La Pouyette....

'being in the Antique mood'

2012-02-26T04:08:00.002-08:00

The snow is gone...

...I'm in an antique mood...

and

'going Swedish'

with

Petworth, Westsussex, UK

Paula and her son Brandt - excellent Antique dealers, highly talented interior designers,

and over the years always good collagues when I exhibited at the
Decorative Antiques Fair, Battersea, London

For me...

nothing is better than an 18th century Swedish cupboard with its original paint.

I always have had at least one in stock.

but to avoid any confusion

the 3 following ones are from Augustus Brandt Antiques

And I'm certainly in love with Swedish Baroque chairs, since ever!

Please visit and enjoy Brandt's Gallery

here

******

Pair of mid 18th century Baroque chairs

from the beautiful book THE SWEDISH ROOM

by Lars Sjoeberg and Ursula Sjoeberg,

Photographs by Ingalill Snitt

ISBN 0-7112-0915-4 available at amazon.com

***

Some of my own Swedish pieces:

Mid 18th century Swedish cupboard with original paint,

sold recently, with a "crying and laughing eye"

Swedish chest of drawers in two parts, ca. 1780
original paintwork and fittings

Swedish Cupoard in two parts, ca. 1770

one of Oskar's favorite places...

...to overlook everything!

Although, by now he has recovered quite well from his accident in December,
he is still not supposed to jump up that high! Naughty - naughty !

Bonne Dimanche et Bonne Semaine!

a bientôt

A snowy " Day of Romance"

2012-02-14T01:35:00.000-08:00

***

The beautiful small town of Brantôme in the Périgord blanc

enchanted, romantic, magic - in snow and ice

photos with thanks to 'Brantôme en Périgord' here

******

Love is in the air on Valentine's Day...

...a Day of Romance

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,

while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

Lao Tzu

Happy Valentine's Day

filled with love for all of you

***

More about Brantôme:
see also my post from July 2011 here

A Fantasy Dinner for 12...

2012-02-06T20:17:00.000-08:00

The theme for the February 'By Invitation Only' post:

"A fantasy dinner given by you & your husband/significant other"
initiated by our dear blogger friend, Marsha from Splenderosa

We have to invite 10 well-known people, living or dead, to be our guests.
We have to tell who they are and where we will hold this dinner party.

To get organized - first the location.

I would prefer to hold this event at our place,

set-up in the garden
this 3,80 meters long by 1,10 meters wide table - just the perfect size to seat Twelve (without Oscar!).
Draped with a large linen tablecloth, decorated with candles and candelabras, etc....
it would be a kind of a "Fête champêtre"

A fête champêtre was a popular form of entertainment in the 18th century,particularly at the French court. While the term is derived for the French expression for a "pastoral festival" or "country feast" and in theory was a simple form of entertainment in practice, at least in the 18th century, a fête champêtre was often an elegant form of entertainment involving on occasion whole orchestras hidden in trees.

But if it rains ????
Unfortunately our dining table in the house, also a rather large table,
is only comfortable to seat eight.

So, I decided to have the dinner at a friends house nearby
where I had to organize a dinner last year.

The location:

A lovely small Chateau....

...with a beautiful architectural garden

Just right for a stroll to get to know each other...

...and the right 'frame' for this event and my illustrious guests.

The table:

When I had to organize the dinner last year for a special but informal occasion,
a simple decoration with a kind of country elegance was required,
fitting into the traditionally furnished dining room.
This table setting was fine for 11 family guests.

But to allow more comfortable seating for our Fantasy dinner with very special guests,
the table will be extended by adding one more extension.
So, each person will have at least 60 cm of space.

And I will change the chairs to a set of twelve vintage Swedish dining chairs,
which I have in stock, and which go quite well together with the dining table.

(image showing 4 chairs of the whole set)

***

The guest list:

-1-
Friedrich der Grosse

Frederick the Great (24 January 1712 - 17 August 1786)
1740 - 1786 King of Prussia, nicknamed Der Alte Fritz
Interested primarily in music and philosophy and not the arts of war during his youth.

Frederick was a proponent of enlightened absolutism.
For years he was a correspondent of Voltaire,
with whom the king had an intimate, if turbulent, friendship.
He modernized the Prussian bureaucracy and civil service and promoted
religious tolerance throughout his realm.
Frederick patronized the arts and philosophers, and wrote flute music.

Languages: German, French and perhaps some English

*

"A crown is merely a hat that lets the rain in"

"The truth is always the strongest argument.

Sophocles Truth is a thing immortal and perpetual,

and gives to us a beauty that fades not away in time"

"If I wished to punish a province, I would have it governed by philosophers"

"My people and I have come to an agreement which satisfied us both.

They are to say what they please, and I am to do what I please"

Frederick the Great

***

-2-

Angela Merkel

Angela Dorothea Merkel, born 17 July 1954 in Hamburg
Profession: Physical chemist
Chancellor of Germany since 2007

Languages: German, English, French, Russian

*

"If we remind ourselves of the fact that every fifth American today,

rightly points and perhaps also with a certain degree of pride

to his or her German ancestry, we can safely say that we, indeed, share common roots"

"The question is not whether we are able to change

but whether we are changing facts enough"

"In Europe it is particularly important that we build good relations to everyone

who holds political responsibility because Europe can only be build together."

"I feel sorry for these sportsmen and women who put in just as much effort as footballers.

For example, athletes train at least as hard as footballers but have to be happy

if they can earn enough to finance a decent education"

Angela Merkel

***

-3-
Oscar Wilde

Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde
(16 October 1854, Dublin Ireland - 30 November 1900, Paris France)
Irish writer and poet.

Wilde's parents were successful Dublin intellectuals.
Until he was nine, Oscar Wilde was educated at home,
where a French bonne and a German governess taught him their languages.

At university Wilde read Greats; he proved himself to be an outstanding classicist,
first at Dublin, then at Oxford. He became known for his involvement
in the rising philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, W. Pater and J. Ruskin.
After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
As a spokesman for aestheticism, he tried his hand at various literary activities:
he published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada
on the new "English Renaissance in Art", and then returned to London
where he worked prolifically as a journalist.

After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s,
he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s.

Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress, and glittering conversation,
Wilde had become one of the most well-known personalities of his day.

*

"Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much"

"An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all"

"An excellent man; he has no enemies; and none of his friends like him"

"A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally"

Oscar Wilde

***

-4-
Queen Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I, Queen of England and Ireland (7 September 1533 - 24 March 1603)
Languages: English, French

Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess,
Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty.
The daughter of Henry VIII, she was born a princess,
but her mother, Anne Boleyn, was executed two and a half years after her birth,
and Elizabeth was declared illegitimate.

Elizabeth set out to rule by good counsel, and she depended heavily on a group
of trusted advisers led by William Cecil, Baron Burghly.
One of her first moves as queen was the establishing of an English Protestant church.
This Elizabethan Religious Settlement later evolved into today's Church of England.

It was expected that Elizabeth would marry and produce an heir so as to continue the Tudor line.
She never did, however, despite numerous courtships.
As she grew older, Elizabeth became famous for her virginity, and a cult grew up around her
which was celebrated in the portraits, pageants, and literature of the day.

*

"I do not want a husband who honours me as a queen,

if he does not love me as a woman"

to the French Ambassador

*

"....What a family is without a steward, a ship without a pilot,

a flock without a shepherd, a body without a head, the same, I think,

is a kingdom without the health and safety of a good monarch."

to her brother, King Edward, c. 1550

*

"I would rather be a beggar and single

than a queen and married"

to the German Ambassador the Duke of Wurtemberg, 1564

*

"The past cannot be cured"

to the Spanish Ambassador

***

-5-
Karl Lagerfeld

German Fashion Designer, artist and photographer based in Paris

Karl Lagerfeld was born in Hamburg (10 September 1933?) to a wealthy family.
He has claimed he was born in 1938.
He is known to insist that no-one knows his real birth date:
Interviewed on French television in 2009, Lagerfeld said that he was
"born neither in 1933 nor in 1938."
In 1952 he went to Paris, where he studied informally,
with the ambition to be fashion designer,
until he won a prize for a wool coat from the Wool Secretariat in 1954
(the same contest in which Yves Saint Laurent won an award for a dress).

