SIMPLY - CHATEAU

A mystery of Titanic proportions !!!

2012-02-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

So ... mes belles....get your thinking chapeaux on. How do we proceed with this?

A few weeks ago I bought this old 1900s carved trinket box mainly for the little bisque sailor doll which was inside it.

As I walked away the vendor told me that the name on the box was that of lady who had been on the ill-fated Titanic". I just thought it was a sales tactic and really didn`t think anymore about.

Later that day, out of curiosity more than anything else, I typed the name Caroline Endres into an internet search - and what came up did make me sit up and pay attention!!!

Caroline Endres

Caroline Endres was indeed a 'Titanic' survivor. I discovered that she had been the private nurse to one of the richest ladies on the Titanic, Mrs Madeleine Astor - wife of the American John Astor lV, one of the most famous and well-known businessmen of the time. I learned that Miss Endres had boarded at Cherbourg, her 1st class passenger ticket, number 17757, costing £247 10s 6d and paid for by the newly wed Mrs and Mrs Astor who had been travelling on their honeymoon.

The Astors

She got in lifeboat No. 4 together with Mrs Astor and they survived; sadly Mr Astor and his Valet perished.

                                                                         Mademoiselle Bidois

Caroline Endres was unmarried (as was the requirement at the time for nurses and maids to be so).  Also in the party travelling with Mrs Astor was her French maid Mademoiselle Roasalie Bidois - who also managed to climb into lifeboat 4 and survived.
So, on reading all this, it suddenly all became very interesting. I managed to track down the vendor again who told me that he had found the box in his grandfather's attic when he was clearing out his house after his death.

He has no idea why the box was there and told me he knows nothing on his side of the family. I asked him how he had tied the box to the Titanic and he replied saying that there had been an old newspaper in the box about the disaster - but he had thrown it away thinking it was not important!!

And there on the red silk inside the box are the small fragments of an old newspaper;    but I cannot make out any words!

I have also discovered that Caroline Endres had returned to New York on the 'CARPATHIA' with Mrs Astor and other survivors and stayed for a short while in the employment of Mrs Astor. After then the trail goes cold, although I have found out she never married so there are no relatives to help with the story.

I have found an old news story dated 1912 which comments on the brother of Caroline being overjoyed when he heard that she was safe, adding that it had been her seventh trip across the Atlantic.

I have also read that the Astors planned their long honeymoon travelling to Egypt and back via Europe and it was during this trip that the new Mrs Astor had became pregnant and had employed Caroline as her private nurse. As they wanted the baby to be born in America they travelled up through France stopping in Paris and then on to Cherbourg to go home in style on the new luxury, 'unsinkable' Titanic.

So..............I need to try to find whether there is a link between this box and the Caroline Endres who survived the 'Titanic' disaster. If it is her box why was it still here in France? Did she leave it behind or did she obtain it at a later date, if she ever returned to France? Was it a present bought for her by Mrs Astor which, for some reason or another, was left in France? .........................where to go next?

I have a sinking feeling that we may never solve the mystery.

Ugg boots - or perhaps they should be Glugg boots!!

2012-02-07T08:32:00.000-08:00

Frou Frou has been here today while Mr Frou Frou helped Mark plaster the walls in my new office studio. I will post pictures later in the week .When I look at the photographs of what that old pig pen building looked like when we first moved here compared to its transformation now and can see my new studio taking shape it is just wonderful - and I can`t wait to have a place to store all my stock and to sit working at my desk looking out through the french windows onto the marsh beyond.

After a few Etsy and Ebay listings Miss Frou Frou and I decided to take a walk along the marsh track. Although still freezing cold it is dry and sunny and we seem to have been fortunate and missed the snow that has blanketed much of southern UK and parts of France. Digger and Kipper set off at a brisk pace whilst we tagged on behind, dressed like eskimos.

Because it is so dry I had donned my new Venice-bought fur Ugg boots. For the whole walk I carefully avoided each puddle saying "Noooooooooo........ I don`t want to dirty my new Venice boots!".

We had a long walk - and the marsh is still so very beautiful even at this time of year. However, as we approached the track back to the chateau a hunter came driving along towards us in his van. We moved onto the thick grass to let him pass and continued along the springy grass a little but as I stepped back onto the track ........GLUG! I sank up to my knees and my boots disappeared into the thick gloopy mud! My boots were stuck so fast that I had to step out of them, losing my socks in the process, leaving me standing there bare footed with freezing 'gloop' between my toes - which I noticed also had a distinct aroma of cow manure!!

Frou Frou was unable to help me, simply standing there laughing with her legs crossed as the sight was so hysterical; she was in danger of having an accident herself through laughing too much! We shouted for help but no one at home could hear us so I had no choice but to get on all fours to retrieve my new boots and then walk home bare footed! Needless to say the boots are now in the washing machine and I am not sure how or if they will come out! Huh!! They might even come out looking like a pair of furry little mouse boots!

As for my new blog header picture above - isn`t it just fascinating? It was sent to me by someone who from time to time calls to sell me the most amazing treasures. I am fascinated just in case he took that picture in his own attic or in one of his barns. I will keep you posted on that one!

As for Etsy - I am loving it and trade is quite brisk. It gives me an opportunity to dig out all those small items that I have been hoarding away in boxes for years!!

I have also listed on Ebay today the most amazing 1930s Paris Opera Ballet hareem outfit. Oh, how I long to be able to squeeze into it and run around the garden like an overgrown albino bat!

And I definitely mean the garden and NOT the marsh!! I think I'll give it a miss until the land dries up a bit!!

A demain mes belles...............

Those velvet shoes.........................

2012-02-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

One evening we took in a show which was a wonderful production with the cast in delicous period costumes...........

It was staged in a small, very beautiful theatre - and when the leading actor mentioned 'Casanova' Tartlette let out a huge "purr " as loud as a lion which had the whole audience and cast in stitches! You really can`t take her anywhere!!

A day later we happened to meet up again with the leading man and Tartelette - in her usual direct, "up-front" manner - went straight over to him and told him that we had been in the audience the night before and confessed to being the noisiest there! He roared with laughter and told her that she had made it a memorable performance for them all and he knew he had a captivated audience that night!!

And so............... to the shopping. Three women on the loose with all those divine Italian shops............dangerous!!

Italian pastries............................heaven!!

Gelato..............no more please.....oh....go on then!

Just too much temptation!

Frou Frou has based her cottage cuisine on a cup cake theme and was particularly keen to get her hands on the Louis Vuitton window display....................

Try getting that cupcake in your suitcase, Mademoiselle!!

Oh how I would have loved this Murano confection. And many of the windows had been dressed in readiness for the traditional carnival week in February........

This is the costume Frou Frou wanted!

I do believe a little window licking took place!

When most of the shops were closing Tartelette spotted some divine silk velvet ballet pumps...............

........soft French grey with a large Parisian pink bow. She HAD to have them but the shop was already closed. We agreed to go back the following morning before leaving for the airport. So after breakfast the next day we set off. But Venice is such a maze of tiny streets we searched and searched for the shop but simply couldn`t find it!!

We re-traced our steps time and time again until we eventually ran out of time. Poor Tartelette - those velvet slippers will have to stay in her dreams along with our time in Venice.
Thank you Tartelette and Frou Frou for such a memorable break!

You both made me laugh till my sides hurt!

I need a holiday to recover from you both!!!

A la prochaine mes belles!

And so to the Cafe Florian............

2012-01-30T11:21:00.000-08:00

When The 'Cafe Florian' came into view as we turned the corner in St Mark's Square, it still looked as beautiful and stunning as the very first time I set my eyes on it. As soon as you walk through those doors into the entrance hall bedecked with twinkling chandeliers it is just like stepping back in time.

Tartelette and Frou Frou were totally amazed (as I knew they would be) with the decor and atmosphere. We were ushered to plush velvet seats by one of the waiters, all of whom wore black tie with long-tailed morning suits

We sat down in one of the six intimate salons which was empty except for a couple sitting across from us in the opposite corner - and who were locked in a passionate embrace. She was dressed from top to toe in haute couture and casually draped on the seat at her side was her full length mink.

We averted our eyes as best we could - but they were so engrossed in each other that I'm sure they would not have noticed if we had surrounded them with an orchestra of violins! I simply couldn't not look at her; well, not so much her but what she was wearing. Her jewels.....heavens they were amazing! She was swathed in pink diamonds, even her watch strap was encrusted with jewels.

Was this some sort of aristocratic secret lovers tryst?

When they finally came up for air I had to giggle. They both turned out to be well into their sixties!!! I did try to sneak a photograph but it came out too blurry as I was giggling so much. Anyway............over 60 or not, I say "GET A ROOM " !!!! Poor Tartelette didn`t know where to look.

The lovers stood up, she donned her fur and they swept out on to St Marks Square leaving the room to ourselves.

The waiter came and took our order which was duly delivered on a silver tray - and Tartlette ordered us not to touch anything until she had photographed it all from every angle!

The Cafe Florian is so divine;I adore the large gilded mirrors that reflect through to each salon..........

...the bronze lamps in each corner.....................

.......and the walls are bedecked with amazing treasures.

The gilded ceilings are a maze of fabulous gilded mirror panels................

the carved marble tables smooth with centuries of use..............

I asked the two girls: If Casanova himself came sweeping into the salon what look of "allure" would they give him?

Tartelette went for aloof..........

Frou Frou went for coy using her menu as a fan..................

...by which point, Mark went for another hot chocolat!

Cafe Florian.............so memorable, especially with good friends.

Frou Frou didn`t want to leave at all!!

NEXT TIME.............. the girls 'shop till they drop'........... and the silk velvet slippers that got away!

A la prochaine mes belles.............

Tartelette, Frou Frou and that poor unsuspecting gondolier!

2012-01-28T08:43:00.000-08:00

I won`t bore you again with the sights of Venice but I can tell you that four days with Tartelette and Frou Frou both on good form and both "loose cannons" have made my ribs hurt from the constant laughter.

We arrived late in Venice so went straight to our hotel.After breakfast the next morning we stepped out into the bright winter sunshine and Tartlette immediately spotted a gondola tied up to the stone steps in front of our hotel. In her usual enthusiastic way ( that is an understatement too!) she had soon accosted the poor unsuspecting gondolier who was enjoying his morning expresso.

He told them that when the Pope visited Venice a few years ago he was one of the chosen goldoliers who rowed the ceremonial gondola.Of course that was the deciding factor and she and Frou Frou were off for a tour! I only just had time to grab my camera!

And they were off! To add to their total joy the gondolier seranaded them as they swished through the jade green waters.........

I soon lost sight of them but I could still hear them laughing so I walked down a few tiny side streets to catch a glimpse of them......................

I could hear the laughter getting closer and saw him delivering them home............

Just look at those faces! Who DO they think they are? !!

By the time they were back on dry land they had completed their full interrogation and knew his family history, age, details of his children and quite possibly his shoes size too!!

As for poor Mark he spent the day trying his hardest to be a tour guide but with three women, hoards of wonderful shops and hidden alleyways he was fighting a loosing battle!!

I do believe it was just toooooooooooooooooooo tempting........................

Mark finally gave up and ordered strong alchohol as we girls sat out at a cafe in the Jewish quarter and sang the Barbara Streisand songs from Yentyl.

Papa could you hear us?..............

Coming next ..................Frou Frou and Tartelette head for Cafe Florian.

A la prochaine......

CI VEDIAMO! ARRIVEDERCI! BUONA NOTTE!

2012-01-22T03:51:00.000-08:00

Thought you might like to watch this whilst I am away....................(press on arrow to start).

It`s called....Women in art....

I will be thinking of you whilst enjoying a hot chocolate ( hopefully with Mr Depp) in Cafe Florian! Back soon!
http://www.caffeflorian.com/

Non parlo molto bene italiano!!

It`s not so 'tranquille' after all.................

2012-01-19T10:53:00.000-08:00

I adore this tiny hamlet where we live here in deepest Normandie. A rural hamlet of timeworn, stone buildings passed down through the generations from father to son.

No brash street lighting or busy roads; just tiny lanes - and no shops. A crossroads, a beautiful little 14th century church and the petite "mairie" - the mayoress's office at the heart of our community. Nothing ever happens - it is always silent and that's just the way we like it...... a life of pure "tranquillite".

I think you may have already guessed that there is a big "BUT" coming (don`t be so rude..... I know what you are thinking there.....not my derriere!!!).

