Renovations

Monday, May 8, 2017 4 , , Permalink 0

An artist is not paid for his labor but for his vision. - James Whistler Suddenly it's light at 6:30 am when I skitter out, arms wrapped around myself to ward off the chill, tiptoeing so as not to make too much noise as I crunch across the gravel, to open the front gate of the ...

Favorite Lemon Tart with Mascarpone Whipped Cream

Monday, March 20, 2017 10 , , , , Permalink 0

All human plans subject to ruthless revision by Nature, or Fate, or whatever one preferred to call the powers behind the Universe. - Arthur C. Clarke, 2010: Odyssey Two Spring had sprung, or so we thought. Gentle sunshine, mild afternoons, the temperature inching upwards and memories of laundry flapping in the fresh air come flooding ...

Life at the Hotel and Lessons Learned

Life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood.     -- Ralph Waldo Emerson After a week of chilly, dreary days, heavy granite skies, the wind whipping in circles around the courtyard, flicking leaves across the stones and spattering rain against the windows, battering down onto the cement of the terrace, the sun has arrived ...

Small Town Life

Sunday, May 31, 2015 10 , , Permalink 0

A small town is a place where there's no place to go where you shouldn't. - Burt Bacharach I like the small-townness of Chinon. Everyone seems to know one another but not in an American small-town way; the knowing is very discreet, a restrained nod of the head in passing, a simple acknowledgement of recognition, of ...