Calm Before the Storm

Today feels like the calm before the storm. Both orders from Morocco and Madagascar finished production on the same day and will basically arrive soon within a day of each other; hundreds of baskets will need to be unloaded, photographed, tagged and many of them shipped immediately. These orders are waaay past deadlines.

But before I go crazy, I am taking a virtual stroll through the gardens of the Villa Ephrussi on Cap Ferrat, with its amazing view of the bay at Villefranche:
The motor court has a sublime little pond and statue:

There are enormous clipped hedges to greet you; these hedges are a long time in the making~

the garden is actually a series of gardens, most with cool and inviting shaded pathways:
the succulent garden:
the entrance to the Japanese garden:
from the gardens you wind your way up to villa itself; the fountains are spectacular and go off every 20 minutes, set to classical music:
there are roses and manicured gardens close to the house; Madame used to have her staff in naval dress and pom-pom hats to fit the name of the house, which is Ile de France as in the ocean liner:
you wind back through the rest of the gardens, including the stone garden:
a wider view of the back of the villa and the central fountain again:
and when I finish the tour of the garden, I will go down to the port and spend an hour chatting with the fisherman there, who is trilingual. I will pick out some fish he caught that morning to have a lovely early dinner. Oh to be on the Riviera in the summer!
Hope you enjoyed the brief tour!