Monday, Monday...

.

Small, Satisfying Things

About Today...

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source

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. 1. My First Sip of Tea on Waking

2. The Familiar, but Nevertheless, Spectacular

View from my Kitchen Window

.3. Finding Photos I Didn’t Know I Had in an

Old Handbag

.4. Meeting a Friend Who's Back from India with

Some Great Fabrics to Share

.5. Hearing the Right Song at the Right Moment

.6. Receiving an Unexpected Compliment

.7. The Feeling I Got when My Soufflé made It To

the Table before Collapsing

.8. Making Someone Smile

9. Receiving a Handwritten Letter and Package

via Snail Mail
.

10. Finishing What I Started..!
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Do tell me, what small, satisfying things did you
achieve today..?

C'est la Canicule..!

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Trop chaud pour travailler…

je rêve de passer mes journée dans l'eau...

. Heidi Claire blog

Tuscan Villas

Achitectural Digest

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Côté Sud

We're in the midst of a heatwave here

(which is why I'm dreaming of water, pools, the sea, bathing...)

unfortunately, it's all work and no play chez moi..!

.I LOVE hot weather, I always have, just not, when I've got so much work

that I can't get out and enjoy it...

Is it hot where you are..?

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Just Wondering Why...

* why so many people say I resemble Katherine Hepburn
- of course, it's extremely flattering; unfortunately for me, it's NOT true...
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Katherine Hepburn
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* why everybody, but me, can whistle...

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* why the majority of people watching the Annecy marathon

last weekend wore trainers and tracksuits...

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* why, if I prefer a degree of privacy, do I blog..?
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* why Sarkozy seems more interested in being popular

than being effective...

Does he really think that by insulting Obama/Merkel/Zapatero...

we'll no longer focus on how little he's done
in terms of this country's economy, unemployment rate,

homelessness and crime..?

* why I sometimes I forget how lucky I am...

* why so many people feel obliged to share their personal

(as in, private) life with strangers (as in, neighbours)...

* why I can't leave the house without walking through a

cloud of scent (Nothing too overpowering, just a spritz up into the air)...

* why so many people I know don't seem to know the difference

between monologue and conversation...

con·ver·sa·tion:

the spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; talk.

mon·o·logue:

a prolonged talk or discourse by a single speaker,

particularly one dominating or monopolizing a conversation..!

* why everybody, but me, can wink...

.
* why people keep refering to Susan Boyle as unattractive.

The GREAT singers were never about image.

Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and their ilk were singers first and foremost

When you got to see them in person it did not occur to expect them to be any more

than they were. People did not expect a plastic doll...

* why people are always blaming their circumstances for what they are.

People who get on in this world are the people who get up

and look for the circumstances they want, and,

if they can’t find them, make them...

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* why so many of us are too busy watching how people see us
to just be ourselves...
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Are wondering why..?

I'd love to know...

Sometimes...

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Sometimes i do things right,
and sometimes I don't.

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I love this by image Tim Walker

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Sometimes i love to cook,

and sometimes i love to watch.

Sometimes i just want to hide under my quilt.
and sometimes i want to leap out from under my quilt...

Sometimes i love eating out,

and sometimes i just want to eat in

Sometimes i think outside the box,

and sometimes i don't know how to do otherwise

Sometimes i think I can,

and sometimes i know i can...

Sometimes I want to escape for a day...

but I always want to come back!

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am.

Do you have a sometimes?

Spring is in the Air...

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Looks like Spring may,

at long last,

be just around the corner..

.

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Meanwhile...

Things that are baffling to me:

collections - of any kind - for display purposes only,

liqueur-filled chocolate,

zealots, decaf, hors-d’oeuvre sized dogs,

politicised tragedies, motherhood,

pine-scented anything, government forms,

campsites with satellite hook-up, celebrity worship,

bad faith, why I can remember all the lyrics to songs

I haven’t heard in 20 years

but can never remember my neighbour’s name,

people who name their daughter Lolita,

socks + sandals, slapstick,

French stand-up comics, accordion music,

how anyone can stand up, never mind, walk in skycraper-

high stilletto heels...

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What's baffling you right now..?

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Things I'm Wondering...

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* where I could purchase the beautiful

mohair blanket below...

