Refreshing

 It was a stunning crisp day. A perfect day to get in tune with the vibes that hum in the quaint town of Gap.

 I thought I'd give you an up date on my two horse neighbours: Roxanne and Cybéle. Every time I pass by, I call out and speak to them in french. They twitch their ears, blink and otherwise remain motionless. I making clucking and kissing noises. I'm afraid it's a very one-way relationship. In this photo they are only two tiny dots in the distance.

They aren't wearing coats. The snow is starting to melt, revealing dead, muddy grass. Yuk!

I stopped at the patisserie to purchase some items for lunch. I paused to take a photo of this cool BLUE plant. Next to it ,someone has very optimistically planted some baby polyanthus. I wonder how they will cope with the next snow fall?

Walking towards town I wanted to show you the barren trees. Most of the snow has melted.

I paused at the florist. I loved the window display, but this photo does it no justice. 

I peeked through the door and asked the lady if I could take a photo, " Bonjour, Madame! Excusez-moi, est-ce que je jeux prendre un photo?" She agreed with a wide beaming grin and a flow of beautiful poetic french that I didn't understand a word of.

I peeked through the door after I took the photo and asked her if she had made the display herself. 

Damn it! I inadvertently used the informal "tu" instead of the more polite "vous". How rude of me! But she was very forgiving and we laughed at my language incapabilities with amicable giggles. The people in Gap are so friendly!

I rather fancied the name of this restaurant.

Interesting menu. Pink Pasta: with leek sauce and scallops. Interesting.

This dude below is doing a concert in Gap on Friday 31 January. He looks like a cool Monsieur. I wonder what his music is like?

These gorgeous ladies are a cool arty attraction in the town square. Its impossible to take photos because of the shadows cast from the winter light.

I paused in a dog walking park to eat lunch. A curious little doggie wanted to eat my pizza. The doggie's owner and I struck up a conversation. I was quite taken by her striking looks. Her skin was beautiful and her minimal makeup enhanced her beauty immensely. It was near the end of the conversation that I found out that she was in Gap for 6 months of cancer treatment. Her husband had died of cancer 7 years ago. Her turquoise eyes told me more of her personal story than she could ever express in words. It was a fleeting but humbling conversation.

I live in the South of Gap. I had walked to furtherest northern regions. Here the snow had not melted. It had turned to ice. Very treacherous.

I started following a river. It was very beautiful and rustic.

After following the river for some time, the sun was beaming into this little enclave next to the river. Someone had placed two chairs in amongst the leaves. It was the perfect place to stop and meditate. I could have stayed there for hours as the river made a wonderful sound as it gurgled and gushed over the rocks. MMMMmmmmmmm.  How refreshing!

What inspires you?

What inspires me??????

COLOUR

I picked up these little darlings in a 4 minute pee wee stop on the border of France and Italy in a tobacconist shop, Tabac. Aren't they sweet? I wonder why I am so attracted to owls. They are made of a very light ceramic substance.

I invited E and JM chez moi for a Shepherd's Pie dinner. E brought the desert. She just so happened to bring the desert ( beautifully crafted, delicious pastries) on a gorgeous bright pink glossy plate. She was very generous by saying that I could keep the plate. I took a photo of it close up and then I promptly used it as a backdrop for my i pad setting!  ( Ma vie on rose!) It was not contrived that the time was eleven minutes past the hour.

The girls bathroom at the car museum was the most outrageous green that you can possibly imagine! We all posed with confidence in front of the mirror. 

What an audacious colour for a ladies rest room.

Je l'adore!

What a snazzy colour combination for a table setting!

The students at the high school that we visited in Italy didn't wear a uniform. One of the boys was wearing a very cool t shirt. He didn't mind at all when I asked him if I could take a photo of his T shirt.

The colour of this little darling, really got my heart pumping!

My fleecy-lined purple gloves have been an absolute blessing.

Glossy orange Halloween display. Delectable!

Very groovy display in the italian car museum.

When I stayed with L in Italy, she gave me the most gorgeous little tartan slippers to wear inside the house. LURVE!!!  L'amour.

The groovy display in the window of a local shop was truly inspiring!

Shop window in Italy. ARHHHHH! Gorgeous!!!! I had to run fast to catch up with the group after taking this photo!

This kind of visual tease is a common sight in shop windows everywhere!!!!  These particular little darlings were in Italy.

