Christmas at Kerjacob.

Last night I started to take some photographs

of some of my ' bits 'around Kerjacob.

I made the music paper bunting for last 

Christmas and I LOVE it so much 

that its been there all year.

This little Christmas angel doll was given to me by a friend

I've known for over forty years.

The little beaded bird reminds me of some of the decorations
 we had when I was little - what happened to them -
  I loved them.

Today would have been my darling Mum's 100 birthday but sadly I lost her thirteen years ago.
The day will never be forgotten by me.
 I remember her telling me that her parents had told her
that she's fallen off Santa's sleigh and then found !
I do hope she really didn't believe that for too many years.

More photographs to come - I've so enjoyed playing at my home this Christmas.

A Star for for you .

Mercury star hanging in one of the windows.

All is nearly done here and the house with its pretty twinkly lights just delights me.
I will take some photographs over the next few days when things go quietly.

Mr P and I will share the day tomorrow with our three cats, Tortue, Pie and Samuel.
We'll be warm and cosy in front of the wood stove.

I send Christmas wishes of love, happiness and most importantly
 ( from my experiences ) good health.

Thank you for following my life here at Kerjacob and thank you for your comments
which I SO LOVE .

Happy Christmas.

Hanging on in the garden.

A few days ago when it wasn't raining  ( it has recently, everyday !!)

I went a walk round the garden.

Since being in hospital I'm not really able to do very much yet,

not even planting bulbs in my pots !

I was armed with my camera and was delighted to find that there was still

colour hanging on - a delight.

Beautiful lacy heads of the wild clematis

Some of the penstemon are still flowering bravely despite the freezing weather of a few weeks ago
and since then the strong winds and daily heavy rain.

When everywhere can look so grey these jewels are there to brighten the day.

Even the dead flower heads on the dahlias have their beauty. I just hope that they
will survive the cold and the damp, I know I should have lifted them but this winter
my body isn't up to digging.

What beauty there is if only we look.

Nature's amazing colours !

Trunk of young birch tree.

Despite the weather being bitterly cold Mr P and I went out with our cameras on Monday afternoon.
As I walked along the side of the lake near where we live, I didn't think I would find anything in the grey cold that would inspire me.

THEN - there I saw this gift of nature - the colours are as they were, not altered at all.
Nature in all its greyness gave me this to take the cold away.

Amazing !!!

Angels at Christmas.

My kitchen table never stays clear for long.

I've been working on Christmas cards - again !

This is the second of my designs for this year.

I'll take some photographs of the first designs and post them before the end of the week.

Pie's inspiration !!!

Yesterday I was up early with the car packed with lots of things I've been making since being home from hospital.

It was the Christmas fair at a little village near to Kerjacob 

called "St Gelven "

I didn't get time to take many photographs but this one came out so well I thought I'd let you see what Pie had inspired me to make !

Pie gets into the act !

I'm sure if she could she would have wanted to have come with me and sit next to the cushion or more likely sit on it !!

I shall post some more photographs over the next few days but for now I'm having a rest.
My body is telling me to take it easy today.

Being Creative.

I'm slowly getting better, the nurse still comes everyday but I've started to be creative again which is lovely.

I've made lots of small tags which are held in little cellophane bags.

There are five types - shells, old maps, music, old pieces of letters and some which I've made to look like lace and brocade fabric.

They are for sale at 1€ / £1 for a packet of ten.

Seashell tags.

I've also made some book marks which would make a lovely little present popped into a card.
They are packed in their own cellophane envelope which is sealed with a manuscript star.
They are also 1€ / £1 each.
Just contact me if you want to buy some.

Seashell bookmarks with linen tassels.

Now I've started on making our Christmas cards for England.
Mr P will take them over later this month.

Lace, brocade tags.

  So the days are passing much more easily now and the quiet process on creating is doing me good.

Old letters tags with linen threads.

Flowers sent with love.

Yesterday afternoon a large box was delivered to the house.
Mr P brought it in telling me that it was flowers .

We unpacked the box and then I had the pleasure of arranging the flowers ordered in England and sent from Holland to France.

The present was from Mr P's sisters and families.
Good to have people who love me.

Friendship - a priceless gift.

