Leo's Place Revisited...and a 6 Month Celebration!

05/02/2013

Bonjour mes amis!

It's a rainy day in Orléans; a perfect day for me to stay home and blog, while I finish my Flu recovery.  Actually, I'm feeling much better, maybe a little weak yet, but I'm sure I'll be fine by tomorrow.

Today, we're going to re-visit a place I told you about during the Fall, but now I have re-visited with my family in Winter, so let's go back and see what new things we might notice together at Château du Clos Lucé!  I call it Leo's Place, because it was Leonardo DaVinci's Home.  (Incidentally, if you didn't get to visit Leo's Place the first time, by all means, stop on over by clicking HERE, but then do come back to make this latest trip with us.)

A peek as we enter...do you remember now?  I know this is a unusual shot to show you to remind you of this beautiful castle, but the grounds were surrounded by these awesome stone walls, and they were covered with this beautiful moss from all of the rain we've had.

Maybe this shot reminds you better, because of the replica model of one of Leonardo DaVinci's Inventions, just down the hill.

There you go...do you remember this now?
 

And now, some shots inside the Castle...

Inside the Chapel...

During the Christmas Season, there are Crèche everywhere in France.  It is the mainstay of their decoration.  I even spotted a Crèche in the storefront of our local Pharmacy!
 

I bet you wanted that last picture translated, didn't you?
Well, it means something like...

"I believe that happiness is born to men where one finds good wines."

(Well, in my humble opinion, Leonardo DaVinci must have tried some of the good French wines we have enjoyed!)

Moving on to the Courtyard views...

Let's go down the hill to see the life-size models of DaVinci's Inventions and some other nice views...

Time to go...it's getting dark...

We decided to stay in a little village nearby overnight, so first, we headed to Amboise for dinner...

Well, dinner had to wait...we stopped for some "Vin Chaud" (Hot Wine or Mulled Wine)...
Isn't this a pretty presentation?

My son isn't sporting that disappointed face because he didn't get any "Vin Chaud"  He didn't want any, so don't feel too bad for him.  He was offered something different...

Now, we're on to dinner...

...and then we realized that it was a 6 month Anniversary for our Diamond Duo!

Aren't they cute together?  Happy 6 Month-aversary!!!

Alas, I am tiring, so I'll leave you today with one last picture of me...at a Jewelery shop in Amboise...where else?

So, have a "Jewel" of a day!
Jan

"Under the Weather..."

04/02/2013

Bonjour mes amis!

From the title of my Post, I'm guessing that you now know how generous Jewelius is with me.  He shared...

The Flu...

I got almost no sleep last night, and I've been in bed ALL DAY today.  Jewelius spent the day in bed today, too.  I think he overdid it yesterday, and wasn't fully well.  So, Dr. J stayed home and cared for us.  We're praying he doesn't get this, because he has some big things with work this week.

Living here in France and learning French, I've noticed how many phrases I say and I don't know why I say them.  For example...

"Under the Weather"!

I know it means you are feeling sick, but where in the world did this phrase come from? Since I can only handle being on the computer for a few minutes today, let me just share with you...what I found from Answer Bag...

"To be under the weather is to be unwell. This comes from a maritime source. In the old days, when a sailor was unwell, he was sent down below to help his recovery, under the deck and away from the weather.

Under the weather. To feel ill. Originally it meant to feel seasick or to be adversely affected by bad weather." 

Well, I think that feeling seasick is an awesome comparison with the Flu.  I hope you've escaped it this year!  Not fun!

I hope your day is more full of "Jewels" than mine has been!

(Well, it has been nice being pampered...)

Jan

This is Love...

03/02/2013

Bonjour mes amis!

During this Valentine Month, let us be reminded of what TRUE LOVE is...

Have a Blessed Day!
Jan

Another Storybook Castle on Groundhog Day!

02/02/2013

Bonjour mes amis!

Happy Groundhog Day All! 

