Celebrations...Papua New Guinea... 2 Apr 2012 6:34 AM (13 years ago)

A young boy, waiting for the celebrations to begin....

Papua New Guinea

Goroka Festival

bicycles and chairs....in England 28 Mar 2012 11:55 PM (13 years ago)

Bicycles and chairs...can't help myself.

I'm addicted.

I don't even want to begin to think

what that says about me.

Along a garden path in Surrey...

Blue thoughts at Petersham Nurseries...

A Pink Parisian...

She waits for me... (my bike)

There is always hope...Kew Gardens 21 Mar 2012 4:01 PM (13 years ago)

I never understand my fascination with ramshackle, tumbled down, misfit objects and buildings. I took my first photo when I was about 15 years old. Our photography teacher gave us an assignment, to take a photograph of something that fascinated us.

It was winter...in New England and frightfully cold. In our backyard, between crusted snow, leaves and other debris, I found the object that spoke to me, one of my sisters long lost and forgotten dolls.

We developed our own film in the class. Let me tell you.. I was so proud to show off my photograph. I have to admit, I don't think the others in the class shared the same enthusiasm for my photo. No matter, it was my first and it interested me and that was all that mattered. So here I am, years later, in one of the most beautiful gardens in the world at Kew Gardens outside of London and I toddle off to find the most run down, neglected objects I can find, loving them just as much as I did that doll all those years ago. For in them, there once was life and the potential exists for their to be once again. I hope someone, someday, sees them worthy of what they could be.

My silver lining..there is always hope.

image~me

Southbank, Miro and Gato Barbieri 20 Mar 2012 3:19 AM (13 years ago)

Of all the walks in London, I think Southbank has to be one of my favourites.

On this occasion I was on my way to the Tate Modern and wondering

about this fellow in the hat. :)

Wouldn't it have been nice if it was this man in the hat...

Gato Barbieri...another favourite. :)

New York Perspectives and Legos 27 Feb 2012 2:41 PM (13 years ago)

Over the years I have been had a love/ hate relationship with Legos.

Loved the creative possibilities, hated cleaning them up.

My sons would spend hours on their creations.

One preferred planes and tanks, the other, loved creating cities...

large tall skyscrapers, multiple fascinating structures

reaching out to the sky...dinosaurs and soldiers protecting the

inner walls of his cities.

I was thrilled by his excitement but never quite got it...

until now.

I have been to Manhattan more times than I can count over the years.

I never really looked up. Last week I visited again and this time

it was different, I looked up.

I am happy to report to my son...

I get it.

:)

images~me

Rock climbing... 3 Feb 2012 3:40 PM (13 years ago)

...rock climbing in New Zealand...

Explorations # 5

The First Things You See...

Start a collection based on the first found objects you see on your walk, whatever that is. You decide what the connection between the objects is (can be based on shape, color, size, etc.).

The sculptor Henry Moore collected bones, flints, driftwood, seashells, pebbles, whale vertebrae, and various other things as sources for his own work, as well as using them as natural sculptures.

Are you a natural sculptor?

image~me

Excerpt from the book 'How to be an Explorer of the World - portable life museum' by Keri Smith,

Morning Sun over Marrakech 31 Jan 2012 6:15 AM (13 years ago)

There are times when only an iPhone will do...

This was one of them..

Taken one January morning, poolside, at La Mamounia in Marrakech.

Along with these...

It was hard to pick just one...

From poolside at La Mamounia to

writing from Kasbah Tamadot ...

Morocco...Day 4

Nestled into the high Atlas Mountains, an hours drive from Marrakech,

she writes by the window and sends thanks to all who have joined in on her postcard promise.

She is overwhelmed and extremely happy to be thinking of each and every one

as she writes from... 'Kasbah Tamadot'..

More on Marrakech and the high Atlas Mountains of Morocco to come...

PS.. (Tamadot translates to 'soft breeze' in the local Berber language)

images~me

Women And Their Craft....in New Zealand 12 Jan 2012 1:57 PM (13 years ago)

I have a deep admiration for women who work with their hands

and I admit to a secret envy as well.
I came across an article on the Oratia Spinning and Craft Group

and knew it was going to be a keeper.

It all started in 1978 in a small town in the foothills of the Waitakere Ranges
outside of Auckland, New Zealand and it has been going strong ever since.

If there was a story to be told I imagine these women could weave

one as beautiful as the ones they craft by hand. I hope that someone

takes them up on that someday. Imagine the tales they would tell.

I love this excerpt from the magazine article..

'Part of the beauty of groups like this is that you can see a product develop from start to finish.

