There is silence on this blog - house moving!

I have been moving house - right now I sit here between the last boxes in a living room, which looks more like a jumble sale, that something I have been imagining for the last weeks. But I am here and happy - on top of it it has been a glorious blue days here in Brussels, blue blue sky during the whole week and the garden, of which I am now a pride keeper, is in full glory. In the morning I totter out in the garden, coffee cup in hand and walk a little around to see how things are. I feel at home.

Sleeping in a new place is always an ordeal, as human beings are such creatures of habit. Must be some old genetic inheritance, this not sleeping sound in new premises. But it gets better and better. I have made already aquaintance with a red squirrel, who is everyday doing its round of checking the ripness of the hazelnuts, doing the most acrobatic moves and once in a while throw a glance at me and then gets on with the bussiness. And I know already the place in the Chestnut tree, where the doves like to sleep. The dogs are happy as well, sitting in the sun in the garden.

Utter luxury is a roofed terrace, right next to the kitchen. We have been eating out everyday, as the weather is going on and on with blue skies and  lovely temperatures in the evenings - have been sitting out more times already here than in the last years together!

The funny thing is, how the house has a will of its own in getting furnished. You will laugh, but I am very convinced that houses have their own personalities and it is normally no good to go against them. This house here has a very earthy feel and a sort of easy going elegance. Not a city elegance, but more countryhouse elegance. It is not rustic, but not urban neither. My furniture feels at home. The pictures as slowly filling the few walls I have, as most of them are windows. Curtains and colourschemes take shape in my head all alone, it is no hard work, but great great fun.

It will take some time, but one room after the other will find its voice. And then the more human voices of happy children, guests and a lot of music should make it simply a Happy House.

One year of The Red Handbag!

Dear all,
I have neglected you terribly, I know.
But there are times in our lives, where we cannot make all wheels spin and turn at the same time. We have to choose and the fleeting time does not always allow to do all we would love to do.

And now, yesterday, if I am right, this blog has had his first birthday. One year already!!!
All began with a flood of postings loads of things which wanted to be shared and thought about.  But then the last months have been rather dry: My scanner broke, the copie machine does not work and the photoapparatus had, when I needed it - no battery. In the evening, I just wanted to fall asleep and during the day, my job keeps me on my toes continuously.  Does this mean something? Perhaps the recognition of priorities indeed. And the knowledge that to be creative, you need the inner freedom and also a certain room in your mind.

Those priorities for the moment are my children and my job - I live in a Bermuda Triangle between Job-Children-Supermarket - literally. Therefore not really much inspiration to be shared with you about "some of my favourite things" - interior decoration, the good life, friendship and most important of all, Beauty. For me, the older I get, beauty in all its different shapes and possibilities is the main force of keep life vibrant and interesting - and I talk about the blue of the sky, the beauty of a child looking at you, the smile on a statue, singing of a Bach kantata, learning new things and the beauty of communication between all human beings of good intentions.
 Beauty is everywhere for us to pick up, for free. Don't forget this....

I go once in a while on the blog and see with tremendous astonishment, that you keep coming back to have a look into these scramblings - which makes me very happy and determined to continue the adventure if time and soul allows so:  I adore to write and it made me much more aware about the things I care.  And why not??

Remember my motto:
The cherry tree does not bloom because, but in spite of.

Well, a Happy New Year!

I know, I have not written a single post in those Christmas Hols - and today I am back to my job.... But I wish us all a very happy and wonderful new year, full of good experiences, good laughters, hope and glory, love and smiles, good health and a load full of plans. Optimism is the word of the moment! Jola

Bernar Venet at home

Merry Christmas to you all!

Dear friends and readers,

quite predictably I am here to wish you all a very happy and merry Christmas and also all the best for the new year 2012 - whereever you are in the world, may it be peaceful and quietly happy.

This year 2011 has been full of new challenges and changes for me personally - more are coming up for the next year, as  moving house, sending a child of to university ( well, let's hope so?), trying for getting a better job,with some more perspectives on the long run,  perhaps and hopefully some nice week-end travelling ( Stockholm? Wien? Lisboa? Paris? Cannes?), hopefully a new musical project, some coming back to charity work, etc. etc. I give up consciously on loosing weight and stopping to smoke. Life is hard enough!

My wish for this new year is to see more of the people who are dear to me and have time to spend with my friends and children. To be more patient and optimistic. To hear more to my inner voice. To laugh more. To have more courage and endeavour  - but where to buy if not to steal?

