musings

Provencal Summer Days ...

... slow, almost languid, full of pleasure. I can't begin to express how wonderful it is to be here, surrounded by the delights of the scenery and countryside, good friends old and new, conversations and laughter over delicious meals, and the sun that soaks into one's soul.

I am recuperating. My birthday 'present' to myself this year turned out to be an ambulance ride to the hospital, where I went through an emergency operation and spent two weeks in a mindless morphined-out fog, and then another two weeks at home sofa or bed-bound and pumped full of powerful antibiotics -- half an hour a day via a drip mind you. Made up for the last 20 or so years of having successfully avoided taking any drug stronger than a paracetamol. Am not going to go into any detail here and now, but I will one day if only as a warning to others to not ignore what might seem to be muscle sprains and aches ... they may turn out to be far more than they seem.

I have only just stopped limping and can finally turn my neck to the right without going "ouch". Progress. Rearranging my priorities as one would. Quality of life and health are now on the top of the list, BEFORE work. 

Looking back, I'm only surprised that I didn't suffer a worse fate. I've spent the last year and a half on the move and stressing out over the various challenges thrown my way. Well, it's now time to sit back and just enjoy being where I am for a bit, I think. Appreciating life and being alive. And deeply appreciating family and friends, especially the ones who literally saved my life and now those who are inspiring me mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I'd forgotten how important others are to our lives. Am now having a wonderful time re-exploring. Cheers!

Exhausted but Content

The above photo was taken on one of the rare moments in Kuala Lumpur (KL for those of you not in the know) where I was able to actually sit still and breathe while waiting for friends to join me for a coffee. Just before a dental appointment if I remember correctly.

It's been chaotic. It's always good to return home, especially to see the family and friends I've missed, but two weeks just isn't enough time in which to catch up AND run around to complete all the chores and errands on my Malaysian To-Do list.

Here are photos of my mum's garden ... more inspiration for my senses and drawings. I didn't have any time in KL to pick up pencils so had to wait till I got back to France and, here, I was finally able to flick through the photos and get some badly needed therapy with the heliconia drawing I eventually produced.

Of course I arrived back in a state of complete exhaustion and then promptly caught a cold. I hate being sick, so am fighting a losing battle with my body as it's insisting I get some rest and stop working. I may eventually have to listen! It is good to be back home in France where the colours may be less vibrant but the air is full of soft, clear light. Now, what should I draw next? ...

Off We Go Again

It's been busy. Still. I've moved in and am happy. I've had visitors non-stop since then, and still do. And in a couple of days I'm traveling once more in order to go through visa submissions again. The final steps I hope, toward a peaceful life spent at the drawing table and in front of the computer :)

Here's a photo of my present guest who is, unfortunately leaving back for the UK today. She's been lucky enough to have experienced cold but brilliant Provencal sun during her stay so I think she'll be missing it once she's home in the lovely English countryside and its er, slightly less sun-filled weather.

I'm now off to do a huge house-clean for the next guests who are arriving tomorrow and are going to keep a close eye on my pups while I'm away for a couple of weeks. I'll hopefully manage to post some photos and news while in hotter and far more humid climes. Cheers!

A Breather

 

I'd hoped to take a bit of a breather yesterday. Even went out and purchased a pile of newspapers and magazines so that I could rest, relax, read, do the Herald Tribune weekend crossword which I haven't done for ages (The NYT Sunday crossword for all you New Yorkers out there!) and flip through magazines for inspiration and ideas. What did I end up doing? A major house-clean instead! Yes, it took ALL DAY :)

It's a huge and wonderful relief to be in my own home again finally. After over a year's worth of temporary spaces, I now have spaces into which to organize (well, I try) all my accumulated clutter. And I've moved the den into the main house as I said I would and am extremely pleased at the result! Here's another photo of it:

There's still a lot of organizing and sorting to be done and I'll probably move furniture around a few times before I have it just right ... and then keep moving it anyway once every few months as I always seem to end up doing! Helps to clear clutter :)

I inherited the old tile fireplace with the house. I confess that I wasn't too sure of what to think of it when I first moved in, but it's growing on me. Next winter I may even light a fire in it!