BUT..............events of last week changed all that! One evening the village was suddenly awash with "Gendarmes" - 30 or so police officers driving along the narrow roads and down a track to surround a small cottage hidden away amongst the trees - a quaint little house with a large barn just visible from the road.

What they discovered has amazed us all!! In the large barns was a factory growing one of the largest cannabis crops ever found in Northern France!! ZUT ALORS!!!!

So ..............something has been going on right under our noses! I wonder if that is why Jacques was always smiling as he drove his tractor through the lanes? Is that why the cows are always lying down? Is that why my electricity bill is so big this year?

As we speak Tartelette is mid-flight on her way to Paris to rampage around the flea markets. If you read her blog it is very humbling - and she does most definitely need a break. So... I may not even abuse her as I usually do but instaed may even buy her a 'chocolat chaud' in the Cafe Florian in St Mark's Square, Venice next week!

Tartelletes blog is here...........
http://charlottesbrocante.blogspot.com/

I now read in the news that Johnny Depp and Vanessa have sadly separated which - is all the more reason for me to be in Venice to help him furnish that new palace he's just bought and to give him some support. Well, it would only be the right thing to wouldn`t it, mes belles?

xxxxxxxxxxx

The dapper Monsieur Bourreau

2012-01-15T10:33:00.000-08:00

We arrived at the school ready for the auction of its contents (as mentioned in my last blog). This is sight which met our eyes as we entered the gates................

The world and his two brothers, their aunts and uncles had all turned up too!!! It was, bitterly bitterly cold even in the sunshine - but all the seats were full as the ever dapper Monsieur Bourreau had just started the auction.

Everyone was muffled up warm against the biting cold save for Monsieur Bourreau ,who wore his usual suit and waistcoat ( though his wife standing next to him, above, was well wrapped up!) He must have had thermals on methinks!! I felt so sorry for his secretary taking notes of the sales. She was sitting at a desk in the courtyard with her lap top ( see below) - and she looked SO cold!

It soon became apparent that the prices were hideously high. I think that everyone who had ever attended the school had turned up to try and buy a little sentimental 'morceau' of their childhood. But Monsieur B was on good form so we stayed a while to watch. The old school bell which must have rung out thousands of times caused quite a stir - and the bidding was fierce for this 19th century treasure , eventually selling for 300 Euros.

We were allowed to take a peek inside the school rooms whilst the auction progressed..............

When this old 'science class' piece was auctioned off it caused quite a stir!

...the phones hot with bids from several Parisian dealers.

The phone bids also streamed in for some educational wall charts...

...these eventually selling for 900 Euros! But as for those divine old cast iron radiators...

...I`ll just have to keep on dreaming!!!

A la prochaine, mes belles!

Tartelette....... get out of that gondola immediately !!

2012-01-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

Well... bonjour, mes belles! Look at you sitting there looking all gorgeous! Pardon?......Yes! I have had my hair coiffed thank you very much for asking; it`s not too short at the back is it?

Honestly-....this week has been so busy that my feet have hardly touched the ground. The renovation work here is back in full swing after the Christmas break and its getting very exciting; I can see the salon sitting room really taking shape now and it's getting nearer the time to make some decisions about decor. Pale French grey and creamy white or pale Aubusson green?

I have a chandelier and matching sconces that I have been hiding from you ( the nerve of the woman!) and it is a decadent period fitting that came from a very borgeoise Paris apartment. It is covered with pale green and rose silk twisted coils with frothy tassel droppers.Very, very camp but SO gorgeous. I am going to keep it hidden from you until it is in situ.

I have been tied up supplying some props for a period drama being made in the UK and then - in the middle of all that - Tartelette rings from Oregon to say she is making plans to come over to Paris!! Here is Tartelette looking Paris chic!!!!

Even in winter there are brocantes and vide greniers every weekend in Paris but not much happens mid week, so we were trying to decide whether she should just hop on a train up here to the chateau or whether I should I go down to Paris for some macaroons and a bit of retail therapy.

But..................I made the mistake of looking at the price of the flights from Paris to Venice - then it all got rather exciting!! Ryanair flights were very cheap, hotels in Venice are far less expensive in January than in the high season - and it all got organised quite quickly. I told Tartelette that she was going to Venice for a few days with Mark and me. I really didn't give her a choice - and she was putty in my hands. When Frou Frou heard about the plans she, too, decided she had to come - and so Mark has to chaperone the three of us!! All I can say is 'poor Mark'.

Our hotel is close to St Mark's Square so we can enjoy regular hot chocolat in Casanova`s old haunt, "Cafe Florian", if the weather is too cold. We have canal view rooms and Tartellette and Frou Frou - who are both "loose cannons" - are sharing a deluxe twin room...............can you imagine it?!

You know that I am obsessed with Venice as it is just like walking into a period film set and if I am not actually in Venice, I am frequently thinking or reading about it. I also read this week that Johnny Depp recently paid 8.5 million dollars for a palazzo on the Grand Canal, so surely he will be there checking it out? He might need help choosing the curtain fabric so I do of course NEED to be there! Here is his new home.....

Perhaps this trip will finally cure me and I will be ready to explore somewhere else.

Tartelette tells me she has lost 40lbs............................HOW VERY DARES SHE!! I haven`t been able to see what she looks like as Skype is refusing to work between us but I`ll soon get that back on her with all that divine Italian icecream, pasta, pizza and chocolat with cream. I was wondering how I was going to stop all those amorous Italian men from pinching the derriere of the delectable Miss Frou Frou so do I now have another pert derriere to worry about?

Charles in back to his normal feline activities, with an endless number of mice being presented to us at the back door as 'cadeaux'. Diggers on the other hand is tucked up in bed sleeping - as usual. He is not a lazy dog; he is simply studying for his doctorate in sleep -and of course, you have to put in the practise and undergo hours of sleep to do that!

And finally - an old school here that has been open since the early 1800s closed its doors last year and tomorrow there is an auction of the contents. The auction list includes armoires, desks, books, old cast iron radiators and much more.

Who knows what we will find?

A la prochaine mes belles.....

xx

Who is coming to dinner?

2012-01-07T08:42:00.000-08:00

I found a wonderful batch of old menus today. They date from 1917 onwards and most are for the traditional dejeuner and diner following a marriage. Some are gilded, some have pretty vignettes on the front covers but all carry the most amazing and decadent food choices with 9 or 10 courses for the wedding breakfast and then a similar feast for the dinner.

Such amazing confections on offer..... Saumon de la Loire Joinville,Timballe a la Marachale, Dindonneaux Truffes, Aspic de Foie Gras,Langouste de Belleoue, Couer de filet de boeuf Renaissance to name but a few!

Followed by an amazing array of desserts....Piece Montee Savoie, Compote de peches,petit fours glacee,tutti-frutti aux fraises,croquembouche and compote de pruneaux.

All washed down with Calvados,Rhum fine,Medoc, Saint-Emilion, Blaye,Chablis,Chateau Neuf du Pape,Champagnes,cafe and liquers.

So it got me thinking...............If you were to host a dinner party for any six people who would you like to have knocking on your door for that special evening?

My choice? Well.........perhaps Stephen Fry, Jim Carey, Dawn French, Marie Antoinette, Johnny Depp and Miranda Hart would make for an entertaining evening!

A la prochaine mes belles!

Marsh fever...............

2012-01-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

I am not saying that the current gale lashing the chateau is bad - but Mary Poppins has just sailed past my window out of control with her umbrella and carpet bag flapping in the wind!!

We are without a telephone landline for the second day and the poor swans floating on the marsh waters at the bottom of the garden have tucked their heads under their wings for protection.

George, our dragon weathervane girouette on the roof, is creaking and groaning, but as he has already survived 170 years atop the roof so far then this gale shouldn`t bother him at all!

The only good thing about such a gale is the wonderful draw we get from the vast stone chimney and Hercule blasts away like a furnace. As the day goes on and it gets warmer and warmer more and more clothing is discarded so, by the early evening, we could well end up naked and the Baron and Diggers will be unzipping their fur!

I must admit I always thought that that would be a wonderful bonus for cats and dogs to have a zip that runs along their stomachs which they could change for a different coats - kind of a one to wash one to wear thing! Smaller animals would of course have to have velcro; and I suppose and snakes and worms would have to wear patterned stockings.

Another thing I've thought about; does the male turtle get out of his shell and squeeze in with the female to mate? If that is the case he would have to be very careful where he parked his shell and what would he do if he came back and it was gone?

And...........if more than one mouse is "mice" why isn`t more than one house "hice"?

Lots of things to think about.

I have also been thinking about Di who writes that wonderful blog under YONKS. http://yonksnews.blogspot.com/ She lives on a boat - but what if she has been washed out to sea and is now clinging to a boy ( No...I haven`t mis-spelt that one!!)

I think I must be suffering from marsh fever...............the isolation......the howling gale...........the lack of chocolat ( it has all been eaten over Christmas)....the lack of brocantes in the Winter ( now we're getting nearer to the truth!)

I think my brocantitis is breaking out again and there is no cure until the Spring village vide greniers, flea markets and brocantes which start again in April.

Perhaps it would be safer if I didn`t think at all!!!

A demain mes belles!!!

The return of the Baron - and the edible shoes!!

2012-01-04T09:45:00.000-08:00

When I came down to the cuisine this morning Charles had already gone out through the cat flap so I somehow knew that he must be feeling better. He has been nipping in and out ever since so I know that he is was back to his old self - and I am delighted! He has just brought me a gift of a mouse so all is definitely okay! I did despatch the mouse quite sharpish so he couldn`t eat it!! Panic over mes belles!! So..........back to 'normal' life at the 'chateau'.

Just before Christmas a young man knocked the door at the chateau. He told me that he had been told by someone in the village that I bought old textiles and he had some things I might like to buy. I invited him in but had a feeling of despair that he would unpack some rustic old farm trousers and a pair of wooden clogs as is the fashion here! Then I would have to decline his offer and then feel guilty as he had made the journey here.

He pulled out some old parcels wrapped in brown tissue paper and began to unwrap them. When I saw the rolls of old ribbons inside I had to stop myself from smiling and shouting! ( Just as they do in an over the top romance story with those ridiculous sayings...."my eyes darted across the room and my breath came in short pants"!!).

He had come bearing the most wonderful old costume , ribbons and trims. I could have hugged him - except that it would have been totally bizarre and rumour would spread around the village that the English woman at the chateau is rampantly affectionate and tries to pay "in kind"!!

One of the treasures he brought was this pair of amazing shoes......

Rich regal deep purple felt embellished with fabulous gold wirework embroidery...............

leather soles with impressed dots and patterns............

Silk ribbon ruffles...................

I have no idea of their date; I just know that they are so gorgeous I could eat them!!

So.................how are you at dating period shoes? Any suggestions appeciated mes belles.

Le Baron du Breuil update...............

2012-01-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

I woke up at 4am again so went to on check Charles. I found him still curled up on the sofa; he hadn`t moved at all from the evening before so I gave him a syringe of glucose water and left him curled up on a quilt. It was blowing a huge gale outside so I was rather glad he was safely indoors.

At 7am I came back downstairs again and he followed me into the cuisine and sat by the cat flap a while before going out into the lashing wind and rain. I waited for him to come straight back in but he did not appear. So, for the next 10 minutes you would have found me in my coat getting soaked in the garden with a torch trying to find where he was hiding! He eventually appeared from the cellar under the house and I carried him back inside, got him settled and put the kettle on whilst I went to dry off! Charles went to sleep on his quilt again.

He didn`t move all morning but I was delighted when, after lunch, I managed to get him to eat a very tiny amount of tuna.

Since then he has nipped outside once more but he is still not himself. I took the advice from Nicole who advised a strong smelling fish, found some prawns in the freezer and defrosted a couple. He ate them with relish and went back to sleep. He has had a couple more prawns but is still on the sofa cuddled up.

So, it looks as if things are slowly getting better as he has started to eat a little.

I will keep you updated and thank you all for your comments and support.

Merci mes belles.........

Poor Charles le Baron.........

2012-01-02T06:59:00.000-08:00

Charles le Baron du Breuil is not well. This is the cat who is as strong as a lion and has never been ill before so you will understand my concern. Even when he was tiny and lost his paw he seemed to sail through the operations.

Yesterday morning he went out as normal through the cat flap. We went off to a New Years Day breakfast party and returned home in the early afternoon to find him curled up asleep on our bed. When he hadn`t moved by the early evening I went up to look at him and realised all was not well. He was lethargic and his face just didn`t look right and his eyes seemed a little dull.

