Normandy Life

A misty, moisty morning.

2012-01-29T08:03:00.000-08:00

So, there we were around 7.30 one morning last week, the Senior Partner and I lying in bed, drinking tea and listening to TMS (Test Match Special) on BBC Radio 4.

It was day three of the Pakistan v England Test Match in Abu Dhabi, England were bowling and Pakistan had a long way to go to catch up.

During a lull, CMJ (Christopher Martin Jenkins) described the scene before him as " a misty, moisty morning".

He said he thought it was a line from an old fashioned nursery rhyme, one that I had never heard of.

I googled it to find out more as I think it describes exactly the view that I had through the window this morning.

One misty, moisty, morning,

When cloudy was the weather,

There I met an old man

All clothed in leather

All clothed in leather,

With a cap under his chin.

How do you do?

And how do you do?

And how do you do again?

By the way, in case it interests you, England were 72 all out in their second innings. Shocking!

Linking this misty, moisty post to

the Tablescapers Seasonal Sundays

and

Mary's Mosaic Monday @ the little red house.

Pink Saturday

2012-01-27T06:29:00.000-08:00

The opening page of my 2012 scrapbook.

A nostalgic look back at my 4 year old self as a bridesmaid to Joan.

The journaling reads:

Learn from yesterday

Live for today

Hope for tomorrow

Joining Beverley @How Sweet The Sound

for

Pink Saturday

At last week's Pink Saturday gathering I discovered a wonderful blog that I know many of you already follow.

A Scrapbook of Inspiration is a truly scrumptious place

and Karen has very generously offered to share some of her beautiful designs with us all.

Click here to see them for yourself

What's in a name?

2012-01-25T03:52:00.000-08:00

My grandparents Eliza and John William Smith had seven children, three boys and four girls, my dad was the first born and was also christened John William.
As a child they called him Billy, when he grew up he was known always as Bill.
Eliza and JW. Snr named their other two sons Gordon and Harry, then they reverted back to names beginning with the letter J for the girls who were; Joan, June, Jean and Jessie.

Bridesmaids at older brother Gordon's wedding.
L-R June, Jean, Jessie & Joan.
(the other little bridesmaid was from Mary the bride's) side of the family

When the first grand child was born (me) Eliza ~~dictated~~ expressed a wish that the J tradition be continued and so I was duly christened Julie Margaret.
However, my mother Eva was also a woman with a strong will and she insisted that everyone call me Margaret.
(4 years later my sister Rhonda was born, no J for her!)
Over the years I've been asked many times "are you Julie or Margaret", it can cause confusion sometimes.

My parents on their wedding day.
Gordon was the best man.

What handsome young men they were.

Gordon, Harry, Joan and Jean all chose not to continue with the J tradition, however June has a daughter, also Julie, and Jessie named her daughter Jane.
After my parents divorced in the early '60's, Dad married Joyce. Another J!
When their daughter was born in 1968 my second sister dodged a bullet too.

This is the first page of the Memory Scrapbook which I created for
Kathryn's 40th birthday.

In my early twenties I decided Margaret was too "old fashioned" and asked everyone to call me Maggie, now only my close family call me by my given name.

Like father, like daughter.
Bill & Maggie or should that be John & Julie?

My dad passed away almost four years ago and we all still miss him very much.

Joining another J, Miz Jenny, @ off on my tangent

for this week's

Alphabe-Thursday

with this very personal tribute to

the letter J.

Hibernating.........................

2012-01-20T00:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a damp, cold and drizzly week in Normandy so far, no blue skies, crisp white snow or sunshine for us.

A week for staying indoors mooching around, doing chores, tidying, tweaking the mantle piece, excercising with Wii Fit, baking, and reading - lots of reading.
In 2010 some of you may have participated in food for thought hosted by Jain and may be interested to know that Jain and Mary @ home is where the boat is are hosting food for thought once more with a list of 22 books to read, share and explore in 2012.
Click here for my review of the first book on the list "The Night Circus" over on my other blog

just books

If you're in hibernating mood it's the perfect dreamy read for a cold wintry day.

Pink Interlude

2012-01-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

What makes a perfect pink interlude?

Book: The Postmistress - Sarah Blake; Tea: Taz - Vanilla Rooibos; Hand knitted pink and white striped mug mat: wonderful gifts from Pondside.

