tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23766744083332499832024-03-17T11:20:52.307+01:00French SamplerDashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.comBlogger341125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-64966779320321846862013-04-13T12:03:00.000+02:002016-04-18T17:44:29.791+02:00The Promise of Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This morning I woke up and it was beautiful, warm enough to wander round my freshly mowed garden in my robe and set the table for an alfresco breakfast, the first French strawberries have started to appear in the markets a sure sign that the salad days have arrived.<br />
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My blogging life is very sporadic at the moment, I have a few projects that I am working on, hopefully the fruits of my labours will be revealed soon. In the meantime I have become hooked on Instagram, for the moment I am finding it to be a fast, easy, fun and totally addictive way to keep in touch, you can catch up with my Instagram feed <a href="http://instagram.com/dash_french_sampler#">here</a></div>
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I hope the weather is good wherever you are.</div>
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Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.</div>
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XXX</div>
Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com172tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-47308337752342815082013-03-22T23:43:00.001+01:002013-03-24T12:01:29.728+01:00Something for the Weekend<br />
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Crusoe, the greeter. If you are a friend or a stranger with a kindly face and disposition he will push that door open and greet you with great enthusiasm and a wagging tail, if you mean us ill he will growl and stand his ground and if you are a postman he will rush out, bark and chase your van up the lane.<br />
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Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.<br />
XXX </div>
Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com77tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-21236025889209286582013-03-13T16:30:00.000+01:002013-03-14T18:02:53.800+01:00Winter's Last Stand?<br />
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Well at least I hope so, but the French say you can never be sure until after the 15th May. I knew as soon as I declared spring was under way in my recent post on <a href="http://thefrenchsampler.blogspot.fr/2013/03/basque-ing-in-sunshine.html">Saint-Jean-de-Luz</a> I may be tempting fate, and sure enough... <br />
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We woke up this morning to a white world, the snow which has been causing chaos in Southern Britain and Northern France has now made it here, deepest South West France, snowfall is forecast until Friday, so lets hope for a thaw at the weekend and perhaps spring can resume next week.<br />
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Despite the snow trees and shrubs continue to bud.</div>
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One small creature, loving the snow!<br />
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Dusk <br />
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com58tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-8628108724446881622013-03-08T23:32:00.001+01:002013-03-10T12:08:03.865+01:00Off the Beaten Track<br />
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I love Paris, the Cote d'Azur the Italian Riviera et al, the history the stories, but isn't it nice to discover new places, destinations that may not be well known internationally, the kind of place that warrants a secret nose tap, the kind of place that the locals want to keep under wraps, lest it gets too popular and the kind of place that once stumbled upon is never forgotten...<br />
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l'Amuse bouche, stuffed olives, served from a Bonsai olive tree, Mr French Sampler is about to dig into something, I cannot recall what it was but it was delicious, washed down with Mimosas.<br />
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Followed by something to refresh the palate, the most delicious smoked salmon and citrus salad served in a large pebble from the local river... <br />
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I know exactly where this river pebble comes from, I may have to copy this idea!<br />
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A surprise that looked odd, wrapped in a silk cocoon but again, delicious.<br />
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I forgot to take photos of the main course...but it was delicious...skips to dessert...<br />
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Afterwards a stroll round the village...<br />
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Hmmm!<br />
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On the way back a dip in the local pool...<br />
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Remember the river pebble? I collected a few pure white stones from here for my local stonemason to slice in half and voila, perfect salad bowls.<br />
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The way back...<br />
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Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.<br />
XXX<br />
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-46556249230793948052013-03-05T15:39:00.000+01:002013-03-07T09:52:08.024+01:00Basque ing in the Sunshine<div style="text-align: center;">
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Can you spot Crusoe, frolicking in the shimmering Atlantic with his new friend</div>
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The first weekend in March and the forecast looked good, we decided to head for the Basque region our first stop was lunch in the coastal town of <a href="http://thefrenchsampler.blogspot.fr/2010/02/st-jean-de-luz-cote-basque.html">Saint-Jean-de-Luz</a> one of the chicest destinations in France. The town was choc full of beautifully dressed Parisians all taking their first vacation of the season at their secondary residences. Just like them I was caught out, the sun was shining but I thought it might be a bit chilly so I was wrapped up in jeans, a light cashmere cardi with a thermal vest underneath, a wool trench coat and suede ankle boots, I was boiling and found myself stripping off, should have worn a T shirt instead of the thermal vest! After all, this is the season of layering.<br />
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We sat outside in the towns main square and had aperitifs followed by a slap up lunch washed down with loads of wine, afterwards we walked it off along the beach front...</div>
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Lovely though it is, nobody wanted to sit on the shady side<br />
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The Basque region is another country, it has it's own language
literally and poetically, it's people are warm and hospitable and
examples of flair and imagination can be seen everywhere from interior and exterior design to world renowned cuisine and everything in between.</div>
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The unique architecture of the Basque region, white timber framed buildings and houses, painted distinctive shades of red, green or blue.</div>
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These two pictures were taken last September before the leaves had started to turn.</div>
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Whilst some remained wrapped up.</div>
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Others decided to get a head start on the tan.</div>
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Glorious warm sunshine, al fresco dining, walks along the beach and for the brave (including Crusoe) a dip in the sea. Yes I think we can safely say spring is here. </div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-2344016739971750212013-02-26T14:36:00.000+01:002013-02-26T18:41:13.758+01:00Audrey Hepburn, Posthumous Saleswoman<div style="text-align: center;">
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I don't normally have
adverts on my blog but I will make an exception in this case. A well
known British chocolate brand with the help of CGI has remastered
footage of Audrey Hepburn and turned it into a television advert, the advert has been beautifully done. Quite what Audrey
Hepburn would have made of posthumously promoting chocolate I really
don't know especially bearing in mind she was a good will ambassador for
UNICEF an organisation that was close to her heart, Hepburn herself was
helped by the organisation receiving food and medical help after World
War II.<br />
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The Independent has an interesting piece on this advertisement and the subject of posthumous advertising <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/audrey-hepburn-advertisegalaxy-chocolate-bars-over-her-dead-body-8508603.html">here.</a><br />
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So what do you think, Is it ethical to use departed icons in this way? <br />
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-76528563594063941122013-02-05T14:15:00.000+01:002013-02-06T15:26:41.100+01:00I'll take one in every colour!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Once again my blogging life has become sporadic, I seem to be very busy at the moment mainly catching up with jobs I have been putting off for far too long. Outside my windows the sky has been grey for days, I am not a fan of this time of year but I know Spring which is my favourite season is waiting just round the corner. To brighten things up I bought some Anemones from the local Sunday market, Anemones are one of my favourite flowers and here they sell them in mixed bunches of vibrant colours, their jewel like presence in the house is a tonic for my soul... </div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-39634286924435344202013-01-17T00:22:00.000+01:002013-01-17T10:34:49.847+01:00His Masters Voice. The End?<br />
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Sadly it does not really come as much of a surprise that HMV is the latest casualty of the British high street to fall, they missed a few tricks and succumbed to the might of i tunes, Amazon and Netflix and the rise and rise of the slightly out of town supermarkets. The former giants of the British high street and town centres have failed or are flailing, I ask myself what is the future? A flagship store presence in the capitol city and the rest, well, internet. That is of course assuming they can find buyers and not go under completely.<br />
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Is there an opportunity here? <br />
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I would love to see a future of local, independent boutiques, places to discover, with internet savvy, so you can continue to buy from them no matter where you live, florists, restaurants and cafes etc. Reclaiming Britain's town centres and high streets, a renaissance if you like but I doubt they could afford the exorbitant rates unless the local councils take a long term view and put substance over quick return in the way the South Devon town of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/aug/15/totnes-war-global-capitalism">Totnes</a> has. So what will we be left with? Big name bar chains, nightclubs, McDonalds and KFC a very gloomy outlook indeed for some of the wonderful town centres of Britain and indeed the world, alas they will all end up looking the same, as I write this I realise it's already happened.</div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-55831399775740312922013-01-04T22:53:00.001+01:002013-04-23T23:39:47.258+02:00Happy New Year<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just checking in to wish you all a Very Happy and joyful 2013 </div>
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I have been away for three weeks without a computer but I did have my camera...</div>
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First stop Yorkshire, where I spent ten joyful days with my family, unfortunately it rained heavily every day I was there so interior shots only.</div>
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No i phone or complicated portable just a good old fashioned British Telecom standard issue telephone, the one's I grew up with, they are considered retro now, I so enjoyed curling up on the sofa, twirling the curly cord in my fingers and using this to call absent friends and loved ones. </div>
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I had five star treatment staying with my Brother</div>
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Oh I do love a big bath with a view!</div>
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I even bought sweets from my childhood (also now considered retro) for the kids but they were more interested in computer games!</div>
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And I helped my Mother with afternoon tea.</div>
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Next stop Prague for seven days and mercifully no rain but it was cold I was secretly hoping for snow but it was not to be, still, it was beautiful and there is more to come on my Prague adventure</div>
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I won't be back home until Sunday, at present I am in my spiritual home on the Provençal Coast.</div>
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See you soon, wishing you all a wonderful weekend.</div>