CALM DOWN!

 I decided it is much better to look rather than taste it all.

Some people are just darn clever artists! 

I invited a friend to have a play with the "paper" app on my i pad. This is what he came up with. Looks like a "Matisse" to me!

I sure had fun with this little display on my apartment coffee table. The teddy bear                     ( nounours) is from a second hand store. I sewed some eyelashes on her. Adorned her with my fabulous jewellery, sat her on top of my knitting project, and accompanied her with some flowers that E had given me. Voila!

This is my humble table setting just before E and JM arrived as dinner guests. The table cloth is a purchase from the supermarket.

This is my masterpiece whilst playing with the tools of the "paper" app on my i pad.

E gave me the red shoulder bag. It has been the most useful colourful bag that has accompanied me on many travels. The matching tartan ( carreaux) bag was a 5 euro purchase in a second-hand store. It is styled with a fantastic retro, 1960's silhouette. I love it. When you go supermarket shopping, you HAVE to take your open bags. Many times over the last 3 months I have been caught out. The tartan bag pairs nicely with the red bag and I must be the most well co ordinated shopper in Gap.

This cool picture of red poppies adorns my wall in the apartment. I love the symbolism of the poppy with the NZers that died at Dunkirk. I bought this gorgeous canvas from a second-hand shop for 2 euros. I had to cart it home along with a donkey-load of other stuff at the same time.

I bought a skipping rope with every good intention in the world to do some exercise. In the good old days of youth, I skipped to keep in good form. Alas, the skipping rope hung around for quite a few weeks. Fuelled with creativity, I decided to put the skipping rope to good use. I tied my peggy squares to it and strung it from hither to thither. Then not to be too boring, I have hung my broaches and earrings on the squares to good effect. Above the hanging is a calendar that I bought for next year. It is full of colour. I thought that it would make a good gift, but I'm not too sure if I could part with it. You know what its like when you buy gifts.

I have really enjoyed experimenting with using watercolours and felt pens. I have made my own thank you cards.

Thank you for following my blog.

Have you ever experienced the same numbers occurring?

Just before I went to Italy, I started having a bizarre phenomenon happen. Every time I glanced to see what the time was, it always seemed to be eleven minutes past the hour! 

It seemed to happen all the time!

When I was in Italy I decided to take a snap of this repeating pattern to share on my blog.

So …..

 please find below only a tiny portion of my phenomenon.

You are probably thinking that I had contrived it this way. 

Not true.

In fact there are countless other times that I looked at the clock at eleven minutes past the hour that I didn't record!

Those of you who are aware of numerology will probably have a good idea about the "energy" that comes with the number eleven. 

In fact, eleven is occurring all around me in every conceivable nook and cranny.

Thank you to R, C, and B for being superb "elevens"! Je t'adore!

Guitar magic

D, a petite, energetic , forty-something friend asked if I would like to attend a guitar concert. Her blue eyes sparkled with kindness and a genuine desire to connect with me. I jumped at the opportunity. I love guitar music and I have many CD's of pure guitar music to prove it. 

In particular, my middle son is an accomplished player. I frequently would ask him to play for me at family gatherings. It would always make me swell with pride at his prowess. The guitar is a beautiful instrument that is VERY EASY to listen to. I used to love attending the annual concert where the high school students would do a performance piece each in from of the parents. Nowadays, I am still able to enjoy concert performances by the talented students at the school where I work.

Anyway, I knew that I would be in for a treat. D, made a most delicious hot winter soup and french  for a wholesome family meal. Next was a crisp green salad with roasted, pickled capsicums. Then came a fresh chocolate cake served with vanilla custard. D was apologetic for the simple meal, but, I tried to make it clear that I thought it was delicious and very much appreciated. 

We donned warm items of clothes. I doubled up on everything except jeans.

gloves, scarves, jackets, socks. Each of these items I wore two of them! Ridiculous , I know. I must have looked like a walking wardrobe! 

The tiny little car, lurched and zoomed along the icy road into town with a gaiety in spite of the snow and ice that provided a wee bit of a threat. Animated talking whilst driving seems to be the norm. 

The guitar concert was held in a well-heated church. Each guitar performance was acknowledged with pride and empathy towards the students nervousness. The two guitar teachers hung on every note that the student played. You could see the love that they felt for their craft and their teaching position. If you look closely in the photo below, the guitar teacher is seated against the wall, eagerly urging the boys on.

