Saturday, 7 July 2012

Paris 2012

A few weeks ago Dr Anne watched a DVD: Midnight in Paris.  At midnight the young guy, Gil went up to Montmartre stepped into a car and went back in time.  He met the 'people of the day': the Gatsbys, Picasso, Dali, Stein, Gauguin, Degas etc. etc.....

With the latest edition of the Lonely Planet Guide Dr Anne and JD walked the Marais, the Latin Quarter and Montmartre.


James Joyce lived up here in 1921 in a courtyard flat.
He finished editing Ulysses here.


Place de Contrescarpe
There are four Judas Trees.
Hemingway called this a 'cesspool'.
It looked pretty smart to Dr Anne.


Hemingway lived in the 1st Floor Flat with his first wife Hadley.
Experiences were used in 'The Sun also rises.'


George Orwell lived here and worked as a dishwasher.
Read about it in 'Down and out in Paris and London' (1933)


Oscar Wilde died here of meningitis in 1900.
Jorge Luis Borges also stayed here.



Hotel Angleterre was the British Embassy in Paris where the Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and John Hay signed the treaty recognising American Independence in 1873.

There were certainly no cars then...


Henry Miller stayed here and later wrote about the experience in 'Letters to Emil' (1989).


A favourite cafe for Jean-Paul Satre and Simone de Beavoir.


Gertrude Stein lived here entertaining Picasso, Matisse, Braque, Gauguin and Pound.


Ezra Pound lived here in a flat full of Japanese paintings.  


Van Gogh moved in here with his brother and stayed with him for three years.

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Dr Anne and Leo, the lion in Paris.

Dr Anne and JD have just returned from Paris.  They were staying at Pavillon de la Reine.  On day 2 two sculptures appeared at the front of the hotel.  One was a lion.  Being a Leo, Dr Anne has an affinity to lions. One of the members of staff took a very happy picture of Dr Anne on the lion's back. 



Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Restless

Boyd, W. (2006). Restless. London: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC.

Dr Anne has been restless while reading 'Restless'.  There has been much going on in her life with sickness, old age, hospitals, care homes and sheltered housing.  There has also been singing, dancing, music, and of course the Boat Festival so the book was picked up and laid down causing a lack of continuity.

However, it was a Wm Boyd and Dr Anne rather likes Wm Boyd.  She also likes spies, intrigue and surprise endings.  The story of Eva Delectorskay alias Eve, Sal, Margery, Mary, Lily was a compulsive read. The involvement of her daughter in the revenge was subtle.

The flight to London and return this week has been consumed by Lucas Romer, the AATs, BSC and their tangled webs.

In her mood tonight Dr Anne gives Restless 7/10.

Sunday, 24 June 2012

Scottish Traditional Boat Festival



Dr Anne was at the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival in Portsoy over the weekend.  It rained all weekend, sometimes a downpour and sometimes drizzle. Dr Anne's dancers did a good show at the Harbour Stage and a great show in the Wally Green.  They gave Dr Anne a beautiful box of
 flowers.  Dr Anne gave it to Auntie Cath to look after.




Dr Anne and her beloved dancers.

Dr Anne, Doris and Gary were in charge @ the Wally Green Marquee.  Because of the rain, there was a great audience and a wonderful atmosphere.  The programme was great both days, a real taste of the talent of the North East of Scotland.

Doris took charge of the Lucky Squares.  £100 was raised for the Institute Hall.

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Some more roses

Grey Granite, here is my next selection.


Champagne Moments.  I bought one like this in Inverurie last week for Lynn's 50th birthday.

Grey Granite, I see a black spot!


Mum loved James Galway with his flute.


Good News is one of my new floribundas.


Mrs MacRobert is one of my best blooming roses.  


The flowers on the arch have not bee tied up because of Dr Anne's busy schedule.  They are quite a show at the moment.

Sunday, 10 June 2012

Next set of Blooms

These are the next set of blooms, Grey Granite.


Princess Anne


The first Peace of the season.  This rose was bought back in the 1960s when the houses that make East Neuk were united.  Hasn't it done well?


Teasing Georgia was bought in 2008 and grows along the back wall with The Pilgrim below and Dad's rose.


This is the first bloom called The Pilgrim.  


This is what Dr Anne calls Dad's rose.  Like Peace it was bought in the 1960s.  It was grown on an arch near the back door.  In 2007, it looked dead so Mother and Dr Anne hacked it back ready for  Steven to remove.  It was not to be... It wanted to survive.


This is the first clematis bloom in the barrel.

Friday, 8 June 2012

The First Rose Blooms

The roses @ East Neuk continue to come into bloom.  


Etoile de Hollande


James Galway


Princess Anne