And here's the kitchen, finally completed! I love it. Love the sink, the nice large oven, and (however silly this sounds), I even love my tall Brabantia garbage bin that is hiding behind the pillar ... it's one of those press-top ones and it's great, and just the right height.

And finally, here's the living-room, where I intend to unfold myself and relax later on this afternoon though I really should be drawing. I haven't opened a sketchbook for over two weeks now and the therapy is going to be much-needed, but I'm still a bit blocked so ...

I am shamelessly going to blame my latest visitor, Za, whom we already miss, the pups and I! We had a wonderful time with her despite the drizzly grey weather that swooped upon us on the second half of her stay. At least we managed a bright, sunny, almost warm and glorious day in Aix and a few lovely lunches at the Salon de The in the village. Here's Za polishing up the remains of her yummy duck lunch:

And here she is with a friend whom we visited in St Maxime ... and were rewarded with a delicious curry lunch too. Yes, food was definitely a priority. I really must run out and buy one of the citron tarts we got addicted to so I can post a photo of it just to remind Za of what she is missing ...

And last but not least, my last drawing was that of a pair of baby booties, so I thought I'd post a couple of photos of the twins it was meant for, Isabelle & Hugo:

Cheers!

Almost There!

It's been busy around here. Kitchen installers, plumbers, painter ... but we're almost there. I've been dividing my time between constant vacuuming, mopping and dusting (oh and assembling furniture, let's not forget that) and working. I've actually managed to start up a new store on zazzle for my typography (http://www.zazzle.com/floatinglemonstype) and I'm doing a Names Database on it, so if any of you want me to do up your names or those of friends or family, let me know!

It was a thrill having the kitchen finally installed. I love it. Of course the ventilator hood delivered was the wrong size and they won't be able to re-deliver the right one (their wrong) for 15 days, but that's small stuff considering everything else I've been through, so am not sweating it :)

The tiling (plain white) backsplash will be done soon and the painter is throwing a new coat onto the doors ... yes, white, all a brilliant white canvas ... so the only thing left once that's done is the Final Clean and a professional one on the tile floors that are full of plaster and paint -- and we're done!

I'm considering moving my studio/den into this room, and the dining table can go in between the rooms. Why? because I love being/working in the heart of the home itself, because there's wonderful light here, and because I've discovered that the dining table actually fits in the in-between rooms space without it being too much of a clutter. We shall call it cozy, shall we?

Anyway, I'll try it out for a few months and see how it works.

It's all exciting stuff for me but as I'm probably boring any reader (yes, you, I know there's at least one out there) silly, I shall stop right here. Have tons to do so am off to do it all. Cheers.

House Stuff

What can I say? Patience, patience, patience. Things are moving along slowly but surely. My builder's assistant is a true treasure, have I mentioned that? He's not only helping me put my furniture together and shelves in my pantry, but is a whizz at cleaning up after himself and the others ... thank goodness as I don't think I'd have been able to tackle all that plaster and paint that has settled so grimly on the floors ...

I'm grateful enough to have my den set up ... and am slowly getting it organized. Still procrastinating as far as filing is concerned though, the papers just seem to be building up on their own. Mountains on my i'll-get-to-it-later landscape!

I'm slightly blocked where my art is concerned but am working hard on the online stores to make up for it. Also on my typography (see http://www.floatinglemons.com for the results) and the sun is shining bright, so despite a few potholes on my mental horizon, life is good. Cheers to you all.

New Studio!

Hmmm, not the greatest photo as you can't tell from this but the room is actually lovely and filled with light. And I still have a way to go as far as getting my things in here and organised, but of course I managed to rush in all the essentials so that it would look relatively good ... it is wonderful beyond words to have a working space of my own again!

One of the builders helped me put most of the furniture together but when he left I tackled the chest of drawers (below) on my own and am embarrassingly proud of it too.

