Flower Power

For Mosaic Monday this week

 a delightful bouquet of Normandy wildflowers.

hidden in the hedgerows

unseen in the forest

flowering in the field

Linking this post also to
Our World Tuesday

P is for packing

To paraphrase Robert Browning, this week I've been having 

"abroad thoughts from home".

It's time to go travelling again, methinks.

Next week the Senior Partner and I are heading to the States, 

Hilton Head Island, SC. to be exact.

Now, I know I don't need to tell those of you who live there

that many areas of the US have been experiencing shall we say "challenging" weather recently. 

The long range forecast for HHI during our almost 3 week stay calls for

 rain, T storms, a few sunny days, possibly followed by more showers and rain!

My dilemma therefore is what to pack for all eventualities.

I can hear you all shouting, even as I type, "layers".

T shirts; tank tops; long sleeved tunics.

A cosy, knitted sweater; fleece lined gilet; polartec jacket; scarves. Check.

Chinos; sweat pants; jeans. 

Maybe I should include a pair of cropped pants too for those hopefully warmer days 

and a dressier pair for when we go out to dinner?

Add some comfortable shoes, (I recently discovered TOMS, what a find - love them!) 

and Converse All Star dainty zebra sneakers for travelling in.

Along with all the other more mundane items such as underwear, pj's, makeup & toiletries

 I'll be packing everything in this suitcase.

Well, you know how confusing it gets 

when all those black bags come around together 

on the luggage carousel at the airport!

I hope to be able to continue blogging whilst we're away, though it does depend on whether I can figure out how to use the Picasa app on my Kindle Fire HDX!

Joining Mrs Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday

where the letter P is in the spotlight this week.

O is for Opportunity

At the start of 2015 I chose “opportunity” as my word for the year.

Opportunity – “a time or set of circumstances that make it possible to do something”.

When a small, unexpected, windfall came our way in January we booked a last minute holiday to Cyprus for some much needed winter sunshine.

Our suite, top floor right hand side

How could we not take the opportunity of seeing such amazing places as Petra tou Romiou, the birthplace of Aphrodite - the Greek Goddess of love, beauty and pleasure?

According to Greek Mythology Aphrodite rose from the sea off the coast of Cyprus, legend has it that the rock in the middle of the three is Aphrodite's Rock.

On a different note ...
Earlier this week a routine check-up with Mr. Daniel, my heart specialist, showed that although my heart is still beating fine, thank you very much, my blood pressure is way higher than is good for me. Dietary changes will need to be made, a more extensive exercise regime begun, tests and monitors were mentioned. 

Hard to see at the time what sort of opportunity this situation presented but after a couple of  nights of tossing and turning I've decided that this is my chance to take charge of my health once and for all, before it’s too late. 

One of the delicious tasting desserts which we enjoyed at the Columbia Beach Resort's Apollo Taverna, could this be the reason my BP is elevated?

I’ll keep you posted on how things go.

Linking to Mrs Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday, where this week we're discussing the letter O.

a traveller returns to Normandy

The traveller is returned from warm, sunny Cyprus 

where we were lulled to sleep by waves breaking on the shore

just metres below our balcony.

I have yet to sort through the many photographs 

which I took on that jewel of a Mediterranean  island

 but promise to share some of them with you soon.

Today we awoke to a very different morning, the garden glistening under a light

shimmering of frost.

After the sun came up and blue skies appeared 

I went outside, with my camera, to record the signs of Spring's early arrival in Normandy.

 pretty primroses

 daffodils in bud

delicate purple crocus with deep orange stamens

Mother Nature really knows how to make an entrance.

towering silver birch trees 

the trunks seem to glow in the sunlight

 the papery bark makes interesting patterns,

I've been playing with picmonkey again

this time using the out of focus bokeh technique

I like the effect but think I need to investigate further just how to use the feature correctly.

