Me, myself and I

Happy Valentine's Day!

I don't do Valentine's Day, not that I have a strong belief that it's only a commercial celebration or anything, but because I'm single (be warned, this is a "personal revelations" post).

Je ne fête habituellement pas la Saint Valentin, non par principe, mais parce que je suis célibataire. Cependant, cette année, j'ai eu un cadeau! Dena de It's All About The Journey m'a offert un "Liebster Award". A moi, donc, de répondre à ses questions et de passer le relais à d'autres blogs.

But this year I had a Valentine's gift! Yes, yes, yes! In my inbox was a mail sent by Dena at It's About The Journey saying that she was passing me her "Liebster Award". 

 

I read about it first and I loved the idea that it was international and  a way to know bloggers better and to give some really nice bloggers some exposure. 

Here are the rules:

 The Liebster award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers.  What is a Liebster?  The meaning:  Liebster is a German word and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcoming.  

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about 

    themselves.

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you, and then

    create 11 new questions for the bloggers you pass the

    award to.

3. Choose 11 new bloggers (with less than 200 followers) to

    pass the award to and link them in your post.

4. Go back to their page and tell them about the award.

5. No tag backs.

Dena created some questions for me and some are really tricky.

1. If you could have dinner with one person alive or dead who would it be?
2. What is one travel location that you would love to visit?
3. What is your biggest fear?
4. What is your real hair color?
5. If you were to give your 20 year old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
6. What household chore do you hate to do?
7. What is your all time favorite movie and why?
8. What are your goals for 2013?
9. Do you tweat?
10. What is your favorite drink?
11. If you were stuck on an island, what would the one thing you could not live without~can not be a person.

So, I'll take a deep breath and try to be honest.

1. I really hate mysteries, they make me feel uncomfortable, so I guess I'd like to have dinner with someone who could help me solve a mystery, like Marilyn Monroe to understand if she commited suicide or not; or the Grand Duchess Anastasia to discover if she really died in Ekaterinbourg; maybe Anne Boleyn also, so she could finally enlighten me about that last speech she said on the scaffold...

via ehehr1955.wordpress.com

 2. I would love to visit Prince Edward Island. It's been a dream of mine since I read Anne of Green Gables, a long time ago!

Via Wikipedia

3. The thought that makes me dizzy with fear is that my life could have been entirely different had I made different choices at different times of my life. Does that make sense?

4. I don't die my hair. I'm a natural dark blonde. 

5. Wow! Probably "eat!" but I wouldn't have listened to my self anyway!

6. I hate cleaning the windows because I'm very bad at it. They are never perfect!

via Ivyclad.com

7. I have many favourite movies (I understand the meaning of "favourite", don't worry), but the one I can watch again and again is Mulholland Drive because each time I come up with a new theory about it...

Via All Posters

8. My 2013 goal is a very down to earth-material-girl goal: having new drywalls in the kicthen and in the dining-room... I actually dream of dry-walls!

9. I don't tweat.

10. Tea is my absolute favourite drink!

11. So I'd bring a kettle on an island and I'd hope there are tea plants on it!!!

 

I've had a hard time choosing who to pass the award to, but I hope those bloggers will have fun answering some questions. If you don't know them, please visit them, you're in for a real treat!

Mandi at Southern Gnome

Athena at Minerva's Garden

Christine at Little House On The Corner

Butterfly & bungalow

 

An Anglo In Quebec

Carol at Favorite Things Decor

Bec at Two Worlds

Sweet Auburn Life

Carol at Art and Sand

Debbie at Vintage on A Dime

Amber at The Honeysuckle Bus Stop

1. What is the one song/music you listen to when you need to be cheered up?

2. Are you a cat or a dog person?

3. What is the little habbit you know you shouldn't have but can't give up?

4. If you didn't live where you are right now, where would you like to live?

5. What is the colour you never wear?

6. What makes you cry for no reason?

7. What's the device that makes you happy you were born in this era rather than in the Middle Age?

8. Is there a TV-show you hate to miss?

9. What's the title of the book that changed your life?

10. Which fictional character are you in love with?

11. How did you start blogging?

I hope you'll have fun with these questions. It'll sure be fun for me to read your answers.

See you soon for the last part of the series on Brittany Cottages. You can still read part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4 if you're done with the laundry, the cooking and the housework!!!

True Colors

Houses in Brittany - part 4 - colours

I've had a difficult day at work today; most of the time I love my job as a teacher... But today just wasn't fun...

So I made myself some hot herbal tea, I put my favourite old sweater on, I'm listening to some music and to the cats' snoring (it's very relaxing... at least for me!) and I'm ready for some eye-candy.  From the very sweet comments you left me, I guess you're also ready for some more French eye-candy.