Bags of wool just off the back of a sheep are brought in and the fibre is hand-carded and spun,

dyed (often with natural plant dye) and worked on a loom or with needles.

Halfway through the morning there is tea and an old-fashioned trolley full of goodies,

much of it from the previous day's home baking."

Images and article from New Zealand House and Garden magazine

Walking with Winston Churchill..Chartwell, England 10 Nov 2011 2:42 PM (13 years ago)

I went walking with Winston Churchill on Sunday....in my dreams.

We went along to visit Chartwell,

a National Trust Property and the Churchill family home for many years.

The inside was as special as the outside. I will come back to the inside soon.

Clementine and Winston Churchill lived in Chartwell for 40 years.

They adored it and it shows in what they created.

They toiled, planned, and fretted but in the end it is said to have

brought them great joy, as a home should.

Mary Soames, daughter of Winston and Clementine, writes of her mother....

" Over the years her pleasure in the place was seldom unalloyed by anxiety. Clementine, however, never stinted thought or effort in making Chartwell a delightful, comfortable home for her family, and the charming place so many friends through the years would recall. My mother imprinted the stamp of her lovely, and always unaffected, taste on both house and garden".

and of her father...

"As the years mounted, Winston still found infinite pleasure and contentment at Chartwell. Grandchildren as well as children came to be company for both my parents. My mother now played croquet instead of tennis; my father would watch the butterflies on the buddleias and count the red admirals with satisfaction, or sit for hours gazing over the dim blueness of the Weald - the view that 40 years before had so enraptured him."

A rainy Sunday at Chartwell and a walk along the property

An Artist at work...the studio.

A Gardener creates....

A great man alone in his thoughts....

creating a vision that would change the world.

images~me

Chartwell

Westerham, Kent

England

PS... off to Bath this weekend.

Any suggestions ?

Sissinghurst Gardens..one room at a time 10 Nov 2011 2:38 PM (13 years ago)

Earlier this summer, I made a mad dash into Sissinghurst gardens,

30 minutes before closing. I vowed to go back, tried a few weeks later

and managed to sit on the M25 for six hours having to retreat as it closed yet again.

It was not meant to be this summer.

I want to tell you all about the Elizabehtan house set in fields and meadows

in the beautiful Kent landscape. I want to tell you about the owners,

Vita Sackville-West, poet, novelist, gardener and her husband, Harold Nicolson,

writer and diplomat. There is more to their story than you can imagine.

But that is another story.

I have many photographs from my 30 minute photo shooting spree..

waiting for my words. I think a cold winter's day and time

on hand will be required to write the post that I want to share, until then

please join me as we walk thru

Sissinghurst gardens....one room at a time.

June 11, 2011

and then their are the fields and meadows....

I will save that for another time...

Best wishes my green thumbed friends,

Jeanne xx

images~me

C'est Si Bon, Mood Blogging in the Loire Valley 10 Nov 2011 2:35 PM (13 years ago)

A car to love, 1950's Peugeot, do we love the colour too? I say oui!

I have started noticing the various stages of blogging....

I liken early blogging to being like a child in a toy store. So much to see and do...you think, I will follow that blog and that one and then you find another and another.

When the time is right you take a leap of faith in yourself and start your own blog and then...it is love at first touch (keyboard).

You start to wonder where has it been all your life. If you are like me, you will wonder why you should stop at just one. Why not another? Fashion, photography, travel, health, life, lots of interests.... a blog for each.

All I have to do is click the button and voila!

'Voila' is the operative word because I did just that.

People often ask how I manage them all. To be honest, at the moment, I am not doing it that well....but that is ok. They are there when I need them, like an old friend waiting for a chat.

I call it 'mood blogging'. If I am thinking fashion, I pop over to cashmerejeans...style and write a post, if I am having a midlife moment that only people of my age will understand, I hop over to midlife wisdom.

When the photo bug hits in a big way, I pop over to one woman traveller and download to my heart's content.

My travels around England and Europe make it onto Finding my Way in England and last not least I write here @ Collage of Life...with my thoughts on life.

Everything floats back and forth...mood blogging. :)

Where am I today?

In the Loire Valley for two weeks, hoping to take it as easy as it can get.

So far... Se magnifique!

I have time...something I have had little of these past few months.

With that we plan playing tourist, enjoying great food and wine, reading books, taking long walks, bike rides, a bit of fishing, tennis, swimming and of course dear friends...writing to you. :)

Chateau tucked away in the Loire Valley. Volvo wagon came with us from New Zealand and has

now added England and France to it's mileage. :)

Large home away from a smaller home..

our two week hideaway in La Sologne.

