Time for .....

Christmas is a time to focus on people, not on presents.

A time for giving thanks and for offering forgiveness. 

A time of love. 

A time to enjoy the sanctuary of old traditions and perhaps create some new ones.

A time  to celebrate a conglomeration of the ridiculous, bad taste, creativity and good design.

A time for laughter and joy. 

And for some, a time of fierce competition and one-upmanship ……….  so exhausting!

So what do you do if the Christmas spirit doesn’t grab you …….  you’ve burnt the turkey ……. forgotten to heat  the plumb pudding …….  you’re seated next to a dreaded in-law  …….  or just think it’s all bah and humbug?
Just go with the flow.

Courtesy of Oslo Davis & The Age

Enjoy the spirit of Christmas and the pleasure of others who are in the festive mood. There should be no “have to” or guilt at this time of year. 

I love Christmas …... for many reasons.

May the peace and joy of Christmas be with you and your family in 2012.
 

Christmas Carols

Christmas carols are embraced with fervor in the Land Downunder, despite their occasional inappropriateness!

Courtesy of Andrew Weldon and The Age

Currently the temperature in Melbourne is hovering around 30 ⁰ C

Joyeux Noël 

That's Life

There has been a general malaise on my blog due to the editorial censorship of Mr R. Posts have been written but decreed too serious or too humdrum - a reflection of the current state of proceedings.

The Block Arcade, Melbourne

Christmas preparations have been smooth and uneventful. All presents have been purchased, the family decorated the tree without debate and my contribution to the cooking of the Christmas feast is under control. 

The only adrenalin rushes I've had of late are when, white knuckled and teeth clenched, I've raced other cars for a rare, vacant parking space - with varying degrees of success. Respectable women and the lingering smell of burning rubber is not an association that one would usually make! ………But it is the silly season! 

For a bit of light relief from the pre Christmas preparations I suppose I could contemplate being naughty, which would please Mr. R and save Santa a trip……if only I had some energy left by the end of the day!

It seems that everyone is getting into tattoos......Not me!
Cartoon - courtesy of Oslo Davis & The Age

Wand in Hand.....

We won't be sleeping in this
room for quite some time!

For the uninitiated to the Harry Potter world, seeing me  gesticulate madly with a wand in hand while chanting accio, accio accio will have little meaning. This incantation, which can be used over long distances,  is a summoning charm that supposedly sends any object (or hopefully, Mr M, my man on the ground in France) directly to the spell-caster.....Desperate times lead to desperate measures! 

Mr M has had the keys to my property for 12 months now, and also a contract to project manage its renovations. Nothing has happened. Not one nail removed, not one door rehung, not a floor repaired, not a spouting replaced, not  a tile inserted , no utilities connected not a ditch dug. Not even a single quote for works has been sent in my direction. 

My Man on the Ground has become increasingly invisible, and when (after months of effort) he is located, he is  progressively more creative with his excuses. 

His Houdini act has sorely tested my patience and the patience of others ........3 sets of keys have supposedly been sent to Switzerland and Australia on 3 different occasions but have never arrived, (until recently when one set  turned up in Switzerland), meeting times at My French Folly with my representative, (a girlfriend who was holidaying in France) were organized then cancelled, which definitely didn't add to her positive holiday experience or my confidence in Mr M, ........the list goes on.........and on........and on.

Just as a generous friend, who has renovated in France, starts to pen a terse letter with heavy legal overtones to the possessor of the keys to my house, he surfaces via email......His  olive branch! 

After 12 months of hopes being raised then dashed, I think that a whole dammed olive tree would have been more appropriate!

Apparently my house has " fallen through the cracks" due to the unforeseen, rapid expansion of his business, coupled with staffing problems!  Perhaps he should invest in a a few "how to " books......... Good Business Communication for Dummies or How to Efficiently Run a Business for Dummies. And concurrently, I should purchase How not to Lose Your Retirement Savings In a Global Recession for Dummies. 

I've started to think that my cup is half empty instead of being half full...... and it is all my own doing!

Pinocchio
Original art by Enrico Mazzanti

Keep climbing to the grenier

Post script: Just as Mr M started to dash my faith in others, 2 wonderful people with houses in France.....you know who you are.....have restored it, with offers of help. Now hopefully Mr M will help to maintain it, by keeping to his word and revised renovation schedule.

Corridor to the bedrooms -first floor

Advantage 1

Mid-life has its advantages - one of which is that I tend to assume less when communicating with others. 

