Last Sunday Market

I am always struck by the profusion of colors at the Sunday market.

The purples & greens...

....the yellows.... & reds.....

....& blues...

....there is such a mix of color everywhere one looks.

All so stimulating to the eye.....

.... each scene like a still life waiting to be painted.

And then back home again where an impromtue lunch unfolds with the morning's purchases. 

I am going to miss this colorful Sunday morning tradition. Sadly this is my last Sunday market in France this summer. I am sure I will find myself daydreaming about it when winter comes but for now I am enjoying these last precious days as my stay winds down.

Because I know that these are what dreams are made of, I am linking this post to Paulita's weekly meme Dreaming of France.

A Few More Photos

...of our trip to Spain.

....where we visited the Rioja wine region & visited the Marques de Riscal wine estate & hotel

 designed by Frank Gehry.

The hotel & restaurant are quite expensive but you can relax on the hotel's patio & take in the beautiful view for free. 

In only a few short days our road trip to Spain took us to some wonderful locations. We returned to France with great memories & a real desire to come back to Spain sometime very soon. 

Les Brocantes

While in France, one of my pleasures, is visiting the various Brocantes in the area. A brocante can be anything from an antique store to a junk shop with a whole rang in between.

You never know what you will find & that I guess to me is the thrill of it.

I just enjoy looking. I don't buy a lot. For me it is interesting to see so many beautiful olds things from French life of years past.

I was struck by the light on this set of white china, which with the chairs reminded of an elegant French home at the turn of the century.

Some things are just so French in their appeal.

For me it is such a pleasure to wonder through these shops & take in the beauty & history of this country & maybe just maybe, find some little something to take home with me.

I am linking this to Paulita's weekly meme

 Dreaming of France. 

Espagne

A road trip to Spain found us in a tiny village ( only 10 inhabitants ) high in the Pyrenees....

.....where the only sound one hears is the slow clanging of cow bells & a wish to hear the hug old church bells.

Then there was a day in Pamplona ......

.....where the festival of the Running of the Bulls , made famous by Hemingway, takes place every year in July.

I enjoyed wandering the old streets & looking up at all the beautiful balconies. 

What fun to have a few days to soak up all this Spanish flavor. 

A Few Photos

France represents so many different things for me, non of which are easily defined.

I am leaving on a small road trip soon. 

 I hope all of you are basking in the final days of summer.

Les Escarpés

Scarves in France are an important fashion accessory & you see them everywhere.

A scarf is just part of the well dressed look in France.

They are worn by all ages 

......& in all seasons.

Every wearer seems to have his or her own unique way of wearing a scarf.

Some are worn draped like a shawl while others are a more traditional look.

And yes French men are fond of scarves too.

One is never too young to learn the art of accessorizing with a scarf.

It is always a pleasure to regard this most French of traditions & all the colorful ways in which the scarf can be worn.

I am linking this post with Dreaming of France. 

Wishing one & all a very happy week.

Les Temps

We have had more than our share of rain this summer in the southwest of France. But on the bright side I have seen more rainbows than I ever have in one summer. I have seen 5 different rainbows including the double one below in just the past two months.

As a result of all the rain the river is high & moving along quite fast. Everything is still a very lush green when usually it is quite dry this time of year. 

The wild flowers have been amazing too.

I especially love my walks after the sun comes out. Seeing the fields of flowers and all the pretty butterflies in such perfusion is a real treat.

I noticed on one walk recently that someone is keeping bees. I crept in to take a closer look & watch the bees busy at work.

I wonder who the bee keeper is? I don't know but it reminds me of all the local honey products available in the market. I am sure with all of these beautiful wild flowers these bees will make some delightfully tasty honey.

Hope you are looking forward to a honey of a weekend. May it be filled with wild flowers & even perhaps a rainbow.

Film Update

For those of you who have been following along about the motion picture, The Hundred Foot Journey, which was filmed  in St. Antonin last summer, here is the latest update. The French trailer came out about a month after the American trailer. The French version of the film comes with a title change, instead of The Hundred Foot Journey it is called 

Les Recettes du Bonheur.

The bad news  (for me at least) is that the opening date in France is also a month after the American. In the states the film opens August 8 but here in France it will open on September 10. And that is disappointing for me because my flight back home is September 6th. I will just miss it!

I had so hoped to watch this film here in the town where it was made. But that is not to be. The beautiful Cinema Le Querlys is my favorite movie house  in all the world. It would have been the perfect place to share this film with all of the people of the town that took part in it in one way or another. The posters are already up & everyone is excited to see the results of all that took place last summer. How I wish I would be here for the opening as well.

I found an interview (below) with Helen Mirren , who stars in the film, talking about her role. The interview is a bit choppy but if you watch it through to the end she talks about filming in this area. She says how she jumped at the chance to work in this part of France & that she hopes the film will give the audience a taste of how incredibly beautiful it is in this part of the world. These are sentiments with which I totally agree.

If you missed my posts last summer about the making of the film you can check out some of them here *   *   *   * . 

Sim Carter also did some very interesting posts on her blog Chapter 1 Take 1 about the film, which you can see here.

I am linking to Paulita's Dreaming of France today.

Have a great week everybody!