The French connection

Hello to you all and thank you for all your lovely comments on my last (two weeks ago) post. I don't know where the time goes.

I must be honest I'm quite looking forward to the Autumn now. The new school year has begun and I can get back into a routine. The school run certainly gets me going in the morning and it's good to plan my week ahead. John is now semi retired - working three days a week so our time is shared between things that need doing against things we want to do and therefore plans are afoot to make for a smooth transition.

In a recent post I touched upon my French connection and as several people wanted to know more I thought I'd fill you in with a bit of my family history.

 My grandmother Alice Aurelie Victorine Mercier 

was born and brought up in Valenciennes in 1899. Quite a small town compared to today's sprawling city in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

My grandfather, William Wells was in the Motor Cycle Corps of the Royal Engineers during the first World War. In actual fact he had an avid interest in motor bikes prior to signing up and the 1911 census tells us that at 17 years old he was a Motor Cycle Improver. Anyway he signed up in 1914 and because of his interest he was able to take his own motor cycle with him to become one of the first motor cycle dispatch riders with the Royal Engineers prior to which this duty was carried out on horseback. Based in Mons, Belgium his job was to take messages and documents to and from the front line. It was on one of these journeys that he must have passed through Valenciennes on his way back to Mons - about 20 miles away.

Now - my grandmother Alice's parents owned a Boulangerie Patisserie shop in the Rue de Quesnoy in Valenciennes and it can only be surmised that William met Alice when he walked into the shop to purchase some freshly baked bread perhaps.

Alice's father, Alphonse Romaine MERCIER was born in the area around 1865

and he met and married Victorine Elizabeth Marie CARON born 1865

(standing here in the cobbled courtyard behind their shop)

Not a lot is known about my great grandparents. To try and trace family in France is no mean feat, especially if you cannot speak the language! No not a word!!!

Many years ago my late mum gave me an old box with some very dirty silver spoons, which she told me came from her mother Alice. As per usual this got stashed away in my loft and moved from house to house over the last forty years. However, in one of my "lets sort the loft out" days, it got brought back down again. I attempted to clean the silver and at least four of them were engraved with some initials. Didn't think much about it until I started writing this post! I don't know if you can see clearly but the initials are a very ornate M and C - the surnames of my French great grandparents Romaine MERCIER and Victorine CARON. 

Again, I hadn't really  taken much notice of the box but when I took the spoons out I noticed a piece of dried heather and a dried rosebud. My guess is that this was a wedding present for Alphonse and Victorine when they married around the mid 1890s. A gift  possibly from one of their parents - who alas I know nothing about.

Anyway back to Alice and William. 

It is unknown whether William returned to England with his regiment or stayed behind but they courted for a few years before marrying in 1922 - firstly in the Hotel de Ville - the local town hall and then they went to their local Church the Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Cordon which looked quite a grand affair.

William took Alice back home to England where they settled in Middlesex. Mum was born in 1925 and shortly after, my Uncle Jack - the rest is history - for another day perhaps.

I hope you enjoyed this little story of my French roots.

See you soon x

Long time no see...

....but I'm back now and have missed my blogging friends and reading your lovely posts. Thank you for all your comments recently and sorry I haven't responded before now.

We've had several busy weeks one way or another, some of which were  spent travelling  between Essex, Cornwall and Norfolk where I've had neither computer nor internet so many apologies that I haven't been able to view or comment on your posts of late.  Am trying to catch up but inevitably will have missed some of your news. I find it difficult to catch up with just a few days worth of posts let alone a couple of weeks but bear with me.

We spent a lovely time with our son J and his family down in the Cornish town of St Ives in the West Country, where they own a little terraced fishermen's cottage dating back to the late 1800s which is situated close to all of the fabulous beaches that surround St Ives.

Superb weather and it was great to spend some fun time with the children on the beach.

The days on the beaches were sunny and fun-filled

The evenings were stunning and tranquil

 where the wonderful whiff of a barbecue could often be found

All too soon it was time to head for home where we did a quick turnaround before we ventured east in our camper van to the Norfolk Broads where our daughter E and her family had hired a boat for the week. We booked in at a little site at Ludham which was bang next to their mooring for the time we were there. In fact you can see their boat from our pitch.

 A lovely site with spectacular views and open fields all around

 We spent three days with them relaxing on board when they took us out on several day-long trips on the river including Horning and Wroxham

 The boys really enjoyed their holiday and spent a lot of the time 

fishing when moored up for the night. 

So relaxing and lunch could always be found at one of the many riverside pubs you could moor up beside.

or even a little bit of what you fancy from the ice cream boat along the way!

All in all we had a wonderful time with both our children and their families - albeit in separate locations but to be treasured always. 

Be back again soon. Have a great week

Garden, birthday and crafts to make

I don't think I appreciated all the rain we had back in May and June because since we had the heatwave a few weeks ago our poor garden really took the brunt of all that sun and dry weather. Although we have kept it watered (obviously not enough!) our lawn is awful, with large patches of yellow (dead looking) grass and although people say 'it will come back again' I really don't see how. Fortunately we do have a few large paved areas where we plant up shrubs and flowers in pots, so all is not completely lost.

