Patricia Sands

Author

Toronto

Let the fêtes begin!

by

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Every year the holiday season seems to roll around a little faster! Do you find that as well?

DSC00144

Winter is coming, as we saw from those unbelievable photos of lake-effect snow in north-western New York a few weeks ago. That was jaw-dropping! If you happened to miss it, click here for more images.

In France things are calmer, although there’s been way more rain than is necessary lately. The majestic Alps that form a backdrop behind Nice are snow-capped, although the ski resorts are still waiting patiently for a bountiful delivery, or at least colder temperatures, from Mother Nature. If you want to keep in touch with the ski conditions on the slopes around Nice, click right here.

Calendales (from the provencal word for Christmas), began on December 4 in France, on Saint Barbara’s Day or la fête de la Sainte-Barbe. This marks the beginning of a lengthy period of celebration that blends Christian and pagan traditions. blesantebarbe-244x300

In most homes and shop windows, on the counter at la Poste, on the bar in all the cafés and even in the windows of the patisseries, saucers of sprouting lentils and wheat seeds will be on display.

Excerpt from Promises To Keep: “Joy had explained on the phone. “It’s a tradition that goes back to Roman times. The sprouts are carefully nurtured, and if they grow straight and green, there will be a bountiful harvest in the coming year. If they go yellow or droop over, then that’s bad news. Some of the wheat is used to decorate tables and crèches on Christmas Eve, but most bunches are wrapped with a red ribbon and cared for right through to la Chandeleur, la Fête de la Lumière, on February 2.”

My friend and favourite French language instructor, Ida Chiara Young, has instructions on her Facebook page if you want to grow your own little crop.

Christmas markets in France are well under way, many with ferris wheels and skating rinks as well as the ubiquitous, decorative carousels. Enticing aromas of mulled wine and roasting chestnuts fill the air.

This photo is from Place Massena in Nice and was sent to me by my friend, Teresa, who is enjoying the holidays there with her husband. Her Facebook page, French Provençal With A Twist, is a “must” to follow for all Francophiles. The photography and links are magnifique! I pop in every day.

1958438_586640808136405_7977342826139345646_n-1

 

When do you begin your holiday celebrating? Is there a special Christmas market in your town? If you have a Christmas tree, is it already up and decorated? I’ll be going back to Toronto next week and am looking forward to visiting the Christmas market in the Distillery District, shown below.  It’s always a treat! Bon weekend tout le monde!

IMG_0648

 

 

Travel theme ~ AUTUMN

by

6.IMG_7326

The beauty of autumn is too tempting for my shutter to resist. The blends of reds, rusts, golds and browns remind me of the ochre shades of the village of Roussillon that I love to visit and photograph.

The colours, patterns and textures of the pumpkins, squashes and gourds are magnets to my eye. They are cucurbits. Who knew? And sometimes they ride like this through small towns.

IMG_3153 - Version 2

But I’m not in France right now and spending the autumn months in and around Toronto was a pleasure this year. The colours were among the best I’ve seen in a while.

By chance I happened to visit The Artful Garden just outside Bracebridge, ON, on a lovely fall day a few weeks ago. Not only is this a magical setting of inspired plantings, it is also the pottery studio of the talented and visionary property owners, Jon and Suzann Partridge.

IMG_7285

IMG_7310

The images all around us were irresistible and Suzann was gracious in allowing me to indulge my photo fetish.

You know photo challenge sites are favourites of mine and Ailsa’s travel theme of “Autumn” this week is the perfect opportunity to share a few of these images. Enjoy … and if you are visiting Muskoka, drop by this welcoming property. It’s an easy 3-hour drive north of Toronto.

Stroll  … erm … scroll with me now.

 

 

When you have some time, visit Where’s My Backpack to see other photographers’ expressions of autumn.  How do you feel about this season?

Canadians in Support of Afghan Women

by

Here’s where I will be this evening (Tuesday, Sept.8). If you are in the Oakville area, please check to see if there are tickets left and come along for an inspiring evening and an opportunity to offer support where it is seriously needed.

 
Canadians in Support of Afghan Women CSAW is a volunteer Canadian solidarity group committed to making women’s rights and protection under the law a priority in Afghanistan.
A Chapter of Canadian Women For Women In Afghanistan

“Education is the Light, May it never be extinguished”,

Mellissa Fung has revisited Afghanistan
Come hear about her new experience.

Download the Flyer | Purchase Tickets Online | Contact us for Tickets

© CSAW 2014

 

 

Last year at this time I attended a talk, hosted by CSAW, given by the intrepid journalist, author and human rights activist, Canada’s own, Sally Armstrong. It’s hard not to be in awe of her.

For decades she has spent time in some of the most war-torn parts of the world working towards improving the rights of women and girls. She is a powerful and engaging speaker and has recently published Ascent of Women, with its hopeful message that the world is indeed changing thanks to women raising their voices.

Funds raised at these evenings go to support the Lantern Fund, a teacher training initiative, organized by the not-for-profit Canadian Women For Women In Afghanistan.   These women are a force to be reckoned with ! (It’s okay to end this sentence with a preposition … I checked.)

