photo du jour

Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you.

Maori Proverb

shadow shot sunday

Shadow Shot Sunday - Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux.

Joining Tracy for Shadow Shot Sunday # 179
@ Hey Harriet
this week.

A friend from Maine, USA. recently came to visit us in Normandy

 and together we spent some quiet time in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux.

The stained glass windows created amazing shadows

across the Caen stone walls.

The simple cross panes of this window

created a checked pattern high up

on the vaulted roof.

A place of quiet reflection.

More stained glass jewel colours play across the floor.

Down in the crypt a shard of light breaks through.

It is an ancient site, the present Cathedral was consecrated in 1077.

A fitting memorial.

To the one million dead of the British Empire

who fell in the Great War 1914-1918

 and of whom the greater part rest in France.

I hope you've enjoyed this tranquil space as much as we did.
Click on the link to see wonderful shadow captures from around the globe.

There are new posts this week on my other blogs.
My October book reviews can be found on just books
and
there's a Quimper Witchy themed post on Collecting Quimper

The Lost Gardens of Heligan - The Productive Gardens.

One of the highlights of our recent stay in Cornwall, UK was a visit to the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

I imagine that most of my British followers will know the amazing story of how the abandoned and forgotten gardens were discovered by Tim Smit and John Willis (a descendent of Samuel Tremayne who purchased Heligan in 1569), after the devastating hurricane of 1990.

Fruit such as melons, grapes and peaches
 were cultivated for the Heligan table

It is a story that has captivated me for many years, since I first saw a BBC documentary featuring Heligan in the 1990's.
We joined the guided walking tour through the Northern Garden and these photographs were all taken in the walled garden of the Victorian Productive Gardens.

potted plants "resting"
inside one of the many glasshouses

There is so much to see at Heligan that I decided to devote a blog post to each of the special areas of interest.

Bee boles were incorporated into the wall outside the garden. Here bee skeps (the forerunners of bee hives) would be placed, the boles had wooden doors which could be closed during the winter to ensure that the bees survived.

 herbs planted close to an ancient stone building
where garden tools are housed
onions and shallots hung against the wall
a wheelbarrow full of leeks
ready to go to the restaurant kitchen

"A motto etched into the limestone walls in barely legible pencil still reads “Don’t come here to sleep or slumber” with the names of those who worked there signed under the date – August 1914. "
(source Heligan website.)
Many of the gardeners, who's names were listed there, were never to return from the Great War.

seedlings and sensitive plants are "brought on"
 in the large glass frames

A quote from the Heligan Gardener's blog.
The Productive Gardens at Heligan have been restored to reflect the workings of a Victorian garden before the First World War. We remain true to this period in our cropping plan, growing only heritage varieties and cultivating the soil by hand. The garden is fully productive throughout the year and there is a constant supply of produce ready for harvest. This is taken to our restaurant on a daily basis in much the same way that it would have been given to the cook at Heligan House a hundred years ago.

gourds and succulents sit in a shadowy, cool glasshouse

If you have enjoyed this virtual tour of the walled kitchen garden at Heligan and want to learn more about this amazing place all you need do is click here to visit the Heligan website and here to learn about it's chequered history.

Linking this post to

Outdoor Wednesday #142 @ A Southern Daydreamer

and also to

 Hey Harriets Shadow Shot Sunday.

Click on the links to join the other bloggers participating in these great memes this week.

Pink Hydrangeas

This week the hydrangeas in the front garden have absolutely "popped", thanks no doubt to all the wonderful rain we've been having!
So, I decided to show them off and join Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound for my first Pink Saturday.
Before linking up I visited Beverly's blog to check out "the rules" and discovered a delightful way to get to know bloggers I've never met before.

This is Beverly's challenge:
We have a weekly challenge for you to visit the blog of at least one participant that you have never visited before. Then next Saturday include that blog and a link in your post. Quite a few of you have been done this challenge, and have met some of the great Pink Saturday participants. Thank you for sharing with us.

