Summertime, and the livin’ is easy

September 3, 2025September 12, 2025Steve and Carole Leave a comment

Its been a busy summer with local brocantes, markets and aperos with friends and all in beautiful weather, and its not over yet!

I have been loving my dog walks in the countryside from July when we had weeks of the fields bursting with sunflowers. In the sunshine the fields looked almost a fluorescent yellow, just stunning. In the morning the flowering buds and young blossom face the east and then track the sun. This is distinctive to sunflowers and called ‘heliotropism’.

Did you know, France is the fifth largest producer of sunflower oil (Ukraine being no.1). And sunflowers have additional uses aside from human consumption. They are able to remove toxins from the soil and in fact where used in the remediation of contaminated areas affected by nuclear disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima. Sunflower seeds were even grown successfully on the International Space Station back in 2012, as part of a biological experiment by astronaut Don Pettit.

Sorry, let me move on from my obsession with sunflowers!

Late July, I spent a wonderful evening at a theatrical show ‘L’exode de Ardennais’ which was performed in the grounds of the Château de Javarzay in Chef Boutonne, Deux Sévres.

The show explored the different cultures, the solidarity, fears, mistrust, friendship and love of two families in the Mellois region. As during the Second World War, May 1940, there was a government directive to around 70,000 people in Ardennes, to flee the advancing German army and take refuge in the department of Deux Sévres. How would people from the industrial East be welcomed in the agricultural West?

A very moving and funny story. It was of course all in French but I managed to follow and understood about 50% of the language which was a pleasant surprise for me!

Then it was time for my city fix and a visit to Paris and another exhibition, this time at Le Louvre.

I had never been to Le musée du Louvre and could not believe the size but then it is the largest museum in the world! A far cry from when it opened in August 1793 with 537 paintings both royal and confiscated church property.

The iconic glass Pyramid designed by the late I.M. Pei, was inaugurated 29^th March 1989 after four years work. It is a mini city and took us about twenty minutes to locate ´Louvre Couture’ and that was with Carolyn knowing the museum really well!

S/S 1949 Haute Couture – Christian Dior designed this hand embroidered gown, named ‘Musée du Louvre.

It was situated in the Richelieu wing, ‘Department of Decorative Arts` home to unique collections from Byzantium to the Second Empire.

(L to R – Christian Dior by John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier and Balenciaga)

It was the first time contemporary fashion pieces and accessories have been exhibited at Le Louvre. Exploring the interplay of design, fabrics, techniques with the history of art and culture, it sounded interesting.

S/S 2006 – Yohji Yamamoto. Wedding dress, white silk crepe.

If I’m honest some of the pieces ‘vanished’ in the many vast opulent rooms which was a shame. It wasn’t always easy to see the amount of detail.

(Top L to R – Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Fendi and Vivienne Westwood)

A/W 2023/4 – Balenciaga. 3D printed armour gown lined in a black flocked fabric so the model could wear without injury!

We both agreed it was still good and pleased we visited the exhibition

Walking around Paris was lovely and we could really notice the reduced traffic and with so many electric cars, positively quiet! After a late lunch, 18,000 steps, we returned back home to the countryside.

A couple of weeks ago, I drove to Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, two hours south on the border of South Charente and the Dordogne. Listed as one of France’s most beautiful villages. Of course, in August it is very touristy but well worth the visit.

Charming winding streets and passage ways with plenty of artisan shops to look around. It has welcomed pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostella in north west Spain and tourists for over 1000 years. The Place Trarieux is full of restaurants and cafes under the shade of trees with a relaxed French vibe! As it was 40C that day, it was one of two cool places to be.

The other being the underground monolithic church of Saint Jean. Carved into the cliff in the 7^th century and enlarged by a community of Benedictine monks in the 12^th century. The highest point is 20 meters. Tombs were discovered between 1958 and 1961 as it was believed burials were performed in the nave until 1865, this being halted for public health reasons. Up the stone carved stairs the view from the gallery really showed what a feat it had been to carve out such a structure. It is one of the most important such churches in France.

At the foot of the village the meadows lead to the River Dronne where you can find a beach, sports facilities and a campsite. But on such a hot day, I decided instead to have lunch and a huge iced coffee before walking back up a very steep hill to the car and thankfully air con!

