A Rare Occurrence

Snow is so rare on the Côte d'Azur that today we're taking a break from our walk through Roquebrune village.

Snow on the mountains in normal, but I've never had it settle in my garden before. Here you see snow on the Prickly Pears this morning. The steep track up the road is solid ice and snow, so for the moment I'm snowed in but the sun is shining and hopefully most of it will have melted before nightfall. Earlier I had no water - presumably the water counter at the top of the track was frozen but now - 11 a.m. - it's running again.

All very boring to anyone used to snow, but so unusual here. The dogs are mystified...and having the best fun.

To see snow in Casino Square in Monaco please click on the link - great photos thanks to my friend Maggie Calkins.

Chemin des Crèches - the Hole in the Wall

Don't you love this crib... a hole in the wall and covered with glass. Go on... click and blow up the smaller photograph and you'll see the creator of this nativity scene has gone to a lot of trouble.

Chemin des Crèches - the Window Sill

Think of a nativity and multiply it by over 150 and that's what you'll find if you take the Chemin des Crèches (Walk of the Nativities) in the medieval village of Roquebrune. Each Christmas the villagers create their original nativity scenes and at the same time compete for much sought-after prizes.

Wander the winding alleyways of the village and discover over 150 cribs from the traditional santons of Provence to baroque interpretations and much else besides. Peer inside doorways and windows, look in a plant pot, a bird cage, a mailbox, a gourd, there are several in the village's old forge. There's one in a bin, another hangs from the famous 2000 year old olive tree. Some have musical accompaniment, others have lights. You'll find large and small displays - the smallest is little bigger than a diamond ring.

Over the next few days, let's explore...

The Campanile of the Basilique Saint-Michel

The steeple changes colour depending on light and weather but it's always beautiful and it always fascinates me. The dangly bits in the foreground are a tiny part of the Christmas lights in Menton.

The first church on this site was constructed in 1302 when it was in the diocese of Vintimille. It was reconstructed in the baroque style during the 14th and 15th centuries and inaugurated in 1675.

Saint Michel is the patron saint of Menton. This beautiful church in his name was consecrated as a Basilica in 1999.

Roller

Rolling along...tra la la. The flags you see are in front of the casino.

Green on Green

Wash day in Menton. An apartment tucked away above roofs in Place aux Herbes.

"After enlightenment, the laundry." ~ Zen proverb.

Reclamation

Almost a tiny island, in fact this small piece of land is man made, reclaimed from the sea and added to the bay you see in the smaller photograph. Add a few trees and you'd never know...well, perhaps you would.

Stubs

Sign outside a shop on Avenue Edourd VII.

'You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.'

~ Stan Laurel

Music to my Ears

A brisk walk along the Promenade du Soleil. That's Italy you see in the distance, just beyond the Old Town.

If this were you, what music would you be listening to?

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit

The oranges in the Jardin Bioves are ripening...streets everywhere are laden with fruit. Menton is once again the City of Lemons and Oranges.

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Around six months ago I was contacted by an English guy, Alex, who lives in Prague asking for permission to use several of my photographs for a new Monaco/Côte d'Azur website, at the time in preparation. This has led to my being part of the CITYOUT team of journalists. Two days ago, the new website went Live in Beta test. We hope to launch fully in the first quarter of 2010.

You'll find hundreds of fascinating articles on everything you can think of relating to life on the French Riviera and Monaco. I'm proud so many of my photographs and articles appear on this site alongside those of the talented journalists in the team. Please click on CITYOUT Côte d'Azur. You'll also find a link in the side bar of this blog. The website, by the way, is also in French and Russian and will eventually be launched in several other languages.

And that editor in Prague? Well some of you know him already...Alex has recently started his own City Daily Photo blog featuring his part of Prague, Vrsovice Daily Photo..

The Cat Show - Waving the Wand

All the exhibitors carry a wand to attract their cat's attention and hopefully make it look alert for the judge. In the main photo you see the judge waving one about, as she makes the decision as to which of these two cats should win the class. Neither seem remotely interested!