Mug: Cath Kidston.

Joining Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound

for

Pink Saturday

Alphabe-Thursday - H is for Hellens Manor

2012-01-11T07:49:00.000-08:00

Joining Jenny @ off on my tangent

for

With a visit to Hellens Manor. Much Marcle.

Hellens Manor and the famous knot garden.

In 1096 Hellens Manor, a beautiful historical house, situated in the lovely Herefordshire village of Much Marcle, became the property of the de Balun family who were witnesses to the signing of the Magna Carta by King John.

In the Spring of 2011 the Senior Partner and I spent an enjoyable afternoon touring the house and gardens.

This door leads into the medieval part of the house.

This post is really all about the photo's that we took that day, with just a little bit of info gleaned from the tour guide and the brochure we were handed as the tour began.

The Stone Hall has a Minstrel's Gallery and a great fireplace which bears the crest of the Black prince.

In the 14th century the house was the property of the Earl Of Gloucester.
His nephew James, a companion to the Black Prince, rented Hellens Manor in exchange for a pair of silver spurs.
He later leased the house to Walter Helyon, who gave his name to the Manor.

The great fireplace in the Stone Hall bears the crest of the Black Prince.

His descendants have lived at Hellens ever since and it has always remained a home and not a museum.

In the 16th century Hetty Walwyn, a daughter of the house, ran away with her lover.
She returned years later, destitute apart from a diamond ring. She was imprisoned in a locked room with iron bars at the windows, for the rest of her life.
She used a small bell as her only means of communication with the rest of the household.
It is believed that she haunts the house, still ringing a bell.

This case contains the family coronet and some items said to have belonged to Anne Boleyn.

The rooms are filled with inherited paintings, furniture and decorations, most are family heirlooms.
Some belonged to Anne Boleyn, Mary Tudor, the Earl of Essex (a favourite of Elizabeth I) and Charles I.

Bloody Mary's chamber.

At great expense to the family a room was prepared for Bloody Mary and her tutor Featherstone, it is also said to be haunted.

In the early part of the 20th century Hellens passed into the hands of Lady Helena Gleichen one of Queen Victoria's neices.
Her decendants, the Munthe family, have created a charitable trust in order to keep the house running.
The richly panelled Music Room, which is used by the family when in residence, has a large stone fireplace, on the mantel above are family photographs.

I hope you've enjoyed my virtual guided tour of Hellens Manor and if you would like to learn more about Hellens then click here to go to the website.

In which I return to Wii Fit Boot Camp

2012-01-10T06:45:00.000-08:00

After many months of being AWOL I returned to Wii Fit boot camp for more ~~punishment~~ healthy exercise.
Sgt. Major Wii Board informed me that it had been 205 days since I last appeared on parade.
Although I was happy to learn that I had lost a few pounds, since that last training session, I soon realised that my Mini Mii - Em- needed a make-over, so, I updated the hairstyle (and colour!) changed eye glasses, refreshed her lipstick and headed for the track.

As my previous target weight/date had long passed I set a new one and devised a 45 -60 minute exercise programme to do every day.
Beginning with some simple yoga positions, followed by stretching and breathing, moving on to balance training (very important for the over sixties!), step class, jogging and cycling ending with more yoga and stretching.
I may (or may not) keep you up to date on my progress, my hope is to shed a couple of kilos before our visit to the Amalfi coast in April, which I’m assured will call for a lot of walking.
Have you started a new exercise regime this month?
Losing weight and getting fit comes in at #1 on Time Magazine’s Top Ten Commonly Broken New Year’s Resolutions, I have tried and failed to fulfil this resolution myself many times.
This time I'm thinking more "taking care of my health in a positive way" rather than setting some impossible goal which I'll never reach, maybe this is the year I’ll succeed?

Copycat Mantlepiece

2012-01-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

This morning, inspired by a photograph from my Homes & Antiques magazine 2012 calendar, I decided to create a new look for the mantlepiece in the room we lovingly refer to as the Library.
Even though our fireplace isn't as elaborate as theirs, in fact it's very plain indeed, and my mirror isn't oval or silver, it's rectangular and gilt (!) I collected a few bits and pieces from around the house and set to work.

A pair of chinese blue and white vases purchased at auction in Hungerford, Berks, UK over 30 years ago, some pieces from my Nana's wedding china, a vintage French pewter candelabra and a small Bristol blue vase.