Everyone knows that the only place the Baron will allow you to touch is his head and neck before he starts the growling and scratching, but he simply lay there and allowed me to check all over his body for injuries which confirmed to me that all was not good.

I could find no injuries at all and brought him down to the sofa so we could watch him and he stayed there all night. He turned down food and drink and hardly moved. Just before midnight he rose slowly and made his way to the cat flap, spent a minute in the garden then slowly came back and resumed his position on the sofa.

Just before we went to bed I tried to get him to take a drink of water from a spoon held to his lips as I know that dehydration would be serious but he refused and I managed to dab a little water on his lips which he did eventually lick off .

I came down at 4.30 to check him and he was in the same postition and refused a drink again and when we came back down at 7.30 this morning he was in the same spot.

So, we have just returned from the vets and his temperature is normal, his lungs and heart sound fine but he groaned when the vet squeezed his stomach gently.

The veterinaire seems to think he may have eaten a whole rabbit again or something that has upset his stomach. The fact she was able to examine him at all shows he is not himself as it was this poor vet that he lacerated when she removed the stitches from his leg when he was just 12 weeks old and already as fiery as a firecracker! Typical redhead behaviour!!

Now we have some stomach medicine and rehydrating liquids that we will feed him with a syringe and if he is not eating and drinking by Wednesday he has to go back so that he can have an x-ray to see if he has a rabbit bone lodged in his stomach.

As we speak he is refusing to leave the cat basket and is sulking big time!

A demain mes belles

We danced the night away....................

2012-01-01T14:07:00.000-08:00

If you press on the link below you will see how we danced the night away!!

http://retrait1.cybercartes.com/retrait/725cdf110dde7416bd90/1/203

What a pair of movers!!

A demain mes belles!
xxxx

Bonne Annee.................

2011-12-31T12:25:00.000-08:00

Wishing that ...........

in 2012

all

your hopes

and dreams

come true!

Happy New Year from all at the chateau!

A la prochaine mes belles!

I`d like to thank.....................

2011-12-29T06:28:00.000-08:00

Shirleyella simplychateau, the Countess du Breuil, stepped out of the heavy-gilded doorway of her palazzo into the warm dark night. Her soft brunette chignon with tumbling curls cascaded out from beneath the hood of her long, black, floor-length velvet opera cloak that covered her stunning size six couture silk gown. ( shut up and drink your cocoa ............this is MY story!!)

She tiptoed to the stone steps leading down to the water at the edge of the Grand Canal where she found, waiting as arranged, Danielo Craig, her personal gondolier. He had spent his day preparing his cherub-bedecked gondola to ferry what he felt was his most precious cargo. He helped her off the steps and into the seat that he had festooned with the finest Fortuny silk and damask. As she passed him she gently caressed his cheek with her fingertips. " Thank you, Danielo", she whispered in his ear.

He stepped up behind her to his rowing platform and began to guide the craft out into the stillwaters, lit only by the small candle at the head of the gondola and the moonlight that danced upon the water. She did not see him gently touch his cheek where her fingertips had lingered. He would never again wash that cheek - but leave it to become ingrained with dust and much darker than the rest of his face. He knew that as time went on would become a laughing stock in Venice with one half of his face dirtier than the other............... but only he knew that it would all have been worthwhile just to have felt her soft touch.

The Grand Canal was silent in the late evening air. A gentle mist rose from the waters as the gondola silently made its way towards the Fenice Theatre for the awards ceremony. Danielo sang quietly to the Countess in his perfectly-trained soprano voice the traditional family song which had been passed down in his family from generation to generation, which he had first heard whist sitting on the knee of mother, Wendio." Just one cornetto give it to me". [Come on....come on.... keep up........ Wendio as in Wendy Craig!!]

As they approached the pontoon at the side of the Fenice she could see the roaring candle torches lighting up the red carpet on either side and three men standing at the water's edge nervously awaiting her arrival. As her gondola touched the wall the men jostled for position to be the one who would take her hand and escort her into the gilded entrance hall.

Georgio Clooniyo stood his ground and offered his hand to the Countess. Both Johnnio Odeppio and Thomaso Sellickio had to stand back as she slipped her tiny hand into his strong,- perfectly-manicured hand and they walked together side by side towards the theatre.

The bustling entrance hall was full of the Venetian aristocracy, all bedecked in their finest attire. There was an immediate silence followed by a gasp of admiration as the Countess swept in. Her cape slid to the ground to reveal the most delicious Chanel gown and draped over her exquisite bare shoulders a 17th century black lace shawl handworked by the silent order of fairly celibate monks of Murano - the shawl being a parting gift from the Seigneur Sean de Connery after she had spurned his advances but which she kept as it carried both his crown and monogrammed crested logo - SC. Simply Chateau - what could be better!!

A trumpet fanfare announced the start of the ceremony and the Countess was escorted to her seat by one of the many ushers in waiting - Pierce Brosnini.

The evening progressed and the tinkling laughter coming from the Countess flowed as easily as the champagne as she sat with the attentive Cloonyoso, Deppio and Sellickio at her rose-bedecked table.

As the awards progressed she rose elegantly as her name was called and walked slowly amongst the assembled aristocracy to collect her prestigious LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD, an award that had been chosen to be presented to her by none other than the world-famous Baroness Abigail de Boylissimo, famous for her wonderful blog, "My spottio Ponio".

http://myspottypony.blogspot.com/

Walking across to the centre of the stage she accepted her award and then turned towards the admiring crowd at her feet. Lowering her long, sweeping lashes to hide the tears welling in her eyes and in a low, husky voice trembling with emotion, she said, " I would like to thank my mother and father, the Wolverhampton Road Primary School, Bentley Drive Junior School, the Edward Shelley High School for Girls, Cadburys Chocolate, Walkers Cheese and Onion crisps, Madame Besnier's fabulous gateaux in her shop, Sir Digbert Fanshawe Brownshaw, Marks & Spencers magic knickers - and a good glassfull of baileys Irish Cream - all of whom, in some way or another, have played a great part in my life.

Before she was able to start her next sentence, someone screamed, there was a huge crash as a table and the contents on it went flying - and Johnnio Odeppio leapt onto the stage, ran to where the countess was standing and without further ado threw her roughly over his shoulder and ran off stage to the back of the theatre and into the night air towards the Grand Canal shouting "she will be mine".

The countess, unperturbed, bristled with the frisson of knowing that below her couture gown she was wearing her pair of inflatable safety knickers. As Odeppio man-handled her into his boat and pushed it away from the wall towards the centre of the canal she activated her pants, slapping both thighs approximataly 4 inches above her knees. They inflated immediately, lifting her clear off the side of the boat and into the water.

She had of course planned for this eventuality ( it had happened several times before!) and, within seconds, she heard the familiar throbbing sound of Markio's engine as he approached in his Gustavian-grey coloured motor boat to whisk her away to an early morning brocante!

Firstly....I must get out more.....secondly thankyou Abby for my award....I love you with a passion reserved for chocolat filled chocolat eclairs from the patisserie!!!

A demain mes belles!

xxxxxx

Frou Frou .....it will be Christmas all year round!

2011-12-28T03:27:00.000-08:00

Even I know that at Christmas I am a nightmare to buy for and friends and family tear their hair out trying to decide what I would like.

But Frou Frou knows me Sooooooo well.........................just look what she found for me!

This delicious shabby chic treasure was placed in a school hallway for children to post their letters to Pere Noel..............

timeworn, battered and tattered and I absolutely adore it!

Will I be packing it away to bring it out next Christmas to place it next to the tree? That is a huge " Non madame" !

I am going to find somewhere so I can see it all the time and it will be Christmas all year round!

A demain mes belles

Le Marais....................

2011-12-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

The marsh or "marais" as it is called here is flooded and the water is advancing quietly towards the chateau. This was the view when I opened the shutters early this morning......................

As the day got brighter the water seemed just a little higher................

So we decided to relocate the beehive "just in case". I really don`t to have to wade across the marsh to get it back should it float away!!!

The day stayed very cold but sunny with no breeze so we decided to set off for the beach for a stroll. Sir Digbert Fanshaw Brownshaw needed a little coaxing from his bed.................

But once he was out of his pyjamas he was more than happy to skip along the sand...............

I had just decided that this is the beach hut I would like to open up, paint Gustavian grey and add faded florals to the windows ......

When there was a splash behind me. I expected it to be Diggers doing the backstroke and then I saw what I have been straining my eyes for months to spot. THE SEAL!!!!! I almost dropped the camera in the panic but just managed to capture him before he dipped out of sight. I think you can just see him below....................

I don`t know how long seals can stay underwater but he didn`t surface again as he obviously knew I had the camera poised!!

I am quite sure it was the seal and not Monsieur Durreau from the boulangerie in a black swimming hat!!!!

I hope that you are having a wonderful Christmas break mes belles!

Rabbit.................rabbit.........rabbit............

2011-12-21T16:05:00.000-08:00

Bonsoir mes belles.................long time no speak!!

We have just had a short trip to the UK to visit family and are now back at the chateau for Christmas.

I know that we live in France - a country renowned for its wonderful food - but we are in fact quite rural here in deepest darkest Normandie and, unless you grow your own food, you have to search quite hard to find wonderful Christmas fayre. If you are lucky you will find a sad old goose with its head dangling over the end of the boulangerie counter or pate in the shape of piglets with raisins for eyes!

So.....let me tell all of you ladies back in England that as we headed back for the ferry I gave Tesco and Waitrose a good bashing and have left you just one sprout and an out of date mince pie!

It is so nice to be home again even if the weather is horrendous.

Last night Diggers kept trying to wake me. If he needs to go out in the night he usually nips out through the cat flap so I knew he was trying to tell me something. At 4am I gave in to his demands and went down into the cuisine with him but couldn`t see anything unusual - just Charles le Baron going back out through the flap so I went back upstairs to sleep.

Early this the morning we had a visit from the gorgeous Tony and Jill of Bois-fleurie fame: http://www.bois-fleurie.blogspot.com/ .

The rain and wind lashed outside as we sat snug in front of Hercule (who is now, finally, behaving himself!) and munched on the amazing chocolate gateau Jill had made. Jill is probably one of the most talented seamstresses, gateau makers and artists that I know , so I know that when she arrives she is usually clutching something delightful. It was the kind of gateau that makes you instantly pack a suitcase and follow her to her home with the hope of moving in!

It was whilst we were munching away that I noticed something under the table. I took a closer look - and there was a huge dead rabbit - so big that I had no idea how Charles had managed to struggle through two cat flaps with it the night before!

So I thought.....do I mention it or not? I decided had to as it was such a grim sight. Fortunately Jill and Tony have cats of their own and understand the presents they sometimes bring home!! So that is what Diggers was trying to tell me all along - that`s my boy!!

As the day went on the gales got worse and worse and George, the weathervane on our roof, creaked and groaned in the wind.

We telephoned our nearest friends to see how they were weathering the storm only to be informed that their TV aerial and satellite dish had been dislodged and was hanging precariously over the edge of their roof, their shed roof had disappeared and they had no electricity making it impossible for them to operate their electric window shutters and gates.

I went along with Mark to help them but rather than stand in the pitch black house with the shutters firmly sealed, I sat in the car and watched as they battled with a huge piece of plastic sheeting trying to lash it onto the shed roof. Just at the point they has secured one side of the sheeting huge hailstones the size of Elizabeth Taylor`s diamonds started beating down on them. I decided to participate at a distance by staying in the car ......ooooh it`s tough at the top you know!!

Tomorrow we will choose a Christmas tree and I have a feeling the decorations will all be pink again this year! Why not?!

A demain mes belles.

Verdi gris at its best..........

2011-12-12T15:29:00.000-08:00

Of course I couldn`t stay in bed yesterday morning.....not when there is a brocante....no matter how small !! I know Abby of My Spotty Pony told me I shouldn`t go out truffling too soon but I was a violation to the code and didn`t pay attention!!! Sorry Abby!

http://myspottypony.blogspot.com/

It was quite easy to twist Mark`s arm to get up whilst it was still pitch black outside as this Winter brocante always had a steaming urn of mulled wine on offer!

It was held in an old cattle market where the light is quite dim until daylight appears but I still managed to spot something wonderful hanging in the shade against a wall. A little closer truffling and I found this wonderful old iron church chandelier..............

