Touring Blogland

Recently my dear friend Sarah invited me to join her on the Blogland Tour and featured me on her blog @Hyacinths For The Soul. 

Sarah and I have been friends since meeting at the Quimper Collectors Club’s second annual gathering in Washington D.C. in 2000. 

Sarah and I had a great day antiquing in Bayeux
when she & her husband came to visit in 2011.

As collectors of French faience in particular the pottery produced in the town of Quimper, Brittany, we always enjoy getting together with other Q collectors. I for one am counting down the days until we meet again next month in Nice, the jewel of the French Riviera.

plage Beau Rivage, Nice, France.
(photo from internet)

As part of the tour Sarah gave me 4 questions to answer.

What am I working on right now?

First of all with my Quimper Club Secretary’s hat on I’m working on preparing a report to present at the meeting next month. 

Mark Twain once said “there are two types of speakers, those that are nervous and those that are liars”. I know which type I am, addressing an audience is not something I am very comfortable with doing. Luckily I only have some statistics relating to the membership to report, so I think I’ll be o.k. 

Around the Presbytere I’m working on keeping everything “show home” ready as we never know when the Immobilier/ estate agent might call to arrange to bring a client over to view the house. 

My precious “me time” is spent in my attic craft room and it seems that lately I've been scrapping vacation memories.

L. Tulum, Mexico 1998
R. South Beach, HHI 2012

Some of my most recent pages.

L. Kos, Greece, 2013
R. HHI again with Dad & Joyce, 1992

How does my work differ from others in this genre?

Such a good question, but I’m not really sure that it does. I do have certain things that I like to include on my scrapbook pages, whether I’m following a sketch or a set of criteria set down in a challenge. I usually draw doodle a couple of lines around the edges to frame the layout. Tags! Almost every layout has to include tags wherever possible and I love to pile on embellishments in clusters and layers. These are my “signatures” I guess.

Why do I write or create what I do?

The simple answer is that I started my blog to share our life in Normandy. Our beautiful home, which we fell in love with the first time we saw it, is in a very small rural hamlet and there’s not a lot to do here if you’re not a farmer! 

In 2008 when I first started blogging I had no idea if anyone would be interested in my ramblings but just started chatting as if to a friend and went on from there.

 ice cream sundae, anyone?

I write about my garden, especially the potager, our pets, my husband, our little trips around the area and those to more faraway places. Blogging and scrap booking are the perfect hobbies for me.

How does your writing process actually work?

I always have my camera close by and anything such as my latest read, a beautiful sunrise, a bee on a lavender bush, a dog looking cute, white fluffy clouds or a new recipe can easily find its way onto the page. It’s almost always the photograph that dictates the post and inspires my words.

Lettuce soup, better than gazpacho!

Enough about me.

Time to introduce you to two ladies whose talents lie in quite a different direction to mine, you'll soon see why.

Lorrie @ Fabric, Paper & Thread is a blogging friend of many years who lives in Victoria, BC, Canada. 

On her blog you will find links to her Etsy store and Craftsy page where she says " I love to sew and create in a variety of mediums. Sewing, embroidery, paper crafts - you name it, I've probably tried it. But I always come back to my love of fabric and sewing! "

Another very talented lady is Sue @ I Sew Quilts. 

Sue and I met through the Quimper Club when we both attended the 2001 annual meeting in Quimper, Brittany. At that time she ran a very successful store aptly named “The Pumpkin Patch”. Sue’s blog is a feast for the eye, not only does she share with us the projects that she is currently working on but takes us travelling around the UK and the US, to the many museums and quilt shows that she visits with her quilting friends.

I’d like to thank Sarah for inviting me on the tour and you, too, for your company today. 

Please do visit Lorrie and Sue 

on Monday, the 18^th August 

for the next sequence of the Blog Land Tour.

The World of Downton Abbey - a Giveaway!

“Welcome to the world of Downton Abbey a place that has captivated an audience of millions, all following the lives of one family and their servants against a backdrop of a fading Edwardian society. All of us can recognize a familiar character amongst them; Violet the Dowager Countess, the old fashioned grandmother; Mary Edith and Sybil, the squabbling sisters; Robert and Cora, the loving parents; or Rosamund, the interfering sister-in-law.”

