I Can Have My Cake Too...

Look what my thoughtful Hubby brought home for me last week ...Gluten Free Cakes to enjoy... and this will last a few days too as I savour them!!! My very own lemon meringue pie, caramel slice, a slice of poppy seed cake and delicious hazelnut slice with a chocolatey centre ...yumm. Being able to buy these I can indulge along with others at tea time, coffee time...and yes even pink champagne time!!! I can even have from there ...Turkish Bread - delicious dipped in good olive oil and dhuka that we can purchase from a local winery...and even a baguette!!! Not to mention fruit breads and buns, pumpkin loaf, Farmhouse loaf ... a great variety for all the gluten intolerant folks out there. And ...today we have a wedding anniversary...our girl is off to a craft group for a few hours and Hubby is home today and we will go out for lunch somewhere... so I better get going and make the most of it all...hope you enjoy your day and I'll think of you at lunch!!!

I've been succumbed to Yule, Vettriano ... and White

Okay, after reading about other bloggers getting into it, and starting to talk about ... and decorating for the coming Festive Season ... I also had to partake ... and hung up this little wall quilt made by my old Quilting Group ... And then, just in time for the Season ... out comes the bottlebrush ... a good old Aussie native plant ... here is a close up of it (and you can see how it received it's name) ...

It just looks so majestic, standing tall and proud ...

... Being further succumbed ... by Jack Vettriano who has emerged from a career in the Scottish coalfields to become one of Scotland's best known contemporary painters. He has received no formal tuition ... has exhibitions in Edinburgh, London, Johannesburg and Hong Kong and is represented by Portland Gallery, London.

If only this one could talk ...

'Elegy for a Dead Admiral' (1998)

'Back Where You Belong' (2000)

'The Singing Butler' (1998)

... and the final one, the all white look, that is so popular now ... of course ... with a touch of the coast . I do so enjoy looking at these joyful things in a new way, especially at the start of summer nearly upon us, the white just looks soooo refreshing, the Vettriano's are simply stunning and the bottlebrush has made perfect timing for it all. Hoping you also enjoy the start of your new Season ... till next time ...

My French Life

This week I had the absolute joy of receiving through the mail ... my very own personally signed copy of 'My French Life' by the lovely Vicki Archer. Vicki tells how she fell in love at first sight ... le coupe de foudre ... with Mas de Berard on the outskirts of Saint-Remy-de-Provence...the property has been beautifully restored, there is a lovingly tended olive farm ... and she tells how her and her family came to be in this beautiful spot. Lavish photography by Carla Coulson accompany Vicki's French life ...

...Then, yesterday I happened to see Carla's latest book and simply had to have it ... to accompany Vicki's ...

... I am enjoying my print ... Pierre-Auguste Renoir - A Country Dance 1883, Musee d'Orsay, Paris

... to continue the theme I saw this calendar also yesterday and yes ... had to have it too

... an image from the calendar ... Carrousel au-dessous Sacre Coeur

... another image ... Aux Provinces Brasserie

I am enjoying my little Paris things today ... I even have a little dog called Paris ...
I am listening to Juliet Greco singing Sous le Ciel de Paris ... and enjoying a coffee ... and dreaming... I am excited about my French moment ... may you enjoy your special moments and make them all count ... back to the real world now ... c'est la vie ...

The Nation Stops ... Melbourne Cup

Just back from a Melbourne Cup Chicken & Champagne Lunch (hic ...), a tradition here in this country...most of the country literally stops for The Race of the Nation...and we just couldn't miss out ... the lunch venue ... ... a local bowling club with a backdrop of good old Aussie gums ...

... the board with all the horses names, bets on everywhere ...

... like I said, we all stop for it ...

... champagne for the table ...

... put on the fascinator, beads and shawl ... don't forget the bag ...

... and our Jo-Jo even decorated her very own hat for her celebration ...

I would say a great day by all who participated in Australia ... I hope you all enjoyed your Melbourne Cup Celebration, whether a quiet one at home with the television on or one of the many Chicken & Champagne lunches that abound ... Here's to the Melbourne Cup ...

Come ... walk with me - to the beach

We had a special evening tonight ... respite care for our daughter while she went out to a dinner at a local Country Club to celebrate Halloween ... so what did we do, we thought we'd take an early evening walk ... yes, just the two of us (doesn't happen very often) down to the beach ...

... we happened upon others with the same idea ...

... to our delight ... in the distance we saw a lovely little wedding party (the bride wore cream), posing for photographs and walking with celebratory drinks in hand ...

...then Hubby checked out the low tide ...

... we looked at the twisted sandstone ...

... then wandered back home ... our little tree fern garden

.... trio of Angels waiting at the front door ...

... and then a glass of red, cheese and crackers, and time out for a couple of hours ... put some nice music on, light a candle and wait till she arrives back home ... a perfect Saturday evening ... Our wealth lies not in what we have but in what we enjoy (Anonymous) ... just about sums it up... I hope you all enjoy your Saturday nights ...