This change in the weather takes me back to an article in House and Garden Magazine 2007

In the February 2007 issue, of House and Garden Magazine, there was an article about Monique Duveau and her scultor boyfriend, Jose Esteves' living in their counrty home in Perche near Normandy. She does the photo shoots for Cote Sud, Cote Est and Cote Ouest, all magazines about country living. It goes without saying that she loves to cook. 

And he delights in turning everyday objects into something else that is functional. An example is his re-worked wire baskets turned into lightinng fixtures.

And my favorite, making hanging spoons and ladles into lighting fixtures.

These fixtures are supposedly available in Manhattan store, Interieurs.

But I think the thing that makes this lifestyle so interesting to me is not just the fun of the creativity involved with it but the cozy, warm feeling it gives me thinking about living in such a far away retreat, especially this time of year. I realize my dream of someday seeing Europe is a dream, that as Susan Boyle sings, "is never meant to be".

But just by looking at the metal botanical sculptures, paper mache birds, tin frog and old book it can, if only for a moment, make me feel I am there and that I truly realized my dream.

The photographer for this article was Alexandra Bailhache and it was written by G.Y. Dryansky but the dream is all mine!