French Revels!

Well I'm back from from my fantastic holiday in France with Rainey J.  She is really lovely and such great fun that I felt like I'd known her for years.

My trip didn't start too well as I got lost on the way from the airport. A slight pronunciation difference led the taxi driver to drop me at Dinard, not Dinan! After finding a very kind woman, who phoned the taxi co. for me and explained things, I finally arrived in the right place, where Rainey was waiting for me.

Rainey in her beautiful little apartment. Click here for a lovely story about this and a beautiful painting.

Dinan is a beautiful, medieval, walled town and every part of it is picturesque. The buildings are so crooked that they look like they shouldn't be standing at all.

We visited, art exhibitions, fleamarkets, cathedrals, roamed the streets and hit the bars at night. Our favourite bar is run by a lovely man and friend of Rainey's called Alain. (More on that later!)

Ok, enough chit chat, here's the photos.

View from the castle walls that surround the town.

The street where our favourite pub was.

Me guarding the gates against Irish invaders... such as this one....

"Let me in! Let me in! I need more sewing supplies and a martini!"

Ok, now we're going to go somewhere really special. This cobbled street winds down and down to the edge of the town walls. Just down here, on the left is a magical place. Come with me gentle readers, whilst I take you on a journey of french haberdashery delight..........   

Choosing one's treasures is a very serious business!

I would have loved one of these antique sewing boxes, but they were not for sale.

Here is the link to the website of this little shop of wonders. Yes, she sells online!

As you can imagine, after that we needed to sit down and recover.....

La grande évasion!

Well my lovely readers, it's only one week now, until my trip to France with Rainey J.  After our last unsuccessful attempt to enter the country, whereby she was arrested for being drunk in charge of Steampunk supplies, I am happy to report that she managed to knock out the customs man, pick the handcuffs and escape to freedom!

So, we are trying again on July 26th..... preparations are taking place.

Rainey: "Hi Jo, are you looking forward to our holiday?"

Jo: "Oh yes Rainey, it's going to be so relaxing. I hope you're not doing anything special so that you look fabulous when I see you. I want you just as you are."

Rainey: "What me? of course not Jo." (Please, Mary mother of God, don't let my hair fall out.")

Jo:  "No, me neither Rainey, I will meet you for the first time, warts and all!" ("Just another day in this sulpher mud bath and hopefully the small pox scars won't show.")

Jo: "Not going to the gym then, so you have no wobbly bits?"

Rainey: "Hahahaha! As if!"  ("Just another 2 hours on this contraption and she won't know what a big ass I've got.")

Jo: "That's ok then. We'll both be completely natural. Lovely!"

Seth's Buried Treasure

Seth Apter at The Altered Page  has come up with a great idea to introduce bloggers to each other. 

Today all participants will re-post their favourite post from their own blog. Seth will put up a list of the blogs on his page and voila! Lots of cool new blogs to go and visit.

My favourite post is the one I did last year after a very difficult summer. I'm happy to say that those particular problems have been resolved and we're back to being a normal dysfunctional family again. So for anyone who is going through a very difficult time, just remember....

    "everything is transient, all things must change" 

First posted 24/08/09

The Lost Summer

This is a series of small images I have made that relates to the rather difficult time we have had over the past few weeks. each picture is created on an original Victorian holiday photograph, again to symbolise summer.

Things now seem to be improving and as someone pointed out to me, "nothing is permanent; all things must change."

The Lost Summer

Family

This image incorporates a piece of beautiful glass that the children and I found on a walk in the fields, along with the last of the buttercups.

Son

For my beautiful son who has Asperger's, who frustrates, exhausts, enrages and delights me.

Bloom

This one is for my beautiful daughter as she prepares to leave for university and my hope that her heart will soon mend and she becomes again the funny, confident, lovely young woman I know she is. (A little Georgia O' Keefe symbolism going on here I think. This was pointed out by a good friend and I think she's right!)

Drowning

There were times when things were overwhelming.

Peace

Lavender; the herb that I use to try and restore calm and peace; something that we have had little of this summer.. This image depicts one who's had enough and is longing for peace.

Harvest

This represents the end of this summer, the last of the thyme, (the end of this time) the dying moths and the gathering in of my family after overcoming weeks of heartache. (Hopefully!)

..............

2010

This is my beautiful Kitty a year on....

Image courtesy of Carole Kelly Photography

Still Pimping.

'The Book of Souls'
(For sale on Etsy)

Introducing Maud & Mabel Vintage.

Maud & Mabel is our new shop on Etsy, set up by me and my friend Billie. Hopefully we will have plenty more goodies in stock soon.

Maud: "We're getting a little cluttered dear. Do you think we should have a clear out?"

Mabel: "Yes Maud, perhaps we could even sell some of it. Everyone's doing it I hear."

Maud: "Sell it? I think mummy would think that rather vulgar." 

Mabel: "Well mummy isn't here and the price of gin and cat food is extortionate!"

Maud: "Very well, dear. Let's have a rummage."