I think not. It's slow to load pictures, isn't it? Or is that just me? And would it bore the 2 or 3 of you who ever read this to see the new things I make every day in February? (For that is, indeed, the point of Thing-A-Day as the name cunningly suggests...) Unless there's a keen desire to see it, in which case I'll keep the link, my inclination is to kill it and post manually every now and then.
Up to you, my loyal readers. All 2 or 3 of you. What do you think?
Sunday, 31 January 2010
Raindrops Keep Falling...
Testing out a new way of posting to my blog (cross posting to Posterous, where Thing-A-Day.com seems to have migrated this year). You should see, below, if everything works, pictures of the new earrings I made this morning. The rain woke me up this morning, hence the name. I even made the earwires, I'm quite proud of them for a first attempt. The earrings are long and dangly, and will be added to my Etsy store later today.
Snow!
We have snow! Admittedly, not much. Barely even worthy of the name, really. But still, white stuff. On the ground. On the beach, even! The rest of the world must be freezing if snow has got down here.
Friday, 29 January 2010
Shiny things
Purple People Eater bracelet and earrings:
Purple People Eater song, in case you ever managed to miss it:
Chainmaille necklace I'm not sure I showed here before:
Purple People Eater song, in case you ever managed to miss it:
Chainmaille necklace I'm not sure I showed here before:
Thursday, 28 January 2010
Saint Raphael and Frejus
Yesterday was a national holiday in Monaco, so we were both at home. It was sunny (as you can see from the photos) and warm and I actually didn't feel like I was dying, for the first time in ages, so we decided to go exploring - and went to Saint Raphael, along the coast towards Marseille.
Photos of sunshine
Upside down boat, now colonised by seagulls:
That part of the coast is beautiful - huge red rocks and cliffs, as you can see a bit in this photo from the train window.
Saint Raphael is nothing special - the beach is nice, though, and the church is pretty from the outside.
Church:
Beach:
The old town in Saint Raphael was... limited (I was feeling ill again by that point, though, so I might be doing it a disservice. Or we might have missed bits.) There's a museum that might be worth going to, we walked past it. That was about it.
Frejus was pretty, but small. It's noted for its Roman ruins - we got as far as the amphitheatre, which is being re-built, and got bored and went home. The church is prettier on the outside than the inside, but it is pretty.
Photos of sunshine
Upside down boat, now colonised by seagulls:
That part of the coast is beautiful - huge red rocks and cliffs, as you can see a bit in this photo from the train window.
Saint Raphael is nothing special - the beach is nice, though, and the church is pretty from the outside.
Church:
Beach:
The old town in Saint Raphael was... limited (I was feeling ill again by that point, though, so I might be doing it a disservice. Or we might have missed bits.) There's a museum that might be worth going to, we walked past it. That was about it.
Frejus was pretty, but small. It's noted for its Roman ruins - we got as far as the amphitheatre, which is being re-built, and got bored and went home. The church is prettier on the outside than the inside, but it is pretty.
Monday, 25 January 2010
Marché nocturne in Nice 2010
I've sent off my application for the marché nocturne for the summer tourist season, in case nothing comes up work-wise before then. If I get accepted, and it works for me (stall fees aren't too high, etc, etc) then it would be a really good thing for me, in terms of professional development - and making money. The night market in Nice is mentioned in all the guide books I've ever seen, and was busy whenever we wandered through over the summer - it runs from 18:30 to 00:30, daily. So that's one of my big questions: do I have to go every day, if they accept my application. We'll see what they say.
Because I know you're all so interested, there's a picture below of the pieces I submitted as part of the application. One of the things this has made me realise I need to do is put together a proper catalogue - it will be useful for approaching shops, too, if I decide to go that route.
