the valley through the seasons

Driving home this week, I pulled off the road as we reached the valley and got out my camera.  I sensed a little bristling of impatience in the car  "Mummy, why do you need another picture of that view, you've got loads already?!"     He was right of course ... my son, cutting down to the essential in life.  Shame that my essential and his essential don't always coincide ....

So -  angel that he is -   he bore with me for a whole 45 seconds while I clicked away, happy and then we were back en route, relieved, content and in the throws of a discussion about when is a picture not just a picture, and what is a good picture anyway!!

I'm sure he got out the car thinking, "that's it, she's  lost it!" ...  but that doesn't matter.


So what was the view that couldn't wait?  This little road that winds its way down to our village, my eye is always drawn to the solitary tree and the soft colours that change so beautifully through the season.

See what you think ....

No matter what my children say,  I'll still take the pictures and I still enjoy those short moments in the day when I stop dead in my tracks and say Yes!

Bonjour Monday!

Good' Mornin'! I am in a great mood today as I have a feeling this week is going to be a beautiful and positive one... Wishing you a fab' Monday my dear! Xo, Si-

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Monday...

Oh, what a nice weekend this was! I am having a hard time getting into the Monday and new week mode. So glad this one will be a short one with Veterans Day coming up this Friday [no school on Friday = no work for moi either]... Wishing you a good Monday my dear! Xo, Si-

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weekend!

I wish you a happy and relaxing weekend! See you back here on Monday! Xo, Si-

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weekend!

Wishing you a great weekend! We'll be celebrating Halloween with the girls this weekend - Maya as Bat Woman, Ines as Lady Gaga, hmmm... Have a fabulous one - and easy on the fructose my dear! Xo, Si-

[Image via]

At home with Heidi

A beautiful home I fell in love with while browsing though Trine Thorsen's portfolio. Heidi, the owner, selected natural materials and colors to furnish her interior and the result is a cosy space, with reading corners and inviting spots. Special crush on the oversized black and white framed photography behind the living space sofa as a clin d'oeil to rustic country life. Beautiful!

weekend!

Weeezz! It's weekend! Wishing you a fantastic one, my dear! See you back here on Monday! Xo, Si-

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weekend!

I still feel very saddened by the news of Steve Jobs' disappearance... Not that I knew this icon personally, but I just feel sad and deeply touched by this loss. Makes you think twice about the little things in life that bother or stress us and puts things back in perspective... Thank God the weekend is here. This one will be spent enjoying simple life pleasures, a cuddle with my daughters, a family breakfast or just a walk with my better half and Miss Daisy, the family golden retriever. Because in the end, that's all that matters... Wishing you a happy end of Friday and a relaxing weekend my dear. Xo, Si-

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weekend!

Have a great weekend my dear. See you back here on Monday! Xo, Si-

Photo by Herbert List - Portofino, 1936

Oh la la, j'aime...

Oh, j'aime this space, its rustic and "livable" feel... the pile of books, the exposed beams, the table and rattan chairs... J'aime, a lot.

{Photo Nicolas Matheus}

Le weekend!

Oh, weekend, je t'aime! It's been a crazy busy week so this weekend will be extra welcome. The plan? nada, nothing, zero, rien... just relaxing with the kids - hubby is traveling - a nice morning run and a walk with Miss Daisy. And of course, a very comforting and much needed chocolate croissant on Sunday morning! Wishing you a fabulous weekend my dear! Xo, Si-

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weekend!

Have a great weekend my dear! Xo, Si-

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weekend!

Early sign off for me today! Enjoy your weekend my dear, and if you live in the US, then I wish you a great Labor Day weekend! I will see you back here on Tuesday - taking Monday off to enjoy family time with the girls and my better half... Xo, Si-

Yay, Friday!

Yay, Friday, finally! What a week it's been! Whew, so glad to finally see Friday show up. I am exhausted, and really looking forward to the long labor day weekend. Happy Friday everyone!

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weekend!

Hard to believe that summer is almost over with school started all over the US by now. Let's enjoy these few last weekends of summer before fall shows up... Have a fantastic and hopefully sunny weekend my dear! See you back here on monday! Xo, Si-

Photo Jacques Henri Lartigue

Today I am loving...

In love with this bedroom... A lot...

{Photo Henri Del Olmo}

weekend!

Wishing you a beautiful and relaxing weekend my dear! Xo, Si-

{Photo Nicholas d'Archimbaud}

Meh-day

Laundry day today, and you already know how I feel about house cleaning and such... meh...

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how do you store your photos?

Just one of the wonderful things about the blogging world is that you can get instant and honest opinions from a huge number of people on just about any subject.  In the past I have asked your opinion on paint colour for shutters, and window treatment in our guest cottage but today, dear friends, I am asking you to apply your technical mind !!  OK,  not too technical, because I wouldn't understand a word of it, but I'd like to know what solutions you use for storing all your photos.

At present I am using Picasa, but I have a couple of issues with them, including the unreasonable amount of space they require on my computer and rumours of google accessing my database via my photos.  Urban legends maybe, but whatever, I think I am ready for a change.

I want a system that allows me to download my photos from my camera, or possibly from the internet;  I want to be able to crop, enhance etc, make a few buttons, play around with fonts.  I like to store an original of each shot, and to file the reworked version by theme.

I'm looking at Adobe Elements, but I'm not sure if the basic version is interesting enough, and of course I don't want to spend megabucks on the professional one.

So what would you advise me to use?  What do you use? Are you happy with your system.  Thank you so much for taking a moment to help me on this one. 

Gibson asked me to tell you that he'll give his favourite sock to whoever leaves  the best suggestion - and I bet you don't get an offer like that everyday!!

weekend

Yes, this exactly epitomizes how I dream on spending my weekend... Can you see me, yes, down there, doing the sole fish on the lower right hand side of the picture? Yes, that would be me. Except, the girls have been watching Shark Week on Discovery Channel, and only on a picture would I be playing the sole fish in the Aegean sea. But let's pretend, because it's friday, it's refreshing, and just because you wouldn't argue with me, would you? ;-)
Have a fabulous weekend my dear! Xo, Si-

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