Karl Lagerfeld has collaborated on a variety of fashion and art related projects,
most notably as head designer and creative director for Chanel.
He has his own label fashion house, as well as the Italian house Fendi.

His signature line, which is developed from sketches,
features very structural and dramatic women's wear, mostly in black and white.

As an avid photographer, Lagerfeld often shoots his own press photos,
and is sometimes called "Kaiser Karl" by the press.
His personal trademarks include a fan, a long ponytail for his powdered-white hair and sunglasses.

He is a uniquely confident man and speaks
German, French, English and Italian.

*

"I only like what I'm allowed to like. I'm beyond temptation. There is no weakness.

When I see tons of food in the studio, for us and for everybody,

for me it's as if this stuff was made out of plastic.

The idea doesn't even enter my mind that a human being could put that into their mouth."

"Extreme luxury isn't the most bling-bling,

it's extreme refinement, which is couture at it's finest"

"If you throw money out of the window throw it out with joy.

Don't say 'one shouldn't do that' -- that is bourgeois"

"I'm very much down to earth, just not this earth"

Karl Lagerfeld

I just adore him! When he talks I could listen for hours....
He doesn't mince his words. He is outspoken.

***

-6-

Hannelore Hooger

born 20 August 1942 in Hamburg.
German theater- and film actress and theater director.
Languages: German, English, French

A woman with strength, compassion, and one of my favorite German actresses.

***

-7-
Richard Branson

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson, born 18 July 1950
A British business magnate, best known for his Virgin group of more than 400 companies.
His first business venture was a magazine called Student at age 16.
In 1970, he set up an audio record-mail-order business.
In 1972, he opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records, later known as Virgin Megastores.
Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s, as he set up Virgin Atlantic Airways
and expanded the Virgin Record music label.
*

"I wanted to be an editor or a journalist, I wasn't really interested in being an entrepreneur,

but I soon found I had to become an entrepreneur in order to keep my magazine going"

"My mother was determined to make us independent.

When I was four years old, she stopped the car a few miles from our house

and made me find my own way home across the fields.

I got hopelessly lost!"

"I was dyslexic, I had no understanding of schoolwork whatsoever.

I certainly would have failed IQ tests.

And it was one of the reasons I left school when I was 15 years old.

And if I'm not interested in something, I don't grasp it"

"I wanted to be an editor or a journalist, I wasn't really interested in being an entrepreneur,

but I soon found I had to become an entrepreneur in order to keep my magazine going"

"A business has to be involving, it has to be fun,

and it has to exercise your creative instincts"

Richard Branson
*
I was fortunate to meet Richard in person during a family wedding.
We had some lovely chats and I must say - what a great character!

***

-8-
"Shirley Schmidt"

senior partner in the multinational Law firm Crane, Poole & Schmidt, Boston
as played and behaved by
Candice Bergen

Candice Patricia Bergen, born May 9, 1946 in Beverly Hills, California
American actress and former fashion model.

Known for starring in two TV series,
as the title character on the situation comedy Murphy Brown (1988-1998),
for which she won five Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards;
and as Shirley Schmidt on the comedy-drama Boston Legal (2004-2008),
for which she was nominated for two Emmys, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
She starred in several major films throughout the mid 1960s to early 1980s
such as The Wind and the Lion which is one of my favorites.

Candice Bergen was married
to French film director Louis Malle from 1980 until his death in 1995,
and got married again in 2000.

*

"Hollywood is like Picasso's bathroom"

"Men say they love independence in women,

but they don't waste a second demolishing it brick by brick"

"Self-acceptance has been a blessed by-product of middle age,

and I have never savored life with such a gusto as I do now"
Candice Bergen herself

***

-9-
Sir Peter Ustinov

"Intelligent or not, we all make mistakes and perhaps the intelligent mistakes are the worst,

because so much careful thought has gone into them"

*
Sir Peter Ustinov (16 April 1921 - 28 March 2004), an English actor, writer and dramatist,
was also renowned as a filmmaker, theater and opera director, designer, author, screenwriter,
comedian, humorist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter.

He spoke English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Russian fluently,
as well as some Turkish and modern Greek,
and was proficient in accents and dialects in all his languages.

Ustinov was born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov in Swiss Cottage, London,
and was of Russian, German, French, Italian and Ethiopian descent,
with ancestral connections to the Russian nobility as well as the Ethiopian Royal Family.
His grandmother was daughter of a Swiss military engineer and Ethiopian princess.
His father, Iona von Ustinov, also known as "Klop" in Russian and Yiddish,
was pilot in Luftwaffe during the First World War.
Ustinov's mother was a painter and ballet designer of Russian, French, and Italian ancestry.
His great-grandfather Moritz Hall, a Jewish refugee from Krakow
and later a convert and collaborator of Swiss and German missionaries in Ethiopia,
married into a German-Ethopian family.

Ustinov's effortless style, his expertise in dialectal and physical comedy
made him a regular guest of numerous talk shows and late night comedians.
His witty and multi-dimensional humor was legendary,
and he later published a collection a collection of jokes and quotations,
summarizing his wide popularity as a raconteur.
He was also an internationally acclaimed TV journalist.
For one of his projects Ustinov covered over one hundred thousand miles
and visited more than 30 Russian cities during the making of
his well-received BBC television series 'Peter Ustinov's Russia'.
He was knighted Sir Peter Ustinov in 1990.

*

"Laughter would be bereaved if snobbery died"

"Playwrights are like men who have been dining for a month in an Indian restaurant.

After eating curry night after night, they deny the existence of asparagus"

"Critics search for ages for the wrong word, which, to give them credit, they eventually find"

"Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious"

"Men think about women. Women think about what men think about them"

"I am an optimist, unrepentant and militant. After all, in order not to be a fool

an optimist must know how sad a place the world can be.

It is only the pessimist who finds this out anew every day"

Peter Ustinov

In the later part of his life (from 1969 until his death),
his acting and writing tasks took second place to his work on behalf of UNICEF,
for which he was a Goodwill Ambassador and fundraiser.
In this role he visited some of the neediest children and made use of his ability to make
just about anybody laugh, including many of the world's most disadvantaged children.

Sadly - he died of a heart failure in 2004 in Switzerland,
where he lived in his own Chateau since 1971.

"I am an international citizen conceived in Russia, born in England, working in Hollywood,

living in Switzerland, and touring the world"
Peter Ustinov - One in a million!

***

-10-
Melina Mercouri

Maria Amalia Mercouri
born 18 October 1920 in Athens, Greece, died 6 March 1994 in New York, USA
Greek actress, singer and politician.

As an actress, Melina Mercouri made her film debut in Stella (1955)
and met international success with her wonderful performance in Never on Sunday,
also in Phaedra, Promise at Dawn, and Topkapi where she played together with Peter Ustinov.
She won the award for Best Actress at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival,
and she was also nominated for an Academy Award, three Golden Globes, two BAFTA Awards.

A political activist during the military junta of 1967-1974,
she became a member of the Hellenic Parliament in 1977
and the first female Minister for Culture of Greece in 1981.
Mercouri was the person who, in 1983, conceived and proposed
the programme of the European Capital of Culture,
which has been established by the European Union since 1985.
*

"You know, it is said that we Greeks are a fervent and warm blooded breed.

Well, let me tell you something - it is true"

***

Seating-order:

Mr. B

Oscar Wilde ------------- Elizabeth I

Melina Mercouri---------------Karl Lagerfeld

Frederick the Great ------------Angela Merkel

'Shirley Schmidt'----------- Sir Peter Ustinov

Sir Richard Branson ----------- Hannelore Hooger

***
Aperitif: Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne
The Menu - depending on the season (no decision so far, sorry),

but the Entree will be Fois gras mi-cuit, accompanied by a Monbazillac wine.

And for the main course and cheese: red wine from the St. Emilion region.

***

At last...

I moved the 'goal posts' by inviting musicians as well, to provide the musical background,

and have assembled an interesting Quintet:

Keith Jarret (*May 8, 1945, Pennsylvania, U.S.)
American pianist and composer who performs both jazz and classical music;
Famous in Germany for his Koeln Konzert in 1975.
He started his career with Art Blakey. Since the early 1970s he has enjoyed a great deal
of success in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music.
His improvisations draw not only from the traditions of jazz, but from other genres as well,
especially Western classical music, gospel, blues, and ethnic folk music.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Oscar Peterson (1925 - 2007) - Canadian Jazz pianist
who is considered to have been one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time,
having played thousands of life concerts to audiences worldwide
in a career lasting more than 60 years.
His sister, Daisy Swooney - a noted piano teacher in Montreal -
was an important teacher for him and influenced his career.
Under her tutelage, Peterson expanded into classical piano training
and broadened his range while mastering the core classical pianism
from scales to preludes and fugues by J.S.Bach.