We have it all to ourselves.:)

Miss Christine playing Rapunzel above

and family strolls below.

I have so much to tell you...

I can't wait to show you the rest of the house.

I will be doing a bit of 'mood blogging'

across my other blogs too...come and say hello.

Just give me a day or two first. :)

Images:

Taken by me, around the chateau.

including a car to love at the top. :)

Vroom....

PS

This car is not mine, it belongs to the owner of the chateau,

a very charming woman....it suits her perfectly!

Playing Sherlock in the Loire Valley 10 Nov 2011 2:33 PM (13 years ago)

I wrote about My French World, here, and discussed my struggles with the French language. I seem to have developed a language phobia which I am determined to correct.

"I think of my blogging friends, Sharon @ My French Country Home, Vicki @ French Essence and Ange @ Signed by Ange. They all inspire me. I admire them for their ability to live in two worlds, their English world and their French world. Being able to live within the language of another culture opens a door that you would never see as a tourist."

In the meantime, I am finding it very easy to slip into our French world. We are staying in the far corners of the Loire Valley. Last year, my dear Mr. H mentioned that he would like to go to France for a two week summer holiday. His mission was to be as far away from the crowds as possible. As usual, my thoughts were far far away (probably blogging) and I replied with a 'yes, dear' all the while thinking that I had a feeling a beach holiday was going to be out of the picture.

A few weeks later he told me he found the perfect spot...a chateau in the Loire Valley with 10 bedrooms and the ability to sleep 14. Again....my thoughts were elsewhere, "great idea" was my reply and off he went. I recall wondering who would sleep in the 10 bedrooms but left it for another day.

Jump ahead a few months later and here we are...five of us (soon to be six) in a 10 bedroom house with more tables, chairs and beds than I could possibly count. I am not complaining, it is lovely and quiet. We are within easy distance of all the sights, yet, we are far enough removed that we feel like we are in a world of our own. It works.

We spent Sunday unpacking and enjoying the amenities of the chateau. Today we managed a trip into the local village and an outing to Chateau du Moulin, an easy distance from where we are staying. We will be picking up the pace over the next few days but have agreed that we will leave plenty of time to make the most of our two weeks of French life.

I have to admit that it has been tough pulling me away from this chateau. Every nook and cranny is filled...I have the urge to dress up like Sherlock Holmes and explore. I think Mr. H is worried. :))

Oh yes, we did this too!

A trip to the local village in Romarntin-Lanthenay

and to Chateau du Moulin in Lassay sur Croisne.

and one more from the chateau...

Did I mention the donkeys?

I call them Thelma and Louise. :)

images~me

My French travels....

Crossing the English Channel

Mood Blogging: C'est si Bon

My French World

Playing Sherlock in the Loire Valley

Laissez-faire

French Accents..Loire Valley 10 Nov 2011 2:31 PM (13 years ago)

Rain clouds drifted across the Loire Valley today.

Time to rest.

Heavenly.

:)

images~me

Magnificent Proportions at Chambord..Loire Valley 10 Nov 2011 2:30 PM (13 years ago)

"Chambord is truly royal-royal in its great scale,

its grand air, its indifference to common considerations"

Writer, Henry James

Chambord is one of the most magnificent buildings I have ever seen. If you are planning a trip to the Loire Valley, I recommend putting this château at the top of your list. Chambord dates back to 1518 and owes it's conception to François I. Leonardo da Vinci is said to have drawn up plans that were ultimately made into a model by Le Boccador. Many famous masters of their trade had a hand in the creations of Chambord over the centuries. The château is a masterpiece of the Renaissance period and is rich in history.

Love, war and much more breathed thru it's walls until it was sold to the State in 1932 for 11 million francs. Every portrait tells a story and there are plenty of them with 440 rooms to fill. I could go on and on but I will stop there and let the photos do the talking for me. It was a challenge to get it all into a single frame, both inside and out, but I had fun trying. You can read more about Château de Chambord, here.

I just couldn't resist... :)

Magnificent Proportions.

Text reference: Châteaux of the Loire

The Green Guide by Michelin

images~me

PS..

Thank you for your words of encouragement regarding my bat story. (here)

I was heartened to hear that many are quite familiar with these

little night creatures and take them in stride. :)

A Woman's World in India 30 Oct 2011 3:35 PM (13 years ago)

Travelling with me is not easy.

My family is well aware of that fact.

I try my hardest but sometimes I just can't help it.

I wonder....

At first it was the fashions of the women in India that caught my eye.

