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Jun 06
in Europe 2013, Uncategorized

Adeus… Spain… Bonjour France… C’est bon… tres bon !!!!

You will have to wait a couple of days for my post on cheeses … 🙂 because I want to share about our fabulous day today. Adeus to Spain as we left Zagroza in Spain this morning and headed for the hills!! Literally! Off we pointed toward the Pyrenees.

On the horizon white tipped pyramids and rugged mountains beckoned my sense of play… and we climbed higher and higher north-east toward the brilliant white which was deposited in unseasonal recent storms last week.  Summer ! LOL.. and snow. Brilliant white snow!.. and I could see on the map that we were headed that way!!!… and I was excited!!!

A late start and an early cuppa on the road… 

We passed through small towns… with many empty and abandoned buildings – a consequence of the flailing Spanish economy….

 

..and tunnels which burrowed deep within the mountain spurs which slid into the caverns;  old stone walls which have been abandoned and their role  as keepers of flocks and boundaries for paddocks now redundant – due to the seasonal rise and fall of icy water which is blocked by huge dam walls and pipes which encapsulate water to be harnessed in the hydro electricity system; cloned clusters of buildings with dark slate roofs which expand with skiers every winter.

        

 

… Then I saw ahead…. Approaching larger… more clearly… whiter…. And yes!!! It was SNOW! Yipeee!!! Picnic lunch of baguette and ham for Max and yes.. Cheese – glorious local cheese ( more on that in another post ) for me…. By the snow. We then drove a little further and at the summit of the pass at 2075mts there was a blanket of crispy fresh white snow…. And we played. It was so much fun. 20 degrees in my sundress in the glorious sunshine, making snowballs and playing like a child.. Laughing and slipping in the frozen soft snow.

  

We had to make tracks and descending the mountain we passed a local sheep herder taking his flock to the higher summer pastures. The threat of another cold snap would have passed now, as the old farmer surely would know when it was safe to take his precious flock up to the high country to drop their lambs. (I’ll pop a YouTube link here when I have better internet to upload the short video)

As we descended we passed so many more abandoned buildings – bereft of dreams of family and abundance. Yellow corn hung in clumps on heavy dark wooden beams in sheds – drying ready to be planted for the next crop. The clouds rolled in and the sky started to become dark and grey and soon the temperature plummeted to 10 degress and the roads became shiny and black and I had to put up my window and keep out the fragrance of flowers and sounds of the birds..because my arm was becoming very wet as a small weather front passed through. Farmers were desperately trying to rake up their recently cut hay and grass… with their plans for bales of dry hay now amended and the new destination a silage pit; not an unfavourable outcome – but one which accompanies the changeable nature of farming.

  

..and in the rain and cold we came across a sign which said Porte de France. Adeus  Spain… Bonjour France!!! We’d had so many late nights we thought we would find somewhere early so after seeing the word ‘fromagerie’ (can’t ever have enough cheese in our little esky 🙂 ).. I utilised my French as I have been whenever we have been in France, and asked for a good Pension to stay the night. We were directed to one which was tres bon… tres bon!!! Amazing and beautiful and cosy and wonderful !  Here are a few pics from inside our room and having a cuppa outside after the storm.

  

This was an amazing walled city which oozed history. In the kitchen I met a lady from the Netherlands and we chatted about her travels.. and perhaps one day we may be able to accept her generous invitation to come and stay with her. 🙂

Until then … we have more mountains to drive over, through and around on our ambling route up to Germany where we will be staying with some other friends from the Vintage Car rallies. … so stay tuned.. perhaps my next post will be on glorious cheese!!!

 

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About the Author: Julie
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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skeinydipping

I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have t I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have touched; have loved; have created; have worked; have nurtured. My hands.   

I looked down and saw on my wrist and fingers items from around the world which have so many stories; items which have all been created from the heart and made by the hands of others. 

I looked down and saw beautiful yarn. Yarn which has been handled carefully through shearing, dyeing, skeining, balling; and now being knit in my beautiful hands. 

My hands are one of my gifts. This year I’ve really missed the touch of another with my hands, to feel the heart of another through my fingertips; but so grateful and love my hands which touch and feel; work and play!

What do you see when you look at your hands?

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Knitting a fabulous  #slipstravaganzamkal by @westknits .
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#gratitudeattitude #westknitsarethebestknits #westknitsmkal2020 #knittersofinstagram #knittersoftheworld #knittersofaustralia #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #handmade #handmadejewellery #fromtheheart #createeveryday #livetotravel #healing #healinghands #creativehands
My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories. I’ve had adventures on all continents. Slept being rocked by the sea; felt the ice on my skin in both polar regions, and felt the silence of the deserts. I’ve walked stone steps in monasteries at altitudes where each step I’ve taken consciously and mindfully; focussing on treasuring every molecule of oxygen in the rarefied atmosphere. 

COVID has paused those adventures, but I draw upon my experiences as I navigate adventuring my days in a different way, on our ‘home range’. 

I recall my steps in Tibet as I walk through our bushland. I am mindful and conscious of my surroundings. I listen. I feel. I feel happy here. I am content.

My new stories may not hold the same experiences of connection with others; and may not be of extreme challenges or crazy things  (which I am rather prone to doing! 🙂 ) but they are not less wondrous… as I smell the warm eucalyptus waft from under my feet. 

I weave my stories, and this story is of my personal journey on my daily walk through our bushland. 
You can see some of my other woven stories on my website - link in profile. 

How do you express your life’s stories?
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#weaversofinstagram #indiedyedyarn #indiedyed #rigidheddleloomweaving #ashford #inspiredbynature #contentcreator #emotionalbalance #homedeco #handcrafted #makersmovement #creativelifehappylife #wellbeing #travellerlife #journeywoman #weavingaustralia
“....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those “....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those times in your life when you need a meditative and healing knit. Assookinakii (ass-s-oo-kin-uh-k-EE) means ‘healer’ in the Blackfeet language, thank you to Cut Woods School in Browning, MT for the tradish language support”. –  Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers 

Knitting this beautiful cowl by Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers for @sistersunitedmt ; WAS healing. 

As my hands gently formed the repetitive stitches I reflected on the word ‘Assookinakii ‘ - healer. I am a healer. I don’t understand it. It’s something unseen. Something within me which has been recognised by Ngangkari and ‘clever men’ here in Australia; and shaman and healers around the world as we travel. This recognition always has caught me by surprise; as I seem to walk a line between two worlds. 

As the stitches slipped from one needle to another and the beautiful colours of @spincycle_yarns revealed themselves; in the pauses between the stitches I heard a voice whispering to continue to seek connection with the natural world and listen deeply. 

What has been healing for you this year?
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#healingjourney #meditationpractice #dyedinthewool #assookinakii_cowl #knittersofinstagram #knittingaddict #livinglifetothefullest #happydays #shaman #healer #healersofinstagram #listentoyourheart #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #knittersgonnaknit #knittersoftheworld
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2017 All photographs created by and property of Julie Stephenson.