Bonne Fete A Tous !
Sunday, 14 July 2013
Thursday, 11 July 2013
Bon Anniversaire !
100 years of the Tour de France, the biggest FREE sporting event in the World, and we are lucky enough to live very close to Stage 10 of this year's route, so off we went on Tuesday to cheer them on and enjoy the show.
First came the parade of the sponsors' advertising vehicles
Just a few of the weird and wonderful vehicles that hurtled past us in a cavalcade that lasted just on an hour ! My apologies for any blurred photos, but they were moving some:-)
Then there were cars covered in cycles
as well as motor bikes by the score
then eventually, the real stars of the show - the competitors !!
The Leaders
These 5 riders led the race until within a couple of kilometres of the finish, and it was a little sad to see them being swallowed up by the rest of the field after such a grand effort.
The Peloton - well, part of it !
I got so caught up shouting encouragement to this year's great British hope, Chris Froome , that I missed the photo of him in the Yellow Jersey :-)
Unfortunately, there has been a lot of negative publicity about the race over the last year or so, but when you stand at the roadside in temperatures of 30C, you cannot help but admire the physical effort of the competitors passing you at speeds over 40 kms per hour, and hope that this year it will be a controversy free Tour de France.
Vive le Tour !
Footnote :
The Tour is very close to the hearts of all Bretons as one of their own sons , Louis Bobet, won the race 3 times in the 1950s and lived just a few miles away - today's stage passed through his home town as a mark of respect. Brittany was also represented today by Julien Simon , one of the leader riders in the photo above.
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Bloomin' June !
Before I carry on with the Traveller's Tale, I just want to tell you about my second visit to these gardens . I promised myself that I would try and go back at least once a year at different times to see the changes that take place with the seasons. This year I really wanted to see the roses, and it didn't disappoint !
Roses of every colour
and not just roses...
colourful borders.....
Lilies, poppies, peonies & camellias .....
and those hidden, secret places ! The black petunias were really stunning, and just look at the black arum lily in the centre of the planting !
Lastly, just take a really good look at this
I played about in Picasa so that you could see the fish more clearly - they were actually coming to the surface of the water with their mouths wide open ! Yes, the orange circles just above the words 'fish' are their mouths - don't know if they were catching flying insects or gasping for breath as it was the hottest day we've had so far this year. Whatever they were up to, they were all at it :-)
Roses of every colour
and not just roses...
colourful borders.....
Lilies, poppies, peonies & camellias .....
and those hidden, secret places ! The black petunias were really stunning, and just look at the black arum lily in the centre of the planting !
Lastly, just take a really good look at this
I played about in Picasa so that you could see the fish more clearly - they were actually coming to the surface of the water with their mouths wide open ! Yes, the orange circles just above the words 'fish' are their mouths - don't know if they were catching flying insects or gasping for breath as it was the hottest day we've had so far this year. Whatever they were up to, they were all at it :-)
Friday, 28 June 2013
A Traveller's Tale - Part 1
Well, as I mentioned before, here's the start of the holiday photos :-)
We left Southampton feeling a little apprehensive as this was our first cruise and we were not quite sure what to expect, but we fell in love with this lovely lady from the very first day!
Snapped at our first port of call, El Ferrol in Northern Spain - not the prettiest of cruise ports, but we were made to feel very welcome by a group of Galicia Pipers who raised a great cheer from the British passengers for their rendition of 'Scotland the Brave'.
At the next port we went in this
to the top of this
and saw these
as well as the most amazing views across to Spain and North Africa. The Rock of Gibraltar is 1, 398 feet high - to give you an idea just see how small our boat looks from the top !
I have to tell you that the ride in the cable car was a personal triumph for me as I am absolutely terrified of highs - I can't even stand on a chair without a parachute ! First half of the journey was a white knuckle job with eyes closed, but thanks to DH and several other very supportive passengers, I eventually managed to open my eyes and enjoy (?) the rest of the ride.
Shopping in Gibraltar was a great treat as it's still duty free and who can resist that :-)
Next post - Sardinia - if you're not too bored already!
We left Southampton feeling a little apprehensive as this was our first cruise and we were not quite sure what to expect, but we fell in love with this lovely lady from the very first day!
At the next port we went in this
to the top of this
and saw these
as well as the most amazing views across to Spain and North Africa. The Rock of Gibraltar is 1, 398 feet high - to give you an idea just see how small our boat looks from the top !
I have to tell you that the ride in the cable car was a personal triumph for me as I am absolutely terrified of highs - I can't even stand on a chair without a parachute ! First half of the journey was a white knuckle job with eyes closed, but thanks to DH and several other very supportive passengers, I eventually managed to open my eyes and enjoy (?) the rest of the ride.
Shopping in Gibraltar was a great treat as it's still duty free and who can resist that :-)
Next post - Sardinia - if you're not too bored already!