W. A. Mozart

Friedrich Gulda (1930 - 2000)
Austrian pianist and composer, born in Vienna,
who worked in both the classical and jazz field

Although most famous for his Mozart and Beethoven interpretations,
Gulda also performed the music of J.S.Bach, Schubert, Chopin and....

He once said:

"There can be no guarantee that I will become a great jazz musician,

but at least I shall know that I'm doing the right thing.

I don't want to fall into the routine of the modern concert pianist's life,

nor do I want to ride the cheap triumphs of the Baroque bandwagon"

**********

"a table"

*
This is probably the longest post I've ever done.
But somehow I've got carried away....while inviting my dear guests.

Please click here
to find and enjoy all posts about our Fantasy dinner
I'm looking very much forward to everybody's famous guests!

Keith Jarret

In memory of Melina Mercouri - Never on Sunday

Friedrich Gulda

Oscar Peterson - J.S.Bach's Blues

******

snowed in....

2012-02-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

...just over night!

After a sudden Siberian cold during the week with a nasty freezing wind, coming from the East,

whistling through every tiny cracks in the old lime stone walls throughout the whole house.

Temperature dropped from 16 degrees plus last Sunday to minus 9 degrees on Tuesday!

Brrr...!!!!

Although we have central heating, our house was - and somewhat still is - like an ice box.

Because of the open rooms and partly open right up to the roof, high ceilings,
old doors and windows, it is impossible to heat every corner in a 200 year old house.

We are dressed "nach dem Zwiebelprinzip" - using the onion layer principle!

No chance for any proper desk work, not to mention typing with stiff fingers!

So, I'm busy with cooking chicken soup and boullion, boullion, boullion.....!

Nothing better than an old-fashion home made hot soup on cold winter days!

Only 10 days ago I was dreaming of a white winter - here we are!

Everything is wonderfully hushed with the deeps of the snow absorbing all sounds,

also the snow on the roof providing additional insulation.

With the wind having dropped it keeps on gently snowing and it feels less freezing!

Finally - A white winter!

But now - I'm waiting for blue sky and sun!

It would just look so much more friendly and beautiful.

Bonne Dimanche!

My Sunday Concert

2012-01-28T15:28:00.000-08:00

Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Daniel Barenboim
and the Staatskapelle Berlin
2007 at the Ruhr Piano Festival in Essen, Germany

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Allegro in E-flat major - 1/1

Allegro in E-flat major - 1/2

Adagio un poco mosso in B major

Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo in E-flat major

The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 by Ludwig van Beethoven,
popularly known as the Emperor Concerto, was his last piano concerto.

It was written between 1809 and 1811 in Vienna,
while Vienna was bombarded then occupied by the French,

and was dedicated to Archduke Rudolf, Beethoven's patron and pupil.

The first performance took place on 28 November 1811

at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, the soloist being Friedrich Schneider.

In 1812, Carl Czerny, another student of Beethoven's, gave the Vienna debut of this work.

This piano concerto is one of my favorites - so uplifting and at the same time calming.
Performed by numerous well known and famous pianists over decades.
So far I liked it most when played by Russian pianist Emil Gilels
But Daniel Barenboim plays the piano like Emil Gilels,
neither 'academic' nor 'intellectual' - just simply deeply out of the heart and soul.
I like to imagine that is the way that Beethoven played it himself.

Although, because of the life-recording the sound is not all that perfect,
this performance is so full of joy.
Watching Barenboim playing the piano while conducting the orchestra
and seeing a lot of the musicians in close-up - simply very entertaining.

Hope that you enjoy 'My Sunday Concert' as well.

Best wishes for a lovely Sunday and a good start to the week!

***

With thanks to movie director Andreas Morell

and to BoschPianoMusic at youtube

Beethoven's portrait by Joseph Carl Stieler in 1819-20

Beethovens piano concertos 1-5
with Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin
available as DVD at Amazon here

I'm dreaming.....

2012-01-26T05:24:00.000-08:00

...of a white winter,

just like the one I use to know......

(by Herbert F. Ecclesius)

*

Historic photos - Garmisch-Partenkirchen

*

And like the one we had three years ago....

...when La Pouyette was covered in snow

****

But, apart from a few wonderful frosty mornings,

this winter here, so far, it's grey, grey, drizzling and very mild.
A weather like "neither fish nor meat" - boring!
Although, this is rather normal for our region,
we don't have really long and cold winters in the South-West of France,
I like to have some snow for a week or two, or even only for a few days
when everything is quiet and calm, the nature falls into a winter sleep
and the world seems to be so peaceful.

So, I keep dreaming.....

...of a white winter...

-1-

"Out of the bosom of the Air,

Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken,

Over the woodlands brown and bare,

Over the harvest-fields forsaken,

Silent, and soft, and slow

Descends the snow..."

-2-

-3-

-4-

-5-

"Even as our cloudy fancies take

Suddenly shape in some divine expression,

Even as the troubled heart doth make

In the white countenance confession,

The troubled sky reveals

The grief it feels.."

-6-

"This is the poem of the air,

Slowly in silent syllables recorded;

This is the secret of despair,

Long in its cloudy bosom hoarded,

Now whispered and revealed

To wood and field."

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

-7-

-8-

-9-

-10-

***
****
***

Snow at La Pouyette 2009

A bientôt

P.S. Oskar's broken leg is improving, but he still has to live partly in his prison cell,
Mr. B and me caught a flu/cold, my laptop caught a bug and crashed down 2 weeks ago,
the main computer slowed down enormously (the PC doctor is coming today),
the whole house seems to be a hospital ward :) :)
So far I was not able to have a proper look at all your wonderful blogs and writing comments,
it took/takes ages to download anything.
Hopefully I'll catch up with all of you very soon.

Photo credit:

With thanks to the photographer:

Karl Herrling - 1,3 and 5

doberman4ik - 2

Dieter Biskamp - 4

aniabeta - 10

Ute Bauernfeind -11

Raimund Kloock - 8

www.fotos.sc - 6,7,9

A frosty Morning....

2012-01-14T01:09:00.000-08:00

...at La Pouyette

...and a song for Mr. B

Wish you all a lovely weekend

A bientôt

I have been awarded .....!

2012-01-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

....and it is now really high time to pass the awards on.

Just before the end of the year
I received this award....

from Debra

Acquired Objects here

What an honor! Thank you so much Debra!

*

Now, to accept this award I should list 5 things about myself, that others might not know;
but what can I say ???

1. I'm not a good writer and to be honest I actually don't really like writing.
It is not because I have no ideas, it feels like a giant monster of a block
placing itself between me and my story, which is a plague sucking my creative energy.
Thanks god for the .....dots...... What would I do without them....:)

2. I'm hopeless with all the technical computer and web language,
Gadget, interface, html, URL, etc... A "mine-field" for me, and it took months
for example, to find out how to copy-and-paste, create a link and to insert a video!!!
But I have to admit that I'm rather impatient...sometimes...with some things...

3. I like to act spontaneously
4. I love the animals, they hardly never argue or contradict me :) :)
5. I would like to have sometimes a 30-hour-day or a 10-day-week or....
just more time to spend

****

To keep this award going, each recipient should
recognize five deserving blogs who have less than two-hundred followers.

Here are the rules:
1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to their blog
2. Choose five blogs to nominate and let them know by leaving a comment
3. Request that the chosen blogs pass the Award on to their favorite five
4. Copy and paste the award on your blog post
5. List five things about yourself......

So, "The Blog on Fire Award"
I would like to pass on to:

Heather - Lost in Arles here

Martha - Authentica Classics here

Olga from Russia
Vintage Cards - Forest House - Home & Mood
here

Elizabeth - Eiffel Tells here

Gail - Where the moon sleeps here

***

And - would you believe - this award I received as long ago as in October!

also from dear Debra

here

My goodness! Where is the time gone....

