Project 365 ~ Week 29

As the rains beats down on my window panes, I find it hard to imagine that only a few days ago I was in a sleepy French village with temperatures of 36 degrees ...

268/365

How boys help with the shopping ... offer to mind the dog in a shady spot so they can read the paper.

269/365

A lavender stall at the market. I wish you could smell it!

270/365

 How cool is this car? The headlamps had eyelashes!

271/365

 Bunting in the village square ... all dressed up for the festival.


272/365

 The camp site cat, who likes to check out the campers on a daily basis.


273/365

 Fabulous pedal cars for sale in Vaison-la-Romaine.


274/365

Shutters closed to keep out the heat of the day.


I might have to keep showing my holiday photos to cheer me up until we have a blue sky again!!!!

Project 365 ~ Week 28

After all the worries of the last two weeks we finally arrived in France! It was much easier to keep up with this photography project than it is at home, because I just had my camera in my hand the whole time.

221/365

 The Toadstool stop on a French autoroute .... we've been stopping here for years. It makes me smile every time, even without children!!!

222/365

An early morning stroll on the banks of the River Saone next to our campsite.

223/365

The Missippi Jazz Band marching through our village for the Fete de St Laurent. Great fun but they were very loud!!!

224/365

A meal out to celebrate the arrival of our son and daughter ... this was Carpaccio de Boeuf. I hadn't realised the meat would be uncooked, but it was delicious.

225/365

A riot of colour outside a village shop.

226/365

Sunday morning at the Flea Market .... I loved these old metal signs.

267/365

Over the hills to the next valley, the landscape was positively Alpine.

I'm sitting here feeling slightly shell shocked at the thought of returning to work tomorrow ... at least I get a day to myself before my new class start on Tuesday!

August Scavenger Hunt

I got home from holiday at 3 a.m. this morning and have been manically trying to get the washing done before the rains come tomorrow. I think I'm on my fifth load now! Thankfully, after the trauma a few weeks ago, we had a lovely time in the end.
I need to get my August photos out on show quickly, because it's already September!!! How did that happen? My long weeks of summer holiday are almost at an end and I'm back at school on Monday!

All my photographs this month were taken in France.... I admit I had some of these things in mind when I set the list for August!

A boat

It has to be the ferry from Dover to Calais

A mountain

We spotted this lovely lavender field as we drove over the mountains to the next valley.

Market

The olive stall

Fabric

This is actually fabric, although it looks like newsprint.

A Festival or Fairground

The little village we stayed in held a torch lit procession to celebrate the Fete du St Laurent

Fairground

(Showing off here, because I managed to get both of these titles)

Something Ancient

 A 12th Century Water Mill viewed through a glass panel inside the shop selling olives and lavender.

Street Food

Roast chicken on market day.

Something bizarre

This guy turned up in a bar one day whistling through a wooden pipe and shaking a stick full of bracelets ... mad as a hatter!!!

Picnic

Each Wednesday we took our picnic food bought at the market to a wonderful place at the foot of Mont Ventoux. The spring here was used in Roman times, when an aquaduct carried water to the nearby town.

A Sport

Boules, a French obsession, played by our fellow picnickers before their meal.

Bread ...

... and a half eaten pain au chocolate, still warm from the Boulangerie

A fountain

Well, I was spoilt for choice ... every corner had a fountain, but I've chosen the one our dog jumped into to get a drink! We just took our eyes off her for a moment ... and she was in!
I'm sure it's not really allowed!!!

I had a nice surprise when I came home this morning, the house was full of lovely parcels. I celebrated my birthday two weeks ago on holiday, and I'd forgotten all about the Birthday Swap. I'm going to say a quick thank you now to all the lovely swappers ... but I will catch up with you properly as soon as I can!

September List

I'm still on holiday, but I know some of you will be eagerly waiting for September's list, so I've left it here to be scheduled .... I hope it works!
I'm looking forward to catching up with all your collections for August when I get back!


back to school
the football/soccer season
what's in your bag?
relaxation
Harvest
a pile of things
your desk/workspace
a public telephone box
something taller than you
apples
a road sign
a view from above

Happy Hunting!

