Kitchen Garden: Roses

French Chateau & Pink Roses

It's no secret that I absolutely adore roses; throw in a French Chateau, make the roses varying shades of pink and I'm in heaven!

 

I've always wanted to create a complete rose garden for the Petit Trianon but just haven't gotten around to it yet.  Seems that with my Second Life, as with my real life, there are just too many enticing projects and just not enough time!

French Ephemera: Paris et Poulet

Exposition Universelle (1889) ~ Eiffel Tower, Paris

I have just started reading Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherford; a multigenerational saga that covers 700 years of the city's architecture, culture, society and history.  Yes, I'm in for the long haul on this one and I'm going to enjoy every minute!

So far I've been introduced to  Monsieur Eiffel as he is working on the Statue of Liberty. He believes that this immense undertaking may be the greatest achievement of his career but of course we know that the Eiffel Tower is still looming in his future.  Don't you agree that one of the best things about historical novels is that, in many cases, you don't have to cheat and skip to the end of the book to know what's coming up next!?

And so, having the Eiffel Tower on the brain, I was excited to come across a poster advertising the 1889 World Fair for which it was constructed.  This beautiful piece of French Ephemera set me off on a delightful tangent.

Kitchen Garden: Lemon, Orange & Herbs

Parc de Versailles, with the orange trees in boxes

I had a wonderful time dreaming of orangeries, parterres and the sunny, south of France as I continued my Adventures in Virtual Gardening this week.  It seems that working with potted lemons, oranges and herbs can conjure up a special type of magic that can make even the dreariest of days a whole lot brighter!

My Adventures in Virtual Gardening

Queen's House Ornamental Kitchen Garden in Second Life

It seems that I've been captivated by the Potager or Ornamental Kitchen Garden for a very long time now.  Though I come from a long line of gardeners, I was first introduction to the magical structure of the potager through the BBC television series The Ornamental Kitchen Garden hosted by Geoff Hamilton.  The mix of fruits, vegetables, flowers & herbs arranged in symmetrical garden beds stuck me as such a practical & exceptional work of art that I've been in love with ever since.

For a while I was content using potager techniques in my own backyard until one fateful day back in January 2008 when I goggled "Versailles Kitchen" and found Louis XIV's "King's Kitchen Garden" aka the "Potager du Roi".  As with so many things associated with Versailles it was mind blowing!

The Potager or Ornamental Kitchen Garden

A Potager at Château de Villandry, France

Designed to feed both body and soul, the potager or ornamental kitchen garden is the ultimate combination of parterre and vegetable patch.

Fruits & vegetables, flowers & herbs, are artfully arranged in symmetrical garden beds that are surrounded by low clipped box hedges.  These individual plots, separated by sand or gravel paths,  are precisely placed to form striking geometric patterns.

Coeur Virtual Worlds

There's always something going on in the Duché de Coeur!

Featured Merchants, Events, Available Rentals, Bibliotheque notices, new products...

How do you keep up with all of that?

 How about checking out our new website?

Note in particular, you can instantly travel to a merchant or an available rental right from the website! 

Visit us at Coeur Virtual Worlds

Text & Illustration: Bedrich Panacek

Duché de Coeur: Cross Country Ice Skating

Winter at the Coeurs means sitting in front of a warm fire with friends after skating through the Coeur countryside!

 

This is a fabulous way to see the stunning landscape.  Starting at Lieu d'Idylle, you will travel through gorges, over lakes, around windmills, under and over bridges, through tunnels, and along canals, all while fighting the snow in your face.  Race with your friends!

 

The 10 region course is clearly marked with both logs and arrows.  At normal "Run" speed (CTRL-R), the course takes about 15 minutes to complete when there is no one else in the region.  If you just want to explore, feel free to jump the logs and visit other waterways.

 

Text & Illustration: Bedrich Panacek