The confident gaze of this Art Nouveau woman stopped me immediately. She is saying, I am here, I exist and on my terms. A short moment and movement, it was an epoch that celebrated the femme nouvelle who rejected conventional ideals of being a woman. Seeking a voice and having a presence in the arts, academia, sports and life in general. It was the era of cycling, moving out of corsets, early birth control and a female revolution. We are women!
Caroline Kennedy of the Kennedy dynasty said that, "as much as we need a prosperous economy, we also need a prosperity of kindness and decency." This begs the question of what truly is prosperity and wealth? I have debated this with other Feng Shui practitioners. For me, wealth is not just money but is about health, friendship, charity and kindness. This is easier with money but none of these can be truly bought if missing, and with current shaky economies around the world, the measure of a country and people should be measured by how it supports those without
"Blue skies, smiling at me, nothing but blue skies do I see", sang Ella Fitzgerald. Shades of blue, eggshell, aquamarine, icy, royal, whatever blue shade you can name, these are my favourite colours. They immediately lift the spirits with a sense of spring or summer, the sea or a lake, I could go on. Visiting interior stores today, I came out feeling very beige, bland and dour. Then at a French store, the shop designer was happily throwing as many blue items on a table as she could, even a pair of blue denim shorts. I thanked her and
The bathroom is one of the key Feng Shui challenges and is open to many conversations. It is important to remember that in old school Feng Shui, Chinese outhouses/toilets were awful, cold and dark. The West has made them into spas and a relaxing space. However, it has the most water and drains in a living place other than the kitchen. It is all about the Water element and how to reduce Chi energy from draining out. See other bathroom posts about closing or covering drains, no water themes or shells and placing mirrors under the main drain pipes.
It has been a busy weekend with visitors coming and going. Lots of food, wine and stories past and present to tell. Some memories came up about the past few years and the need to keep in touch and to offer the power of touch. Some are going through relationship issues, a couple of people are about to celebrate the next birthday decade, always a time for reflection. It is all about support, a hug and a kiss. So, bisous!
Mimosa is appearing in our French market, a sign of Spring. Meanwhile, we are heading for the coldest month of the year with a weak sun struggling through clouds and we are wearing three kilograms extra of clothing. Translated from Greek, the flower's name means resembling life and is used to symbolise the sun. Mimosa flowers were used in the past by Mayans to treat burns and injuries and the shrub's bark was used for coughs and inflammation. Perhaps it knows that we are still in winter and any sign of life is worth noting so why not send
Doris Lessing said that the 'bedroom is a place for reading, thinking or doing nothing'. Feng Shui practice would add the areas of love and the primary relationship. On that note, the main bedroom in the new apartment was full of depressing brown wooden furniture with bright tangerine walls, mirrored wardrobes and ten bright down lights. That image is probably all you need to understand why it has been painted white and cream! Next step was to pull out the wooden drawers, replace the broken wardrobe doors and paint the old salon doors. Wooden floorboards were replaced and down
Jane Austen, the writer of such books as Pride and Prejudice, apparently wrote everything sitting at the corner of the dining table. I get this as I work on our old French farmhouse wooden table which has travelled with us over the years. It is the anchor of the dining room which also acts as an office. Made of sturdy pear wood with finely turned legs, it is much admired and loved. Our new dining room was a bright pink second bedroom with a navy 1980s sofa bed that had seen better days. Just to give you an idea of
So many chefs talk about the kitchen being the heart of the home and even having a lovely dining room, guests end up visiting the kitchen. We pulled out depressing battleship grey 1980s cupboards and tiles that were so dowdy to work in. It was as if the space was asking to be upgraded. A challenge was the water boiler, a pipe running along the wall, a broken sink u-bend and walls needed plastering. It was more work than anticipated! Ivory glossy doors were chosen, limestone tiles and a coffee coloured ceramic sink was put in. The same bench
As Terence Conran said, "furniture and food are ways that people define their attitude toward life". It is interesting to read this as an exhausting week comes to an end for a new beginning. Every wall, corner, skirting board and door has been painted. Floors have been cleaned and Feng Shui mirrors are in place. One crystal is up and others will be hung. Our furniture arrives from storage and we haven't seen it since the end of August. It will be a Christmas gift! Our stuff is full of travel memories, the good, the bad and the ugly of