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XXX</div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-50338164056448405312012-12-04T18:21:00.000+01:002012-12-05T10:57:06.646+01:00Rain, Clementines and Mulled Wine<div style="text-align: center;">
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Image via Seabois</div>
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Yes, it's been like this all day, relentless. I had plans to go to the big town today, I spent a couple of happy hours on Sunday Christmas shopping on the internet (nearly all done) but there are some things that you need your olfactory senses for. The big town will have to wait until the rain stops.</div>
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So I stayed at home, did some work and marvelled at my clementines which have started popping up in the greengrocers along with other seasonal delights such as lychees and pomegranates.<br />
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Yesterday
evening whilst I was toiling in the study I could hear MG rustling
about in the kitchen, soon the whole house was filled with the most
beautiful aroma, a while later I was presented with a glass of the most delicious mulled wine, MG had clearly been inspired by the arrival of the clementines. He used Jamie Oliver's recipe which can be found <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/other-recipes/jamie-s-mulled-wine">here</a>.<br />
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Image via Jamie Oliver<br />
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I feel the urge for another glass coming on...<br />
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-87417744057729870652012-12-02T10:14:00.000+01:002012-12-02T14:12:10.179+01:00The Cup Cake Lady<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A touch of Christmas whimsy for the first Sunday in December.</div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-1188146766038147492012-11-30T14:48:00.003+01:002012-12-01T15:42:01.403+01:00Almost Advent<br />
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How did it get to be the last day in November? Advent starts tomorrow and I am starting to panic. Cyber Monday came and went, I have a feeling this weekend will be my cyber moment, I really need to get cracking to ensure delivery. We are away for Christmas and the New Year so no tree but I will be putting festive touches around the house.</div>
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There has been much discussion on blogs regarding high street shopping versus on-line shopping, for me it's a no brainer, on my laptop, warm and cosy, dog at my feet, glass of wine by my side. Modern shopping centres or malls filled with all the usual suspects are my biggest nightmare although I will make an exception for this beautifully restored
Victorian shopping arcade which is crammed full of wondrous, interesting
and mainly independent boutiques. I will be visiting it shortly before
Christmas, I will not be able to resist a few extra stocking fillers, there is no doubt they will be wrapped on Christmas Eve.</div>
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The Victoria Quarter, Leeds, Photo from flickr</div>
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MG has asked me what I would like for Christmas I have requested a wide angle lens for my camera... but then I saw some exquisite evening bags... <br />
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Available from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/Zenzara?section_id=8045499">here</a><br />
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How are your plans going? Is all your Christmas shopping done?</div>
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Wishing you all a Wonderful Weekend.</div>
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XXX</div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-72379121701098040022012-11-28T12:06:00.000+01:002012-11-28T19:48:55.287+01:00The Simple Things<br />
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A beautiful painting of a simple thing...a bedspread airing through an open window. I love this painting this is a typical French scene, the times I have driven from my village to the local town on a beautiful morning, houses with shutters and windows flung wide open, bedspreads, duvets, eiderdowns, dangling. A simple morning ritual, played out all over France.</div>
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Elisabeth Baysset, the artist responsible for this painting, sadly passed away far too early, last month. Elisabeth was an artist that I discovered through the blogging community, I think she was a huge talent, her beautiful works are a testament to her memory...</div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-36049942944838947422012-11-21T18:09:00.002+01:002012-11-24T17:36:26.951+01:00Antique Books<br />
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Be careful what you wish for, yesterday I was bemoaning the fact that we have had endless warm, sunny days, which seems out of keeping for November, well today it has been damp, dull and dreary so it jolly well serves me right! Added to that I have been in a melancholy mood.<br />
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To try and cheer myself up I went rooting around in the cupboard under the stairs for the boxes of Christmas decorations, surely fairy lights and baubles would cheer me up! Of course it's far too early to decorate, normally I like to decorate in the first week of December. No, what I wanted was to mess around in my <strike>studio</strike> spare room with baubles, fairy lights and candles and try to make some pretty pictures but nothing seemed to be working for me today, the pictures were a disaster so in the end I gave up and went back to photographing antique books.<br />
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We are fortunate to have inherited a large collection of antique books, the top three books in the first picture are French books on natural history, they have some stunning engravings in them and are eighteenth century, I was trying to capture the patina on them whilst imagining who their original owners were, these books were around during the French revolution, how come we have ended up with them? What was the fate of the original owners? what kind of room or library might they have rested in?<br />
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In the second picture the books are popular British classics from the late nineteenth century, I know the history of these one's. The first four little books are Dickens and they also include wonderful engraved illustrations, I love the gold detail on the spines, I really should read them but they are so delicate I worry about damaging them and that would be awful, so I will put them back in their home on the bookshelf and admire them.</div>
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I am still resisting the urge to invest in a Kindle or Nook, I love books, all books, nothing gives me greater pleasure than a new book. My modern book collection may one day fall into the hands of someone who wonders about the original owner from a couple of centuries ago, I don't believe a Kindle or a Nook would last that long!<br />
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Wishing Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate.<br />
XXX </div>
Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-11137875578904962442012-11-20T22:56:00.000+01:002012-11-21T12:18:19.540+01:00Crusoe's Bucolic Constitutional<div style="text-align: center;">
Every day here for the last few weeks has been lovely, almost too lovely! I have been yearning for cold, crisp, misty autumnal days but it is not to be, all we have had is glorious sunshine and temperatures into the twenties an Indian Summer for sure, personally I think it's a bit eerie for November. Every morning I take Crusoe out for his walk, today I thought, I would take you with me...</div>
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I know this herd is a happy herd, they belong to our neighbour Michel, he has a bit of knack when it comes to animals, he is dark and good looking our very own Heathcliffe, he rides his horses bareback and is always willing to lend a hand with his tractor in our garden and won't except payment. Every Christmas we buy him a few of the finest bottles Bordeaux has to offer and I add add a few interesting home made chutneys, preserves and sometimes when I feel ambitious a special cake, I have learnt that's just the way things are done around here.</div>
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A view of the Château, I don't see it as a Château I see it as a Castle it dates from the twelfth century, it attracts droves of tourists and schoolchildren, inside its a museum, where they teach the history of Medieval France, most of the locals see it as a Walt Disney Castle it has been overly restored with the help of European grants and not necessarily remained true, most of the villagers tell me they preferred it as a ruin..they played amongst its crumbling walls as children, much more romantic but they admit it does bring much needed money into the local economy.</div>
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Ahhh Crusoe..."Come on, throw my stick"...</div>
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Proud dog, valiantly retrieving the stick</div>
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I am a clever dog!</div>
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Crusoe killing his stick</div>
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Eastern view of the Chateau</div>
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Can you see that egg shaped thing in the tree, what is it? A nest of some sort but what?</div>
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Autumn Colours</div>
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At the top of the hill you can see the highest peeks of the French Pyrenees and beyond those mountains lies Spain</div>
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The local Pyrneean goat herd, I love them Crusoe does not, I have to keep him on a tight leash when I speak to the goats in his presence, once he jumped into their enclosure, a battle ensued for hours, he would not come out and it resulted in <a href="http://thefrenchsampler.blogspot.fr/2011/05/crusoe-nil-by-mouth.html">this</a></div>
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After the Constitutional, Crusoe likes to relax in his favourite chair... and me... well this morning I made myself a large cup of coffee, changed the lens on my camera and practised some stylised shots of antique books of which there is more to come...</div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-56568581829646170222012-11-11T10:33:00.000+01:002013-09-28T14:29:02.895+02:00Remembrance Day<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Today is Remembrance Day and while we honour all those who made the ultimate sacrifice, many of our boys and girls still risk their lives in the name of freedom. War comes in many forms and there are many tales of selflessness and courage, both on the battlefields and off. I highlighted one story back in January and I thought it fitting to re-issue it today...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEkU1Gc_RDeULTjGnOdq0QzJii12OOyCOJhkPgHQlQlWmKUwmd7LC-O35tL1Jwvmz5s4qNNThyphenhyphenKT8sl1LciV0-AmsQhNiOhNBsbvBjqzcCezXf4yik33rvqOwiapJ5vbcHPft6hXVQhQ/s1600/Irving+Penn%252C+Jean+Patchett.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEkU1Gc_RDeULTjGnOdq0QzJii12OOyCOJhkPgHQlQlWmKUwmd7LC-O35tL1Jwvmz5s4qNNThyphenhyphenKT8sl1LciV0-AmsQhNiOhNBsbvBjqzcCezXf4yik33rvqOwiapJ5vbcHPft6hXVQhQ/s640/Irving+Penn%252C+Jean+Patchett.jpg" width="608" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Irving Penn</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>"If one lives in exile, the café becomes at once the family home, the
nation, church and parliament, a desert and a place of pilgrimage,
cradle of illusions and their cemetery... In exile, the café is the one
place where life goes on."</i></div>
<br />
Hermann Kesten<br />
<br />
I
have always loved this quote as it rings so true, especially in France.
Hermann Kesten was referring to the many German and Austrian writers,
artists, intellectuals, political opponents, etc. Who with the rise of
Hitler in the early thirties, left Germany and settled in France.<br />
<br />
When
France declared war on Germany in September 1939 German exiles were
considered enemy aliens and interned in hastily constructed camps and
prisons whilst they waited to have their cases heard and hopefully be
released, this process took some time, if it happened at all. In the
meantime they lived in appalling conditions with disease running rife, a
few of them did manage to escape. By June 1940 the Nazis had marched
into France and occupied Paris. An armistice was signed and France was
divided into two, German occupied France and Vichy France under the rule
of the elderly Marchal Petain. The truth is both were very dangerous
places to be and many French found themselves exiles in their own
country.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrBcNVuxELn42u54GqbyNkHtw-6JunJubkCOwb3gfnZqmnPLwOsxaTz3Iv0hqAleDaoIZt2XNGc0ioRuckHvyNPKpqLZPBjbr-aDzWhFpumLVI8dkBrP42PphDSeAWYsc5mLQkc_TTuY/s1600/vichy05.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrBcNVuxELn42u54GqbyNkHtw-6JunJubkCOwb3gfnZqmnPLwOsxaTz3Iv0hqAleDaoIZt2XNGc0ioRuckHvyNPKpqLZPBjbr-aDzWhFpumLVI8dkBrP42PphDSeAWYsc5mLQkc_TTuY/s400/vichy05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
As
the Nazis were marching towards Paris, thousands were trying to flee
the capital, by any means, trains were full to bursting, all roads out
of Paris were clogged, vehicles were abandoned when they ran out of
fuel, thousands of people slept rough in barns and fields, there was no
news but many rumours which added to the sense of panic, it was chaos.
