Shadow Shot Sunday.

I recently came across a great blog dedicated to photography and specifically shadow shots.




Hey Harriet comes to us from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and graciously hosts Shadow Shot Sunday each week, featuring (you've guessed it) fabulous photographs of objects and the shadows that they cast.

I decided to join in with the other participants, for the first time, with some photographs taken in the churchyard on Wednesday morning after the first heavy snowfall.

The peaceful serenity of the village churchyard, parts of which date to circa 12c.

Have you ever seen a Normandy snowplow??

Had fun yesterday morning playing out in the snow, taking photographs around the village and in the churchyard.

I met up with my neighbour Marc, a farmer, herdsman, milk producer, local politician (2nd Mayoral adjunct) and now snowplow driver.

He cleared the lane so Mr B could drive to the epicerie for our daily bread.
That's what I call initiative. 2 large hay bales on the front of his tractor, job done!

You probably saw a photo of Benny the snow dog in one of my Christmas mosaics, click here if you missed it.

Well, this is how we get rid of those troublesome balls of snow that build up on his legs.

A bowl of lovely warm water will do the trick every time. Can you see the look in his eye that says "this is so undignified!"?

Oh no! More snow for Outdoor Wednesday.

I suppose since the UK is under a thick blanket of snow and has practically ground to a halt with roads, airports & schools closed all over the country, train & bus services totally disrupted and people being advised to stay at home and only call on emergency services for REAL emergencies that here, in Northern France, it was to be expected that we were likely to get a sprinkling too.
But this morning, we woke up to this..................................

The blue tinted photos were taken around 8.00 am in the back garden.

The monochrome (ish) pix were taken from my bedroom window about an hour later.

Susan @ A Southern Dreamer is once again graciously hosting her Outdoor Wednesday gathering and guess what it's snowing over there too. In Georgia? Go see for yourself I didn't believe it either!

The sun is now out and it looks like we could have blue skies and sunshine later, so, I think I'll be out playing in the snow today and taking more photogaphs.

A kinda blue mosaic Monday

One of our favourite walks is along a country lane which (surprise, surprise!) has fields either side and these fields, in summer, have cows (many cows) in them.

We are in Normandy after all.

Recently, however, because of the inclement weather the river, which meanders through the fields, broke it's banks.

So, for Blue Monday @ Smiling Sally's and Mary's Mosaic Monday @ the little red house grab your coat, hat, scarf, don't forget gloves and come and breath the cold crisp air as we take Mr Ben for his Sunday constitutional.

These are photographs of fields, it's not a lake we're looking at!

Have a great Monday and as a treat, to yourself, do fly over to Sally & Mary's blogs and enjoy all the fabulous photo's on display today.

Sunday Favourites.

One of my favourite gifts from my lovely DH this Christmas was the new Jamie Oliver cookbook "Jamie at Home, Cook Your Way to the Good Life" which combines two of my favourite things to do: growing vegetables and cooking.
How good is that?
I've only dipped into it's pages so far but already my head is swimming with ideas of new vegetables to try and of course the great recipes Jamie has devised to showcase the produce he grows.
In the spring and summer months (and I can't be the only one who's thoughts are already drifting that way) I like nothing better than to mooch around my potager for a few hours, planting and nuturing.
I am tempted to install a small greenhouse this year if only to stand a chance at cultivating tomatoes that ever change colour, from green to red.

But, what I really would like is a potting shed and so this week for Chari's Sunday Favourites meme @ Happy to Design I'd like to share with a post that I wrote back in May 2008.
Click on the link to the PastWhisperers and try and guess which potting shed is "me".

"The potting shed is a great place to be when it's raining and you can't get into the garden to work.
The various seedlings and small plants are thriving in one of our more usable "dependences", it's certainly not as pretty as some potting sheds but it serves all my needs.
Yesterday was warm so I finished planting the potatoes and also put in a row of spinach beet seeds which will come up alongside the spuds.
The starter lettuces that I got at the market last week are doing well and soon we'll be having fresh salad from the potager in the pretty bowl which I found at the vide grenier on Thursday.

In the meantime I think you'll enjoy this
http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Potting_Shed.html "

Our Year at a Glance.

I would like to wish all my new blogger friends a very Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year.
See you in 2010.......................................

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

We wish you a Merry Christmas...............Carolers.

The days are flying by and like me I guess you are all short of time and it's a bit of a hassle trying to get everything done?

On top of that yesterday I was feeling a little under the weather and so missed Mosaic Monday at Mary's for the first time in I don't know how long.

So, today I'm joining Tam @The Gypsy's Corner for 3 or More Tuesday and popping in on Susan's Deck the Halls meme @ Thoughts From Over The Rainbow.

I started collecting Byers Choice Carolers many years ago after admiring them in the home of an American friend who I met whilst living in Bavaria, Germany.

I began by assembling my Salvation Army Band which I discovered in a beautiful Christmas shop in Windsor, Berkshire.

Then whenever I came across the Carolers, whilst on vacation in the States, I would always buy "a couple" from the Victorian shoppers range.

Family and friends soon caught on and before long I was receiving Carolers as Christmas gifts,. One year I received the flickering lamp post, under which the Salvation Army gathers every year.

On a trip to Colonial Williamsburg I found the Carolers which represent colonial times and so began another collection. Tavern keeper, his wench (!) and a pair of travelling musicians, where will it all end?