Jessica Fellowes the author of The World of Downton Abbey is an established writer and editor. She has worked for the Mail on Sunday and for four years was Deputy Editor of Country Life magazine.
"Downton Abbey portrays a world of elegance and decadence, a world of duty and obedience and a world of romance and rivalry: this companion book, full of rich historical detail, takes fans deeper into that period than ever before.
Step inside one of the most beautiful houses in Britain, past Carson the butler at the front door and into the grand hallway. Catch a glimpse of the family having drinks in the drawing room before dinner, dressed in their evening finery, whilst Lord Grantham finishes writing a letter in his study. Then climb the grand sweeping staircase to the maze of rooms upstairs and peak through Lady Mary’s open door to see Anna, her maid, tidying scent bottles and jewellery on the ornate dressing table. Follow Anna down the servants’ stairs and into the kitchens to watch Mrs Patmore frantically preparing dinner. Mrs Hughes keeps a watchful eye from her study and the world of Downton comes alive before you.
Experience the inner workings of the downstairs life and be dazzled by the glamour of upstairs life with profiles of all the major characters, interviews with the actors, behind the scenes insights and in-depth information on costumes and props."
Amazon review.

When Downton Abbey first appeared on British TV screens on Sunday evenings during the autumn of 2010 it was a huge success and received many awards and nominations and I was hooked!
The second series which aired last autumn and the Christmas special that followed were even better (no spoilers but who doesn't love a happy ending?) and I’m very happy that a third series has been commissioned and will be shown later this year.
To receive this beautiful book on Christmas morning was the icing on the cake.
The photographs throughout are wonderful and it is packed with historical facts and information about life in England before, during and after the First World War, and the changes wrought as a result of it.

“Before the First World War, 1.4 million people were employed as domestic servants. It was one of the largest single employment groups – just outnumbering agricultural workers and coal miners – and was largely made up of women. Around 15 – 20 per cent of this number would have been working in the houses of the nobility and the landed gentry”.

To win a brand new copy of The World of Downton Abbey (I’m keeping mine!) all you have to do is answer this question correctly.
In series one Kemal Pamuk, the son of a Turkish Diplomat, was a guest at Downton - how did he die?
Was it:
a) He was thrown from his horse whilst out riding with the Hunt
b) He choked on a fish bone during dinner
c) He suffered a heart attack whilst making love to Lady Mary

To receive 1 chance to win just leave a comment, answer the question correctly and your name will be entered into the draw twice.
The winners name will be picked at random and announced in my post when I join Laurie's Valentine's par-tay on Friday, February 10th.

Hibernating.........................

It's been a damp, cold and drizzly week in Normandy so far, no blue skies, crisp white snow or sunshine for us.

A week for staying indoors mooching around, doing chores, tidying, tweaking the mantle piece, excercising with Wii Fit, baking, and reading - lots of reading.
In 2010 some of you may have participated in food for thought hosted by Jain and may be interested to know that Jain and Mary @ home is where the boat is  are hosting food for thought once more with a list of 22 books to read, share and explore in 2012.
Click here for my review of the first book on the list "The Night Circus" over on my other blog

 just books

If you're in hibernating mood it's the perfect dreamy read for a cold wintry day.

Pink Saturday with Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound

The weekend is almost here and so for Beverly's Pink Saturday party @ How Sweet The Sound I created this pinkalicious mosaic using photographs taken in our own garden and at the Château des Ravalet Flower show which we enjoyed visiting in May 2010.
The bad weather has kept me indoors almost all week.
There have been some dashes out into the garden, between the rain showers, to do bits of weeding and other tidying but mostly we've been housebound.
So, to while away the time, one of the things that I've been doing is sorting through the zillions of photographs stored on my PC
This is always a treat as I often forget just what's in there!

There are isolated T storms forecast for the weekend ahead so I'm glad that I have two new paper back books to read.
Mermaids in The Basement by Michael Lee West and Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, they should keep me quiet!
If you are looking for a good read click here or on the sidebar link to go to my other blog just books.
There you'll find recommendations from myself and other book loving bloggers, I should think that between us there'll be something to suit all tastes.

