We've just got...

...back from France. It was heavenly as always. The sun shone.

The children had a "Swallows and Amazons" time playing in the pool, swimming in the river and hanging out with their friends there, while I searched for treasure and sampled a glass (or two) of wine!

The village reminds me of the film Chocolat; there are so many characters. The handsome local farmer who rides his horses bareback around the village with no shirt on. The curved backed old lady who wears a woolley cardi, socks and slippers with a tabbard whatever the weather and the nutty old bloke who sweeps the street and speaks with such a strong Charantais accent that no one can understand him! There's always gossip to catch up on and lovely friends to see.

I miss it already.

This is Ruby...

...She modelled for us on our home page and for the cute "Chien Lunatique" signs. She belongs to Monsieur Le P. He can mostly be heard shouting "Ruby, you $*@@ idiot!" at her when she's around. He says she has a brain the size of a lentil and is worthy of a doggy ASBO. She eats strange things like bags of raw potatoes and washing powder tablets. She was angellic when we did our shoot though!

I have finally...

...had my lovely old French sign hung in my kitchen. Most satisfying. Lovely sun-worn colours.

I've also been listening to this song alot. Think it will be my summer song for this year...



Are you sure I couldn't get away with dying my hair the same Tomato Soup red?...
Pfft...whatevs...

Must tell you...

...Atlanta Barlett, who wrote "At Home With White" has written a new book called Pale and Interesting. It's absolutely lovely. Right up our street. One's coming home with me tonight!

Lovely times in...

...Norfolk at the weekend with my lovely sis-in-law Alex. Her daughter India...Boo from Monsters Inc. Adorable.

Think Alex has forgotten the "Joys" of an English summer after living in NYC for so long!

It was my...

 ...birthday last weekend. It was satisfyingly flower filled. Above for the garden, below for the house.

 Tea and cake on Friday after work and dinner on Saturday night. This was the table before dinner. The after dinner table was a slightly more bottle strewn, messy affair. It was a balmy evening and it ended with us all in the garden singing cheesy songs accompanied by Felix and Monsieur le P on guitar. Badly. The singing, not the guitaring. Sunday was a write off.

This is how...

...my sorry little garden looked when I bought my house in late summer 2009.

 Then in May last year it looked like this...

...then this a few weeks later.

Then in May this year, there was much hammering and banging at the bottom of the garden...

Then tadaaa!

I love my shed!