castaway!
last week i was wheeled along to my appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. my cast was cut off, everyone inspected my peculiar-looking leg, there was a lot of prodding (but no pain)….and i was turned loose with no re-casting. UNEXPECTED THRILL!!!! once the damned clunky thing was off, i began to sleep so much better. [...]
wheelchair soaping
i wouldn’t have believed it two months ago, but it seems that with a good system and excellent helpers, you can indeed produce soap. we spent some time discussing how it could be done, even in the first grisly days in hospital in paris. it helps to start getting a mental picture, even when you [...]
today’s meanderings
time slows right down when you are lying in bed with your broken leg elevated. and life simplifies down to the very essentials…..eat, shower, sleep, conversation, make sure the ipad is always charged. i think that without the internet i would have gone completely and utterly off my head in the first fortnight. and now [...]
an etsy treasury
i put this treasury together today, in between taking down soap orders for maurice to pack and ship. i started with no theme in mind, but a colour trend emerged slowly and subtly. enjoy! ‘a copper, green and gray mood’ by pattiflynn random favourites of mine. rustic stoneware dinner… OneClayBead $85.00 Smoke Gray Pure Cashmer… [...]
and we are open for business
i received a few emails from good customers this morning, requesting soap. so, after conferring with the long-suffering husband, i re-opened my online shops. the conferring was necessary…because the work will be added to the husband’s plate, while i continue to loll about with my foot up on a pile of pillows. if you do [...]
service
we spend so much time complaining about telstra in this country…i thought i’d talk about some wonderful service i received recently, for a change. our internet was creeping along at a snail’s pace and being stuck in bed with elevated leg, of course i was noticing it. i used speedtest.net to check our connection speed [...]
pretty in pink
i had a glorious five days with no cast on my leg. i was able to shower and feel the breeze on my skin and maurice applied pawpaw ointment to my surgery wounds to great effect. it seemed easier to sleep without the cast. i began to feel as though things weren’t so grim after [...]
home sweet home
we arrived home last saturday, after an indescribably horrendous 48 hours of travel. although, cathay pacific couldn’t have been more fabulous….wonderful staff and top notch amenities. one does wonder why there is no little ramp between air bridge and aircraft….on our three flights, there was a substantial step up into the aircraft and from a [...]
progress
as i use the walker more often, i am becoming more adept with it. as i get further past the surgery and am sleeping better, i feel stronger. the idea of managing at home is becoming less and less daunting. after a few days of complete immobility, it is so terrific to be able to [...]
a dramatic weekend
after my surgery to install some screws and a plate in my leg, i spent the weekend completely immobilised and confined to the bed, while some slightly worrying bleeding went on and on and on. a vigilant night nurse noticed it first…. she just lifted the sheet by my knee and sucked her breath in, [...]
a spot of bother
this morning, i slipped on wet tiles in the bathroom and smashed my foot against the bath tub. my leg at the ankle was bent at an angle i never wish to see again. maurice called the ambulance and they arrived within minutes. i was carried tenderly down 3 flights of our steep spiral staircase [...]
a city stroll
yesterday we walked for miles and did a lot of window shopping. our first stop was mariage freres, in rue bourg-tibourg. they are famous tea merchants….we had a good time looking at their beautifully presented tea, and checking out the tea museum up an ancient narrow steep spiral staircase. we are going back for afternoon [...]
kaleidoscope, musee de cluny chapel ceiling
at the musee de cluny the other day, i took a photo of the ceiling in the tiny little ornate chapel there. truly, the room could not have been much more than 7 x 7 metres, but it had this tremendously ornate ceiling, all arched and vaulted. when i got back to our apartment, i [...]
more madame gres
more gres frocks and sketches:
the lady and the cat
last year, from a cafe on the rue saint-antoine, i noticed a lady in the crowd waltzing by…she had a large glossy black and white cat draped across her shoulders and the cat looked completely comfortable. the other day, on the same street, i saw her and the cat again. this time we spoke. the [...]
random paris photos
madame gres at the musee antoine bourdelle
i am not at all dressy myself, but i love looking at beautiful clothes. i had a major treat today…they are showig the first ever retrospective of madame gres’ couture at the musee antoine bourdelle. firstly, the museum itself is lovely. it is a small museum, housed at the sculptor antoine bourdelle’s original studio and [...]
a mon seul desir
yesterday we went to the musee de cluny, mainly to view the fabulous lady and the unicorn tapestry cycle. once there we were thrilled with the bonuses of stained glass, ornate reliquaries, a couple of papal rings, lots of crosiers, roman ruins, dozens of statues without a whole nose amongst them, loads of other tapestries [...]
paris photos
a garden nursery along the seine, filled with spring flowers: place des vosges: a window in a quiet courtyard in the marais: i cannot stop taking photos of parisian dorways and gates: i thrust my arm through cast-iron gates for this photo:
lingering jetlag
we’ve been wide awake since 4am around here…..have already finished a really bad john grisham novel (the associate….don’t waste your time), made coffee, consumed fresh pastries and yoghurt and strawberries, put on some laundry and made plans for the day. off to the louvre today for another gawk at the italian renaissance masterpieces….i didn’t get [...]
april in paris
we arrived in paris late last night, after an uneventful flight (truly, my favourite kind) to crisp cool dry weather. i didn’t sleep well in hong kong and both of us watched movies for the entire 13 hour flight, so when we finally hit the hay, we hit it hard. we booked the same darling [...]
en vacances
after several months of focused work down in the soapmines, we are being released for a few weeks. we are off to europe for all of april and some of may, and the first stop is paris. springtime in paris, i can hardly bear the thought of how lovely it is going to be! our [...]
frida
i know i am years too late….but i recently saw the film “frida” about the life of frida kahlo. it was lush and gorgeous and full of original frida and diego quotes. the clothes were amazing of course, and the music was just wonderful. don’t miss the fabulous tango scene! salma hayek and alfred molina [...]
take me with you
almost my favourite holiday photo….the charismatic and irresistible norbulingka jumped into place and settled down amongst my packing when my back was turned for a moment. i’m blending in! i weigh very little! take me with you!
post yasi
it is 7am here and it has been a long harrowing night. we lost electricity around 1am and it will probably be out for a while, if cyclone larry is anything to go by. from the windows in our house i can see absolutely no damage at all. even the garden looks unscathed. a few [...]
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