August - been there done that! But let's finish July first!!

 

I know, I know I say it every time "where has the time gone?" I honestly don't know where it is going but trying to make the most of this rather hot month has been hard! It's too hot to go outside (36 degrees for nearly 3 weeks!) but we have had some fun anyway - you can't let the heat stop you getting on with life can you now?

So I left you early on in July and we had enjoyed our 25th Wedding Anniversary - which I still can't believe has been and gone, we spent so long deciding what we wanted to maybe do - we just kind of did something which we probably didn't intend to do but made some lovely memories!

Just a few days after our special weekend away it was back to work and a really lovely, relaxed and fun Wedding was in the dairy! I have known Paul and Susan for some years so it was great to be working with them and capturing their special day!

Beautiful Flowers by Lisa of French Flower Style

I think most people enjoyed delving into the Sweet Bar! 

July as always where our family spends an afternoon making music (Naomi and Rob this year) and taking photographs (me!) in aid of the ATCP (Association Tchernobyl Charente Poitou) this year we found out that the funding that has brought so many children over to France for their much needed respite has been pulled - at this moment in time myself and friends are planning how best to raise funds for next year) 

Musique Pleine Aire certainly helped but at 700€ per child it's going to be hard and we so badly want to see the beautiful Paulina, Sasha and Kristina (and others) back here next year!

Laura joined us this year with some beautiful classical music

Réne Patin the President of ATCP 

Friends of Naomi Grace came along again this year to support the event.

It's always fun and laughter when Mandy and Naomi come together to sing! 

The following day was more Music again this time NaomiGrace was singing at Epènede, she was invited back this year and it was bigger - much bigger and there was a pyramid stage which she found rather awesome!

And then back to Life through the Lens in July we of course have Sunflowers, Sunsets and not forgetting the rest of the flowers and Butterflies!

 

We also celebrated my Mums birthday at the Auberge du Noyer nr. Lodigny and commissioned a Digital Art Print of  Dougal their dog by Rosie a rather talented young lady and which they are rather thrilled with!

We had friends come for a very short stay and it was lovely to catch up after eight years and finally meeting their "baby" boy who is now six! I rest my case TIME does fly!!

Finally I have to share this with you we are rather partial to taking "Selfies" not only on our Gin night but wherever we go - it's a way of Making our very Own Memories so when I saw this in the shop I had to buy it for Mr PJP - can you see the likeness? ;) And no, he isn't going to grow a beard but he does wear a rather nice hat :)

 I think August will be very quick this month as I need to play catch up and have some exciting news to share as well - soooo keep reading :)

Thank you for reading my rambles - half my problem is by the time I get to writing I have forgotten so much which is why my Life through the Lens really does help when it comes to remembering - Memories are a wonderful thing :)

A few links for you from the blog...
Life through the Lens

PJP Events and Marketing Photography

Making Memories - Wedding and Portrait Photography

Auberge du Noyer

Rosie and the Wolf

Naomi Grace

French Flower Style

Laura Springham - Violinist

July seems like a long time ago now!

I cannot believe it has been over 2 months since I last blogged - but it really is! Where has that time gone? Well thankfully I can still just about remember.....July was fab we had a lovely month - both the girls at home and lots to look forward to! It all started on the 5th July......I had been planning to take my dear husband to a really special place here in the Poitou Charentes - Under the Lime Tree we have met the lovely Nikki a couple of times and last year she was giving 10 minute massages at an event - that was my first taster and seemingly I needed more ;) SO with great finesse and mystery I arranged the day with her. Rob didn't guess a thing until he saw the sign post and then it was me saying  "wow - here we are and we have the Hot Tub and then a full hours hot stone massage to look forward to plus lunch!!" all in one breath I was so excited - this was the first time we have celebrated our Wedding Anniversary since our first one so to celebrate our 22nd in our special year (girls 18 and 21) seemed perfect! Of course this will now be a yearly event!

Whilst Rob was having his Hot Stone Massage I was relaxing in my way!

what a view!

Our first in a hot tub!

Lunch time a Vegetarian Delight!

