Pie investigates my latest find.

On Sunday I went off to a little fete and met up with a good friend of mine who also enjoys looking at all the 'bits' !
I bought some wonderful tomatoes - all strange shapes, some dark red and green but wonderful flavour.
At the end I saw a lovely old rattan covered suitcase lined with paper with a design of birds in blue and white - always a favourite.
So the case came home with me and I left it in the sunshine to air.
Pie immediately hopped in and decided it was just the place for her to enjoy the sunshine.
I must say she did look good against the blue and white lining.

Idee - just my most favourite shop.

At Pont Aven is my most favourite shop called Idee .

The building is wonderful, an old mill set on four floors full of the most wonderful things.

Kilims, old Morrocan doors, beautiful books full of delicious food, modern tableware and cooking utensils, amazing pieces from the Orient, wooden birds, old furniture - everything a delight.

I don't always come away with anything in a material sense but I always come away filled with many creative ideas and my head full of beautiful things - I love going there.

Saturday at Pont Aven.

Last Saturday the late summer came back so off I went to Pont Aven.
I walked around the town and looked in the many galleries, some good some not so good.

Then it was off for a a walk down the harbour part of the Aven.
There was going to be a fest noz that evening so lots of the yachts and little boats were decked with flags which looked so good fluttering in the sunshine.

Creativity became green tomato chutney !

So what happened to my collages today ?
I went out in the rain to look at my vegetables and saw that blight had hit my tomato plants .
So, there I was pulling out the plants and collecting the tomatoes .
I also found that lunch was growing in the grass - yes, field mushrooms.
So after cutting up everything for the chutney which included plums and some ginger I got lunch.
The mushrooms were only a few, but wonderful to eat fried with a little butter and some home grown garlic.
Luckily I did have some time not cooking and have finished most of the sewing on another bag using linen
which I'd dyed a lovely dove grey.

More inspiration but more grey skies.

Having fed the cats I'm now drinking a very large cup of Earl Grey tea and looking out at more grey, gloomy skies.
We've had such little sun this week but it has made me start thinking and planning to get started with some more collage work.
I've found another one of the ' seaside ' collages which was one of the first ones I did, very different from some of the others but interesting.
Hopefully I'll make some headway today.

Time to be creative again.

Today the house, the fields, the hills are covered in grey cloud and its raining.
I had intended to go and tackle the weeds, crop vegetables etc but that's not going to happen.

So, Radio 4 will keep me company and I will get on with my bags and also start some art work.
Last year I was lucky to find some wonderful old photographs of people enjoying holidays at the seaside in Brittany.
All of these holidays and day trips were made possible with the coming of the railways.
I enjoyed making the collages and finding interesting things to use as well as making the miniature bunting.
Old photographs so often just stay in a box and they'll gradually fade away - memories all gone, history lost.

Tortue, Pie and Samuel have all decided they're not going out today - what sensible creatures they are.
I should do some collages using cats too!

The spice of life - part two.

The second pinch of spice for the weekend was very different but great fun.
We went off to watch the auto - cross on Sunday afternoon.
Lots of people and lots of cars. It's obviously a way of life for the families who take part.

The 2 cv with a Golf engine was the star of the show winning all its races.
The crowds cheered and clapped each time it passed, obviously loved by everyone - a classic.
One day, one day, I WILL have a 2 cv but not for auto - cross racing !!!

The spice of life- part one.

So if variety is the spice of life I certainly have plenty living here.
On Saturday spent some time with my little fishing net catching baby toads, baby newts and wonderfully tiny salamanders.
Tortue, Pie and Samuel don't bother them at all which is good.
As the house used to be a farm we have a fosse which would have been used when the cows were here.
We have kept the fosse because it forms a huge reservoir of rainwater for us to use on the garden.
In the spring the toads etc lay their eggs in it and off they go.
In the summer we become the life savers as the babies can't get out and we can't bare to leave them to drown !
My husband has made little gang planks for them to walk up but of course there are some that need extra help.
I love the salamanders - they are beautiful.

The little window.

Every time I look at this little window I'm charmed by it.
The lace curtain is one of 10 I managed to find at a brocante.
All handmade and in excellent condition.
Such treasures are a constant delight.

The stones I've collected from different places but the one that is hollowed out I found on the beach in Hastings.
I enjoyed that day so much and was equally pleased with finding the special stone.
A memory captured forever.

Seaside corner.

In the tiny downstairs bathroom I have my little seaside collection.
I have a growing number of little boats and would really like to get some old ones.

I have collected so may pebbles, sea washed glass etc but as yet have nowhere to put them.
Maybe I will use one of my old print drawers and put a treasure from the seaside into each one.

Yesterday I picked three kinds of beans and also mange tout, all safely in the freezer now.
I also made ten jars of beautiful dark purple plum jam.

It is raining today and the whole of the garden will be loving it.
Everywhere is so dry.
I shall work on my bags using some of the linen I've dyed.
Pie, Tortue and Samuel will sleep for most of the day.
They don't like the rain !

Pie looking beautiful.

I couldn't resist this photograph of Pie.
She decided to sit right next to the vase of roses from the garden.
A cat ' supermodel ' if ever there was one !!

Apricot jam.

Yesterday I made 10 jars of plum jam.

Today it is apricot jam.
I have 5 kgs of fruit so I've only made half of into jam.
The apricot kernels have been blanched and put in with the fruit along with the contents of a vanilla pod.

Tomorrow I will make the rest of the apricot jam and then it will be making my own labels which is always good fun.