You'll note that exhibitors choose their wands to match their outfits - purple for the lady on the left and below, the lady with the concentrated expression - she is about to take her cat to the judge - has a wand with silver on the end, which matches the silver beading on her black dress.

The Cat Show - the Kitten

My new camera (blame the camera not the photographer!) focused on the bars rather than the kitten, so she's slightly out of focus but I couldn't resist showing her to you. How adorable is she?

Several people had kittens on show and most were for sale.

The smaller photograph shows one of the areas in the Palais de l'Europe where the cats are kept in cages and where the exhibitors prepare them for exhibition. Note how some people have decorated their cages with red curtains and blue and white frou-frou.

The Cat Show - 'Play it, Sam'

Even cat people have time for a kiss.

"You must remember this, a kiss is just a kiss..."

Remember the song 'As Time Goes By' from that great film Casablanca ... go on, give yourself a treat and hear Sam singing for Elsa...

The Cat Show - Whiskers Revealed

Here's the cat we met yesterday. He's a Silver Exotic Shorthair (thanks Alistair). I couldn't resist him or her and can see I might get to like cats...

...actually I do like cats and used to have two when I lived in mid-Wales. They were called Marmalade and Custard and they made the move with me to a village in Kent, along with 1o Old English Sheepdogs, a newly-born litter of puppies, two goats and 15 Love Birds. Unfortunately, I lived on a difficult bend on the road in the village and sadly both cats ended up being killed by cars.

The Cat Show - Whiskers

As Zephirine and others have said, so often we choose animals that look like ourselves. Sometimes in colour - like yesterday's Italian lady.

Or today's cat - notice the sweep of the lady's chin and how it matches the shape of the cat's face. Happily not the whiskers - and aren't they beautiful whiskers!

I used to breed and show Old English Sheepdogs but really I didn't look like one - then I realised the truth. My husband at the time - long hair, cuddly like a teddy bear - that's why I got my first Old English Sheepdog! We are still great friends.

The Cat Show - the Italian Lady

This Italian lady is waiting to have her cats judged. I get the feeling something has made her cross.

Most of the exhibitors at the show were beautifully dressed - many were Italian and so therefore no surprise with their sense of style - it's in their genes to dress well.

Regardless of nationality though, it seemed to me that exhibitors at a cat show dress far better than those at a dog show. I suppose it's easier - you don't have to deal with a large muddy dog and then get him clean.

The Cat Show - Indignity

There were around 350 cats exhibited at the show with 8 international judges. Here is one doing her stuff, which as you see involves examining the cat from just about every angle... That the cats don't object says a lot for how well they've been trained by their owners.

The Cat Show - Could you love a face like this?

This strange looking creature is a hairless cat, know as a Sphynx cat. In 1966 a domestic cat gave birth to a hairless kitten in Toronto, Canada. It was discovered to be a natural mutation and the Sphynx cat came into existence. This cat and a few other naturally hairless cats have been found worldwide. These have been produced by Mother Nature and are the foundation for this unusual breed. Cat breeders in Europe and North America have bred the Sphynx to normal coated cats and then back to hairless for more than thirty years. The purpose of these selective breedings was to create a genetically sound cat with a large gene pool and hybrid vigor. This is a very robust breed with few health or genetic problems.

The Sphynx is not always totally hairless; there can be a fine down on the body, which makes the cat feel like a warm peach. Of course this cat breed feels the cold and couldn't live in a cold climate unless it was well wrapped up. Some people who are allergic to cats can tolerate being around this breed, but even then the allergies sometimes win.

(Not quite as sharp a pic as I'd have liked. Bear with me whilst I learn how to use this new camera...)

Theme Day: Waiting ...for the Page to Load

The medieval village of Gorbio. Ancient stones support modern technology. A young girl sits on her step, waiting for the page to load.

