Tuesday, February 14, 2017

We Are Blue

Winter At Cottage


I suppose most of you are expecting a Valentine's decor in today's post. This is not going to happen. This holiday is not observed at Cottage. Our next big day will be March 20th which is the date for the spring equinox.

Bon, si vous vous attendez à un décor de Saint Valentin, vous allez être déçu. Cette fête n'est pas célébrée au Cottage. Notre prochaine célébration, ce sera le 20 mars, pour le printemps.

 
Speaking of spring, the amaryllis has bloomed, so I took a picture to show you. The other bulbs that were on the mantel are going to be planted in the garden, so hopefully they'll bloom again next year. I should have time to plant them as this week is winter break in Brittany.

En parlant du printemps, l'amaryllis a fleuri et j'ai pris une photo pour vous le prouver. Les autres bulbes qui étaient sur la cheminée vont être replantés dans le jardin. Je devrais avoir le temps  car ce sont les vacances d'hiver ici en Bretagne.

It should also mean that I have all the time in the world to create a beautiful decor and take lovely pictures... Of course, I had zero time for that.  So I just snapped a few pictures of Cottage as he was looking this morning (and yes, you can see the dirty dishes in the sink at some point...). I have my blue china out for winter, even if I didn't experience my usual winter blues this year.

Les vacances devraient signifier que j'ai tout le temps  qu'il faut pour faire de jolies photos avec un décor bien léché... Bon, en fait, je n'ai pas une minute, alors, j'ai pris l'appareil ce matin et j'ai pris Cottage "en l'état"... Oui, je sais, la vaisselle du petit déj' est sur l'évier et cela se voit sur une photo... Mais au moins, vous pouvez voir que j'ai sorti la vaisselle bleue pour l'hiver.

The beginning of February was a busy one at school as I had "mock exams" to grade and it seemed I would never see the end of it. That's why I had no time to write then.

J'ai passé le début du mois de février à corriger des brevets blancs et j'ai bien cru ne jamais en voir la fin...


I'm staying at Cottage for the winter break... The tradition in France is to go skiing, but seriously, I'm clumsy enough to break a leg at home, no need to pay a fortune for that! The ladder is already out for a project...

Je reste au Cottage pendant ces vacances. Quand on est maladroite comme moi, pas la peine de faire des kilomètres et de payer une fortune pour se casser la jambe, je suis sûre que je peux faire ça toute seule à la maison. En plus, l'escabeau est sorti pour un projet...


I'm trying to remember it's supposed to be a time to prepare my lessons, but up until now, I have sanded, primed, asked for quotes and picked up a piece of furniture for Cottage and I haven't sat at my desk once... To my defense, the office doubles as storage room for now and trying to reach the desk is a but like experiencing an episode of "Survivor".

Tous les matins, je me répète qu'il faut absolument que je prépare des cours pendant ces vacances, mais jusqu'à présent j'ai poncé, sous-couché, demandé des devis, déplacé des meubles  et je ne me suis pas assise à mon bureau une seule fois. A ma décharge, le bureau sert de pièce de stockage pour un projet imprévu qui m'est tombé dessus et chercher à atteindre le bureau, c'est un peu comme participer à un épisode de "Koh Lanta"...


Among the many things I managed to do in the last few days was "meeting" a wardrobe. It was located in a little town where there's an old medieval castle. I thought it would make a great post... But there really wasn't much left of this castle... and I had forgotten my walking shoes, so walking all around in the mud with my adorable ankle boots wasn't the best plan (I could have broken a leg)... So either I have no castle to show you this month... or I have an other one up my sleeve...


Parmi les milliers d'activités que j'ai réussi à caser dans ces derniers jours, je suis allée à la rencontre d'une armoire. Elle était située dans une petite ville dans laquelle il y a un château médiéval. Je me suis dit que cela serait parfait pour un article... Mais les ruines étaient bien en ruines et j'avais oublié d'emmener mes chaussures de marche... Faire le tour du château dans la boue avec mes petites bottines ne m'a pas semblé être une idée terrible, plutôt une aventure où j'aurais pu me casser une jambe. Bref, soit je n'ai pas de château à vous montrer ce mois-ci, soit j'en ai un autre en réserve...

See you next time for the answer...

A bientôt pour la réponse...

Hasta la proxima...






PS1: Don't get all excited about the wardrobe... I recently found out they are a little like men... Not all wardrobes are the right one!

PS 1 : Les armoires, c'est un peu comme les hommes, toutes celles que l'on rencontre ne sont pas destinées à faire un bout de chemin avec vous...

PS2: The ankle boots I decided to save rather than  walking around the castle on a very slippery muddy path...

PS 2 : Les bottines que j'ai décidé de sauver en ne poursuivant pas le chemin boueux et glissant autour du château...


40 comments:

  1. Your little cottage always looks so lovely - I adore your kitchen! Great boots, by the way!! :)

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  2. and such pretty ankle boots they are! love that blue china

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  3. Don't know about you, but me and a ladder does not indicate good things...
    Brenda

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  4. I hope you have a great spring break! Everything looks lovely!

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  5. Everything looks so fresh and bright! I love it!

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  6. your cottage is so lovely and so beautifully decorated you don't need to decorate extra for Valentine's Day..

    Happy Valentine's Day.

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  7. Do you ever go back to see what a huge difference you have made in the life of Cottage? It is so amazing to look at the lovely kitchen and remember what a trial it was. No, those ankle boots should be not even close to mud.

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  8. Here we are inundated with snow this year. Much much more than usual - 52 cm fell over 3 days. TOO MUCH!!!!! but the sun is out again and everything feels happier when the sun shines, don't you think? I can't wait for the equinox. Celebrating with you!!