So, I'd like to take this opportunity to also pass
this award on to:

Fay - A Melange et Moi here

Maggie from Poland - Kalinki Summerhouse here

Dianne - YONKS here

Franka - Meine Dinge here

Bee Bonne Belle - here

and last but not least:

Jaqueline - Jaqueline@Home here

I hope you'll have time to visit all these
beautiful and interesting blogs!

And wish you all a lovely Sunday and a good start to the week.

A bientôt

The New Year.....

2012-01-03T09:13:00.000-08:00

"The new year is looking kindly at me,

and I leave the old one with its sunshine and clouds

quietly behind me"

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

And my resolutions for La Pouyette in 2012 ???

None!

I'm with Anaïs Nin who said:

"I made no resolutions for the New Year.

The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning

and molding my life,

is too much of a daily event for me"

:) :) :)

I'll just try to make the best out of this year, keeping our simple life style,

starting each day with a laugh or two....

:) :) :)

Now....

...Oskar sends, from his prison cell,

a big New-Year-Purr

to all four-legged and two-legged blogger friends!

....purr-purr-purr....

He still has to live in 'prison' for another ????? weeks,

and - although his complicated-broken leg is improving

and the cell has :) WC, dining area and a comfortable living/bedroom/space :) -

he is rather "muffig", not very amused!!!

But he's trying very hard to make the best out of it.

"Please, please...

...please, let me out Mummy,

would love to run around, making decisions...

...whether to snuggle up in a nice armchair...

...or...

...having my daydreams on a stool or...

...just sitting on a stack of old linen, watching what you bumble about!"

*****

Hope that you all had a very good start to 2012!

A bientôt

31. December - Silvester

2011-12-31T01:45:00.000-08:00

"Das Jahr neigt sich zu Ende...."

I like to allow the year to nicely fade away

with a few blues notes....

***

Thanks to each and every one of you

for an interesting and lovely blogging-year.

May 2012 be a wonderful and prosperous year

filled with good health and happiness for all.

Bonne Année!

Frohes Neues Jahr!

The Nutcracker - Act II

2011-12-29T06:20:00.000-08:00

Confiturembourg - The Land of Sweets

Scene I

As angels and delightful music hover around them,
the Prince gets Clara on a magical sleigh and drives her through a snowy forest.
After their magical journey they come to the beautiful
Land of Sweets in Confiturembourg, rouled by the Sugar Plum Fairy.

As they reenact the night's events, the Sugar Plum Fairy becomes impressed
with Clara's bravery how she had saved the Nutcracker from the Mouse King,
and that he had been transformed into a Prince. She throws a lavish festival
in her Candy Castle, and the two are treated like royalty.

In honor of the young heroine, Clara,
a celebration of sweets from around the world is produced:
chocolate from Spain to the lively music of the Spanish fandango...

...Coffee from Arabia, and tea from China all dance for their amusement;
candy canes from Russia perform a Trepak
and Danish marzipan sheperdesses perform on their flutes.

A string of beautiful flowers perform a waltz.
Perhaps the most wonderful waltz Clara has ever heard.
The flowers dance in beautiful mesmerizing patterns.

Silence quickly follows the end of their dance.
Clara doesn't know what to expect next.
A handsome Cavalier enters the scene
and escorts the Sugar Plum Fairy to the center of the room
to perform a Pas de Deux.

The captivating pair dance lighter than air.
This beautiful dance completes Clara's most perfect evening.

The festival concludes when everyone comes together on the court
and bids Clara and the Nutcracker Prince farewell
with a final waltz performed by all the sweets.

*
Clara wishes that her adventure would never end
and she was told by her godfather Herr Drosselmeyer,
that for those who have an eye to see,
dreams will stay alive.

***

I dedicate these posts of a danced fairy tale to my best friends Heide and Thomas

with thanks for their great friendship and support,

love and laughter, during this past year!

And to my dear friend Simon Mottram,
dancer and ballet master,
Netherland Dance Theatre (1968-70),
The Royal Swedish Ballet School, Stockholm (1993-1995),
Valencia, Budapest, Athen.....
Thank you Motty, for your encouragement all these years....!

***

Credit:

This performance was given by the Royal Ballet

at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London,

on 28 December 2008 under the direction of Sir Peter Wright
http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_10/jul10/interview_sir_peter_wright.htm

"A danced Fairy Tale....."

2011-12-27T15:59:00.000-08:00

The Nutcracker - Der Nussknacker

A classical ballet at its most approachable and visually entrancing,
with something for everyone to enjoy -
from the youngest in the family to the oldest,
and for all dreamers,
a Christmas present that brings a special magic to me each year.

Based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's
most familiar story the Nussknacker und Mäusekönig, 1816,
which inspired Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker in 1892.
It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre
in St. Petersburg on Sunday, December 18th, 1892

Original sketch for the set of The Nutcracker in 1892, St. Petersburg

by Konstantin Ivanov

Background:
A magician with secrets, an enchanted gift, a guiding angel
and a journey to the Kingdom of Sweets.
The Nutcracker draws on all the imagination and fantasy
of Hoffmann's story of Christmas Eve, when young Clara creeps downstairs
for one of her presents, but finds herself instead at the start of a night of magical adventures.

The design for this now-classic Royal Ballet production

re-create a 19th Century image of Christmas, including the decorated tree

that magically grows and the toy soldiers that come to life to fight the Mouse King.

The beautifully colored imaginings of the fantasy Sugar Garden

and its celebratory dances make a fabulous contrast,

the Sugar Plum Fairy is just one of the delights you will discover here....

Tchaikovsky's music is some of the most instantly memorable in all ballet,

with a wealth of famous melodies.

Act I

Scene 1

It is Christmas Eve at the house of Herr and Frau Silberhaus and their children.
The house is beautifully decorated and in the center of it all,
a majestic Christmas tree, sparkling with candles and decorations.
As the Silberhaus's prepare for their annual Christmas party, their children,
Clara and her brother Fritz, wait anxiously for family and friends to arrive.
When the guests finally appear, the festivities begin with dancing and celebration.
Presents are given out to the children.

A march is played.
Suddenly, a mysterious figure enters the room.
It is Herr Drosselmeyer, a local councilman and Clara's and Fritz's godfather.
He is also a talented toymaker who has brought with him gifts for the children,
including four lifelike dolls - a Harlequin and Columbine,
and a Vivandiére and Soldier - who dance to the delight of all.

Herr Drosselmeyer puts away the precious dolls for safekeeping
and has another toy for Clara and Fritz:
a wooden nutcracker carved in the shape of a little man.
The other children ignore it, but Clara immediately takes a liking to it.

Fritz grows jealous, snatches the Nutcracker from Clara, and purposely breaks the toy.
Clara is heartbroken, but Herr Drosselmeyer fixes it with a handkerchief.

The party grows late, and Herr and Frau Silberhaus announce it is time
to finish off the evening with a traditional Grandfather dance.
After the dance, the guests depart, and the children are sent off to bed.
During the night, after everyone else has gone to bed,
Clara returns to the parlor to check on her beloved nutcracker.
As the clock strikes midnight Herr Drosselmeyer appears,
and Clara found herself in a frightening scene.

The house and the toys seem to be getting larger,
and the Christmas tree begins to grow to dizzying heights,
the Nutcracker also grows to life-size. Is she shrinking?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, large mice dressed in army uniforms begin to circle the room.
Clara's Nutcracker groups the soldier toys into battle formation
and fights the mouse army, led by the Mouse King.
As the Mouse King traps the still-wounded Nutcracker in a corner,
Clara throws her slipper at him, distracting him long enough for the Nutcracker to stab him.
The mice army retreat and quickly carries away their King.

***

Scene 2

The Nutcracker is transformed into a handsome Prince
who looks strikingly similar to Drosselmeyer's nephew.
He leads Clara through the moonlit night to a pine forest
in which the snowflakes dance around them.

to be continued with Act II .... tomorrow

Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann,
better known by his pen name E.T.A. Hoffmann,

was a German Romantic author of fantasy,

a jurist, composer, music critic, draftsman and caricaturist.

Born in Königsberg, East Prussia, 1776

Died in Berlin, Brandenburg, Prussia, 1822

Hoffmann's stories were very influential during the 19th Century,

and he is one of the major authors of the Romantic movement.

My Music on Christmas Day....

2011-12-25T04:49:00.000-08:00

Apart from J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio,

my favorite Christmas Day music...

