{Nature's Candy - Sweet Cherries}

On Wednesday we went to Atlanta to make our usual rounds at Costco; Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. At Costco we sure did stock up on fresh fruits of the season. Cherries of course and also yummy raspberries, apricots, nectarines and peaches. Especially those sweet cherries I love! Childhood nostalgia too. We had three cherry trees; early tart 'Meikersen' Early Richmond Cherry, 'Spekkersen' yellow Ranier cherries with a red blush and dark Hedelfinger cherries. Even after eating our lunch, there was always room for lots of fresh cherries! Just want to show you some of the sweet cherries we got at Costco.

Square baking dish is from Pillivuyt France. The silver pastry tongs with embossed rose are from Germany. A dear friend of mine, Johanna Gehrlein, did write a splendid book about the different patterns, called Rosen-Bestecke 

The tablecloth with the cherries is from Le Jacquard Français.

In our gazebo...

Here you see the Pillivuyt strawberry drainer with under plate, filled with juicy sweet cherries.

Pieter is capturing me on camera...

C'est si bon...

{My 8th Blog Award - Sunshine from Japan}

From the talented Orchid in Japan I received this Sunshine Award on June the 24th. Just have a look at: Orchid's Daily Voice blog.  She is a lady I admire tremendously as she masters our English language so well. I say 'our' even though it is not my mother tongue either. The award goes together with revealing something about myself. Well, over time now I have revealed bits and pieces about little me. 

Probably you know by now that I love animals and also that both of us have always fought for the underdog. We found it always challenging to train the difficult-to-train by spending some extra time with them. It is so rewarding to see how they eventually do turn out after years of coaching and guiding. That makes ones heart swell for pride and joy. 

We went also numerous times to our Dublin Rotary Club's Leprosy Project in Indonesia, while working and living there. Providing the Club photos and video from what we encountered. Visiting the state hospital in Indonesia, with all the disfigured people. Such a biblical disease and still around in our time; claiming half a million new victims each year by leprosy infection. Sad fact that the Leprosy STIGMA is still alive and that people get ostracized...  And yet the world seems to turn away from it. Everyone is caught up in their social media toys and often one becomes more self-centered instead of reaching out. We feel enriched by having done so and we also are grateful for living the life we have, as we have seen so much misery... Living and or working in Indonesia, India, Chile, South Africa and Mexico has been a blessing in many ways!

Keeping up with that, I also want to pass this Sunshine Award on to five others by literally giving them some Sunshine in their difficult days. Are you joining me in visiting them and maybe giving them the gift of Following?

A big THANK YOU from my end for taking the time to do so.

Let's go...

• Bea from Modern Country Lady who's needing some extra Sunshine for he days ahead as her 16-year old cat is having kidney failure.
• Carolyn from Draffin Bears as she literally needs Sunshine for her winter days...
• Johanna from Silber-Rosen needs some extra Sunshine.
• Laura from Casita By The Lake who created Sunshine for her Down Syndrome niece...
• Wendy from Once Upon a Rose Haven needs Sunshine as she just recently lost her Daddy...

Let's all be a little Sunshine for one another!

Related links:

{We saw FOUR Armadillos at Lunch Time!} | Humans can acquire a leprosy infection from armadillos by handling them or consuming armadillo meat, and are a presumed vector and natural reservoir for the disease in Texas and Louisiana. - previous post by me 

{Like Princess Diana, I also Tried to Tackle the Leprosy Stigma} | previous post by me
{My 6 Min Presentation The Truth About Leprosy for GPDLI, AtAmerica U.S. EMBASSY JAKARTA} | previous post by me with video + Pdf transcript link

{World Leprosy Day} | previous post by me| 

{Antique Christofle Knife Rests in Fleur de Lys}

Another French treasure to show you here. Antique Christofle knife rests from the end of the 19th century, with a Fleur de Lys pattern. A rare quantity of 14 this time, available in 8 and 6 piece sets. They will be perfect for saving your precious table linens from getting soiled. Shown here as a table setting with Royal Albert Friendship Daffodil China and Le Jacquard Français table linen. Resting on this knife rest is my Gero Zilmeta 528 Menuet flatware.

Can you imagine that in 1883 Christofle did equip the Orient Express with their silver ware? What a luxury life for the Avant Garde... And in 1898 they equiped the Ritz Paris with fine silver ware. In 1935 Christofle realized 45,000 pieces designed by Luc Lanel for the Luxury Liner Normandie. That was a cruise ship like the Titanic... what a dream life for the upper class! Those Luc Lanel pieces I also have shown 11 Vintage French Christofle Luc Lanel 'Ondulation' Knife Rests.
These Christofle knife rests are available at my: Spectrenoir

From the book Christofle by David Rosenberg you also can learn about the above mentioned history. It is shown in the blog with the Luc Lanel design, link is above. 

Photos were taken on March 9, hence the paperwhite narcissus...

It is shown here on page 21 from the Christofle 1842-1883 catalogue, as number 3364 Porte-couteaux ferrure.

I received this copy from a friendly Frenchman! Wish I had the entire catalogue...

Left you see the old hall mark in a diamond shape with a bee below, a C (for Charles Christofle) to the left and to the right, a scale in-between with stars above. Separately in block letters the word Christofle.

Rather hard to capture... you cannot get near the hallmark with your camera because of the four Fleur de Lys.

Owning such a piece does cover quite some history.

This Maker's Mark is from the 2nd half of the 19th century.

Fourteen of them and some do have the hall mark to the right.

Only 8 are available at Spectrenoir... 6 are sold!

Today, as in the past, whether gracing the tables of emperors, princes or maharajas, in palaces, on board the Trans-Siberian Railway, Orient Express or transatlantic ocean liners or in contemporary restaurants, Christofle continues to make an impression.

Sorry Sold out...