Friday Fun – Page 33 – findingtimetowrite

Friday Fun: Writing Desks and Cabins, Of Course

It’s been such a busy week! What better way to end it (and look forward to the half-term holidays) then with a few pictures of the places where we have been so good and hard-working…

No, I’m not sure what that over-sized gemstone is doing under the desk, either…

Domainehome.com, apartment in the Dakota Building, NYC.

Blue, blue, electric blue … is the colour of my room… Yes, it might give you migraine after a while, but what a joy to come home to! (And did you notice the bottles?)

Ah, that’s much calmer, monochrome, almost Zen…

A great combination of feminine charm and masculine practicality. But can I exchange the dog for a cat?

Preferably in a forest, far, far away from here, with no Internet connection…

Have a lovely weekend!

Friday Fun: Time for Some Chateaux Again!

I know you’ve all missed my ever-so-useful posts about acquiring the chateau of your dreams in France or thereabouts. Fear not: I’ve continued avidly collecting information and pictures (my future as an estate agent seems secure!).

Chateau in Figeac, right about in the middle of France. — Chateau in Figeac, right about in the middle of nowhere. Sorry, I mean France.

Same property as above. I'd be content with this little outhouse! — Same property as above. I’d be content with this little outhouse!

chateauRochechouart — Chateau in Rochechouart, Limousin, near a famous crater. No, it won’t fall in!

Inside the Rochechouart castle, you can find all the medieval comforts you might expect... — Inside the Rochechouart castle, you can find all the medieval comforts you might expect…

... and a few you might not. I would die for that library! — … and a few modern ones you might not. I would die for that library!

Price available on request – need not apply if you have less than 21 million euros at your disposal!

And, finally, one that is not for sale. It’s been converted into a hotel and restaurant, it’s not that far away from where I currently live… so I still dream of having a civilised supper with friends on the terrace at some point…

Chateau de Divonne. — Chateau de Divonne, divonnelesbains.com

Credits for all of the pictures above, excepting Divonne, is from the property website http://www.avendrelouer.fr.

Friday Fun: Reading Nooks

Another week of school and it has felt like three weeks in one! And that’s just for me, the mother, let alone for the poor boys. While we still struggle to get into something resembling a normal routine, here are some pictures to help us dream of getting organised.

A ladder, a ladder, because any self-respecting library has got to have one, right?

For those long, blissful soaks… Just make sure you don’t drop your book in the bathtub!

If you need to get away from your guests, here’s reading nook with a view in your dream house in Estonia…

Friday Fun: Barn Conversions

So many of you liked the barn conversion picture I posted last Friday that I thought I would go out and take pictures of more barns in the area for you. They are a bit different from barns in the UK or US: there’s a lot more stone involved, for one.

This is usually the starting point - just four walls crumbling. — This is usually the starting point – just four walls crumbling.

This is your basic conversion: doors and windows all kept to the original size.

This is the more ambitious and modern version.

This is the version which combines tradition and modernity.

And this is the farmhouse wing right next to the barn above. Pure charm and my ideal living space!

One little confession: When I first moved to this area, I dreamt of owning a chateau with a vineyard on the hills of La Cote, overlooking Lake Geneva. With this view.

By now I would be quite happy with a converted barn in my area, slightly further away from the lake and without a vineyard (but maybe an orchard?).

The truth of course is that I will never own any property in this area, as the prices are exorbitant. But hey, we can always dream a little…

Friday Fun: A Walk in the French/Swiss Countryside

I live in a rural area on the Franco-Swiss border, but the proximity to Geneva makes it a popular place to live, so there are always building works going on. Given the nice weather today (we have not been blessed with much sunshine this summer), I thought I’d take a walk through some traditional local villages. And document it with pictures, before they completely disappear under the weight of new blocks of flats.

Today’s walk started and ended in Grilly, a village bearing the name of a medieval lord de Grailly, who owned approximately a thousand hectares of land straddling the Versoix river (which nowadays forms the border between France and Switzerland) and controlled the trade route between Lake Geneva and the Jura mountains.

20140822_140506 — Sunflowers with the Jura mountains in the background

If you turn to face the other way, you get this view over the Alps.

Border stone: now marking the border between the cantons of Geneva and Vaud. Formerly marking the border between France and Switzerland (dates from 1808)

Bridge of Grilly over the river Versoix, marking the Swiss-French border. Madame de Stael fled on this path from France to her family property in Coppet in 1792. — Bridge of Grilly over the river Versoix, marking the Swiss-French border. Madame de Stael fled on this path – formerly the trade route between the lake and the mountains – from France to her family property in Coppet in 1792.

Farmhouse in Chavanne des Bois, Switzerland.

Chateau de Chavanne - in fact, a large manor house with adjacent farms. I bought a bag of plums from the farm shop here to eat along the way. — Chateau de Chavanne – in fact, a large manor house with adjacent farms. I bought a bag of plums from the farm shop here to eat along the way.

Opposite this charming old house and garden in Sauverny (France)... — Opposite this charming old house and garden in Sauverny (France)…

...you'll find the inevitable new development. — …you’ll find the inevitable new development.

The path from the mill in Sauverny to the village of Grilly, bordered by oak trees and corn.

A refurbished barn in Grilly. What do you think: very covetable or a modernisation too far?

Friday Fun: Dreamy Holiday Homes

No need for words… Just let yourself be swept away by these beautiful images… It’s holiday season, after all!

Design: Okitu Beach House by Pete Bossley, Minimalisti.

Casa das Canoas, Oscar Niemeyer, Rio. http://www.niemeyer.org.br/fundacao/locais/casa-das-canoas

Cap Martin, South of France, Sotheby's. — Cap Martin, South of France, Sotheby’s.

And, finally, something of more modest proportions, but great pedigree. Close to where I live.

Friday Fun: Places to Read in Summer

You know my love for cosy reading nooks. They are perfect for winter, particularly with a toasty fire somewhere nearby (for burning toes and marshmallows, not books, of course!). But, come summer, you long for something fresher, more airy, to do your reading. If you are not fortunate enough to have a super-comfortable cherry tree like I did during my childhood summers at my grandmother’s house, here are some worthy alternatives. Plain woodwork and white shades are the way to go…

Front porch. Frome Domaine Home. — Front porch. From Domaine Home.

Garden retreat. With a Pimms, of course! From Pinterest.

Friday Fun: Dadaist Poetry

Over at dVerse Poets Pub, Victoria gives us a superb introduction to Dadaist art and poetry and invites us to play along. I once planned to collaborate on a screenplay about Tristan Tzara and the Dadaists, so it’s a subject dear to my heart (even though I don’t like all of their ‘artefacts’). There is much to admire about this ‘anti-art’, anti-establishment movement, because it’s not just nihilistic disillusionment but very active, vital and collaborative. I leave with this quote by Tristan Tzara:

Dada never preached, having no theory to defend. It showed truths in action… I speak only of myself since I do not wish to convince, I have on right to drag others into my river… everybody practises his art in his own way.

Summer Holiday Beach Fun – Dada-Style