...is Mozart's Coronation Mass

via

Agnus Dei

with Herbert von Karajan,
the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,
the Wiener Singverein
and Kathleen Battle

1985 in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome

All my best wishes for a lovely Christmas Day,

via

May your day be crowned with joy and happiness!

Remark:

3. Image - Tongue in Cheek

4. Image - Alhambra Antiques

Heiligabend - and Christmas Greetings

2011-12-24T02:02:00.000-08:00

FRÖHLICHE WEIHNACHTEN !

Baroque Creche from 1704

in Gutenzell, Oberschwaben, South Germany

***

HAPPY CHANUKAH

HIVÄÄ JOULUA to Finland

KALA CHISTOUGENNA to Greece

NOLLAIG SHONA to Ireland

BOLDOG KARACSONYT to Hungary

BUON NATALE to Italy

GOD JUL to Skandinavia

WESOLYCH SWIAT BOZEGO NARODZENIA to Poland

FELIZ NATAL to Portugal

S ROZHDESTVOM KHRISTOVYM to Russia

FELIZ NAVIDAD to Spain and South America

Shèng dàn kuài lè to China

JOYEUX NOËL

and to the whole world...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU !

Karin

And tomorrow is Christmas!

2011-12-23T01:31:00.000-08:00

Still, still, still,

weil's Kindlein schlafen will.

Die Englein tun schön jubilieren,

Bei dem Kripplein musizieren,

The Concert of Angels - 1534-36

Gaudenzio Ferrari

Northern Italian painter and sculptor of the Renaissance (c.1471 - 1546)

Fresco in Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Saronno, Italy

Still, still, still,
Weil's Kindlein schlafen will.

*

Schlaf, schlaf, schlaf!

Mein liebes Kindlein schlaf!

Maria tut dich niedersingen

und ihr treues Herz darbringen....

Schlaf, schlaf, schlaf!

Mein liebes Kindlein schlaf!

Sleep - sleep - sleep! Only one more night...

...denn einmal werden wir noch wach, Heissa, dann ist Weihnacht da!

1. Image: Bode-Museum Berlin

last 2 Images: Cote Sud 1997

Dino and Frankie Boy....

2011-12-21T04:09:00.000-08:00

I love 'Evergreens'

'cause...

"Memories are made of this...."

And I love these 'Boy's, they were pretty good!

****

***
* * * *
***

Best wishes for a jolly good week!

Let it snow.....let it snow....let it snow...
...for a white Christmas!

Advent Reflection

2011-12-18T03:32:00.000-08:00

Besinnliche Minuten

zum 4. Adventssonntag

Take time, slow down, be still
in the very midst of the busy preparations for Christmas,
and enjoy

Frederic Chopin

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments

and your best wishes regarding Oskar!

I shall light the candles for you

and wish you a wonderful 4th Advent Sunday!

****

Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor

Opus 11, Movement 2-Romance (Larghetto)

Alexis Weissenberg (piano)

Conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski

Dear All.....

2011-12-13T03:40:00.000-08:00

As you may have noticed since I'm back from Germany I've slowed down on posting.

For several reasons due to pressure of things from what I've had to look after here at La Pouyette.

So, I've been spending very little time on my desk

and just skimming quickly through the blog world from time to time.

Which means that I'm now far behind with writing comments

to all of your interesting posts with beautiful Christmas themes, decorations and images.

Sorry about that.

And then.....

...last week our Oskar had a serious accident which has involved major surgery

and hospitalisation in Bordeaux. We brought him home 4 days ago

and we have to give him full attention throughout the day for at least the next 6 to 8 weeks.

The poor chap is not allowed out to roam around the garden and fields,

he feels very deprived and, apart from his pains, is not amused at all being a "prisoner",

neither are we!

I will try to be back before Christmas.

Meanwhile, warmest wishes to all of you,

Karin

Some Enchanted Evening.....

2011-12-06T04:56:00.000-08:00

The inaugural party....

...in Tina's beautiful new home on December 23rd.

The Enchanted Home

*

My outfit:

...casual elegance...

GIORGIO ARMANI - if I could!

The forecast is for snow - I've been told....

so, I need my large cashmere scarf,

and to stand around for hours....comfortable (!!!) Italian shoes.

To complete my outfit...

a mother of pearl bracelet,

this clutch bag and...

vintage ear clips, designed by Jil Sander in the 1980's

***

Knowing that Tina loves "Blue and White"...

...my 'opening present' would be

this pair of small Japanese dishes from the 1920's

***

A toast to your home, Tina!

CHEERS!

"Jeder sieht ein Stueckchen Welt, gemeinsam sehen wir die ganze"

Each of us sees a part of the world;

together we see all of it.

Let's party!

A special thanks to Marsha from www.splenderosa.blogspot.com

who initiated and organized this event with great effort!

Looking forward to see you all!

St. Nicholas Day - Nikolaustag

2011-12-05T05:30:00.000-08:00

Creation by Kathy Avakian - PillowBeach

Each year on December 6, German children celebrate 'Nikolaustag'.

Saint Nicholas "Lipensky", 1294 Russian icon

The true story begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara.

At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey.

His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian,

died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.

Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor",

Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.

He dedicated his life to serving God and was made

Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known

throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children,

and his concern for sailors and ships.

He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church.

Painting by Utrahec (wikipedia)

Stories about St. Nicholas were first told while he was living,

as sailors already claimed him as their patron saint. Sailing to different ports and along rivers,

they carried Nicholas stories throughout Europe. As stories were told and retold,

imaginative and sometimes miraculous details were added -

details which vary in different accounts of the same episode.

Only a unique and special person inspires such a rich legacy.

These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character

and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.

One story tells of a poor man with three daughters:

In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value - a dowry.

The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband.

Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry. This poor man's daughters

were therefore destined to be sold into slavery. Mysteriously, on three different occasions,

a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries.

The bags of gold, tossed through an open window,

are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry.....

The dowry for the three virgins

Gentile da Fabriano, c. 1425, Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome

....This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes,

eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas.

Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls,

sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas.

And so St. Nicholas - unser guter lieber Nikolaus - is a gift-giver.

St. Nicholas, created by the highly talented Daryl McMahon

to see more please visit his blog: here

Creation by Daryl McMahon

In Germany, children put a boot called Nikolaus-Stiefel (Nikolaus boot),

or a stocking, outside the front door on the night of 5 December.

St. Nicholas fills the boot with gifts and sweets overnight, and at the same time

checks up on the children to see if they were good, polite and helpful the last year.

If they were not, they will have a tree branch (Rute) in their boots instead,

though shoes or stockings will suffice for those without boots.

Beautiful creations of Christmas stockings....

each one unique and original....

....made of old German grain sacks and French textiles

by Kathy Avakian - PillowBeach

available at Etsy: here

So, all you "Girls" and "Boys".....

don't forget to get your shoes or stockings out this evening,

St. Nicholas is waiting for you!

Grisaille...

2011-11-30T05:34:00.000-08:00

...par excellence
in this entrance hall of a Swedish mansion of the Baroque era,
1640 - 1720

The walls are painted with trompe l'oeil pilasters and shadowy landscapes

while the ceilings under the stairs are painted in grisaille

to imitate the bas-relief of Classical friezes.

Isn't it beautiful?

I love it! Never get tired to look at it...

"The impact of Italian Baroque and French Absolutism"

From the wonderful book THE SWEDISH ROOM

by Lars and Ursula Sjöberg and Ingalill Snitt

to be continued...

Week 48 - Fashion in the 17th Century

2011-11-28T01:52:00.000-08:00

Prince Charles Louis, Count Palatine, about 1637

Studio of Anthony van Dyck, 1599 - 1641

National Gallery, London

*

"A fashion is nothing but an induced epidemic"

George Bernhard Shaw

True? What do you think?

Bonne Semaine!

Old Master's Autumn

2011-11-24T01:52:00.000-08:00

Guiseppe Arcimboldo, 1527 - 1593

"....perfect in his uniqueness, as are only the great".

Autumn, 1573

Musee National du Louvre, Paris

A broken old tub is held together by some wicker branches in a somewhat make shift arrangement,
and a head protrudes from it. It is the head of a rather rough sort of fellow, and is made up of autumn produce.