1. Bronze European 4-in-1 Necklace, 2. Japanese 12 in 2 stainless steel and bronze earrings1, 3. Sterling silver and Pearl chainmaille earrings, 4. Lui - Copper byzantine bracelet, 5. Indian Summer - bronze and crystal bracelet, 6. Japanese Bronze - bronze chainmaille bracelet, 7. Thunder - steel chainmaille bracelet, 8. Steel Half Persian 4-in-1 bracelet, 9. Copper Euro-4-in-1 Necklace, 10. Anastasia - silver and green crystal bracelet, 11. European Square - copper chainmaille bracelet, 12. Jessica - copper and sodalite bracelet, 13. Garnet and Carnelian earrings, 14. Goldstone and sterling earrings, 15. Raspberries - garnet and sterling earrings, 16. Azure - Pearl and kyanite earrings, 17. Osiris - turquoise and copper pendant, 18. Isis - lapis lazuli and copper pendant, 19. A Star is Born - ruby and sterling necklace, 20. Desert Winter - desert jasper and snowflake obsidian bracelet
Because I know you're all so interested, there's a picture below of the pieces I submitted as part of the application. One of the things this has made me realise I need to do is put together a proper catalogue - it will be useful for approaching shops, too, if I decide to go that route.
1. Bronze European 4-in-1 Necklace, 2. Japanese 12 in 2 stainless steel and bronze earrings1, 3. Sterling silver and Pearl chainmaille earrings, 4. Lui - Copper byzantine bracelet, 5. Indian Summer - bronze and crystal bracelet, 6. Japanese Bronze - bronze chainmaille bracelet, 7. Thunder - steel chainmaille bracelet, 8. Steel Half Persian 4-in-1 bracelet, 9. Copper Euro-4-in-1 Necklace, 10. Anastasia - silver and green crystal bracelet, 11. European Square - copper chainmaille bracelet, 12. Jessica - copper and sodalite bracelet, 13. Garnet and Carnelian earrings, 14. Goldstone and sterling earrings, 15. Raspberries - garnet and sterling earrings, 16. Azure - Pearl and kyanite earrings, 17. Osiris - turquoise and copper pendant, 18. Isis - lapis lazuli and copper pendant, 19. A Star is Born - ruby and sterling necklace, 20. Desert Winter - desert jasper and snowflake obsidian bracelet
Sunday, 24 January 2010
Eze - heavy on the photos, sorry about that...
We finally got around to going to Eze today - we didn't go into the gardens, we'll save those for a sunnier, warmer day.
But, Eze is pretty! I think St Paul de Vence was prettier, but Eze is nice. Some photos follow - better photos to follow when the sun is out, though there may be more tourists. There were more than a few today, and it's not exactly peak tourist season!
Anyway:
But, Eze is pretty! I think St Paul de Vence was prettier, but Eze is nice. Some photos follow - better photos to follow when the sun is out, though there may be more tourists. There were more than a few today, and it's not exactly peak tourist season!
Anyway:
Thursday, 21 January 2010
New Years Day
Did I show you the pictures from New Years Day here? It was stormy and the waves were *huge*! (It is, in hindsight, perhaps not the best idea to walk alongside the beach or the port, when the waves are splashing so high they flood the street. Just in case any of you are in that position in the future.)
Anyway, some pics of some waves, just to prove that it's not all sunshine all the time here. (Though it is nice today.) The sky was definitely not happy at New Year.
Today, it looks more like:
Anyway, some pics of some waves, just to prove that it's not all sunshine all the time here. (Though it is nice today.) The sky was definitely not happy at New Year.
Today, it looks more like:
Wednesday, 20 January 2010
Christmas, the last part: Paris
I think we left the Christmas story at the point at which we'd found a working Eurostar. I'm too lazy to check, mind, so let's all just assume that's where we were. Train over was fine, except we were next to a bunch of teenagers, for whom Paris was their haven, and they didn't care what their richer friends who went across the other side of the world said. It was their haven. And they were going to meet all these - presumably famous - people, and blah, blah, blah. For hours. Hell really is other people.
Once we got there, we had just under 24 hours (23 hours, 59 minutes, to be precise) until our train back home to Villefranche. We were staying in a hotel near Place d'Italie, which was nice enough - the bathroom was scary though, the tiles had faces on. Distorted faces. And eyes. Horrible. The room was decorated with books though, so I approve of that.