Many were heading to the south or to the coasts, to try and get boats
out or simply to stay with family or friends as far away from the Nazis
as they could get, some had no clue where they were going, they just
knew they had to leave. <br />
<br />
Hitler put pressure on the
Vichy government to round up all the German, Austrian and
Czechoslovakian exiles, these people were now in grave danger, if they
fell into the hands of the Gestapo they were imprisoned, sent to
concentration camps or murdered by firing squads. Now thousands of
French nationals also found themselves in danger, French artists, poets,
writers and intellectuals were at particular risk, many of them were no
longer in possession of the correct identity papers, trying to obtain
the correct papers could result in arrest, they were aware they were on
Hitler's list, many of them headed South to Marseilles where they shrank
into the shadows, stayed in shabby back street hotels and met up with
each other at the cafés, always looking over their shoulders. They were
now people without a state or a homeland, they had become in effect
refugees. They needed a way out.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Film Still from Casablanca<br />
<br /></div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A Real Rick, Varian Fry</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Meanwhile
in New York 'The Emergency Rescue Committee' had been set up, they had
compiled a list of around 200 artists, writers and intellectuals who
they considered to be at risk in occupied Europe, the list included
Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Andre Breton, Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp,
the objective was to help them to escape. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Havard graduate and political activist Varian Fry was the man who was
chosen to go to Vichy France to set up an organisation to help people
escape, in fact he was the perfect choice, he was a man with a strong
social conscience, he was an intellectual who had studied the classics
and he spoke French and German. He arrived in Marseilles on August 14th
1940 with a suitcase, sleeping bag and air mattress, $3000 taped to his
leg and a list of around 200 names. His return flight to New York had
been booked for August 29th. He had around two weeks to get the job
done!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIq-OTdmnJmzmZ_QnESdjMPfqMCB2T0ZIk0A5V2-h3afdub-FneF7dZCUg2IX80pKU-oyMOPjep4CWczuvOnEenLf1-Cr5OaK-mJjXfns1bF6joWPYHqEYX9vICvX7YjxaJOYLOazP_vE/s1600/Varian+Fry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIq-OTdmnJmzmZ_QnESdjMPfqMCB2T0ZIk0A5V2-h3afdub-FneF7dZCUg2IX80pKU-oyMOPjep4CWczuvOnEenLf1-Cr5OaK-mJjXfns1bF6joWPYHqEYX9vICvX7YjxaJOYLOazP_vE/s640/Varian+Fry.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Varian Fry, Andre Breton, Andre Masson, Jacqueline Lamba and Max Ernst at the CAS office.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Fry
set up his organisation which he named: CENTRE AMERICAN DE SECOURS,
'CAS'. The Tom tom drums had been beating and word got out on the
refugee grapevine, that a man had been sent from America to help, he
soon had a long line of people queuing outside his hotel room, it was
not long before he had to find an office and trustworthy staff. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Eventually
he cobbled together an excellent team including a young American art
student who had formerly been studying at the Sorbonne, Miriam
Davenport. Varian desperately needed more funding, help soon came from
the beautiful, thrill seeking American heiress, Mary Jayne Gold. Mary
Jayne rented Villa Air-Bel, just outside Marseille, it became a home to
CAS staff and some of the refugees (CAS clients), artists and
intellectuals came to visit, there were parties and auctions, which all
helped fund the clients escapes and keep up morale. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gJrpauv9L0O0CNXzyFdnlLmPiHY1ZWQDFXTT9ZiiSPpM8abAZDjaO3TRQiFdD45_heTQ7PuAsErDvk1BDJ57e5iIGgbcODxGmL-jxmj5f2WfDamDgmk76jFHT5YReMXNfoPJTKdPAbg/s1600/exiles+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3gJrpauv9L0O0CNXzyFdnlLmPiHY1ZWQDFXTT9ZiiSPpM8abAZDjaO3TRQiFdD45_heTQ7PuAsErDvk1BDJ57e5iIGgbcODxGmL-jxmj5f2WfDamDgmk76jFHT5YReMXNfoPJTKdPAbg/s640/exiles+3.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
<br />
Andre
Breton and Jacqueline Lamba fooling around at the Villa Air-Bel, just
outside Marseilles. Breton was convinced that all the surrealists must
defy the spirit of Fascism "by singing and laughing with the greatest
joy"<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooWXbBiyqQILr2lwlKQlh_kTCj2Axi800OW1OYxSVHvWswDqGn80220jeq8okKu9SWX5NiiFqLQtxOX2boob1vPAluSPGd_OWBCoiJZVxhs0q020e251jI2k8iMY5APnv8g8-j5tZw5s/s1600/Exiles+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooWXbBiyqQILr2lwlKQlh_kTCj2Axi800OW1OYxSVHvWswDqGn80220jeq8okKu9SWX5NiiFqLQtxOX2boob1vPAluSPGd_OWBCoiJZVxhs0q020e251jI2k8iMY5APnv8g8-j5tZw5s/s640/Exiles+4.jpg" width="442" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Even
the Nazis could not stand in the way of creativity, whilst waiting at
the Villa Air-Bel for various visas, Andre Breton had the idea of
producing a collective work of art, they would invent a new deck of
cards, known as 'Le Jeu de Marseille'. The original drawings were
preserved and eventually came to Andre Breton's daughter Aube, she
donated them to the Musee Cantini in Marseilles, where they are on
display to this day.</div>
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<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Max
Ernst the Surrealist painter was one of the many artists imprisoned by
the French in 1939 for being a German national, he was at this time
living with his British lover, fellow surrealist painter Leonora
Carrington, in a small French village in the south of France. With the
help of Paul Eluard and the intervention of Varian Fry he was eventually
released, only to be arrested again a few weeks later by the Gestapo,
he managed to escape and once again helped by Varian Fry, escaped to
America, with Peggy Guggenheim. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Leonora
Carrington, distraught at Max's initial arrest by the French was
persuaded by friends to leave France. She escaped over the Pyrenees into
Spain, where she suffered a breakdown at the British embassy in
Madrid. She was institutionalised in Santander where she received shock
and drug therapy. Her wealthy parents intervened and sent someone to
secure her release (Leonora claimed it was her old nanny) Leonora was
convinced her parents would send her to a mental institution in South
Africa or one of the colonies, one day she persuaded the nanny to take
her shopping and managed to run away, she sought refuge at the Mexican
embassy, eventually she managed to get to Lisbon, where she bumped into
Max Ernst and Peggy Guggenheim who were waiting to leave for America.
Leonora and Max had both been through too much to rekindle their
relationship. Max went on to marry Peggy. Following the escape to
Lisbon, Leonora arranged passage out of Europe with Renato Leduc, a
Mexican diplomat and poet who was a friend of Picasso and who had agreed
to marry Leonora as part of the travel
arrangements to help her. Leonora eventually found sanctuary in Mexico
and went on to become one of Mexico's leading artists.<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWiS-LX0xYktYxABDRX7XoMh8BhnH5hk6hGKnYdRiYjg4j5pUORXyg_FYkmwsnQ06yyy_LxDysjrN9flNr0wWEJevG8LDpMZhmN2HIM8bLCP6-hLIParnkw4xGKKMK4LioSeBNuUUwfE/s1600/Exiles+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWiS-LX0xYktYxABDRX7XoMh8BhnH5hk6hGKnYdRiYjg4j5pUORXyg_FYkmwsnQ06yyy_LxDysjrN9flNr0wWEJevG8LDpMZhmN2HIM8bLCP6-hLIParnkw4xGKKMK4LioSeBNuUUwfE/s640/Exiles+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Max Ernst speaking to immigration authorities at Ellis Island, Peggy Guggenheim looks on, July 14th, 1941</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
A few of the people Varian Fry helped...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTXxYXjbD5Y1foIxvyTtizCz3WS7fOjVely-8wzAGBxkiBkdIhnyVzWRk0B7-4-w8-T-SzxspUs6Mtfd84e9JC3XGTBHj240gBEyHqIKYVy_yIjUnEXJf1m5iMRRiOTU36m8mQmEcEWg/s1600/artistsinexile1942.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifTXxYXjbD5Y1foIxvyTtizCz3WS7fOjVely-8wzAGBxkiBkdIhnyVzWRk0B7-4-w8-T-SzxspUs6Mtfd84e9JC3XGTBHj240gBEyHqIKYVy_yIjUnEXJf1m5iMRRiOTU36m8mQmEcEWg/s640/artistsinexile1942.jpg" width="622" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">"Artists in Exile", Peggy Guggenheim's
apartment, New York, 1942. Front row: Stanley William Hayter, Leonara
Carrington, Frederick Kiesler, Kurt Seligmann. Second Row: Max Ernst,
Amedee Ozenfant, Andre Breton, Fernand Leger, Berenice Abbott. Third
Row: Jimmy Ernst, Peggy Guggenheim, John Ferren, Marcel Duchamp, Piet
Mondrian. Photograph: The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. </span> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The
situation was becoming increasingly risky for Fry and his clients.
Obtaining exit visas for people was becoming impossible legally, the
only way to get things done was to go down the illegal route, much to
the chagrin of the American consulate and the Vichy government. Fry
became a thorn in their sides and they conspired together to do
something about him (America was still neutral at this point). He had
his passport confiscated and was told it would only be returned on the
condition that he left Vichy France and returned to America. He now
knew what it felt like to be a refugee, his hand was forced, on 6th
September 1941, almost thirteen months after his arrival in Vichy
France, Fry boarded the train in Cerbere and embarked on the long
journey back to America following in the footsteps of all those he had
helped to escape.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
CAS continued to operate but went completely underground, it's staff were now part of the resistance.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Over
a period of one and a half years twenty thousand refugees had
approached CAS for help, stretching his mandate as much as he dared Fry
had extended the protection of CAS to more than four thousand people.
