Patricia Sands

Author

the power of friendship

Les Amis – ours and Saint-Bernardin’s

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If It’s Friday, It Must Be France …

Mon Dieu! It’s a good thing there’s a time difference so I’ll get this post on my blog on Friday somewhere! We had six very special friends – 5 adults and one absolutely adorable two-month old Alice –  for lunch (le déjeuner) today and it did go on, in a very good way, until well into this afternoon!

This morning I dashed off to the market to pick up a few items and to have a fromage (cheese) consultation with my friend Jacques (who has now asked me to use “tu” with him, which means we’re tight … we’re friends … I’m so pleased ). Did I mention he is the model for one of the main characters in the novel I’m currently writing? But I digress …

I  just want to share this one comment of his with you because it demonstrates something that I love about the French and their traditions. He asked if our friends were French or English. When I said they were French, he replied, “Le Brie, c’est obligatoire!” In other words, when serving cheese (always after the meal, NEVER before in France except for little cocktail chunks of cheese which I’ll explain some other time) to your French friends you  MUST include some Brie. Then he chose a Bleue and a Beaufort to go along with that. I’m having quite an education in the art of cheese.

But I have a confession to make (and I don’t intend to tell my good friend Jacques, I hope he doesn’t read this … he did ask for my website … ok, I might have to confess …). We were having such a good time and our friends brought this amazing dessert and I forgot to serve the cheese. I can’t believe it!  After all that! I know Jacques would be as disappointed as I am. Never mind, some dear friends of ours are arriving tomorrow for a week and I’ll serve it to them. They aren’t French but I know they will enjoy it almost as much!

Speaking of friends, last evening my DH and I had tickets to a Bach violin oncert in the 16thC, La Chapelle De St.-Bernardin in the old town of Antibes (where we are living for just two more weeks … wiping tears so I can continue to type …). After all the amazing jazz we heard in July with the Nice Jazz Festival and then our own Jazz À Juan, this would be quite a change.

I often pop into this small church which is built on the site of Roman ruins, as are many buildings here. It’s on my way to the market and I’m in love with the doors. I like to touch them (you’re allowed to)  and think about the people connected to them. They’re 500 years old and the wood is simply beautiful with a colour so intensely rich and warm they almost feel alive. The date, 1581, is carved into them.

If I don’t go into the church, I look at the doors at the end of the narrow alley leading to them every single time I walk by. Did I mention, I love them? I’ve posted about these doors before but will just remind you of the story. In the 1500’s there was a terrible plague in the area. The survivors arranged for these doors to be carved and donated to the church in thanks. Beautiful.

Part of the wonderful story of this little chapel is that it almost didn’t survive the passing of centuries and the change in society’s approach to religion. Like many churches during the French Revolution (1789-1799), the church was taken over and it’s riches plundered. After that the building fell into disrepair and abandonment. In the late 1970’s there was a fire in the building after which a group of local people founded Les Amis de Saint-Bernardin. Through their dedicated efforts the chapel has been restored to it’s former glory. Every detail was carefully researched and returned to it’s original appearance. They were able to uncover and clean one fresco in such condition that it has been left in it’s original state. It’s very moving to view.

The before and after photos of the work accomplished in this project are incredible. When the doors of the church are open anyone may go in at no cost and in fact there is no place to even leave a donation. It was declared an historical monument in 1985.

The concert, performed by renowned Olivier Charlier, was beautiful and the setting simply intensified the experience. Click here to visit his site and actually hear him playing.

I’m certain Les Amis de Saint-Bernardin feel proud and satisfied by their efforts. We stand in awe. It’s wonderful what friends can do.

Have you worked on any special projects with friends of yours? It would be great to hear your experiences.

Have you forgotten to serve something special to your friends when they were over for a meal? Please leave a comment below and tell me I’m not alone!

Windows, wandering and wondering …

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If it’s Friday, It Must Be France …

One of my favourite buildings in Nice is where the artist Henri Matisse lived for many years beginning in the 1920’s. There is no plaque marking this history  of the building and the space is not open for viewing. It was after a number of years of visiting this fabulous city that I learned about it. But I had always loved the building. It’s right at the end of Cours Saleya, the market street in the old town, and can’t be missed. Most tourists probably have a photo of it in their vacation collection because it literally hollers at you to take it’s picture.

I spent today wandering around Nice with a BFF who is visiting us for a week from the States. If you’ve read my novel, The Bridge Club, she’s the character Cass and we were in Nice together 44 (yikes!) years ago when we were 21. We shared a lot of memories today and laughed way too much! It was so much fun.

She’s a photographer too and we took a lot of window shots as we wandered. You can’t help yourself!

 

The colour combinations of buildings and shutters are striking. Old, restored, peeling, pristine.  Don’t ask how many photos I have of  them … it’s crazy …

These shots fall in the restored and pristine category. I’m saving the old and peeling for another day.

 

 

I often wonder who looks out the windows I photograph.