Catching up with Project 365 ~ Week 28, 29 and 30!!!!

In all the hustle and bustle of the last week of term, and then getting ready for our holiday, I just sort of lost my way with my Project 365. I've had the photographs but didn't have the time to sort them out.

Well, now it seems I have all the time in the world, as we need to wait around for a few days for the new car to be picked up.
So here we go, these start three weeks ago!

196/365

The local cornfields are looking golden tonight.

197/365

Next door's plum tree is heavily laden. The branches are touching the floor.

198/365

I love this view every evening ...it's the field behind our house.

199/365

Saying goodbye to our chair of governors. Father Myles is taking up an incredibly prestigious position as Acting Dean at Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral.

200/365

Blue skies for our evening dog walk

201/365

Lush greenery on the Bridle path along the Wirral Way

202/365

A cluster of late roses on our archway.

203/365

 

Our grown up children wanted to come to What's Cooking for a meal .... we always celebrated birthdays and special occasions here when they were young. We shared the room with not one, but two large groups of Year Six children enjoying a leavers' party night. Not quite the place to be for two ageing teachers on the last day of term!!!!

204/365

Shopping in Chester with my lovely girl, we can't resist a silly hat trying on session in M&S.

205/265

We intended to see the last Harry Potter film, but couldn't get in. We saw this delightful film instead. The little Jack Russell steals the show!!!

206/365

  

Last minute holiday shopping with my lovely young man, we had lunch in Rockerfeller's ... a Fifties diner in Liverpool's city centre. It's very rare these days that he spends any time with me, so this was a treat!

207/365

Bee hives in the corner of our field.... the man next door makes honey.

208/365

Our apples continue to grow well ... they're looking very rosy for the end of July.

209/365

I've had a new hairstyle ... which is shockingly short. Mr B. said 'that's different' and my son said 'flipping heck!!!!' It'll be fine in about six weeks time!

210/365

A quick visit to Thornton Hough to catch something for July's Scavenger Hunt. This is the ceiling of the church porch.

211/365

The day of the disaster .. our poor car is loaded on to the rescue vehicle. I still feel numb! 

212/365

Trying to distract ourselves from the trauma, we take a stroll round the back streets of Chester, and chanced upon this old pub built in 1622.

213/365

Heavy rain battering down on our old patio .... reflecting my mood!!!! We've just heard that the car can't be fixed.

214/365

Time to seek out a replacement car .... we like this one but it's awfully expensive.

215/365

There's signs of Autumn already ... these trees are full of berries at the beginning of August.

216/365

Filling the days, while finance is sorted, we take a walk up to the Jubilee Tower at the top of Moel Ffamau.
217/365

Happy Birthday to my lovely young man ... 19 today!

218/365

Chester again ... we had a picnic in the grounds of the Cathedral,  and walked around the walls of the city.

219/365

The deal is done .... and we sign over our lives for the next few years. 

220/365

So the holiday is back on, and we spend the day repacking.

This week I feel as though my life has been like a huge jigsaw.... and we've been trying to put the pieces back together..... finance, insurance, ferry bookings, camp sites, flights out to France for our children who are meeting us there, repacking and restocking with the food we've eaten. The house needs cleaning again!  Tomorrow, we pick the new car up, and we should be heading off  on Tuesday. It's ten days late, but we're going to try our best to put everything behind us and enjoy what's left of our holiday.

From bad to worse....

Well, the tale of woe from my last post just gets worse. Our poor car which had never, ever let us down, cannot be fixed .... or rather it would cost so much, it just isn't worth it .... and there is no guarantee that even after spending nearly £2,000 it would ever be reliable again. So we've had to abandon it. I cried at the garage when they told us ... it was my car, and I was heartbroken.

We are so shocked over the whole incident .... that we have been unable to function properly for days.

So now, we have to get ourselves another car, otherwise we can't use the caravan, and we will be spending our holidays on our driveway!

We have been in negotiations for this beast today .... so if we can get it all sorted by next Monday, we will be able to salvage some of our holiday. Fingers crossed!!!!