" /> blytheblog de FaerieQueene: décembre 2006 Archives

« novembre 2006 | Main | janvier 2007 »

décembre 31, 2006

two troubadours

On new year eve, two troubadours, miss Cole and Emmanuelle the sunday best, doing carolling at the Béthanie and the University Hall
Troubadour.jpg
(two troubadours composing lyrics)

The University Hall (former Nazareth) staircase
DSC_0003bethanie&u hall.jpgDSC_0016bethanie&u hall.jpg

Just at dusk Emmanuelle entering Béthanie, opposite U hall that used to be HKU campus. The beautiful sunset that is sparklling on the harbour at pokfulam shines on emmanuelle's face...
DSC_0005bethanie&u hall.jpg

Cheshire against Gothic façades of Béthanie's chapel
DSC_0001bethanie&u hall.jpgDSC_0011bethanie&u hall.jpg

Troubadour playing and singing carols
DSC_0015bethanie&u hall.jpgDSC_0010bethanie&u hall.jpg

Sweet sunset at the Béthanie through a Gothic arch.... I adore these subdued colours of rosy twilght. We enjoyed the ride to the Béthanie briefly at dusk this Sunday. As if into the threshold of a twilight zone, there was something almost touching in the air at the Béthanie at my discovery. (Alain le Pichon has revealed to us in his research a hidden sanctuary at the heart of the past University campus). During this adventure, the wind wafting in from the coast was so strong that emmanuelle has jumped over once but miraculously she stood on her own!
DSC_0008bethanie&u hall.jpgDSC_0014bethanie&u hall.jpg

Béthanie (139 Pokfulam Road) and Nazareth (now Univeristy Hall) are two of Hong Kong’s best-kept secrets. The Béthanie and Nazareth (1875) were the headquarters of the French Missionary's efforts throughout Southern China,.(Béthanie was a sanatorium/hospital and Nazareth a printing house), in early French Gothic style architecture, on a hilltop surrounded by dairy pastures at Pokfulam. Fathers travelled to remotest areas and one of the achievements of the Mission was the outputs of the printing presses in Nazareth House as the Asia base for their publications in Asian languages. A French father also found there the original Bauhinia tree from which Hong Kong's national flower was derived.
Hong Kong at the end of the 19th century was a strategic pole from which missionaries were placed in China and Asia in general. The French Mission's Procurator's house, located at the time on Staunton Road, was the brain of the French Mission in Asia and Bethanie became its beating heart.
The Nazareth is today the University Hall, male students residence of the University of Hong Kong. The Béthanie, on the opposite road, was then property of the University of Hong Kong from 1975 to 1997 and until 2003 it has been undergone restoration for the School of Film and Television of the HK Academy of Performing Arts, due to be in use since Sept 2006.

décembre 25, 2006

Christmas day

On Christmas day, Nocturna says her little prayers

Caine Road Cathedral (Catholic Cathedral of Immaculate Conception). Spiral staircase leading to the organ chamber
DSC_0001_carolling.jpgDSC_0002_carolling.jpg
the deserted interior in intervals of the christmas masses, lights being turned down in late afternoon
DSC_0004_carolling.jpgDSC_0005_carolling.jpg
cathedral facade
DSC_0011_carolling.jpgDSC_0010_carolling.jpg

Nocturna was wearing Dollsville's Christmas Carolling outfit. Dollsville can be contacted at thisisblythe.

décembre 24, 2006

the elves

Peony (goldie) and Phuong, (lounging lovely) who has been absent for years, just rejoined the family after her makeover, were busy like elves...
2elvesmadeagingerhouse.jpg
secretly baked in the midst of the night and came up with their gingerbread house.
twoelvespresentgingerbreadhouse.jpg
To their great satisfaction they put the gingerbread house on the fireplace before the sisters wake up...
merryxmas.jpg

décembre 22, 2006

blue house revisited

The Blue House and other quaint old residential buildings in Wanchai were to me fascinating spots to photograph this city, framing almost grosteque images of this unnoticed side of Hong Kong, that juxtapose with the crowded cityscape of ultramodern buildings and fast pace.