Dolce & Gabbana` Du Cœur à la Main’ in Paris

March 28, 2025March 31, 2025Steve and Carole 2 Comments

I have wanted a day out in Paris since we moved to France, so when I saw the Dolce & Gabbana exhibition advertised, I had the perfect reason to finally book a trip. My friend, Carolyn, drove us to Poitiers station where we caught the fast train to Montparnasse, Paris. Door to door in under 3 hours! It was a really cold, bleak, grey day but I had forgotten how beautiful Paris really is and the atmosphere and architecture as we strolled through the streets. To own a Paris apartment with the obligatory balcony would be a dream!

The Grand Palais was the perfect venue for the` Du Cœur à la Main’ exhibition. We really did enter another world of opulence, magic and fantasy!

It’s 40 years ago since the first Dolce & Gabbana woman’s collection debuted at the Milan Fashion week after they met each other in 1982 while both working for an Italian fashion brand Giorgio Corregiari. Dolce & Gabbana’s iconic “Sicilian Dress” debuted in 1987. Based on a slip dress, this figure hugging timeless piece became a symbol of Dolce and Gabanna’s dedication to the female form. Different versions still feature in their collection and below is from S/S 2025.

In 2012, Dolce & Gabbana launched their Alta Moda line, a couture collection that brought their creative vision to unparalleled heights. Not just pure luxury but about celebrating Italian craftsmanship and artistry. These collections featured hand-painted fabrics, intricate embroidery, and designs that often drew from Italian history and folklore.

The Italian heritage was in abundance as we walked through the many themed rooms exhibiting over 200 couture pieces plus accessories devoted to Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (1963), ancient Rome, opera, glassware and much more.

We entered the first room ‘Fait Main’.

To be able to view close up the couture collections of Domencio Dolce and Stefano Gabbanna was amazing and virtually impossible to capture in photos. Their exceptional inspiration, imagination and creativity and the intricate hand crafted pieces were exquisite. Their Sicilian backgrounds marrying tradition with innovation.

The ‘Architectural et Pictural’ room showcased hand painted silks. The atmosphere changed with moving images, ‘ live wallpaper’.

We felt guilty walking on the stunning hand painted ceramic tiles by the Bevilacqua brothers in the ‘traditions siciliennes’ room. Their work was dominated with bright yellow, intense blue, emerald green and deep black, representing the Sicilian sun, sea, hills and lava on Mount Etna.

How about one of a hundred exclusive Smeg fridges? And we couldn’t ignore the shoes and handbags!

We moved through to the ‘Rêve de divinités .’

The ‘Divines mosaïques’ room was incredible.

How about a mink sweater?

The ‘Baroque Blanc’ room felt calm and ethereal.

‘Ateliers, ornements et volumes’ room showed where art becomes fashion and a selection of black dresses currently being developed. For Dolce & Gabbana black is a key colour, the essence of purity for a woman and a traditional colour worn by working class women in Italy. One hundred and twenty people work on the creations at the Milan headquarters. Working with new technology but also reviving time honoured tradition such as cross stich embroidery.

‘The room ‘Dévotion’, was true and dramatic Dolce and Gabbana full of black lace and gold pieces.

Through ‘Le Guépard’ inspired room,

and then the world of ‘Opéra’

I have to say, my personal favourite was ‘l’art et savoir faire du verre’. Simply wow! Ornate crystal pieces embellished with flowers and mosaics in a room full of crystal chandeliers (I would think Murano), mirrors and background sound effects of breaking glass! Unapologetic excess.

Congratulations to the curator of the exhibition historian Florence Müller, as the attention to detail not just with the presentation of the pieces but to the atmosphere of each room was stunning. In a recent interview about the exhibition she said ‘What fascinated me was examining the clothes up close, observing all the intricate tailoring work and their sophisticated structure. Then, delving into the research on fabrics, colours, and embellishments that draw upon various crafts, from appliqué embroidery to glass embroidery.’

Refreshingly, Dolce and Gabbana have not sold their brand to the luxury conglomerates LVMH, Richemont etc. They own 40% each and the remaining 20% owned by the Dolce family. This ensures the brand stays true to its Italian roots.