Journée difficile aujourd'hui. J'aime mon métier... Mais il y a des jours sans, comme pour tout le monde. Alors, de retour à la maison, j'ai préparé une tisane chaude, j'ai enfilé mon vieux gilet douillet, j'ai mis une musique douce et j'ai écouté les chats ronfler, oui, moi, ça me détend! Je suis prête pour admirer avec vous de belles maisons bretonnes.

I know most people associate Brittany with blue windows and shutters.  The previous owner of my cottage thought so. And I must say, those blue shutters did wink at me the first day I visited the house.

La plupart des gens associe la Bretagne avec les volets bleus. C'était le cas des précédents propriétaires de ma maison. Je dois avouer tout de même que ces volets m'avaient bien fait de l'oeil quand j'ai visité la maison la première fois.

There are many stone houses that have blue windows and shutters, though each owner chooses its favourite shade.

Beaucoup de maisons utilisent le bleu, chacun choisissant sa teinte. Un bleu franc, dit "bleu breton", par exemple a été décidé pour la maison ci-dessous.

It can be a "real" blue that is often called "Britton blue".

 Ce bleu peut presque être turquoise comme celui aperçu sur une maison de Moncontour.

Or nearly turquoise as in the next picture, which was taken by a friend in the medieval town of Moncontour... That's me, walking ahead of her... and not admiring at all that beautiful blue door.

So I grew up thinking Brittany and blue shutters were like salt and pepper, oil and vinegar, Romeo and Juliet...

But I later learnt that blue became really popular when sea-bathing became popular and people from town (and mainly Paris) associated blue with the sea.

J'ai grandi en associant le bleu à la Bretagne, mais j'ai appris que c'était une association surtout développée avec l'apparition du tourisme, parce que le bleu, ça fait "mer", évidemment, pour moi la première. En fait, auparavant, les volets avaient des teintes variées, sûrement pour aider à distinguer les maisons. Ainsi, moi j'habiterais la maison aux volets bleus en face de la maison à la porte verte... Avec ces indications, je vous attends demain pour le thé!!!

But traditionally, owners would choose different colours, maybe also to make it easier to find their house. When there was no number on houses, you would say: "I live in the first house with red windows, right after the church", for example.

A few towns have encouraged owners to repaint in other colours than just blue.

Un certain nombre de villes et de villages ont encouragé leurs habitants à restaurer cette diversité et l'on trouve un peu de toutes les couleurs.




So you can find green.

 

Either dark or very light.

I've noticed that more and more people choose red.

And of course, I always find that white shutters look gorgeous on a stone wall.

Every now and then, you can find a house with an unusual colour. I remember seeing one with black shutters on Brehat, but apparently I didn't take a picture (I had no idea what a blog was back then). I tried to find a picture of it on the Internet, but failed. But I found this one!

 

So if you were the proud owner of a stone house, what colour would you choose to associate the stone with?

Bon alors, si vous deviez choisir une couleur pour les volets de votre maison en pierre, que choisiriez-vous?

If you missed the other parts of this series, you can find them here: part 1, part 2, part 3.

Si vous avez manqué quelques épisodes sur les maisons bretonnes, retrouvez les ici: épisode1, épisode 2, épisode 3.

Thanks for tagging along and for your sweet comments, they are really appreciated.

See you soon,

I'm linking with:

Make It Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House

Making The World Cuter Monday at Making The World Cuter 

A Return To Loveliness at A Delightsome Life

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Everything But The Kitchen Sink at A Little Knick Knack

House, Castle & Co

Houses in Brittany - part 3 - types of houses

I'm glad you're back for part 3 of this month series.

Je suis ravie de vous retrouver pour la troisième partie de cette série.

After a very busy week at The Little White House, I thought we could just relax with a cup of tea (go, pour yourself a cup and I'll wait for you right here) and admire some more houses from Brittany, France.

Après une semaine ultra chargée à la Petite Maison, j'ai pensé que cela nous ferait du bien de prendre une tasse de thé (allez vous servir,  je vous attends) et de rêver devant de belles maisons bretonnes.

I live in a small fisherman's cottage, because that is what is in my budget, and anyway I wouldn't like to live in too big a house as I think I'd be afraid at night.

J'habite une petite maison de pêcheur, parce que c'est ce qui est dans mon budget... Et puis, j'aurai peur le soir dans une grande maison!

 Mais peut-être préféreriez-vous vivre dans une longère typiquement bretonne?

But maybe you'd rather live in a "longère" (long house) that are really typical around here. As it says on the tin, it's a long house shaped like an I.