(To accentuate even more this grostesqueness, my customised nightflower blythe Nocturna was dressed in chic smart casual with a beautiful camouflage-coloured bear head!! An attempt to bring surrealism into my photography)

This is the second attempt on Winter Solstice's afternoon off to go back to Wanchai to film my blythe...

Blue House
bluehouse.gif
wooden planks of an once blue house shop
bluehouseshop.gif
Blue House's paints
bluehousewall.gif
Scaffolding and metal gates
scaffolding&gates.gif
at dusk, lighting up of neon lights of a restaurant still in business, housed in a Wanchai aged building, telling me it was late to be back home for the winter dinner
wanchairelic.gif

décembre 17, 2006

the wedding banquet

blythe sized banquet!! One of the girls is getting wedded??? if ever that happens, the current blythe family will already occupy 4 tables and need more seats for the fifth table of the bride and groom! And the troop of petits babies...
wedding banquet.jpg
Should i "wed out" the girls....e.gif

décembre 16, 2006

the hiking bear and koala

The bear who hikes with a koala...
koala and bear.jpg

décembre 12, 2006

the fragrant kitchen (lavender harvest part 2 finale)

Scarlette Lavender was inspired by the aroma of the ramparting lavender embracing her and her senses. She called on her sisters to bring her the utensils and simple ingredients - flours, cream, milk, butter, sugar etc.
lavender0003.jpg
In a moment an open kitchen was set up, a fragrant one... today's recipe was mousse a la lavande
lavender0011.jpg
The vista and scents of the lavender made her kitchen all the more inspiring and loving
lavender0016.jpg
a fig of lavender blossom from the immediate harvest
lavender0013.jpg
also made use of the distiller of the farm for some first pressed lavender essential oil
lavender0012.jpg
busy whipping cream...
lavender0014.jpg
her cordon bleu trained sister Constance asked her afterwards why she used her strawberry oven mittens to make a mousse!
lavender0015.jpg
ok that's the bottle of first pressed lavender oil that she promised her sister from the Provence, Anais
not rivaling the high altitude lavender or even lavandin from the Provence, but fresh and loving
lavender0025.jpg
the relaxing scent and the fragrant cuisine made her feel like the liberty of a jumping bunny!
lavenderbunny.gif

^^Scarlette's 2 traditional provençal recipes with lavender (designed in collaboration of her cordon bleu trained sister, Constance, and her sister from the Provence, Anais, nice gestures to welcome Scarlette Lavender to the family ^^
mousselavande.JPG
Lavender Mousse with Blueberry Soup, recipe by Constance
(photo not served with blueberry sauce here due to constraints of the outdoor kitchen)
INGREDIENTS
Mousse:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 large egg, plus 4 large egg yolks
1 Tbsp. dried or fresh lavender blossoms
3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped

Blueberry soup:
2 cups fresh (or frozen, unthawed) blueberries, plus additional fresh blueberries for garnish
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. grated fresh lemon zest
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick

To make mousse: In a heatproof mixing bowl, combine sugar, lemon juice, butter, egg, egg yolks and lavender. Place over a pot of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain into a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water and stir until cold and thickened. Fold in whipped cream. Pour mixture into each of eight 5-ounce paper cups. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours.
To make soup: In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar, 1/4 cup room temperature water, lemon zest, lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes. Let mixture cool 10 minutes. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Puree blueberry mixture in blender until smooth. Strain through a sieve set over a bowl. Discard solids; cover soup and refrigerate.
To serve, peel paper cups off mousse and place mousse in shallow bowls. Pour soup around mousse and garnish with blueberries.

