Speaking of Beads...

.

I simply ADORE...

the beads, the stunning models, the fabrics,

and the general sunny, happy feeling that these photos

generate...

.

.

Africans have used beads for ritual and decorative purposes

for hundreds of years.

In ancient African graves, beads and beaded necklaces were found

buried with kings and chiefs.

The Ashanti people of of Ghana reasoned that powdered glass beads

were worth their weight in gold and that certain beads

held supernatural protective powers.

. .

The Yoruba people of Nigeria believed that buried beads

would grow in the ground and multiply.

The most popular trading items brought over by the Europeans

in the 16th century were beads

and thousands of pounds of beads were exchanged.
.
.

Until the 20th century, no other continent imported as many beads

or yielded as many different types of its own.

The abundance of the shear variety of shapes, colors

and materials used is overwhelming.

None though is as popular as the glass bead.

The traditional glass bead practice thrives in West Africa.

Today, the Krobo people of Ghana, noted bead makers,

melt powdered glass in small bead moulds to form their beads.

The beads have a semi-translucent quality

that highlights the painted motifs.

Nowadays beads are used as fashion accessories

by both men and women...

.

Read and see more here

photos: Bob pixel photography

Out and About...

.

Pause au Chalet...

.

Definition of Pause :

interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing;

cease an action temporarily;

Synonyms for Pause :

break, rest period, hiatus, time out, downtime,

intermission, parenthesis...

.

.

to admire the breathtaking views from the terrace;

.

.

lake Annecy from above and

.

. the snow covered slope we'd just "snow shoed" up and down down...
(our tracks are quite visible..!)
.

. before heading out the back gate
.

to contemplate the view across the Mont Blanc mountain range

"The richness I achieve comes from Nature,
the source of my inspiration"
Claude Monet

And We’re Off…

.

“The traveler is active;

he goes strenuously in search of people,

of adventure, of experience.

The tourist is passive;

he expects interesting things to happen to him.

He goes sight-seeing.”

Daniel J. Boorsti

.

Country Living - I LOVE Morris Minors..!

.

A Bientôt..!

.

P.S: We're NOT going sight-seeing...

Back soon!

Spring is in the Air...

.

Looks like Spring may,

at long last,

be just around the corner..

.

.

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...

.

What's baffling you right now..?

.

On the Menu this Weekend...

.

there will be Plantains...

.

.

They are delicious simply dry roasted and sprinkled with

unrefined sea salt or, if you prefer, you can roast them, boil or

fry them...
.

My absolute favourite plantain dish is

.

.Kelewele:

.

Ghanaian-style spiced fried plantains;
ripe yellow plantains that are generously seasoned with ginger

and other warm spices like cayenne and cinnamon...

Although Kelewele originated in Ghana it is now found

in much of West and Central Africa and is gaining

popularity in America.
.

Ingredients:
6 just-ripe plantains,

peeled and cubed into bite-sized pieces

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

1/2 tsp freshly-grated ginger

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp vegetable oil for frying

.Why not try these recipes too:

Plantain Chips

.Oven Roasted Plantains

Fried plantains

.Boiled Sweet Plantains

.Flickr photos : Bob pixel and nyamkitchen

Journée International de la Femme...

.

.

Just a few of the many women I admire

for their devotion to improving the lives of children and

women around the world...

.
Soeur Emmanuelle
.
Audrey Hepburn, UNICEF ambassador


Dr Wangari Maathai
.
Mother Teresa

.

Bicycle Love...

After years of riding Racing bikes, Town bikes and Mountain bikes

(depending on the type of terrain...)

I bought a "granny bike" (daughter's term..!) last Summer for only a

handful of euros at one of our local Brocantes

and I'm just so pleased with it..!

I'd had my eye on a Pashley bike for a while,

however, common sense told me,

I'd be just as happy with my cheap Brocante find...

photo from pashley.co.uk

my photo of my bike, Saturday in the garden...
.

The ‘sit up and beg’ style handlebars make me feel far more graceful

and ladylike (not to mention comfortable) on my bike

than I ever did on more regular hybrid bikes I've had...

Saturday here in the Alps was Spring-like, and out came the bike, for a trip

to the Farmers' market followed by a gentle ride along the lakeside

for coffee Chez Carine and then home for a Barbecue lunch

in the garden...

Sadly, weatherwise, Sunday was a different story altogether, and

my beloved bike is now back in the garage where it's been

gathering cobwebs all winter..!

Can't wait to bring it out again;

let's hope Spring is just around the corner...

If you're into bikes and cycling, you'll love this blog:

London Cycle Chic

.

Getting Crafty with Plastic Bags...

.

According to some estimates, between 500 billion and a trillion

plastic grocery bags are used globally each year..

There has been recently, in Europe, at least, a concerted effort by many individuals

and some foodstores to ban plastic bags.

Certainly an excellent move for the environment -

.

If, like me, you've well and truly kicked the plastic habit, chances are you may still

have a few floating around the place...