The fabric, the colours, the style, I wondered how

they all managed to pull it off with such grace.

I was secretly envious too...it looked so comfortable.

and then I wondered what they were thinking

as they worked...

and what they were thinking as they travelled...

They travelled in groups...

and they travelled in pairs...

They travelled alone

and with each step, I wondered who they were,

where they were going, if they

had a family, if they were living a life of their own.

My pictures were taken quickly,

often times thru a car window as we passed by.

Every once and a while, I was lucky enough to make a connection

which started me thinking....

Images taken in my travels

thru the Indian state of Rajasthan.

Apologies for the qualitiy of the images,

I am trying to move off the 'Auto' format

on my camera and into 'Manual'....not an easy transition!

This post and more featured at my blog, Collage of Life

Just one...Delhi, India 17 Oct 2011 1:17 AM (13 years ago)

Looking for quiet moments,

truthful moments,

in Delhi...

images~me

Photo Notes: Peter Beard 26 Sep 2011 11:37 AM (13 years ago)

Peter Beard creation of Jacqueline Onassis
via One Part Gypsy, as above

One of the joys of photography is seeing how others view the world. I recently came across the most amazing...and I really mean, amazing...book by Peter Beard. It the 'Art Edition', of which just a few hundred were made. Produced by TASCHEN, it sold for a cool £4500.00 per book. If you have seen the book, you will understand why.

Who is Peter Beard? Where do I begin? Photographer, collector, diarist, writer and more who lived a life in Africa through the 60's and 70's. His love affair with Africa runs deep. He says, Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), author of Out of Africa,was a great source of inspiration to him. So much so that he bought a piece of land near hers. He wrote diaries, created collages and took photographs of what moved him. They are not for the faint hearted, his drawings and photography are as moving as they are shocking.

His time in Africa is what I find most fascinating, just as much as the people he befriended... painters, Francis Bacon, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and the equally famous, Truman Capote, the Rolling Stones, Jacqueline Onassis and Mick Jagger. As a fashion photographer, some will remember his photo spread of Veruschka in Africa. He also discovered Iman, model and wife of David Bowie.

I put him in my category of 'A Life Well Lived'.

If I had a secret life to live...this would be it. :)

Photo taken by Peter Beard
via Craig Lawrence

Peter Beard and his daughter Tara via Random House

Peter Beard via On Photography

Peter Beard at work via One Part Gypsy

Peter Beard at work in Africa
via One Part Gypsy, as above

Peter Beard collage

via ILevel blog

Peter Beard at work in Africa
via On Photography, as above

via On Photography, as above

Where is Peter Beard today?

His website (here) notes

that he lives between New York and Kenya.

I wonder what his photographs of today speak of?

Peter Beard via Mermaid in Madras

images as by Nick Brandt

http://www.nickbrandt.com

creating my own space..in Paris 8 Sep 2011 6:21 AM (13 years ago)

Half the fun of photography for me, is looking for moments

in a busy crowded spot and creating my own space.

These two images were taken on a busy Sunday morning

in the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris.

I had to work fast before people filled the space.

The image below was taken during a quiet moment

of contemplation in the courtyard of our hotel.

I had a coffee and stack of postcards by my side...I was trying

to decide what was going to come next.

A Summer's evening along the Seine with my daughters.

We had taken the train from Orleans to Paris that afternoon.

The timing was perfect.

images~me

elegance and grace..In the Loire Valley 24 Aug 2011 3:38 PM (13 years ago)

a quiet moment

image~me

Test of Time..Gloucester, Massachuetts 5 Aug 2011 3:16 AM (13 years ago)

Weathered and worn,
standing the test of time in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

images~me

Story Lines..by the English Sea 12 Jul 2011 1:07 PM (13 years ago)

Windows by the sea....

Sometimes my images can be so random that people may wonder

what I was thinking when I took them...everything and nothing.

Communication Lines...

Ouch...

Erosion...

Cows at bay...

'X' marks the spot...

Everything and nothing :)

Images taken by me at Seven Sisters Country Park, East Sussex, UK

Life Lines..Christchurch, New Zealand 22 Jun 2011 10:32 PM (13 years ago)

The beauty of life lines in shape and form.

Images taken on a hillside in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The calm after the storm.

Regarding Henry Moore..Scotney Castle 10 Jun 2011 3:12 AM (13 years ago)

I have been to a few Henry Moore exhibits in galleries but I have to say nothing compares to seeing one in situ, especially when taken by surprise. I was doing my usual....getting lost within a garden and turned the corner to see this sculpture in the distance. It was like a shining beacon...I was drawn.