CAS had given direct financial support to six hundred refugees. It had
helped fifteen hundred people to leave France both legally and
illegally. It had also assisted in one manner or another in the
evacuation of about three hundred British officers and soldiers. CAS
had set up a dozen communities around Grasse as well as woodcutting and
charcoal burning enterprises in the Var forest that gave refugees not
only employment but also a place to hide. From 1942 until the end of
the war, the clandestine CAS was able to facilitate the escape from
France of another three hundred people.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Excert from Villa Air-Bel</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Further reading...<br />
</div>
<br />
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(French Edition)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTO1PMOar88nIKv3v6W6FBMClT8D6vhw3UeCTvierSbMAkQiJDTRtmvvTB_HAHeiigqvSQ5dD__QzDgwIa1ulEizrV95GeBI-bA3nH1EgAi0J9uWYoV8PrJcmd0JUQe_hOwRRb0CcFnY/s1600/Varian+Fry+Book.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtTO1PMOar88nIKv3v6W6FBMClT8D6vhw3UeCTvierSbMAkQiJDTRtmvvTB_HAHeiigqvSQ5dD__QzDgwIa1ulEizrV95GeBI-bA3nH1EgAi0J9uWYoV8PrJcmd0JUQe_hOwRRb0CcFnY/s400/Varian+Fry+Book.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
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A Quiet American, The Secret war of Varian Fry, Andy Marino</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzWtfskXp_Og6Ow2jN8ycGueAHgaBrpczwtO88eJ513wpRtQ-pmvvZa1mVXaklQArwi1KpQOnh1W4_LgEJG4lTg-OpxD_PGl2pqKvqjKYs6kQd-NDa3b6BpS_pWeSNX08D1JUBZEwJwg/s1600/Escape+through+the+Pyrenees.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQzWtfskXp_Og6Ow2jN8ycGueAHgaBrpczwtO88eJ513wpRtQ-pmvvZa1mVXaklQArwi1KpQOnh1W4_LgEJG4lTg-OpxD_PGl2pqKvqjKYs6kQd-NDa3b6BpS_pWeSNX08D1JUBZEwJwg/s400/Escape+through+the+Pyrenees.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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We shall never forget.<br />
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-51204213117173078902012-11-09T15:36:00.000+01:002012-11-09T16:25:07.442+01:00Something Pretty for the Weekend<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswYS5IZqbyOb-j2W0-X0GymNPKn1rgmR7mKZK9ZP3pkPASYWI-vXBjt2qerKXyqgLGpaoacQBDnjczpQlUr2in1ZnwHpPhV1-Sp_QLKziUQiJ5DvSRTkHjgEH0r5hAEjlsII4mfCvliE/s1600/IMG_2704.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgswYS5IZqbyOb-j2W0-X0GymNPKn1rgmR7mKZK9ZP3pkPASYWI-vXBjt2qerKXyqgLGpaoacQBDnjczpQlUr2in1ZnwHpPhV1-Sp_QLKziUQiJ5DvSRTkHjgEH0r5hAEjlsII4mfCvliE/s1600/IMG_2704.JPG" /></a></div>
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I have been messing about in one of the spare bedrooms, with the help of the last roses from the garden I have been trying to make it pretty for some friends who are coming to stay this weekend...</div>
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Wishing you all a Wonderful Weekend</div>
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XXX</div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-70710439639699234572012-11-06T16:59:00.001+01:002012-11-08T11:41:00.938+01:00Back to Black<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWSqoOt3ijC2HJ3U77PcWwWesR1J3mzEUtELF7ow2bmrcTrxFH_x3iDOJWgJbl8uBjFNoI47HIUbqbYtEvPU6RyoR3r7V2X4NwWbFyUSE83K1icEt-KbprUcf8ME6u7G6IoC6HhSk2W4/s1600/Weekend+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIWSqoOt3ijC2HJ3U77PcWwWesR1J3mzEUtELF7ow2bmrcTrxFH_x3iDOJWgJbl8uBjFNoI47HIUbqbYtEvPU6RyoR3r7V2X4NwWbFyUSE83K1icEt-KbprUcf8ME6u7G6IoC6HhSk2W4/s640/Weekend+3.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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If I could dress up like this every day, I would!<br />
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In winter black is always the new black for me! I am also partial to rich chocolate brown, deep reds or bright colours, cream or beige tones just wash me out so if I see something I like in a choice of colours black usually wins the day. Here are a few things that have caught my eye on my internet wanderings, I always opt for good quality classics that will look good and last for years, all the following items are makes that I have tried and tested... <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mhULv84PlXFgA8d9zghkWeRJyWgQB-i7f2KzBe0kiwdznmxCYEIrgy22Q1O7vAWHXJ8xCbHvr_EP5xFPXfIl4m8Le_vNOZz4A1k1RFt7hRiEhWqTg5u52kG54WbZLAyDq9lLQGZR8A0/s1600/ecco+boots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mhULv84PlXFgA8d9zghkWeRJyWgQB-i7f2KzBe0kiwdznmxCYEIrgy22Q1O7vAWHXJ8xCbHvr_EP5xFPXfIl4m8Le_vNOZz4A1k1RFt7hRiEhWqTg5u52kG54WbZLAyDq9lLQGZR8A0/s1600/ecco+boots.jpg" /></a></div>
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Boots from <a href="http://shopeu.ecco.com/uk/en/ecco/ecco-navoi-85-mm_930500/930501?navId=170">Ecco</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpKs60KFdy2O9SlrIvkicyxwyHwCEl-hKEqh6EYviZ4l0Kdk7eEa-iE52UMyRoGevB8Q-H1dj4VLVP81yETGwECleFPBB7i_50XkPqYZJa_kkgkaCBajx_SXNs-hCK74G4M9KzAZjh1k/s1600/Ecco+Boot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGpKs60KFdy2O9SlrIvkicyxwyHwCEl-hKEqh6EYviZ4l0Kdk7eEa-iE52UMyRoGevB8Q-H1dj4VLVP81yETGwECleFPBB7i_50XkPqYZJa_kkgkaCBajx_SXNs-hCK74G4M9KzAZjh1k/s400/Ecco+Boot.png" width="345" /></a></div>
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I love to wear a boot with a high heel, I am of average height 5 '6 but I find my deportment instantly improves with a heel, which makes me feel more elegant not to mention the leg lengthening qualities. I also like to walk for miles so I need to marry comfort, height and style, sometimes this is not easy to achieve but a few years ago whilst walking past the shop Ecco during a visit to my home town, a store I had previously overlooked as most of the shoes and boots looked very sensible and I avoid sensible shoes like the plague. I purchased a lovely pair of black, plain, high heeled ankle boots, which had caught my eye in the window. They are without a doubt the most comfortable boots I have ever worn and I have walked for miles in them, three years later although they have been re heeled and soled they are as good as new. This season these Victorian style ankle boots are tinkling my bell.<br />
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Tory Burch<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi710Sq781Oih0lEt9xzGzkHWPUfEOBEfXWCntNb83k431RsTMZRigwbQgVninK-bpGeNoXx3Q7bKoayEF2WUZUjlXpFMGLz74khufInkAQ33sGBqkE5JyTP1a-sLfj7fQXpmJraYo_wHw/s1600/TB_30123192_001_L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi710Sq781Oih0lEt9xzGzkHWPUfEOBEfXWCntNb83k431RsTMZRigwbQgVninK-bpGeNoXx3Q7bKoayEF2WUZUjlXpFMGLz74khufInkAQ33sGBqkE5JyTP1a-sLfj7fQXpmJraYo_wHw/s640/TB_30123192_001_L.jpg" width="561" /></a></div>
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I love <a href="http://www.toryburch.co.uk/CASHMERE-TORY-TUNIC/30123192,en_GB,pd.html?dwvar_30123192_color=001&start=20&cgid=newarrivals-clothing">Tory Burch</a> Tunics in the summer so I am lusting after this cashmere twist for winter which you can dress up or down, this neckline is so flattering.<br />
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Of course with an all black outfit you need some colour to break it up, coloured silk, patterned or cashmere scarves usually work for me. Jewellery wise I favour bold, statement pieces and I love vintage. I am loving <a href="http://www.michalgolangallery.com/jewelry.html">Michal Golan</a> Jewellery. I bought a piece a couple of months back, they did not have the piece in stock so they made it up for me, their service was excellent and when the piece arrived (swiftly) the quality was superb and the price extremely reasonable...I will be purchasing some more for myself and for Christmas gifts.<br />
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<a href="http://www.michalgolangallery.com/Turkish2012.html">From the Turkish Bazaar collection.</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwtnxdEe8-Dsk41MOKf2N1KPHYBtcTEYo91AocBZxiSjpDrpfMF7Y3WEEibFlyjoLVFLIBQQBlZPiI5T4oCtDuDusQntby7pj2OstHnmeK_d7c7CFnZ-7eYRP-rFTpJsVcouuEw8pziM/s1600/Michal+Golan+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwtnxdEe8-Dsk41MOKf2N1KPHYBtcTEYo91AocBZxiSjpDrpfMF7Y3WEEibFlyjoLVFLIBQQBlZPiI5T4oCtDuDusQntby7pj2OstHnmeK_d7c7CFnZ-7eYRP-rFTpJsVcouuEw8pziM/s400/Michal+Golan+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.michalgolangallery.com/multibright_2012.html">From the Multi Bright Collection</a><br />
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"A lady always wears gloves" so my Mother tells me, she even wears them in the summer for driving. Not only do they keep your hands warm but they can also help protect you from nasty winter viruses. I think smart leather one's round off a winter outfit beautifully, especially the longer one's which look fabulous with a swing coat or three quarter length sleeves.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWu-8dlqP1wNXU1k1RsYl9FkmkJ59Dkh3Dkav66IC7lppHKSbIbvUat0ze8ZCy2RB8CLoYQT7UZctULt57C5rkbHPULhQqfIKSiBjQRkyP-ZFbh6WvDM5UyP2o8_ogm4j37WylqBKFKA/s1600/Gloves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWu-8dlqP1wNXU1k1RsYl9FkmkJ59Dkh3Dkav66IC7lppHKSbIbvUat0ze8ZCy2RB8CLoYQT7UZctULt57C5rkbHPULhQqfIKSiBjQRkyP-ZFbh6WvDM5UyP2o8_ogm4j37WylqBKFKA/s640/Gloves.jpg" width="498" /></a></div>
Long Italian cashmere lined black leather gloves from <a href="http://www.uk.forzieri.com/usa/product_view.asp?l=usa&c=gbr&dept_id=53&pf_id=fz18116-003&sku=fz18116-003-00">Forzieri</a><br />
