Author: Sarah

No time to lose. No, time to lose. Make time to stand and stare.... Did you see that?

Stained Glass

It was sunny yesterday, but I spent most of it inside, making the beginnings of a stained glass panel, using the appliqué technique. This entails cutting and sticking glass to a clear piece of glass and then grouting it, much like the grouting on a mosaic, rather that edging with lead.

I arrived with a rough sketch and then made the sketch into the working diagram…

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More holiday snaps…

The main ‘planner of what to do’ while we are on holiday is Cycloman – he’s good at making an itinerary and actually reads the travel guides. (I find I can read the travel guides better after the event, rather than before…. and because of that I’d like to visit a place more than once. The first time to orientate myself and the second to catch up on what we didn’t do the first time)

We only had time for one visit to Nice, and even then did far less than we had hoped. Teenagers don’t like getting up very early, do they?

When we arrived in Nice the first problem was traffic followed closely by parking: we eventually found somewhere in a massive underground car park, affiliated with a huge shopping complex. Being a Sunday in France, I was surprised that the shops were open when we arrived, but as in the UK they have a limited opening time and closed early. As I got out of the car in the parking slot an automated voice told me which pillar we had parked next to, for future reference. It was a truly huge car park: it was painted and decorated and had piped music!

Once we found our bearings we went to the main square.
The main square in Nice (Place Messena) is a huge open area, with a back and white tiled floor and figures high up on poles, which apparently light up at night.

We didn’t see them lit up, as we were only there in the day, but you can see an image here. Continue reading “More holiday snaps…”

Good reads

Holidays are for catching up on reading, among other things.

I took a book of short stories: in fact ‘The Best British Short Stories, 2012,’ edited by Nicholas Royle. Quite how we can have the best short stories of 2012 half way through the year, I’m not quite sure – but this was a fine collection, including my favourite ‘The Heart of Denis Noble’ written by Alison MacLeod, which won the  BBC short story award in 2011, (which again raised the question of the title claiming to be the best from 2012) so you may have head it read aloud on the radio. Continue reading “Good reads”

Gorge de Verdon

The scenery in Southern France around the mountains above Nice is fantastic. High mountains, rivers, gorges, villages perched on high cliffs – all so perfectly photogenic!

We had several days out, but my favourite was probably the day we walked along the Gorge de Verdon

Firstly we drove to the top to look at the view. The colour of the water gave the gorge its name.

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Driving in France

We rarely argue, but one thing that can set us off is driving. I get travel sick and can’t navigate from a map when moving. He’s not a good passenger. The invention of the Sat Nag has, to a certain degree, helped – but when we picked up the hire car at Nice airport I drove, as the Sat Nag refused to work.

So there I was, driving on the wrong side of the road, my feet operating the pedals (which are of course in the same order as they are at home) while my arms were trying to remember that the gear stick is on the right, the opposite side to what I am used to, whilst trying not to make my darling husband too nervous as he issued directions to me, often three times, with increasing volume, sometimes confusing his left and right. You can imagine, therefore that, after an early start (5 am) and little food Continue reading “Driving in France”

What’s the weather like? Photo competition 29

I have been away, in the sun. How wonderful. But back in the UK last night I’m had to put on long trousers, a jumper and my socks plus slippers, while I browsed the holiday photos.
It was actually dry as we landed at Heathrow yesterday afternoon, but we’d only been home half an hour when the drizzle started. Then the drizzle turned heavier and the possibility of cutting the rather lush grass turned into an impossibility.

Hey ho.

We stayed in the mountains up behind Nice, high up, in a small village. It was so beautiful. This was the view, on the first morning, which was a little cloudy. After the second day the clouds cleared.

Continue reading “What’s the weather like? Photo competition 29”

Drips and drops

I wasn’t the full ticket this morning. I had been up in the night and didn’t sleep well. I sat down with my pot of tea and gazed out of the window which overlooks the front garden in a rather unfocused manner, wondering if I could face breakfast, wondering how I may fit in the jobs on my list before the guests arrive – until something caught my eye. The sun was out and all along the long strappy leaves of crocosmia there were pinpoints of lighted raindrops, suspended and glistening.

It was difficult to get a good picture as the angle I needed, ideally, was from the inside, but the window, where I needed to open, it is a fixed one. So I went out in dressing gown and slippers.

More water for the competition

I don’t know the physics of this: the reason that the drops were held at the tips of the leaves. I assume that there are tiny hairs which work with the surface tension. But whatever the physics, what a wonderful way to bring me back to full wakefulness.

My guests will be here soon. I’d better go and get a few more jobs done.

Asthall Manor, truly ‘on form’ (thank you Janus)

The English weather never ceases to surprise.

Wet and windy Saturday, dull and over cast all Sunday morning, white cloud and sunny intervals in the afternoon, followed by another downpour in the evening. Which all-in-all meant that the open gardens, (2-6 pm) were saved from being a washout and it was actually quite pleasant.

I had promised to go to my friends’ open garden, in a village near Cheltenham, and on the way I planned a stop, about half-way to their house, at Astall Manor’s, On Form Sculpture. What a treat, though a treat which wasn’t cheap.
The setting is glorious, the sculpture various and wonderful and all the while I wished I could have arranged to have a companion with me to share my ooohs and ahhhs!
However Cycloman was out on his bike and the boys revising.

Continue reading “Asthall Manor, truly ‘on form’ (thank you Janus)”