Friday, May 02, 2014

Have A Break Have A Palet Breton

In France, it's traditional to offer lily-of-the-valley on May 1st for good luck.

Voici mon petit brin de muguet pour vous porter bonheur.


Here's mine for you!

Lately, I have been running after time and I have the feeling that the blog has been on the same pace as I... Of course, I want to show you what's going on with the kitchen project, but I feel we haven't just had tea with a nice chat (and a nice cat or two) for ever.

Ces derniers jours, j'ai eu l'impression de courir après le temps, et j'ai le sentiment que le blog a suivi le même rythme. Alors, certes, je veux vous montrer comment avancent mes projets pour la cuisine, mais j'ai l'impression que cela fait une éternité qu'on ne s'est pas posé pour une tasse de thé.

Today was a beautiful sunny day and so I tried to cram as many things into the day as possible: running errands (for the kitchen of course), creating holes in wood feet (for the kitchen - you'll understand someday), cleaning the fridge to sell it...


Suddenly at 4 pm, clouds in all shades of grey arrived from nowhere, very typical of Brittany, the weather changes for worse or for better in a second.

Aujourd'hui a été une belle journée pleine de nombreux petits bricolages quand soudain à quatre heures sont arrivés de nulle part des nuages dans toutes les nuances de gris. Eh oui, en Bretagne, le temps change en quelques secondes.


So within a few minutes, all the crew thought it was safer to head back to the cottage.

En un instant, tout l'équipage du Cottage a pensé qu'il était préférable de rentrer.


Shadow was going down the garden stairs, while Milo was already at the threshold.


Shadow descendait les marches du jardin alors que Milo était déjà sur le palier.


Piano decided to come in the front porch for shelter for the first time (I've been feeding him for nearly a year). The picture was taken behind the window because he's very camera shy and it seems somebody pushed the window with a wet paw earlier...

Piano a même décidé de se mettre à l'abri dans la véranda pour la toute première fois (je le nourris depuis bientôt un an). La photo a été prise derrière la vitre car il est encore craintif (il accepte une petite caresse chaque jour) et il semblerait que quelqu'un ait posé sa patte mouillée sur cette vitre auparavant...


Even Tremolo, the neighbour's cat, tried to come inside the cottage.

Même Tremolo, le chat de la voisine, a essayé de rentrer dans la maison.


So I decided it was time to stop all my projects in their unfinished state and to have a cup of tea. Will you join me?


Moi, j'ai décidé de laisser tous mes projets en plan et de m'accorder une tasse de thé. Vous vous joindrez bien à moi?


I was so in "I can't do anything anymore" mode that even the cookies were store-bought ones... That doesn't happen that often at the Cottage, let me tell you. They are typically Breton "palets", a kind of shortbread.


J'ai été tellement occupée par tous mes petits projets que je n'ai pas eu le temps de faire des biscuits maison... Cela arrive rarement, mais le goûter était composé de palets bretons achetés au supermarché (j'ose à peine l'avouer...).


Someone with a white and grey coat thought having a break was a really good idea...

Quelqu'un qui a des oreilles pointues a pensé que cette pause était une excellente idée...


Before I allowed myself to have this little break, I had worked a little on the shop. If you want to dream about pretty dishes, have a look at my "Signs Of Spring" collection, that includes the dishes on the table below and much more.

Avant de me permettre cette pause, j'avais travaillé sur la collection de printemps de la boutique (je sais, il est temps) qui inclut entre autres, le service que vous pouvez voir ci-dessous. Si vous voulez vous rincer l’œil sur de la jolie vaisselle, vous pouvez le jeter (l’œil) ici.


See you soon, for the reveal of some of those unfinished today projects...

A bientôt, je vous montrerai certains de ces projets inachevés aujourd'hui...




PS1: I saw the contractor for the kitchen this week and when I left, we weren't best friends anymore, since he tried to convince me that everything will be done on time... Hello? You're already a week late?

