♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥ * ♥

wishing you a

doily card design, courtesy of bell

monkey business {renov # 14}

{previously}

red chenet, salt and white bread

as you may well be aware, having bread, salt and wine in the house on the very first night you sleep in it, is a bringer of good luck. as you may well know, 'cos i've been bangin' on about it like a mad woman, we have moved house. i will not let you in on any details about the hunting down of the desired objects on that very late first night i wanted to rest my head on a crumpled cushion. but, finding the items i did, and carefully balancing them on a wooden plank on the wash basin in the bathroom i did too! so, that's settled. we're off to good luck.

temporary sleeping area in son's bedroom

ever since, i've been whizzing 'round the house like a fairy. sons pops in now and then, and is happy to move his stuff from dad's (only two doors down) soon enough. let's hope he makes it before schools starts again. in the meantime there's plenty of still lives popping up in most peculiar places. a little tour so far?

last hours towards the heat finally coming on

part of a wooden sign

p e a c e

ballerina

stripping off wall paper reveals treasured brand prints

last but not least, these softies suddenly burst out the woodwork, merrily supervising the whole business of towing, tearing and unwrapping. son was surprised to bump into them, as he would be ... boys will be boys. ☻

monkey business

ciudad de la luz

some say paris is the city of light, and i won't argue. [i'm actually checking that one out pretty soon, because bell has a spare seat on the thalys in january. thank you!]. but since the festive holidays took a flight into obviousness, that is to say, on the outside of the houses, i can't take my eyes off of all this abundance of light, sparkle and spruce. 

one sleigh down, er, up

last night i dusted the camera and went on my way. i endured bitter wind, i gaped at a place of happy feet, 

happy feet

and i came home, replenished. 

blue boa

needless to say i fell asleep like a (long gone x-mas) log. enjoy the craziness of some, 

tugging up that hill

the house of light

oh and this last image does hold a grand little anecdotic story, but it rightfully works only in flemish. will give it a try to explain in a convo that went on. bare with.

holy cherry

(telephone conversation between two sisters, of which i'm a willing witness)

- et has gone home. 

- huh? 

- e.t. has left, he's off.

- 'scuce me?

- your x-mas lights, there's a few letters missing...

- have you been drinking?

(convo goes on, we're half dead on the floor. you should know that in flemish merry x-mas reads something like ZALIGE KERST. as you can well see in the image, there's only zalig- kers-. to top this all off, kers in flemish means cherry.)

- (demystification) oh right! yeah. we didn't have enough lights for the last letters.

- ..... e.t.!

- right. oh. 'hà hà!'

(further gibbering and chuckling)

♥ some like it hot ♥ {renov # 13}

{previously}

what other words can i utter right now than the heat(er) is finally on! and we are finally in. now we're walking the corridors and stroking the walls lovingly (while doing so urging dust to flare up like stars). carefully circumventing boxes, bags and buckets, see us throwing off our winter clothes, for the new, old house needs blistering heat, the plastered walls on the highest floor need hot dry air, and for just this one winter in our lives we will shamelessly stride our chambers dressed in just a flimsy t-shirt. all winter long. after the sudden cold kept us in wait for a trifle longer than expected, i can honestly admit that right now, i do like it hot.

merry x-mas and thank you musicians!

Stand By Me | Playing For Change | Song Around The World 

from Concord Music Group on Vimeo

corner view ≈ december holidays

mist rolling in from (our own little) mull of kintyre.... ☻

what's this about winter holidays? have i got winter holidays planned? i fear not. time off work, yeah, which we will spend well, as in sensible. 

unwrapping bow ties. huh?

will actually organize the biggest (moving-after-renovation) unwrapping do ever. for x-mas. will have to organize all that. son will come in handy. 

dad and his son, at the end of summer

son and his dad, for they will have time off too. will of course dig up plenty of ooohhhh's and aaahhhh's. that'll be our winter holidays. for sure. 

from the studio, somewhere in a box to unwrap...

and boy, am i looking forward to all that. are you's? theme thought up by theresa, original corner view idea by jane.

look what the cat dragged in

the cat's collossal paw

ever heard of sophie digard's exquisite crocheted scarfs? for years now, i've been trying to perk up the courage to crochet one, a digard look-alike, an ersatz shawl. for if you can crochet one granny, you can crochet a sophie digard design whose beautiful accessories do rely on age old designs (unfortunately priced on the wrong side of my balance sheet).

so, each time i'm popping in at the local thrift shop, i spy around for the thinnest yarn, wool or cotton, i don't mind. but i can never quite lay my hand on what i'm looking for. however, this week, i could not resist these vintage coils, holding silk couture thread. au pied de cheval, they're called. now, let's not take my dear intentions on the hoof! sophie's attic open, me having a curious look around. ☻ ps - i also stumbled upon the loveliest doily ever this week!

zaza

is it king?

is it kong?

no!

it's zaza, the craziest cat this side of the planet

"now wait a cotton pickin' minute!"