glace.lavande.jpg
Glace à la lavande (Lavender ice cream), recipe by Anais (so sorry only en français...)
Ingrédients (pour 8 personnes) :
- 2 tasses à café de fleurs lavande fraîche si possible détachées du brin
- 25 cl de vin blanc doux (Monbazillac , Muscat)
- 100 cl de crème fraîche
- 1 tasse sucre poudre
- 4 blancs d'oeufs
Préparation : 10 minutes - Il conviendra de faire tout d’abord une « infusion à froid » des graines de fleurs de lavande avec le vin blanc : Mélanger 2 cuillères à soupe de fleurs de lavande avec le vin légèrement chauffé et laisser reposer 25 min dans un endroit chaud mais non ventilé . Dans un plat en grès Fouetter ensuite la crème en mousse- chantilly. Laisser reproser au froid mois de 5 minutes pendant ce temps filtrer la préparation de vin aux fleurs de lavande à l’aide d’un tout petit chinois et l'ajouter à la crème très lentement, ajouter votre sucre le plus fin (mais gardez-en une bonne moitié) tout en en continuant de battre la crème ; à défaut réservez un peu de crème fraîche afin de re-épaissir si la préparation devient trop liquide.
Dans un bol à part, commencez à Fouetter les blancs d'oeufs en neige molle avec le reste du sucre puis les rajouter lentement tout en la fouettant à la crème. Il vous reste encore des graines de fleur de lavande émiettées … saupoudrez en la surface et agitez le fouet une dernière fois … un petit truc en plus : un tout peit filet de parfum de vanille liquide (un soupçon) et ce sera un vrai délice mais attention au geste qui peut tout gâcher
Il vous suffira ensuite de laisser cet « appareil prendre » tout seul au fond de votre congélateur durant plus de 4 heures..Mais il conviendra de regarder par 2 fois le « durcissement » de votre crème glacée et ne pas hésiter à battre à nouveau à même le « congel » et ce sera fait .. à servir , au frais avec des languettes au beurre doux et un peu de miel de lavande des Alpes de Hautes Provence

lavender fields at Grasse, Provence, South of France, from Anais' photo album
DSCN5399_resized.gif

薰衣草慕斯

材料:
1.生奶油120公克
2.鮮奶60公克
3.薰衣草花苞60公克
4.細砂糖40公克
5.吉利丁片6公克
6.蛋1顆

作法:
1.將薰衣草花苞以400cc的熱水沖泡開備用;吉利丁片以冷水泡開備用;蛋黃與蛋白分開備用。
2.將鮮奶與6cc薰衣草茶汁倒入鍋內,並放入20公克的細砂糖煮溶(不要滾開),在加入2/3份量的吉利丁拌溶後放涼備用。
3.將剩下的薰衣草茶汁加入剩餘1/3份量的吉利丁煮溶放涼備用。
4.將蛋白打至濕性發泡,過程中將20公克細砂糖分2次加入。
5.生奶油在小鍋內打至黏稠狀。
6.將放涼後的做法2加入蛋黃拌勻,接著在拌入生奶油及蛋白。
7.將作法6倒入玻璃容器中,冷藏一小時後取出,在表層注入放涼的薰衣草汁(約0.2mm厚),再冷藏1~2小時即可。

récolte de la lavande (lavender harvest part 1)

o air is so fresh here, o the scents of lavender and lace.
lavenderfield.gif
This is Lavendula angustifolia, or French Lavender, a shrub like flowering perennial that originally grew in the mountains near the Mediterranean Sea.
lavender0001.jpg
See a lavender distiller
lavender0008.jpg
here is a soap workshop
lavender0009.jpg
Years ago in faculty's era, the books The Fragrant Pharmacy and The Fragrant Mind by Valerie Ann Worwood have sparkled my little pastime research into aromatics and aromathology. A simple visualization exercise of lighting up a match to explore every part of the brain, cross the border of the left and the right and merge them, had opened up my mind, then initiated my reading of metaphysics literature, into various realms, the universal symbols and mind power of the tarot, then research of its history, origin as game or divination etc etc. Since then I cannot live one day without scents and fragrances, flowers & plants, herbs in cuisine, perfumes and essential oils....
lavender0010.jpg