Back outside and to the reality of the world, we wandered back to the station stopping for coffee and discussing our next fabulous trip to Paris.

If I was having a coffee ….

April 1, 2021Steve and Carole 5 Comments

While sipping another lockdown coffee, I have been stressing that I still haven’t published a post in 2021. But just so you know, I’ve not stopped my Chilled at Sunset blog! However, life has many ‘ground hog’ days, doesn’t it?

We have already been living back in England over five months and locked up for most of it and yet the time passes by so quickly ….. how does that work? We are lucky in that we have lots of decorating to do in the apartment. Plus, all the legalities of moving back here. Needless to say dealing with companies and their mix of ‘customer service’ and ‘working from home’ really ensures the blood pressure keeps bubbling! Currently, the DVLA are holding no. 1 position in driving me crazy, excuse the pun. DVLA could generate the longest and most boring blog! Instead, like all of us, I prefer to remember fun times when we all socialised.

During Spanish and English lockdowns (I’m so international!!) I have continued with my art. The first painting I did all on my own really tested me but I was pleased with the end result.

I’ve paused with my latest one as I have started my second commission piece. I feel excited, very flattered and so nervous but another challenge which I also love to have! I’ve even sold some of my work.

When I think back to my first class with Trina at her Bedar Art Centre, in June 2016, I could never have imagined all this would happen. Here are a few of my favourites.

I made lovely friends there and miss them all …. Pam, Helen, Lesley, Carol and Daniela. We had such a laugh and really encouraged each other. Trina’s mantra to us all of “dark to light” and “white is your enemy” still rings loud in my ears here, but always a fabulous inspiration! (Trina, below with her Whimsies and artwork.) There was also the time I helped out at the children’s art and craft classes which Trina organised a few summers ago at her workshop, such fun.

But the highlight was the Bedar Christmas Market December 2019 where Trina set up the Bedar Art Centre Exhibition and most of us exhibited our paintings.

On the subject of Spain, I’ve read a charming little article in El Pais about our Queen. A Spain/UK tradition lost in the 20th century has made a comeback. So, a crate of bitter oranges from the gardens of Real Alcazar Seville will be made into marmalade and sent as a gift to Buckingham Palace. With all the Brexit bickering I wonder if the gift will arrive? And the Queen may not have much of an appetite at the moment!

But back to Chertsey and thank goodness we have our mad dog Charlie, so we can still get out several times a day, legally! At the end of January when it snowed it was brilliant as Charlie had never seen snow, having been born and brought up in Spain. But my goodness how he loved it, chasing loads of snowballs and trying to eat them. Although being the nervous dog he is, he was totally spooked by snowmen!

It’s a year since the world went crazy and got frightening but now at last we have real hope with the vaccines. We’ve already had ours. We’re all so close to being allowed to meet up with friends and family. And we will discover more English country walks with Charlie and start serious house hunting. Exciting!

Meanwhile, please stay safe and sane and I leave you with a photo of me at one of my volunteer shifts at the vaccination centre in Chertsey where the atmosphere is brimming with positivity and I think one of the friendliest places I’ve ever worked! I feel proud to do my ‘little bit’.

If I was having a coffee right now …..

May 4, 2020May 4, 2020Steve and Carole 2 Comments

If I was having a coffee right now, I would be thinking, like many of us, what a strange world we are currently living in. We’ve completed the 7th week of lockdown and now we are beginning our phased exit. I was thinking of writing about what tricks we have used to survive this period but honestly, none of it was particularly interesting or original! (Apart from Steve’s self haircut and no photos allowed!) So, I thought I would talk about the first thing I would like to do on release from lockdown?

But my mind started wandering (not too difficult in these times) to the ‘firsts’ that Steve and I have experienced during our 5 year Spanish adventure, so here are a few of the more memorable ones …..

Realising quickly, that as a proud owner of gardening design City and Guilds certificate, it meant nothing in our garden where 3 meter plus cacti sat waiting to attack me rather than me pruning them! Eventually, I found them mostly stunning when in flower.

Owning a swimming pool and watching my husband learn how to balance the chemicals to keep it safe and clean so I could paddle safely!

