Friday, May 31, 2013

The Last Day of May

Design - "August"
Chart - "A Prairie Year II"
Designer - The Prairie Schooler
Fabric - 32 count Lambswool linen
Fibers - DMC - 2 strands over 2 threads
Started - 22 May 2013
Completed - 28 May 2013

In Paris the last day of May was cold and grey with a bitter little wind.
And, as luck would have it, we had outdoor activities planned.  So we bundled up and set off...
 
...for the Tuileries. 

A small part of the Tuileries has been taken over for the weekend by a garden show called "Jardins Jardin". 

While not on the scale or level of professionalism of the Chelsea Flower Show, it was fun to wander about.
 
The show gardens were modest in scale, and most included a water feature.
 
Look at the size of this olive tree! 
 
This was a pretty garden presentation.
 
And oh but were these 'rose balls' lovely.
 
One of the more creative ideas - a baobab shaped tree made of homes for mason bees.
 
Flower pots, watering cans, plants, bird houses, lawn mowers, gloves, chicken coops, tools, and twine - all for sale. 
 
 
Don't you love this gardener's outfit?  She is in complementary shades of blue from her head scarf to the tips of her blue shoes!
 
After taking in "Jardins Jardin" we walked to the Place de la Concorde.
And what did we see?  Another bride and groom!  Ah, May in Paris.

Here's the Obelisk.  It once marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple. Muhammad Ali Pasha, the Wāli and Khedive of Egypt, gave two obelisks to France as a gift in 1829.  This one arrived in France in 1833.  King Louis-Philippe of France had it placed in the center of Place de la Concorde.

I've always though the Obelisk must be lonely so far from home, but perhaps it is not.

From the Place de la Concorde you can look down the Avenue des Champs Elysees all the way to the Arc du Triomphe.
 
We strolled down the Champs Elysees all the way to the Arc du Triomphe.
 


And while I saw thousands of people, including some willing to risk life and limb...
...the only one I recognized was General Charles de Gaulle striding into Paris after the Nazis had evacuated the city.
 
I'll end this post with another sign of spring - a sparrow parent with a newly fledged begging baby.

9 comments:

Annette-California said...

Your August bee finish is soo pretty. Not only did you get to see a beautiful garden show but also a beautiful bride and groom. Sending you warm wishes. Lovely day adventure you had. Love Annette

Ann at Beadlework. said...

What a pity you didn't get some sunshine for your day out, especially in the Tuileries - it would have made your day more pleasurable. Paris is so easy to get around that it makes seeing the sights more accessible.

cucki said...

Your finish is so sweet...
Love your sweet photos..
Hugs x

Margaret said...

At least it wasn't raining, right? lol! It sounds like it's really cold in Paris right now. Love seeing all the pics. I love those Rose balls! I've never seen the Charles deGaule statue -- nice!

Barb said...

I am amazed you had time to do that cute stitch!! Loved seeing another flower show.I'm sorry Paris was so rainy for you. We actually had a dry day!

Vickie said...

Great post Beth. I knew I recognized General Charles de Galle and Champ Elysees. It gave me goose bumps.

Chris said...

Looks like another lovely day. You crack me up with your lonely obelisk :)

Melanie said...

It's a sweet little finish.
The mason bee sculpture is amazing. How cool. I put a thing out for them this year in my yard and I've ony gotten one of the little hole thingies in use so far. *sniff*

Athena at Minervas Garden said...

Loved the sparrows--that baby is keeping a close eye on her parent(!), and the stylish gardener--(I never look that good when I'm gardening :) And that mason bee home/artwork--that is so creative and incredible--there must be a ton of bees in the area.