October seems like summer

 It’s quite amazing that people are on the beach today and it was so warm on the terrace I came into the house to write. There is work going on in the house and the old, rundown garden shed is finally getting some TLC. There are days when I can’t believe I have a house in an olive grove in Provence but then I hear the hammers and saws and I’m back to reality. This is what it looked like when we bought  the house! Stay tuned

It’s interesting to see that Halloween has become so popular in France…here’s a

display at the grocery store…

I’ll say a bientôt with a few garden photos this afternoon. Zinnias are in full, happy bloom too!

Maarja🐞

Paris in November

I’m pretty happy I was able to spend four days in Paris before the big strike...I used public transportation the whole time and went all over the city. The lights were up all over and it was pretty magical to stroll along the lit up streets. This is Avenue Montaigne, I like to go there because you can see the Eiffel Tower behind the lights on the trees.

Of course the Galleries Lafayette never disappoints! The tree inside the store is always quite amazing and unique. This year the lights changed colors slowly so it looked different all the time. The theme was the beehive and bees and the windows were also a treat to see.

I really just want to show you some of the windows with fashion items...I always enjoy the way the French set up store windows so here we go...
This is a candy store which was located near the apartment we were staying in...love the sailor caps “le pompon!”

Here’s the view from the window of the apartment and a street nearby at 6 pm!!

The furry plush jackets and coats were all over Paris. I really like the way its styled here. Plus....the color!!

Also velvet...love the green of the jacket.

Ankle pants with booties and always that big scarf...

The children’s store Bonpoint always has such sweet winter windows.

Another trend I saw was pleated skirts.

My favorite color shining out into a dark street.

Of course one has to stop for hot chocolate and a croissant once in a while right?

And then...to start dinner off right some escargots! Yummmmm.

It was a really nice four days. The weather wasn’t the best but Paris is always great even in the rain...I think somebody once said that in a movie didn’t they????

Bonne Année!

Kihnu

In July after the song and dance festival in Tallinn we went over to the beautiful island of Kihnu. It was so interesting to read The NY Times article about Kihnu soon after! I had been wanting to go there for a long time and it was wonderful.

Kihnu is like one of those magical places which doesn’t seem to be touched by the crazy world around us. We were there only a few days but it seemed much longer since the pace is slow and deliberate.

The women of Kihnu have created a special kind of tourism called something like a “farm home stay.” (The men of Kihnu are mostly fisherman and are gone at sea much of the time.) Everything is spic and span. When an Estonian puts their hand to something it is “korralik” and “ilus” which could mean tidy, correct, clean, trim and pretty among other meanings....These are words which have “weight.” Kihnu is like this.

This wood pile is just a small example of how care is given to simple things in Kihnu.

We stayed in a beautiful wooden cabin which had a living/kitchen area on one end and bedrooms/bathroom on the other all connected by a covered porch. The girls, Maya and Katarina rode bikes all over (the preferred method of transport); saw sheep and goats; pumped on a huge Estonian swing and we all had a sauna which was devine!

The cabin we stayed in is behind us. The outfit worn by our host is the typical everyday wear of the Kihnu woman.

One day we happened upon an art camp which takes place yearly run by well known artists and the girls were invited to join in for the day. In fact, some of their group work now decorates the front of the Kihnu museum which was pictured in the Times article.

On the ferry ride back to the mainland we were all just dreaming about our wonderful days spent on Kihnu.

the dolls of Kihnu

Skirts at the Kihnu museum..

A handcraft mini shop found all over the island. These are creative women!

Kihnu breakfast served by our host. My mother used to bake the same dark bread.

Santons and the new season

It’s getting to be time to be thinking about santons and setting up a crèche. Last weekend the santon fair began in earnest  in Le Thor, set up in the salle des fetes.

For those of you who do not know about this Provençal custom, santons are little figures made of red clay which are hand painted and are created by santonniers of which there are many and from different parts of Provence.

I have always loved having these darling little people at Christmas. They represent all of the “metiers” or professions from the region along with certain regular characters like the mayor of the village, the priest, a monk, the tambourinaire (musician) and of course Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. It seems that every year there are new characters created by the santonniers and each have their own style so you can actually recognize if it comes from a certain santonnier. Sort of like art which it actually is!

Anyway, there was a great display in the salle des fetes along with a lottery, food and hot mulled wine. There was also a giant crèche set up

and a display of Solex bikes....the little motorized bikes that lots of French people used to ride ...Jean Claude had one to get to high school and you still see them around but not like before. To me they were like a beret and a baguette...very French!

We of course got tickets to the lottery and a few days later we got a phone call to tell us we had won! Here are our new santons! I’m keeping an eye on Jean Claude there!!!

The crèche set up is so important around here that even the garden store has a special section set up with all the little extras one might need to create a truly wonderful crèche. Moss, paper to look like rocks, little lanterns and fence kits etc. etc. I spent an hour at Bontanic, my favorite garden store, looking at all the great stuff.

Our full crèche is in Portland but we did get a few new items for our mantle in Provence. We got a santon to represent each of our lively grandchildren...I’ll post pictures of that later! À bientôt!