I took it out into the early light just as the sun was coming up and ooooooohhhh................the verdi gris finish is second to none!

The photographs really don`t do it justice!

Chalky soft green with a look that simply could not be reproduced. The old cord covered wiring is still in place and I was told it had hung over a church altar for many years.

It`s enough to make you don a cassock and join the church choir!!!

Manners cost nothing young man!

2011-12-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hercule my adored 1930s enamel aga is one of my treasured possessions and one of the best buys I ever made. He was bought initially just as a decorative piece to fill a huge fireplace here but soon we realised how well he works and we have come to rely on him. He heats the whole house with a delicious glow. He was christened HERCULE after the detective Poirot after we discovered he was made in Belgium.

I have grown used to his little foibles as he has mine and we have a good working relationship. Well I should say we DID have a good relationship. For the last few days he has flatly refused to stay alight. No matter what I have tried to coax him with he does not want to know. The chimney is all clear after the ramonager Mr Rousseau did his yearly clean a month ago, we have dry wood and good quality coal, so what is his problem? This morning I resorted to melted candle wax all over the coal which just produced a mist of hideous smelling smoke but no action.

The air is very still on the marsh with not even the slightest breeze and the storks have arrived back for the winter. I do hope we haven`t been chosen for one of those huge storks nests that they tuck inside the large chimey pots in the region.

So Hercule let me advise you Sir.......Mr Rousseau will be here again on Monday to check the chimney but meanwhile may I remind you that you are a guest in this house and I expect better manners.

Let that be the end of it and fire up before I thrash you to within an inch of your life with a ticking bolster!

A demain mes belles
xx

Pouf....................so hair raising!

2011-12-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

Pottering around today I found an old text book about Marie Antoinette that I had found at a summer brocante tucked away on a shelf. So, as I am supposed to be resting, I slumped back under the quilt for a read - and became more and more engrossed in all the details of her life and what an amazingly decadent time it was for the aristocracy living in Paris in the 18th century.

From the 1760s it became " de rigeur" for ladies to "pouf" ( raise) their hair as high as possible. Marie Antoinette took this trend to the hilt, often undergoing elaborate hairdressing rituals that lifted her hair to a height of three feet!! These amazing constructions were strengthened with wire, linen padding, horsehair , pomade and flour.

She was also famous for the amazing embellishments that decorated her huge hair. Jewels, silk ribbons, plumes, birds, glass-beaded flowers - and even the incredible "Belle Poule," a model of a French warship of that name! The Queen's most famous coif was the "innoculation" pouf that she wore to publicize her success in persuading the King to be vaccinated against smallpox!

She employed a flamboyant, tiny man ,Jean Francois Autier Leonard, ( above) to style her tresses. He was an arrogant man and short-tempered, often throwing tantrums and hissy fits when something upset him. Leonard performed some "hair-raising" feats with her coif. Soon, women all over France were asking their stylists to arrange their hair "a la reine" ......like the queen.

One of the ladies at court had a huge concoction upon her head that included a gilded bird cage with a live, chirping bird inside!

As the fashion went on ladies suffered from hair loss, eyestrain and headaches due to the constant teasing and styling of their locks. Many had to travel with their heads hanging out of their carriage windows as they were too tall to fit inside!

Another problem were the fleas and lice that inhabited these huge styles and during the latter part of the 18th century fashionable ladies carried a long thin stick for scratching their scalps.

At night their amazing styles were wrapped with linen gauze like a huge ice cream cone to try and keep the shape and many slept propped up with pillows. With the use of flour as a stiffener it is not surprising to hear that vermin took to many a ladies hair as she slept searching for a meal!!

Can you imagine if these styles were " de rigeur" today? Mice?......Lice?......not really very nice!!

Chez nous!

2011-12-07T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well................... you don`t get rid of me that easily you know!!!! Just when you thought it was safe to go back on your pc I`m back!!!

I really refuse to be ill again after this most recent episode!! It`s been one hell of a year for me!

I realised that my blood oxygen level was low again on Sunday morning when I was as wobbly as an alchoholic who had spent the night locked in a local vineyard.

So, with overnight bag packed "just in case", off we went to Valognes hospital to hand myself in! They checked me out before linking me up to an oxygen cylinder, zipping me up in a huge sleeping bag like a caterpillar and loading me into an ambulance where I was taken, with the full flashing lights regalia, to the larger hospital at Cherbourg! I don`t see why I should go quietly - do you? Poor Mark had to follow in our car - eventually getting left behind when the ambulance driver decided to run through a red light!

I was promptly hooked up to a drip and the first of two sachets of blood was pumped into me (I didn't realise how freezing cold it was as I felt it going in!).After the second bag I was then transferred to the maternity department ( excuse me?) to be monitored, sharing a room with a very sweet 19 year old girl who asked if I was " enceinte" ( preganant!). As a menopausal old mule I found that question very funny to say the least!!

The next morning it was very apparent that the blood they had given me was checking out as quickly as it had checked in - and I was told they would operate to see what was going on later in the day. The surgeon's name was Vlad....short for Vladimir.....short for Vlad the Impaler? Whilst I nervously awaited the op I was given three more bags of French blood; surely that makes me completely French now?

So, the op. is done, I returned home today and, hopefully, that is the end of all the hoo har!! I am, as I write this, crumpled under a quilt ( 19th century faded floral of course!) with Digger at my side and Charles the Baron at my feet. I have been doing a little tv watching and after Ray Mears bushcraft I now know how to build a bear trap, make my own teepee and how to tell wolf poo from bear poo . That is sure to come in very useful for early morning brocanting!

Having received 9 bags of nice French blood in 7 weeks I would like to say a big 'merci' to those wonderful donors who handed it over - and hope they were rewarded with the best macaroons with their cafe afterwards.

A big 'merci', also, for all the wonderful messages of support. Normal service is to be resumed very quickly. Now............... how long can I hang it out under this quilt being spoiled and waited on??

A demain mes belles
xx

NORMAL SERVICE WILL BE RESUMED VERY SHORTLY...........

2011-12-06T03:11:00.000-08:00

Have been out of action and laid up in hospital for the last few days. Hope to be out tomorrow (Wednesday 7th) - and shall then be able to catch up with my emails etc. Sorry for any inconvenience.

What mad dog?

2011-12-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

What ..............A mad dog? Here at the chateau?

Mad dog?.......show me where and I`ll give him what for!

It can`t be Sir Digbert.....he`s just an old softy..............

.......and we are the best of friends.

When I was a tiny tot I was abandoned in a ditch ......that sign might have scared me then...................

But as soon as I was rescued and I moved into the chateau I became The Baron du Breuil...................

There were lots of vets visits, operations and nursing.......................but I was so totally cosseted and started to live a life of luxury.

Just look at me now...........I may only have three paws but I am totally in control of all that happens here at Le Petit Chateau du Breuil!

So.......If that mad dog should turn up I`ll simply hold my dad`s old trainers over his nose and gas him!!

Bon weekend mes amis!

Dimanche confections.......................

2011-11-27T04:53:00.000-08:00

Now this is why I fling myself out of bed into the dark on Dimanche matins......some of today`s finds.....

This divine boudoir cupboard has been unloved for a long long time and no one cared that it was covered in dust.

That faded roses textile and the duck egg blue drawer labels with faded gilded letters...oooooooh la la!!

These delicious Paris oyster silk shoes thrown at the bottom of a trunk......no one has cared for them for years....

Ooooooooh that old label inside...............they are almost edible!

How can such wonderful things be so uncared for?

I will enjoy finding them new deserving homes where they will be well cared for and treasured.

Dimanche treasures.....simply heaven!

Don`t you just love the French brocantes mes belles?

Vendredi darns............

2011-11-25T10:07:00.000-08:00

Don`t you just adore old darns and repairs?.

I sometimes have to buy a piece of old textile just for the repairs & patches as they are such amazing confections and definitely not imperfections!

This printed Provencale linen is late 1700s..................I wonder who sat by candlelight to produce this petite treasure?

Bonne weekend mes belles

Sealed with a miss

2011-11-24T04:38:00.000-08:00

You know my new regime every morning? Out of bed, a quick coffee then into the car and drive to the beach to walk Digbert Fanshaw Brownshaw who is on a diet ( he`s not fat just portly!)

This morning we awoke to thick dense fog but I will not be deterred by a bit of Normandie weather so off we went.

That actually sounded quite convincing didn`t it? But I confess its the thought of the thick dense hot chocolat in the cafe afterwards that calls me - and I don`t feel quite so debauched drinking it if I have marched along the beach first.

Soooooo......amazingly when we arrived at the beach it was glorious sunshine, the sea was so still and calm that you could have heard a fish fart and it was totally glorious ......the sea that is ....not the fish fart!.

People have told me that there is a friendly seal on this particular beach and I am so desperate to see him. I search every day but nothing so far. I am getting so desperate that this morning Mark offered to don a rubber balaclava and swim out there to bob about in the water just to please me. Now thats what I call "amour" but he would be the only seal that I have ever seen sporting a moustache and wearing spectacles!

I strain my eyes so hard to see one each morning that I could become a contestant on that Noel Edmonds Tv programme " Seal or no seal"........................no thanks Mr Banker, its a wonderful offer but NO SEAL!

So...off for that gloopy thick hot chocolat in the cafe . Today there was a major queue in there as it is market day and I did consider bursting to the front of the counter to demand my drink shouting that I am chocolat dependant hypoglycemic - and that I would lapse into a stupified state unless I was served first. But, it was not worth the risk. Market day brings out all the old Normandie farmers` wives in their wrap round aprons, wellies and cardigans. They are usually all casually toting baskets of vegetables so huge that even a small donkey would struggle and collape with the weight, so I didn`t want to risk being battered with a turnip and waited my turn.

Then that was when tragedy struck. After a 20 minute wait I sipped the chocolat to find, NO! NO! NO! it was watery, milky and sickly and not the wonderful dark gloop that I love. I asked the owner who told me that the chocolate whisking machine had broken down so they were having to offer a subsitute until it is mended. Substitute? Subsitute? I think NOT monsieur.....there is NO subsitute for Van Houten!!!

So, today I missed my hot chocolate......sniff! I need to get out more.....................then perhaps not!

A demain mes belles............

Regrets...............the one that got away....

2011-11-21T07:55:00.000-08:00

You know the feeling........you walk away from something that catches your eye at a flea market or brocante and when you get home you just can`t stop thinking about it?

There is one such item that still plays on my mind five years after the event!

The very beautiful Chateau L`Isle Marie, only a few miles down the road from our home and now a hotel, is an enchanting place....... tucked away out of view in the woods. Five years ago the local historical society (or hysterical society as I call them!) advertised an attic clearance ("vide grenier") in the grounds of the chateau to raise funds. I just assumed it would be like any other vide-grenier; local people emptying their garages and barns and putting their wares out to sell. However, I turned up in the early morning sunshine to find that all the buyers were actually outside the chateau's huge scrolled gates impatiently standing in a queue. "Les barrieres ouvrent a 8.00am" I heard someone say.

I recognised many of the dealers already in the queue and quickly realised that it must be more than just a local sale. After talking with a few people it became apparent that members of the hysterical society had been allowed access into the attics of the chateau to find some treasures to sell in order to help raise money for the renovation of the old chapel in the chateau's grounds..

At 8am sharp the gates did open..... and we all bustled in. Oh honestly! I didn`t know where to run first! There was a whole marquee devoted to textiles where I spotted a huge bale of the most divine 19th century florals tied up with string. I made a grab for them only to be told " Je suis desole, madame...vendu".
Sold?...sold?....Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

I was then tapped on the shoulder by a local brocante owner who said, " I hope I've done the right thing but I've bought that bale for you". Phew..............saved! I have kept many of those wonderful pieces for my own collection as I simply cannot bear to part with them......all very, very special. Rumour has it that one of the old Count's wives was a great interior designer - and if those textiles are anything to go by then she had fabulous taste.

There was so much to rush round to look at; stands of books, tools, cuisine items and we soon were loaded to the hilt .........................and I think that is probably why I walked away from something wonderful.

Tucked away in the trees was a stand which had some old luggage, some items from the stables and some rugs. Standing at the back was the most amazing huge leather trunk on which was the Count's crown emblem and a large gilded monogram. One of the buckles was missing and I walked away from it. Why? Why did I do that?

It was the most delicious thing and it was not at all expensive. I've asked myself then same question so many times since.
Did it sell?....should I go back under the cover of darkness in a balaclava to see if its still there?