 

Sometimes I see faces in the windows as my shutter clicks away and I hope they don’t mind.

But as we wandered and reminisced and laughed and photographed and appreciated the beauty around us, we became increasingly aware of a very strong police presence throughout the city.  Unusual.

We speculated as to the cause and realized that Sunday is September 11. Everything that day symbolizes remains strong and clear ten years later and we wondered if that was the reason for the seeming increase in security visibility. We thought about the windows in the Twin Towers. How life can change in a fraction of a second.

We reminded each other that none of the horror or heroism of that day will ever be forgotten. We wondered if the world will ever truly be at peace. Everyone, every day, must work towards that goal.

 

Summer’s over? How did that happen?

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Well that’s it, right? Labour Day (or Labor, for our friends south of the border) weekend, no matter where you live in North America, is the signal that summer is over. In Toronto, the Canadian National Exhibition (fondly referred to as The Ex or the CNE) has been a feature during the last two and a half weeks of August beginning in 1879. When the Ex is on, you know the bell is tolling!

Of course there will still be nice weather (hopefully) but students are in their classrooms, summer holidays planned and anticipated for so long are in the memory bank, and fall/winter clothes are in the shop windows.

Did you take a lot of photos this summer? I did. Well, okay, I’m always taking photos no matter what the season or the reason.

What images from this summer will stand out for you?

Digital photography has had such an impact, I only know one person who still buys film for her camera. Do you? Do you print some of your photos and keep them in albums or do you store everything on disks or post them on a blog? Do you have a camera or do you take all your photos on your phone? I’ve been astounded by the quality of some cell phone photos.

I’m really interested in hearing how your approach to photography has changed in the last few years so, if you have a minute, leave a comment and let me know.

In the meantime, I’ve attached a terrific photo slideshow of summer images compiled by The Denver Post. Just click on the link below to see it. Afterwards, make a slideshow of the favourite photos you took this summer!

Captured: The Last Days of Summer | Plog — World, National Photos, Photography and Reportage — The Denver Post.

10 Random Facts

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10 Random Facts

There’s a quirky little game of tag going around the blogging community right now, and I’ve been poked by the lovely Linda Burke (@LBurkeWriter)N from my #Wana711 blogging class. (Which was presented to us by Social Media Goddess and mighty fine lady, Kristen Lamb.)
To play, you simply need to be tagged by someone. Then you list 10 random facts about yourself and tag four more people.
Here are my random facts. Hmmm – wonder who I’ll tag in return …
1. Like my fellow blogger, Linda Burke, I’ve just been involved in Kristen Lamb’s fantastic blogging course and I’m part of the Zoomer sub-group that consists of six of us of, shall we say, ahem, a certain age. Kristen is offering the course again and I strongly recommend it. Click here for the details.
2. I finally got around to having braces at the age of 59 and now have the nice straight teeth I always wanted.
3. Sometimes I just have popcorn for dinner when I’m alone.
4. I’ve always had pets until a few years ago when our last one passed and our travel plans made it impractical. At one point we had two dogs (a black Lab and a Wheaten Terrier), three cats, and a pet squirrel we rescued when he fell out of a tree.
5. I love to ski and Whistler, B.C. is my favourite ski destination. The first time I went there was in 1970. Um, it’s changed a tad since then! There is a fantastic selection of runs on two mountains (Whistler and Blackcomb) and an awesome new gondola that goes across the valley from one peak to the other. Take a look by clicking here.  It’s a great place for golf and a huge mountain biking destination in the summer. The scenery is spectacular at any time!
6. Normally I’m not a picky eater. Just don’t feed me mushrooms or lentils, thanks.
7.  Much to my surprise I truly enjoy reading on my Kindle and, although I still appreciate holding a print book in my hands, I would say I’m definitely a convert.
8.  I’m a part owner (with five other members of my Bridge Club and  two friends who are horse trainers) of a racehorse named Sweet Like Sugar.  She gave us all a thrill by winning her first race. We’re waiting to see what happens next. (Let me assure you this was not a major investment but it’s a lot of fun and, well, you just never know … )
9. During the four months we have been in Antibes, France this summer, as well as loving every minute of the experience, I’ve been doing some research for my next novel. A lot of the action takes place in this part of the world  and I can’t wait to see what happens next! I’m about halfway through the first draft.
10. I have a wonderful blended family of seven plus 2 sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law and six grandchildren. As much as I love traveling with my husband, I miss them like crazy and will be thrilled to see them when we get back to Toronto. The babysitting requests are already piling up!
I’ve actually got five keen bloggers waiting to share their random facts with you. Thanks to @NatalieHartford, @PatriciaCavigli, @Angela_Peart, @Melissa_Foster, @GeraldineSolon for agreeing to participate with such enthusiasm!
Thanks for stopping by. Every day is a gift so make the most of each one. Give back what you can, count your blessings and spread good karma wherever you go. It’s the least we can do … and that’s not a random fact! Leave a comment and tell us one about you.