I hope you are well.  My little buddy, Jewelius, was up sick last night, sad to say.  This Mama went into cleaning mode, gave my buddy a backrub, and I'm trying to keep him resting...he wants to be on his Computer, but his body won't let him...so, he's quietly resting, and watching the Movie, "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray, so he's not completely bored.  Funny to think the movie came out before he was even born!

Today, I want to show you another Castle in France!  The other day, you visited Château De Chenonceau with me again, my favorite!  There is another Château, only about a 30 minute drive from Chenonceau in Chaumont-sur-Loire that is worth seeing.  It's situated right along the Loire River, so the vistas from the Château are aweome on a clear day!  We visited this Château with friends in the Fall, and I will go back and share pictures from that visit another time, but for today, I will show you the Castle when we visited it with our children over the Holidays.

Here's the Château...

 
But we actually turned around and visited the Stables first...

 

 Nice, huh?

Now, let's head to the Castle...

Ooops!  Sorry, but I do love Decoration!

Look at this view out the Window...

I just can't get over the amazing Fireplaces we've seen here in France...

This guy made me laugh...

Hydrangeas always make me pause, too...

The most beautiful room in the Château...
 

Hedgehogs seem to be very "in" in France...

The Chapel...

Isn't this just breathtaking?  Just like in a Storybook...

Just look at the size of these Cedar Trees!

There was an unusual Art Structure on the property where we hid while it lightly rained...

  
Another awesome visit to a beautiful place in France!

I hope you enjoy Groundhog Day!  (Maybe you'd like to take a little break and watch the 1993 Movie "Groundhog Day", like Jewelius.  It's a Classic!)  Wherever you are, and how ever long of a Winter you endure, I hope you enjoy it and stay warm and cozy, and...

Have a "Jewel" of a Day!
Jan

Mimosas pour Moi!

01/02/2013

Bonjour mes amis!

Do you ever go to the Grocery Store and find yourself wandering past the floral area, and thinking, "I sure would love to buy some flowers"?  Yesterday, I was at the Store, and noticed some Tulips, and decided to see how they looked.  Well, the Tulips were pretty, and would probably look okay for a few days if I brought some home, but then something else caught my eye...

MIMOSAS!!!

I know y'all are thinking I was going to buy Champagne and Orange Juice, and that would be really nice, but the Mimosas I spotted were a Flower.  They are a bright yellow, lemon-colored Flower.  I've been seeing them around here the last couple of weeks, and decided to check them out.  Wow!  Only 3.50 Euros.  Now to justify the purchase...hmmmm! It was Jewelius' Birthday!  We need to have a nice Centerpiece for his Special Day, right?

(Somehow I know that a 17 year old Young Man would not be that thrilled about pretty, yellow flowers, but work with me here...)

Yes, I did buy the Flowers, and I am enjoying them very much...

The flowers are unusual, little puff balls on a stem, and the "leaves", in detail, are like petite little pine boughs. Check out a detailed photo I was able to find online...

I immediately got the flowers in a vase, and brought them into our Living Room to enjoy.  Since it's somewhat cold here, we've been leaving the Living Room door closed to keep the heat in, and guess what happened?  The most beautiful fragrance filled the room.  The only way I can think to describe the fragrance is...very soft, dusty, almost like baby powder, with a soft feminine floral fragrance.  It's very subtle in the room!

I decided to look these flowers up, since I don't think I've ever seen them in the U.S.  Sure enough, they grow all over Provence, in the southern regions of France, and this is the time of year when they bloom!  This must be such a welcome sight where they grow, when everything else looks dead from the arrival of Winter!

If you'd like to read a little more on these Flowers, you can go HERE.

When I cut the flowers down to put in the vase, I had some smaller pieces, so that little Spanish Olive Can I rescued now has some pretty little flowers, and maybe I'll get to enjoy the scent in the kitchen as well.

I'm glad I'm getting to enjoy these while they are around.  I almost want to go get more and put them in every room, so I can enjoy this soft, unique fragrance everywhere!

Maybe it's time for you to enjoy a new Flower in your home...why wait for Valentine's Day!?!

Have a "Jewel" of a day!
Jan