His bulbous nose is a juicy pear, his healthy-looking cheek is a ripe apple, his chin is a pomegranate and his ear is a large mushroom, which could be a russula. It seems appropriate that the ear-ring should be an over-ripe, burst fig. His head is crowned with red and white grapes, reddish vine-leaves and a gigantic squash, thus reminding us of Arcimboldo's earlier depictions of Baccus.

The sumptuousness of the fruit is an indication of the fertility of autumn, and the sharp tongue which comes through the prickly lips seems to signal Autumn's joyful anticipation of culinary delights.

As in "The four seasons", in the series of "The four elements"

Arcimboldo assigned to any element a face formed by the most characteristic of any of them.

In addition, this series has an evident connection with "The four seasons".

Both series are organised by a hypothetical "axis of symmetry",

confronting the air with the spring, the summer with the fire,

and the autumn with the earth.

Earth, around 1570

Private collection, Vienna

...a head which consists of over forty different animals...

The ibex, an animal which lives in the Tyrolean mountains, has been inserted in the back of the neck,

together with the rhinoceros, the mule, the monkey, the bear and the wild boar.

Above the forehead are the camel, the lion and the horse.

And the nice thing is that all the animals with antlers have arranged their weapons around the forehead,

thus forming a king's crown: that was an amazingly clever idea,and it decorates the head very nicely, too.

The area behind the cheek (the head being in profile)

is formed by an elephant whose ear is large enough to be the ear of the whole figure.

A donkey underneath the elephant fills out the lower jaw.

For the front portion of the cheek a wolf was forced to render its service, its mouth wide open and about to snap at a mouse: its open mouth is the eye, and the mouse the pupil of the eye.

The tail and the leg of the mouse form a moustache just above the upper lip.

On the forehead, sitting among the other animals, there is a fox with its tail curled up, which forms the eyebrow.

There is a hare on the wolf's shoulder, forming the nose, and a cat's head which is the upper lip.

Instead of a chin there is a tiger, held up by the elephant's trunk. The trunk is rolled up and forms the lower lip of the figure's mouth. A lizard can be seen coming out of the open mouth.

The curvature of the entire neck is formed by a recumbent ox, together with a fawn."

"I think if there are buffoons today, then that is nothing new.

There have always been eccentrics who were probably also buffoons.

But there is an important difference:

if nowadays someone suddenly discovers the genius in him,

even though yesterday he could not even draw, then that seems a bit insincere to me.

When, on the other hand, the early pioneers discovered beauty in ugliness or vice versa,

they were in fact faultless masters of their craft and, partly because they were relative beginners,

had a certain straightforwardness about them. And because they were straightforward,

they were original. Indeed, this ugliness surpassed all beauty and included

the sort of satire that delighted the artist's customer,

the jokes that were told again and again among the bored inhabitants of the various courts,

it included those optical illusions and that artistic mimicry.

All this is just one more reason why it is worthwhile spending time and effort

to studying a painter who was indeed a genius,

who used to entertain three emperors at the time of Titian and Tintoretto

and who still entertains us today."

Benno Geiger

who published in 1954 his extremely thorough analysis

I dipinti ghiribizzosi di Giuseppe Arcimboldi

Autumn, 1572

Private collection, Berlin

This picture of Autumn differs from the one in the Louvre

through its sharp contrasts of light and darkness.

Some of the grapes, for instance, are almost black,

whereas the face is generally very bright indeed.

The change of format is made necessary by the tub,

which is longer than in the other picture.

What is particularly striking, however, is the relatively light background,

which is rare in Arcimboldo's art.

Beyond that, there are only very few differences.

The level of artistic quality is the same in both paintings.

***

H A P P Y T H A N K S G I V I N G !

Remark:

Arcimboldo's "Spring" here

Arcimboldo's "Summer" here
Arcimboldo's biography and Benno Geiger here

A truly authentic Country Look - Une Ferme Alsacienne

2011-11-22T05:51:00.000-08:00

'Des edredons en kelsh ancien dans la chambre,

des poteries de Soufflenheim dans la cuisine,

des poêles du XVIII. siecle dans la stube et des coffres un peu partout:

Un Musée d'art populaire quelque part en Alsace?

Non, une ferme des adossées aux Vosges,

habitée, pensée, parée par un couple d'Antiquaire inspirés.'

An old farm house in the Alsace, East France, on the foot hill of the Vosges mountains,

not far from Strasbourg, just opposite of the Black Forest on the western side of the Rhine.

Charmingly decorated and interiored by Bernard and Christine Demay,

a couple of passionate Antiquaires.

Found this in an older issue of COTE EST

and thought it will nicely round-out my previous posts of the Black Forest region.

Because I do have quite a number of francophile readers I've left the original text in French.

'Vue plongeante sur la stube d'hiver, chaleureuse et recuellie autour de son poêle en fonte.

Du sol au plafond, le bois est omniprésent.

Original, le séchoir ancien accroché à l'une des poutres.'

(the old drying rail fixed to one of the beams above the cast iron stove)

La Ferme...

same architectural style as in the Black Forest region

'....on y découvre des coffres polychromes (painted trunks) qui n'ont plus très bonne mine,

des bahuts (buffets) mis à mal par les ans...'

On the ground floor:

La stube d'hiver (the 'winter room')....

'....au-dessus du canapé, une vue de Strasbourg et des cartes anciennes.

A l'extrème gauche, une corniche surplombe des portraits fixés sous verre,

typiques de la région et présente une série de bocks de bière...'

'Le coins repas avec les bancs habillés de kelsh (benches with cushions of old kelsch linen)

et les traditionnelles chaises alsaciennes,

( in the Black Forest region and Southern Germany we call these chairs "Stabellen- or Brezelstuehle")

' ...une maison bien campée sur ses poutre...'

La Cuisine....

'...s'ouvre sur le jardin et, l'été, la fenètre encadrée par des huiliers de Bercksdorf,

sert de passe-plat, puisque la table et juste en dessous!

Panier à escargots, poêle à châtaignes, râpes à fromage sont suspendus au plafond,

tandis qu'un petit rideau en kelsh cache la poubelle....'

'....bel ouvrage que cet escalier de meunier qui mène aux chambres....'

The original beautiful staircase leading to the bed rooms, bath room
and

La stube d'èté (the 'summer room')

...avec un écritoire (an 18th century writing table) Louis XVI.

et des fauteuils Louis XIII. (early 18th chairs)...

Sur l'étagère dans un joli dégradé de bleus, un collection de pots à lait à petit pois,

à fleurettes et naives volutes.

(on the shelve a collection of old milk jars, typical for the region)

and...

La chambre d'amis (the guest room).....

'...avec son extraordinaire ciel-de-lit en sapin.....

...Ici, on ne dort pas dans autre chose que du kelsh!

Par terre, un sac de blé qui arbore l'année de la récolte et sa provenance....'

"...L'amour des objets est le véritable moteur des ces antiquaires-restaurateurs dans l'âme.

Dans la quitétude e leurs granges, Bernard retape tandis Christine repeint.

Leur plus grand bonheur?

Rendre à un coffre polychrome du XVIIIeme siecle,

remanié maintes et maintes fois, ses couleurs d'origine....."

- all images and text COTE EST, 2000 -

******

Now...what is Kelsh ?

The word itself, 'kelsch' in allemanic dialect, originates from "Koelnisch Blau",

'Bleu de Cologne' - 'Cologne Blue'.

It refers to a plant grown as animal feed, and whose leaves and stems

were the sources of an intense blue dye. As early as the 7th Century,

the plant, along with hemp and linen, was the main crop

cultivated in eastern France and neighboring Germany.

From the 16th Century through to the 19th Century, the word 'kelsch'

came to describe the hand-woven linen and hemp cloths made by the rural peasantry.

Kelsch denotes a plain weave in linen or hemp with checks or stripes

in ecru and blue, or ecru and red, or the three shades combined.

Blue came from the woad and later indigo, and red from madder.

It is said that Charlemagne, Karl der Grosse, the Franken King,

who resided in Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) in the 7th century,

recommended these cloths and commended the use of linen and hemp.

Since then, in Alsace, Black Forest and the Upper Rhine region,

they have adhered to the tradition of making plain weave in these three shades.

These pieces of cloth, one plain bottom, one patterned top,

where tightly whipstitched together on three sides. Linen ribbons, appliqued to the open edge

of the envelope after the three sides of the finished piece were joined,

kept the feather or straw lining, crudely in place. Vents cut into the cloth

or formed by leaving the corners of the kelsch open,

which allowed the family to stir the stuffing with their hands, thus keeping it well distributed.