I still think about it to this day. I had never seen anything like it and I know I never will again....so why did I walk away from it? Who knows? It was definitely the one that got away, that's for sure!!

I have been sorting through my armoires and I suppose that is what got me thinking about that trunk! After a bit of a sort out I am having a little dabble on Etsy this week and here is the link
http://www.etsy.com/shop/simplychateau?ref=seller_info

Perfect persiennes.......

2011-11-20T08:03:00.000-08:00

I have been looking for months and months for matching sets of shutters to use in the renovation here at the chateau. But...not for outside, they are to go inside the windows in the new salon. Today I found just what I was looking for.....

Narrow old folding shutters called "Persiennes".....................

All the old fittings.....................

..............and all divine!! I am going to strip them ( no that`s a lie.... I am going to take them to Monsieur Bertrand!) and leave them just as they come out of the stripping tank with little touches of the old paint still visible.

There were a few extra too and I had to bring them home as I can feel a few being joined together and a folding screen coming on!

They fit so well that I couldn`t have had any custom made that would do a better job.

I am so glad I waited until they came along as patience is not really one of my virtues! I am the kind of person who starts a sentence with " Can you just help me to".....and finishes it with " its okay - forget it...I`ve done it" !!

A demain mes belles!
xx

Trapped in a vicious circle................

2011-11-17T09:06:00.000-08:00

The weather here is pretty bizarre at the moment and the flowers that have usually been long gone by November are still blooming in our garden!

So, when our veterinaire said that Sir Digbert Fanshaw Brownshaw is a little too portly for his own good it has been very easy to walk him each morning on the local beach. As usual not a soul in sight!!

Out of desperation to find any morceaux of food available Diggers does try to see if any beach huts have visitors cooking breakfast and I have had to extract him from someones doorway more than once this week!

My favourite is the tiny one in the middle!

Isn`t it amazing what a Jack Russell can do?

We have a good brisk walk........................

and then poor Digs has to stay in the car whilst we finish off with a gloopy chocolat chaud from the local cafe..............

Of course this chocolat means we will have to walk off the extra calories again tomorrow so I am trapped in a vicious circle of walking and hot chocolat!

Inside me, There's a thin woman trying to get out........but I can usually shut the old sow up with chocolate."

A demain mes belles.................

Actually it wasn`t a hoot at all !!!

2011-11-15T09:02:00.000-08:00

Well ........that`ll teach me to moan won`t it?!!! You know that old theory - that pleasure has to be evened out with a bit of pain? So.. if I enjoyed having a good old moan on Saturday then the events of the next day most definitely evened it out!

We got up early on Sunday morning for the flea market and drove off in the pitch black. Just a few lanes away from the house there was a sudden thud on the windscreen, something white splatted the front of the car, hit the front winscreen, bounced up onto the roof and into the darkness. After the initial shock of the thud all I could think was "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO..... not an owl............ please!!!!".

We stopped the car and looked in the road and along by the hedges but could see nothing, so we started back on our journey feeling very downhearted at what had happened.

10 miles down the road we stopped in the nearest town at the 'distributeur' (cash point). Whilst Mark began to take out some cash I decided to get out of the car to take my coat off. I glanced at the roof and almost jumped out of my skin! There twisted over the luggage rail on the roof was a large barn owl. It was quite obviously dead so Mark managed to untangle it and left it in the bushes by the bank for nature to take its course and we sadly got back in the car to finish our journey. As we pulled away the feathers ruffled in the breeze - and I was absolutely bereft that this wonderful bird's life had ended in the manner it had.

The flea market was a good one - and I found some really pretty old treasures but I still felt quite downhearted by what had happened. We met up with Frou Frou and Mr Frou Frou who, after they had heard the tale, went off and bought me a present; an owl paperweight presumably to torment me and to make me feel even more guilty...............as daughters' do!

As we set off I asked Mark to drive back past the hedges at the bank so we could at least pick him up and give him a decent burial in our garden. We arrived back at the bank only to find this huge owl standing motionless right by the cash point!!! Mark said someone must have propped him up there for a joke. I walked very cautiously over to look for myself - and then saw that his chest was moving!!!

Terrified of handling him we left him and drove straight to the vets...which, it being a Sunday, was closed of course and no emergency numbers readily to hand. The gendarmerie (police) and pompiers (fire) stations were our next call but, again, both were closed and shuttered. We rushed home and I managed to find the number for a bird sanctuary - which happened to be more than 40 miles away!

The owner said that he was away attending a bird of prey exhibition but if I could get the owl into a box and deliver it to him on Monday he would do what he could. He said I could, in the short term, give him some raw chicken meat if I managed to catch him.

So............ back to the cash point with a huge box and thick leather gloves to hand. We found him even perkier, trying to walk and flapping one wing! We managed to box him up and brought him home and placed him in the barns overnight - and safe, of course, from Charles le Baron du Breuil!

I fully expected to find him dead the next morning but no; there he was .......very perky, just able to hop on one leg, but clearly unable to fly.

So we have made the 100 mile round trip and he is now recovering from a broken wing in very experienced hands.

So pleasure........................................

followed by pain...............................

...........followed by relief!!

Oh heavens...the soap box is out again!

2011-11-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

I had an email yesterday from a lady who I have never met or had any dealings with. In essence, she suggested that, after buying a batch of antique textiles, it would be much better if I washed, pressed, starched and hand repaired them all before listing them to sell - and she scolded me for not doing it!

With that in mind I suppose this is her idea as to how my day would pan out.....................

I woke up gently at 11am to find a cup of steaming coffee and a freshly baked croissant amande at my bedside. I took a long luxurious bubble bath, took my time to choose what I would wear, fixed my hair and make up and made my way downstairs.

Waiting for me in the salon were two people carrying bags full of wonderful 18th and 19th century textiles and treasures to sell to me. They had already laid them out for me to examine so I simply walked along the line and made my choice.

After they had gone I took a stroll in the garden with Sir Digbert Fanshaw Brownshaw and Charles Le Baron du Breuil . Oh... how we laughed and skipped through the rose beds in the warm sunshine.

Two more sellers arrived a little later in the day, again with divine treasures for me to gently sort through - and then my buying was done for the day.

I spent the rest of the afternoon being cooled by two servants holding huge ostrich-plumed fans whilst Mark relaxed playing the harpsicord and violin. Around me a team of servants washed, repaired and pressed my purchases.

I was carried to supper in a gilded sedan chair and then went to bed by candle light, but not before checking into the office to ensure that my two assistants were busy photographing my new purchases and preparing my Ebay listings for the following morning. What a divine dreamy day it had been.

This is really what happened.......................................

The alarm went off at 4.30am and I dragged myself from under the covers. Digbert Fanshaw Brownshaw didn`t even open his eyes as I stumbled to the bathroom climbing into my jeans and loafers as I went. I brushed my teeth with my eyes still closed, threw a comb through my hair ( well the front anyway!) and went down into the cold kitchen.

Throwing on my coat,I grabbed the car keys , a torch and my 'buying' bag. I stepped out into the freezing cold and walked down the drive towards the car, flinching to avoid the bats which were still flying around. I realised as soon as got into the car that I had my sweater on back to front - but there was no time to sort it out now! I drove 50 miles or so through pitch black lanes and badly-lit roads until I reached the flea market where I spent the next two hours walking amongst the stalls, searching by torchlight and fighting with the other dealers to see what could be found.

I spotted an old trunk being thrown down to the ground from the back of a lorry. Half open, I could see it contained some old textiles - so I began to rummage through whilst holding my torch under my arm. I came out of that trunk much dirtier than I went in but I was clutching a couple of finds. It was after 8 before I went into the local cafe for my first coffee of the day - but I couldn't stay long as I had to get back on the road towards my way to the next flea market - and repeat the whole process again.

I got home after noon looking like I had slept the previous night at the back of a supermarche amongst the bins. Once the car was unloaded I immediately went into 'listing' mode - and spent the entire afternoon photographing and describing my finds.

So,.... Madame Wells now can climb onto her shabby chic Gustavian grey soap box and, to that rather ignorant lady, say the following.........

"No, Madam - excuse me. But I simply do not have the time to do as you suggest. I always sell my treasures just as they come through the door and, what's more, that`s how my buyers like them!"

At which point Madame Wells got down from her soap box mounted her ostrich and rode away into the sunset..............

(after which she had 120 macaroons and an eclair whilst being fanned by Johnny Depp in his passementerie- trimmed thong!)

A demain mes belles!!!

Dreaming of Blanchlands..................

2011-11-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

This divine crumbling old chateau called "Blanchlands" has been on the market for sale for as long as we have been here........

It is huge......absolutely huge. It has immense grounds, its own chapel and magistrate's court , farm buildings, stables, servants' cottages, land as far as the eye can see - and the list goes on!

I know that it has the most amazing high-ceilinged salons and divine cherub-bedecked fireplaces. You may recall that I used one of the pictures for my blog header some time ago

It would cost a fortune to restore and then another fortune to maintain but, at dusk, I just want to sit at a candle-lit table by the lake in front of the chateau and watch the sun go down.

It even has a beautiful little shrine in the woods at the side of the road - silent except for the sound of the birds and the wind through the leaves.

The trees have little bird-house shrines filled with gorgeous plaster figures and rosaries............

...with old stone steps up to the shrine itself.

There is a bronze cherub at her feet almost worth being struck by lightening for if you tucked it in your pocket!!

I haven`t been inside the chateau; just walked around the garden of prayer. I see there is yet another new estate agents sign pinned on the woodlands today............would I dare to ask for a viewing? What do you think? The last rumour I heard of the asking price - a cool 4 million euros!

Mark recently asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year and I told him.................... Blanchlands. He was not impressed!

I can dream can`t I?

Bonne weekend mes belles

xx

Delicious doors!!

2011-11-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

You may know that I have an addiction to old period doors and Mark looks in despair each time I arrive home with another one lashed on the top of the car as he knows that irrespective of its size he will have to make it fit somewhere!

He did threaten that if I bought another he would banish me to the cellar and bolt the door!!
But....................

..........I didn`t buy this divine 18th century rustic door....................................honestly I didn`t....I was given it as a cadeau or did I save it from the flames?

You may remember in a previous blog titled" Will you be my neighbour?" that I mentioned that the only neighbouring house here at Le Breuil was up for sale.
http://simply-chateau.blogspot.com/2011/05/will-you-be-my-neighbour.html

It has been empty since January and for the last 10 months or so I have walked across there to photograph wall sconces and all sorts of shabby treasures on a delicious old 18th century door that was hanging on one of the barns.

A few days ago I saw a plume of smoke coming from the gardens of the old place and went across to say "Bonjour" to our new "voisin" neighbour. Alain is a really lovely young guy who is moving back to Normandie from Paris to be near to his family. I asked him if he wanted to sell the door I love if he was not going to use it in the renovation. He asked me what door and as I turned to point it out I saw it was gone! After I explained he took me to a pile of old timbers ready to go onto the fire ......and there it was!

Alain couldn`t believe I would want "that old thing" and told me to help myself. Two days later it has taken three men to lift it and to help it cross the lane to the chateau driveway!

Wonderful thick old timbers.....divine shabby grey paint , big heavy wooden studs, old hand made keyholes and full of character..............

Sorry Mark but you know I just couldn`t resist it. Now......where to put it? If it cannot be put to use somewhere in the chateau as a last resort I will make a feature of it somewhere in the garden.

A trick that everyone abhors
In little girls is slamming doors.
A wealthy banker's little daughter
Who lived in Palace Green, Bayswater
(By name Rebecca Offendort),
Was given to this furious sport.

She would deliberately go
And slam the door like billy-o!
To make her Uncle Jacob start.
She was not really bad at heart,
But only rather rude and wild;
She was an aggravating child…

It happened that a marble bust
Of Abraham was standing just
Above the door this little lamb
Had carefully prepared to slam,
And down it came! It knocked her flat!
It laid her out! She looked like that.

Her funeral sermon (which was long
And followed by a sacred song)
Mentioned her virtues, it is true,
But dwelt upon her vices too,
And showed the dreadful end of one
Who goes and slams the door for fun.

The children who were brought to hear
The awful tale from far and near
Were much impressed, and inly swore
They never more would slam the door,
— As often they had done before.

Dearest Tartelette..................

2011-11-09T03:42:00.000-08:00

Dearest Tartelette..............

MademoiselleTartface way over there in Oregon..your current silence is ominous!!