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Image: JJJJound

* why we can't all just get along...
.
.* how long it takes to forget things...
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* why people are so concerned with the opinions of others...

* how long it takes to "get" that some people just aren't
ever going to "get it"...
..
* why people choose to sit at the table next to you
when the restaurant is practically empty...
.
* could I really live without my cell phone...
.
* why everybody, but me, can wink...

* how come I'm so excited to be going to Paris
tomorrow when I've already been there zillions of times...
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The Weekend Strikes Again...

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What's your idea of a perfect weekend..?

. Photo: Nicolas Mathéus

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Going away somewhere,
away from the daily routine or the familiar surroundings
and taking in new sights, new surroundings,
new experiences..?
It certainly has its attractions:
the chance to get away, if only for a couple of days.
Or staying home and making plans:
having friends over, or throwing a dinner party or
filling the days with activities and errands that you never otherwise have time
to do during the regular hectic week..?
Or, even better, staying home and just enjoying yourself
with no definitive plans..?
Sleeping in, giving yourself that much-needed manucure perhaps,
having a family night with a good old film classic.
Spending Saturday watching the blue sky and the first signs
of an early Spring in the garden.
Enjoying a leisurely bike ride by the lake, pond or river.
Folding freshly-washed, sweet-smelling laundry.
Making paper thin savoury crêpes to fill with goat's cheese, aragula and
sun-dried tomatoes for Sunday brunch.

I'd love to know your thoughts on the subject...

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BON WEEKEND..!

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Can You Help..?

...

"The position of a foreigner with complete command

of the same language has great advantages".

George Bernard Shaw

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Daughter, 2000, with what she called her African hairstyle..!

Daughter
(who is, to all intents and purposes, bi-lingual)
regularly comes home from school with new (American) English words

and expressions to enrich our predominantly (English) English vocabulary...

Her English teacher this year, is on a mission,

it would appear, to get the entire class speaking American English

by the end of the school year

(Nothing like being passionate about your subject, Good Luck to her, I say!)

Unfortunately, I can't always answer the many,

many questions Daughter has with regards to these new words

and expressions, and I would imagine, her teacher

is more than tired of her constant

questionning...

Here are just a few examples,

maybe you can help out...

If "feeling sick" means felling ill, what is the word for

feeling sick..?
.

Why is a main course meal called an "entrée"..?

.

If "cookie" means biscuit, what if you want a cookie and not

just any other type of biscuit..?

If "cream" means milk, what do you ask for if you want

milk and not cream..?

If "pocket book" is a purse what is a small

(pocket) book called..?

If a toilet is a bathroom, what do you ask for if you

want the bathroom to have a bath..?

If "pants" are trousers what do you call

your underwear..?

If petrol is called gas, what's the word for gas..?

What is a bumbag or fanny pack..?

Why is is thought rude to host your own
birthday party..?
Apparently somebody else does this for you, this can't be true,

can it..?

..
Thanking you all, in advance,

on behalf of aforementioned Daughter..!

What a difference a week makes...

.

I've just spoken to a friend in Aix en Provence
and they are snowed under..!

I don't think I've ever seen snow in Provence even though
I've lived there and been a regular year-round visitor
ever since.
I took the majorority of the photos below of Aix, Bonnieux, Goult,
Cucuron and Lourmarin only this time
last week...
..

Oh, I almost forgot what I was to post about...
. I was asked by mail by my dear friend, and follower of my blog,

what my New Year's resolutions for 2009 were; so, as

I don't actually make them anymore

(after years of never keeping them, despite my best intentions..!)

I thought the following would pretty much sum up

my feelings about the year ahead,

so, here goes:

."To live content with small means

To seek elegance

rather than luxury

And refinement rather than fashion

To be worthy, not respectable

And wealthy, not rich

To study hard, think quietly,

talk gently, act frankly

To listen to stars and birds,

to babes and sages,

with open heart

To bear all cheerfully, do all bravely,

await occasion, hurry never

In a word,

to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious

grow up through the common

This is to be my symphony"

William Ellery Channing
.
Does anybody out there still make New Year's resolutions..?
More interestingly, what I'd love to know is,

if you do make them, do you actually keep them..?
.

*A timely reminder..?

Don't write...