19th Century Alsace kelsch linen plaid or duvet cover, 56" x 65"

and a large pillow or bolster sham, 45" x 29"

Large 19th century sham, Black Forest

Late 19th Century Alsace and early 20th Century Black Forest kelsch

All linen kelsch shown here is from my own collection

and now for sale,

should you be interested on any piece, just drop me a mail.

(detail of an 18th century polychrome trunk)

Bonne Semaine !

Last few 'snap-shots' and Views of the Black Forest region....

2011-11-17T09:50:00.000-08:00

Old houses and interesting facades....

In the "Altstadt" - the historic town center of
LAHR

The small city, or town Lahr,
was owned by the House of Geroldseck around 1220
and received a city charter (Stadtrecht) around 1278.

The charter was renewed in 1377
and served as the foundation for municipal independence
through to the end of the 'Old Empire'.
The significant tax privileges allowed Lahr
to quickly grow into a centre
of trading during the eighteen century.

And then during the 19th century
Lahr was highly involved in the printing industry.

Der Storchenturm - The stork or crane tower
- the 'logo' of Lahr -

The tower is a remnant of the former middle age water castle of the Geroldseck,
built in 1220, and remains together with parts of the old city wall.

Das Alte Rathaus - The old town hall, built in 1608

*

"The Canadian Connection"

From 1967 until 1994, the Canadian NATO forces
maintained their headquarters in Lahr.

After the Canadian Forces left in 1994,
a small Canadian contingent,
about 200 of former civilian employees remained in Lahr.

Totem pole in the city garden of Lahr,
a gift of Canadian Forces

*

In ETTENHEIM
15 Km south of Lahr

Ettenheim,
located between the foot hills of the Black Forest and the Upper Rhine valley,
was founded about 700 AD.

In the Middle Ages it belonged to the Arch bishop of Strasbourg....

...and gained its charter (Stadtrecht) in 1392.

A baroque town with beautiful buildings
in the historical center, the "Altstadt"

*

Heading into the Black Forest...

....passing vineyards on the west hill-slops of the Black Forest
in the "Margkgraeflerland"

The area of the so called "Markgraeflerland" (Margrave's land)
is the region between the Rhine and the southern end of the Black Forest,
stretching from Freiburg to the Swiss border at Basle.
The Margraves of Baden who ruled here centuries ago
gave this region its name.

The Markgraeflerland is often referred to as "Tuscany of Germany" -
due to its mild, sunny climate, gourmet food and fine wines.
The 'Baden Wine Road' goes for miles and passes by dozens of wineries
inviting you to some wine tastings.
The "Gutedel" grapes are typical for this particular wine region
and produce a light white wine - one of my favorites -
also known as Fendant in Switzerland or Chasselas in France.

*

*

Der Belchen
"The King of the Black Forest Hills"

View onto the 'Belchen'
-1-

People call it the "King of the Black Forest Hills".
The Belchen sits between Schoenau and the Muenstertal in the Markgraeflerland,
it is only the third highest mountain in the Black Forest
but it is the most beautiful one.

-2-

crowned at 1414m with a Stone Cross that reaches into the heavens.

-3-
The views stretch out over the Vosges, the Swiss Jura and to the Alps.

The Markgraefler poet Gerhard Jung called it
the "Basilisa of Belenius", the "Cathedral of the Sun God".

and
Johann Peter Hebel (1760 - 1826),
a German short story writer and dialectal poet...

... was also fascinated by this "Peak of Peaks".
He once described it as
"the first station on the road between the earth and heaven"

*
If you like to read more about the Belchen
and the wonderful Black Forest here

*

.....November grey and blue.....

At the foot of the "Belchen" lies the wonderful countryside
of the "Muenstertal".....
(unfortunately mainly covered in fog at my visit)

...with its majestic site of the former Benedictine abbey of St. Trudpert.
The spiritual heart of this sacred place, however, lies hidden behind the Church:
it is the source of the spring, in the ornate pump room,
and the chapel built over it, that share St. Trudpert's burial site.

According to legend the saint,
who was probably an Irish-Scottish missionary, settled here around 604 AD.
His life as a hermit was, however, soon ended by a blow from an axe.
By the year 800 the first Benedictine monastery east of the Rhine
had been established on his grave.

Interestingly,
nearby, in Ettenheimmuenster, there was another Irish-Scottish hermit,
Landelin
read more in my post from April here

*

While the Black Forest valleys and the whole Upper Rhine valley
was shrouded in grey November fog...

...right up to 1000 meters to the open heights above the clouds
with their awesome views...

and... there was the sun and blue sky to greet us...

...bathing the mountain peaks...

...while the valleys disappear under a dense blanket of fog.

On the far distant horizon, like sitting on the clouds,
the French Vosges mountain chain.

I could breathe freely...

...being closer to the heavens
and feeling the clear air!

*

A beautiful old Black Forest house...

...built around 1750-60

retaining most of the original features

the facade still covered with the old shingles....

not inhabited but obviously looked after.

Certainly a lovely historical house,
one of the rare ones to find in its original state.

*

*

One of my brother's houses,

an old former farm house from the 18th century,
'under restoration' for years,
but now nearly finished....

'November-Rose' in front of the house

*

My beloved Black Forest

Everything else seemed to be unimportant
compared to the endless freedom I experienced up above clouds,
surrounded by the beautiful mountains and pastures.

*

I had a wonderful "Wallpaper-change"

and now I'm pleased to be back home...

...being greeted by a Perigordian blue sky and late autumn colors in our garden,

by my dear husband
and

- of course -

by Oskar...

La Pouyette is happy to have me back!

A bientot...

Remark:

images 1-2-3 from internet

"Wallpaper Change" - Part 2

2011-11-11T01:23:00.000-08:00

A 'stroll' through the vineyards of the "Kaiserstuhl"

on a golden November day....

The "Kaiserstuhl",

a relatively low mountain range with max. height of 556 meters above sea level,

is situated in South Baden (South West of Germany),

mainly in the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district,

between the Black Forest, Germany, and the Vosges mountains, France.

Within the Upper Rhine Plain / Valley

it is about 16 Km northwest of the old University city of Freiburg,

next to the eastern bank of the Rhine,

and just opposite of the Alsace in France.

The climatic situation of the "Kaiserstuhl", in some places mediterranean,

rain-shadowed by the Vosges mountains,

is outstanding in the area.

The warmest and most sunny region in Germany

where winters are relatively mild

and the summers warm or even hot.

Originated from loess-covered volcanic soils,

the "Kaiserstuhl" offers an ideal climatic

and geological foundation for excellent wine growing.

The "Kaiserstuhl's" name is thought to refer to King Otto III,

who held court near Sasbach on December 22, in the year 994.

Since then the whole mountain range was called "Koenigsstuhl" - the King's Chair.

In May 996 Otto III was crowned Emperor

and the King's Chair became the Emperor's Chair - the "Kaiserstuhl".

Historical terraced vineyards are simultaneously impressive documents

of the human inclination to design,

sites for the production of high quality wines

and habitats for a rich variety of flora and fauna;

and they are one of the greatest attractions of the "Kaiserstuhl" region

Locals will proudly tell you

that the vines are some of the oldest in Europe.

They believe the vineyards originate from plants

brought across the Mediterranean from Mesopotamia in ancient bible times......

A beautiful geometrical patchwork......

Incredible - It is November

and it looks like summer!

Wine growing in this region was first cultivated by the Romans.

Nowadays, with over 4000 hectare vineyards

it has an outstanding ecological as well as economical impact.

Wines from the Kaiserstuhl,

'spoiled' by the sun like the smooth and fruity Silvaner for example,

and especially its pinot gris and pinot noir,

have reached a leading postion in Germany

and achieved an excellent reputation which has by now become international.

Time for a break and lunch...

...in the famous Restaurant "Schwarzer Adler" in Oberbergen,

located in the heart of the "Kaiserstuhl" and one of the best in the whole region.

The "Schwarzer Adler" is part of a family-owned wine estate.

With two excellent restaurants,

one with a Michelin star that it has retained since 1969,

and complemented by one of the world's largest cellars of over 1,800 wines,

this is an epicurean's dream situation....

