I found my thrill ..on Blueberry Hill~

My basket in the car..at my feet..:) Jacques' was in the back seat..

So..I went blueberry picking w/ Mylène and Noah and I loved it..
I have never seen so many LUSH..
blueberry..bushes ..ecolo friendly in my life..and I must say..the owner and his staff are quite adorable:)

So I think Jacques loved the jam..I made w/ my récolte... as he said:" ..I will go back with you.."

and so we did..and the owner shook my husband's hand after I introduced them..and brought stools :)How many people do that?

You get assigned a bush/area..and I do not blame him as people would go haphazardly here and there..

It was the hottest day on earth:)

We went early..and we came back with abundance.

So I doubled Christine Ferber's Wild Blueberry Jam recipe..the one that corresponds w/ Canadian and US blueberries..as there are two in this book I love..

I pre-cooked the same day..and macerated that night..the next morning..I made the jam at 9 AM because we were taking Lucas out to lunch♥

I have all these lovely pots stored away..and an assigned blueberry jam spoon..color coded♥

I sterilized all the pots and lids and rims..but I do not water bathe anymore..well I do some things..

They form such a tight seal..that I need a mini..pretty..feminine ..sledgehammer to pry the seal off:)

I love all the jams I have made from this book..

and yes I still love D. Lebovitz's strawberry jam..♥

One of the things we adored in Provence..

was the petit-déjeuner w/ freshly made croissants and home made jams..
ce fut le paradis.

..sure Bonne Mamans are adorable and I love her jars..and jams..
but nothing beats home made..

like they had and like we love..

I mean look..does that spot not look like paradise on earth?

Dinner by candlelight..or breakfast w/ rising sun..♥

Occitane products in our rooms..

I fell in love.And never fell out.

♥Gordes~

I had brought a journal and paints and enjoyed drawing and painting small things..

I had very few paints in 2008..I was working..did not have much time..
seems that since I no longer work outside our home..I am collecting bits and bobs here and there.
I am fortunate to have a few travel sets..the lovely Cheap Joe's in the leather purse I showed you last Nov..and little kits I make here and there..little palettes I alter here and there..

Cigar boxes are sometimes found at my brocante and very reasonably priced..the one filled w/ my favorite Daniel Smith colors..was $2.00.
I bought empty half pans and filled with my favorite colors..even a novice has favorites..

I think 3 of the colors are not DS..
I still have empty pans:)
I already have colors in my mind..but you can't get them all at once..those tubes add up.

I have been revisiting my Craftsy class from Shari Blaukopf..about buildings..houses..

I know from the get go that buildings and landscapes are not my forte..but I like keeping the moments in journals..
The kiosque at that great Bleutière is not a thing of beauty..but I had to try:)It is crooked on the land..in my attempt to straighten..I made it off in the opposite sense.:):):)

A cute clothing and accessory store ..and a street scene from 2008 in Venice ,Italy.

Painting ..calms me inside.

We had a double party Sunday..for Mylène 41..(I cannot believe she is 41.)..and Lucas 11(I cannot believe he is 11)...

I was not the only thing wilting ..our heat pump stopped working on Friday..it's been in the 90's..
I was melting chocolate.. whipping icings..inspired by The Great British Bake Off..LOVE THAT SHOW...only 1 episode left until the winner is crowned..we were sorry to see Flora go..but we would have said that about each one of them..:)
They all have a certain je ne sais quoi.
Nadia and her tears..she makes me cry..what a beauty:) Tamal..what a nice young man..he is a doctor/ anaesthetist..Ian..his molds etc.. I had no idea he was a pro photog and is the personal photog of the Dali Lama when he is in the UK.
In this case more was better..
Carrot cake..cream cheese icing..
Lucas..checkerboard cake.. whoppers on top ,fine belgian cookies around and MELTED Callebaut chocolate name and greeting.

Poor wilting chocolate...

His Auntie..the 41 yr old:) Made him this..gift cards and candy..in every cup..yu poke through and the gifts are revealed..