26 Apr 2013

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE



more participants at Susanne at Living to tell the Story.

1. After having gathered everything to take along to Ollioules at the French Riviera,  and packed my suitcase, Mr. G drove me to the airport to be there at 7 am. With pleasure I said good bye to the cold weather, took the plane and 2 h later had arrived in Marseille, where Claudie picked me up. 



Before driving home, we stopped in Aix en Provence a beautiful old town where her daughter studies History of Art at the  University. We strolled through the old city and went to her flat where we had a picnic. It's located in center of Aix in a very old house (picture on bottom left)  with thick walls and a view on the charming little street.where the painter Cézanne had lived and died.




On the way home we stopped in Sanary at the beach where we had a coffee and enjoyed the beautiful view on the sea.

2.  Claudie's daughter had her first painting exhibition  and we spent the morning by preparing the paintings to be  hanged up. Dad armed with a hammer put the nails in the frames and I helped to choose which painting should be exposed.



Here I was in my element ! I love to prepare exhibitions and have done quite a lot in Art school, for myself and for my painting class. It took us 2 h before we were satisfied with the result. Then we drove home to dress up for the event which started at 6 pm.



3.



The owner of the restaurant with Mélissa the artist and lots and lots of people arrived. The Restaurant was located just opposite the beach.



She got flowers, and drinks and sandwiches were served. A local Newspaper journalist came and interviewed her. It was just great and the poor girl was overwhelmed by the success and so many people !
We were all exhausted when we came back late, just had supper and went to bed !

4.  We had to drive to Aix en Provence again to empty Melissa's flat as her university year finished.



We gathered the last things made some pictures as souvenir and she said good bye to the place where she had lived for a school year.




Then we bought a well earned sandwich and sat on the fountain in the middle of the townhall place. I was so amused by the little city buses, and first thought it was a private mini bus, but not at all the streets in Aix are so narrow that they have to use such little buses ! It was the same with the garbage truck unfortunately I didn't have my camera on hand, it just looked like a normal one only in "toy" size !

5. I had always wanted to visit one of my favorite painters Cézanne and was so happy to finally see his paining atelier which was on the hills surrounding Aix.



The way from the center to his atelier was very badly indicated but fortunately I had taken my beloved Madame GPS along so we found it rather quickly but the house number of the street was wrong ! Shame on Madame GPS !

Finally we found it and entered through a little door into a wonderful garden with the Atelier.



His painting equipment was on display in the room he finished his paintings and also had this beautiful view unfortunately now interrupted by the roofs of the houses.

We had been told to go a little further to see the place where he used to paint, which was extremely difficult to find, which I found a shame, we were not the only once who walked and walked asked twice for the way and finally arrived.



No wonder that he had chosen this place ! The view was just stunning ! Paintings of young artists were exposed there now always changing and lots of artists go there to paint. It is an extremely peaceful place and you can listen to the silence ! The blooming bushes, flowers and trees made an extraordinary parfum  floating in the air.

We stayed there for a while and then drove back to the center of Aix had a nice cool drink before we went home.


Cézanne' paintings

25 Apr 2013

A WONDERFUL PAINTING EXPOSITION

Jenny Matlock
more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday

I am actually at the French Rivera staying with Claudie who had been with us in Waterloo last week.



In the morning we had our coffee outside and rested a bit before we went to the Bar/Restaurant where Mélissa her 21 year old daughter had her first exhibition.



What a work ! Fortunately I was able to help her as I am used to prepare expositions, but still we worked for two hours choosing the colors preparing and her Dad hang them on the wall !



and here was the final result Mélissa and I were quite satisfied



The visitors arrived at 6 pm and there were quiet a lot !



Drinks and little sandwiches were served, and the owner of the restaurant posed with Mélissa..

The exposition was a full success and really wonderful !

24 Apr 2013

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

more participants here



On holidays in the South of France

23 Apr 2013

OUR WORLD - Gaasbeek park




The Gaasbeek castle is surrounded by a very beautiful and big park ! you can spend hours in there



The wood looked as if it had snowed



But it was a carpet of these little flowers





Fishing is allowed and picnics too







And especially for kids there is a little zoo !

While you are reading this I sit in the airplane taking me to the South of France to spend a week with my friend Claudie.


22 Apr 2013

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?



Helps you to remember what you have done on the weekend of April 20. If you participate please put the little logo on the top of your post and leave your link.

After the rather busy weekend last week, this one was very calm. I did some laundry to have everything clean for my forthcoming trip to the Côte d'Azur on Tuesday. I never pack my suitcase long before but really in the last minute because otherwise I have already forgotten what I put in. But everything has to be clean of course.



And while the washing machine was turning I watched TV a bit and was disturbed by a loud snoring coming from this little cat ! She snored like an old man only she hadn't her mouth open !



Mr. G. was glued "on" the TV screen he watched Formular 1 in Bahrain !  Arthur wasn't very interested in the vroom, vroom of the racing cars, as Mr. G. wore his headset to hear the cars a little louder !  I escaped, and went to Ilona for a little chat and we tried out the new Indian tea  she had bought and it was delicious. The weather was wonderful, sunshine and blue sky but so cold that we couldn't sit outside !

On Sunday afternoon I went to "my" Indian shop to buy some skin cream for the day. The cream is totally natural and I am very happy with it, and with the price too !



From outside it doesn't look very nice and is located in the middle of an industrial zone, but once inside you feel like in Ali Baba's cave !



On my way back I admired the blooming Japanese cherry trees, which are planted along all the streets in residential areas in Waterloo. In our street they are not very big yet because it's not so long ago the municipality had planted them.




Our garden is in full bloom too, it happened nearly from one day to the other. Our neighbor who never cuts anything in his yard and has hardly space to sit in there because it's so overgrown. This gives strange results when you see the yellow flowers in a pine tree ! But a beautiful magnolia tree is growing in front of his house, which the former owner had planted. It's not yet in full bloom.



Mr. G. was again in Bahrain driving in the racing cars and not responsive, the cats took it easy and slept !
And I took the opportunity to create new spring headers !