I got the inspiration for this step-ladder display a few weeks ago when I saw it here where Elaine had visited an open garden and posted a photo.
 I loved the idea and was soon on a mission to re-create it in my own garden.

Many years ago I bought this old Singer Sewing machine treadle table. I bought some decking wood and after cutting it to size and varnishing it, attached it to the top to create a display for some of my pots, which takes on a different look from year to year.

 I love potting up old garden trugs, tin buckets and pails, old boxes and birdcages

These potted areas have always been a favourite and again changeable from year to year

My herb garden is also in a large pot just outside my kitchen door - so useful for popping out to snip what I want, when I want

I bought this old milk can in a little local vintage shop which has the letters UN on the front. Not sure what that could mean, so I'm digging (excuse the pun) and delving on the internet to find out its history.

It was my birthday yesterday and I had such a lovely day - a trip out to Sudbury in Suffolk, where my daughter E took me to lunch with grandson L

And in the evening, with the whole family we went out to dinner at a local Tapas bar - very nice it was too!

My two gorgeous boys 

I had lots of lovely pressies and must show you just a couple before I go

This lovely Handmade Glamping book

which features so many fabulous crafting ideas which I am definitely going to make a start on -soon!

and this handy little book which will come in useful on our forthcoming campervan trips

and last but by no means least this gorgeous set of vintage looking china ice cream dishes complete with spoons (from Lakeland) - love them

Bye for now

xx

Results are in, and...........

 WOOHOO!!!

 I passed my finals and have been offered my

 BA (Hons) in Humanities with Classical Studies. 

I am absolutely overjoyed and my head is still in the clouds.

I got the results on my iPhone on Saturday when John and I were out having lunch

and all I had to do was press a button to find out - nervous or what.

Needless to say I burst into tears!

We popped in to see our daughter E and her family, where it would have been rude not to take a bottle of Champers, wouldn't it

Everyone in the family were thrilled and the phone hasn't stopped ringing

John took me out for a meal in the evening to celebrate - to a newly opened Bistro Cafe called the Beach Hut - literally right on the beach at Westcliff

Shame the tide was out - but hey you can't have everything!

Before I finish,  I must just tell you - several years ago before I started blogging, I was rooting around in my loft - as you do, and I found these old autograph books from my childhood

and at the time I was really struggling with one particular module - almost at the point of giving up altogether - when I happened to find something my dad had written when I was nine years old. To say this kept me going is no exaggeration - I tore it out and put it into my pin board above my computer for continued motivation.

He was soooooo right of course

Then - I found this my grandad had written at the same time (I think this had been a Christmas present and I was making the most of all my family - there are more, lots)

and this was to become the original inspiration for my Blog title!

The stuff I have in my loft is unbelievable and I dread to think of how we'll shift it if ever we move - but sometimes this stuff has its uses.

Anyway I want to thank everyone who commented on my last post about Working under pressure - and apologise for not replying personally but I took on board what you had to say and realise that I'm not the only one who works better when life is pretty busy.

Well - my graduation is booked, 20th September at the Barbican Centre in London and my Academic gown has been ordered and now I really can get on with my life.

Thanks to you all for listening to my moans and groans over the last couple of years and for the motivation you have given me, it meant a lot.

xx

Working under pressure

Do you know, I've decided that I definitely work better under pressure. When I was studying for all those years I systematically sat myself down for three hours every afternoon during the week to read my books, make notes and write essays. That being so I arranged my life around this - shopping, housework, washing, ironing - you know all the mundane but important things we do to keep a nice home, plus meet up with friends for coffee or lunch, browse around the odd charity shop or two, go to the gym, bake cakes and more importantly write my blog.

So - why is it that now I no longer have this chain around my neck, do I not have the time to fit these things into my daily life? I constantly start one job only to find I end up doing another. The gym, well that's been a  definite no-no!

Do you remember me telling you I was looking forward to reading normal books again? - hasn't happened.

and as for charity shops - haven't been in one for months. 

As for gardening - well the weather didn't help - too wet for months and now too hot and dry (not complaining of course) - must get out there soon

Baking - well it's simply not happening

I was looking forward to starting on some new crafting projects too - loads in the magazines I'd been buying. Have I? No.

As for my blog, this was the one thing I knew that I would definitely make the time for as I so enjoy writing but in fact I'm only putting out about one a week on average at the moment, and I miss it.

If I could organise my life during my Uni years then there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to fit these things into my life now. I kept to a strict routine. So - I have planned out a new weekly routine, give or take the odd spontaneous-something-different-to-do-kind-of-days and I'm all set for a change.

Is this going to happen I wonder? I've often heard people say when they're particularly busy "life simply gets in the way of life" - is this so? Am I being too rigid or should I just take life as it comes and do what I want, when I want.  I think maybe secretly I'm awaiting the results of my degree (fourteen days and counting) before I get back to normal living again. Well that's my excuse anyway...

I'd love to know if you work better under pressure?