Thursday, 27 June 2013
I'm Back !
Well, to be honest it's been a couple of weeks, but what with all the chores waiting for us when we got back, blogging and sewing have both been left at the bottom of the 'to do' list !
Our cruise was a wonderful experience which we both enjoyed immensely in spite of the weather. No actual rain, but boy - did that wind blow ! Strange as it sounds, the Bay of Biscay was relatively calm but once we turned left at the bottom of Portugal heading for the Med it was a different story. Luckily we are both good sailors so at least no suffering from 'mal de mer' unlike lots of other passengers. Average blow was force 7-8 but we did manage gale force 12 in the Golfe de Lyon off St Tropez.
Lots of photos to follow, but in the meantime, I've just discovered that in order to register with Bloglovin after the demise of Google Reader, I have to 'claim' my own blog page ! Ah well - that's how it is
Follow my Blog with Bloglovin
See you soon !
Our cruise was a wonderful experience which we both enjoyed immensely in spite of the weather. No actual rain, but boy - did that wind blow ! Strange as it sounds, the Bay of Biscay was relatively calm but once we turned left at the bottom of Portugal heading for the Med it was a different story. Luckily we are both good sailors so at least no suffering from 'mal de mer' unlike lots of other passengers. Average blow was force 7-8 but we did manage gale force 12 in the Golfe de Lyon off St Tropez.
Lots of photos to follow, but in the meantime, I've just discovered that in order to register with Bloglovin after the demise of Google Reader, I have to 'claim' my own blog page ! Ah well - that's how it is
Follow my Blog with Bloglovin
See you soon !
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Can't Count
A couple of posts ago I mentioned that, as well as 2 finished quilts since the beginning of the year, I also managed to up my count of UFOs by 2. Well, latest count is three :-)
Single Irish Chain - just the two colours in this one
Arkansas Crossroads - obviously scrappy
and a Half Hexagon - just a little different to this one
Now all that's left to do is quilt them :-)
Single Irish Chain - just the two colours in this one
Arkansas Crossroads - obviously scrappy
and a Half Hexagon - just a little different to this one
Now all that's left to do is quilt them :-)
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Happy Birthday to Me !
Another year added to the ever growing total - where do they all go ?
Just a minor celebration today with lunch here in the grounds of the Abbeye de Bon Repo, and I have to tell you I had a dessert to die for ! Goats cheese mousse with kiwi fruit and blackcurrant coulis topped with fresh local strawberries - I wasn't quite sure what to expect but it was absolutely divine , so bang goes the diet again !
Main celebration starts next week with a holiday on and around the Mediterranean in one of these
Well, a girl's got to find some sunshine somehow hasn't she :-)
Thursday, 2 May 2013
Finished !
At last enough dry weather to manage a couple of photos of my 2 finished quilts for 2013
Some time back I was given a bag of plaid fabric samples roughly 3" x 4 1/2" which I cut into 2 1/2" squares and made this version of a Log Cabin/ Confetti quilt
The white areas are quilted with one of Patsy Thompson's Fast & Furious designs, plaid squares are cross hatched and the borders are feathered. Just about lap top size this will be a donation quilt.
Second finish is an old friend which I wrote about here
All over quilted with Pajama Quilter (Dawn Ramirez) Wonky Feathers this one was a bit of a challenge, but as Dawn gives you permission to make the feathers as wonky as you like ( and you better believe that there are some beauties in this quilt !) it turned out OK in the end. I think this will be staying home - at least for a little while :-)
Sunday, 28 April 2013
Little Square Bag
Don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I belong to the British Quilters List in Yahoo Groups. Recently a member posted a link for a little square bag, and it looked so cute and useful that I just had to have one, and this is it
With 4 little side pockets plus a roomy centre it's going to be very handy next to my machine and might - just might- help me control those bits and pieces that keep disappearing just when I need them :-)
If you'd like to make one, all you have to do is leave Genevieve a comment here and she'll send you the tutorial. It is written in French, but there are plenty of photos which clearly explain the method making it a quick and easy project.
With 4 little side pockets plus a roomy centre it's going to be very handy next to my machine and might - just might- help me control those bits and pieces that keep disappearing just when I need them :-)
If you'd like to make one, all you have to do is leave Genevieve a comment here and she'll send you the tutorial. It is written in French, but there are plenty of photos which clearly explain the method making it a quick and easy project.
Monday, 22 April 2013
Still Here !
Its been a long, long time since I last blogged, but here I am again!
Why no blogging ? Well, it's been a very hard, very long , and very wet Winter with not a great deal to write about to be honest other than boring day to day stuff which I am sure you'd rather not hear about :-)
The up side to the miserable weather is that I've managed to get through quite a lot on the sewing side of life. 2 finished quilts quickly replaced by 2 quilts in waiting or UFOs in other words :-) I've also been practicing hard at my FMQ and even bought a couple of FMQ courses from Craftsy which I've found extremely helpful. Once our weather settles down and its less windy I hope to get some photos to share.