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Dents have even brought out a touch technology version, so you don't even have to take them off whilst using a phone or tablet. Available <a href="http://www.dents.co.uk/products/775/Touchscreen-Technology-Leather-Gloves.asp">here</a>.<br />
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-8595592171618282292012-11-02T16:30:00.000+01:002012-11-02T17:39:19.725+01:00Something for the Weekend...More Renee<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpXxiMOta2bt2nN2Q7TMdKqwN_wly_-Vp3owD_eOus_6T7zmtel7CkTnCSWyLI7Nf1Aiwfw3ko7MWmv0aF85cm_jQ8kgRWYztYXmk0IsfjZd3mTYyG2z5WRjukiZk5vJPt2oyzrxCfn4/s1600/Renee+Perle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpXxiMOta2bt2nN2Q7TMdKqwN_wly_-Vp3owD_eOus_6T7zmtel7CkTnCSWyLI7Nf1Aiwfw3ko7MWmv0aF85cm_jQ8kgRWYztYXmk0IsfjZd3mTYyG2z5WRjukiZk5vJPt2oyzrxCfn4/s640/Renee+Perle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Perhaps the wrong season for shots of Renee relaxing on the Riviera but the beautiful, eternally stylish and mysterious Renee has become something of a muse for this blog and when I happened across these photos I knew I had to post them. In the short time that Renee and Jacques were together they seemed to be on one long, romantic and joy filled holiday. The timeless photographs that Jacques took of her keep me going through the dark days of winter and make me think of the coming of May when I will be able to have my own adventures on the Cote d'Azur. Marianne maybe the national emblem of France but Renee is worthy of becoming the emblem of the Riviera. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCfQRVmGKSO0eU7TE6QHRTZ_5vPLcAFDMyqQ3SXQUyQgux2fuNtnP9f2SMV7gRIVhp-JWQp5wDPMGIeSOJzOwjxHsl8voYsrmKXmd4hB8dACQC8Z31i4H-DCrj7b5mxj7J1DMBmaVJCo/s1600/Renee+evening+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCfQRVmGKSO0eU7TE6QHRTZ_5vPLcAFDMyqQ3SXQUyQgux2fuNtnP9f2SMV7gRIVhp-JWQp5wDPMGIeSOJzOwjxHsl8voYsrmKXmd4hB8dACQC8Z31i4H-DCrj7b5mxj7J1DMBmaVJCo/s640/Renee+evening+dress.jpg" width="306" /></a></div>
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Wishing you all a Wonderful Weekend.<br />
XXX</div>
Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-10773710664568808032012-10-31T01:37:00.001+01:002012-10-31T20:38:27.686+01:00All Hallows Eve<div style="text-align: center;">
I am re posting a Halloween post from 2010 because I don't think there is anything to beat a Gothic tale on All Hallows Eve... </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtP5F05bKwdRDYZMr7X04POZaPCJX8IhyfVLZ6i5QZfwV1JMhu8O_KovG-d4ovDi6daxMXt-4_MbzdjifidbiBgFBkt1o_hno3alvTzQjwPNtht3wKHjkrJS-oA91kFLTL9XxMKG9GRqP/s1600/miss-havishams-table.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtP5F05bKwdRDYZMr7X04POZaPCJX8IhyfVLZ6i5QZfwV1JMhu8O_KovG-d4ovDi6daxMXt-4_MbzdjifidbiBgFBkt1o_hno3alvTzQjwPNtht3wKHjkrJS-oA91kFLTL9XxMKG9GRqP/s640/miss-havishams-table.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Miss Havisham requests the pleasure of your company...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeJWTuwSUyIOAH2iViDDSMuLrcO4e82L0Hm22kWLc6CWyTJ5p5LrylyHqWWQ-jHDLzAgqVMps5LSfCwoXh9zYWi5LxsZDdBN2LYn0RqAKc6Tn151Lay3Vtfsc6f4XXvY4ly9GX4N_7ew/s1600/movies_great_expectations_still_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWeJWTuwSUyIOAH2iViDDSMuLrcO4e82L0Hm22kWLc6CWyTJ5p5LrylyHqWWQ-jHDLzAgqVMps5LSfCwoXh9zYWi5LxsZDdBN2LYn0RqAKc6Tn151Lay3Vtfsc6f4XXvY4ly9GX4N_7ew/s640/movies_great_expectations_still_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Trust me, you need to humour her</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2pE10qgcugos2JGJ1voMy1_wch3nuMpwMqJo-4IpVkzE6eD2QbFzhOzZYy9EUgfKOWBiU8pXEkgHUE_ZQ2inyNMyn0Y-699s9xeOReY0MSrG8KZK4vrUZCDZoW-w4VdCycNFARXkTwqC/s1600/Mrs-Danvers-rebecca-1940-7006778-500-310.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv2pE10qgcugos2JGJ1voMy1_wch3nuMpwMqJo-4IpVkzE6eD2QbFzhOzZYy9EUgfKOWBiU8pXEkgHUE_ZQ2inyNMyn0Y-699s9xeOReY0MSrG8KZK4vrUZCDZoW-w4VdCycNFARXkTwqC/s640/Mrs-Danvers-rebecca-1940-7006778-500-310.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Mrs Danvers is waiting</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6m92gAH54DYRxg_4v-AFI24SkgkW6OyEjAFAwKaOk80RTU684e4gKaZEUk6aJ-WiYlmX4TPoY51CxeYhsURFuuDkzOJ0GvpoAM5AQFGgQ7XTzAOdsP44Iop33PATN7WVY7u3XUnCZxliK/s1600/Rebecca.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6m92gAH54DYRxg_4v-AFI24SkgkW6OyEjAFAwKaOk80RTU684e4gKaZEUk6aJ-WiYlmX4TPoY51CxeYhsURFuuDkzOJ0GvpoAM5AQFGgQ7XTzAOdsP44Iop33PATN7WVY7u3XUnCZxliK/s640/Rebecca.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Brrr<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBIG_ltkIx3FzZ1sYiSqx62_fhZKvkigT498z-kyFJUbQYf5hYkTUGys8NDOLTZgfg5Zz4IhvFO2lu5uGzWl9mCavtSnoJzcXYJo7hASwW3VbSu0itddlz1J-ckYouaMaV8jw7gu37JLG/s1600/Spooky+window.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHBIG_ltkIx3FzZ1sYiSqx62_fhZKvkigT498z-kyFJUbQYf5hYkTUGys8NDOLTZgfg5Zz4IhvFO2lu5uGzWl9mCavtSnoJzcXYJo7hASwW3VbSu0itddlz1J-ckYouaMaV8jw7gu37JLG/s640/Spooky+window.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Deanna Maksimovic</i></span><br />
Can you see Cathy at the window?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLffsiNIgHn5zobCxzNosgzxga_dO4I4S6hYwntQAP07AtbxVdgLClVTKyGIP6g-UHioDr9XA3E-okY0kDR-WMMlNPr9F4euCVXZ-U5bg1HuCoWI0nHVdiBqVAnhalsF_kYK5EJmvoN4x/s1600/Haunted+Castles+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiLffsiNIgHn5zobCxzNosgzxga_dO4I4S6hYwntQAP07AtbxVdgLClVTKyGIP6g-UHioDr9XA3E-okY0kDR-WMMlNPr9F4euCVXZ-U5bg1HuCoWI0nHVdiBqVAnhalsF_kYK5EJmvoN4x/s640/Haunted+Castles+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Could this passageway lead to Bertha's rooms?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJ2gi-Qamvd6PNxlcO-OFcSNby3kjUARKYfIZdYZtLlBnes2SkCP0NAVA8SiGKtif3Cv58sCha0JFf5WVS5UqCypMSn0DXcZ64d9uOR1cYDKoBs-v_VuuPFqJrjvLVncizWR-XNnTLjeb/s1600/servant30.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJ2gi-Qamvd6PNxlcO-OFcSNby3kjUARKYfIZdYZtLlBnes2SkCP0NAVA8SiGKtif3Cv58sCha0JFf5WVS5UqCypMSn0DXcZ64d9uOR1cYDKoBs-v_VuuPFqJrjvLVncizWR-XNnTLjeb/s640/servant30.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Remember, walls, have ears<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNTtqBr2EppFOco5tmIydtMqEGdL3HhAHCC-82fisZIwbH13tVtGSlKXW7hrcmT_VJOJwPCbYrkvYWCvLmUX954at88Ud471njU0cwarnNnGFY_XRzwHKyRbVdoMTdyYk8XqfXCwxdypf/s1600/servant+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyNTtqBr2EppFOco5tmIydtMqEGdL3HhAHCC-82fisZIwbH13tVtGSlKXW7hrcmT_VJOJwPCbYrkvYWCvLmUX954at88Ud471njU0cwarnNnGFY_XRzwHKyRbVdoMTdyYk8XqfXCwxdypf/s640/servant+2.jpg" width="505" /></a></div>
So be careful who you trust!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismcd_mNaT0cHD_S0EZhqvxv3G9GmBWDDTcNJ9IShzTvGQ8CYllo9kvjv_EvKvZTiyRVpNLB4G3m56wPu_G-UOBtYL43L2rjT4wrIQhE-VraqJTggBk2sygzMeIdCkoZ9LXZk72Dj0Ex9L/s1600/Staircase.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEismcd_mNaT0cHD_S0EZhqvxv3G9GmBWDDTcNJ9IShzTvGQ8CYllo9kvjv_EvKvZTiyRVpNLB4G3m56wPu_G-UOBtYL43L2rjT4wrIQhE-VraqJTggBk2sygzMeIdCkoZ9LXZk72Dj0Ex9L/s640/Staircase.jpg" width="424" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Roman Solowiej</span></i><br />
Where does this staircase lead?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J7RQJ7SPVY6lsCj-HXGIvHAKOeIu2S9WMiXEArZtMHDv50Pa5fsL-jPpKpUUB6GoeMI4KjaBtXPijgQxPl9jeLyXyBFZ5z_7RD3s3TaseLt3cPdmXfFqYQ9L5WCSOJo3WEMImKRxnmzL/s1600/dorian-gray.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J7RQJ7SPVY6lsCj-HXGIvHAKOeIu2S9WMiXEArZtMHDv50Pa5fsL-jPpKpUUB6GoeMI4KjaBtXPijgQxPl9jeLyXyBFZ5z_7RD3s3TaseLt3cPdmXfFqYQ9L5WCSOJo3WEMImKRxnmzL/s640/dorian-gray.jpg" width="555" /></a></div>
Ahh, Dorians secret<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4qL0GxY9uC12XHG5_2BB6Kdcwq1U4n83kAUhtN8jaMUs_IB3h6ny6jKoADc2h22HoKxuxWUZxk3oYJZFsK7t5GaJoucoBeAa4ATSZT77jqeoIj9ICBQ4BSzLoenot9MMq_5tJyGqWCTV/s1600/Dracula-Mina-bram-stokers-dracula-8365690-649-824.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4qL0GxY9uC12XHG5_2BB6Kdcwq1U4n83kAUhtN8jaMUs_IB3h6ny6jKoADc2h22HoKxuxWUZxk3oYJZFsK7t5GaJoucoBeAa4ATSZT77jqeoIj9ICBQ4BSzLoenot9MMq_5tJyGqWCTV/s640/Dracula-Mina-bram-stokers-dracula-8365690-649-824.jpg" width="504" /></a></div>
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Don't they make a handsome couple!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRYFZ8wz_fidbOfVY17evAVnJoycgWTaiYDjHZ-5eLaCJgiBmsyXDrCCLUpAi7x-u2PyfD93MWuRFgvio0kw9KITUq2kZ2-LSbqsnemnhD29-3QowncQf7grYLtMPkCTx_VHugwWEPCA/s1600/The+Innocents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXRYFZ8wz_fidbOfVY17evAVnJoycgWTaiYDjHZ-5eLaCJgiBmsyXDrCCLUpAi7x-u2PyfD93MWuRFgvio0kw9KITUq2kZ2-LSbqsnemnhD29-3QowncQf7grYLtMPkCTx_VHugwWEPCA/s640/The+Innocents.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Do you see her?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiounXY012CIasvNujhcHiJCBT3pFcV7kqYuNLFxtxb7rmnisyleVVlbK7IBYmT2oacJLxWAL1ZqAyeNlPccvmNmMhpHFHVx_s8ctMLLFE0LGpCc4AgNqAitwoHbgN_DKNzPH4dGmId_AUQ/s1600/EDN00031_Decay_Castle_Haunted.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiounXY012CIasvNujhcHiJCBT3pFcV7kqYuNLFxtxb7rmnisyleVVlbK7IBYmT2oacJLxWAL1ZqAyeNlPccvmNmMhpHFHVx_s8ctMLLFE0LGpCc4AgNqAitwoHbgN_DKNzPH4dGmId_AUQ/s640/EDN00031_Decay_Castle_Haunted.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Elle Dunn </i></span><br />
Enter at your peril!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMBfDYx3iTSRaTLSBj22wKnJN_NB0DbjablESEF9GjJ6B_8G4mTHMuqbVVjz9b1l2cOQJSYTd846UTwiovQ1MRjp9XYJzRx3Re7638f8EL5pJ9xdxuodvXVplthDe2MHzgxS43PXIIVHi/s1600/haunted_castle_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="516" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMBfDYx3iTSRaTLSBj22wKnJN_NB0DbjablESEF9GjJ6B_8G4mTHMuqbVVjz9b1l2cOQJSYTd846UTwiovQ1MRjp9XYJzRx3Re7638f8EL5pJ9xdxuodvXVplthDe2MHzgxS43PXIIVHi/s640/haunted_castle_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
