Clad In Blossom

 



Few words today, friends.  Yesterday Héloïse went to school, her heart in her mouth, to find out her Baccalauréat examination results.  Would you believe she scored a general average of 19.23 out of 20?  Not only did she obtain the highest marks in the school - Mention Très Bien + avec Félicitations du Jury - but is believed to be in the top hundred in France.  Heartfelt hugs were shared with so many teachers and I must confess I cried with shock and delight right there in the middle of all those anxious pupils and parents.  We arrived home in the early hours of this morning after celebrating with friends my beautiful daughter's success but now, unfortunately, Héloïse is nursing a very painful throat.  She really needs to rest after the past few weeks of strain, I believe.

 

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Although it is now high summer and porcelain pink Pierre Ronsard roses are gracing local high walls, paying tribute to our local Renaissance poet, I have been inspired by the exquisite apple blossom wreath which sweet Michele created for me.  Do you recall the crown of wild violets Angélique was wearing in early spring?  Michele's work is truly lovely and one flowery wreath never seems to be enough!  This artist's home overlooks a beautiful apple tree orchard which, in late spring, is cloudy with the frilliest, candiest of all pinks and creams.  I think she has captured the magical beauty of blossom to perfection; don't you? 

 

In my formidable yarn stash a few delicious skeins of silky alpaca Old Maiden Aunt sport weight in a peachy hued Blossom colourway were begging to be turned into a simple, delicate top.   Leah Thibault's Sakura Cardigan was deemed the perfect pattern.*  Peaceful knitting with the rustic luxury of Old Maiden Aunt to accompany me during the intense few weeks in late spring and early summer.

 

My Ravelry notes may be found right here.

 

The school summer holidays have started today and we are all more than ready for them.  We will be around over the course of July, greeting friends into our humble home, and away in August to Brittany.  I'd love to learn about your hopes and dreams for this summer!

 

Warmest wishes to you all,

 

Stephanie

 

* We'll never forget our sweet Sakura.

My Last Summer Rose

 "Queen rose of the rosebud garden of girls,
Come hither, the dances are done,
In gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls,
Queen lily and rose in one;
Shine out, little head, sunning over with curls,
To the flowers, and be their sun."

Extract from Alfred Tennyson's Song From Maud

Choosing among summer flowers may be like choosing among children; each has its delights.  But if I were to describe my own unique paradise it would be brimming with roses waiting to be caressed and inhaled in the cool, early morning light.  What a display my rose garden would be: an explosion of pink flowers, a bright spectrum of colours, rearranging their blankets of colour each day, as some blooms fade and others open.  Some open simply, others are intricate and ruffled, and all sport a glorious name.  Perhaps, in some sense, every rose is like a child; wearing a carefully picked name and worthy of love.  Each rose and rosebud has a face, after all.  Which flowers would you fill your corner of paradise with, I wonder?

Frederick Childe Hassam, Gathering Flowers in a French Garden, 1888

Whilst on holiday this summer I will be sure to read Colette's My Mother's House and Sido; a book which has been patiently waiting on my dusty bedside shelf.  Colette's tribute to her mother and childhood garden is touching in its simplicity.  One can almost imagine walking alongside her on the dew-drenched lawn, kissing the roses, and talking to the flowers aligned in their terracotta pots.

And here is my last summer mouse and perhaps even my last mouse of this kind (except for a couple which have been requested as customer orders, of course).  I am hoping to make something new, something different on our return from holiday, although I will be continuing, with great pleasure, to create more hares.  Mademoiselle Rosebud has been partly inspired by one of my favourite blogs; Bateaux de papier, Amélie's diary to her daughter Elsa.  Her most recent post is a tribute to the roses in her garden and is delightful.  Please take a moment to enjoy her poetic pictures which always leave me with food for thought and a smile of pleasure.

 If pink Indian silk, French rosebud-patterned fabric and antique lace and rose-trimmed vintage ribbon are your thing then you may find Mademoiselle Rosebud here.

 

This is, I think, a shorter post than usual.  Late nights drinking sangria by the Loire, bicycle rides and children eagerly waiting to be taken to the outdoors swimming pool are making time more precious still.  And that is how it should be.  I wish you all a glorious summery Sunday and week ahead.

 

A bientôt,

 

Stephanie