I love that even the dormer windows are made of stone. When I was looking for a house, I visited one that had that kind of window. I was really sure it was "the one" when I saw it in picture... But when I visited the house, the only thing you could see from those windows was the neighbour's wall!

Ou alors, que diriez-vous de vivre dans un ancien moulin? La région en regorge!

Maybe you'd prefer living in a mill? There are lots of them around here, since we have lots of streams in Brittany. 

I also visited a small mill when looking for the house. I thought it would be so fun to live in a former mill... But it was way too close to a road! I guess it explained a mill was in my budget!

Quand je cherchais ma maison, j'avais trouvé sur une annonce pour un petit moulin, j'étais immédiatement tombée amoureuse... Jusqu'au moment où je suis arrivée devant le moulin, juste en bord d'une route passante!

Who wouldn't fancy living in a "maison bourgeoise"? They are those big, very chic, family houses.

Et que diriez-vous d'une belle maison bourgeoise? Celle-là est située à Dinard. Souvent, ces maisons étaient en fait construites par de riches Parisiens quand il est devenu à la mode de venir en vacances ici.

This is one is located in my parents' town, where there are lots of big houses. My parents don't live in one of those, though. 

Most of them weren't built by locals, but by rich Parisians at the beginning of the 19th century when it became fashionable to have a house there for the holidays. The houses had to show their owners' wealth. That's why they are usually full of architectural details.

Les riches Bretons avaient plutôt des maisons de maître à l'allure plus carrée et très rassurante.

Rich locals had more modest houses that we call "maison de maître". They have a sturdy look that I love.

Well, since we're dreaming, why not have a look at some manors and castles? There are many of them in the area and every now and then, one is to buy.

Puisqu'on fantasme, pourquoi ne pas s'imaginer habiter un château classique?

Ou alors un beaucoup plus ancien?

The one above is from the Classical area, but you could also find older ones, like this one:

If I had enough money, I would love to save one of those old buildings that are sometimes in a pitiful state!

I hope you enjoyed day-dreaming with me about houses. If you want a little more dreaming, you can read part 1 and part 2 of the series.

 J'espère que vous avez apprécié de vous imaginer dans chacune des ces demeures. Si vous souhaitez rêver un peu plus, vous pouvez lire la première et la deuxième parties de cette série.

See you soon!

I'm linking with:

Frenchy Party at Le Chateau des Fleurs

Tuesday's Treasure at My Uncommon Slice of Suburubia
Cottage Style Party at Lavender Garden Cottage
Welcome Home Wednesday at Vintage On A Dime
Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage

Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now

Anything goes linky at Bacon Time

Violets are blue, Roses are pink, Sugar is sweet

A Valentine Mantel By Candlelight

I'm glad you found your way to The Little White House.

Je suis ravie que vous ayez trouvé le chemin de ma Petite Maison.

Even if the house is undergoing a complete renovation which should ban any decorating for now, I decided to do something with the mantel.

I believe it's very important to remember that an "under-renovation-house" is still a home. 

Même si les rénovations de la maison n'encouragent pas vraiment à se lancer dans la déco, j'ai décidé de penser à autre chose qu'au placo en  m'occupant de mon manteau de cheminée. La météo catastrophique m'a forcé à prendre les photos à la lumière des bougies... Au moins, cela justifie le manque de lumière!

Unfortunately the weather is dreadful lately in Brittany and so taking the pictures by romantic candlelight was my only solution!

I didn't buy anything new for this decoration.

The roses are still my birthday roses... so they've been enchanting my home since January 23rd.

The teapot is an Arthur Wood teapot that I bought second-hand two years ago. I love its shape, especially the handle, and the violets on it. 

The sweets under the cloche were a gift my mother brought me back from Toulouse, where they are traditionally made... But I don't eat sweets, so I kept them for a February decor.

Rien n'a été acheté pour ce décor: le bouquet date de mon anniversaire, la théière est une théière Arthur Wood achetée d'occasion il y a deux ans. Les bonbons à la violette m'avaient été ramenés par Maman d'un séjour à Toulouse.

The master piece, according to me is that old book I found last week at an empty-your-attic-sale (French yard sale): it's dated from 1888... And it's the score of Gounod's Romeo & Juliet. 

I've spent so much time studying Romeo & Juliet and everything that was created on it since Shakespeare's play in my youth that I really wanted that book. The lady selling began to say "It's worth 70 €, you know." Disappointement must have been painted all over my face at that price, because she then resumes: "but I'll be happy if you give me 8 € for it". 

It has a nice, though worn-out, leather cover and golden edges. I'm in love!