They are waiting for you...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72L1GVSNCKGHtciBbUtNNChChyphenhyphenNrshH2vD6PHTjHyEscBPyjTNi54sagZlSmpSaVnqZIU7z8U9DOS5sDZ-oa748U49zvlieGdaaGrFf09EKVVg2ZZUqlhkAUJGoH3YCVuKiNGpIvtDL4/s1600/the-others-servants.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg72L1GVSNCKGHtciBbUtNNChChyphenhyphenNrshH2vD6PHTjHyEscBPyjTNi54sagZlSmpSaVnqZIU7z8U9DOS5sDZ-oa748U49zvlieGdaaGrFf09EKVVg2ZZUqlhkAUJGoH3YCVuKiNGpIvtDL4/s1600/the-others-servants.png" /></a></div>
Waiting....<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Lartigue</span></i><br />
Waiting.....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4S8igYVC-MDcSskb95-HG4F-DOLe5WVRTR4GKbGNNQ5n3ftvI_O6q6QsWPc8aSM1NwaGuhTjxx83GqW6BicZQ_mJZbDgEsV-QAmWpOQz2J4IIqDJiPFdO3iIS1Oj2lXGT7b0duk0cTMa/s1600/Johnny+Depp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="513" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM4S8igYVC-MDcSskb95-HG4F-DOLe5WVRTR4GKbGNNQ5n3ftvI_O6q6QsWPc8aSM1NwaGuhTjxx83GqW6BicZQ_mJZbDgEsV-QAmWpOQz2J4IIqDJiPFdO3iIS1Oj2lXGT7b0duk0cTMa/s640/Johnny+Depp.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
You may need help.<br />
<br />
Recommended Viewing for Halloween:<br />
<br />
Great Expectations<br />
Rebecca<br />
Wuthering Heights<br />
Jane Eyre<br />
The Servant<br />
The Picture of Dorian Gray<br />
Bram Stokers Dracula <br />
The Turn of the Screw<br />
The Others<br />
Sleepy Hollow <br />
<br />
<br />
Wishing you all a Spooky but Happy Halloween.<br />
XXX </div>
Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-47643063648770645622012-10-29T21:00:00.000+01:002012-10-29T21:07:36.849+01:00Hurricane Sandy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVmPZPE661ChIiCuIOFb95IELMXdYcOt_3Aa_XuTcpYtIGF3Ngo0efUnrZvyRMIag3YBNOIF7Un9B6W6zBf2ygx5FK8uU1ba8X5XFR3pYMmh1qE2aPQCU6Wu9vygD_-XeVQ81jYUTPxE/s1600/Storm+jaques+henri+lartigue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVmPZPE661ChIiCuIOFb95IELMXdYcOt_3Aa_XuTcpYtIGF3Ngo0efUnrZvyRMIag3YBNOIF7Un9B6W6zBf2ygx5FK8uU1ba8X5XFR3pYMmh1qE2aPQCU6Wu9vygD_-XeVQ81jYUTPxE/s640/Storm+jaques+henri+lartigue.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jacques Henri Lartigue</div>
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Jacques Henri Lartigue Storm in Nice 1925</div>
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Wishing all my friends in the affected areas of the Eastern Seaboard safety from Sandy during the next few days.</div>
Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-39485411329315385362012-10-27T18:41:00.001+02:002012-10-28T11:50:46.418+01:00The Downton Effect<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxwq58OPsHzmKbb6j9CBhmopYDxCh_ZwILrmv8A7yN5lQPF_iR5OYFHTRO3tK2ZcLbBVICH3TZwxeiSlNIC0y_aBfHn_Qwkd9fxyEgHdCZoPZ77hoXj8GKMOcfuphf_FmLV4JjnM26kg/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisxwq58OPsHzmKbb6j9CBhmopYDxCh_ZwILrmv8A7yN5lQPF_iR5OYFHTRO3tK2ZcLbBVICH3TZwxeiSlNIC0y_aBfHn_Qwkd9fxyEgHdCZoPZ77hoXj8GKMOcfuphf_FmLV4JjnM26kg/s1600/IMG_2611.JPG" /></a></div>
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Once again my poor blog has been woefully neglected. The reason; I have been back to dear old Blighty where I have been involved in family drama that would give the scriptwriters of Downton Abbey a run for their money.<br />
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I have been in Downton Abbey land, literally. Downton Abbey may be filmed at Highclere Castle in Hampshire but observant followers of the series will know that the program is set in North Yorkshire... coincidentally the county where I am from and where I found myself last week.<br />
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Like most things which become hugely popular Downton Abbey is currently being treated to a certain amount of derision and criticism; corny, predictable, hammy, wooden, clichéd, full of solecisms, and so on. There maybe some truth in some of these criticisms however like thousands of others I look forward to my Sunday evening fix of escapism which Downton Abbey provides so well. It may not always be 100 percent historically accurate, it may paint a rose tinted view of life in service far removed from reality but after all, it is fictional drama loosely based on fact. The costumes are glorious, the setting lovely and it's worth tuning in just to hear Dame Maggie Smiths wonderfully delivered one liners. But what is the Downton effect?<br />
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Downton Abbey is contributing to Britain's economy in a similar way that Mad Men has contributed to the vintage and retro market. The program (or is it now a brand?) has now been sold to many other countries and as we know is proving to be hugely popular worldwide. Visits to Britain's Stately homes and National Trust properties reached record levels last year and it would not surprise me if tourism to Britain has/will increase due to the Downton effect. Grand old British houses which have now turned into luxury country hotels, offering fine dining and sumptuous surroundings along with country pursuits, find their rooms fully booked as people clamour for a slice of a Downtonish experience. Even other British TV programs and documentaries have appeared no doubt on the back of Downton such as Doctor Pamela Cox's excellent <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2012/39/servants-the-true-story-of-life-below-stairs.html">'Servants - the True Story of Life Below Stairs'</a>.<br />
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Back to Downton Abbey Land, ahem, North Yorkshire, from my home town I can count five grand country houses I could visit all within a fifteen minute drive: <a href="http://www.harewood.org/">Harewood House</a>, <a href="http://www.ripleycastle.co.uk/">Ripley Castle</a>, <a href="http://www.newbyhallandgardens.com/">Newby Hall</a>, <a href="http://www.goldsboroughhall.com/">Goldsbrough Hall</a> and <a href="http://www.ruddingpark.co.uk/about-us/history/">Rudding Park</a> and those are the one's still standing, according to my research 1, 841 English Country houses have been demolished, seriously reduced in size or lie in ruins.<br />
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Today inheriting a large country estate is a poisoned chalice, the upkeep and inheritance taxes are exorbitant only the grand houses which adapt can survive and profit. Nowadays rather than the lord and lady of the manor being waited on hand and foot by the servant classes they are more likely to be found working hard supported by a large team of well paid staff, maintaining and securing a heritage site, it's contents and land for future generations to enjoy. As we know most of Britain's great houses which are not owned by oligarchs, rock stars, bankers and exotic Princes are open to the public and offer everything from safari parks to photography and art courses or become venues for sporting and corporate events, weddings, rock, pop and classical music extravaganzas. And not forgetting film and photography shoot locations.<br />
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If it all becomes too much for a family or in the case of intestate wills, no issue or heirs a listed property can be turned over to <a href="http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/?campid=V0509PS1">The National Trust</a>. Developers sometimes buy a listed property and turn it into luxury apartments. I know a few brave souls who have taken on crumbling country estates, lovingly restored them sometimes on a shoestring and turned them back into family homes or luxury boutique style country hotels and wedding venues.<br />
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And the others? Well there is still a staggering amount of British country houses and heritage sites at risk, quietly decaying, waiting for people with passion or deep pockets to rescue them. I found an excellent site whilst researching this post with great links to some of the most at risk heritage properties <a href="http://lh.matthewbeckett.com/lh_houses_at_risk.html">here</a>.<br />
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All photos taken last week at <a href="http://www.ruddingpark.co.uk/">Rudding Park</a><br />
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Wishing you all a Wonderful Weekend.<br />
XXX<br />
<br /></div>
Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-60369641420191056812012-10-04T22:55:00.000+02:002012-10-05T10:43:39.199+02:00Autumnal Cities, Exhibitions and Museums<div style="text-align: center;">
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Rainy Autumn in London via Pinterest<br />
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Autumn in Paris via Pinterest</div>
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As
I mentioned in my previous post, Autumn is well and truly under way and
I am starting to dream about visiting cities, for me this time of year
is the best time for going to the great cities of the Western Hemisphere
something about the cold tang in the air, strolling through leaf
littered parks and streets, huddling under an umbrella before making a
dash into cosy cafes, pubs and bars, afternoon tea in fine
establishments and the more obvious attractions of the grand department
stores, shopping, theatre, opera, galleries and museums...<br />
