Greetings from Michigan

Samantha send me this lovely little doll quilt, isn't it cute!!!!!
I know I'm crazy quilter, I love swaps.

End of the week pictures of my antique 'Spakenburger quilt", it's almost finished, only the binding.

Back home

We're back, 1200 kilometers up north, spending the last days of our holiday in our summerhouse on the Veluwe. It's good to be away, it's good to be back home! The weather is lovely, so we do some walking, which is quite relaxing over here (no steep hills). Already making new plans, Seattle here I come again.

Vautours des Cevennes

Don't trust anybody who says: it's just an easy walk. Not your walkingguide, and not the lady at the receptiondesk: she's probably a local so nothing is too high for her.

And you know us dutch, 5 metres up is already a hill.

Well the easy walk wasn't that easy, but we got beautiful views and we saw some of the wild vultures (NL gieren) flying above the valley. It was fantastic. They were totally disappeared, but in 2001 they started a program so now there are back in the Cevennes.

Just for the record: 6.6 km, 3 hours, very steep climbing, very high heights. Just another 4 days to go before were going back home.

Des trois hameaux du Mejean (Three small towns)

Lucky us. Today, no sun, but clouds. We were waiting for a cloudy day several days, because this walk (9 km, 3hours) goes over the plateau, no shadow. The plateau is rather desolated, and there are not many threes. Not a walk for a sunny hot day. Three little small towns (La Buffre, Hures and Drigas). And I mean really small towns, probably 20-25 habitants, no restaurants, no shops, just a lot of sheeps, chickens and goats. In the afternoon we visited the cave: Aven Armand. They forgot to tell us it was another 90 metres up-and-down stairs.

Arcs des St. Pierre

Never trust your walking-guide. We thought a nice and quiet walk (6,2 km), something comfortable after 4 days of walking. Nothing really special, anvery touristic walk. A so called family walk.

It went very up-and-down!!!! The afternoon programm is delayed till tomorrow!

But anyway, this plateau (Causse Mejan) between the clefts Tarn and Jonte is wonderful, with small towns with the typical houses of the Cevennes.

Vebron

I think what's most remarkable when you're walking around in the hills is the "silence". Today we made another walk close to Vebron, we walked for more then three hours (8,5 km, 4 km up hill, 4,5 km downhill).

We didn't see any people, we heard no cars, and it was so silent, just the birds, the wind blowing and the sound of water on the rocks.

Sentier des deux fermes du Causse Noir

Maybe it seems boring to you, but most of our time during our holiday we spend on walking. Today:

Kilometer: 10.86

Time: 4h10

Starting at 700 metres in Meyreis, highest point 1040m.

We saw a lot of interesting things during our walk, but I think most spectacular is this sun-bathing lizard.

Picknick on the Mont Aigoual (1565)

Another day of lovely weather. Today we wanted to walk "Sentier de Ruisseau', it's one of the most beautiful walks here (we think). But unfortunelately, we got lost half way, couldn't find the marks anymore, so we decided to walk the same way back.

The highest mountain here is Mont Aigoual, great for a picknick. This evening dinner at our favorite restaurant "aux vieux four" (old fire). By the way, what do you think of Rob his new hat?

Paco already found himself a favorite spot on the sofa, under my quilt while I'm quilting, another 85 blocks to quilt, so this holiday his favorite spot is safe.

Nous sommes a Meyrueis

After 1100 kilometers, and 12 hours driving we arrived in Meyrueis (Cevennes, France). This is a beautiful little village surrounded by causses, rocks and rivers. Everything you want for your holiday is here, good restaurants, a few tourist shops and a supermarket. I only couldn't find a quiltshop : (.

This morning we made our first walk, many will follow. The weather is lovely 23C, no rain, clear blue sky.

Back to normal

The weddingparty is over. It was a great day!! Rob and I really enjoyed it. So now three weeks of holiday, lots of time to do some quilting, here or in the south part of France, where the temperatures are much better.

Look what I bought at Bep, isn't this a funny pattern, a pincushion mouse. I couldn't resist making it straight away.

The pattern is designed by Brenda Gervais, and called: "Cute as a button", in the Netherlands you can buy it at Atelier Bep, international: www.countrystitchesonline.com

Weddingcake

Isn't that romantic? A real weddingcake on your 12,5 year weddinganniversary?

Princess on the pea

"The Princess on the Pea" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young woman whose royal identity is established by a test of her physical sensitivity. "How on earth can you sleep on 20 matrass and 20 featherbeds if there is a pea under it".

Sophie my little niece will be five years old on friday, so I made her this little wallhanger in her favorite colours. Do you see the little pea, it's a green button.

That are aunts who quilts are for. STORY OF THE PRINCESS ON THE PEA.

The story in dutch.

Well no time for quilting this weekend, we're having our 12,5 year weddinganniversary, it seems typical dutch to celebrate this with 12,5 years.