As I browsed the thumbnail pix, from last weeks particpants, a jug of gorgeous white hydrangeas caught my eye and with just one click I had "met" a new blogger friend.
Pam @ White Ironstone Cottage who is hosting a new weekly gathering which she is calling "Treasure Chest Friday".

Don't you love living in blogland!

Where else can you meet so many interesting people whilst sitting in a comfortable chair, tea cup to hand, dog lying by your feet, looking out at a lovely garden and all without getting dressed up and putting on make up?

I'll be sharing these beautiful flowers also with

Harriet @ Hey Harriet for Shadow Shot Sunday,

The Tablescaper and Seasonal Sunday

and

Mary @the little redhouse for Mosaic Monday.

Bon weekend a tout!

H is for Hibiscus on Hilton Head.

Just realised that I can join in with Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday this week with a triple HHH post.

This beautiful hibiscus plant is growing just beneath my balcony here at Marriott's Surf Watch resort.
The shadow capture was an extra bonus which means I'll be sharing this post with Harriet and her #130 Shadow Shot Sunday gathering.
Why not click on the links and visit both of these great blogs, I know you'll have fun.

Island time...................

The garden beneath out balcony at Surf Watch.

Hi gang...................

The meeting in Savannah was wonderful and I believe a good time was had by one and all.

I've started to share some pix from our 5 day event over on the QCI Blog so head over there to hear all about it.

Mr B doing a bit of bird watching overlooking the marsh.

Mr B & I arrived on Hilton Head Island on Thursday afternoon and we are starting to wind down nicely and enjoy some well earned R&R (even if I do say so myself!).

The weather is glorious, bright sunshine & blue skies.

We've enjoyed a couple of early morning beach walks, where we met up with this bunch of doggie pals. (Can you tell I'm missing Mr Ben?)

Linking to Shadow Shot Sunday #128, at Hey Harriet's place this weekend, bye y'all.

Early morning shadows in quiet rooms.

Early morning sun streaming into the house earlier this week created some wonderful shadows in quiet downstairs rooms.
I quickly grabbed my Lumix to try and capture as many as I could.

A shadowy vignette atop the wood burning stove
 in the sitting room inglenook fireplace.

An antique pewter jug casts a mirror image shadow
 on the fireplace wall behind the stove

A double wall sconce in the dining room
 transformed into a quadruple wall sconce.

Light shining through the multipaned door and
 metal chain screen creates an intricate effect
 on the Breton repeater clock
 and wall cupboard in the kitchen.

Sharing these shadowy images with all the shadow shot fans gathered over at Hey Harriet's blog for Shadow Shot Sunday # 126 today.

Fall in Savannah, GA.

I'm joining in with Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday #125 with shadow shots taken last autumn whilst walking through the Historic District of Savannah, GA.
A simple wreath adorned with faux flowers and a pretty ribbon.
The way the foliage shadows stand out against the grey/black door fascinated me.

The house next door was unadorned but still very interesting to me with dappled shadows on the old bricks of the pavement and walls.

This home is very close to Mrs Wilkes Dining Room where I shall be joining 87 other members of the Quimper Club International for dinner on Monday evening 25th October.

Zuppa di Pane e Pomodoro.

Shadows cross hatch an autumnal table setting.

I'm combining two themes today and linking to Shadow Shot Sunday @ Hey Harriet's blog in Oz and Sesonal Sunday hosted by The Tablescaper.
There is a slight chill in the mornings in Normandy now as we head into autumn, it's time to start thinking about putting the potager to sleep, I suppose.
I have been spending time this week clearing out the raised beds, but the haricot beans are still coming through and there's plenty of lettuces to enjoy.

After having nothing but green tomatoes for weeks and weeks there were suddenly masses of over ripe red tomatoes on the vines, so for lunch yesterday I made Zuppa di Pane e Pomodoro, (tomato and bread soup).

Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi

I found the recipe in Katie & Giancarlo Caldesi's cookbook "The Italian Mama's Kitchen", which is full of wonderful authentic home-style recipes.

