Saturday, 20 June 2015

A lovely birthday in a beautiful place

I have taken you to Collonges-la-Rouge before, but I hope you don't get tired of it. We have been there several times and never fail to enjoy it all over again through the eyes of the new visitors we invite to experience this magic little village. Collonges is a great place to visit with little children, as cars are not allowed, apart from residents' cars, and they're out at work until late in the day.

Our friends Hilary and Keith gave us a lift there and my niece Laurita arrived with her family soon afterwards. We had arranged to meet at the restaurant where we were going to have lunch before wandering around the village. Hilary took this photo:


The children, Thomas and Nina (six and three years old), were shy at first, but once we started walking in the village and I started showing them some interesting things, such as the ancient communal bread oven, they were hooked. 


Nina asked if I have an oven in my house, bless her...

Collonges is a mystical place, with many tales of witches, fairies and knights in shining armour. The local shops reflect this:

    Creperie of "The Pilgrim and the Witch"




They were fascinated with the very long walk the pilgrims took from Rocamadour to Santiago de Compostela and the hospitality shown by villagers along the route. Collonges, like our own village, was one of the many stops en route to Santiago, and the welcoming shells are still very much in evidence.




Thomas was particularly impressed with the redness of Collonges, built with the beautiful red stones peculiar to the area. The village looks like something out of a fairy tale.











We had a really lovely time and I enjoyed my birthday very much. It was also lovely to come back from such a magic place and enter another one, our very own WTIOC, to be greeted by your warm and loving wishes. Thank you, friends, you know how to make an old girl feel special!

Thursday, 18 June 2015

Maroon

Maroon is an interesting colour, being red's dark sister! It may appear sombre, but it's also an elegant colour when used properly.















Wednesday, 17 June 2015

Scrap metal and stones - the art of recycling

I saw these cows on Facebook and thought they were really cool. The artist hails from Arizona and has a website: wilhelmsart.com.


Tuesday, 16 June 2015

Hornbooks

I saw something about the origin of the word "hornbook" on a TV program the other day and found it quite interesting, as I had never come across the word before.

In childhood education from the mid 16th century to the late 19th century, a hornbook was a primer for children consisting of a sheet containing the letters of the alphabet, mounted on wood, bone, leather, or stone and protected by a thin sheet of transparent horn or mica. Sometimes the sheet was simply pasted against the slice of horn. The wooden frame often had a handle, and it was usually hung at the child's girdle. 








primer is a textbook for teaching of reading, such as an alphabet book. The word also is used more broadly to refer to any book that presents the most basic elements of any subject.
In United States legal education, hornbooks are one-volume legal treatises, written primarily for law students on subjects typically covered by law school courses.
The term derives from the hornbook, an early children's educational tool, implying that the material is basic. The term hornbook law is sometimes used to describe basic, settled legal principles.
Hornbooks summarize and explain the law in a specific area. They are distinct from casebooks, which are collections of cases (or parts of cases) chosen to help illustrate and stimulate discussion about legal issues.