<br />
I
could spend hours at the Louvre in Paris or the V&A in London but
sometimes it's worth taking a look at what's going on at smaller venues,
here are some that have caught my eye and if I am lucky enough to find
myself in Paris or London in the near future I will definitely be
checking them out...Paris up first, two exhibitions which have piqued my
curiosity.<br />
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<b>Exhibition Interieurs Romantiques at the Musee de La Vie Romantique, Paris </b></div>
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<b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">exhibition organised by Daniel Marchesseau, director of the
museum, this time with Gail S. Davidson from the Cooper-Hewitt as
invited curator. </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is a
collection of ninety watercolours of interiors collected over the past
thirty years by the American dealer and collector Eugene V. Thaw and
his wife Clare E. Thaw. The whole collection has been given to the
Cooper-Hewitt museum in New York. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1f59fuhTdjdIY5BdGKHCjvRnj8ttmcBzmtamtMAeYrUNBcRHBCYMgBoaHTG6CoHrZmStfKG0GKlSryYIUas18KNghCHbmlZB4VxKRsjW4BL9dQCGL733BumhPRWWhRHhyZvFoUNtH6c/s1600/Edouard+Petrovitch+Hau+%28Estonie,+actif+en+Russie,+1807-1887%29+,+Petit+Cabinet+de+l%E2%80%99imp%C3%A9ratrice+Alexandra+Feodorovna,+1830-1835_Cooper-Hewitt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="561" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1f59fuhTdjdIY5BdGKHCjvRnj8ttmcBzmtamtMAeYrUNBcRHBCYMgBoaHTG6CoHrZmStfKG0GKlSryYIUas18KNghCHbmlZB4VxKRsjW4BL9dQCGL733BumhPRWWhRHhyZvFoUNtH6c/s640/Edouard+Petrovitch+Hau+%28Estonie,+actif+en+Russie,+1807-1887%29+,+Petit+Cabinet+de+l%E2%80%99imp%C3%A9ratrice+Alexandra+Feodorovna,+1830-1835_Cooper-Hewitt.jpg" width="640" /></a>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />
Edouard Petrovitch Hau (Estonie, actif en Russie, 1807-1887) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Petit
Cabinet de l’impératrice Alexandra Feodorovna</i>, 1830-1835</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">© </span><span lang="en-US">Cooper-Hewitt,
National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, photo Matt Flynn</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcN8YTHyVvytYYdErDct75zfpFYQbdcAzRxGUbRt1c5gQoGEUZiP_k5D0gzv5GEQrHOMY-3vYJUZD7TfaLwunoGKTmY9quP9UXjMfIW5v1TGIDWcaxVk0SONTHYAhnRUoHpDWtdYhD0Q/s1600/Exhibitions.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcN8YTHyVvytYYdErDct75zfpFYQbdcAzRxGUbRt1c5gQoGEUZiP_k5D0gzv5GEQrHOMY-3vYJUZD7TfaLwunoGKTmY9quP9UXjMfIW5v1TGIDWcaxVk0SONTHYAhnRUoHpDWtdYhD0Q/s400/Exhibitions.jpg" width="368" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">James
Roberts (Angleterre, vers 1800-1867)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Le Cabinet de travail du roi Louis-Philippe a Neuilly 1845</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">©
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, photo
Matt Flynn</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOFgU2YqAMYn03hyCKOM8PpJGOst9PkAfsKG_JE9KV7-94hbjm_1-fMadeIPeOqP0QgJfdF7kHxvLuNlAPfyW4-Lqt_7iXDCpQiPHBckEhD6iw5oOPXW3TKLQIRFi3h77LkFUvuYt3kM/s1600/Exhibitions+2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFOFgU2YqAMYn03hyCKOM8PpJGOst9PkAfsKG_JE9KV7-94hbjm_1-fMadeIPeOqP0QgJfdF7kHxvLuNlAPfyW4-Lqt_7iXDCpQiPHBckEhD6iw5oOPXW3TKLQIRFi3h77LkFUvuYt3kM/s400/Exhibitions+2.jpg" width="373" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">C.
Rath (Autriche probablement, actif dans les années 1870)</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Alcôve
dans le salon de la grande duchesse Anna de
Mecklenburg-Schwerin, 1877</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">©
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, photo
Matt Flynn</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgZaIVq-xtRqFVKAnN3PkjWe3mNOEeWBpBpG26-jQBVhq7AZR6db11KjKUGJtz5gkoW3Fh3FmPD_HKZJAFFotbic1IoYZkAUKCK0vVWzF8btMM1PEK8MCXKqHp_bjKMpAlumrAcYgqkY/s1600/Exhibitions+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVgZaIVq-xtRqFVKAnN3PkjWe3mNOEeWBpBpG26-jQBVhq7AZR6db11KjKUGJtz5gkoW3Fh3FmPD_HKZJAFFotbic1IoYZkAUKCK0vVWzF8btMM1PEK8MCXKqHp_bjKMpAlumrAcYgqkY/s400/Exhibitions+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Hilaire
Thierry (actif de 1815 à 1825) Un salon dans le goût Restauration,
début des années 1820. (détail)</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">©
Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, photo
Matt Flynn</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiZqGkG7SFYEs_WTswg7BwVp64MFagi6rxiGSV1K2TH6q-4ommIC0q32nqNRCi3bEGgtKNgAiiqTIueeLAm6Y9IiK3zhQFcu6Q6KYzLkSCASXvuXwsD7RmlP_DBtJ7StLMwZr8ReYf0Y/s1600/Exhibitions+4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRiZqGkG7SFYEs_WTswg7BwVp64MFagi6rxiGSV1K2TH6q-4ommIC0q32nqNRCi3bEGgtKNgAiiqTIueeLAm6Y9IiK3zhQFcu6Q6KYzLkSCASXvuXwsD7RmlP_DBtJ7StLMwZr8ReYf0Y/s400/Exhibitions+4.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i>Le Salon
de George Sand</i>, Paris musée de la Vie romantique
</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">© Musée
de la vie romantique / Roger-Viollet</span><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVk11QAoqyu22sO_N0FVGcXUYBBUH1aFdI-uf6k7biIoZFnCZZLJgwgmisLFgw_Cm3qtYKfkDM1ARpFm6gAGLEdYTfKHIfJc7q6dD94n50NH7QJekL3cvajfbzkr2t5n68Xw0JRDbTKOo/s1600/Exhibitions+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVk11QAoqyu22sO_N0FVGcXUYBBUH1aFdI-uf6k7biIoZFnCZZLJgwgmisLFgw_Cm3qtYKfkDM1ARpFm6gAGLEdYTfKHIfJc7q6dD94n50NH7QJekL3cvajfbzkr2t5n68Xw0JRDbTKOo/s400/Exhibitions+5.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">INFORMATION:</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Musée de
la Vie Romantique </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">16 rue
Chaptal</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">75009
Paris.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Telephone
: 01 55 31 95 67</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">www.vie-romantique.paris.fr</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Open every
day from 10 am until 6 pm, except Mondays and public holidays.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Tickets at
7 Euros ( 5 Euros reduced price, 3.50 Euros half-price)</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Hardbound
fully illustrated catalogue 30 Euros. (The museum has a small book
shop).</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
easiest and best choice of public transport is the 68 bus.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The exhibition runs until 13th January 2013 </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Meanwhile over at the Musee Quai Branly, Paris...</span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<div class="twUnmatched" id="TWP16">
<i>Why is long hair supposed to be
feminine ? Where do the beliefs about red heads come from? All these
hairy questions are explored in this terrific exhibition on hair and
their sexy mythologie.</i></div>
<div class="twMatched" id="TWP17">
<i>Head for the Musée du Quai Branly to understand how hair has become an army of massive seduction.</i></div>
<div class="twUnmatched" id="TWP18">
<i>If you don't have enough time, don't go grey overnight, the venue is open until June !</i></div>
<div class="twUnmatched" id="TWP19">
<i>Not to be missed !</i></div>
<div class="twUnmatched" id="TWP19">
<br /></div>
<div class="twUnmatched" id="TWP19">
<span style="font-size: small;">text from <a href="http://www.doitinparis.com/en/good-tips/why-do-men-prefer-blonds-113269">here </a></span><i><br /></i></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
Information</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br />
<div class="twUnmatched" id="TWP12">
Musée du quai Branly<br />
37, quai Branly<br />
75007 Paris</div>
<div class="twUnmatched" id="TWP13">
Tel: 01 47 53 68 00<br />
<a href="http://www.quaibranly.fr/" title="http://www.quaibranly.fr">http://www.quaibranly.fr</a></div>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> The exhibition runs until 14th July 2013</span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> Now
lets go to London where there are no shortage of small museums, in fact
there are so many small museums in London that whatever your interests
you will find one that appeals, most of them are listed and include
details on opening hours and directions on Time Outs wonderful site <a href="http://www.timeout.com/london/museums-attractions/features/1496/2.html">here</a></span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I have already visited a few on various trips but here are a couple on my yet to visit list: </span></div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Linley Sambourne House</span></b></div>
<br />
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<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"> Linley Sambourne House is the Kensington house where from 1875 Punch cartoonist Edward Linley Sambourne lived with his wife and
two children, and provides a chance to see a late-Victorian,
middle-class home that has survived largely unchanged. Linley Sambourne
House was passed on from one generation of the family to the next and
almost all the original decoration remains intact, the rooms filled with
the furniture and personal possessions the Sambournes left behind. A
huge archive of diaries, papers, bills and letters also survived,
providing an exceptionally detailed picture of daily life in the house.
