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The double-reed gyaling, a woodwind instrument used in Buddhist ceremonies and an elaborately carved and gilded cabinet and altarpiece center a Tibetan Buddhist temple in Kathmandu, Nepal.
This temple is frequented by members of the Tibetan community-in-exile.
Reverence.
A statue of Buddha, wearing a golden headdress adorned with coral and turquoise stones.
Light from a high window shines on a silk fabric panel.
Young craftsman at work, Bungamati, Nepal. This teenager's entire family is involved in producing individual, hand-painted statues of Buddha, as well as hand-carved woodwork.
Remember the childhood tongue-twister "She sells seashells by the sea shore. The shells that she sells are seashells?..."
A shelf in my office displays a small collection of shells, sea urchin spines and sea creatures in French antique specimen globes.
Coral mounted on a Napoleon III (circa 1853) wooden pedestal and a Napoleon III fish with mother-of-pearl scales. Victorian mirrors from London reflect the tableau.
My friend Gabrielle created this gorgeous bouquet of coral and shells in an antique French urn (photographed at her newly-renovated chateau near Versailles).
"One cannot collect all the beautiful shells on the beach. One can only collect a few. One moon shell is more impressive than three. There is only one moon in the sky.”- Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea
“There are so many fragile things, after all. People break so easily and so do dreams and hearts.” ― Neil Gaiman
Photo of man building a cupboard for his home, Bungamati, Nepal.
These unique pieces of Art Nouveau-inspired jewelry were created by Annelies Schroder of Delft, the Netherlands. The silver necklace (top photo) echoes the organic, flowing lines of nature, celebrated by the Art Nouveau movement. But the green stones and rough, unpolished crystal drops give the design a modern edge.
The pendant necklace opens to store a love note or emergency cash. The decorative silver band around the center is enhanced by a blue topaz and moonstone and may be worn as a ring. A small moonstone-and-silver half-moon amulet dangles from the pendant's base.
See more of Annelies's striking designs here or visit her beautiful atelier in Delft, where she creates one-of-a-kind custom pieces.
An abundance of goodwill
Thank you for the many lovely, thoughtful messages while David has been hospitalised. Your kind comments, emails, good wishes and heartfelt prayers have meant more than you might imagine. Last week was spent in crisis mode; thankfully, David is better now, in the sense that treatment is underway.
The road ahead ventures into unmapped territory. But thanks to brilliant doctors and excellent medical care, we remain optimistic.
Thank YOU for your support and encouragement! I have tried to reply to most messages, but if you haven't heard from me yet, please forgive the delay.
We need a few pequeños milagros or little miracles at the moment. All good wishes, positive energy and prayers for my husband David will be much appreciated.
Photo of antique milagros, ex votos and French and Italian prayer ornaments on a 19th-century child mannequin.
The North Sea at Egmond-aan-Zee, Noord-Holland. Click photo to view detail, including windfarms on the horizon.
“Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Painting the Art Nouveau metro sign at Bastille, Paris. Click image to view detail.
It's always disappointing to find negative stereotypes perpetuated by someone using uninformed and inaccurate information. So when a French newspaper asked me to comment on these assertions, I was happy to oblige. Read my response in Atlantico.fr here.
(If you don't speak French, Google translate will provide the gist of the remarks).
P.S. Thank you for the many messages of support regarding my husband's health. We really appreciate your thoughtfulness and your kind words. And I'm happy to report that my dad is back home after his latest surgery and hopefully, on the mend.