To see how others in the City Daily Photo community have interpreted today's theme please click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The Cat Show - Beauty

As a past breeder, exhibitor and judge of Old English Sheepdogs, I appreciated the amount of work that has gone into the coat of this beautiful cat. And I was astounded at how well-behaved all the cats were. They had to be handled by complete strangers - ie the stewards and the judges - and they didn't turn a hair, pardon the pun. Nothing like the cats I know around here...

The Cat Show - Over My Shoulder

This weekend there's a cat show at the Palais de l'Europe in Menton, so a good opportunity for me to practice with my new camera - a Panasonic Lumix GH1, which is a micro four thirds with a 14-140 lens - my first interchangeable lens camera and almost (not quite) a 'big girls' camera' - and it's light enough to carry around for hours. Much to learn tho with all the bells and whistles...

This superb little camera is a Panasonic variant of the Olympus micro-four thirds concept that would seem absolutely right for anyone who wants a light, small and seemingly perfect system. If you think I wrote the previous sentence, I didn't (!) - of course it was my mentor, Chuckeroon (see below) who I think secretly works for the Olympus publicity department)

This cat is waiting to be judged. I like the way the cat's eyes seem to match the colour of the trees outside in the Jardin Biovès.

So a beautiful pussy cat and a dedication to Chuckeroon of Richmond upon Thames Daily Photo who has now helped me choose my last two cameras and nursed me through the teething troubles and a million questions each time. What a friend! Thank you, dear Chuckeroon.

And a thankyou also to Richard from Zurich who was in on early discussions as to which camera to buy and approves the choice.

I knew neither of these great people before City Daily Photo - how fabulous and fortunate it is to have such valued blogging friends.

Progress

At the far end of this narrow street is the pedestrian area of Menton. In recent years several small streets that run off it - like this one - have been tiled over and cars and bikes are banned. Small specialist shops and cafés have opened and now these streets are alive with life.

This is the sort of 'progress' I approve of.

Saint Michel de la Mer

A cloudy day in Menton. St. Michael of the Sea protects the Old Port. He stands near to the lighthouse and faces out to sea ready to defend us. Made of copper, the sculpture is by Antoniucce Volti. (1915 - 1989)

Pity about the graffiti at his feet.

Real Fish - The Knife and the Rope

The fisherman's wife, I believe. But what is she doing with the knife against the rope. Does anyone know? She was scraping it back and forth, rather as one would to sharpen a knife - but on rope?

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone across the pond!

Real Fish - Bateau Prosper

You can get great fish in Menton market and at various stalls and shops nearby but for the freshest fish, go down to Jetée Impératrice Eugénie and see it fresh off boat.

Don't go with a preconceived idea of what you want as it may not be there. You get what they caught that day and it will be good.

There are two or three fishing boats still working in Menton - only one fishing family still operates in Monaco.

No More Boules!

Not the most exciting photograph in the world but I want to show you Menton's Boules Club which is now no more. You see the actual boules courts (if that is the word) in the small photo - in process of being churned up by a mechanical digger.

Why? Well, in 2005 the city of Menton accepted the prestigious Severin Wunderman Collection, consisting of 1525 works by Jean Cocteau. Mr. Wunderman chose Menton because of the special relationship with the town. Cocteau was made an honorary citizen after he decorated a room for weddings at the Hotel de Ville (1956-1958) and restored the Bastion where his work is currently on display.

Menton committed itself to building a museum dedicated to the artist and this is where it will be. Of course there was a big fuss by the Boules Club but they were told they'd be given land to create a new club.

The museum is going to be fabulous and the donation is incredibly generous and will surely be of great interest, but meanwhile, where do the old men play boules? Where do they meet their friends to put the world to rights? I'll find out and let you know...

The Orange and Lemon Boat

Lemons and oranges are symbols of Menton - think Fête du Citron for starters. No name on this boat but perhaps it is obvious.

I've never seen the hull of a boat painted with an image in this way. Have you?

Masts

Masts seen over the wall of the Petit Port.

It looks like it was taken at sunset but in fact I took it at 9.30 in the morning on a dull day.