Summer School - Domenica de Rosa

It’s August and the thirteenth century Castello della Luna in Tuscany, owned and run as a writers retreat by Patricia O’Hara, assisted by seventy five year old Aldo (the region’s best chef) and Matt, her teenage son, is getting ready to receive its next seven summer residents.
There’s Cat, the yummy mummy/blogger who knows she just needs to get away from her husband and children to “release the writer I know is inside me”; Anna, Cat’s best friend, has already had a few short stories published. Sam is a burnt out City exec who wonders how hard can it be to write a bestseller and get rich, quick. He just has to find the right genre, and that’s the problem; Sally, a landscape gardener by profession has a huge crush on the tutor, she’s attended all of his Creative Writing courses at the Castello; retired civil servant Mary, wants to learn more about Tuscany and “make some progress with my writing”; also wishing to hone his writing skills is attractive French lawyer Jean-Pierre and finally there’s Mary an American home-maker looking to find closure by writing about her childhood.
Rounding off the list of Castello residents is Jeremy the course tutor, who wrote a bestselling, self- help book many years ago but hasn’t written anything since and Myra who teaches yoga and relaxation techniques to the guests, to get the creative juices flowing.
Mustn’t forget Fabio, the new mysterious handyman, with a secret of his own.
Despite charging each guest three thousand euros for the two week course Patricia is facing mounting maintenance costs and is under pressure from the bank.
Will this be the last summer at the Castello, which she and her ex - husband Sean so lovingly restored? Perhaps Rick, Dorothy’s oil baron husband will be her saviour?
Each day, to take the pressure off the budding writers, Patricia schedules a trip for her guests; visits to Siena and Rome; wine tasting at a neighbouring vineyard or shopping in the village market.
The highlight of the fortnight is the Ferragosto, the Feast of the Assumption, a day of celebration throughout Italy.
In the evening there’s always a special dinner at one of the restaurants in San Severino followed by a grand firework finale, the highlight of the guests’ visit to Tuscany.
I enjoyed reading Summer School, the story moves along well with unexpected visitors, secrets revealed and a scary Castello legend adding to the plot ; the characters are well drawn and the descriptive passages, of Siena especially, evoke the Italy I remember from our visits in the 1990’s.
An easy summer read, it does what it says on the cover.
Perfect for a lazy, hazy day in the sun.
This is my first review for the "Italy in Books Reading Challenge 2011" hosted by Brighton Blogger @ Book After Book.
If you're a fan of Italy, or would just like some great book recommendations, why not take a look at Book After Book, I think it's a blog you'd enjoy.

Linking this review also to the "What We're Reading" party on the 20th of this month, hosted once again by Bonnie.
P.S.
Some other books I've enjoyed recently and would happily recommend are:
Various Flavours of Coffee - Anthony Capella.
Pomegranate Soup - Marsha Mehran
Crazy Ladies- Michael Lee West
and
Future Homemakers of America - Laurie Graham.

Italy in Books Reading Challenge with Book After Book.

I love the connectivity that occurs between bloggers, don't you?
Two months ago I joined like minded, book reading bloggers for the monthly What We're Reading linky party and have added quite a few more titles to my TBR list since then.

LindyLouMac paid Normandy Life a visit after reading my review of Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald last week.

I repaid the compliment by visiting her blog (as you do!) and there I discovered another book linky party that really appealed to me:

The Italy In Books Reading Challenge hosted every month by Brighton Blogger @ Book After Book.

It caught my eye because I recently read and enjoyed "Summer School" by Domenica de Rosa, I'll be reviewing the book soon, and linking it to the Challenge, in May.

There are a few other books on my shelves that will fit this challenge too and I know that I'll find plenty more next week when I'll be visiting the revered and hallowed "Book Town" of Hay on Wye in Herefordshire, UK.

Sadly we won't be there for the Festival of Literature and The Arts but I do hope that I'll get there one day.

Fall On Your Knees - Ann-Marie MacDonald.

