Advent

What a change of weather and temperatures in those first two weeks of Advent !

Snow fell – a little –  and left.

It was followed by rather dull and foggy days . Then we got rain, lots of it, although the mood of the Season is here : red colors.  Crisp, cold days, trees decorated in  red  or were they goblins’ tall hats ?  A lot of  red also in the window shops, fa sho’ !Red but frozen, a  forgotten heart in a pot on the  terrace. Forgotten but not broken !Outside the air is cold, a few leaves are still blooming in the late afternoon sun.But inside, a  hot and spiced Christmas pot of tea awaits you for a quiet moment in the warm shades of candlelight. And… a cake too, if you feel like it. A lemon scented cake.Happy Advent’s time to you all, Friends, wherever you are.

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One week in pictures

Some weeks just go by their own quiet way and rhythm. I do not mean  a routine because there seems to be something special in each day. In some weeks though there are events out of the ordinary, people and places you will remember. The week described here was one of those.

Monday is sometimes a day when I try cooking new recipes. Pies or quiches are amongst my favourites. Some of them I find reading blogs such as Tammy’s. Her blog is not only about food but also about community supported agriculture. Well worth reading.

http://agrigirl.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/i-like-pie/#more-6508

  The recipe is about a tomato pie. Since I had a big and beautiful zuchini  waiting to be picked in the garden, I added some of it in the pie (grated and grilled a little). This is the only change I made. It tasted really delicious, Thank you very much, Tammy.

On Tuesday I had to go to town  and found a quiet lane to walk for a while with Nino-the-beagle. Guess whom we met ? Another beagle looking lonely behind a fence. What do two beagles say to each other when they meet : “Let’s escape together and go hunting !”

Wednesday morning. Brilliant clouds welcomed me as I opened the shutters. “O, beautiful golden clouds, what will you bring us on this day” ? As it happened, the warm morning turned into a stormy day. A rather temperamental weather this Summer but a rain that was well needed too.

A short break after work on Thursday afternoon. As we  were  sitting on a bench with a friend, a “school-boat” was floating down the canal. A lady was steering the little boat back to its mooring. Not as simple as it looks  and she did very well.

Friday was a rainy day. A drive over the mountains to visit long-time friends of our family. It was cold, foggy. The landscape looked  autumnal and yet beautiful in its own way.

On Saturday morning at our friend’s home, we were awaken by a ballet of helicopters. Every third minute or so, a helicopter would fly over the area, fill a big  bucket of water (700 liters) and pour it down on the forest which had caught fire during the night. It took the pilots two whole days to stop it. Nobody was injured and the damage could be stopped in time.

Sunday was a happy celebration day ! Family and friends gathered around Alima, our youngest niece. The sun shone brightly  for her. There were prayers, songs, dance and lots of African food and music. Another change of scenery in this particular week.  Alima was quite comfortable and relaxed dancing in her  proud grandmother’s arms.

Guess what I did on Sunday ? After a rest following the previous long day, I sat down on a lovely terrace between sky and earth, took my pen and some nice stationary; I wrote to a dear friend all about my recent week. Internet is not part of her world and we both enjoy exchanging letters every month.

Autumnal sun

Fall and its warm shades is at the door but  Summer does not look ready to leave yet. And why should it ? Both are so enchanting ! The warmth of Summer and the colours of Autumn.

Fall greets us with an early morning fog that the late Summer sun dissolves during the afternoon.

Flowers never seemed as shiny and luminous as now. A bright farewell to their Season as they lead the path to the softer autumnal shades.

What a wonderful  and colourful transition in the year !

A sunflower, tournesol in French which could litteraly mean “turning toward to sun”. This particular sunflower was attracting the late afternoon sun.

Pretty, delicate and fragile,  undulating in the slightest breath of wind, cosmos are in full bloom right now. A real delight for the eyes.

Fog in the Alps comes and goes. Sometimes you think your day will be a rather dull one and all of a sudden sun shines from across the mountains  and lights up the landscape. I often walked along this path and experienced all kind of weather. This changing of mood in nature is a favourite of mine.