Click on the link to visit La Cucina Caldesi Cookery School.

I'm ashamed to say that this cookbook has languished on the shelf for over three years and although I've dipped in and out, to read the recipes and salivate over the stunning photography, this was the first recipe from it that I have attempted.

Zuppa di Pane e Pomodoro, with parmesan shavings, served in a simple white ceramic bowl on a "Gien" artichoke under plate.

I'm not sure if there was a typo in the ingredients list but I found that 200ml of vegetable stock was nowhere near enough liquid for the quantity of bread suggested, so I added a 200ml bottle of tomato juice and all of the liquid obtained from deseeding the tomatoes during prep.

Was it good??

I thought so, it's certainly my sort of comfort food but although he finished his bowlful Mr B said that he wouldn't order it in a restaurant.

Email me if you'd like the recipe, nevertheless.

The Old Vicarage for SSS

During our trip back home to UK in June we spent some time at The Old Vicarage situated in the small village of Old Clehonger, Herefordshire.

For Hey Harriet's SSS #119 today I am sharing some photographs of the garden at The Old Vicarage, a delightful place to stay with welcoming hosts, Dinah and Julian, who made Mr B, Mr Ben & myself feel right at home.
Bon dimanche.

As far as the eye can see.....................

"The world only exists in your eyes - your conception of it. You can make it as big or as small as you want to."
-F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Sharing these photographs, of the beautiful French countryside and the fields that surround us, with Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday, Mary's Mosaic Monday @thelittleredhouse and Tracey's Weekly Words to Live By @Notes From a Cottage Industry.

If you've enjoyed my mosiac then I definitely think you should visit these wonderful blogs too.

You're in for a treat.

Have a great week everyone.

Shadow Shot Sunday #183

Today I'm flying high across the globe to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to join in with Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday #183 to share some early morning shadows of Virginia Creeper vine leaves.

Photo on left: Upstairs landing windowpane.

Photo on right: Kitchen wall & door frame

72 brilliant photographers landed at Harriet's place ahead of me, so why not fly over yourselves and see some of the great shadow captures on display?

Have a wonderful week everyone.

Shadow Shot Sunday # 108

Taken by Mr B on a recent walk, a SS of the 3 of us that I think is great and hope you will enjoy.

I'm linking through to Shadow Shot Sunday @ Hey Harriet in Oz, check out all the other great shadow shots gathered there this week submitted by talented photographers from around the world.

Shadow Shot: Château des Ravalet

Joining the Shadow Shot Sunday gang @Hey Harriets blog with a capture taken not by myself, but by Mr B with my camera, last weekend at the Château des Ravalet Flower show.

Garden shadow shots.

As I was passing by an upstairs window I noticed the fabulous shadows that the cherry trees already sprinkled with white blossom, the laurel hedge around the potager and the ancient old crab apple tree loaded down with mistletoe, were casting over the back garden.

Grabbing my trusty Lumix I took these shots before heading to the front of the house to see what was happening there.

The huge ornamental cherry which dominates the garden is about to "pop" into glorious pinkness, here and there you can see small flowers appearing, almost on an hourly basis. I was thrilled to see the almost mirror image shadow that this tree was throwing across the lawn.

When we bought this house there were three linden trees growing against the wall. Sadly, over the years, two of them fell victim to gale force winds which brought them crashing down, now only one remains to cast it's shadow across the driveway.

By the way as I sit here blogging I can hear a cuckoo in woods behind the house (first time this year), the house martins returned exhausted after their long flight from Africa at the weekend (I wonder if the volcanic ash slowed them down at all?) to their nests in the eaves of the garage, and everywhere I look the cows are back in the fields. WooHoo!!

I'm linking this post to Outdoor Wednesday graciously hosted by Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer who reminds us in her post that tomorrow April 22nd will be the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.

At the weekend I'll also link to Shadow Shot Sunday held every week @Hey Harriet's Australian blog.

There's still time to enter my giveaway, the winner's name will be drawn on Saturday 24th April.

Click here if you missed the details.