March winds....

Georges Barbier : Windy Spring Day

Well they do say "March winds, April showers".....and this year March arrived in south west France with warmth and sunshine......and strong winds. As each day passed, the winds got stronger and stronger so anything not tied down flies around. Having spent the weekend tidying up the courtyard, look out now and you see leaves swirling round like a mini tornado. At least it's a warm wind. With the warmer weather the bulbs and buds have been bursting into life. It's so uplifting to see these splashes of colour. It feels like Spring is here. Everything seems so much brighter.

Flower cart outside florist in a local village

As the weather is so nice, we went for a wander around the garden and through the woods to the village in the valley...

and here are some of the beauties we found...

woodland violets...

cowslips and hellebores...

wild double daffodils and narcissus...

almond blossom and flowering quince...

crocus...

and finally euphorbia...

Don't they lift the spirits with their zing of colour?
It's so amazing how vibrant these flowers are.

After all that excitement, a cup of tea is called for, don't you agree?

Tablecloth and napkins will be available in the shop soon...

Just off for a couple of days skiing in the Pyrénnées...

 
 

Everything stops for tea...

source

Not many of us have time to dress up and "take tea" but we can make it a bit more special by using a pretty tablecloth or napkins. Here are a few ideas...no words...we'll let the photos speak for themselves...

Top: purple cup, cup cake, plate

Bottom: macaroons, pink cups, pastel cups

Top: bedroom, jam jars

Bottom: tea cups, table setting

Top: stack of cups, kettle, cup cakes

Bottom: rose cups, cup of tea, baking

Top: flower cups, scones, cherries

Bottom: lily of the valley, cup of tea, table

Top: bowls, table setting

Bottom: al fresco tables, blue striped table, red flowers, cutlery

Petit pica items listed above are currently available in our shop...

While out and about this week we found these cute heart tablecloth weights at Casa.

Are they great? They are going to be so useful this summer...

We just couldn't resist...

.....a trip to Bordeaux. Any excuse for not working eh! Karen had to drop her cousin at the airport so it seemed only right to combine the journey with a shopping inspirational trip into Bordeaux. Using the park & ride facility, we were able to take a leisurely tram straight into the heart of the city, arriving near the Grand Hotel & Opera House.

Just around the corner is the most amazing macaroon & chocolate shop....yum, yum.... If you look hard at the top of the photo you will see the amazing chocolate shapes they make, like a basket ball and shoe, (sorry the photo is not better but the sales assistant was getting suspicious!).

There are such beautiful buildings in Bordeaux, so much to see.....every street has something interesting, perhaps a church or a pied à terre nestling between.

Lots of carvings, ironwork & intricate details.....isn't that door knocker lovely?

But this trip was not for looking at the architecture....well, not much anyway....it was Kelly's first time in the city so we just had to shop! Off to the Rue St. Catherine...ooooohh, shops as far as the eye can see. As the saying goes......so many shops, so little time!

All that shopping is thirsty work so L'Autre Salon de Thé at 11 Rue des Remparts is a must.

This is a little gem, a short walk from the main shopping street. This place is so inviting. Crystal chandeliers, antiqued mirrors & an amazing array of cakes. How nice to drink tea out of china cups & nibble on home-made cakes. The choice of tea is extensive & each person gets an individual pot. There is a wicked-looking hot chocolate topped with a swirl of Chantilly cream as well as lots of other drinks to choose from. But the cakes........double chocolate cake, tarte au citron, gooey fudge cake, lemon meringue pie, apple & summer berry crumble cake & some of the biggest scones we had ever seen. And after all that cake.....more shopping of course!

And finally, just had to include this....

When you know us better you will realise this is a very rare photo of Karen as she's very camera shy!

                                                               Á bientôt,