Getting up close and personal with snakes and being bitten by a spider. Steve has seen the biggest centipede which the 6′ 3 gardener, working at the house, jumped 6′ 3 in the air and then decapitated the centipede with a spade but it kept on walking ! (no photos …..google this creature if you want!)

Steve and our neighbour removing processionary (or marching) caterpillars from a pine tree. They first sprayed the nest with hairspray, lobbed off the branch the nest was on, catching it in a bin liner and then digging a large hole in the ground placing the bag and setting fire to it. It is so important to do this, as the caterpillar hairs are so toxic and can become airborne in the wind and give nasty rash to humans and with dogs in severe cases can be fatal. (again google if you wish!)

The night a wild boar visited and re landscaped the front flower beds.

(Still thinking of moving to Spain ….. lol!)

Back to the nice things …..

Harvesting our olive tress, going to the olive press and exchanging our olives for pure extra virgin olive oil that was unbelievably delicious. However, our neighbours had to ‘lend’ us one of their olive trees in order for us to just to fill a crate! (read more – blog post December 2017).

Joined an art class and painted for the first time since I was 16. And I sold my first painting last December ….. who would have thought?

Obviously, speaking another language although still not fluent with our Spanish, we can get by of sorts. I recall the first time I went to a Spanish hairdresser and requested a cut and colour, it was as scary as the first visit to our Spanish dentist!

Started Spanish dog training classes with our German Shepherd, Charlie when he was a puppy….. that also helped with learning the language. Any shop assistant or waiter I can confidently tell to ‘sit’ stay’ ‘down’ ‘turn’ etc! But the highlight was entering Charlie into an obedience competition held in Vera bullring. Sadly, he didn’t achieve a rosette but I was just relieved he didn’t escape!

assessment day, best hide!

the big day!

after a few weeks, obstacles …

training outdoors

Administration here in Spain is a test of wills, not logical and extremely time consuming with different rules depending on who you are dealing with and what day of the week it is! So I will skip over setting up house taxes, car tax, car ITV (MOT in UK) and the 4 visits to Almeria to secure our residencia! But each mission accomplished was celebrated with a large vodka and tonic!

Oh! yes, so what is the first thing I will do on my full ‘release’ …… a walk along the promenade with Steve and Charlie, our dog, and stopping for a coffee. Sounds a dream? Well we are now moving forward with a slow easing of lockdown mode and heading for the ‘new normal’ that everyone talks about!

How exciting to think I can become a ‘new normal’ ….. ha! ha! ha!

Oh! PS, Steve has finished his book and one day to be published.

My recreational drug!

December 6, 2016September 24, 2019Steve and Carole 3 Comments

Finally, after months of saying ‘when I get time I would love to… ’ I confess I have an addiction!

I attend a great little art class in beautiful Bedar which is a typical Andalucian village set in the hillside with stunning views out to the Mediterranean. What more could I need to inspire me alongside Trina my great art teacher and owner of the Bedar Art Center.

Trina has run the center for several years and she and her husband Klaus have their own eventful story on how they discovered and moved to Bedar! I would like at some point to go to the ceramic classes although not sure if Trina’s patience will stretch that far? She says that creativity is a great way to open up, expose and put yourself out there and well it’s been a while since I’ve done that, so to speak! Trina’s wonderful, original ceramic Whimsy People are set off among her paintings, greeting cards and much more…

Her workshop is inspirational, colourful, fun and perfect to indulge a few hours away with the other ‘pupils’. It’s sociable and a laugh with even an Arty Farty Christmas Party!

After months of Steve telling me ‘don’t put too much paint on the brush’ and Trina telling me ‘Come on, get some paint on that brush and that paper’…..I start to get it. I’m currently painting with acrylics which I have never done before. Maybe I will try working with oils and canvas? I now have an easel, paints etc at home, meanwhile I start to progress very, very slowly. Here are a few of my efforts!

Plus a work in progress, dear Freddie!

more art…Rojales

Expressions of art can be found everywhere is Spain. On a recent visit to Rojales, we discovered Caves Rojales ‘Cuevas del Rodeo’. Rojales is a typical agricultural Spanish village with the River Segura running through the town and situated just inland from Guardamar in southern Costa Blanca.

As you enter Cuevas del Rodeo along the paths there are sculptures leading to the cave houses.