The grand finale was all the guitars playing in a stupendous ensemble. The orchestration was masterful and I was so glad that I had been invited!

Snow

The trip to Italy was an introduction to seeing and feeling snow in large amounts. In order to arrive in Italy, it was necessary to travel through very high mountains. Here is a photo looking out the bus window.

 As you can see, the air is thick with a white mist. 

Our lunch stop in a ski resort village was fascinating. The village had prepared for the onslaught of seasonal visitors. Everything had been prepared, but there was NO-ONE around. It was quite deserted. Although, I did see a very glamorous, sexy woman who must have been part of the jet set. The ski season will soon start, and I could imagine the village alive with energetic sporty people.

The students let off some steam by throwing snow at each other. I have since learnt that this is a very common practice.


Last weekend, I smiled to myself as a saw a father and young teenage son have a fun fight that involved trying to get snow down the back of the other person's clothes. I shuddered and cringed at the thought of snow melting down my back as if someone had done the dirty deed.  I think that must be pretty damn close to torture.


My Sensations of "Cold".

Whenever I go out walking now, I ensure that I have plenty of layers on. The amazing thing about these sub-zero temperatures, is exposed body parts. What an incredible experience to have cold eyeballs!!! …… and what about cold teeth???????? How crazy is that?  My cheeks feel as though knives are cutting into my skin. When waiting for the bus, I can feel the ice off the North Pole cutting into my bones. I keep shaking my legs and walking on the spot. I haven't yet experienced waiting for the bus for longer than 10 minutes. I don't think I could last longer than 10 minutes.

A friend, D, quietly chuckled to herself when I went for dinner the other night. She was tickled by the fact that I had so many layers on. Of course, when you live in the mountains, your body adjusts to the temperatures.I have yet to adjust. 

The first sprinkling of snow was pure magic. It fell in soft feathery patterns. It was EXACTLY like being in a glass snowball that you shake up. It was soooooooooo beautiful!!!!!

Once the snow has fallen and the low, heavy clouds have cleared, the vista is AHMAZING!!!! 

The sharp winter sun casts sharply contrasting shadows and the snow glistens like diamonds.

My apartment maintains a temperature of 21 degrees all day and all night. I am so lucky to be so cosy.

I have bought some more clothes in an attempt to be more appropriately dressed for the weather. Quality clothes are not cheap!

 The snow makes the most delectable crunchy sound when you walk on it. (I love squeaky sand as well.) Footprints in the snow are just as poetic as footprints in the sand. 

Some very cheeky boys at school, were in fits of hilarity when I took a photo of their anatomically detailed snow creature. The funny thing was, the body part snapped off as I was about to take the picture, so they put it back on again after making it even larger!

Exploring the streets of Turin at night

Walking through the centre of town in Turin was an enlightening experience. It was freezing cold, but there thousands of people. It was a SUNDAY evening! The shops were open, there was a very busy night market and there was plenty of people watching to be done.

This white building was so classy and grandiose, I just had to share it with you. It looks very important with the flags flying.

There is a pedestrian street in Turin that extends for 5 kilometres of shops. It was alive with people. We strolled along for about an hour.

The lights in the shape of  human forms had us guessing as to their meaning.

I took a snap of a fantastic light display over the top of the market stalls. 

I bought a couple of cute little Pinnochio toys and a wooden game of coits. It was really cool buying directly from the guy who had handcrafted these toys.

The tall characteristic italian buildings took on a different mood at night time.

We stopped and each bought a sorbet to slurp on. I chose a most unusual flavour called: kaki. The fruit is local and it is bright orange in colour. It tasted like a cross between a mango and a persimmon. Delicious.

As we strolled along, this beautiful courtyard opened up in front of us.

I LOVE this photo I took of a contemporary art design in the same frame as the quaint old lamp post. 

We wearily made our way back to the car. It seemed miles away.

I was very grateful to S and R for providing us three teachers from France with such a full day of fun. I was quite amazed when S suggested that she make dinner for us. It was very late and the last thing she probably felt like doing, was to make a meal for us. 

However, we accepted her invitation and had a wonderful three course meal before she and R delivered us back to our respective home stays. 

I felt very sad to say goodbye to S and R because we had forged strong friendships in a very short time.