an uneventful week of hurtling down the ski slopes in her usual fly-by-the seat-of-her-pants manner, missed a step on the way down to the car as we were leaving. Libellule skis the same way she does everything else in life: most often on one leg and almost always looking in

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-2141110334688197052010-03-01T10:40:00.001+01:002010-03-01T10:44:12.805+01:00

From this perspective ... high up the mountain path that leads to La Colette(Old chapel St Pierre, where Pokemon and Libellule were Christened)It's all white as far as the eye can see.From the back yard...To the neighbour's placeLucky we didn't need the lawn mower!As I arrived late to the snow fields (between working and property negociations)I thought I would take a closer look at all this

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6577847153509326664.post-28044161531175115022010-02-26T02:06:00.006+01:002010-02-26T02:06:00.129+01:00

Are you all still here? More to the question, am I all here? If you remember rightly from Wednesday's post (what I hope was Wednesday's post as I'm clearly not here to check), I am currently galivanting around skiing and signing the final sale of La Fontiane, our house in Provence. All going well of course! And, skiing aside, between petrol strikes, incompetent real estate agents, bullying pseudo

Angehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02255310309447767848noreply@blogger.com22