Usually you Skype me in the middle of the night or call me at 4am to tell me that you are my muse - and that you are sure that I cannot live without your imput into my shabby chic emporium.

But.....................you are so quiet that I am worried!!! I'm just thinking what could have happened. Tartelette and Antoinette sound quite similar, don't they? Perhaps you have finally become Tartelette Antoinette?

Has Jeff whisked you away in a horse-drawn carriage for a week of unbridled passions?................or

...are you in the middle of a week-long Laduree macaroon binge?..................or perhaps....

...you have already overdosed on macaroons and taken to your silk brocade bed?

Has your new crown detached itself from your tooth and you are in hiding?

Have you been lured to the woods by some scoundrel who promised to escort you to an early morning brocante?

Have you developed some kind of gambling addiction and you are in Las Vegas frittering away your brocante money?..or

..are you still decorating that Salle de Bains with the toile you cheekily spirited away from the chateau?

Have you taken up jogging?

Or are you simply having a bad hair day?

Tartelette.....................ou est tu?

Trompe l`oeil at the chateau...............

2011-11-07T09:40:00.001-08:00

Our own renovations are moving on apace; my office has a floor, walls, new roof, a second floor with a staircase, large French windows that open out into the garden and the marshland beyond - and a rear door that opens on to the drive so that when I arrive home with new treasures they can go straight in! We are awaiting the arrival of our electrician Monsieur Patrick - and as soon as the wiring is in it should only be a case of plastering and I will be in! The new simply chateau HQ!!

Our new salon lounge also now has a floor, beams ready for a ceiling, windows, the fireplace is almost in situ and, again, once Patrick has finished the electrics it will be time for plastering - and for us to make decisions on colours and decorations. I change my mind almost daily! Pale French grey and white; creams and buffs with a touch of Aubusson green; decadent deep cranberry silks and velvets with a twinkling lustre chandelier....who knows where it will go! Just when I think I have made a final decision something crops up and turns my head again!!!

Today I truffled out the most amazing old 19th century prints of "trompe l`oeil" designs that had been sent to a local chateau for the owners to choose their decorations. Now they really did get my creative juices flowing for 'over the top' design ideas for the salon!

These designs were offered as designs for the chateau by a decorateur painter called Monsieur Glaise who worked in the late 1800s.

Can you imagine having an artist to paint these wonderful scenes..............

stunning faux drapes and tassels.............................

a balcony and garden scene........................

regal Republique Francaise flags with gilded finials.........................I could definitely see this above the fireplace!

Divine flower-filled urns and oil lamps................

There is no way I could ever find someone with those talents today so I have decided to keep a few for framing - and list the others on my Ebay site.

But ........if only...to have an outdoor 'champetre' party with a setting like this..................!

I wonder if Patrick has any other talents besides wiring?!!!

A la prochaine mes belles....................

Gateaux...........I NEED gateaux..............

2011-11-05T07:48:00.000-07:00

Laduree Paris......

Oh! ...... how I NEED gateau..........................or macaroons.....................!!!!!

Angel wings...............

2011-11-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

I so want a pair of these wonderful archangel wings......................

I`d wear them to the supermarche and sweep everything from the shelves as I walked past!

I`d have this pair for brocanting..........................

....a little easier to handle but still large enough to stop others peeking over my shoulder to see what I was looking at! I could flap them in the face of other early morning dealers!

I`d have this pair for being angry ( wouldn`t wear them very often I`m usually pretty happy go lucky!) or perhaps for eveing wear?

They`d be quite good for the opera in Paris.....they would have to give me a wonderful seat in the Royal box or I would block everyone elses view!

I`d have these small wings to wear under my coat so no-one would know I was wearing them but me! I could go to La Poste with my parcels with a smile on my face and no- one would know what I was grinning at!

....and I would have this pair just to show off in!

I think it was Coco Chanel that said "Get yourself fully dressed and then, before walking out the front door, pause by the mirror and remove one item "......so perhaps wearing a halo as well would be a bit too much?

I don`t know why or how I came across this wonderful website but I know what I want Pere Noel to bring me this year!!!

http://www.dragonwings.net/ArchangelWings.htm

Which pair would you like?

I am NOT going to grow up!

2011-11-02T02:38:00.000-07:00

My mum decided to call me Shirley after Shirley Temple............It is such a 1950s name and I always wanted to be something exotic and arty........Arabella, Benedict , Camellia, Carenza, Francesca, Esme or something like that.....Not just Shirl!

But like Shirley Temple........I am NOT going to grow up!!!!

Toussaint day........

2011-11-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Today is a bank holiday here in France. Our village cemetery is awash with flowers that families have left in remembrance of their loved ones past.

When I was in the Venice cemetery I saw this huge huge marble figure that towers above eveything else....

Perhaps the saddest statue I have ever seen.

But it seems a very fitting display for today.

A demain mes belles...

Murano.....more to it than meets the eye!!

2011-10-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

10 minutes by boat from Venice is the island of Murano, famous for its glassware - but we found out that it also has other treasures! With my addiction to visit old churches, we simply had to go inside this one and take a look...................

San Pietro Martire is, quite simply, a stunning little treasure. The original church and Dominican monastery, dedicated to St John the Baptist, was built from 1363 and consecrated in 1417. A tablet on the far right of the façade commemorates this. The church then burned down in 1474 but was rebuilt and enlarged, reopening in 1511 and dedicated to St Peter Martyr.

Now wouldn't this gold couronne make the most divine ''ciel de lit" bed canopy - but I thought someone might see me leave with it under my coat!

I also, just for a second, looked at of those delicious Murano glass chandeliers; wouldn't they just make a magnificent pair of earrings, if only I could get them out!

At one side of the chapel was a small doorway pinned to which was a little paper sign with an arrow pointing towards the vestry advertising a museum of church antiques - and with a 1.50 Euro price tag. There had been no mention of such a museum outside the chapel (nor in any of the tourist literature we had read prior to our visit) so I was naturally intrigued.

And that was possibly the most wonderful 1.50 Euros I have ever spent!! The first room (the vestry itself) was breathtaking - all four walls of the room were lined with the most beautifully-carved figures.

But the next floor simply took my breath away. Row upon row of early reliquaries - some of the most amazing pieces I have ever seen.

I had to take this photograph for Tartelette; with her addiction to all-things pink, she would have adored these little pink, flame- topped jars with handworked velvet reliquaries tucked inside. All closed with a wax seal too.

I only wanted one. I would have settled for just one...I`m not greedy!!!.. but they must have known I was on my way as they were tucked away behind glass - but how wonderful to see them, along with gorgeous old vestments, religious and crosses.

And these doors too ...I so need them. Both of them please!! Aren't they just wonderful?

Rooms full of absolute treasures that no-one seemed to want to make any song and dance about! During the twenty or so minutes we spent looking at the treasures, no-one else came into those side rooms! And then we walked back outside to come face to face with the piece everyone was making a fuss about !!!!

Wonderful I know (a Murano glass 'special' in the central square) but, to me, it was not in the same league as those amazing glass jar reliquaries I had just seen.

A gondola traffic jam...............

2011-10-29T05:12:00.000-07:00

So what do you call a gathering of gondolas? A "gondle".....a "paddling"?....perhaps a "gaggle"?

I adore Venice despite its few shortcomings! I dislike, for example the multitude of shops, seen everywhere, selling Murano glass in bright, gory shades........... but adore the odd gold foil 18th century pieces on view that are never for sale.

I hate the mask shops selling tacky, mass produced carnival masks..... but adore the traditional theatrical mask makers who produce the most amazing mysterious creations.

But as cliched as they are the gondolas and gondoliers fascinate me.

I can`t say I have ever had the urge to be "gondled" (!) - but I do love to sit at a cafe in the sunshine beside the Grand Canal watching people precariously trying to get in and out of them. Lots of wobbling, panicking, shouting, almost going overboard ....and grasping for anything available on shore to gain a little stability!

I particularly love the gilded embellishments...............

.......they fascinate me and I have to stop and stare!

Although I have no desire to be gondled... and refuse to do it .. I have, however, taken to the water in the 'traghetto'. Similarly shaped to a gondola they take passengers directly across the Grand canal from one bank to the other and are rowed by two oarsmen, not the traditional one. These gondolas have no fancy silk damask chairs or cherubs The locals, who use them as we would a bus - to go shopping,travel to work, or perhaps visit friends - invariably stand up for the short 4/5 minute trip. I most definitely did not stand but gripped on for grim death - but I was most impressed by a very elderly lady who stood carrying a shopping bag laden with vegetables in each hand without having the slightest wobble, even though the canal water was quite choppy. She must have been Venetian born and bred and it obviously came second nature to her.

Gondoliering has always been a very male Italian macho profession with the right to work as a gondolier being passed down from father to son - a job filled with tradition and history as the first gondoliers appeared in the Venice waterways some 900 years ago.

In the 17th and 18th century when Venice was at its most decadent there were eight to ten thousand gondolas in operation, each highly embellished and most with a "felze", a silk-lined cabin to protect passengers from the weather or from prying eyes! Its windows could be closed with louvered shutters - the original "venetian blinds", and no doubt well used by Casanova himself whilst romancing some fine lady!

Today there are around 400 gondolas and Venitian law decrees they should be painted black - and that law even applies to the now rarely seen 'wedding gondola'. This gondola is highly decorated with gilt and the gondoliers are allowed to wear a white uniform with gold trim.

All of the gondoliers working the canals today are male - except one. The daughter of a retired gondolier has fought a hard battle to become the first female gondolier in Venice. Giorgia Boscolo, 23, overcame one of Italy's last all-male bastions and become a certified gondolier after passing the city's exhaustive gondoliering course.

Two other women had enrolled on the same course as Mrs Boscolo's - a course which consisted of 400 hours of instruction, but neither made the grade. One of them has since accused the Venice Gondola Association of being sexist and of deliberately blocking her attempts to join - but the Association said she was simply not good enough!

I love this quote from a local newspaper:

"Her (Miss Boscolo's) new qualification will enable her to make a decent living. The rate for an evening gondola tour of Venice is 100 euros (£92) for 50 minutes, with each additional 20 minutes costing 50 euros."
Her father, Dante, said he was proud of his daughter but was still unsure whether women were up to the task of a profession which has been handed down from father to son since the 11th century.
"I still think being a gondolier is a man's job but I'm sure that with experience Giorgia will be able to do it," he said.

Local talk reveals that she has had a hard time, with her fellow gondoliers unwilling to move out of her way and making her work as hard as possible. I did look out for her but never spotted her. I wonder if she is made to paddle some quiet backwater to pacify her?!! Had I found her I would have finally taken that Gondola ride as a matter of principle - and would have demanded to be paddled right down the centre of the Grand Canal at rush hour!!

A la prochaine mes belles..............or should that be Ciao or Arrivederci?

ooooooh Venice..............

2011-10-26T09:14:00.000-07:00

What a close call that was....it was nearly a miss for me this time! But as soon as that plane left the tarmac I finally relaxed!

When we arrived at St Marco airport we bumped into a huge group of nuns that Mark thought was a hen party! A few minutes later we saw a large group of Monks too....................the stag party? No most definately not but quite a funny thought all the same!!!

Venice as wonderful as ever, as captivating as ever and no matter how many times we visit I will never tire of the unique atmosphere, the bustling palazzo, the silent back streets where even your hushed voice echoes.

Just a few streets deeper into any area of Venice if you leave the tourist trail you are soon immersed in "real" Venetian day to day life. Washing hung out to dry and at dusk a glimpse inside family homes reveals wonderful chandeliers and painted fresco ceilings in buildings that look so crumbly and neglected from outside.

It was beautifully sunny and warm in the day but cold enough at night for me to need to wrap that wonderful vintage velvet hooded coat around me! We went to the opera, a Vivaldi concert in the church he actually practised his music, the theatre for a wonderful period costume event and of course hot chocolate at Cafe Florian the haunt of Cassanova.

A coffee and a hot chocolate if you sit out on St Marks square between the marble pillars whilst being seranaded by their quintet of musicians is 33 euros................

....I know!! I know!!! Extortion .....but it`s once a year, it`s Venice and I am not sorry to say that I put the Cafe Florain gilt embellished paper napkins in my bag like a kleptomaniac!

I had heard that in the 18th century many of the merchants who owned the beautiful individial palaces that line the Grand Canal were incredibly rich and lived amazingly decadent lifestyles. I was told that they ate from gold plates and rather than wash them would simply hurl them from their windows into the grand canal below!