"Assuming in communication is misunderstanding waiting to happen." 

La Bise......The Kiss

To the uninitiated, a greeting in Europe can be a high-anxiety moment, fraught with danger. And no more so than in France . 

When I first started to travel around this country of contradictions, I ignorantly thought that 2 kisses on the check – with no “lip to skin” contact - was "the norm", but I was sadly misguided! Consequently  on meeting friends and acquaintances  en France my head resembles that of a confused hen darting awkwardly to and fro, backwards and forwards while waiting for a cue, from those whom I’m greeting, to stop. And when do I kiss-kiss (or should it be kiss-kiss-kiss-kiss) on the cheek, give a firm handshake or just a verbal greeting, with no accompanying body contact? 

Even Britain is no longer a safe haven from la bise when meeting and greeting! As for Australia – that’s simple, as I live in an area renowned for kissing when saying hello to friends and family. And it is definitely a single, albeit prolonged, kiss in the vicinity of the right cheek.....with the accompanying sound effects!

So if you are as confused as I am about exchanging kisses in France, you may benefit from watching the following video, L'art de la bise, and adding the web address of Combien de bises? to your iPhone.....to  which you may discretely refer in order to meet and greet with finesse instead of confusion.

Addendum: this is my 100th blog! It may be the only century I ever reach! My hat is off to those of you who have been committed to maintaining a blog for years. I hope I have the energy to follow in your footsteps. Bon weekend. 
If you are the owner of the lips image, please contact me so I can acknowledge you. Thank you.

Progress Report on My House in France

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That's it.....absolutely no progress has been made. The silence 

from Mr M (Man on the Ground in France) has been deafening!

And he has had the keys to My French Folly for over a year now.
................Tomorrow is another day!

Emerging.....

Courtsey of dk images

Just starting to emerge for my therapeutic rest in bed. Thank you for your well wishes. The aggressive little viruses are stubbornly refusing to vacate my body, but at least I am beginning to feel human again .....albeit a dizzy one with a giant headache!
I'm astounded by the prolific number of entries on your blogs since I have been out of action.....not sure if I will be able to read and comment on all of them!I hope those of you from the U.S.A. had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
A national holiday to give thanks and reflect on the positives in one's life, regardless of one's religion or cultural background, is to be applauded.                     
  
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die: so, let us all be thankful.
Buddha 563-483 B.C.

All is quiet.......

Apologies - I'll be off line for a few days and won't be able to chat to you or leave comments on your wonderful blogs because I'm as sick as a .......

Courtesy of dogfoodchat.com

Will Santa Deliver?

Change is inevitable: the rhythmic change of the seasons; cognitive change as we gain life-experience and mature; physical change; change forced upon us from external sources, and change due to our own bad habits – change, over which we tend to delude ourselves.

As I’ve matured I’ve found the following equation to always holds true.

Lack of exercise + lack of sleep + poor food choices = muddled-headed 

                                                                                                              syndrome

 It is said,  “a problem recognised is a problem solved”. If only it were that simple. Currently I’m suffering from muddled-headed syndrome and appear to lack the wherewithal to remedy my malaise. Quite frightening for a person who you used to thrive on order and self-discipline!

My appetite has blossomed, along with my waist -line and bust size, since I reached the state of hormonal mayhem. Obviously, an issue to be discuss with my gynaecologist - which I did.  His professional diagnosis?  “It’s not your hormones that are the problem, it’s the fact that you can’t stop putting food into your mouth!” What a blow– no quick fix by a miracle of modern medicine. Ball’s back in my court.

Time for reflection.

My exercise routine……. I used to walk a few kilometres daily to and from work: a habit I developed after a wonderful sojourn in Switzerland where walking is de rigueur. A bad fracture, torn ligaments and a couple of DVTs interrupted that routine. Now I’m now finding it extremely difficult to rejuvenate this practice.

Food……. According to Fit and Firm for Women (L & D Hoy), I have a few issues with food.

1. I eat when I am sad.
2. I feel happier after eating.
3. I regularly feel full.
4. I am overweight.
5. I nibble in front of the television. (Thank goodness T.V. watching is a rare event!)
6. I eat when I’m not hungry.
7. I eat as a diversion.
8. I over-indulge.
9. I choose the wrong foods when I’m under pressure.

What a list. …..I could have my own reality T.V. show!

