A leafy chaos culprit...

Isn't it funny how the introduction of one new decorative friend to the family of existing "pretties", can send a whole room into chaos, whilst things are being moved around, fetched from another room, poked and prodded... until it all comes together? At least in my head. At least for the time being...

A small olive tree was the chaos culprit this time, but between you and I, I actually jumped at the idea of changing things around a little, of letting my creative juices flow freely for a few minutes, while the boys' dinner was cooking. Wanting a few more "greens" to liven up the browns, I ventured into the garden. The only remotely alive-looking flowers were the little green ones from the ivy, so out came the trio of miniature vases. My recently crafted concrete tea light cups saw their UK debut, as did the concrete stars (made at the same time). The "Live fully" sign made last year was invited to join the scene, and on the sofa you can glimpse my shamelessly self-centred HB cushion made earlier this year - and anyone who dares guess the year to be my birth year must of course be deliriously mistaken. It couldn't possibly be... could it?

So, for now, this is what the "Middle Room" looks like, 

but do not be surprised if when you see it next, it may look entirely different again...

Rêver de la beauté de France...

The swifts and the swallows swept over the turquoise water and mid swoop - so quickly you would miss them if you blinked - a quick sip and they were gone... In the distance, the comforting clanking sound of a cow bell, or, as I found out later, a sheep bell. In fact, all the sheep in this alpine region seemed to have been bestowed with a cling-clong-clank around their necks, and the mass effect when the whole heard decided to graze just behind our house was that of a noisy yet strangely soothing symphony. 

The small geckos came out soon after the rest of my noisy family had left for their walk, enjoying, I suppose, the silence as much as I did. My back had decided to misbehave this holiday, and as much as I love long walks in beautiful surroundings, I confess I welcomed this rare opportunity for solitude. The sun, my book and I really tasted the true flavour of holiday that morning...

We are very lucky to have friends who have the good taste to welcome us in their house in the south of France, near the foothill of the Pyrenees. The views are breathtaking, and I could happily sit and stare at the mountains all day, at their changing colour with the light, in the evening ending up in a hypnotic, multidimensional, gloriously panoramic parade of different shades of blue. This is where we spent the last days of our holiday a few days ago, and looking at the photos now, it already seems a distant, but oh-so-sweet, memory.

As so many houses in this region, this one just happened to come with an old barn (what I wouldn't do for one of them!), and one part of this large barn houses a ping-pong table, where you can work off some of the glorious local cheese and paté, before sinking into the irresistible pool to cool off. Another part of the barn has two floors, with the top floor wall-less on two sides. The owners have there put a large rug and a pile of cushions on the floor, and it serves as a haven for afternoon siestas or even alternative sleeping arrangements on hot nights. In short, the whole place is a little piece of paradise, and I feel very lucky to have tasted its sweetness.

No wonder I can't stop *dreaming of the beauty of France...

My own soap opera...

One would think that after one week in France, I would return with bags overflowing with Gallic souvenirs...?

No, the only vaguely French-scented shopping memories came in the form of oh-so-lush-smelling bars of soap. I love these cubes of what allegedly is the classic soap from Marseille. A little rough around the edges, real lavender mixed in with the lavender soap - letting them roll from one hand to the other offers  a delightful moment of esoteric and aromatic pleasure. And that's even before you have run the bath to enjoy them properly! The simple pleasures in life can be cheap luxury in a cube...

My dream bathroom is reasonably large, with a clear spa feel to it. Simple, plain background colours, probably muted stone of some sort. 

Clearly not what we have got at the moment... 

We inherited this VERY blue bathroom from the previous owners, and as other parts of the house have taken priority on the list of wanted or needed make-overs, well, this remains a VERY blue part of our lives. But one day, I will attack this Mecca for mermaids, and the blue will be no more...

(Our bathroom is right above the kitchen, overlooking the top of the conservatory and the garden - as seen in the first image above.)

Joy stick and heather bliss...

Who would have thought that a box of letter stamps (blessed be the Swedish store "Clas Olsson"!) could be such a source of joy! Yes, I did go a little letter crazy in Sweden, and the concrete candle holders in the last entry were just the beginning of many nights of happy stamping... A number of scrap pieces of rough wood briefly came eye to eye with some sand paper and a paint brush, before seeing the same lettered fate. 

Many are the crafty bloggers who write wise and inspiring words on strips of wood, and I do see why. There is something very satisfying in creating these little messages to be hung somewhere around the house where the hopeful sign is free to spread its worded goodness...

Here, one of the "joy sticks" poses in a Swedish pine forest together with a pot that begged to be moved from a flower shop in Sweden to new pastures in the UK. Well, what could I do but obey such a reasonable request? All in the name of happiness...

A concrete sign of life...

The bags are still in the hallway...

Dirty laundry mixed with nicer smelling holiday memories...

Some holiday projects emerge from the nearly, but only nearly, overweight hand luggage...

Concrete, a new acquaintance for my craft-yearning hands...

Inspired by some tea light holders I saw somewhere (forgive me, whoever the original designer of similar concrete "cups" was, I did not catch your name to give you the credit...)...

Here, photographed on a bench in my parents' garden in Sweden, together with some random flowers and grass picked by the side of the small gravel road that leads to their house...

Sweet childhood memories on those gravel roads...

Sweet memories of summer...

Slowly, I start my much longed for stroll in blogland. Thank you, dear, dear blog readers, for your visits and kind words during my blog absence. I will come and see you... soon...

Helena

Anti-social fruit...

Ok, ok, so I was going to leave you alone for a few weeks...

But then I missed you...

And I remembered that blog entry I just had to create in the midst of squeezing all the "summer needs" into the suitcase the day before we left... So I thought I'd send it to you. Sort of a holiday postcard-type-thing...

Greetings, bloggers!

The blackberry bush hangs heavy just above the bench and steps at the back of the house. The birds make an appalling mess, as they spit out half of the berries onto the ground, making it look as if tainted with some horrible, spotty disease... The bush itself is one of the more anti-social of fruit bearers, and the prickly bramble has been the cause of many Swedish four-letter utterances in the past...

As I was rummaging through the workshop the other day, I stumbled upon my grandfather's old plain (with the fabulous inscription from 1912) and some other tools that just screamed "Blog me! Blog meeee!" Do things shout like that at you too?

So here we are. Some noisy old tools (I like playing with mini and maxi-sized objects, and these compasses - is that the English word? - lent themselves very well as an easel for the mini wooden photo tag...), some messy blackberries and voilà, a very random little arrangement as my holiday greeting to you all.

Below is a rejected image, looking horribly messy with all the blackberry stains on the ground, just to give you an idea of the prickly harvest in situ... 

See you soon!

Gone fishing...

Well, in a manner of speaking... Having already slowed down my blogging pace quite dramatically, it is now time for the ultimate test... can I embrace holiday mode and stay away completely for the next three weeks? We shall see...

To all of you lovely readers out there, it is your encouragement and desire to visit the Swenglish Home that make blogging not only worthwhile, but such a rewarding experience. For that, and for every kind word you have so generously presented my overwhelmed ego with so far, I thank you.

Humbly and gratefully, I thank you.

       

Wishing you all the most wonderful of August delights and see you soon!