This month the What We're Reading gathering is being hosted by Bonnie @ The Boatwright Family blog.
If like me you love to read and are always looking for good book recommendatiions then this is a place you should check out too.
Last week I received a parcel from my dear blogger friend Pondside.
In it were two books which she thought I would enjoy reading.
Fall On You Knees and The Way the Crow Flies by Canadian author Ann-Marie MacDonald.
Fall On You Knees became an International Bestseller shortly after it was published in 1997, winning The Commonwealth Prize For Best First Fiction, The CAA Harlequin Literary Award for Fiction and the Dartmouth Award.
It was also shortlisted for several other prestigious awards, including the British Orange Prize for Best Novel by a woman writer. Oprah Winfrey picked it for her Book Club.
The question I’m asking myself is……………how did I not know about this book before receiving it from Pondside?
Fall On Your Knees is undoubtedly THE best book that I have read in many a long year, and I do read a lot of books.
I literally devoured this book, inhaling every page, and spent three afternoons when I could have been working in the potager, cooking, cleaning or blogging, reading this towering epic of a novel. (Mr B said I hadn’t been this quiet in ages!)
The story is a familiar one…………… a family.
Its secrets, its memories and its history.
Sisters, fathers, mothers, children.
Each character has a story to tell.
Some of them begin with such promise that you can’t bear it when their journey is cut short, either through their own destructive behaviour or that of a family member.
Others overcome adversity to find love, shelter and safety elsewhere, at least for a while.
Set in the Cape Breton town of New Waterford the compelling saga begins at the closing of the 19th century with James Piper, his Lebanese wife Materia and their daughters.
First born Kathleen, destined to become a world famous Opera singer.
Mercedes - never without her opal rosary and devoted to her sister, Frances.
Frances - who knew she was the bad Piper sister even at five years of age.
The journey ends in NYC in the 1960’s with the last of the Piper girls - Lily.
The San Francisco Chronicle describes Fall On Your Knees as…
"An old fashioned epic full of plot twists. The story leaps gracefully across generations, national borders, and cultural standards regarding race, class and sexual orientation”.
The London Times review had this to say…………..
"The uniqueness of MacDonald’s voice, and of her approach, lies in her ability to distill."
All I can add is that if you don’t read any other book this year, you have to read Fall On Your Knees!

A Gathering Light - Jennifer Donnelly.

A Gathering Light by Jennifer Donnelly.
This Sunday I'm joining Ricki at Art@Home for the monthly
 "What We're Reading" party.


I really enjoyed this novel when I read it earlier in the year, it wasn't until I'd finished it that I discovered that it was based on a true story.
A Gathering Light is a wonderful coming of age story.
The year is 1906, the place upstate New York and sixteen year old Mattie Gokay is doing her very best to hold her family together since her mother passed away.
Her elder brother ran away from home after a terrible, unexplained fight with their father and so, as the next eldest, her days are spent helping run the family farm, milking cows, cooking, cleaning and looking after her younger siblings whilst struggling to find enough time in the day to study for her high school diploma.
Her passion is writing and when she can she devours the books of Jane Austen, the Brontes and Edith Wharton amongst others.
To earn more money she takes a job as a maid at the Hotel on Big Moose Lake, all the while she is constantly trying to decide whether to follow her dream to attend University in NYC, as her teacher Miss Wilcox constantly encourages her to, or stay close to her family marry and raise a family of her own.
One fateful day she is entrusted with some letters by a young woman, Grace Brown, who asks her to burn them in the hotel furnace.
The subsequent murder of Grace Brown and Matties involvement in bringing the murderer to justice, brought about by reading not burning the letters, will change her life forever.
Marks out of 10 for this book - 5, would recommend as an easy holiday read .

Victorian Inspired vignette.

I think my style of decorating could be best described as Victorian inspired, English Country.
Achieved for the most part with auction finds, inherited pieces, flea market bargains and contemporary accents.

Chandelier, painting, lithograph and mirror
 all found at the Bayeux Hotel de Vente

Vintage Malicorne faience duck vase,
handpainted with a breton musician on the front.
Souvenir of St. Malo.

Over the years these two books have been invaluable sources of interior design inspiration, they epitomise the look that I aspire to in our home.

From “Victorian Style” written by Judith & Martin Miller -
“covers all aspects of Victorian interiors. Illustrated with over 400 colour photographs, the book reflects the diversity and eclecticism of the period.....”
First published in 1993 and available on Amazon, click here.

