An elephant and a donkey (1900s) that I found at the brocante, part of the French crèche (nativity set in French.)

 Aren’t they adorable?

Oh symbolism:

“An artistic and poetic movement or style using symbolic images and indirect suggestion to express mystical ideas, emotions, and states of mind.” Via the Dictionary.

Will they, or do they, ever get along? Both from another world of opinion. Who stands in between the two, a snake, a rabbit, a rat, a saint?

Did they ever see eye to eye? 

Have they ever disagreed more?

They want the same thing, don’t they? Is it that they follow different paths to reach the same point? I use to believe that, or at least hoped that were true, that we sought love, peace, courage, understanding and acceptance, and much more. Maybe I was naive, or a snowflake as I have heard. 

How hard it is for me to accept that, “love is love”, is not love to some.

And so they stand,

Uncomfortable,

on the same ground and sing,

“…This land is your land, this land is my land…”

               

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Did you know how many tiles (tuiles, carreaux, malons, pottery…) my village produced in a year? Give a wild guess. A wilder guess! It is so shocking, that my exaggerating storytelling habits do not need to be expressed.

I still can’t believe it myself. If you walk around our village, you can still see the huge 4 old kilns. They stop producing many years ago, but they stand as massive evidence of how much tile was actually made here.

They say—and I absolutely love to tell this story—that these curved tuiles (tuiles  are also the name of a cookie sold in French bakeries- they are shaped as a roof tile.., The myth stems from the sensual French nickname for the cookies, cuisses de nymphe), were originally shaped by molding clay over women’s thighs. But when you find out the real numbers, well you know that couldn’t be true. But it adds a charming twist go history.

(Though I always say that if any tiles were made on my thighs, they’d be incredibly valuable because I have such a chunky little thigh €€€€!)

The actual truth is that our village was turning out a mind-blowing 15 million tiles every single year!

Imagine trying to make 15 million tiles on human thighs—they wouldn’t have had any skin left. Instead, these millions of tiles were packed up, sent to the port of Marseille, where they were loaded onto ships as ballast, helping keep the vessels stable on long sea voyages before ending up on rooftops as far away as Mexico

The kilns are cold now but there was a time when my village was a rooftop of the world.

                

Comments

• I really enjoyed the history you offered, and the humor, too. ... by Jan
• In reply to Kathie B.. Most likely by Corey
• What fascinating history. They are so beautiful! Your pictures ... by Marilyn Miller
• Were they sent to the Azores, too? They look just like the roof ... by Kathie B.
• This is remarkable! by Diogenes
• Wow! by Bev S.

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How many trick-or-treaters did you have?

The street in front of our house has been completely torn up because of a broken water pipe. There are detour signs preventing cars from using the street, so I really didn’t expect to have many trick-or-treaters this year.

Halloween was never really a thing in France, but every year it seems to gain a little more popularity. Two years ago, I had over 200 trick-or-treaters!

Our little town held a Halloween party in the town square with lots of activities for the children. Around 4:30, everyone heads out to go from house to house collecting candy. Instead of saying “trick or treat,” the children simply say bonbons, which means “candies.” People of all ages participate in trick-or-treating here—even entire families go together.

This year, I had a little over 70 trick-or-treaters. And a ton of candy left over.

Every year for the last 20 years, I’ve written about Halloween. It’s a big deal with my mom. She always put on a party. Sadly, this year for the first time ever at 91, she hung up her witch’s hat, made me a little sad to think that tradition has ended.
If you’d like to read more regarding Halloween on my blog- there is a search engine on the top of my blog , tap in Halloween and you’ll see all my posts.

                

Comments

• In reply to Judy Wilcox. Oh no braces the day before!!! by Corey
• In reply to Marilyn Miller. Halloween is magical. It must ... by Corey
• That is amazing to have that many coming to your door for ... by Marilyn Miller
• We had about 200 — plus a a fog machine, skulls, cauldron, ... by Sue J.
• I enjoyed hearing about Halloween in France. We were gone the ... by Judy Wilcox
• Happy Halloween! Amazed that you got that many trick or ... by Diogenes

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Looking through a box at an antique textile shop that I love — a shop that has been around for as long as I’ve lived in France — my eyes caught an aubergine toile de Jouy. It was in a very tattered state, but I was immediately smitten. You could say it’s my Chanel.

Many textile collectors know that old quilts can hold extraordinary secrets. Like finding a painting beneath a painting, uncovering these fabrics is a painstaking process, carefully removing each layer to reveal a beauty preserved within.

In France, old quilts often carry a much longer history. People didn’t throw things away; when new materials were difficult to find, they used what they had, repairing and adding layers of fabrics to preserve what they had and needed.

This quilt had many layers, and someone had carefully picked it back, revealing this beautiful fragment — worn, fragile, and full of history. A quilt that kept warm generations as they slept. I wonder if anyone ever traced the image with their fingers, creating stories in their minds before drifting off.

I plan to hang it on a wall, although I don’t actually have a house with any space left on the walls. I have a feeling I’ll be covering my doors next.

Photo – Francine a textile collector who has had an incredible shop for over thirty with her family in Isle sur la Sorgue. I have visited their shop for years cxx

                

Comments

• In reply to Marilyn Miller. ❤️ by Corey
• Textiles are fascinating! I can't help but touch, just to feel ... by Marilyn Miller
• This is amazingly beautiful. I am so glad you bought it, ... by Kathy
• Beautiful! by NANCYO

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The branches aren’t the story.

They’re what stands between us and seeing each other.

May we never mistake the tangle for the truth.

                

Comments

• May the truth always shine through. by Marilyn Miller
• In reply to Ella DYER. What? I would feel like a fraud ... by Corey
• Beautiful photo and beautiful thoughts. by Diogenes
• Coucou Corey, Vous êtes une poétesse ! Veuillez rassembler ... by Ella DYER

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