Joining Mrs Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday

where the letter N for Normandy is spotlighted this week.

and Karen @ My Little Home and Garden for
Sunlit Sunday

Leaving for Lemesos

In just a few days I'll be heading to the beautiful, eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus.

I've got the Lonely Planet Guide to read on the plane.

The SP has found us a beautiful place to stay.

Columbia Beach Resort, Pissouri Bay, Cyprus

Paris and Andreas from Discover Cyprus 

have put together a wonderful private tour for us.

We'll visit small private vineyards.

Immerse ourselves in the history of it's ancient kingdoms.

Marvel at Aphrodite's birthplace and the Temple of Apollo.

Dine on meze and other delicious Cypriot dishes.

Breakfast al fresco in February,

Soak up the sun and relax.

Photographs courtesy of the Columbia Beach Resort, 

Joining Mrs Matlock for Alphabe -Thursday to discuss the letter L.

K is for Knife rest

It's almost Thursday once again (wow that week went by so fast) time to meet up with Mrs Matlock and the other participants for Alphabe- Thursday.

K is for Knife Rest

A set of 6 hand painted antique Nevers knife rests

"Knife Rests have been used for longer than most people think. 
In the early 18th Century and possibly the late 17th century the gentry and the ruling classes sat down to a meal that could have had anything up to 12 courses and apart from their hands probably only had one knife and fork per person. To save soiling the table, the knife and fork and tablecloth, if there was one, the utensils had to be put down onto something that kept them off the table. It was probably initially just a piece of wood in the times of Henry the eighth but from the eighteenth century we know that some enterprising person started to design what we now consider proper knife rests in pairs, sets of 4,6,12 and probably more."
Source: Antique Knife Rest Collection.

a set of 6 metal dachshund knife rests

Back in the noughties I sometimes offered French knife rests, portes couteaux, for sale on eBay.
Collectors loved them,

a pair of Montagnon, Nevers faience knife rests

 tablescapers loved them,

a cheeky pair of pottery dolphins

a 1950's pair of colouful fish shaped vintage knife rests

and I loved shipping them, so light and easy to pack!

Christofle cut glass knife rests

a selection of Quimper faience knife rests

a pair of silver plate "wishbone" knife rests

I must admit that I developed a fondness for these decorative table accessories, acquiring quite a selection to use whenever we entertain.
I'm always on the lookout to add to my private collection when mooching around brocantes, vide greniers and auction houses.
Click here  to read a knife rest post on the love quimper blog.
How about you, do you ever include knife rests in your table settings?

Alphabe- Thursday

Jotting things down for Alphabe-Thursday

Jotting, (certainly not to be confused with jogging) a quick shopping list on the back of a used envelope; an appointment noted in a diary; a daily To Do List or a recipe taken from a blog or magazine scribbled in a notebook, is something I do all the time.

I've noticed recently that I've started to take photographs in a "jotting" kind of way too.

on our walk yesterday we had to turn back as we came across another flooded road

I don't possess a smart phone, much too techie for my needs, but usually have my Panasonic Lumix camera with me so that if a particular scene catches my eye or I see something out of the ordinary I can "jot" it down for future use when blogging or scrapping.

In early January I bought a Kindle Fire HDX. 

It has a built in high res camera which came in very handy yesterday morning for capturing a quiet January sunrise from my bedroom window.

This morning when a very light snow lay on the ground I couldn't resist - do you wanna build a snowman?

Joining Mrs Matlock once again for Alphabe-Thursday

click here to see who else in joining in this week

Inondation - we need an Ark!

Inondation - translation - flooding.

It has been raining it seems non-stop for days and my small corner of Normandy 

is under water to an alarming degree.

The garden is soggy.

The daffodils are drowning.

Lakes, ponds are appearing where there shouldn't be ponds,

 in our driveway

and the field next door. 

Roadside ditches are overwhelmed.

Entrances to fields are quagmires.

Adult dogs become water babies once again.

But, spring is on her way.

Joining Mrs Matlock for Alphabe -thursday

where today the letter I is centre stage.