This Handbag business here has up to now been an adventure. Unfortunately I have right now so little time, that the source is quite dry. But I hope that circumstances will make it well up again and new posts and horrendous opinions will be thrown at you at a more accelerated pace.

And, last but not least, I thank you all for looking into this blog with an amazing steadfast regularity. I am thrilled to find you in all parts of the world - in South and Northamerica there is a growing number as well as regular visits from  China and Australia, the Philippines, South Africa, Oman and India!! The very  constant crowd though is in Europe - Belgium, France, Germany Portugal and Austria are regular visitors. The other day I went to my favourite hairdresser and he told me, that somebody had turned up at his place without knowing me personally, but had read my blog. Is this not great fun?

I am very humbled by this regular crowd who comes and has a look at my ramblings. There are in average 350 clicks every month, sometimes well more, sometimes a little less.
You can imagine, that I like it...

Thank you very much and all the best for the new year,

Jola

Little Pause

I am busily learning loads of new things, adapting to working hours, new environments, new computertools, new "speak", new people and faces -  and I am really well and happy - it is great fun!
After 20 years of children, dogs, kitchen and gardens there is still some life in my old brains - but the multi-tasking is in the moment abundant - so writing posts is right now out of the question.

Therefore not really much news here and not really interesting new posts... Apologies to my faithful readers - please do not give up on the Red Handbag! Just right now too busy.

But the adventure will continue and ideas are abundant...

Jola

Back to work - follow up

Day 4 of ny new life: I am still alive, the head full of loads of new information, mixed with the exiting of learning new things all the time, meeting new people ( just to remember ALL the names...) and having to adjust to a very different rhythm of my life is really a full-time job.

The children are at home and have taken over ( until now) the household chores - and the nicest thing of all is, that we now start to spend time again round the dinnertable. Which is nice, as this is now for the time being the only moment we are all together at the same time at the same table.

To see to it that they are ok and happy is my greatest "stress" right now.

My new collegues are great - very helpful and kind. And as it is august and most of the people are in holidays, I have enough chances and time to get myself aquainted with all the new computerprogrammes and all what I need to know. I have to learn the "speak" - abbreviations without end and everywhere.

So, please don´t be too astonished if one day a post will be appear and you understand nothing. Then I am truly and really a part of THIS  new life!

Back to work

I did it!

Starting a new job today and am exited as a young 20 year old, entering a new stage of my life.
Up to now, all seems to go smoothly and people are very nice - have two days of "welcome" and introductions, then off to the real thing.

I feel elated and full of energy. Will make that work. And I proved to myself, that it is, after all, possible to get a good job after the saintly age of 45 ( will turn 46 this year - can´t belief it).
So. Here I am, I did it. Rejoice with me!

Summerholidays...

Dear all,

the summerholidays have started - I will therefore be on and off here in Bruxelles and will not - as in the last week already the case - write posts regularly.

Which does not mean, that I will not once in a while DO write something...

Up to now the Red Handbag has been great fun -  a really interesting experience I started in february  - now there is a little summerbreak coming up.
Useful for collecting ideas...

I wish you all, where-ever you are, very happy and restful summer weeks, full of good experiences, laughter, good friends, lovely places - well, in short: Enjoy Life, through and through!

Jola

News

Have been away for a couple of days - as you may have imagined, as the post are coming in normally in a pace of two days between now and there was silence on this side...

But now I am back, fresh and relaxed as I passed some wonderful days with good old friends, had good talks, much laughter, perfect food, beautiful weather and came to know new places and sites - what do you want more of a short trip?
Very advisable to do so more often - getting out of the daily treadmill and having the mind gearing up for some new impressions and ideas. One may call it also the "Little Escapes"! And after a certain age, you find home, children and dogs still alive, fed and washed. So: Off You Go!

And now back to those posts waiting to be released..

Thank you!

Good morning to you all out there,
just to let you know, that my blog has reached the 2000 clicks!!!!  Being there for 4 month now, this gives me great pleasure and the support to go on airing my opinions and preferences. So pleased!
Have a lovely day, even if it is raining in Brussels,
Jola

Munich, Bavaria

Dear all,
I am off to Munich for a few days and will certainly bring some new ideas and informations for the Good Life!  Have already prepared my camera and am looking forward to smell the clean and fresh bavarian air.

Therefore no postings in the next days ( leaves you all time to catch up on those old posts...)!!

Cheers, Jola