One of my favourite Christmas foods, which always tastes nicer when we
pick them from the canes at Lily Pilly Farm.

So to sleep……. There are no crying babies to attend to….no other demands on my time other than that of work and home duties. So what has disrupted my sleep cycle? Technology. I’m seemingly forever on the computer – for work, leisure and for my blogging “fix”.

The blue spectrum of light stimulates specific receptors in our eyes, which in turn prime wakefulness.  So the solution for getting a good night’s sleep is simple -  press the Shut Down icon on the computer…….However, for me there is a growing chasm between knowing and doing. The older I get, the harder my bad habits are to break. A very unfortunate situation.

Another downside to being at the computer incessantly - prolonged sitting trims a few years of one’s life and leads to “writer’s bottom” …….flat !

All in all, I’m feeling very displeased with myself……. and I do like to be in control.

So number 1 on my Christmas list to Santa this year?  A packet – no, make that big stocking full of self-discipline. Will Santa deliver?

I had to stop and record this Christmas display in the middle of the Australian
sun. Each to their own!

The Root of the Problem.......

When I am passed a compliment it is accepted graciously. However, when it is from a person whom I admire, my spirits seem to overreact.  Helen is one of those people. Recently Helen returned from France stating that I looked very French.  "Ah…savoir-faire at last" I thought.....but not for long!  

My husband received his best hair cut here in Provence.

A fortnight ago, despite being on a 2 week break from work , I was unavailable to the world because I had a grey halo and Marc, my colourist, was fully booked out .….for 10 days! Only Marc is allowed to colour my hair. My suffering at the hands of  “professional colourists” in trying to achieve the “sun kissed” look is similar to that caused by bad cutters, but not as prolonged. There appears to be a problem with the porosity and proteins of my locks to which a number of colourists cannot adjust. I have been temporarily (very temporarily) orangutan orange, jet black, flamingo pink and white- blonde à la Marylyn Munro…… Hours of my life wasted in the hairdresser's chair with accompanying dangerously high, cortisol levels!

Then there was the episode of having litres of milk poured on my scalp. The colourist, Paul, forgot to set the timer, so he left me dozing with chemicals in my hair until I was woken by a fierce burning sensation. I had been brewing for an additional hour while he pranced around his salon gossiping with his celebrity clients.  When Paul sighted my burnt scalp the salon suddenly resembled an ants nest with all the worker ants focused on drenching my head with milk.  I was most unimpressed, as was my scalp. It took weeks for it to heal and, “to add insult to injury” the resulting colour was indescribable!  

So to grey or not to grey seems to be my perennial question.  Going au natural - what ever that may be – is very tempting. Grey and white hair can be so elegant and flattering if one has the appropriate skin tone and texture. But for the pale, and pasty brigade, of which I am one, grey hair can be aging.

The trouble with my grey hair is that its growth is erratic. As soon as a wisp of the grey sees some daylight, it sprouts forth at a frenetic pace, with profound social implications if my colourist is unavailable! 

After "fluffing about" at home and having to cancel some social engagements during my 2 weeks of holidays, I've decided that life is too short to be in self-imposed exile waiting for an appointment to have the “roots done”. And my hair is too unpredictable to make a booking chez le coiffeur, weeks ahead…So perhaps I’ve answered my own question…... But have I got the courage?

To Blog or Not to Blog?

I need order in which to function - perhaps it is because I'm a Capricorn, or more likely due to my  INTJ personality. I love spontaneity, just not when deadlines have to be met and there are routine tasks that need completing.   Consequently I usually write my weekly blog in advance. This week my blog was focusing on the images of French photographer, Yann Arthus-Bertrand. However, when I went to comment on someone else's blog , I noticed that it too, contained the work of Arthus-Bertrand! Ahhh.... what now? 
...........Order dissipates. 
...........Schedule disrupted.
...........Solution (as you may have noticed) - upload the blog anyway!

Paris and France....... a bird's eye view

Photograph by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Vicki Archer (French Essence, 2010) identified that elusive French character that annually draws millions of tourists  to the shores of France, when she stated that…...” in France there is a sixth sense - a French sense... French sense is simple - it is chemistry, a magical mix of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures... As a nation France has chemistry, as individuals the French have spark."

Renown French photographer and environmentalist, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, captures some of this intriguing French character in a series of superb images of Paris and France, which were taken from a helicopter. Click on the 2 links above to view Yann's breath-taking photographs. 

Photograph by Yann Arthus-Bertrand