Envol (Off - as in "taking off")Our new year is starting not peacefully like an adagio serenade (slow and easy) but more like a march allegra (moderately fast.) Our kitchen floor is totally torn up because of a bad water leak and it will take a few days to repair it as we have to wait for the flooring to dry. Everything has been moved out of the area and we’ll have to move everything back, then we plan to paint the room. Instead of waiting another week to publish a post of one of my travels I thought I would write a few thoughts, or words to live by as we begin 2010. These may be simple truths but could help us to forge ahead in the upcoming year. So here are several, some I wrote in English, some in French each with a painting or postcard and my translations. (Click on any painting or postcard to enlarge.)
La demande croissante me tient en haleine. Vintage postcardLife is not tied with a bow, but it is still a unique gift. (La vie n’est pas nouée avec un ruban, mais c’est un cadeau unique quand même.)
High Tea - Henriette Ronner-Knip, Dutch 1821-1909No one is in charge of your happiness but you (Personne n’est responsable de votre bonheur, sauf vous.)
Le Plaisir - Eugene de Blaas, Italian 1843-1932
Le Plaisir - Eugene de Blaas, Italian 1843-1932Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear bright colors or that crazy outfit. (Soyez excentrique maintenant. N’attendez pas la vieillesse pour porter des couleurs vives ou une tenue folle.)
St Moritz - George Barbier, French 1882-1932
St Moritz - George Barbier, French 1882-1932Prend le temps d’être aimable, c’est le chemin du bonheur. (Take time to be kind. It is the way to happiness.)
Summer Evening on the South Beach of Skagen - Michael Ancher, Danish, 1849-1927
Summer Evening on the South Beach of Skagen - Michael Ancher, Danish, 1849-1927It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. (Il n’est jamais trop tard pour avoir une enfance heureuse. Mais c’est à vous d’en avoir une heurese la deuxième fois.)
Girl in a Moorish Courtyard - Edwin Lord Weeks, American, 1849-1903
Girl in a Moorish Courtyard - Edwin Lord Weeks, American, 1849-1903You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. (Vous n’avez pas besoin de gagner chaque discussion. Acceptez de ne pas être d’accord.)
Unwelcome Confidences - Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, Netherlands, 1836-1912
Unwelcome Confidences - Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, Netherlands, 1836-1912Soyez éveillé et attentif. Rien n’est intéressant si vous ne vous intéressez pas. (Be aware and attentive. Nothing is interesting if you are not interested.)
An Attentive Moment - Edward John Cobbett, American 1815-1899
An Attentive Moment - Edward John Cobbett, American 1815-1899Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. (Ne comparez pas votre vie aux autres. Vous n’avez aucune idée du trajet de leur vie.)
Pearl of Searching - Nicholas Roerich, Russian 1874-1947
Pearl of Searching - Nicholas Roerich, Russian 1874-1947Our children get only one childhood. (Nos enfants n’ont qu’une enfance.)
Tuck’s vintage postcard of little girl sent to Miss Brimes of W Salem, Ill. by Mabel in June 1909
Tuck’s vintage postcard of little girl sent to Miss Brimes of W Salem, Ill. by Mabel in June 1909Yield. (Céder.)
Study of East African Leopards - Arthur Wardle, English 1864-1949
Prend le temps de rire, c’est la musique de l’âme. (Take time to laugh. It is the music of the soul.)
Bons Voisins (Good Neighbors)- B. Wimberley, Cajun Artist, LouisianaLife is too short to waste time hating anyone. (La vie est trop courte pour perdre du temps à haïr quelqu’un.)
Roses - Vintage Postcard
Roses - Vintage PostcardTime heals almost everything. Give time, time. (Le temps guérit presque tout. Donner du temps, au temps.)
At Evening time it shall be light - Walter Langley, English, 1852-1922
At Evening time it shall be light - Walter Langley, English, 1852-1922Prends le temps de penser, c’est la source du pouvoir. (Take time to think. It is the source of power.)
In Thought - Nicholas Roerich 1946, Russian 1874-1947
In Thought - Nicholas Roerich 1946, Russian 1874-1947Friends are family we choose for ourselves. (Les amis sont la famille que nous choisissons pour nous-mêmes.)
Au Bistro - Jean Béraud, French 1849-1936
Au Bistro - Jean Béraud, French 1849-1936Remember to turn off the lights, turn off the faucet, reduce, reuse. We are the environment. We all must protect it to save it to save us. (N'oubliez pas d'éteindre les lumières, fermer le robinet, réduire, réutiliser. Nous sommes l'environnement. Nous devons tous le protéger pour le sauver pour nous sauver.)
Landscape with deer - Frederick Arthur Bridgeman,American, 1847-1928
Landscape with deer - Frederick Arthur Bridgeman,American, 1847-1928Smile, breathe and go slowly. -Thich Nhat Hanh (Souriez, respirez et aller doucement.)
Front of card says "Peace be with You"
Vintage Postcard sent in 1911 to Miss Little of Russell, Ky. by Mary
Front of card says "Peace be with You"Vintage Postcard sent in 1911 to Miss Little of Russell, Ky. by Mary
Beauty, truth and goodness all right there tied up in a pretty French bow. Merci vagabonde!
ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures and thoughts! A lovely New Year's gift!
ReplyDeleteAnd best of luck with the kitchen!
Loved these sayings and paintings. Summer Evening on the South Beach of Skagen was on a birthday card I once sent to my mother-in-law.
ReplyDeleteHope the rest of your year goes smoothly! xa
*** Bonjour Vagabonde ! :o) ***
ReplyDeleteJ'espère que les travaux avanceront rapidement dans ta cuisine, ce sera mieux quand tout sera terminé et réparé ! Ouf !
Merci pour ce joli post avec les belles cartes que toi seule sais trouver et accommoder dur ton blog ... BRAVO ! :o)
Et puis tous les petits conseils, les voies à suivre, mènent au bonheur si on essaie de les respecter. merci aussi pour cela ! :o)
*** GROS GROS BISOUS et bonne continuation Vagabonde ! :o) ***
Joli post Vagabonde. Belles citations et cartes postales. Elles sont toutes jolies mais j'ai une préférence pour trois d'entre elles : les deux femmes sur la plage, la petite fille aux fleurs et le bouquet de roses qui est sublime.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bonnie: truth, beauty, and goodness all tied with a bow. I love the eclectic gathering of thoughts and pictures, from the kittens at high tea to the Pearl of Searching, taking time to breathe. Thank you for the lovely gift, VB! And best of luck on that kitchen.
ReplyDeleteHi! I loveed your post! Amazing thoughts aand images. I have a similar post with love thoughts in my other blog http://moradadevenus.blogspot.com/, it´s in portugueses but there´s a translator.
ReplyDeleteI wish all the hapiness for you and your family in 2010!
what a gorgeous collection of thoughts and pictures.
ReplyDeleteA lovely find for this cold and very wintry day.
What great reflection and collection. My fave would be "Landscape with deer" as it looks a bit like a Norwegian forest :-)
ReplyDeleteThis is truly a nice post. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lovely collection of images and thoughts. I very much enjoyed browsing through them. Hopefully your kitchen project will go quickly. Although this project is not your choice, the new year is a good time to freshen up our living spaces. Good luck with it.
ReplyDeleteLovely thoughts and pictures. Somehow they all sound so much nicer in French! Good luck with the kitchen.
ReplyDeleteVagabonde, I came to your blog through through a common friend, in response to a comment you had left there. My heart turned over reading your words, as here I am living in your country (although not exactly Paris)surrounded by the very things you long for. I wish I had read your comment before I wrote my post, as it puts my situation in a different perspective. Je suis désolée, mais je ne peux pas reconstruire exactement ce que j’avais dit hier mais je vous présente toutes mes excuses pour avoir été indiscrète ! J’adore les cartes postales et les tableaux et je reviendrai chez vous. A bientôt.
ReplyDelete(Le mot de verification pour ce commentaire est...dancons!!)
Lovely cards, pictures and thoughts. I particularly like 'nothing is interesting if you are not interested' so true, so very true. I may use it in my next blog. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very enjoyable post and I appreciate the time it must have taken to put it together. It's a gift from you to your followers.
ReplyDeleteMerci.
*** Hello Vagabonde :o) ! ***
ReplyDeleteJe profite de quelques instants pour regarder encore tes jolies cartes anciennes, je les trouve si belles !
Dans ta cuisine est-ce que les travaux ont bien avancé ?
*** Je te souhaite un agréable samedi ! BISES AMICALES :o) ! ***
What a lovely post! Loved your quotes, thoughts, pics, and cards! Amazing collage of inspiration for the New Year. Happy 2010, cher! Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThis is like a museum of truth and beauty. The illustrations on these cards are rapturously beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about your flooded kitchen. I hope it will be back to normal soon. Can't be easy, in this cold too.
Hi Vagabonde,
ReplyDeleteI wish all gets well at your end very very soon. I understand how hard it must be. But believe me, we have to keep our mind in a belief that all is well :)
Rays of Hope
I agree, I agree with everything you have said, and illustrated so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteYes, our children have only one childhood, lets make it a good one.
And "Friends are family we choose for ourselves".... that is so true.
*** Bonjour Vagabonde ! ***
ReplyDeleteMerci pour ton message chez moi. Je vois qu'il fait très froid en ce moment dans le sud des États-Unis alors je t'envoie plein de soleil et de chaleur via ce petit message ! :o)
*** GROS BISOUS ! ***
A fascinating collection!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing those thoughts abd showing us the postcards.
ReplyDeleteDo hope the kitchen is getting back to normal now.
Bonnie, Vicki Lane, Alaine, Nancy, Claude, DJan, Paty, Friko, RennyBa, Elaine, Baino, Fennie, Darlene, Marguerite, Ruth, Bhavesh, Shammickite, BJM and Sabloneuse - Thank you friends for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment. I always look forward to your comments and appreciate them. Deborah welcome to my blog – I hope you will come back.
ReplyDeleteMerci d’être venu sur mon blog et d’avoir gentillement posté un commentaire. Je vous remercie.
Palm Beach looks beautiful and so does that Laura Woodward book cover. What kind of tree is that?
ReplyDelete