As I sit and write the sun is dancing through the vine leaves that creep along the stone wall that hedge the garden. The mountains in the distance are darkening as the sun slips in the sky. Autumn is whispering in the colours of the trees and in the fresh breeze, the air is perfumed with late summer spice. I hardly can imagine I am here, sitting, drinking in the details of nature and home. Roger found this villa tucked in and away from the popular tourist path. Large trees line the long drive, stone walls broken by blue shutters and wooden windows, white quilts and an outdoor dining room. Romance and relaxation beacon you to eat, sleep and be merry.

Last night we arrived and greeted our wonderful Milner parents, more than excitement filled our conversations over dinner, plans were made. Early to bed and early to rise, I watched as dawn made an entrance in mist. The golden warmth set stage to the crystal dew hanging from the hundreds of silky webs made new in night. We were off to a market in Isle-sur-Sorge, every street in this old town was lined with sellers objects. Most extraordinary! Oh, the antique furniture I could have bought! Wish my suitcases had the magic of Mary Poppins! I think I decorated my dream home a few times over! I did find some treasure…a beautiful quilt, to fill me with warmth and memories in days away from Provence. Bright coloured produce provided by local farmers, ripe with taste to fill our dinner plates. Wine. Lavender. Flowers. Memories.

Dinner was outdoors, candle lit to give room to the changing of day into night. The food was perfection the company wonderful…Provence welcomed me in my language of beauty. Inviting me to enjoy…

I except!

Here are my two sweet travelers, waiting for the bus. I can not wait to experience France with these little ladies...and of course me hot-history-buff-tour-guide!



The call to board my flight just came...I will write again from Provence!

O.K so when the world is your back yard, you need to find ways to make traveling as simple as can be. Traveling light is a big help (or so I have heard)which to me is as possible as flying without wings! But with all my might I packed and purged, purged and packed, and finally managed to get mine and both girls needs into one...ONE...suite case! Applaud me now! Also on the idea of packing light I made this book/pen holder, I sized them to fit in the girls small backpacks. It has everything they need, a note book, coloring pens, eraser all tucked in tight...and light!

Sometimes I unexpectedly stumble across a book that swiftly lulls me into the beauty of words. I had found this book on the used rack at a tiny bookstore in my parent’s small town. The story of the book is interesting enough, a single women who braves and calls the deep northern Canadian mountains her home. Isolated from the world, living alone, with nature her only companion. The real treasure of the story is her way of bringing her words forward as art, painting a picture, vivid and real. I highly recommend her book, I hope these lines of her pen will lull you as it has me.

How can any one who revels in the beauties of nature fail to leap out of bed at the first ring of the varied thrush while the blue dawn creeps into the world? What greater joy can there be than to watch the transition from shadow to sunlight, when dew trembles in the windless hush? Who can bear to miss the freshness of a golden morning, that fleeting light that fades so quickly as the day becomes worn and tarnished?

Chris Czajkowski

Also

There is something very precious about a still day high in the mountains. There is a barely discernible hum, perhaps merely the murmurings of distant wind and water, but I like to think of it as the sounds of the earth turning:

And Holy silence burst the ears:
Hush! The music of the spheres.

Chris Czajkowski

Speaking of art. I have been reading a lot about Claude Monet to Marion. Pre-paring her for the art we are about to experience in France. This week I asked her to paint as the impressionists do, she choose the sun set.



Simply wonderful!

Marion asked me if she could post on the blog today. I said yes, and was told I needed to grab my camera and take pictures of her jumping. So I present...
Miss. Marion.

Me and Davina were doing crazy jumping things off the couch. We were even sticking out our tongues. It was really funny, because we wanted to be silly clowns. Davina an I loved been crazy, silly girls. So that is all it really was.



The End

P.S The picture yesterday worked like a charm I just got word Roger is on his way home! I think I could do some jumping my self...with happiness!

Mommy: “Davina, say thank you to Marion”

Davina: “Thank you, Mafufui”

Mommy: “O.K that is very funny, but you need to obey Mommy and say thank you politely!”

Davina: Thank you LALA”

Mommy: “Say thank you MARION or you going to your bed!”

Davina: “Tememo uplo Marion”

Mommy: “O.K, fine, time out girl!

Davina: “I said Marion! I can get out of bed all by my self!”

Mommy: “Davina if you get out of your bed you will get in big trouble!”

Davina: “I will be an astronaut and go to outer space”

Mommy: “(Thinks) GO AHEAD! (Says) Stay put in your bed young lady!”

Davina: Shrieks loudly from her room.

Mommy: Runs quickly to her room.

Davina: “I need my Dad! He needs to go to France!”

Mommy: Needs Daddy to take Davina to France! Now!

You better come home Mr. or else I may turn into this!

Before and After

My good friend brought this wonderful dress home for me from Malaysia. I loved it as my lounge-around-the-house dress. But the colors and material were so lovely that I knew I needed to make it into something more dramatic...to my delight my favorite vintage necklace complements the dress perfectly.

Do you think it is worthy of coming to France with me? Can you see my wearing it while I stroll the flower stands on market day...picking out white roses,pink peonys and sprigs of lavender, placing them in the antique basket I plan on buying while in Provence. Does this picture work as enchanting thoughts on you as it does for me?

Have a peaceful Sunday.

Marion and I made this fun gift for Marion's friends birthday. It was a sinch to make with my spiffy new sewing machine. Marion had fun printing colouring pages off the Internet and filling a binder, for inside the school bag. I also made a felt pen holder. I think it turned out ultra cute.

Well here is the upstairs to my new house...

Master bedroom.



Master bathroom.



Davina's room and her new bed!






Marion's room.


Before and after.





Thank you for coming to look around. Have a wonderful Friday!