Once all the Christmas decor has been packed away the clean surfaces left behind give us the opportunity to rethink what goes where and try new looks.
I think I like this new mantlepiece but I may tweak it in the coming days, I usually do tweak things once or twice!

What about you, have you been tempted to try a new look or do you always prefer to maintain the status quo?

Joining Mary @ Boogieboard Cottage

for

Marty @ A Stroll Through Life

for

and a new party hosted by

Shannon @ Cozy Home Scenes

Friday's Daffs!

2012-01-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

Last Friday I posted about the first daffodils that were coming up in our garden and I've tried to post a daffodil shot every day of this first week of 2012.There were 3 when I wrote that first post and today I counted 11, not bad for one week.

Yesterday the weather was so bad I couldn't get a shot but the sun has been out for a short while this afternoon and so out I went, too.
After moving some of the dead leaves that are mulching the ground beneath (alright I've been too lazy to clear them away) I found plenty more shoots and also a few daffodil bulbs that some creature has dug up (possibly a field mouse) and started nibbling on.
I quickly dug a large hole and popped those back in, they'll possibly survive and bloom later in the Spring.
Hopefully my Normandy daffs have cheered up the first few days of January for you, I know that they bring a smile to my face each time I see them, even on the gloomiest day.

If one daffodil is worth a thousand pleasures, then one is

too few.

William Wordsworth

Linking to the
First Potpourri Party of 2012
with Honey @ 2805

Alphabe-Thursday. G is for Gavotte

2012-01-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've shared pictures of beautiful antique and vintage pieces of Quimper faïence.
For this week's Alphabe-Thursday with Mrs Matlock @ Off On My Tangent I created a mosaic featuring two plates, a tall and slender jug, a bowl, and a two wall pockets, one shaped as an umbrella and the other in the form of a ladies slipper.

What these beautiful pieces all have in common is the hand painted motif of a young Breton couple, captured mid-step whilst dancing a country folk dance called a Gavotte.
These pieces have all been part of our collection at some time but sadly all belong in other collections now!
The Gavotte remains popular in Brittany to this day and you will often see it demonstrated during the many wonderful festivals held throughout Brittany during the summer months.

Beautiful costumes
Festival de Cornouaille July 2002

Click here to visit the Festival de Cornouaille 2012 website.
If you are planning a trip to Brittany this year you shouldn't miss this wonderful event.

Daily daffodil

Rain, rain and more rain.

2012-01-03T05:43:00.000-08:00

It's been raining nonstop it seems since Christmas Day, but it isn't cold so I shouldn't complain.
On New Year's Day we took a walk down by the river but soon discovered the water level had risen so high that the surrounding fields were flooded.
No surprise really, it happens every January.

What made this year different, though, was M'selle Fleur who hadn't experienced flooded fields before.

She's a real water baby, she ran and splashed around for ages.

On the way back to the car we met three young ladies out enjoying a gentle hack, we exchanged several pleasant Bonne Année 's.

The winds were practically gale force this morning when I bolted outside to take my daily daffodil shot.

They were all dancing around in the wind so the shot is a little blurry, I'm afraid.

So, I think I'll be staying indoors for the rest of the day, perhaps I'll even take a snooze with a favourite Ted and this very special hot water bottle, a wonderful Christmas gift from the ever thoughtful SP.

Linking this post to Bunny Jean's Wednesday's Bunny Hop party.

Hope you're safe, warm and dry today, wherever you are.

Daily Daffodil

2012-01-02T03:26:00.000-08:00

The daffodil is our doorside queen;

She pushes upward the sword already,

To spot with sunshine the early green.

William Cullen Bryant

(no relation!)

A Transformative Year of Delight and Discovery.

2012-01-01T06:07:00.000-08:00

Sarah Ban Breathnach wrote the book "Simple Abundance" in 1995 and a copy of it has been on my bedside table for over six years now. Some of you reading this post may possibly have a copy, I've personally gifted it to several friends over the years.