J'ai vu le cuisiniste dans la semaine et il a essayé de me faire croire que l'on serait dans les temps... A l'écouter, la cuisine serait posée en quelques heures... Certes, je suis blonde, mais là, faut pas pousser!

PS2: Cottage thought it was a good idea to bring lily-of-the-valley in for good luck! He said it might help with the kitchen status!

PS2: I'm bringing my lily-of-the-valley to some great parties.

 Dwellings-the Heart of You Home                             


37 comments:

  1. Good morning dear Magali,
    how lovely having tea with you in the morning! I must confess I have arrived at coffee now, but you won´t mind, will you? You are busy working on your kitchen? Great, I am so curious! Most beautiful china and your garden is so lovely (not to mention the cats, who always know where to find a good place to be). But what is this rope or cable hanging over your windows? X-mas-decoration? I know I am curious, as I said so before...
    Have a nice day and may that contractor be cursed for letting you wait for your kitchen!
    Hugs from Sarah

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  2. Hmm, also wondered about the rope!
    Your tea set is so lovely, reminds me of tea with my grandma.

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  3. Dear Magali,
    I'd love to join you for a cup of tea. :D Haven't seen any lilies of the valley for a long long time. Lovely ! Hugs, Izabella.

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  4. Tous ces chats me font craquer.
    Il y a quelque temps j'ai chiné un solitaire du même modèle que ton service mais en taille Jumbo.
    Ici, il y a 1/2 heure nous avons eu une rincée comme pas possible, des trombes d'eau & ça y est, c'est fini & le soleil recommence à briller malgré le tonnerre qui gronde.
    Bisous bisous. Babette

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  5. Hey, I love the tea set, so beautiful! No lily of the valley here. Oh... the kitties are so funny... my house is a cat shelter I think, cause so many cats always looking for any meal and take a nap on my garden.

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  6. Have a great month!My mum loves lily-of-the valley!AriadnefromGreece!

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  7. Your blog posts always make me feel better. This one was lovely, Magali! Thank you so much! Best regards to the many cats and cottage too. I can't wait to take a look in the shop………

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    1. Sarah,
      Before we had a little tea, I went to "empty-your-attic" sales in three different villages around the cottage. I might be sending you a picture of something I found very soon...
      Magali

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  8. I love lily of the valley, reminds me of my mom's garden; your tea set and china are beautiful!

    Have a nice weekend, Nada

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    1. My mum also has lily-of-the-valley in her garden!
      Thanks for having tea with me!
      Magali

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  9. I wish you could tell me why my lilies of the valley multiply but don't choose to bloom. I do like the foliage but the little white bells are what we cherish. Your tea service is so lovely... Is that Rose Chintz? It is perfect in your cottage. Happy May to you and best wishes for an expeditious kitchen redo. Rarely have I seen an unsullied relationship between homeowner and contractor. But in the end the wait always seems to have been worth it. Hugs, Dana

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  10. PS Sarah Hideaway, no cursing the contractor till he finishes the kitchen!! :-)

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  11. Thanks for the lilies-of-the-valley! They sure are a thing of beauty! So dainty but elegant too! I truly love seeing photos of your gorgeous cats too! My kids... my 16 years daughter in particular keeps asking me for one! If it wasn`t for our dog who dislikes other animals I would have one for sure! Wishing you a lovely weekend! Hope your lovely kitchen gets done soon! :)

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  12. Beautiful china, perfect for Spring! Hope you had a lovely kit-tea tea : ) Patty/NS

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  13. Thank you for the tea! It was lovely. Our lillies of the valley are not out yet. I am looking forward to their arrival. I planted one four years ago, and every spring I get excited to see how many will come up. They spread fast and smell delicious.

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  14. Since I am a big tea drinker I'll have tea with you. I smiled when I see you set, since I just found a 8 piece place setting for this beautiful set at GW about a month ago. Like minds think a like. Also my maternal grandmother favorite flower was lilly of the valley, there are in my garden but aren't in bloom yet. But I cannot see them without thinking of her or my Mom (who's both passed). don't they smell wonderfully! I also can relate to what's going on since it craz craz here too!