Have to spend the rest of the day working on the online stores and then will get the rest of my "stuff" in here and try not to think of all the filing that I should be doing  ... would rather procrastinate and go assemble a coffee table, dining-table or bed instead ... :)

It's Snowing!!

It's winter wonderland over here and absolutely gorgeous. Everything looks clean and pure. I love the snow and it's been falling heavily since early this morning.

My dogs have never seen snow, so it was a thrill introducing them to 3 inches worth of it on the ground. They refused to emerge from the safety of the courtyard at first but once I started stomping around in it they joined me ...

And off they went, racing around in it and sniffing and exploring!

It was a delight. We stayed out there scampering around till my toes started freezing over, and we're now cozily tucked away indoors. I have a feeling this may last a couple of days ... fortunately we're well stocked and I have tons of work to attend to, so all is well and we can admire the world draped in it's blanket of white. Cheers!

Home in Chaos

Yes, a house in chaos. I ordered basic furniture (bed, dining table and chairs, sofas, coffee table, bookshelves, desks ... ) and asked that someone come along to help put it all together as not only am I tired of having to do so after years of practice, but there's just too much for one person to do. Well, the boxes arrived but not the 'put-them-together' person.

So here we are, a house covered in plaster dust (cough cough) and boxes of stuff including kitchen cupboards and appliances. A kitchen space as yet to be painted which has to be done before the equipment gets installed (painter arrives back from holidays on the 7th of January), and ... well, myself quite bemused by the situation I find myself in.

Even if I decide to do the furniture myself it would take me weeks, especially considering the fact that I have work that needs to be done so cannot devote entire days to cursing over screws and nails that won't fit where the instructions tell me that they are meant to (yes, I have had tons of experience here heh).

And even worse, my toolbox is in my shipping which has yet to leave Australia. I do love trips to the hardware store but buying a second set of tools hardly seems worth it! Though how I'd love an electric screwdriver/drill right now! And a good hammer :)

It will get done eventually. You know it. I know it. Am drawing on reserves of patience... that, thankfully, seem infinite. Next week I shall tackle the phone calls and the cleaning up of layers of plaster dust that will inevitably remain around for weeks anyway no matter how hard I scrub ... seems to be inherent in the very nature of plaster dust (wheeze). That's life folks. I shall continue counting my blessings, as having a roof over my head is a top priority on that list and, chaotic or not, I have one! Cheers.

A Year of Change

2008. I can barely believe that we are at the end of this year. It’s been full, chaotic, and an emotional roller-coaster. I have moved homes 4 times, gone through miles of red tape, language deficiency problems, and cultural eye-openers ... and I can say that despite (or because of?) it all, I am happy. I love France and I love being where I am.

I have tons of resolutions for the coming year but the first order of the day is settling into my new home. It’s not quite ready ... I’ve had the main house (I’m living in what I call the Guest Area!) interior repainted white, and am installing a wee IKEA kitchen so I’ve had plumber, electrician, plasterer and painter traipsing through for the last couple of months. But I’ve been lucky to have found an extremely good builder whose punctuality, hard work and quality of finish still quite amazes me ... I hadn’t thought anyone like him still existed!

Living in chaos and in temporary quarters for this long has had a dampening effect on all areas of my life. I like to have my home relatively well organised and my routine set (at least in my mind if not in reality!) so this last 12 months has been a trial to say the least. I’ve discovered reserves of patience I never thought I had, and my motto, “Bit by Bit” seems particularly applicable.

Anyway, enough of ranting. As it’s just about the end of the year I thought I’d share a few photographs of my Xmas at the home of a good friend and then of the landscape of my walks around the new home in my absolutely tiny village in Provence ... these are dedicated to Di, who’s been very patiently awaiting my latest blog posts and pics!

CHRISTMAS AT GORDES:

And the walks and countryside around us:

Above is one of the olive groves we walk through, close to the house

And yes one of my resolutions for this coming year is to post here on a much more regular basis! I have plans to include the art, artists and anything else that delights me as I explore the internet as well as the countryside and life around me. Here's to a great 2009 for us all!!