The restaurant "Schwarzer Adler" is world-renowned and serves an exquisite combination

of French and Baden cuisine that has consistently merited its Michelin star for over 40 years.

We had an excellent lunch,

lamb from the region, Black Forest river trout, and...and....

the most delicious dessert: 'Apfel im Schlafrock', Creme caramel...forest fruits...

...and for the wine:

Oberbergener Bassgeige, Chardonnay, 2009, white

Spaetburgunder Rotwein, 2008, red

Across the road is the second restaurant, the Winzerhaus Rebstock,

a typical Kaiserstuhl inn with a great culinary reputation.

*****

...on the road again...

What looks like flowering rape/canola

is 'Gruenduenger' - a green manure field,

used as a biological fertilization of the vines.

Ein schoenes Wochenende!

Best wishes for a beautiful Weekend!

I'll keep walking......

A "Wallpaper-Change"

2011-11-08T08:21:00.000-08:00

From time to time

I feel the need for a wallpaper change,
a break from everyday life and my daily environment.

As much as I love Mr. B, Oskar, La Pouyette, the Périgord, France....

"Ich brauchte 'nen Tapetenwechsel" - it was about time for a Wallpaper change

Off to Germany - to visit my family, friends,
and....

...my beloved Black Forest...

... it really looks wonderful this year in November....

...with all the colorful spots amongst the dark pine trees,
amazingly mild weather - just perfect for wandering...

"Oh Täler weit, oh Höhen, oh schöner grüner Wald,

Du meiner Lust und Wehen, andächt'ger Aufenthalt......"

Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, 1810

And I'm walking around...

...and being just simply happy and content.

To be continued....

...with the Upper Rhine wine region

Auf Wiedersehen!

Dreams and Illusions - Blog Party - Chapter 3

2011-11-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

I´m dreaming of ....

being an Eagle.....

...an Eagle in Mongolia,

...loved...

...honored...

...and well kept...

...by an Eagle Hunter...

......

....but being free...

....to fly, border-less...

...and right up to the sky!

Illusion

When I heard about today's theme,

Ry Cooder's song "Across the border line"

crossed my mind:

There’s a place where I’ve been told
Every street is paved with gold
And it’s just across the borderline
And when it’s time to take your turn
Here’s one lesson that you must learn
You could lose more than you’ll ever hope to find

When you reach the broken promised land
And every dream slips through your hands
Then you’ll know that it’s too late to change your mind
’Cause you’ve paid the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are
And you’re still just across the borderline

Up and down the Rio Grande
A thousand footprints in the sand
Reveal a secret no one can define
The river flows on like a breath
In between our life and death
Tell me who’s the next to cross the borderline

En la triste oscuridad 
Hoy tenemos que cruzar 
Este río que nos llama más allá 

But hope remains when pride is gone
And it keeps you moving on
Calling you across the borderline

When you reach the broken promised land
Every dream slips through your hands
And you’ll know it’s too late to change your mind

’Cause you pay the price to come so far
Just to wind up where you are

Now you’re still just across the borderline

In utter stillness, the bright light,

pervading all, enfolds the great void.

Worldly things, when closely looked at,

are like illusions in a dream.

Buddha

I have reached and received so much in my life,

more than I've ever dreamed....

...and keep my

Vision and Hope up...

... that the dreams come true

for all those people in the world

who are daily battling for a better life.

"Ich habe einen Traum...."

*****

please visit Marsha's blog Slpenderosa
for all the dreams of our 'party' guests.

Remark:

All images internet

My favorite Brocante - Finds....

2011-10-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

"I prefer the company of peasants because

they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly"

Michel de Montaigne

A few finds at my favorite Brocante in Rouzan

a few weeks ago:

"L'été remplit sa grange, affaisse ses greniers;

L'autone d'un doux poids fait gémir ses paniers;

Et les derniers soleils, sur les côtes vineuse,

Achévenent de mûrir les grappes paresseuses."

Citation de l'abbé Jacques Delille

It's basket time....

'Presentoire de lavandre' - Provence - Lavender basket

'Van' - Corn wing, a shallow oval basket,

from Val d'Aoste et Savoie, France

in the size of 95 cm by 75 cm

"Le grain, une fois battu était amassé dans le van,

seconé à l'aide des deux poignées.

La balle trés légère était alors emportée par le vent."

I've never seen a basket like this one

and had to have it!

small collection of fishing-net floats

old vegetable baskets

rare in this large size and with four handles

Oyster baskets from Ile d'Oleron

a few old chopping boards

Confit pot and water- or wine jar, 19th Century

love the chipped glaze which gives an interesting texture

19th century unpolished marble morter...

...with a wooden pestle

large milk-creme-water jar, also 19th century

And I was so lucky to find...

the most beautiful chanvre - linen hemp!

in amazingly good condition and wonderful natural colors...

creme white, oat meal and grey

real 19th Century farmers linen!

'Nappes de vendange'

tablecloths for the 'wine tasting ceremony' after the grape harvest

more chanvre

Pair of 19th Century cast iron Medici urns with remains of original paint

On my way back home from the Brocante in Rouzan...

...as announced...

a quick visit to the village and Château of

Michel de Montaigne

The Château de Montaigne is a castle situated on the borders of Périgord and Bordelais,

near Bergerac and Saint-Emilion in the Dordogne.

This fortified castle dates to the 14th century

and was the family residence of the Renaissance-philosopher

and thinker Michel de Montaigne.

The small village Montaigne with the nearby Château,

just 10 km east of St. Emilion

Lord Michel Eyquem de Montaigne

February 28, 1533 - September 13, 1592

Michel de Montaigne

was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance,

known for popularising the essay as a literary genre

and is popularly thought of as the father of Modern Skepticism.

He became famous for his effortless ability to merge serious intellectual speculations

with casual anecdotes and autobiography

and his massive volume Essays

contains to this day, some of the most widely influential essays ever written.

Built in the heart of a majestic park,

whose layout was designed by the philosopher himself,

the residence was acquired in 1477 by the great-grandfather of Michel de Montaigne,

Ramon Eyquem, a Bordeaux trader,

who thus acquired the hereditary title

of Seigneur de Montaigne

My favorite Brocante...

2011-10-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

...held two times a year, first weekend of April and October,

in a small town, 20 Km south of St. Emilion, in the South-West of France,

...surrounded by beautiful vineyards.

Rouzan...

...a charming little town...

...with an old history

My favorite Brocante:

Here a little tour:

"wie bestellt und nicht abgeholt"....as we say in German

'like ordered and not picked up'

Benches, tables, furniture....

garden pieces....

collector pieces....

...all sort of brocante...

....everybody could find something....

chaqun a son gout

I just have a passion.....

...old locks...

...old handles, hinges...

...and old fittings...

...old tools...

...and...

...all old keys..

"keys to heaven?"

...and when I discovered all these old baskets,

I was in heaven!

a suggestion of blue-and-white...

Vintage polished metal furniture ....

...industrial look...

..garden tables....

...diner services....

...dogs everywhere...

...hungry ones...

...and tired ones!

a lovely early 20th single bed...

...with a good quality carving...

Upholstery pieces....

...waiting for being 're-done'...

...'tres a la mode'...

...any kind of interesting Bric-a-Brac....

...and amongst all the Brocante a Parisian dealer

with some real serious pieces

like...

...this Louis XVI. period console table, circa 1780

he also had...

...a pair of wonderful and unique 19th Century washbasin

in immaculate condition

Porcelaine de Paris

Time for a break...

I was lucky to had my car parked just around the corner of the Brocante,

in front of the Mairie,

a beautiful 18th Century building.

Carried a few things I bought already to the car, went for a little lunch...

...and at the next table I became a new friend...

..to this lovely dog and her mistress,

a very nice lady who came from the Medoc for the Brocante

no question - I had to share my lunch!

bye - bye.....a bientôt, eventuellement....

A few more discoveries...

bits and pieces of Toile de Jouy

old linen - of course!

and a rustic table d'atelier

South-West confit pots

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's postal airplane 'en miniature'

enameled stuff....

glass ware....

...and...and...and...

a real good Brocante - and my favorite one!

At the same time I also love Rouzan and the houses...

with interesting details....

and I certainly love the whole country side!

Vive la France - Vive la Rouzan!

A few finds and a quick visit to Michel de Montaigne

until then....