Art, food and weather...

I just stood by the back door to let out the dog and the rain water was dripping off the trees and the gutters. It's been raining on and off since yesterday afternoon. It's not been a heck of a lot of rain, sometimes it was nothing more than a drizzle, but everything is soaking wet anyway. 

We don't really need the rain. Lord knows we've had more than enough of it these past few months. It would be alright if we had a few weeks of sunshine to celebrate fall with. The weather gods think differently and steep us in misty, rainy clouds at night and hand us blustery skies during the day with unexpected showers. 

You do need to dress for this kind of weather, although people optimistically still want to wear more summery kind of clothes and open shoes. They are the kind who refuse to admit that fall is here and that they need to put on warmer coats because the wind does blow cold on occasion. They are brave and suffer. 

I do no such thing (being an ex-Californian) and dress warmly for the optimal comfort. I noticed that yesterday when I was at the art fair with my sister. 

It was held in the garden of a large castle and by times a strong wind picked up and blew rainy clouds across the sky and it got quite cold. I think I was one of the few people there who was dressed warm enough for that.

The castle was beautiful and had been built in various stages throughout the ages as could be witnessed by the different building styles that were all incorporated together. It all made for a harmonious whole and for a very large building which included a chapel with leaded glass windows and painted ceilings. 

The art fair was very predictable with only a few artists who really stood out and who  really deserved the application 'artist' in its truest form. It was fun to walk along the different stalls to see what was on offer and to cast a critical eye. We saw a few things we liked, but weren't tempted into buying anything. 

Afterwards, we went into the tearoom inside the castle, which also houses a hotel, and had something to drink and shared a cheese platter. It had various soft cheeses and herbal butter and various breads and local condiments. It was delicious and one of the best things I've eaten in a long while.

The town that the castle was in was on the German border and at one point when we were driving there we had Germany on one side of the street and the Netherlands on the other. The dialects that they speak there are very similar, so the people on either side have no problem understanding the other.

I've got to get back to bed because my personal helper is going to be here in the morning and I need to sleep some more. I've set the alarm clock so I'll get up at a decent enough time. I want to be dressed and presentable before she gets here. There's nothing worse than being caught out in your bathrobe half asleep. 

Have a good day you all. 

Ciao,

Nora