Cheers - thank you for  22 years of Marriage 

If you go into the woods today........

a lesser spotted PJ you will find ;)

The 6th (our 22nd Wedding Anniversary) dawned bright and lovely - only our car didn't! Another flat battery which finally did get sorted eventually and 2 hours after we had got up and we got on our way to Aigré market where Mays 'n' Grace sang for the passers by and the stall holders of course! 

Naomi loving her Saturday!

Always seeing the funny side of life! or remember the boot lock had been broken!

Naomi's 18th Birthday celebrations!

What an end to our 22nd Wedding Anniversary - we did enjoy it though and we were joined by Naomi's friends after we had our Chicken Curry on the balcony with Chloe!

The lovely weather continued and there is nothing quite like the Evening sun - casting it's warm glow over everything!

"The HUT" Our place to eat, drink and chill - even though it needs finishing touches we love it!

Hollyhocks!

Indian Bean Tree and my free Roses still going strong 4 years on!

The Clematis is doing so well over the arch :)

Golden Plums - of which the birds ate

Hydrangea Wall

I call these "Sun Daisies"

The 14th July another beautiful day dawned and we decided to go to Poitiers to see all the "Spectacles" that were going to be on during the day!  SO off we went with 2 things in mind where to eat and what would the day hold.... well I can now tell you - umm well ok - here goes there was nothing on during the day at all! Apart from a band which we missed and a clown creating a story which I have to say thankfully we also missed! Nothing was open as of course it wouldn't be on a Fête Nationale so we decided to head back out of the heat after walking around this beautiful town and have an ice-cream - best decision of the day :D

 

On realising that the fireworks didn't actually start until 22h00 we thought we may just as well head home - have a bbq and then pop into Lezay to see the fireworks which are always good anyway! So we did just that! I can safely say the evening went of with a pop, whizz and bang and we narrowly missed a collision with a rogue firework that came into the middle of our crowd! Thankfully no serious damage done to anyway - just a tender spot on my head and a very shaky camera hand after.... still it was very pretty - even if the music was a bit strange!

Thank you Lezay we enjoyed ourselves very much and had a tale to tell as well :D

The next big event was my lovely Mum's Birthday....we were out on her actual Birthday at the English Market in La Mothe st. Heray - so my daughters and Dad took her out for lunch to Lambon a local big lake and restaurant but in true Sunday style they were booked out! So they then joined us at La Mothe, and enjoyed a lunch courtesy of Kate who runs La Boite Delicieuse a mobile Burger van which is I have to say - fab :) Anyway back to Mum's Birthday BBQ - the sun shone for most of it - apart from the very strange rumble of thunder and then it was back to sunshine! 

And then the next day the skies opened - hail, thunder - the lot! But it got the car clean!!

Excuse the next amount of photos - I love, love, love Horses and Donkeys but since living here in France we have fallen for the Baudet Poitou which is the donkey of the area http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poitou_donkey (thanks Wiki)  We also stumbled across the Baudet Mule and the Poitevin Horse - eldest and our where in our element here and then we discovered they had two baby - one was a month old and the other a mere day old!! The owner is such a lovely man and we hope to visit him sometime!

We were at Asnois bright and early at eight o' clock in the morning and set up - ready to go and waiting for the crowds, which didn't arrive but we had lots to keep us occupied in the ring opposite the PJP stand.

 

I loved these two......the last horses of the day!

And during this time we had such a wonderful surprise - Two friends came over with their Nanny and Grandad - we haven't seen them at all during the last nine years - the last time we saw them all four girls were under twelve!  Nine years seems a lifetime in friendship and our four were pretty tight knit having been brought up together, the next four days they spent together catching up and to be honest they didn't stop talking the whole time or so I was told! We loved seeing them and can't wait for their next visit! 

I also took delivery of my very fist Box Brownie this month as well - so excited - I have many plans for it - mainly as a prop as of course using it may be a bit extreme ;) But still I am thrilled and look forward to it making a proper outing!

So in a nutshell that was July...thank goodness for photos to help jog the grey matter! I am sure many more things did happen with the odd event in between and huge thunderstorms but I don't really want to remember them....the thunder and lightning and sleepless night - not funny!