One message conveyed repeatedly is how young women in Afghanistan are taking hold of change in their country, against terrible odds and great danger. And they are making progress. One small way we can help to show these brave young women and men (… yes, they are actually being successful in having young men join their fight for change!), is by liking their Facebook page, Young Women For Change,  and helping to share their message.

Once again, social media is helping to strengthen a cause. Click here  for more information.

Be part of the change!

 

 

Take off, eh?

by

canstockphoto16657101Ahhhhhh … I can feel it now … there’s something about the takeoff of a plane that is both exhilarating and calming for me. I LOVE IT!

The whirlwind of the past month will slowly dissipate at I settle into my seat on our flight to Zurich, Switzerland, later this afternoon. I’ve felt a touch of guilt (it’s part of a writer’s lot in life, I have come to learn … ) for not posting for almost two weeks here but life has been crazy. The best remedy for me? TRAVEL! And here we go!

First a quick recap:

I’m still processing all the helpful and exciting information picked up at the PubSmart conference in Charleston, SC, last month and blogger extraordinaire, Molly Greene, is PubSmart_logo_290publishing a post I sent her about it. I’ll share that with you here as soon as I get the link later today, so pop back if you are interested. There’s a photo of me with the talented and handsome young Hugh Howey … I was feeling my age when I realized I felt like a proud mother listening to him speak. He truly is a great voice for indie authors!

In the few weeks we were home in Toronto, we had five family birthdays to celebrate plus Mother’s Day. Just catching up with our wonderful, large family, and shmoozing with friends before we leave again, was a challenge! But we did it!

Not realizing what I was getting into, I spent three days at MetalWorks Recording Studios IMG_2013 (… talk about feeling like a rock star when you walk into their studios … that will be another post …what an experience!) creating an audiobook of The Bridge Club. I’ll have to go back and finish in August but I can’t say enough for the very patient sound engineer who has been guiding me along. I now have tremendous respect for the artists who do these recordings as their craft! I ended up sitting on my hands for hours so I wouldn’t wildly gesticulate, as I apparently do!

My new manuscript is with my editor and I am eagerly awaiting her comments. I love this part of the process!  The same accomplished artist who created the cover for The Promise of Provence is at work on the cover for this new novel and he showed me the almost completed work this week. I’m thrilled! At the moment, I feel we are on track for a July release of the ebook and the print will follow.

The subscribers to my newsletter are helping me decide on the title and I love having the involvement of these enthusiastic and supportive readers. There’s a link on the right side of this page or click right here if you would like to join us!

IMG_2042And then there was a terrific all-day writers’ workshop with novelist/blogger Chuck Wendig of the edgy Terrible Minds website. I thought it would be fun for us to say “Hi” to my friend, Colorado writer Susie Lindau, who I knew had met Chuck at the Pikes Peak Writers Conference just a few weeks ago. Chuck does get around!

It was great to reconnect with a lot of local writing friends and, in particular to congratulate Sherry Isaac who, the previous week in Chicago, won the prestigious Fire and Ice award for Women’s Fiction with Romantic Elements. In 2009, Sherry also won the Alice Munro Short Story Award. If you haven’t read any of her work, you should. You’ll find links to all of her exceptional writing on her website.

Okay … so back to travel … which I told you a bit about in my last post. My camera is ready to go to work (I can feel it pulsating … seriously … it’s been almost seven months …) and I have a new iPad Air, so I can try out some video blogs!  I’ll check in with you from Switzerland, France and Vienna and knowing you are keeping me company makes the travel even more pleasure-filled!

While we are on the topic of globe-trotting, here’s a bit about Spain. When I read Marianne’s post this morning, I knew I had to share it!

Here’s the preamble.

My wonderful, adventuresome sister lives in a small village south of Granada (now THERE’S a story … some day …) and I love to spend time with here there. It’s been a few years now but next year it is on the books for certain! I’m not sure why I just told you this … I guess because I have Spain on my mind at the moment and here’s why.

I want to share this link from Marianne’s blog, East of Malaga … a favourite of cartel2014_enmine. A gifted blogger and photographer, she shares her part of the world with us every week and now you can be as overwhelmed as I was with the floral opulence and glory of her visit to Cordoba’s recent Patio Festival.

Cordoba is a “must-see” destination at any time, in particular to revel in the spiritual and architectural splendour that is the Mezquite. Now you can consider planning a visit to coincide with La Fiesta de Los Patios de Cordoba.

Can you imagine watering all those pots?

If you haven’t visited Spain yet, be sure to add it to your wish list. Like every other European country, the history, beauty, food and culture leave you with unique and lasting experiences.

In two weeks, my Friday France posts will be back … on location … OOH LA LA  … be still my heart … from Nice! In the meantime I hope you enjoying hanging out with me wherever I happen to be. I can hear those Swiss cowbells clanking softly now …

Hmmm – it has been a busy time! Do you have any travel planned this year and how do you feel about flying? Even if you are staying home (and sometimes that’s the best place to be!), any time you want to take a trip you can do so from your armchair these days with a good book or a video. Rick Steves’ travel videos are among my favourite ~ just click that link, choose your destination of choice and away you go! Bon voyage!