A bird in the hand.......

Provence is so divine and I wish you could smell the lavender in the air that has just come into bloom. The colour is as intense as the aroma which hits you as you drive into this fabulous region of France.

The weather is scorching but that hasn`t put a stop to my truffling!


As we speak there is a gorgeous carved wood swan nestling in our hotel room armoire!! Solid carved wood with sunbleached timeworn paint and I had to take him out of the car just to save his wings from becoming damaged as we drive! 

Explain that one to the chambermaid!!

I SO wanted this staircase but fortunately I could not get it in the car or I would have had to find a place for it.

We spent the late afternoon by the pool....

 .....and have just sat out on a tiny village square for supper 

With this trickling water at our side it was total wind down after a day of truffling.

( make sure your pc sound is on!)

In my next life when I come back as a Provencal "lady who lunches" I shall live here behind those pink shutters and I shall totter out on pink kitten heels, wearing a pink apron with a pink watering can to water my plants!!

But for now I am happy to be a truffleuse!!

A demain mes belles

xxxxxx

Old footsteps.............

Some thirty years ago my truffling addicition began in Provence. Tomorrow we leave for a long truffling trip back there.

I shall keep you informed en route of what treasures are to be found!

Heading South........

A la prochaine mes belles
xxxx

Mystery item...

This was tucked inside a box with old buckles and costume jewellery. Can anyone tell me what it is?

The little cogs at the end turn individually.

Help!!!

A la prochaine mes belles
xx

Off with their heads.....

I was so pleased with myself having truffled this tiny little box out of a huge pile at the brocante......

I peered inside....gorgeous little toy soldiers......

Then when I got home I realised that not one of them has a head!!!

It looks like it was not only Maire Antoinette who went to the guillotine!!

Oh well............one for the shelf!!

Have a wonderful weekend mes belles. 
xxxx

Buy me.....take me home....

I still cannot get that old heavy metal crypt door out of my mind.

It would be the perfect finish to my Venice walled garden.

It calls me, it whispers to me in my sleep, it sends me secret telepathic messages at all times of the day....."buy me...take me home...".

Early 1800s. Perfectly timeworn and just the right height for the hole in the wall.

But the door is SO expensive I cannot bring myself to even type the price....my fingers simply will not type that high!

 But still it calls to me....." come and collect me....I am waiting for you".  I am at the point where I visit it once a week like an old favourite aunt!

The brocante owner simply will not move on the price so I know he must have paid a kings ransom for it. He will usually do a deal and can usually can be bartered down, but not this time.

I simply will not pay that obscene price.....I will not....I won`t....I shall not....I cannot......" buy me.....take me home".....No...I must not....."I am waiting for you".......Nooooooooo!!!!!!

A la prochaine mes belles
xxx

Just for me!!

Yesterday I truffled this amazing 19th century urn for my Venice garden which is well under way.

I thought it was stone but it is actually marble that is so beautifully aged.

I know it would have come from a churchyard but I have no idea where, a brocanter friend found it on a house clearance and it was tucked in the bushes in the garden.

I shall give it a much grander setting when the garden is finished!

A la prochaine mes belles

xxx

A film set....

I love this photograph of Frou Frou, Mr frou, Miss Emily La la and Andy...it`s just like a film setting!

Its been the most wonderful few days and I promise we stop kicking our legs up and get back to work tomorrow!!

A demain mes belles
xxx

D day....it`s all happening.....

It is full steam ahead here for the D Day celebrations.....I will try and keep you posted with the events but it is all a bit of a whirlwind!

A few pictures from today.....

My daughter Miss Frou Frou doing the 1940s style perfectly....

There is so much hairspray on those victory rolls that her head could be classed as a dangerous weapon!!

I myself went for the land girl utilty Hilda Ogden look....

Can you see the similarity?

This weekend I shall be doing a Hilda Baker look......I shall reveal all later ( well not all!!)

A la prochaine mes belles
xxx

Actually this post has sat here for a day or so as I didn`t get time to finish it......but as the weekend has progressed here are a few more pictures.....Frou Frou has her friend from the UK here...Miss La La Bingham and to say the least Frou frou and La La have been greatly in demand for photo calls!!

And later today a ceremony at a local chateau....this evening a Liberation party....

A la prochaine once again!
xxx

3am and a bare derriere....

3am Sunday morning saw me out in the lane in front of the 'chateau' with a torch wearing my gardening crocs - and sporting a bare derriere! And here's why.......

Sir Digbert Fanshaw Brownshaw has always followed us up to bed when we head for the stairs. Always, always, without fail; it has been the same for the last twelve years.

A couple of nights ago around about 11am and just as we reached the top of the stairs heading for bed Digger ( who had followed us as usual up the stairs to the landing)  suddenly turned around and shot back down them again like a rocket and dashed out into  the garden through the cat ( and dog ) flap.

I just assumed he had heard something in the garden and would soon return. I waited and waited. I knew I wouldn't  sleep until he was back , so I  just waited some more. 

After waiting about half an hour later I grabbed a torch and the nearest thing I could find to wear and headed for the garden. The couture item I had chosen for my late night catwalk sashay ?   A fleecy throw which has sleeves for lounging  about in during the Winter!

I called and called for him but there was no response until, after about 10 minutes searching in the pitch black, I found Diggers sitting in the lane with Charles, who was on his usual 'night patrol'!

I have suspected for some time that Digger may be going deaf so I made sure he saw me and encouraged him to follow me home. He trotted along behind me and then at the last minute as we arrived at the chateau steps the darted off again into the garden!

I went back to bed and waited for him to come up again. After what seemed a lifetime  I was getting quite frantic so 3am saw Mark in his dressing gown and slippers and me in my sleevy blanket (together with  naked derriere ) out searching again. There was almost a full moon that night - but not in the sky!!

This time there was no sign of him at all and we both shouted and whistled walking along the lane and back and forth into the garden by torchlight.

Had he got stuck down a fox hole?  Was he lost?  Was he injured ? My mind was working overtime and I was beginning to panic. He has never not answered to a call before and has never gone missing.

As a last resort Mark went back inside the house to check he hadn't crept in -  and found Diggers fast asleep in the cat`s bed!!!!

When I woke him he seemed a little non-plussed as to what the fuss was all about.

So, I think he has finally gone quite deaf and he and I are now developing a sign language of our own!

If he comes into the garden to look for me I  call him but he doesn`t hear so I have to wave frantically until he sees me and then he goes loop the loop!

He is still spritely, eats well and still lies on his own eiderdown by my feet as I list more treasures at my desk each day.

While he snoozes at my feet and I get up to take more photographs, instead of just expecting him to follow me as he always did I now have to gently touch him to tell him I am leaving the room and then he happily trots after me!

Do they sell hearing aids for Jack Russells, I wonder?

A la prochaine mes belles
xxxx