Showing posts with label Fran. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fran. Show all posts

Virgin Mary arrives in Nice

It's been like Christmas chez nous this morning. I had not one, but two packages to collect this morning - from two different post offices, of course. And as I was coming back from that, the postman came down our stairs and asked if I knew who Hill was - when I indicated I did, he gave me two more packages!

So, Paul has two mysterious packages sitting next to me on the sofa and the prize for Most Difficult Package in the World to Open goes to the one from my parents (Thank you Mum and Dad! It arrived safely!) - I weep for the bubble wrap trees slaughtered to ensure its safe arrival across the miles of wildest countryside between here and there.

The prize for Tackiest Religious Souvenir ever goes to Fran's present to us. The Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, accompanied by Saint Bernadette, lovingly cast in glittery plaster of paris. Fantastic. It's decorating our telly table, now and for ever more. (Unfortunately, Glitter Mary broke off her plaster of paris grotto base in transit - I'll superglue her back together, it won't detract at all from the effect. Also, we now have Holy Glitter everywhere.) And, almost as excitingly, accompanying the Virgin Mary on her long journey, I also have a copy of the Guardian Weekend magazine, with a promise of more. Thank you Fran!!

Mary and Bernadette, in full glittery glory:



In their new home, next to the telly:



Darkened, to highlight the glitter:

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Italy for lunch



Bringing the total of countries I've been to just to have lunch up to three (the others being, of course, Luxembourg and Monaco), our weekend trip to Italy almost managed to make Ventimiglia look pretty. I will go back for the Friday market, one day, maybe in the Spring...

Fran came over on Friday night, bringing with her presents from England - proper teabags, bacon, Cadbury's buttons, chocolate digestives (perfect for accompanying a book-writing-month, I feel!) and a whole host of other fabulousness! As well as a copy of the Daily Mail, which didn't fail to disappoint, in its description of Stalinist school policies... On Saturday, we decided to go to Italy for lunch, Monaco for afternoon drinks and then back through Villfranche. (We skipped Villefranche in the end because the rain followed Fran from Manchester. She's not invited anymore, if she's going to bring rain with her.) Monaco was gain hosting an International Championship of something - go-karts, this weekend:



Bloody noisy. Boring. It's safe to say I am not a fan.


Photos from Italy, then:

Ventimiglia old town:






T Hanbury - about which, more another day, he fascinates me!


Padlock Art:


Bike. Could have used some of the padlocks from the padlock art.


Sunshine and the sea:








Ducks!


Swan!


Unknown bird! - seagull?

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A sad day

Today is the first day I have had to wear socks and shoes since we arrived. (Although there have been some nights when it would have been advisable. Like Saturday.) It is officially winter. So different from the weekend, when it was bright sunshine, dry (apart from Saturday night) and we went to Italy for lunch. More about which soon. I'm mourning the loss of summer now.

OK, over it now - at least it's not raining yet. And I can make rum hot chocolates now it's winter. Which is good. And I woke up to find I'd sold two pendants while I was sleeping, so that's good news too!

I shall sort out my photos from the weekend and write about Fran's visit to a magical world with a big yellow shiny thing in the sky...

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Copyright Nicole Hill, 2009-2010

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