At the seaside

I've discovered Blogger in the App-store.

So this is a test. 

If this proves to be user friendly, I am on my blogging track again!

After a too long period of all work and no play, I'm on a crafting break.

Time to try Lace knitting.

Picardy

Back from a too short week in France, in a region I never visited before: Picardy.
A little impression of a really nice holiday:
The cathedral in Amiens, with very detailed sculptures everywhere.



The beautiful seaside, with crazy houses from the Belle Epoque. Shown here: Mers-les-Bains.



And the Château de Rambures, with its lovely rosary.

Back to business

After a short break at the seaside, it's back to the old desk, I'm afraid... Normally, my batteries are loaded after the summer, but we had such dreadful, cold weather...
But what frustrates me the most, are all the fun projects that are waiting to get finished! And work has to go first now, I even had to take some of it on my holiday.
If only a day could be longer...

Holiday pictures

I've been home for a week now, but didn't have time to post about our holiday. Yet again, we went to Burgundy, France.
We rented an old mill with private lake (yes indeed!)



At the back of our house, we had a wonderful view over the hills, and the local cows came to say hello at least once a day.


Besides reading and being lazy, we visited Beaune and its famous Hôtel-Dieu. This hospital was founded in 1452, and is best known for the tiled roof.

Sometimes there were up to 4 people in one hospital bed!

Admiring the tiles...

While visiting a cute village (Issy l'Eveque), we saw a gathering of oldtimers.

And we also visited the chateau of Digoine, with English landscape garden.

My summer reading list

We are almost leaving for our holiday of 2 weeks in France.
I can't wait to sit in the garden with a good book, not having to work, nor answering the telephone,...
These books are on my list:
Wolf Hall-Hilary Mantel
Krakatoa-Simon Winchester
In Europe-Geert Mak
The Historian-Elisabeth Kostova

My daughter is reading The grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, I read it twenty years ago, and really loved it. Maybe I'll read it again, after I finished the books on my list. Steinbeck is such a wonderful writer, but his books are a bit forgotten here in Belgium.

And if I look at these books (covers created by Coralie Bickford Smith, edited by Penguin), I definitely want to reread my classics!

And what about your summer reading lists, did you make any? Please tell me!

Monet's house & garden

Yesterday night, I returned from a short holiday in Giverny, France. Main goal of our visit: the house of Monet and his oh so famous garden and the waterlily pond.

We went there early in the morning, and I managed to take this picture of the entrance of the house. Half an hour later, the place was crowded with mostly American and Japanese tourists.

At this time of year, the garden is a lust for the eye. Such a pity you can't smell the peonies...


And then of course the pond... you just have to see it for yourself.


After our three hours visit, time to get a salad and coffee afterwards at Hotel Baudy, the place where all the artists (mostly Americans) would stay in Monet's time. Just lovely!



We had a room with a view at an old mill. Our stay for three days was too short... my husband wanted to paint a lot of the scenery there, but the weather wasn't so good.
If you want to have a look at his (wonderful) paintings, go here.

Home!

We had two weeks of nice weather at the Belgian coastside... Reading, walking, inviting friends, staring at the sea...


And a weekend in Kampen, a cute little town in the Netherlands.

Then a quick visit to Amsterdam, city of bikes, boats, bridges...

...and tiles.

On the way home yesterday evening:

Off to the beach!

I'm back in two weeks!

Blois-France

After 2 weeks in the Loire Valley in France and one week at the seaside, it's time to get back to reality.
A lot of ironing, cleaning, gardening and drawing to do!
But first a bit of blogging.

We went to see the castle in Blois, a mix of styles, quite impressive.


I'd love to have these tiles in my kitchen...

There was so much to see, here is a very small selection of things I liked.

Been away...

My poor neglected blog... I've been busy the past month. First there was an unexpected trip to the UK, and then I went to France for a few weeks (more about that later).
There were visits of castles, Knole for example, enjoying a cider in the local pub, walking in beautiful gardens and villages, and so on...






This is a place I've wanted to visit for ages: "Charleston Farmhouse"". It was the summer house of Vanessa Bell (sister of Virginia Woolf) and her many artist friends of the Bloomsbury group.



I bought this beautiful book in the museum shop and our guide (a cute old lady with a naughty twinkle in her eyes) recommended this book, an autobiography by the daughter of Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.

And on the last (stormy) day, we went to see "Prospect Cottage", home of Derek Jarman. Weird place!