More magic from le jardin des melanges.

The magic parts of the garden would especially delight children, many adults who still have the joy of childhood dreams alive in their thoughts too!

The witches house, the tiny harbour and boats for the kerrigans and the fairies all such fun.

The tiny curtains of leaves like nature's bunting, the circle with the living willow and baby tears to encourage the energising forces that are in all cultures throughout history.

In the vegetable garden old watering cans lined the edges of the paths each one planted out with strawberries and nestling in straw. Each row of plants was marked out by a stick with a snail shell on its top - a fun and practical idea.

The rest of the garden was just full of surprises, beautiful flowers and sweet perfumes.

The insects and bees were provided for with a wonderful wall made up of lots of different sizes of wood, canes, hollow stems, straw and old terracotta pots.

Even the washing line had a magical feel -love the plant pots.

This was a little shelf inside a ruin that had been decorated with stones and shells, little pieces of mirror and other found objects.

Maybe in the future there will be more delights to be discovered in this ruin.

Le jardin des melanges - a magical place.

One of the 250 roses in the garden.

Yesterday I visited a garden about an hour away from Kerjacob.

It is at St Gilles les Bois between Guingamp and Pontrieux.

The weather was not kind to us and there were strong winds and heavy showers.

However the garden was worth it and I'll certainly go again with Mr P.

The garden was started in 1995 after Monsieur et Madame Stephan had renovated the old farmhouse.

Madame Stephan in her frog hat and witch's stick.

The land was completely covered in brambles and weeds of all kinds, so much so that they didn't know that the land undulated and even had a stream passing down one side.

The garden is now just a magical place and looked after by a magical lady who obviously loves every bit of their creation.

The garden twists and turns with lots of hidden places, lots of little bridges to cross the stream and even a house for a witch which Madame told us was a relative of hers from Northern Canada.

One of the tree spirits.

We were told that the leaves were for her modesty !

Madame Stephan's cat joined us for part of the tour and happily draped himself over her shoulder whilst she showed us around.

There are so many photographs for you to see and so much to tell that I'm going to do another post on this magical place in a few days time.

A rainy day and a finished collage.

Today there has been a lot of rain and all the plants in the garden are very happy I'm sure.

I had a lazy morning but by midday decided to get on and finish the collage of one of my friend's grandchildren.

First off was to work on the mount which was just plain white.

I knew this wouldn't work and so decided to measure up and put on a border of old manuscript.

Felix and Lena are both very into music and both of them are learning to play different instruments so I've put music in the collage itself.

Listening to Radio 4 and letting the cats in and out I've put in about five more hours work and

now I'm finished.

The piece will have to dry thoroughly then I can press it, put it in its mount and then into its frame which I've also collaged and painted.

Later this week I'll deliver the finished piece and hope that my friend is pleased with it too.

I know she's really looking forward to seeing it but hasn't been allowed a peek at all !

The blues !

I love the old linens that I manage to find here.

Whenever I can I'll buy monogrammed napkins, it doesn't matter to me if they're not the same - it all adds to the interest and individuality.

When I have a reasonable number I make a dye bath and in the napkins will go.

I wait and watch as they take the dye and its lovely to then hang them out to dry.

Somehow the damask takes on more detail and the woven designs can be seen more clearly.

The monograms themselves are just lovely.

As my collection grows I'm putting them by to sell in the future.

Le Mirroir des Modes

When I was at a troc a few weeks ago I found these old magazines.

I think they are great and the fashions inside are such fun.

The swimming costumes would certainly help keep the sun away from skins that then wanted to be pale.

I will be using some of the illustrations in my work in the future.

A treasure of a quilt.

Today is a holiday in France for the Feast of the Ascension.

In one of the villages nearby there is always a troc and normally the weather is glorious and so it was today.

We bought quite a few good things but the prize has to be the wonderful quilt.

Many of the pieces are Liberty fabrics, the man I bought it from got it when he went to buy an old bed from a house and the quilt was with it.

Now it is home at Kerjacob and I look forward to seeing it on our bed in the winter when it will keep us warm and I'll be able to look at all the different patterns.

As you can imagine I'm delighted with my find.

New collage - work in progress.

I am working, when I can resist the sun shine and working in the garden, on a collage for a French friend of mine.

She has bought a few pieces of my work and some time ago asked me if I would do a collage with a photograph of her two lovely grandchildren.

Lena and Felix both love music and both play so I'm using bits of music in the collage.

Hopefully in a week or so my friend will see the commissioned piece .

Slowly I'm making progress, I know she's so wanting to see it but I want to be able to give it to her all finished, mounted and its special frame.