From “Classic Decorative Details, author Lady Henrietta Spencer Churchill -
“with the help of this book, you can become an instant expert on collecting silver, glass and ceramics, find out how to hang pictures, display leather bound books and make dramatic impact with flowers and fruit”...........
First published in 1994 and available on Amazon still, click here.

Quimper double shoe salt, silver bonbon basket and spoon,
a trio of vintage Famous Five books.

Many thanks to our wonderful hostesses
Courtney @ French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday, and Debra @ Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday

The large mirror reflects the staircase seeming to widen the hallway even more

to Laurie @ Bargain Hunting With Laurie for A Few of My Favourite Things Saturday


Copeland Spode Italian plate, HR Quimper card holder,
 Old English, Poole silver dish, the perfect vide poche for my keys.



to Mary @ the little red house for Mosaic Monday who has some beautiful tulips in her mosaics today,

and Kathy @ A Delightsome Life for Tuesday's A Return to Loveliness Party inspired by Victoria magazine.

Click on the links above, or on their buttons on my sidebar, to visit these great blogs and see who else is participating this week.

Fall Reading Challenge 2010 with a Southern Daydreamer.



My selection for the Fall Reading Challenge 2010 and the couch where I shall sit whilst reading them.

 You all know Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer gracious hostess of Outdoor Wednesday, right?
Well, did you also know that she has another great blog A Southern Daydreamer Reads, which she describes thus:
"my reading-friendly environment hoping to encourage and motivate people to read more".
On the 22nd September Susan launched the Fall Reading Challenge 2010 and it will run until 20th December.

Here are the rules:
1.Make a list of books you want to read this Fall.
2.Write a post with your list on your blog. (You can add to or change this list at any time during the challenge)
3.Please post the direct link to your Fall Reading Challenge 2010 post. (so that other participants can visit and see what you are reading)
4.You can write another post in December to let everyone know how you did.

Here's my list:

Historical Fiction

Tales Of Passion, Tales Of Woe - Sandra Gulland. (Book 2 in the Josephine Trilogy).
The White Queen - Phillipa Gregory. (Elizabeth Woodville -17th century Queen of England).


Holiday Reading

Some of these will be coming with me when we head to Hilton Head Island soon, for our annual two weeks of R&R.
Perfect holiday reads.
Getting Out of The House - Isla Dewar.
breaking her fall - Stephen Goodwin.
Mercy - Jodi Picoult.
Just Between Us - Cathy Kelly.
the Return - Victoria Hislop.
There's a copy of The Help - Katheryn Stockett waiting in HH for me. After hearing such good reviews it's a book I've been wanting to read for a long time.
also coming along..........Mr Jack Reacher of course!

Mr B will enjoy reading these too.

Reading either of these two books will be a pleasant way to spend an afternoon -sitting before a log fire with a hot cup of Yorkshire Tea and a scone.

Wild Comfort - Kathleen Dean Moore.

A Taste of My Life - Raymond Blanc.

These two come highly recommended by friends.

I can hardly wait to get started, how about you, are you going to sign up for the challenge?

Click here to take part.

Farmer Maggie, c'est moi!

My mini bragfest about the potager last week harvested me some very kind comments.
Mary @ A Breath Of Fresh Air has even taken to calling me Farmer Maggie because of the abundance.
Connie @Living Beautifully, a keen gardener too, wanted to know a little more about the plot so here are some more pix and a few facts.

Two years ago I revamped the vegetable beds which were in place when we bought the property and created 3 long raised beds.
My new BFF is asleep on the bench, not doing her job at all!
Guess I'll have to stand in.
In the bed behind me potatoes waiting to be picked, in the bed in front from the left lavender, rosemary, rocket & sage somewhere in the pumpkin patch, tomato plants and a second crop of haricot bean seedlings just coming through.

They are roughly 22 feet in length and 6 feet wide.

The beds are plenty big enough for our needs and I can manage them myself, calling upon Sean the G only once in Spring to rotivate them and again in the autumn to put the potager to sleep for the winter.

Picking courgettes, with help from Mr Ben.