Don't write.

It's too powerful.

It might tell someone how

you feel.

How you hurt.

What you don't understand.

Don't write.

It's too powerful.

It will show who you are

on the inside to the outside.

It'll blow your cover,

your nice reputation.

Don't write.

It's too powerful.

You might hurt someone's feelings.

People may not like your words.

They may attack you,

or abandon you.

Don't write.

It's too powerful.

It might give others hope.

Let them know

they're not alone.

It might change minds.

Change directions.

Change the world.

.
So, whatever you do,

don't write.

.

Jen Lee

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* This poem is not only a timely reminder given current events

in France and around the world but

also, at least, to my mind,

it raises the issue of how and why bloggers decide

to censure themselves...or not.

I'd love to hear any thoughts you may have on the

issues raised...

Reflections...

Things I Know For Sure...

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Laughing is good therapy.

No matter what, at the end of the day you can't recapture lost time.

Reading the instructions makes all the difference.

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What you do to others reflects on you.

My occupation does not define me.

No-one can see dust in candlelight.

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The older I get the more I appreciate my youth.

It is physically impossible to tickle yourself

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There is no recompense for the loss of one's self-respect

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I love the sounds of happiness.

Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.

Only you know what is best for you.

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It takes two to be a couple.

My position in the community does not define me.

I like my bed better than any other.

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Thoughts without action are only daydreams.

To attract friends you must be friendly.

No-one is ever going to take me camping...

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Never compare yourself with others.

It is because we are different that each of us is special.

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When you make big mistakes
You make smaller ones next time

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To attract love you must be loving.

They don't make movies like they used to...

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.I'd love to know what's on your list...

Live life to the full...

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12 Rules to Live by
by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Clematis on my garden fence

Make up your mind to be happy.

Learn to find pleasure in simple things.

Make the best of circumstances.

No one has everything and everyone has something

of sorrow.

Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Don’t let criticism worry you.

You can’t please everybody.

Don’t let your neighbors set your standards;

be yourself.

Do things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.

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Don’t borrow trouble.

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Imaginary things are harder to bear than actual ones.

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Since hate poisons the soul,

do not cherish enmities and grudges.

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Avoid people who make you unhappy.

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Have many interests.

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If you can’t travel, read about places.

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Don’t hold post-mortems or spend time brooding

over sorrows and mistakes.

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Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.

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Keep busy at something.

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A very busy person never has time to be unhappy...

.

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HAVE A NICE DAY..!

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So true...

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I can’t remember where I saw this, but I thought it was worth sharing...

.

Isabella Smith

The most destructive habit -
Worry

The greatest Joy -
Giving

The greatest loss -
loss of self-respect

The most satisfying work -
Helping others

The ugliest personality trait -
Selfishness

The most endangered species -
Dedicated leaders

Our greatest natural resources -
Our youth

The greatest "shot in the arm" -
Encouragement

The greatest problem to overcome -
Fear

The most effective sleeping pill -

Peace of mind

The most crippling failure disease -
Excuses

The most powerful force in life -
Love

The most dangerous pariah -
A gossiper

The world's most incredible computer -
The brain

The worst thing to be without -
Hope

The deadliest weapon -
The tongue

The two most powerful words -
"I Can"

The greatest asset -
Faith

The most worthless emotion -
Self-pity

The most beautiful attire -
Smile

The most prized possession -
Integrity

The most contagious spirit -
Enthusiasm...
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Life's journey...

X

X "Do not undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others.
It is because we are different that each of us is special.
.

Do not set your goals by what other people deem important.
Only you know what is best for you.
.

Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart.
Cling to them as you would your life,

for without them,

life is meaningless.
.

Do not let your life slip through your fingers by living
in the past nor for the future.
By living your life one day at a time, you live all of the days of your life.
.

Do not give up when you still have something to give.
Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
It is a fragile thread that binds us to each other.
.

Do not be afraid to encounter risks.
It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

.
Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive love is to give love.
The fastest way to lose love is too hold it too tightly.
In addition, the best way to keep love is to give it wings

XDo not dismiss your dreams.
To be without dreams is to be without hope.
To be without hope is to be without purpose.
.

Do not run through life so fast that you forget
not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way."
.

From : Expressions From The Heart