GATEKEEPERS

it's sure been a while, 

but here comes a megapost

to make up for lack of life over here. 

welcome to our hideaway from this summer

in the Loire Valley.

a former gatekeeper's cottage

on the edge of the grounds

of beautiful chateau d'Hodebert,

tucked between two tiny villages,

enclosed by fields,

at the end of a tree-lined alley.

the mornings would begin with a cup of coffee

on the front steps

saying hi to the cows opposite

& end under a starry sky

that seemed to arch

right above one's head.

you get the gist,

so enough with the talking

& on the with the pictures.

x

SWEET ABANDON

wishing you lingering summer days,

light that glows on the inside & out, 

memories to treasure.

more life on here in a few weeks! 

x

thank you to my model
Anastasiia Lokkila

BECOMING JUNE

 

 

becoming june,

becoming freedom.

a moment with Julia Margaret Cameron.

coffee with cream left over

from yesterday's pavlova

(everyone's had better things to do

than pop to the corner shop

for some more milk.)

it made me think 

about my Finnish grandma Hellin

who would sip on hers

from a saucer

sitting on her yellow porch.

softly blurred childhood memories

like photographs faded by the sun.

if I could have a wish,

I'd ask for a chance

to sit there on that porch

and have a chat,

woman to woman, 

heart to heart.

 moments with roses. 

becoming roses. 

patient attempts

to capture fluttering butterflies,

but they won't be tamed.

strangely i feel them take flight 

somewhere deep inside. 

x

MIDSUMMER

summer came 

in her robe of light

and sprinkled the earth

with flowers.

we've found ourselves

in a deserted city,

with most people headed 

to their summer cottages 

for midsummer.

I think we'll pack the car

with picnic stuff

& take a little road trip.

I'm yearning to see 

the sparkling sea

& pick (at least) those seven flowers

to slip under the pillow.

it's warm,

nature's bursting at its seams,

and in summer, 

the song sings itself,

as Mr William Carlos Williams says. 

Happy Midsummer!

x

(my gorgeous model: Anastasiia Lokkila)

RIPOSO IN PIENZA

since the last post,

the big white has just got bigger,

& I've caught myself 

missing the heat. 

the beauty of photography 

is its ability to transport you

wherever you wish,

today,

to the quiet streets of pretty little town Pienza.

we walked its streets

at riposo time

after a week in Tuscany,

on our way to spend  a week in Umbria.

if you're feeling the cold, too,

I hope these raised the temperature

a few notches :) 

x

TUSCAN HAVEN

pulling out images

from the haven where we stayed last summer,

in the middle of Tuscan countryside.

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can you hear the peace?

x

all images shot at 

La Lodola in Asciano.