Les choses de la beauté...

Well, here we are again; another week where time seems to have been on fast-forward. I have been having those sentimental thoughts again - you know how partial I am to them. You see I am returning to work next week...whaaaaat? I know, I KNOW, but hey, it's time. More of that next week, but in the meantime I am wallowing in the 'this is my last free Friday' feeling. I have a quiet weekend planned; settling in to a book and eating well. Conserving energy and getting fresh air.

Thank you to my wonderful guest bloggers this week...I have really enjoyed these diaries of others. More to come, but in the meantime thank you so much for your kind and supportive comments.

Things of beauty this week is en français, well just because, juste parce que pourquoi pas? So chic...so why not? You know how French women have that style, that elegance; how do they do it? Oh to be more like them! Enjoy...

bee-stung lips...clemence poesy

...vintage carrie in Paris...

life is in little pleasures...

...french plaits...which I still can't do...such an important life skill when you have a daughter!

via dust jacket attic

...lunchtime, Paris style...photograph by the Sartorialist

french cafe life via tom el bez photography

photograph by Jamie Beck

...marion cottilard in vanity fair

Wishing you a chic, relaxed weekend!

Things of beauty...

Thank goodness for modern medicine! I am starting to feel much better now, thanks to a day of rest and crucially doing nothing. The sun has been shining and it feels like summer, let alone Spring! As I type, Boo is outside in the garden, lying on a blanket in jean shorts and a vest, reading 'Harry Potter'. Boo 2 is watching 'Scooby Doo' on repeat...oh, the joys of school holidays. So what else?

I have taken heed of advice and I pledge to try to slow down the pace of life for a few days atleast, regain my strength in readiness for a forthcoming birthday (yep, my boy will be 6!) and family Easter celebrations.

Oh and I read the book - near enough cover to cover; and it did what all good books should do: it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me nod my head in recognition and it made me think. Perfect.

via where is the cool?

Marion Cotillard by Raymond Meier

Love this print...it's on order so that I can have it as a constant note to self:

via jones design company

photograph by Paul Graham via dust jacket attic

by Period Living

Spring-like ballet shoes in many variations...

via audrey hepburn complex, art by Caitlin Shearer

via the bottom of the ironing basket

This food and photography blog Canelle et Vanille is just a feast for the eyes...

Photograph by Aran from Canelle et Vanille

Photograph by Elizabeth Messina

by sweet berry me

Fabulous chair...

photograph by Adrian Briscoe from house to home

I like this shot of Molly Ringwald; she looks very comfortable in her own skin...

...Molly Ringwald...

by jcrew

Beautiful brown-eyed Olivia P...

Olivia Palermo via the vogue diaries

Happy Friday everyone!

Things of beauty...

What a week! The country hit by snow; on our little coast, the temperatures have plummeted to minus zero for days. We are so not used to this! Of course the country ground to a standstill and I found myself snowed in, kids off school and keeping our wood burner going all day just to try to stay warm! On days like these I am glued to the internet; tracking life happening outside my window and I remind myself again and again - what would I do without that contact?

My little blog has been hanging on in at number six in the Best Blog votes - I am staggered that you all went back and voted again - very chuffed that I have this lovely support. There is another round to go - eeek - but let's see how it goes before I beg of you again! Suffice to say, THANK YOU so much! MWAH!

It is our wedding anniversary this weekend - eleven years! I wish I could post a picture of our wedding day but they are old school photographic prints rather than digital so I'm afraid I can't. I love wedding anniversaries; and this is always a special time of year for me; the combination of festive advent and memories of our wedding day. It was a crisp, sunny winter's day and when it got dark we had candles everywhere, fires blazing, a complete fest of twinkly lights.

Martha Stewart

This weather calls for heart-warming soup like this...

Celebrating marriage this weekend...with a kiss and a look...

We were lucky enough to get married in Goodwood House, which at the time had just become a wedding venue. We have the same picture as this taken from the Minstrels Gallery in the ballroom in our album. Just makes me smile to look at - so opulent, it was unreal.

Love this whole outfit...this is my kind of look.

via that kind of woman

It breaks my heart to look at this, but it's such a beautiful image; Natasha Richardson just months before she died. This is part of an exhibition called 'My Safe Place' in aid of the Helen Bamber Foundation and her safe place was in Liam's arms...

by Nick Haddow

 

Also part of the Safe exhibition - Keira - she keeps coming up in my favourite images of the week.

This just says it all for me...

A bouquet of doorknobs! I love the quirkiness of this!

Marion Cottilard

 

via Everything Fabulous

It's going to be a good, sentimental weekend...

Things of beauty...

Busy busy week...everything is taking pace now as if in sync with the month of November. The work decision: I have to admit I took the easy road. After a bit of soul searching I decided, why make life hard for myself? I work because I enjoy it; simple as that. Every now and then my ego gets the better of me and I feel like I could...in fact I positively should...progress and grow. I was asked to consider a bigger role, something completely different, very much out of my comfort zone. Ultimately though I decided against it. I work part time and this role required a lot more than that. I have made my choices; I want to be there to collect my kids after school, so I said 'no'. Helped along the way to this decision by my trusted confidants who asked that insightful question as they know me so well - 'do you really want to take this on Lou? Think about it, picture the scene...'. So there you go, we live and learn.

And so to beautiful things of classic elegance...

via from me to you

I am so tired this week after nights of broken sleep, I am wishing for some time here:

Beautiful Helena Christensen...

A room for a reader...

Molly Ringwald in crisp, white shirt elegance...

I think I need to advertise this list to those who know me...I am a true introvert...

Marion Cottilard in the coolest dress...

Cary Grant on a  rainy sidewalk...

 

via 100 Layer Cake

Parisian style...love the whole look.

via classiq

via Dust Jacket Attic

via Haute Design

Emma Watson in Vogue wearing some diamond delights...

Thank goodness it's the weekend! Have a lovely one.