The date above the door is carved in a distinctive script, “1553.” I have to think about that for a moment. This beautiful doorway has been here for 461 years. As hard as I try, I can almost bend my mind around that fact and yet not quite. Newness and the space of time are relative, especially if it is true what Stephen Hawking is touting, that there are no Black Holes (thank you Laoch for the link).
Perhaps best then just to skim on the surface of pleasing beauty. Most certainly as I am still escaping to the warmth of a November sun, all while shivering (literally) at my desk as the temperatures dip into a playful late January curtsy outside my window pane.
Remi has been out of town since Tuesday and time has been lolling like shadows. It is funny how much we are each other’s clocks, I tend to forget.
“Are you lonely?” my Mom asked the other day on the phone. “Oh, no. No, not at all,” I responded.
As I talk to Ben and Kipling far too often, I haven’t even had the surprise of hearing my voice spark out loud late on in the day…
…but rather have used this extra, spongy space around me to rethink and reboot a bit.
The words “Have Faith” sprung to mind on the morning of Remi’s departure. They didn’t have such a literal form but were more of a suggestion to believe that the cup is half full, not empty…
…and that there is still much to learn, to discover, to try.
That said, I have finally, gently dipped my toe into the world of Instagram. Now, as a professional photographer’s companion, I am usually staunchly against such sites that have the ability to sell their user’s images as royalty-free (which is also why I am anti-Pinterest, to read my thoughts about the subject, click here). But I am enjoying seeing the quick glimpses of the lives of my friends around the world. I get it. And besides, the quality of the images that I am taking on my ancient iphone 3 are not exactly sellable material!
As I mentioned on Instagram, I have also been eating differently as I am cooking only for myself and that too has been “food for thought.” This means that I have been really enjoying my vegetables and feeling the better for it.
Remi and I actually stopped buying industrial meat last year. When we go up to Banon, we stop in at an excellent butcher (located just behind where this last photo was taken) to stock up on pork and lamb that was raised by local producers under the best of conditions. We freeze the extras when we get back and then parcel them out sparingly over the next few months. The taste is incomparable to the grocery-store equivalent and so a little goes a long way. In French culinary culture, it is a big shift to go towards a flexitarian or “meat as an accompaniment, not always the main ingredient” type of thinking but it is working for us, even if the changes are taking place gradually.
In thinking about the date on that 16th century door, I can wonder how the people of that time ate on the other side of it as well. Simpler, I am willing to hazard. Sugar and meats were certainly a luxury as they were prohibitively expensive.
I don’t want to just sleepwalk through the preparation of our meals (nor the perpetual presence of a baguette on our table, even if this is France) and have come across a few articles about the “hows and whys” of our diets lately that have really caught my attention:
Mark Bittman’s “Sustainable Resolutions for your Diet” in the New York Times – here
The Head Butler’s interview with Dr. David Perlmutter, author of “Grain Brain” – here
Photographer Carla Coulson’s dietary treatment in response to being diagnosed with Graves Disease (plus many interesting health links) – here
My friend D.A. Wolf’s fun but insightful piece on how to rethink weight gain – here
All of them make good sense to me and so I thought that it might be of interest to you as well, despite it not being the typical Lost in Arles fare. What do you think? Have you made any dietary shifts over the past year or hope to in 2014? Any thoughts or information to share? No matter what, I know that I hope to find a workable, pleasurable balance for this is the “stuff of life”!
And on that note, I’ll leave you with a quote, provided by Edgar at simpleimages2:
“Not what we have but what we enjoy constitutes abundance”.-Epicurus
I love that.
To listen: WBGO . They are currently playing Louis Prima-esque tunes, helpful when dancing around trying to stay warm – including, in a truly laugh-inducing coincidence, the Little Richard tune that the lovely Vickie Lester spoke of only yesterday here.
May the rest of your weekend be full of much abundance and joy…
Spongy space sounds so comfortable. I think Ben and Kingsley have found some 😉
1553………….WOW.
I need help on Instagram!I just wrote a post about that……
ANd yes, I too have an eating problem……which makes me GLUTEN FREE.
Those BOYS are adorable on the carpet!
"eattodefeatcancer.org" of course! ahem..
Again such wonderful photos in colours, details and architecture. I mean, ok I said that often but I mean it!
As a graphic designer I know about the practise of the stock photo agencys like Fotolia, etc. Difficult question who is to blame, the advertising agency or the clients who are nowadays used to pay pretty low prices. My wages have decreased too in comparison to ten years ago.
Well, lets talk about more pleasant things: I was very much inspired by your post with the link to eattodefendcancer.org and since then together with my companion I even more enjoy to cook with a lot of vegetables, tofu, fresh herbs.
( I have become a fresh coriander and ginger addict!) We are "nearly" vegetarians and buy meat only at the bio producer. Since two years I have access to a very strict bio producer and I must say since then my life or at least my food has changed. It is so very different and so much fun to eat vegetables coming freshly out of the earth. Such variation, I now eat vegetables I had not even seen before…And it really helps my immune system.
Hey, it looks as if Ben and Kipling get along well together! I Always love to see pictures of them
Oh, and by the way, those photos are gorgeous and I look forward to seeing your work on Instagram.
Last year I redid my diet, and lost 30 lbs. cut out most "white" foods, including sugar. But most of all, the weight loss and sustain is due to walking, like crazy! I walk about 1 1/2 hrs a day, some days two. I am lucky, of course, to have the time to take. And Rémy needs his walks!
what a beautiful group of photos.
I drink much less alcohol than I once did. I've lost weight and feel better for it.
x
Heather your life is a dream to me…I can only imagine what standing in the ancient doorway would feel like, as it has been awhile since I have traveled. You are igniting the wanderlust in me!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Hi Heather, Because I don't own a "smart" phone right now, or have an iPad, I can't "follow" you on Instagram, but if I had the link (which I didn't see in this post) I could take a peek now and then.
Your post is beautiful. I was going to suggest the Bittman article, so am glad that you read it. I struggled with my weight when I was younger and I found that its really about developing good eating habits, rather than going on a diet.
We also try to stick with healthfully raised meat. We had some luscious ground lamb that we bought at alocal purveyor in Point Reyes Station. Sadly they were closed when we went back to get some dried gizzards as a treat for Karina, though I suppose our return was reward enough — she was the picture of ecstasy when we picked her up from our friend.
But I digress: while in Morocco, we ate loads of mostly cooked vegetables with only a small amount of meat that was divided up among the diners when we were finishing off the communal bowl of cous cous. "Stick to your own triangle, was our son's advice!
This is a fabulous post and I am diving right into the photographs, but the portrait of Kipling and Ben says so much.
Gros bisous.
Your words and your lens always invite me to slow down, Heather. And it's needed as well as appreciated.
And merci for the mention! You know how I've struggled with the issues of weight and body image. It's important that we keep talking about them, and focusing on health.
Bisous et bon weekend,
D. A.