What better idea than to, either recycle these yourself, or, give them away

to help those a great deal less fortunate than ourselves,

particularly women with young children..?

My great friend, French fashion designer, Delphine Kohler

(see Mme Figaro press article)

runs a non-profit making association

les Filles du Facteur

(associated to NGOs in West Africa)

and one of their many, many activities is the recycling of plastic bags...

.

The income generated from the sale of products, both online and offline, is used

mainly for community educational projects both in the Paris

innercity suburbs and in * Burkina Faso...

.

Plastic bags can be deposited directly, or sent to:

(la Maison des Associations du 3ième arrondissement)

Filles du Facteur,

5 rue Perrée
75003 Paris

.

Clockwise from top: Bouquet of flowers in a vase, a penny purse,

floormats in black and multicoloured with flowered edging...

Portrait de Delphine Kohler,

à lire sur

lefigaro.fr madame

.

A djellabah crocheted from black plastic bags

.

Bathmat nearing completion

.

Balls of plastic bags cut into strips ready to crochet

.

Lady at work in Burkina Faso

.

Ladies at work in Paris

Pour tout savoir sur les Filles du Facteur, c'est
ici

Le premier Bidon

"Recycle le sac plastic"

est à la mairie du 3èm arrondissement de Paris (depuis le 9 février) pour

Les Filles du Facteur....

Les sacs récupérés sont découpés et crochetés par des femmes en difficulté

en banlieue parisienne et au Burkina Faso.

.

Elles fabriquent des objets en vente sur

ICI

.

envoyez ou déposez vos sacs plastique :
(la Maison des Associations du 3ième arrondissement)

Filles du Facteur,
5 rue Perrée

75003 Paris
.

merci de faire passer l'info
.

* Delphine is currently in West Africa, and, only last week, she visited the local orphanage

to donate money on behalf of the association to cover babyfood costs...

.

****Initiative génial au Niger :

Bâtir des routes avec des sacs plastiques: un autre exemple de recyclage

du "sachet" plastique au Niger, où Stéphane Blais

témoigne de la transformation au moindre cout du sac plastique

en pavé pour les routes..!

source de cette info.

Coup de Ceour...

.

These stunning photos stopped me in my tracks...

the beautiful models, fabric and design of the dresses,

the choice of accessories, hair styling...

I just had to share
.




In fact, I love these so much,

I'm going to keep the photos and have similar dresses made up

by the local dressmaker on my next trip to West Africa.

I always have clothes made for me by the local tailor or dressmaker

when I travel afar

- in fact I'm the proud owner of an entire wardrobe full of the most beautiful creations,

both locally inspired and "copies" of european designs...

If you've never tried doing this,

I'd highly reccommend trying on your next trip abroad - a good idea

is to first have a favourite dress "copied", then if you're

happy with that, be more adventurous and

try something more locally inspired...
.

Paris Passionnément...

.

Source

.

.° paris is, and always has been, so breathtakingly beautiful,

° parisians are just so fabulously chic,

° paris was unbelievably cold for this time of year

° parisians were, as i've always found, amazingly friendly,

° paris is full of surprises, each and every time i visit

i discover something new and different

(and i've visiting regularly for decades...)

° parisian taxi drivers were noticeable by their

absence outside our hotel,

° paris is the first European capital i ever visited,

decades ago, and i fell instantly, wildly, head over heels,

in love with the place..!

° parisian bistros (checkout my latest find)

are quite simply the best

° paris is where i met the most delightful,

multi-talented lady,

whose hilarious blog is quite simply unique...

.

.~~~

.

"A daughter is the happy memories of the past,

the joyful moments of the present,

and the hope and promise of the future"

Author Unknown

.

18 years ago today,

I became a mother, for the very first time,

and, what I want to know is, where

did all that time go..?

It only feels like yesterday that I was strutting

around with my huge belly..!

.

Bizarrely, after all this time,

I still don't feel like a 'mum', more like a lady

who is taking care of the

most amazing and precious person on earth...

I love this quote by

Harry S Truman:

.

"I have found the best way

to give advice to your children

is to find out what they want

and then advise them to do it"

.

.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY J..!

.

Things I'm Wondering...

.

* where I could purchase the beautiful

mohair blanket below...

.

Image: JJJJound

* why we can't all just get along...
.
.* how long it takes to forget things...
.
* 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...
.

On My Desk Today...

.

A very good non-blogging friend of mine,

(whom I suspect will soon be blogging as she's so full of great, fun ideas for posts...)

asked me to either show, or write a list of,

what's on my desk today;

so, here goes...

.

source

.
commissioned translation ready to send
.
strategically placed strong morning coffee
.
my FiloFax i use everyday
.
photo of Husband and Daughters
beautifully framed by a very dear friend
.
West African fabric samples and beads that inspire
me endlessly
.
handwritten cards and letters to friends across the globe
to send tomorrow
.
mobile phone
.
painting by Daughter that i love beyond words
(awaiting frame so I can hang it above my desk)
.
friend's CV that needs updating by him before i can
translate
.
collage in progress for a dear friend in need of
home decorating inspiration
.
the usual suspects...