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  15. Thank you for the nice flowers and " tea" Magali. Don't mind your contractor, I think that's what they all say when their already late, I think it's a natural response for them ;-)

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  16. Well France weather sounds like Quebec weather ( must be the French influence, I suppose LOL )
    Beautiful flowers and beautiful table ( and living in France why on earth would you bake anything when you have
    the most wonderful Patisserie's on the planet ( we have the second best - must be the French influence I suppose )
    XOXO

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  17. A cup of tea during a rain storm sounds delightful.
    Traci

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  18. I love all your photos of the kitties. I love "Piano" cat! I like the weather you describe, as long as it is not cold. At this time of year, I miss California's mediterranean climate. It's going to be 100 degree here this weekend. Thank you for the tea. I hope it is not too much longer for the cabinets.

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  19. Lily love! The march of the kitties is very sweet - even the ones from other homes. Love the tea cups. All contractors have watches and calendars very different from ours.

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  20. Hi Magali! Thanks for your lovely comment! Believe me its a good thing that you ate all your chocolate! I had enough of it! Gave the rest to my hubby so he can take it to work and share with his colleagues! I`m pretty sure I`ve gained a lot of weight just because of the dreaded word CHOCOLATE! haha :)

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  21. thanks so much just what I needed this Saturday morning beautiful post

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  22. Oh how nice to sit and enjoy some tea and shortbread with you. I see that you're working on some panelling (?). When my house is all done I think there will be panelling in every room, I love it so.
    I think the lily of the valley sums you up perfectly - very elegant !

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  23. Hey Magali ! My birthday is April 24, and my parents always got me some lily of the valley, they smell so lovely and they are just perfect! I got married the 1st of May, and guess what flowers I chose for my wedding bouquet? Exactly, lily of the valley and white Fresia, it smelled wonderful :-)... Your china is also gorgeous, but maybe it is a good thing that my house is quite small, so I have to think twice before I buy new stuff :-D Greetings, Marcy

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    1. I only buy old stuff ;) It's somehow easier to find room for it than for new stuff ;) Happy anniversary then!

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  24. Lily of the Valley is one of my favorite flowers.....yours are beautiful! And I would love a cup of tea in that lovely china~~~actually a perfect day in my book, all of your special friends around you....something good to eat....and a cup of tea! (now you just need to be friends again with the contractor) Blessings~~~Roxie

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  25. Such beautiful pictures Magali. That darn cookie closeup made me extremely hungry for cookies though! I love Lily of the Valley! The smell is so beautiful! Here's hoping that your contractor will keep his word even though it will be a week late and stick to the new schedule!!

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  26. Your lily-of-the-valley is gorgeous! Of course, I immediately thought of its poisonous attributes used on Breaking Bad. Have you seen that show? Genius.

    No one celebrates May Day here anymore. Sad!!

    And all those kitties! I love that even the neighbor's chat wants to hang out with you. :)

    -andi

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  27. Oh Lily of the Valley is so beautiful. I love it and I loved all of your gorgeous pictures. I would love to be there and have tea.

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  28. The table looks lovely with those gorgeous dishes.

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  29. We had lily of the valley lining the perimeter of our house where I grew up. I absolutely loved it and was always cutting and bringing some indoors. My mother got used to this idea over time. She was never a big fan of flowers indoors...not sure why...it turns out that I still love having fresh flowers.
    Oh and tea looks wonderful.

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  30. Beautiful plates for sure. Hope the kitchen project goes as smooth as possible

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  31. I wish we had the same May Day tradition. Gorgeous flowers. I love the idea of taking a bit of a tea break. Our neighbor's cat always tries to break into my house, too!

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  32. Thank you for the lily of the valley! Your kitties seemed to enjoy the tea break - they'll be expecting it more often, now!

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