La pièce maîtresse est cette partition complète du Roméo et Juliette de Gounod datée de 1888, trouvée dans un vide-grenier le week-end dernier. Cette histoire représente tellement de souvenirs d'étude, de travail avec les élèves, que j'étais tout émue quand je me suis retrouvée propriétaire de cet ouvrage!

Now if you want, you can listen to my favourite part of this opera in the video below.

Si vous vous sentez d'humeur musicale, vous trouverez ci-dessus mon extrait préféré de cet opéra.

I hope you enjoyed your time at The Little White House.

See you soon,

PS: The "Cottages in Brittany" series will resume later; meanwhile you can still read part 1 and part 2.


Partying there:

Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home

Everything but the Kitchen Sink at A Little Knick Knack

Thrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty Groove

Beverley's Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound

Saturday Nite Special at Funky Junk Interiors

Mod Mix Monday at Mod Vintage Life
Making The World Cuter Monday on Making The World Cuter
It's a Cloche Party at A Stroll Thru Life
Transformed Tuesday at PJH Designs One of  A Kind
A Return To Loveliness at A Delightsome Life
Twirl and Take a Bow at House On The Way
Budget Decorating Party at Creative Cain Cabin

   

A Heart of Stone

Houses in Brittany - part 2 - walls

Welcome back. I have some wondeful pictures of dream houses for you today! 

Most traditional houses in Brittany are made of stones. Most, not all, some of them are built in wattle and daub and timber.

La plupart des maisons bretonnes traditionnelles sont construites en pierre. Mais certaines sont en torchis et colombages, comme cette maison de Lamballe.

But as a little girl I always fancied living in a stone house.

Mais, moi, depuis toute petite, j'ai rêvé d'habiter dans une maison en pierre.

Via Wikipedia

In the South of Brittany, where I spent some holidays as a child, stones have happy shades going from yellow to cream.

Dans le sud de la Bretagne, les pierres sont plus claires que dans le nord. Mais les pierres sombres du nord ont vraiment fini par conquérir mon coeur. 

Found on the "to buy" adds of some local newspaper, can't remember which, though.

In the North of Brittany, where I live now, stones are darker. They have really grown on me.

It's also quite common around here to have bricks around the windows and doors.

I believe though that those houses aren't that old, probably the early nineteenth century, but I haven't checked that, it's just a feeling, given how those houses are built.

Il est aussi fréquent d'avoir des briques autour des ouvertures. Dans ma propre maison, lors des travaux, j'ai retrouvé des briques marquées du nom de villages alentours, où se trouvaient auparavant des briqueteries.

I found old bricks when renovating my house, marked "Saint-Brieuc" and "Binic", two towns very close to my house. None of these towns still have brick fabrics (it's a little weird to say it out loud).

There's also a small part of the coast a little farther north that's called the Pink Granite Coast, because granite there has a very stunning pink shade.
 

Sur la côte de granit rose, on trouve des maisons qui utilisent avec parcimonie ou pas, le granit typique de cette toute petite côte.

Some houses are built using this granite.

If you have a look at the stones surrounding the windows, they are pink. The house below was found on Clévacances, which means you can rent it for holidays! Woudn't you fancy spending the summer there?

This one is so pink it's unreal. Because the stones are very regular, I suspect it was built after WWII. I'm sorry about the bin in the front, but this is the picture that was used by the owner to sell their house on OuestFranceImmo site!

Lots of the houses built after WWII are built of concrete with only details in granite. We call them "neo-bretonne".

Après la Seconde Guerre Mondiale a commencé la construction des maisons néo-bretonnes qui n'utilise plus le granit qu'à des fins "décoratives".

Because such was the trend in houses these days, some old stone houses had their stone walls recovered, like the one below.

C'était tellement la mode qu'on a même enduit des maisons qui étaient réellement en pierre!

This is what happened to my little fisherman's cottage also.

C'est ce qui est arrivé à ma Petite Maison.

Now this study wouldn't be complete without mentionning the kind of house people love building these days in Brittany.

Je ne peux pas ne pas évoquer les constructions qui poussent comme des champignons autour de mon cottage: des cubes gris et blancs qui s'emboîtent les uns dans les autres... Cela a une certaine classe parce que c'est très géométrique.

They look like cubes that collided in one another. Two very similar to that one were built next to my cottage.

Now, if you were to spend holidays in Brittany, which one would you choose to spend time in?

Bon, alors, laquelle choississez-vous pour vos prochaines vacances?

Thanks for joining me today!

PS: If you missed part 1 and want to see more wonderful houses, go here.

Si vous avez manqué la première partie et mourrez d'envie de voir d'autres maisons, cliquez ici.

I'm going to offer some eye-candy to the following parties.