We had seen Venice`s cemetery Island sitting out in the sea between Venice and Murano and decided to take a boat there.

I thought that decadent living usually meant a decadent end and went to see if the churchyard housed any angels and cherubs. All I can say is that I have never ever seen such wonderful marble figures, plaques and busts....in no way macabre or sinister....all just simply amazing and hopefully the photographs below show just how stunning. ( you can double click the photographs for a better look).

Huge lifesize angels in fine Italian marble and tiny individual aristocratic chapels.

Who were these princesses I wonder? Those crowns and crests are amazing.

And who was this ballerina? The silk shoes were still amazing............

Hosts of verdi gris cherubs.........

So many statues draped in 19th century rosaries...........

Am I going to bore you with my photographs this week?

You bet I am!!!

A demain mes belles

Oh what a close call...............................

2011-10-17T15:21:00.000-07:00

Our travel plans for our (late) holiday this year had been finalised months ago; we were to leave for our 'stay-over' hotel in Beauvais today ready to take the flight to Venice tomorrow morning. All organised, all booked - all sorted. But not quite...............

Last week I felt a little dizzy everytime I stood up - so I booked an appointment for a check up. All was fine at the check up and my doctor asked me to have a routine blood test on Friday morning and we would look at the results when we got back from Venice next week. I went back home and did a little gardening, feeling fine.

5 o`clock the phone rang - and I missed it as I was far away in the garden. Then as I made my way back into the house my mobile went off and on the way to answer it the house phone rang again. It was my doctor telling me that I had to go to the surgery as a matter of urgency. Of course we dropped eveything and went right away.

What is going on with me this year....am I getting as crumbly as the chateau steps?!!!

The doctor called me straight in as soon as I arrived and told me that as the blood tests had revealed that my blood count was so low I had to go directly to hospital for a transfusion! So off we went - and to cut a long story short they started the transfusion almost immediately and I was drip-fed four huge bags of A- ; and a very nervous time followed. I have had every blood test possible and every IV on the go at once and I look a bit like a pin cushion! Throughout the weekend I kept asking if I would be allowed to go on holiday but no one would give me a positive reply as it all depended on my blood tests. But today at 3pm I was released - and our holiday was 'on' again!

I dashed home, packed a case and we left at 5pm! So here we are at the hotel. I am battered and bruised and definitely ready for that holiday now.

Do you think all that additional French blood now makes me half French? I wonder whose it was? Did they have any special talents I will inherit? Will I be able to play the piano? Will I be a master patissier? I may become an onion seller. Will I start wearing a wrap-around apron and wellies and have a yearning to milk cows? Who knows!!!!

A la prochaine mes belles - and, hopefully, no more mishaps for me!
xx

The mouths of truth...............

2011-10-13T13:07:00.000-07:00

Since my last visit to Venice I have read about the mouths of truth and that is why I am so desperate to go back..............I have to find them! This is what I read which started it and I know I cannot rest until I see them!

"Wandering around the alleyways of Venice you will probably come across the stone faces of lions and gargoyles set into the walls of public buildings. In Renaissance times, when Venice was an independent city-state, these mouths of truth were used as places where malicious Venetians could make a denunciation by posting a name into the lion’s mouth. Two witnesses were needed in order to bring a suspect to trial, but these were cruel times and punishments were harsh"

"So voracious was their (the Council of Ten) desire to pry that, throughout Venice, they set up the famous Lions' Mouths, by which Venetians could inform the Council anonymously of their suspicions of their neighbours."

It has been said that many a person regretted posting a note as soon as it left their hands - but once posted, it could never be retrieved.

These anonymous letters were taken very seriously and if the charge was found to be false, the accuser would be put to death!

The most famous mouth is in The Doges palace. Each mouth was for a specific crime — one being for tax evasion. Two others are missing from the wall; they were destroyed by Napoleon since they were in the shape of Lions, the symbol of the Republic of Venice, which Napoleon conquered.

I have been told that in the Jewish Quarter there is a hidden mouth of truth that was only for women - enabling a woman to denounce her neighbour for adultery, laziness or jealousy. I simply have to find that one!

The legend was that if a woman told a lie with her hand placed inside the mouth, it would be bitten off. One priest is reputed to have placed scorpians inside so that anyone telling an untruth would have their fingers stung!

I wonder how many women hidden by a hooded cloak swept through the narrow cobbled streets at the dead of night to slip a note into that mouth?

"These were the terrible Lions’ Mouths. These were the throats down which went the anonymous accusation thrust in secretly in the dead of night by an enemy, that doomed many an innocent man to walk the Bridge of Sighs and descend into the dungeon which none entered and hoped to see the sun again." - Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad

When I find them will I have the courage to slip my fingers inside?

A chateau full of textile addicts!

2011-10-12T12:43:00.000-07:00

Why is it the minute I go outside to photograph anything all of the animals arrive? First froufrou`s puppy Count Kipper arrives...................

..............followed by Sir Digbert Fanshaw Brownshaw................ who hates Kipper and has no time at all for the cheeky young whippersnapper! When Kipper is here Sir Digbert is far too aristocratic to deal with a young tearaway and he spends all of his time with his back turned on him!

Then along comes Charles Le Baron du Breuil..................

Are they all textile addicts too?

Pampilles...............

2011-10-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Last time I was in Venice I saw a stunning antique chandelier dripping with faceted lustres. Some of the glass pampilles had been backed with silk damask and the effect was divine. I was absolutely captivated by the look and have finally got round to finding out the old distressed ribbon and chandelier pieces I have saved to see what I could do and here are the results...........

I am going to try making some with morceaux of old toile I have stashed away............

My Christmas tree could be quite a display this year!

A la prochaine mes belles............

Thank you very much for asking.....

2011-10-09T03:15:00.000-07:00

We are always very aware of the change in the seasons living on the marshes and Autumn has now well and truly arrived here in Normandie. But how the weather can change in just a few days. Gone are the long balmy luscious sun-filled days we enjoyed a week or or so ago to be replaced by lashing wind, rain and much lower temperatures. It would be nice to hibernate until Spring but I can`t - and what do I have to look forward to?

A cardio physical check up with my cardiologist where, if like the last consultation, he will wire me up to a computer and ask me to peddle on an exercise bike, TOPLESS (!), for 10 minutes whilst he sits a few feet in front of me watching!

Excuse me ? Yes! Topless! Had I been 18 years old with a firm set of bouncing bazookas I wouldn`t have minded, but please; I am well endowed with a splendid busom and now on the wrong side of 50. Believe me if that footage ends up on Youtube he will be sorry! I can see no reason not to hibernate with this experience to look forward to. Oh, to be a dormouse!

But then.......................I could light up 'Hercule' my treasured 1930s Belgian enamel stove. Named after Hercule Poirot (the only famous Belgian I know), he is possibly the best 'impulse' buy I ever made!

I bought him after seeing this photograph on the French online sales site www.leboncoin.fr . We trekked to the other side of Paris to collect him and, after having to wait for a local farmer with a tractor to lift him up the chateau steps, he was duly installed in the cuisine - and he is my best friend every winter.

He runs on coal and/or wood and he warms the whole place instantly. He can be a little temperamental but I know his little foibles and he knows mine!

So let it snow, rain, sleet, howl gales and a plague of locusts descend upon us -it`s okay- ........because you know where I am going on the 18th? You will find me sipping hot chocolat at Casanovas old haunt, the Cafe Florian in St Mark's Square, Venice.

Will it be cold? I do hope so but thank you very much for asking. Do you have a warm coat?, I hear you ask. Well yes, I do thank you very much again for asking. A divine heavy black velvet vintage swagger with a hood that I bought off the 'Etsy' website. A coat so luscious that I'm sure even casanova would swoon if I walked up to him wearing it

And what if Venice has a last minute heatwave? Well I shall still wear it and collapse with heatstroke - but thank you very much for asking!

You may already have gathered that I am addicted to Venice out of season! Its a very quick flight from Paris and I adore the place when there are fewer tourists about.

Last year whilst sitting at a waterside cafe 'people watching' Mark asked me "Would you like a go on a goldolier?" to which I replied....." Yes please ...thank you very much for asking; I`ll have that big six footer over there please!"

I think he actually meant "Would you like a gondola ride?"......shame!

Finally blogger will not let me leave any comments on anyone elses blog. I think I'm not the only one having this problem. Any suggestions?

Oh heavens give me strength.....................

2011-10-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

Oh please!....dyslexic Frou-frou the gorgeous daughter has started a blog. Give me strength please! Honestly.....I am SURE that 24 years ago they gave me the wrong baby at the hospital!!
http://froufrous-paris.blogspot.com/

Coque-eye, the sailor man!

2011-10-04T08:33:00.000-07:00

The vision in Mark`s left eye has been deteriorating for a number of years and he has taken some flak from us pointing out that it probably came from him using his telescope during his career as a naval officer - obviously intending to imitate and follow in the footsteps of Admiral Lord Nelson.

A few months ago, whilst having a routine eye test, the optician told us that the deterioration in his eye was due to cataracts - so an operation was duly booked to remove them.

So..arriving at 7.00am (yes, 7.00am!!) this morning at the local hospital Mark was soon wearing a chic paper gown and some very fetching paper " pantoufles" on his feet ready for the short op. And short it was, too. A local anaesthetic and, 8 minutes later, it was all over.

It had all gone well - and he returned from the operating theatre with what looked like a small plastic colander taped over his eye. The nurse explained to us that it was called a "coque" - and she went on to say that he should use his "coque" every night to protect his eye when he went to bed! We looked at each other and had difficulty keeping a straight face. Well.. what could I say! Anyway...here is the said 'coque piece'......

I think he resembles a fly......

or perhaps a (one-eyed) fighter pilot..........

but , with the "coque" and the link with his naval career, then perhaps..............

"Coque-eye the sailor man" seems much more appropriate!!

Let the performance begin................

2011-09-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

I have spent all day photographing the first confections from the ballet......

I wore them all and danced................................in my mind of course!!!

Am I going to regret selling them?.........................

Probably!..................................Will I ever find anything similar again?....................

................Probably not!

Do I feel proud to have handled them and found them new homes where I know they will be treasured?...............................

Absolutement!.........................OUI!

There is a wonderful video at the bottom of the page in the music box!

A pas de deux is a dialogue of love. How can there be conversation if one partner is dumb? -Rudolf Nureyev-

Dance is your pulse, your heartbeat, your breathing. It's the rhythm of your life. It’s the expression in time and movement, in happiness, joy, sadness and envy.
-Jacques d'Amboise-

Birds use their wings to fly, because they do not know how to dance. -Zeynep Okcu

Simply chateau will sell her ballet costumes - because she cannot keep them all and her armoires are already full - even though she would love to look good in pink tights and a tiara even in the supermarche!
-Shirley Wells.

The swan is preparing to fly home................

2011-09-26T02:12:00.000-07:00

Heavens! My feet hardly seem to have touched the floor for the last week or so!

Firstly the tale of how we found the ballet costumes from The Paris Opera Ballet. We had met up with Tartelette Amy from Oregon in Paris and we went to a huge early morning brocante. All bright eyes, bushy tailed and full of excitement at what the days finds would bring. In the early morning light the dealers began opening up their lorries and vans and spreading their wares on tables and floor cloths.

It is at this point you never know where to look, a delicious and very addictive gentle panic begins to rise and you have to try and find treasures emerging from a hundred places at once.

I rounded a corner into a huge pile of frothy ballet tutus, boxes of costume tiaras and silk boddice and my heart leapt....soft pinks, blues, white, creams, sequins, beads, plumes..then my heart hit the floor as I saw a woman on her knees in the middle of it all gathering it all towards her.

Should I wait to buy what little morceaux she may discard? But if she has any sense she will surely take it all and I will stand here watching open mouthed and miss any other treasures being unpacked.

I resigned myself to walking away when my heart leapt out of my chest as I realised the woman on her knees was Tartelette!!! Can you believe that? A look of sheer joy on her face in the middle of it lost in her own world !

All she could say as she sat there grasping a pink tutu and a swan lake plumed costume was"Oh my goodness..............................Oh my goodness.....................Oh my goodness". She was so overwhelmed to try and choose what she wanted.

Other textile dealers were starting to gather so I quickly told her to shut up and grabbed it out of her hands and started to bag it up!! Being "besties" good friends I can do that!!! We got the whole lot bagged up and we agreed that we would sort out who wanted what later! I knew then it would be one for Tartelette and tutu for me!