I usually grow the same things each year, salad leaves, spinach, beans, tomatoes, courgettes, pumpkins, potatoes and a few herbs. This year I added salad onions to the mix and they did quite well.

Courgettes (zucchini) a favourite of mine.

Transformed into one of my favourite summer dishes to make: courgette fritters (delicious) adapted from the summer squash recipe found in Fannie Flagg's great cookbook "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe".

Gardening and cooking, how good is that?

O is for Oliver (Jamie: The Naked Chef)

This week has rushed by, so much to do in the garden!
I had better get my skates on and finish my homework ready for Mrs Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday.The letter in question this week is "O".
I considered: Olive Oyl, Oprah, Orangerie, Opera, Ocean, Ordinary, Opulent, Over the top and Oeufs, en cocotte or souffléd?
That got me thinking about another Obsession of mine fOOd.
In the late 1990's a fabulous young man hit the TV screens in the UK with a completely different way of cooking.
His name: Jamie Oliver and the show was called "The Naked Chef".Who doesn't love Jamie?
He showed us how to cook restaurant style dishes in our own kitchens by stripping them down to basics and then adapting them. By doing this he says " I built up a foolproof repertoire of simple, delicious and feisty recipes".
One of the recipes from the first series has become a very firm NL favourite and I make it probably once a week during the summer months when the potager provides beautiful, succulent green and yellow beans in abundance.
"Tray baked Salmon with Olives, Green Beans, Anchovies and Tomatoes". Click on the link for the full recipe.
Jamie has of course gone to to become one of the UK's leading chefs, click here to go to his website and find more amazing food.
Staying with the foodie theme, a mosaic of breakfast treats: buttery croissant, tartine with apricot preserves, pain au chocolat and a walnut & banana muffin.Which One do you think is the Odd One Out?

N is for Napoleon for Alphabe-Thursday

I have just finished reading "The Many Lives & Secret Sorrows of Josephine B", the first book in a trilogy, by author Sandra Gulland. So surprisingly, my N post for Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday meme this week is not about Normandy but Napoleon (Bonaparte).
My friend Sarah @ Hyacinths For the Soul has written several wonderful blogs about these books, read her Alphabe-Thursday J post here.
Of course I couldn't wait to read the books myself and promptly ordered them from Amazon.
We meet Napoleon towards the end of the book, in a paragraph entitled "In which I am introduced to a strange little man". Josephine was not impressed by the Corsican soldier, it was certainly not love at first sight.
She describes him thus: "a curious looking man with short legs and a big head. The man was remarkable. His long, limp hair hung down around his ears in a sorry attempt at fashion. His skin was sallow and his figure so thin his threadbare breeches seemed to hang. His eyes were large, grey in colour, striking. His teeth were good (Josephine's were not!) But there was an intensity in his expression that forbade levity".
I don't think it will spoil the story for you if I said that shortly after they met they were wed?

During the time that Mr B and I were refurbishing this big old house one of our favourite haunts was the Hotel de Vente in Bayeux where we purchased many vintage/antique items. One of my favourites was this print of an etching of Napoleon as Emperor.

I remember that Maître (the auctioneer) was very surprised and not too happy that his predominantly French audience was allowing an English man to acquire a portrait of Napoleon. Perhaps the Duke of Wellington and the memory of the Battle of Waterloo still lingered on? Click on the link to find out why it might be hard to forget.


I digress........... the portrait enjoys pride of place on the wall at the turn of the staircase and your eye is drawn to it every time you enter the house through the front doors.
Another very early purchase, after moving to France, this time from a depot vente in Cherbourg was this pair of plates finely painted with the portraits of Josephine & the Emperor Napoleon. (Double left click on all the photos to enlarge).

I know now that they were produced at the Pouplard Beatrix faiencerie in Malicorne-sur-Sarthe sometime between 1895 -1900, sadly I sold them before I discovered that fact!!
C'est la vie!
There is still time to enter my 2nd Blog Anniversary Giveaway, click here and leave a comment.
The lucky winner's name will be picked at random tomorrow, Saturday 24th April.
"Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever. - Napoleon Bonaparte.

I hope you've enjoyed my N post today, now scoot over to Mrs Matlock's classroom to see who else's name is on the register.