More white stuff ......

Thursday morning as you know.....

Monday morning and still it comes......

From inside the living room.....snow cushions on the chairs and an incredible fluffy white hat on the table.


The roof of the kitchen with a leaf sandwich.....

The weird thing with this early snowfall is that the trees haven't finished shedding their leaves....the Beech were almost finished but the Oak still has a good covering.... and under the snow are heaps of leaves I was going to clear last week.

Next door neighbour with orange shovel trying to get out of his drive.....and another very optimistic neighbour expecting his bin to be emptied today......mmm.... think not!

And finally....what happens when you forget to take the gazebo canopy down.....too late....snapped with the weight of the snow!

On a different note, amazingly, we made it to Kendal, Cumbria at the weekend for an Antique Fair.
Just a flurry in the South Lakes compared to here!
I bought some lovely things which I will show you on another post when I have cleaned and sorted them today.....
Bye for now!
Julie x

White stuff.....

A little light snowfall greeted me this morning when I drew the curtains.......

The Camelia sporting snowy pom poms......

I love the greyness of snow early in the morning......

In fact Northumberland seems to have received quite a dumping of the white stuff overnight....very pretty but not so good if you have places to go to.....

Never mind,  I have pulled out my trusty, all-terrain, sheepskin lined, waterproof boots from the cupboard to cope with it all......

A quick polish and I will be on my way......

Julie x

A grand day out......

Great weekend at the Christmas Fair in Hexham...... lots of people braving the miserable weather for a spot of indoor Christmas shopping.

Snowy the Snow Owl taking centre stage......such a well behaved bird, not at all fazed with the attention of adults and children........

The Fair wound its way down the corridor,

Through the studio rooms.......

And into the Sports Hall which had been transformed into an Indoor Marquee.

The other stall holders put on great displays.....

I had my usual Cloth Shed mix,

Vintage pressed glass cake stands and dishes  proved very popular over the weekend,

As did white china and vintage cutlery..... pickle forks, butter knives, jam spoons etc

Obviously you have to buy things at a Christmas Fair, so I bought this little handmade felt dog to go on my "old granny" tweed coat...... I thought it might make it less of a "granny" coat,  if you know what I mean.....

Julie x

Inspirational magazine.....

The Christmas Vie a la Campagne magazine that I bought last week at the Airport in Paris is a joy.....having been very disappointed with my Country Living magazine this month this one has more than made up for it.

Page after page of this beautiful  house in Sweden....22 pages to be exact....with clever ideas for festive decorations.
It is like flicking through a Jeanne D'Arc magazine....


A rustic farm in France oozing with character.
Filled with wonderful textures.....slubby linen......wood....metal 
My kind of place....

 This beautiful farm belongs to the owner of a fabulous boutique called Atelier des Ours .
I hadn't heard of them until I visited Linda from Vintage Heart.....she has had them on her sidebar for a long time.
They do the most gorgeous floaty clothes.....so romantic!

Take a look....they have just done a post on the magazine article too....

Julie x

P.S Thank you all for your lovely comments.....I really do appreciate your kind words x

Grey Paris......

Grey clouds and drizzly rain all weekend didn't deter me and my daughter ( personal translator ) from  finding this fleamarket at Porte de Vanves on Saturday morning.

Some interesting things but too big to bring back in hand luggage.

So after a quick coffee break....

And a purchase of a monster meringue the size of a dinner plate.....

 We took the bus to Bastille......

 In search of some more French vintage goodies.

 This Brocante stretches out on both sides of the river with individual marquee booths.

Interesting displays but at Paris prices.....

Some more walking and the Palais de Louvre...... still grey and drizzly...umbrellas everywhere.

 By now I was flagging and the prospect of a sit down with a cup of something kept me going.
My daughter suggested Angelina..... famous for its hot chocolate.
Angelina is the equivalent of Betty's Tearoom and naively we thought we would pay it a visit.
But I think all the Parisians had the same idea that day......

The queue was so ridiculously long that we decided we wouldn't be joining them after all......posh hot chocolate or not.

So off again, passed Opera....

To Gallerie Lafayette with its twinkly Christmas lights against the darkening skies...

A quick peek inside at the famous dome ceiling decorated with a massive suspended Christmas tree....

 Then into the Food Hall and out again with this delicious cheese....only the French would think to make a heart shape cheese......

The next day was to be a trip to the Arc de Triomphe.....

Something I was unaware of was the possibility of climbing to the top of this impressive building.

So, 10 euros lighter and a heart attack inducing climb of the spiral staircase, resulted in a panoramic view of Paris...... well worth it for the view even in the rain.....

Then on to Montmartre..... up the furnicular railway to Sacre Coeur with more splendid views over the City.

 

Finally, a well deserved spot of lunch to brighten the miserable weather......

 Taglietelle with langoustine and a parma ham and rocket pizza......very tasty....

Then it was back to the Airport on the RER for me leaving my "baby" behind in Paris....

I now have blisters on my heels and aches in muscles I didn't know I had, but I have had the most fab weekend......think I will have to see Paris in the Spring now.....
Julie x