Around Christmas each year, atmospheric Victorian Twilight Encounters
tours are held, which explore the seedier side of the artist's work.</span></i></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Text from Time Out </span></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<br />
18 Stafford Terrace, W8 7BH</div>
<br />
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<b>Sir John Soane's Museum </b><br />
<br /></div>
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<br />
<div class="element-wrapper">
<div class="description">
<i>This
is one place where the term 'spring cleaning' has probably never once
been uttered: Sir John Soane's Museum in Holborn. The museum is actually
the townhouse of one of Georgian London's most famous architects, Sir
John Soane, the man behind the Bank of England and Dulwich Picture
Gallery - and someone who was evidently not a fan of the 'less is more'
school of interior design.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Soane was an obsessive collector of
art, furniture and architectural ornamentation, a hobby which he pursued
partly for enjoyment and partly for research. In the early nineteenth
century he turned his house into a museum to which 'amateurs and
students' should have access. The result is truly amazing.</i><br />
<br />
<i>Much of
the museum's appeal derives from its domestic setting. Rooms are
modestly sized but Soane's ingenious designs channel and direct natural
daylight and expand available space, including semi-secret doors that
swing out like cabinets to display his many paintings (works by
Canaletto, Turner and two series by Hogarth). It's only when you step
beyond into the rear of the house that the sheer oddness of the building
confronts you. Every space in this warren of rooms is filled with some
artistic object, in most cases classical, be that a bust, column or
statue. For a real 'wow' factor, search out The Monumental Court, a
multistory affair stuffed with an array of sculpted stone detailing that
was removed from ancient and medieval buildings.</i><br />
<i>At the lowest
level of the court is a sarcophagus made of alabaster that's so thin
it's almost translucent. It was discovered in a tomb in Egypt's Valley
of the Kings before being removed by nineteenth-century treasure
hunters. Soane bought it after the British Museum declined the
opportunity; he was so elated, he partied for three days.</i><br />
<br />
<i>There
are also numerous examples of Soane's eccentricity, not least the
imaginary 'cell' - a set of rooms in the basement - set aside for 'Padre
Giovanni', a fictional monk invented by Soane. The yard even contains
the 'Monk's grave' topped by a headstone engraved with the words 'Alas!
Poor Fanny!' - the grave actually contains the corpse of Mrs Soane's
lapdog, Fanny.</i><br />
<br />
<i>What you see at Soane's townhouse is just as he
intended it to be. He wangled a private act of Parliament to set up the
museum and stipulate that its contents should be left alone 'as nearly
as possible'. His wish is now even closer to perfect fulfilment thanks
to a £6 million project to move the museum shop and facilities into
neighbouring buildings, which should be completed by mid-2012.</i><br />
<i>Be
warned, though: the curator only allows a certain number of visitors
into the house at any one time, so you may have to queue briefly out on
the pavement before being admitted. It's worth the wait.</i></div>
</div>
</div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Text from Time Out</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></i></div>
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13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2<br />
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Well
there's a few to be going on with, note I have only mentioned Paris and
London, I am currently fantasising of a Christmas Shopping trip to New
York, in December, it's been so long since I visited NYC...</div>
</div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-57860971472455894072012-10-03T00:06:00.001+02:002012-10-04T12:06:04.322+02:00Summers End<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPAE0C1jdUqX6F2UNk84jvsIYAOob-m09Gr399OaawC-eGEzZSfAGK0hVESj0RxgPLnMWzRXw-0DWJ1vhZUctmNVnW61ytZ_ml1UcDdwSYGYs0Nuq9wu43HKWqIlUte4N0qX2C1XjoeM/s1600/IMG_2264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNPAE0C1jdUqX6F2UNk84jvsIYAOob-m09Gr399OaawC-eGEzZSfAGK0hVESj0RxgPLnMWzRXw-0DWJ1vhZUctmNVnW61ytZ_ml1UcDdwSYGYs0Nuq9wu43HKWqIlUte4N0qX2C1XjoeM/s1600/IMG_2264.JPG" /></a></div>
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Hello
I am back with a post about the
end of Summer and the start of Autumn, for me it happens a bit later as
I take my holiday in September so my Autumn starts in October, only now
can I think of warm cosy scenery, log fires, making soups, cashmere,
boots and visiting the cities I love in the run up to Christmas but for
now I leave you with some photographs I shot of Provence and the
Italian Riviera in mid September....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCrIdKPnCdRhJUoJLLZpb-vUlOC7uo4QQm02HqUX4hTCM9W7CX4jz6wfIAePmzsZXv01a9zyDcSUcAyuStykaTxZQ8caeDNwcqZTSgUrVURF2xIyCbU2AwWc07g4EU4mNBGyBPD6NpYY/s1600/IMG_2225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmCrIdKPnCdRhJUoJLLZpb-vUlOC7uo4QQm02HqUX4hTCM9W7CX4jz6wfIAePmzsZXv01a9zyDcSUcAyuStykaTxZQ8caeDNwcqZTSgUrVURF2xIyCbU2AwWc07g4EU4mNBGyBPD6NpYY/s1600/IMG_2225.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtnpx29yvT41fPwqWKYK11_yhSEKRicyJSMvjg6y2iiA096pilEDKaWXO_HO0i9ymn_bJ2Ztc7tdEd73YuInxQOdN9_EP9qBp6eHb0Dlex6W472DWtMyOJa-pibcClN_TISt0G_tOxro/s1600/IMG_2185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGtnpx29yvT41fPwqWKYK11_yhSEKRicyJSMvjg6y2iiA096pilEDKaWXO_HO0i9ymn_bJ2Ztc7tdEd73YuInxQOdN9_EP9qBp6eHb0Dlex6W472DWtMyOJa-pibcClN_TISt0G_tOxro/s1600/IMG_2185.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtStkFMosMwyWETD3ZEalb4WI4_Ovn80zVMBipUnKv3EDkHrfgntyUCIVT23BnrEipM41kFLGXxVZnCj1Kv7OOVqiQ9LPJGruYblZWqiPnvIVp_727ldq5ti21km7yaTa4aks9qvMGLiQ/s1600/IMG_2236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtStkFMosMwyWETD3ZEalb4WI4_Ovn80zVMBipUnKv3EDkHrfgntyUCIVT23BnrEipM41kFLGXxVZnCj1Kv7OOVqiQ9LPJGruYblZWqiPnvIVp_727ldq5ti21km7yaTa4aks9qvMGLiQ/s1600/IMG_2236.JPG" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYII2EEaNSGy3_bb-KBzdekqpCmdEB8AmatLVq7viIVoNmfOmSRxwBLWu-mko4O8FJPQTFUpyM4T93KuDYo81PuI2IvSjPJ9fK33hHKqQ4Qc8qhhF4t1KCPqzFqWVBg7tV4ISJ_yLDCo/s1600/IMG_2147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoYII2EEaNSGy3_bb-KBzdekqpCmdEB8AmatLVq7viIVoNmfOmSRxwBLWu-mko4O8FJPQTFUpyM4T93KuDYo81PuI2IvSjPJ9fK33hHKqQ4Qc8qhhF4t1KCPqzFqWVBg7tV4ISJ_yLDCo/s1600/IMG_2147.JPG" /></a></div>
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Harley Davidson meet South of France!</div>
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"What do you mean no towel! I didn't know it was that cold, I wouldn't have jumped in if I had known you had not thought of bringing a towel for my rub down!"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_SFuLkiPY1O-bHAPyKWwnLWTuRDhF9Gijqfz_-yV752rX8Qkm5sGAYadUrcaP9nlo7zeNyQKpqf_rp2TpJh-D7Ftn6br_TfJeql_JZraQB57M_eA7sigvl68NgU9LKEW1T_jHu5AptM/s1600/IMG_2283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz_SFuLkiPY1O-bHAPyKWwnLWTuRDhF9Gijqfz_-yV752rX8Qkm5sGAYadUrcaP9nlo7zeNyQKpqf_rp2TpJh-D7Ftn6br_TfJeql_JZraQB57M_eA7sigvl68NgU9LKEW1T_jHu5AptM/s1600/IMG_2283.JPG" /></a></div>
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Sadly getting off the coast road and onto the auto-route... although still quite spectacular not to mention an amazing feat of engineering look at the auto-route bridge leading to the tunnel which links France and Italy.</div>
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Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2376674408333249983.post-40106786476961199362012-08-19T19:23:00.000+02:002012-08-19T19:57:01.794+02:00Interlude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Just thought I would drop in quickly to let you know that I have not disappeared off the face of the earth entirely, I have simply been having a very busy Summer, work commitments and guests and it's hot, very hot.</div>
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South West France is currently in the grip of a Canicule.</div>
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Normal service will resume shortly and when I return French Sampler may
look a little different, I can't wait to catch up with you all again
soon.</div>
Dashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com26