The value of friends can never be underestimated.
Emails, phone calls, cards and now visitors.
Friends came yesterday and we sat in front of the wood stove and ate chestnuts which Mr P had collected when he had the chance to play golf on Tuesday ( I was so delighted for him after coming every day for twelve days visiting me in hospital.

Today more friends spending a few hours with us and tomorrow more friends - lovely.

I am making progress and even put some make up on and a pair of earrings  - I'm starting to look a bit more like my normal self.

Here's to the value of friendship !!!

Taking time ...........

Light shining onto rocks.

It has been a very hard two weeks for me.

The last twelve days have been spent in hospital .

I was taken into hospital for emergency surgery for appendicitis with the complication of a huge abscess.

Everyday was an ordeal but thankfully I am back home and to be in my own bed last night with Mr P next to me was so good.

I have spent sometime this morning catching up with the blogs I love to follow.

Slowly, slowly I will be well again and I look forward to getting back to being creative but for the moment the steps towards that will be slow but I WILL get there.

PURPLE - I LOve this colour.

Autumn is changing slowly towards winter and somedays are quite grey.

However walking around the garden there is still colour.

I love the colour purple and it lifted my heart earlier this week just to realise how much there is in the garden at the moment.

The butterflies, bees and moths are still enjoying the sunny days that we have and are still visiting the flowers to collect nectar.

Last week I bought a few new plants, the sedum above has tiny leaves and lovely small flowers.

The shrub below is now planted and the bees have found another plant to visit.

How many of you love the colour purple ?

Yves Rocher and La Gacilly.

Yves Rocher -the cosmetic company was started by Yves Rocher.

He was born in the village of La Gacilly, Brittany in I930.

His father died when he was 14 and he started to help his mother run the small family textile business.

A local healer taught him a recipe for hemostatic ointment based on the lesser celandine flower.

He decided to sell the natural ointment by mail order in a Parisian magazine.

The sale of the ointment went so well that he continued his research and in 1958 he founded the cosmetic company which bears his name.

The products all used natural ingredients.

He wished to make beauty products which were natural and accessible to all people.

The company was so successful that in 1961 he opened his first shop.

The company had an estimated value of 2 billion euros in 2007 and employs 15,000 people.

Yves Rocher is the biggest employer in the town and has invested huge sums of money to make this charming town into a huge visitor attraction.

The factory is open to the public and their extensive growing areas for their products can also be visited.

The annual photographic exhibition features world renowned photographers and always has a link to our environment - a continual commitment from this family company.

Recently an art centre has been made in an old building and holds  changing exhibitions throughout the year.

The village also has many artisans with their studios open to the public.

Fabric sculpture from the current exhibition.

Mixed media sculpture.

Just made me smile !!

Wire sculpture.

Wire and fabric sculpture.

Whilst I was looking at the photographs this charming cat decided to get in on the act he was
lovely.

After a few minutes he decided to really pose for me !!

I also noticed this lady and thought her simple elegance so striking.

I took my photograph and noted that another person saw that I'd taken a photo and he followed suite.

Here she is again crossing the river going towards the Yves Rocher shop and cafe which are housed
in an old mill.

Lastly this was another image to make me smile !!!

Festival of Photography - La Gacilly

Every year the town of La Gacilly holds a wonderful 

photographic exhibition.

Much of the work is by photographers of world renown.

The theme is normally related to peoples of the world and what

influence we have on each other and what effects we have on the earth.

The photographs are all displayed in the open air in the town of La Gacilly.

Mr P and I went there just over a week ago and the autumn sunshine threw
 the shadows of the leaves onto the photographs.

One is continually reminded of the differences in our lives and environments.
The house in the photograph below is really built from throw away pieces but it provides some shelter.

Then we move to a city were so much is excess - including a golf range looking across the towering sky scrapers.

Contrast with the photograph below which is of a 22 storey apartment block in Sao Paulo which was the largest squat in South America - it housed 750 families.
The building is now empty and all those families have had to find somewhere else to live.
Many remain on the streets.






There is a set of photographs about the gorillas - our nearest relative.

There photographs are mounted on the side of the Yves Rocher information centre.

Below are a collection of some more of the photographs that I loved.

In my next post I'll tell you about the link with the worldwide Yves Rocher beauty company and the little town of La Gacilly.