A long walk along a high wall

Walking the rampants at Montreuil-sur-Mer, France. Click image to view detail.

"A long walk along a high wall" could be a metaphor for this past week. At least I didn't fall off! But I didn't manage to complete the British and French features I'd planned to post. Anxiety-provoking hospital and doctor visits - along with dealing with copyright infringment with search engine and website hosts (and some extremely rude photo-snatching bloggers) - gobbled up my time.

I've found my photos hijacked and diverted to such unlikely places as a gay porn Tumblr and several ultra-conservative religious websites. And there are numerous instances of photo theft by advertisers (including an upscale New York doctor's office), dodgy spammers, counterfeit and attack sites! Pfft! Onwards and upwards!

Meanwhile, after quite a few hours working in the garden, I have decided that's not how I want to spend my time. It's a lovely cottage-garden-like space (planted by the house's previous owners), but maintaining it is super labour-intensive and time-consuming. I prefer something simpler, cleaner and zen-like. So I'm going to enlist the aid of my florist friend to redesign the garden, within its canal-side restraints.

I've been listening to Beethoven (searching for a few moments of an elusive peace); watching the Danish International Emmy award-winning drama series The Protectors (thought-provoking escapism) and perusing Le Corbusier's Poeme de l'Angle Droit (inspiration). I've also read Siobhan Wall's new book Quiet Paris, which features some of the city's relatively-unknown gems. I'll be writing more about the book in a post soon. Am hoping it won't be long before I'm on a train to Paris.

Let's hope the week ahead brings us all a few moments of grace - and a little opportunity and possibility wouldn't go amiss!

Comments

[jeanie]

Sending love and wishes for no necessary doctor visits. Please -- you two take care! Yes, I'm having problems with my yard and garden. Maybe when I retire I can manage; right now, overwhelming and drowning in weeds! Whatever you choose, I can absolutely guarantee, it will be lovely!

[Marilyn]

I do hope you have moments of grace this coming week. Now I will be curious to hear more about the book. I just picked up Paris by Edward Rutherford and hoping it is a good one. Take care and hope you and David stay well.

[Natalie]

Grace to you. I'm sorry that people steal your beautiful photographs, Tara. I am glad that you are letting it go as much as you can and enjoying being alive and in love with the world instead. Thumbs up!