♥ ♥ ♥ cheerful update on earlier post : i did get four to's and fro's out of today! slowly, meticulously, constantly and happily i drove boxes to the house, did not slip from the slippery roads, ordered someone around, praised son for his steady studying. if only you could have seen me smirking.... gaily.

the new phone line works, and well.... we will move! thank you ötli, leslie, heidi and renilde for your loveliness and understanding... this is something else!... but it looks like i'm not the only one who's doing such a thing. olé! ♥ ♥ ♥

a home at the end of the world (m. cunningham)

i don't think we have ever had this kind of snow the last few years. not that i'm complaining, but since i have the use of l's car next couple of days, to start moving boxes over from temporary residence to the new, old house, i cannot say i'm too amused. i try not to fret, i pull all the zen books i have in possession from the cupboard, but i find i am generally and totally sapped into watching romantic movies, to keep my mind from more pressing, hand-tight matter. 

oh well, and yes, thinking up plans as i'm watching the movies, and hooking myself into oblivion, that too. 

and in between all that a huge book event in ghent and unexpected improvising in l's kitchen, since the longed for pizza had left the freezer (try bread pizza instead, with leftovers, dusted with pecorino piccante, slowly, slowly baked in an ordinary pan with lid. do not forget you have a pizza on the go though). 

for those who are wondering, i am afraid i will not be kitchen equiped for the holidays. i will not be for the longest time, if ever. i am actually looking into bying a magnetron/classic oven combo to tie us over the next six months. i don't know whether i'll live, but chances are i may. 

unexpected opportunities everywhere, always. wishing you that too. because we are. i mean it. ☻

corner view ≈ traditions

son

when son was smaller we shared a passionate tradition. each saturday night we'd watch a (blockbuster) movie at home. we'd slump right down in comfy chairs, in wintertime we pulled the blankets up to our chins and we'd nibble party food. it's a lovely little something we imitated from here (don't miss the coloured goodies on those tables now!). it was, probably still is, one of my favourite films, these days rather for bob hoskins than for the ladies. which reminds me, mr b is grand in this movie!
i am very much looking forward to visit all of your corner view traditions. i'm a sucker for tradition, really. it is what shapes us, what sticks to us, which defines us. son these days is rather declining the whole party food business, but it might have something to do with the fact we have no kitchen at this very instant. soon though...☻

cherry b thought up this delightful theme, corner view original idea by jane, hosted by theresa.

the wait {renov # 12}

{previously}

we need to cheer ourselves up. sometimes cheering literally hangs up in the air; shines in the sky, like diamonds.

railway bridge

as i was walking the road from the new, old (still not inhabited) house, i was slapped around the ears with this vanilla sky that turned fiery as i crossed the railway bridge.

school chapel

that happened after i'd passed the school chapel that glistened the brightest yellow. was it snow announcing itself brightly and sprightly?

festive decor, no?

or was it a keen show, for all of us who desperately need it? latest on the renov front : we might be in at x-mas. oh bright, oh joy, that carol!!! ☻[all pictures taken on mobile, therefore ruthless editing needed]

station square

corner view ≈ improvising

i am 13 (again!), and we're in class. new teacher, plenty of new fellow students' faces. the teacher is a bit of an experimentalist, and the worst day of my life happens : we need to improvise, meaning, on the spot. well, yes, ofcourse on the spot. moreover a designated spot, at the top of the classroom, in front of the blackboard.
to make all matters worse, nobody wants to go first. teacher indicates.... moi. i sigh, i roll my eyes, i reluctantly sway from my desk, dawdling to the front, kicking the culprit spot. turning round, i whisper dramatically : 'i die'. 

well, die i did not. neither did i score. i did, however, on the spot, develop a deep aversion to all things improvised.☻ 

anna helped us to this off-the-cuff theme, original corner view idea by jane, hosted by theresa.

jinxed {renov # 11}

{previously}

short and sweet. you do not want to know the hassle we have been through before this change came along, à la fin. phone calls, debate, more phone calls, a deal, a done deal, repercussion, and this morning i said : right! in it goes, this window door frame, if it's the last thing i'll do. or rather, if it's the last thing the joiner does. whilest swallowing down a few stubborn coughs, the men did all they could do to give me this. 

voila!

at last, the doors towards the garden

just so you won't forget neither

more and better pics to follow, but let me tell you : overjoyed! now let the heating commence. more importantly, let the moving boxes slowly march their long walk  h♥o♥m♥e (even if the delay still entails a fortnight.... it's the very last fortnight!).

corner view ≈ rain

the afternoon sky with barns, minutes before the rain started

splish splosh, and boy does the sky talk, minutes before the rain starts! [do click image to enlarge]. this was taken last wednesday, while all those different perspectives in corner views were flowing.... susanna chose this week's theme. [corner view originally created by jane, hosted by theresa]
ps - anyone for frosted rain? photobooth strip to your right brings you to the right place. just click!

[20101121.16:11:11]

salmonid voracity [ahem]

tessa kiros has got a lot to answer for, as does nigella. they make us drool, right? does that happen to you? now i'm staying at l's, we've been like cats with two tails. l's gravad lax is a wonder, i've boasted about it before. what she is doing to a salmon tail! oh boy. you better try it at home, if you're a salmon lover, ànd a lazy cook. because this sea baby just needs a quick turn four consecutive days and you're done. and then you'll eat it, you'll ravish it, what am i saying, DEVOUR it. so catch that fish and follow the lead (recipe E/recept NL, as promised). this being excellent party food, gravlax will make your festive holidays sparkle, (as much so as your guests).

corner view ≈ taking a different perspective

imagine an old dictionary you find in a thrift shop, and you tear it up.



you collect the images in a box, for future reference

with vintage stamps you make a whole new showroom of stools that would make doctor zhivago blush (i promise! i don't know where he pops from!)

you open up a box of tea bags while humming lara's theme, and you simply do not want to break up the order of things; you just want to stare at it? 

you're walking a cold winter's day off your thermal boots and your eye gets drawn to a new (imaginative!) world map of broken tree sticks and dying earth.

all this and more happened to me as i was cleaning up my photo library. thank you dana, for such a wonderous theme. i am traveling towards different perspectives as we speak, this is getting curiouser and curiouser. ;)