.

If you'd like to join me, please do

- i'd love to see, and/or read on your blog,

what's on your desk today...

The Weekend Strikes Again...

.

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

. Photo: Nicolas Mathéus

.

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...

.

BON WEEKEND..!

.

Better late than never...

.

I was tagged quite a while ago, by a non-blogging friend,

and asked to use the letters of my middle name
to say things about me
that you may not already know...
.

One of the several Sri lankan families that I, personally, sponsor...
.
I - Inconcistant: as in the inconsistency of this blog’s tone,
which, as I've said before, must be very frustrating

for some readers...
I'm passionate about so many different things, have so many different

facets to my personality, and, am so fiercely
independant, that I'd hate to feel constricted, particularly here,
of all places, on my blog..!
So I guess I'll just carry on posting
whatever I feel like...

.N - NGO: we created, with the help of friends,
family, neighbours...a humanitarian NGO in the wake of the 2004
SE Asian Tsunami, to help the poorest of the poor

'forgotten victims' in the SW of Sri Lanka.
We currently have an entire village (Gonagola) up and running
(complete with primary school, water pump, medical clinic and
cooperative providing jobs for the fishermens' widows and their children...)
and practically self-sufficient...

D - Dalai Lama: as in, the spiritual leader of
Tibetan Buddhism,
whose philosophical teachings I follow...

I - Independent: as in, I am (fiercely) independent:
Definition :
1. free from the influence or control of others
2. not relying on the support (esp. financial support) of others
3. capable of acting for oneself or on one's own


A - Aware: as in, I like to know what’s going on,
although not in a gossipy way.
I don’t watch the TV news as I don’t like its slant on things
I take my news via Newspapers or Internet,
where I can click off when something is too disturbing
but also seek out feel good stories on my own...

Photographers of Distinction...

.

Paolo Roversi’s visual style is unmistakable:
paint-like colours, camera blur, timeless-looking subjects and clothing,
resulting in images that look more like 19th century painting
than 21st century photographs.
His breathtaking images and deep knowledge

of photography/art history
put him in the elite of elite fashion/editorial

photographers globally.
.Photos of Liya Kebede by Paolo Roversi (via AVM)

from the Afrocentric slideshow

featured last year in the NYT Style Magazine

.

In my opinion, Roversi's work is timeless
and stands apart from anything anyone else is doing

- I love, love, love his work..!

En Attendant les Premières Brocantes...

.

heureusement que les dépôts-ventes et

les blogs de brocanteurs sont là
pour les chineuses impatientes

et trépignantes...

.

Images: Inredningsgalleriet Knut&Svea

.

On peut aussi feuilleter des magazines spécialisés

ou consulter des livres comme:

.

BROCANTES

de Sébastien Siraudeau
chez Flammarion

.

"Il nous y livre ses coups de coeur :

collection de lieux et boutiques de brocanteurs,

choisis pour l'originalité de leur marchandise,
la fantaisie de leur mises en scène
et la personnalité

de leurs propriétaires"

.

I am the type of lady who...

.

° is camera shy but doesn't mind sharing photos

of herself as a child...

(however awful they be..!)

.

Kumasi, Ghana, early 1970s

- I'm the one on the L looking rather like "the village idiot"..!

.

.° believes in you,

even when you don't believe in yourself...

° reads poetry in Spanish, translates it to French

then to English and

back once again to Spanish...
(needless to say, the resulting poem is never the same as the original..!)

° is never properly dressed when the storm hits...

.

° adores ballgowns, fancy party frocks and really high heels,

but would look, and feel, ridiculous

if she were ever to wear them..!

° is extremely aware of her surrounding environment

and does all she can to preserve it...
(through recycling, organic gardening...etc)

° loves a big hug...
.

° is the same size and shape

(flat chested, straight up and down - rather like a lamp post)

as she was at about fifteen..!

.

° can be counted on to get the job done

.

° eases the tension with a joke...

not always understood, here in France, I might add,

as she has a British sense of humour..!

.
° will never, ever understand cricket rules...

° gives people multiple chances to redeem themselves

- she does this for better or worse...

° is a free spirit;

apparently hard to define by other's definitions...

° believes that she has a whole host of Guardian Angels,

right by her side...

.

° would happily spend her life barefoot if she could...
.

° has difficulty sitting still to watch a movie

- never watches TV and when at the movies only stays if the film

is really really good..!

.

° would not know how to take herself seriously
but does know how and when to take others seriously..!
.
° gets distracted whilst cooking and burns something...
..
° enjoys the finer things in life, but is equally happy

to "live like the locals" when travelling afar

- it's the only way to get a real feel for a country and its' people

.
° answers your mail faster than she returns your phonecall
(unless it's urgent..!)
.

° has great faith in humanity...

.

° keeps her word, whatever...

.

Tell me,

What type of lady/gentleman are you..?

.