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  9. I love your blue and white china. Your cottage looks so sunny and bright. I am ready for spring, although we have had an exceptionally mild winter so far. xo Laura

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    1. Our winter was colder than usual, but it seems daffodils must have loved it, because I have some popping everywhere in the garden!

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  10. I love all the blue and white and I never tire of looking at lovely pics of your cottage.

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  11. J'adore ta collection de théières bleues... cela donne envie d'en chercher d'autres... et j'aime aussi beaucoup tes bottines. Bon courage pour tout tes projets ! Pense à te reposer un peu tout de même ! Bises

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  12. Cottage is looking beautiful, Magali. Clearly, I need to know more about the castle - though I do understand why you might choose not to ruin those nice ankle boots. Not sure most of us fellers would like to be compared to a wardrobe; though I guess, for some, it's an open and shut case.

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  13. Dearest Magali, Cottage is just perfect. She is the true French cottage with a great mixture of white and wood and authentic pottery and a sense of well thought out décor. Enjoy every moment of your time off (school is becoming stressful for me) so I will rejoice with YOU as we await spring and the end of the school year!

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  14. Love all your pretty blue and white and I would break something, too trying to ski. Love your beautiful hutch.

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  15. Love the cute boots. Enjoy your break. That hutch is too sweet. Very pretty.
    Hugs
    Kris

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  16. Hi....your blues are beautiful..love the one holding the citrus with the dainty ribbon bow..yes those are some darling boots..an the amaryllis is beautiful as well..i'm STILL waiting for one of mine to bloom..one didn't do anything..an the one i'm waiting on is about 2 feet tall now..an doesn't look like the bud is ever going to open..sorry the wardrobe doesn't sound like a match for cottage..oh valentine's day..just another day here too.

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  17. I'm partial to blues and yours are beautiful. P.S. - love the boots, too.

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  18. Love your kitchen, your China, and your pretty wood items with their lovely patina.

    Be careful on that ladder!

    xxx

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  19. I am loving the blue and white. It looks pretty in you hutch. Glad you didn't break a leg-by the way-cute boots!

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  20. I love blue and white and most of my vintage dishes are that color.. Give your boots a good cleaning and enjoy your break...

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  21. Et tu l'aurais mise où cette armoire............mais que de cachotteries et c'est quoi ce projet inattendu, je me pose plein de questions.
    A bientôt pour les réponses et caresses aux félins. Bises. Babette

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  22. Well dang, I'm sure you'll find the right wardrobe. I still get a kick looking at your kitchen and dining room with all the decisions you made through the years. So, what are you up to? Fixing up the living room?
    Enjoy the few days Magali, you earned it!
    Kathleen in Az

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    1. Yes, I'm trying to work on the living room, though it's a huge task ahead of me!
      Magali

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  23. Ahh cute Boots! No wonder you didn't want them Muddy! I am envious of your blue teapots, very charming. And such a nice view of your kitchen, you did such a good job on that. I know you are probably enjoying it.




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  24. Your cottage looks very nice.
    I always like blue and white crockery, so pleasing to the eye.

    All the best Jan

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  25. Nice boots. Your blue and white pieces make such a lovely display on your hutch. I love the Amaryllis. Really beautiful. Enjoy your break.

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  26. Magali, Always happy to peek into cottage and see his latest look. I think everything looks gorgeous and we all have dirty dishes. Love all your blue and white and the amaryllis. It's always interesting seeing castle remains in France. Good for you, never ruin adorable boots in the mud, only in emergency..........

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  27. It was delightful to see all of your pretty blue dishes and lovely flowers! I hope your next meeting with a wardrobe is a little better:) The castle ruin is intriguing, but certainly not worth ruining your adorable boots! Hope your break is fun. xx Karen

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    Replies
    1. The break is a very busy one, but I'm glad I'm back improving Cottage!

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  28. Your blue and white dishes are so pretty! And your boots very cute, though I can see why you wouldn't want to go walking through the mud in those. Enjoy your break!

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  29. c'est du boulot de changer la vaisselle du joli buffet en pin au fil des saisons mais il faut avouer que ça rend la vie moins monotone !! à la maison, je ne change que les rideaux et les nappes...
    les vacances sont faites pour décompresser et pour avancer dans les projets du quotidien... alors tant pis pour les préparations de cours !! bonnes vacances - monique59

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  30. I hope you are enjoying your break even though you didn't find your dream wardrobe, Magali. It sounds like it's a working break for you with painting and sanding in your cottage. There are never enough hours in the day, are there? Enjoy the rest of your time off and have a wonderful weekend!

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  31. The blue dishes are beautiful. I hope you had a lovely break. My students are about to enter an exam period, so the last two weeks have been very busy, but I am about to have a two week break from actual teaching although I still go to work. I'm looking forward to that.

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  32. Oh Magali, I love your blue and white china. I have only a small collection but I do love the sweet blue in the china. Your tea pots are adorable! Cute boots! I must say, I don't like to walk in mud either. Thank you for your posts, my daughter teaches also and she is always so busy. Her husband is a Harvard graduate and he works creating curriculum for schools.

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  33. Cottage looks great, and I am sure he is proud as punch with all the lovely dishes and decorations that you have. Love your blue dishes - very pretty.

    Your boots look great and I am so glad that you didn't wreck them at the castle. Look interesting though.

    Have a great week.

    Mary

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  34. I'm afraid that by the time spring equinox arrives here we will have to laugh in its face. Spring is here already in full bloom (having said that, I've probably brought winter back single-handedly :-)
    Amalia
    xo

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  35. Those boots are clearly worth saving!

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