One really bright light in the middle of all this gloom was the newest arrival to our ever growing family - please meet Penny, here with big sister Daisy.
Just 3 weeks old and weighing in at 9lbs 3ozs, she is just gorgeous, and I can't wait to meet here in person !
Why no blogging ? Well, it's been a very hard, very long , and very wet Winter with not a great deal to write about to be honest other than boring day to day stuff which I am sure you'd rather not hear about :-)
The up side to the miserable weather is that I've managed to get through quite a lot on the sewing side of life. 2 finished quilts quickly replaced by 2 quilts in waiting or UFOs in other words :-) I've also been practicing hard at my FMQ and even bought a couple of FMQ courses from Craftsy which I've found extremely helpful. Once our weather settles down and its less windy I hope to get some photos to share.
One really bright light in the middle of all this gloom was the newest arrival to our ever growing family - please meet Penny, here with big sister Daisy.
Just 3 weeks old and weighing in at 9lbs 3ozs, she is just gorgeous, and I can't wait to meet here in person !
Friday, 1 March 2013
Thursday, 14 February 2013
Everybody's Doing It !
My version of the great Scrappy-Tripalong
Another addition for you know where :-)
NB - I forgot to mention that I used Bonnie Hunter's free pattern !
Monday, 11 February 2013
Signs of Spring ?
On the banks of a very muddy canal
Just the one
Small but perfect
Proof indeed that Spring is just around the corner !!
Friday, 18 January 2013
Change of Weather !
We woke up this morning to about 5 inches of snow, and now we have freezing fog!
Well at least it isn't raining :-)
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Nature's Oddities
Everyone knows that Nature is a strange and wonderful thing, but one of the strangest things I've seen in a long time popped up on one of my recent walks whilst trying to miss the rain - yes, its still raining !
Trudging along a muddy track near home I noticed that one of the banks appeared to have a white, frosty-looking covering, but only on part of it.
Very strange, and even though we've had some overnight frosts recently, I just couldn't understand why just part of the bank ? Now look closer....
Layers and layers of spiders' webs covering the bank for several metres - can you imagine how long it took to create this ? As we have no monster spiders in this part of the world and the ones you normally see outside are not a lot bigger than a money spider, this is quite a an achievement in my book !
NB - The big, black, hairy spiders prefer to be inside terrorising humans :-)
Trudging along a muddy track near home I noticed that one of the banks appeared to have a white, frosty-looking covering, but only on part of it.
Very strange, and even though we've had some overnight frosts recently, I just couldn't understand why just part of the bank ? Now look closer....
Layers and layers of spiders' webs covering the bank for several metres - can you imagine how long it took to create this ? As we have no monster spiders in this part of the world and the ones you normally see outside are not a lot bigger than a money spider, this is quite a an achievement in my book !
NB - The big, black, hairy spiders prefer to be inside terrorising humans :-)
Monday, 7 January 2013
Just One Word !
If you were to sum up 2012 in just one word - what would yours be ?
Mine would have to be 'WET' as it started raining in May, and it hasn't
stopped for very long all year. Every month we heard reports of the wettest month since records began and every month it continued to rain, but - 'WET' hasn't given up even now in 2013 as it is still raining!
Those of you who follow my Blog know that I spend lots of hours walking along the Nantes to Brest canal, and you've seen photos of still waters reflecting banks lined with trees - well, now look at it . White water rafting anyone ?
Last time we were at this same spot we walked along by the trees now growing out of a mini lake, today we had to use the roadway.
Bear in mind that the towpath is normally some 2-3 feet above the canal.
Bad news for us, but these guys didn't mind !
Thankfully there were no boats around, as I don't quite know what would have happened if these lock gates needed to open as they are barely holding the water back as it is !
Luckier than many people all over Europe, this is the only flooding we've had to contend with but now you understand why my one word to describe 2012 is 'WET' !
Mine would have to be 'WET' as it started raining in May, and it hasn't
stopped for very long all year. Every month we heard reports of the wettest month since records began and every month it continued to rain, but - 'WET' hasn't given up even now in 2013 as it is still raining!
Those of you who follow my Blog know that I spend lots of hours walking along the Nantes to Brest canal, and you've seen photos of still waters reflecting banks lined with trees - well, now look at it . White water rafting anyone ?
Last time we were at this same spot we walked along by the trees now growing out of a mini lake, today we had to use the roadway.
Bear in mind that the towpath is normally some 2-3 feet above the canal.
Bad news for us, but these guys didn't mind !
Thankfully there were no boats around, as I don't quite know what would have happened if these lock gates needed to open as they are barely holding the water back as it is !
Luckier than many people all over Europe, this is the only flooding we've had to contend with but now you understand why my one word to describe 2012 is 'WET' !
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