T stands for Time in Beaune hospital....and a journal page

One of the most fascinating places we visited was the hospital founded in the Middle Ages in Beaune, Burgundy! Sorry if I gave you a scare but I do like my TSFT posts to start with a 'T'!

We had been told to allow plenty of time to see everything so we had  our lunch before going in. We found that not many museums have cafes  in France but there are usually plenty of places to eat nearby!

 The roof in the courtyard and the views we could see from outside were fabulous.

 There were animated scenes behind curtains of patients being tended to by the Nuns.
The hospital continued to be in use until the mid sixties and all around were interesting things to see. The idea behind the hospital was that even the poor could appreciate nice things and the treatment was free. I have a link here if you are interested 

All along the eaves were carved faces of animals.

 The kitchens fascinated me, especially the spit handle! 

The church was at the end of the ward so that it could be easily accessed by all too!

Part of the hospital was slightly more luxurious for paying patients.

There was also an area in the museum on wine growing and the hospital had it's own vineyards which funded the hospital and now funds the new hospital in the town!

As you can imagine we did spend quite some time here!

We also spent some time here during our stay in Beaune,it was called 'Dix Carnot' as it was number 10 in Place Carnot, their coffee was so smooth and the staff were so pleasant. We found out on our second visit that the lady behind the counter was English so I had a lazy time not practising my French!
I am joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth for the 6th Anniversary T Stands for Tuesday post!

 The patisserie here was excellent too so some shared cakes were ordered each time.Coffee for two here..

...and coffee for me and I think Coke Zero for hubby...

One day I tripped on our way to have a snack lunch - I fell on my poorly knee and although I managed to eat the first part of the days special offer - a Tartine(open sandwich) with salad, I didn't have the appetite to eat the dessert so these were put into a box for us and we ate it with a coffee from the hotel later in the day....

....when it just happened that we could watch the rain pouring down outside..

Fortunately this was the last time we saw rain on our trip(OK, a few drops in Poitiers, but not enough to merit an umbrella being put up) and by the time we went out for our evening meal the pavements were already dry.

We really loved Beaune but the next day it was time to  move on to Lyon...

My journal page for Art Journal Journey uses a cut down tag. I have used old tags on my pages before.
I also conveniently had a background page all ready in my journal, to which I added some washi tape.

I added a sentiment from a book of velum sentiments I bought from 'Action' a bargain shop in Poitiers.I painted on the pack and added some outlining to the words. I also drew a squiggly frame for the tag.
Recycling is a handy way not to lose favourite tags and I hope 'We're all good at recycling'

  Thanks for looking, Chris

Finding time......

Hi everyone, we have escaped for a few days to our caravan - lots of weeding to be done!! 
Before we left we unpacked our bags but there now seem to be little piles of things to sort through everywhere! I was happy to see the cases put away though!
I have been trying to find time to make some pages for my theme, as well as make some phone calls, pay bills and of course to tackle the washing and ironing! I have a book by my bedside that I am looking forward to getting back to soon too!
In fact this is what my page is about, I saw this image on a leaflet in a Tourist information centre and immediately thought...'journal page'!
I used a gelli plate to print my background, along with a little bit of water colour paint along the binder edge.

I cut out the image and added some quote stamps, can't remember where from though! I wrote 'Read a book' and then used watercolour pencil to outline the image.I hope 'We're all going' to find time to do something we love to do!I am of course linking to Art Journal Journey

I have a few more photos of beautiful Beaune to show you before I move on to Lyon

I loved this little help yourself herb garden!

We took a walk to the opposite end of town, it was quite a dull day but warm!

A bit of a scary notice but this painted wall was definitely worth protecting!

The cloisters and the garden were so peaceful too!
Some more market pics too!

 Have I ever mentioned that I love cheese - the aroma was wonderful...hubby moved on!!!

 Beautiful dried fruit

I have shown you these fabulous musicians before! They made a lively
atmosphere at the market!
The little boy in the foreground was dancing most of the time!

I'll be back soon with photos of the main reason we came to Beaune!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Going into a garden....

I know it's a bit late to be showing you my calendar journal but it is another spread for my 'We're all/ going' theme at Art Journal Journey!
I used some stencils and tiny flower stamps as well as images from designer papers and books. The background was made by smudging paint over the page and adding random stencilling and stamping plus some spatters!

 I have been keeping a record of my month so far and will be filling in the squares this weekend, as the wanderlust has kicked in again and having spent 4 nights at home we are on our way to our caravan today...I think we've rather got used to moving on after a few days, except for the 7 days we spent with my (ex)SIL!

If you want to take a look at what might be coming up photographwise there are some clues here...or will you wait???

Of course while we were away I kept my eye open for gardens and parks as well as spotting plants around the areas we were visiting(there are some coming up very soon)
Here are a few random ones

We saw lots of these trees around in the cities we visited - I have no idea what that are - I just called then camouflage trees!

Not strictly a garden but a lovely view from one of the many trains we travelled on!

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for......taking you back to the beginning!

Hi everyone, we arrived home safe and sound last night, a little later than we had hoped but with lots of lovely memories...and a few things we would rather forget!! 

Our holiday started on Eurostar (I didn't count the first part of our journey on a shaky Virgin train!!)
We had a meal in St Pancreas station by this statue!

The first night in Paris was simply a case of finding somewhere to eat nearby to the hotel we stayed at, sleeping, breakfast and then onto a train at the Gare de Lyon.
We passed through some lovely countryside and arrived early afternoon in Beaune.

The information centre was quite close to the Ibis Styles Hotel we stayed at and there was an exhibition of art work by local schools and colleges.

We went into the town to explore the lovely little streets.....

....and then it was time for something to eat and it is here I will join  Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T stands For Tuesday!

We found a lovely restaurant Brasserie Parisien(in the background to the little water feature in the square) that we eventually visited twice during our stay!
I was ready for a salad by then, having had croissants for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch!
We both had Caesar Salads and and stuck to water for our drink...only thing is the salad was mixed leaves, one of my pet hates...especially as part of a Caesar!! 

The service and atmosphere were fabulous though and we enjoyed a shared desert and had coffee afterwards too!

I will be back with more of our trip once I can get all of my photos to upload onto the computer.

Today we had to shop and I had a hospital appointment, so in between I made this page for my theme 'We're all/going' at Art Journal Journey.

There are times when things don't go to plan and this is what my page is about.....the quirky birds were supposed to be in size order  and one lost his step and they got mixed up...we're all going to have days like that!!!

Thank you all for the lovely entries so far and your comments on my blogging attempts - it wasn't easy as I had hoped!

Thanks for looking, Chrisx