décembre 08, 2006

the comedy of manners

Christmas is in the air.... The gang of girls, the chosen choir, are eager to try on their party clothes and rehearsing the carols by playing them from the stereo, whilst the others are busy with their own life whether in their rooms, or outside or abroad.
DSC_0002_xmashome.jpg
... when mom announces that a piece of drama, music of that night ... will require nomination from them to play the roles... Mom hasn't quite decided who's who... Everybody become nervous and quite anxious to get a major role...
DSC_0001_xmashome.jpg
Cherie, sister of Beatrice d'Este Sforza, Italian blythe, whose ancestors are the courtly inventors of the game of tarot, thinks that she deserves the role of Magdalene, the virgin mother embrassing the cradle of baby Jesus, or the soprano ot the christmas carols
DSC_0004_xmashome.jpg
The newly arrived member of family, Diva, whose vocation is a rock star, naturally shares the thought of Cherie. She must be confined the singing role... She is dressed in Russian, Kremlin nobility style
DSC_0017_xmashome.jpg
Anais, the 'nose' who comes from the Provence in France , is Mom's favourite girl because of her being francaise...
DSC_0013_xmashome.jpg
Cherie and Diva chat in a corner and almost come into terms of sharing the two major roles...
DSC_0007_xmashome.jpg
Anais is not a jealous girl who has her self righteousness
DSC_0015_xmashome.jpg
The two girls talk about strategies to win mom's favour...
DSC_0006_xmashome.jpgDSC_0009_xmashome.jpg
while Cheshire, overhearing their conspiracy, steps in... who always got authority as she is a kenner...
DSC_0010_xmashome.jpg
She summons Anais to a reunion round the fireplace. "Given my majesty as a kenner, and my musical talents, I can tell you that am nominated the choir leader and the Magdalen role, I'll play both."
DSC_0018_xmashome.jpg

décembre 06, 2006

façade of christmas in town

Chérie walked in town on the other side of the harbour to see some façade of christmas in town

under the christmas tree at Lobby of the Peninsula
xmasangel_001.jpg
peacock blue theme this year at Ocean Terminal's entrace (many are nostalgic about the purple theme of last year)
xmasangel_002.jpg
sumptuous gadgets as usual
xmasangel_003.jpg
in front of the fountain of the Peninsula, Cherie loved the falling stars especially remarkable at nightfall
xmasangel_005.jpg
snowy theme at the Peninsula this year
xmasangel_004.jpg
Cherie loved her polar bear
xmasangel_006.jpg

i only debox my old xmas collection a few years back.. it was so neat, white rabbit fur and white suede leather
DSC_0001_pldxmasset.jpg
but i forgot to wear my girl the cutie santa bagnooooo.gif

décembre 04, 2006

christmas wish

Dear Santa,
blog-icon/9.gif blog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gifblog-icon/xmas2002p1.gif
love, Cheshire
In these secret codes, Cheshire wrote santa her xmas wish.
resizeDSC_0049_xmas120306.jpg
And look at her trunky tweedy helmet (it's the handknitted one by magmag), she really adores it!

décembre 03, 2006

writing to santa

Before the other sisters become aware of the arrival of the xmas tree, Cheshire starts hanging up a big sock and secretly reflects on her letter to santa
resizedDSC_0046_xmas120306.jpg

décembre 02, 2006

xmas tree arrives

It's her first xmas here. Cheshire is startlled and thrilled by the delivery of the christmas tree this year. It's a crystal christmas tree!
resizeDSC_0042_xmas120306.jpg

décembre 01, 2006

que sera sera ce noël

On the first of December, Cheshire is the first girl who senses the footsteps of christmas... What will this christmas be like?
resizeDSC_0022_xmas120306.jpg