My photo blog

Mystery on the patio: this is what I swept up (balayé). Where did that cat thing come from? It looks like (ça a l'air de) a Christmas thing, It must have been on the patio a long time!

Time to harvest the barley (l'orge), it's late in fact because of the rain. just look at the dust (poussière) in the evening sun.

Summer is also the time for the hollyhocks (roses trèmieres), they're beautiful also with the sun behind.

I don't believe it! July 13th and it was like this all day: rain and high winds. Then suddenly at 7pm the rain stopped and blue sky appeared and the sun came out. What a relief - but the wind didn't stop and the temperature was only 17°. I wonder how many towns cancelled their firework (feu d'artifice) display.

I've just joined a new group on redbubble: LUSCIOUS FOOD HOUSE, though I must admit I find it difficult to take good photos of food. But I have quite a few, especially of cakes so I'm putting them in the group.
Here's one that is not of cakes:


This is how they sell sprouts in Northallerton, Yorkshire! English people love sprouts, they're even part of Christmas dinner with the turkey(dinde).

Colours, textures,
old/modern,
hand-made/factory-made,
rough/smooth(rugeux/lisse),
decorative/useful,
natural/plastic....

The Habitat shop window in avenue Wagram, Paris often changes their colour scheme - yellow is for summer.







This one's cute, it reminds me of Paul Klee's painting where there are lots of little yellow birds and one upside down (à l'nevers).

Oh, the English bakeries! Nostalgy, sweetness, how i'd love to eat just one! But just one's not possible, there are so many!



Scones with jam and clotted cream, Betty's speciality in York, delicious!



And these dainty little square cakes covered in fondant icing (glacage)! Typical Yorkshire cakes for tea.
Those are dainty,OK, but just look at these found on internet!



They are amazing, too beautiful to eat.

I tried again with elderberry flowers, leaving them just to cool and not macerate longer and this time it was a success. So here are my two creations for the moment: The poppy petal doesn't have much taste but the elderberry is very delicate.

Someone gave me a jar (pot) of jelly made from acacia flowers, it's delicious, a very delicate flavour.
I've no acacia flowers but I have some elderberry (sureau) and I know you can make flavoured water with them.
I looked for a recipe (recette) on internet and went out just before the rain to pick (cueillir) the flowers. Here they are soaking (macérant) in 1.5 litres of hot water, as the recipe said.



I must leave them for 3 days before filtering and making the jelly.

Monumenta is a special exhibition in the nef of the Grand Palais under the 30 metre high glass roof. This year the invited artist is Buren and his creation is magic:



The immense room is full of colours, shapes ans reflections. There are 5 different sizes (tailles) of coloured discs supported by black and white posts; when the sun shines the colours are beautiful.



This is seen from above, from the staircase,



In the centre there are some circular mirrors which bring the ceiling (plafond) down to the floor (plancher), the reflections are curious.

Just look at these colours! The whole wall (le mur entier) was covered with them, sorry, half the wall, the other half was these:



They were only 3 euros a pair!

Democracy's important, so many people are still fighting (se battent toujours) for it, for the right droit) to choose their leaders. We in France have this right, so let's use it (utilisons le). I voted today and France has changed presidents.

I photographed this curious structure on the Champs Elysées in Paris. What is it? 3 seats under a roof with a garden on top and strange wooden legs (jambes) that are not straight (droit)! I found the explanation on the internet of course: it's MOBILIER URBAIN INTELLIGENT!
Honestly, it's not very aesthetical and not at all in context on the 'most beautiful avenue in the world' as the French say! And it's not at all friendly, there are only three individual seats and people walking down the Champs are always in groups or families.



This is also on the Champs, it was very windy and chilly and not very many people were sitting at the café.

Decidely I love this plate!






In the first plate is a radish grown (poussé) in my garden, that I ate afterwards (ensuite).
In the second is some home-made liver paté with Cognac, which i also ate afterwards - delicious. I will have to put all my photos of this plate together (ensemble); I learnt today it's called typography photo when you do this. I googled and discovered someone who does this with photos of posts (poteaux). I'd have no problems doing that, I live just near vineyards where there are hundreds of posts - I'll have to try.

Here is one from my garden

Bof!