We walked, a lot. I was going to get a map and colour it in to show you all how far we walked. Because I knackered my knee doing it, and wanted sympathy. But I can't find a map, so you can't see the extent to which we walked just yet. But we saw a lot, and had dinner at the restaurant around the corner from our old flat in Montparnasse (called Zazous, I recommend it, if you're in the area - even with the refurb, which makes it look like you're eating in someone's living room. Food is good!) and we walked around the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero and down the Champs-Elysees. All nicely decorated and full of Christmas Market - and people. So very many people. None of whom paid the slightest bit of attention to anyone else around them. But the lights were pretty, and the giant wheel in Place de la Concorde made a lovely backdrop for the wedding photos the couple we saw were having taken. And the Tuileries was pretty in the moonlight. Blah, if you've been to Paris, you know all this. If you haven't been to Paris, stop reading my blog and go and book tickets. Now.
The next morning, despite my aching knee, we went to Sacre Coeur, then down through Chatelet, past Notre Dame to Gibert Jeune and Saint Michel, and then back to the hotel to get our bags to go home. I recommed first class TGV travel, in case you're interested - huge seats, no screaming children, bliss for several hours. And finally, we were home!
Many photos here - a selection follow, because it's my blog and I can...
Eiffel Tower:
Ugliest Building in Paris:
Eiffel Tower and some peace garden statue thing they've got at the bottom of the Champs de Mars:
The big wheel in Place de la Concorde:
And from the Tuileries:
Lights at the end of the Champs - they flashed, which you can't see...
Sacre Coeur:
St Eustache:
Notre Dame:
Shakespeare and Co - it is a very, very good thing I never went in here when we lived there, I'd have had even more books than I ended up with as it was. (If you're looking for an English bookshop in Paris though, go there. Really.)
Or here. Gibert Jeune sells all kinds of books and is fabulous and I love it. All of them, since there are several shops selling different topics of books. Except the Law shop, that one is kind of boring. But still. Go there too.
And, lastly, the mad fountains by the Centre Pompidou:
Once we got there, we had just under 24 hours (23 hours, 59 minutes, to be precise) until our train back home to Villefranche. We were staying in a hotel near Place d'Italie, which was nice enough - the bathroom was scary though, the tiles had faces on. Distorted faces. And eyes. Horrible. The room was decorated with books though, so I approve of that.
We walked, a lot. I was going to get a map and colour it in to show you all how far we walked. Because I knackered my knee doing it, and wanted sympathy. But I can't find a map, so you can't see the extent to which we walked just yet. But we saw a lot, and had dinner at the restaurant around the corner from our old flat in Montparnasse (called Zazous, I recommend it, if you're in the area - even with the refurb, which makes it look like you're eating in someone's living room. Food is good!) and we walked around the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero and down the Champs-Elysees. All nicely decorated and full of Christmas Market - and people. So very many people. None of whom paid the slightest bit of attention to anyone else around them. But the lights were pretty, and the giant wheel in Place de la Concorde made a lovely backdrop for the wedding photos the couple we saw were having taken. And the Tuileries was pretty in the moonlight. Blah, if you've been to Paris, you know all this. If you haven't been to Paris, stop reading my blog and go and book tickets. Now.
The next morning, despite my aching knee, we went to Sacre Coeur, then down through Chatelet, past Notre Dame to Gibert Jeune and Saint Michel, and then back to the hotel to get our bags to go home. I recommed first class TGV travel, in case you're interested - huge seats, no screaming children, bliss for several hours. And finally, we were home!
Many photos here - a selection follow, because it's my blog and I can...
Eiffel Tower:
Ugliest Building in Paris:
Eiffel Tower and some peace garden statue thing they've got at the bottom of the Champs de Mars:
The big wheel in Place de la Concorde:
And from the Tuileries:
Lights at the end of the Champs - they flashed, which you can't see...
Sacre Coeur:
St Eustache:
Notre Dame:
Shakespeare and Co - it is a very, very good thing I never went in here when we lived there, I'd have had even more books than I ended up with as it was. (If you're looking for an English bookshop in Paris though, go there. Really.)
Or here. Gibert Jeune sells all kinds of books and is fabulous and I love it. All of them, since there are several shops selling different topics of books. Except the Law shop, that one is kind of boring. But still. Go there too.
And, lastly, the mad fountains by the Centre Pompidou: