![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-mos4iHmgfBx-DkAdVKdVD7aUvuBfP0ept7HCRrc_KBW_0AIa_ffz08N3I9zI0V3bD-7y28abwppX8ExGR9tXwyxK02dgTASq8EMYsgFceem4wPb0QOkTK0oDywAV8_8BVEm7I0ncmv2/s400/inspiration.jpg)
My grandparents:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRFSvIXj8k4T18phzV3xNehKkJQByHCavoBNXNaF7xKIifL6GFLntx9F6_XTbN8MYR5Ln0GQs91d9LsUt3Q-UDAXmE1Z5TqDc2jqmrwxHKutH0f0muCCUyVKhGO7oOcp6NQr9jVySOvV-R/s400/Scan+3.jpeg)
My grandmother Christiane (with her new husband, left, and his equally-towering brother) on their wedding day in Italy.
She was:
- elegant
- stubborn
- impetuous
- difficult
- eternal beloved of her husband
- a perpetual student and collector of art
- an eternal aesthete
- famous for her personal style (her closet was something to behold, and she had her own standards - for instance, she never once in her life allowed a pair of pumps or heels to adorn her feet. Ballet flats, spectators and espadrilles only.)
- the best cook I ever had the pleasure of both watching and enjoying
- born in France, educated in Florence, married to a Dutch man
- a brilliant self-trained interior designer
- possessed of the finest eye for color I've ever seen in one human being
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylZ-e6zQbM-adL5JQgqclGKJhlhYWrhW2SLQIkd9i4BpMU8G_atO8JgKXhrJ2MZt_m5nZdG65V9ioQ0zhdJqZbEY30HxMjVDuUHpubiFu2naCQVyu5ULTQjDVDIo0ZXBQjXi4HiK-ZeKK/s400/Scan+4.jpeg)
My grandfather, J. Constant "Jack" aka "The Captain"
He was:
- kind
- brilliant
- refined
- ever-humble
- soft spoken
- a conoisseur of his wife's French desserts
- a philosopher
- a problem solver
- a dedicated follower of Buddhism (which he employed in his workplace if not - as you can see - in his personal style)
- a self-made man and world-respected inventor/engineer
- Born in Holland, educated in the UK
- a profoundly-beloved icon to those who worked under him
- a philanthropist
- a fan of ham radios and fine European cars
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWA7RCcx8iP0gckqIVqWjhr36HOgVwF4c9C4aktOZdJTCdqADEVrKjhtTbF_cuZ7Elvmz4UQsG51mKSfeNx7xQEbZd2x0u5NIrEBchgsB7fcoQ-JqK6-l2BHwjEb4LqVf8KNkSS2wdSnDO/s400/Scan+1.jpeg)
This is my grandmother, my mother and I in Brissac, Herault, Languedoc, the year that my grandparents were in the process of restoring their 11th-century chateau (you can still see sky through some of the upper windows, but the restoration was well underway).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCooulYVuo3tSGAYzG7vpIx2WqE5C6syz6uAu3QUzwdBdCA725OIJvHA7yoM0LzHjj_YrlPi6V-GKcUmW_cTxHYW-iN4VHjWLupgUa-nOJ4NhRiN2-iNNYjkZ9UmWpMRCtN0XkGFPhTTvJ/s400/Scan.jpeg)
My mum and I in the orchard below.
My grandparents' style, their grace, their philanthropy and philosophy of living, and their appreciation of art and literature have been and will always remain a profound influence on me.