Much later that day we sprawled it all out on the hotel lawn to see what we had and I do confess a few Demi Detourné, Pas de deux and Plié took place as we tried on the crowns and plumes!! Of course Tartelette had first choice from the haul ( I am not that mean.....she found the haul first!) and the difference is that she will keep her costumes to display and I will sell most of mine on!

I will not tell you too much about the treasured costumes Tartelette will take home with her as I know she will tell you that herself when she gets backs to the USA.

So as we speak, Tartelette is out on the chateau driveway packing her treasures to take the long flight home...............a little glimpse into those bags shows she has a wonderful haul!

All this after a trip to the local hospital with her yesterday after she fell ill......and whilst we were in the hospital all she could ask was "what time does the brocante close?". She has a serious addiction!

Finally the winner of the bag giveaway ( chosen by Tartelette)....there has to be two winners...Pop and Shabbily by the sea . So if you will send me your addresses to simplychateau@wanadoo.fr. All I can say is that you folk are harbouring some dangerous brains!!

Hopefully this week some kind of normality will kick in but oooooh if you could see the haul of treasures I have to work my way through and get listed...it certainly will not be a chore!!

The Paris opera ballet.................

2011-09-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

I have just got home from a wonderful truffling trip and as I was unloading this haul I simply had to hang them up to show you as I am so excited and haven`t shut up talking about it for days whilst we were on the road!!

These wonderful old costumes are all from The Paris opera ballet and date from the 1920s onwards. I have tutus,crowns, tiaras,corsage flowers and a wonderfuI array of flowing dresses. I will tell you how I found them tomorrow and also announce the giveaway winner. I just couldn`t pack it all in bags until I had shown you all!!

There is one tiny tiny tutu and crown that I am convinced is for a performing poodle.......where is Digger when you need him?

There are also those amazing short tutus that stick out horizontally from the waist!

Click on the pics for a closer look! I know I am an addict but there is nothing like truffling in Paris searching for old treasures!!!

Simply-chateau giveaway............

2011-09-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

After all the wonderful emails of support after the initial trials and tribulations but ultimately very sucessful online brocante, I think a giveaway is in order - and I think this gorgeous shabby chic oil cloth shopper would be perfect !

A sweet little bag full of Paris panache perfect for La supermarche!

Talking of Paris I am off to to meet up with Tartelette there for a few days brocanting so whilst I am away simply tell me what you would like to find behind this door..........whatever your heart desires.....anything at all....let your imagination run riot!

I will choose a winner when I get home...hopefully laden with treasures!

I have left the online brocante open and there is a new direct link there on the top right of the page.

A bientot !

Okay.....I can now see the funny side!!!

2011-09-16T02:58:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your wonderful messages of support! Okay................okay....I can now finally see the funny side! I have just spent a good hour on Paypal and phoned them too for a bit of a moan and I think I have finally cracked it!
Sooooooooooooooooo................madamoiselles........I still haven`t really made any impression in the huge piles of textiles & trims so I have posted a couple of new items and will continue to do just a few at a time over the next few days and hopefully, fingers crossed, legs crossed, eyes crossed, everything crossed, the Paypal links will work.

The simply- chateau brocante that was, then wasn`t , then was ......after a fashion and now might finally be working!!! Oh well, you know nothing is ever normal for me!

Tartellette arrives in Paris from Oregon today and she is going to do the Paris fleas this weekend before we meet up for some serious brocanting next week. I don`t know about you but I can feel some huge pairs of 19th century drapes coming on!!

There is a link to the brocante on the right hand side.
Have a wonderful weekend mes belles!

New link to the brocante !

2011-09-15T02:51:00.001-07:00

New link to the right!

I have posted a new link to the online brocante on the right now. Thanks to all for being so patient with the huge blip!! I don`t feel quite so panicked this morning!!

Paypal..................Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

If you could see me now............!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-09-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

I have spent days photographing and listing all the items for the brocante sale. The last thing to do today was to put the paypal link buttons in place for each item. It took the ever patient Mark all day long as each button required different HTML and prices. We managed to get finished an hour before the brocante went live and had a well earned glass of Burgundy.

We duly published the blog at 9pm French time after much banter and a queens speech " I now declare this online brocante open..............may gawd bless her and all who sail in her".

And then...........................................it went to rats big time!!! The first paypal button worked perfectly and a big thanks to Hesta Nesta for being first off the starting blocks! But then all the paypal buttons showed that all of the items were either sold, completely different to their description or unavailable.
Well merci Paypal......................NOT!!!!
So as we speak Mark is trying to delete all the paypal buttons, I am batting emails trying to keep track and that bottle of burgundy is almost gone!

So, if you require any item on the brocante just email me before I start on the gin!!
More from the chateau tomorrow if I haven`t hurled myself off the steps!!

When will the brocante go 'live' online..................?

2011-09-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

With so many different time zones around the world, I have had to give this question some thought before deciding when best to start my brocante sale. It has not been an easy choice to make but I can confirm that the 'chateau' gates shall open and my brocante shall go 'live' this coming Wednesday, 14th September, at 9.00pm local French time (which is 7.00pm Greenwich Mean Time).

The link below enables you to work out the equivalent time in your own town, wherever you may be in the world. Simply put in the date of the brocante, state 'France / Caen' in the first space and scroll down the menu card to find your city and insert it in the second space.

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

The online brocante sale................

2011-09-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

I know its just an online brocante and I won`t meet anyone in person but I still feel I should dress up for the occasion....................

Are these a bit too much do you think?

THE SIMPLY-CHATEAU ONLINE BROCANTE SALE WEDNESDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER AT

www.simply-chateaubrocante.blogspot.com

The 'simply-chateau brocante sale' .........

2011-09-06T01:41:00.000-07:00

I am still working my way through numerous boxes and bags full of 'scrummies' that I need to sort out for the brocante sale. They had been tucked away either because I thought they were too small to list on my Ebay site or I was quite precious about parting with them at the time!!!

And so it is quite a slow process sorting through things, putting them in different piles and then getting distracted by something I spot in another box and go sorting through that instead! I get engrossed in unpacking one box, pick out a few things then skip to another box; by the end of the day I have achieved nothing except being surrounded by several big stacks of goodies! I then remember where a certain item came from and go searching for something else I remember which came with it! I am usually very get up and go but for some reason I am a bit "fluffy" with it all at the moment!! I seem to be busy doing nothing!

I have decided that rather than overwhelm myself with huge piles I am going to deal with each item as I unpack it, photograph it immediately, list it in the sale and then go for the next item in the box irrespective of what is lurking underneath it! Does that make sense?

I never realised that I had hoarded so much...I really didn`t! But it is nice to look back at each piece; |I can usually remember exactly where a particular item came from. I suppose I am just being a bit indulgent!

I am going to tackle the ribbons and textiles today, photograph immediately and then stack ready for the brocante day.

THE SIMPLY CHATEAU BROCANTE SALE IS ON WEDNESDAY 14th SEPTEMBER.
at

WWW.SIMPLY-CHATEAUBROCANTE.BLOGSPOT.COM

( GULP!)

Get a grip woman!

2011-09-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

There is no sign of the cockateil today even though I stood outside and called him (like a demented idiot) for a good half an hour! I hope he has found a safe place and not been eaten by the many birds of prey here on the marsh.

I spent today adding some more treasures for the brocante sale and then like an idiot ( for the second time today !) I actually published the list instead of saving it. I checked to see what would happen if I deleted it - would I be able to publish it again on the 14th? No.... I discovered it would be completely deleted! So after all my time spent photographing it will have to stay there as a taster until the brocante day on the 14th!

Note to self......................get a grip woman!!!

Note to daughter Frou Frou.....the latest impression you do of me along the lines of " Is it hot in here or is it me? What did I come in here for?".........................not funny madamoiselle!! Menopausal?....moi?....absolutely not!!!

Bon weekend mes belles!
xxxxxxxxxxxx

Stop that screeching will you?

2011-09-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

I have spent all day working in the cuisine at my laptop trying to get all the photographs for the brocante sale uploaded.

I could hear a screeching sound outside and I glimpsed a white bird passing the doorway from the corner of my eye and thought nothing of it. The noise continued and I went out to look and just caught a quick peek of a white bird going over the chimney. There are lots of owls here so I thought it must be a young owl who has no idea that it was mid-day and not dusk!

I went back to work again but the bird continued screeching and circling the house, so I took another look and waited for him to pass me on one of his laps.

A cockateil! Can you believe it! Where on earth has he come from? He settled in the hazlenut tree and I tried to coax him down in both French and English but he is having none of it and continues to lap the house shouting! He is like the one below but much lighter in colour.

If he doesn`t stop that screeching he will draw attention to himself and the hawks will arrive. So, as we speak there is a very decorative cage on the lawn with the door open and lots of seed on the ground trying to coax him down. Mark has his fishing net ready!
Honestly! As if I don`t have enough to do!!!

What a hoo har!

2011-08-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

Okay,okay ....I`m back, keep your pantalons on! Firstly today.................and what a hoo har!

We had decided to attend an auction of the contents of a house located in a village a few miles up the coast from us. There was no catalogue of the contents; simply an advertisement placed in the local newspaper by the family notaire (lawyer) giving the address, start time and indicating that all was to be sold. We arrived early and thought the old place looked very promising.

Right on the sea front with wonderful views, it had been closed up for many years..............

We found the notaire's sign on the garden wall to check it was the right property.

The sun was blazing, there was no breeze and, as we had arrived early, we took a leisurely stroll along the sea front.

We ended up at a small restaurant.........

where we watched the world go by .............

and easily demolished a huge dish of "moules a la creme" with frites!

We wandered back down to the old house where quite a crowd had already gathered for the sale. A mix of local dealers and some locals, who were no doubt inquisitive to know what their neighbour's old house held. I was quite fascinated by this young dealer's shoes; who knows,they may be as old as his stock?!

We joined the queue to view the house inside where we found it full of very heavy, very brown, rustic furniture - which was quite disappointing really But, we were told that the boxes of old linens and smaller, interior items would be sold over the garden wall but with no prior viewing......so it was back to the sea front!
The sale started and what fun - sitting on the sea wall in the scorching heat watching all sorts of family heirlooms on offer. No items could be examined close up; you just had to buy what you could see being dangled over the wall!

We bought a few boxes of treasures which Mark carried back to the car only to discover that, we had lost the car keys! I turned out my bag, he turned out his pockets....................nothing! We re-traced our steps along the sea front and asked at the restaurant .............. nothing.

We went back to the car and looked underneath it, we asked to look inside the house again just in case they had dropped out of Mark's pocket in there.....but no! I walked to the tourist office who telephoned the gendarmerie and the town hall but, again, no reports of them having been handed in. How could we lose the keys in such a short distance? We were considering the option of having to arrange to be towed home.

Whilst all this was happening we were missing out on all the old treasures on offer!

As a last resort we asked over the garden wall if the auctioneer could interrupt his sale and ask the crowd standing beneath him if anyone had found some car keys. The auctioneer immediately did so - and slowly out of the crowd came an elderly, bewhiskered monsieur holding out our keys. He had found them and had tucked them away in his pocket. Pourquoi?, I asked myself. Anyway I gave him a huge kiss much to everyones amusement and told him he was 'un ange'!

Panic over ! We relaxed again and waited for more treasures to be carried out for sale!

Note to self.....get another car key cut, pronto!

Sooooo.............we have just arrived home and, now, to the news I promised you! A quick click on the site link below should explain all !!!

www.simply-chateaubrocante.blogspot.com

A demain mes belles!!

Horns & buttons!!

2011-08-29T02:59:00.000-07:00

It is always amazing what turns up at the Sunday brocantes!! After a fabulous morning truffling for treasures we flopped down at the last vide grenier of the morning to have a well earned cafe and suddenly we were almost blasted from our seats! The local huntsmen had arrived with their horns!

Just as they were getting ready to play I stood up to take a photograph, they turned away with their horns facing me and almost blew me over!!

A quick nip around the front and I had their faces!

and ......had I managed a quick nip to the side with a pair of scissors I could have snipped off those wonderful gilded antique hunt buttons on the back of their tunics!

I might have gone home with a hunting horn rammed on my head though!!

I have some scrumptious treasures to list in my auctions this week and there is a little exciting news to come from The Chateau.....watch this space!!

A demain mes belles..............