If you would like to visit SBB's Simple Abundance website there is a link on my sidebar.
For the first couple of years I read a page every single day, in the following years I dipped into it now and then when I felt the need of some support.
For some reason I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be a year of change for the Senior Partner and I, there's talk of moving back to the UK maybe this year maybe next, and our planned visit to Hilton Head, SC. in October could well be our last.
As I said there's a feeling that this year may be different, we shall see!
So, I'm turning to Simple Abundance once again on the first day of January, a month full of new beginnings, so that I can be reminded that "the authentic self is the Soul made visible", I feel sure it will help me to face the challenges as they come up.
On a lighter note...............
Some who commented on my last post were surprised to see daffodils in our garden at Christmas/NewYear.

Although it will be several weeks yet until we have wonderful displays such as the one above, most of the flower beds have signs of life and look like this,

and there seems to be at least one impatient daffodil appearing somewhere in the garden every day.

Sheila @ Starshine Through My Windows saw her first snow fall in November and is, like many others, only imagining daffodils on New Year's Day.

Her comment has prompted me to take a daily daffodil photograph in order to share a little bit more of Normandy Life with my blogging friends.

Here's todays little guy.

There are years that ask questions and years that answer.

Zora Neale Hurston.

Joining The Tablescaper, with this first post of 2012, for Seasonal Sundays.

A weekly gathering where we share what's happening in our own corner of the world,

why not join us?

Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New.

2011-12-30T02:30:00.000-08:00

In a secluded corner of the garden a pink hydrangea from last summer
continues to add colour, whilst bright yellow daffodils begin to push through to the light.

Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,

The flying cloud, the frosty light;

The year is dying in the night;

Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,

Ring, happy bells, across the snow:

The year is going, let him go;

Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Ring out the grief that saps the mind,

For those that here we see no more,

Ring out the feud of rich and poor,

Ring in redress to all mankind.

Ring out a slowly dying cause,

And ancient forms of party strife;

Ring in the nobler modes of life,

With sweeter manners, purer laws.

Ring out the want, the care, the sin,

The faithless coldness of the times;

Ring out, ring out thy mournful rhymes,

But ring the fuller minstrel in.

Ring out false pride in place and blood,

The civic slander and the spite;

Ring in the love of truth and right,

Ring in the common love of good.

Ring out old shapes of foul disease,

Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;

Ring out the thousand wars of old,

Ring in the thousand years of peace.

Ring in the valiant man and free,

The larger heart the kindlier hand;

Ring out the darkness of the land,

Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Joining in with the last Pink Saturday of 2011
with Beverly at How Sweet The Sound

Happy New Year Everyone!

Destination 360

Glacé fruit topped Christmas cake.

2011-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Last month I blogged about baking Mary Berry's Victorian Christmas Cake.
Click here if you missed that post or would like the recipe.
Since then I have given the cake a little tot of whisky about every 10 days or so to keep it moist.
When it came time to decorate the cake I first warmed through 2 tablespoons of apricot conserves with 1 tablespoon of Calvados apple brandy.
(What can I say? It's a boozy cake!)

Abricots, poires, clementines, prunes, figues, tranches de citrons, tranches d'oranges and bigarreaux.
Apricots, pears, clementines, figs, slices of lemons and oranges and cherries.

I brushed the cake quite liberally with the conserves and then artfully (!) arranged some glace fruit and pecan nuts before brushing once again with the remainder of the conserves until all was beautifully glossy.

I purchased the fruits glacés from Les Fleurons d'Apt a wonderful online emporium full of Provencal foodie treats.

This will be the last post of 2011, whew! hasn't this year just flown by?

Like many of you, I'll be taking a short break away from blogging until the New Year.

Until then dear friends and followers may I take the opportunity of wishing you all

A Very Merry Christmas

and

A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012.

Home for Christmas.

2011-12-20T06:40:00.000-08:00

Back home again after a wonderful time in the UK, although not all went to plan.
There was a bit of a hiccup when the Senior Partner needed to pay an emergency visit to the dentist because of a wobbly crown and a couple of things slipped off the agenda, but we thoroughly enjoyed everything else.
The ferry crossing on Thursday wasn't as bad as we had expected and we made it to our hotel without mishap.
On Saturday morning there was some snow on the ground but it didn't impede our onward journey to Hereford Cathedral for the Advent Market and Carols for Shoppers at midday.

Hereford Cathedral

We estimated that there were over a thousand souls gathered together inside this magnificent place of worship.
The Very Reverend Michael Tavinor, Dean of Hereford made us all welcome and informed us that in the ten years of Carols for Shoppers services this was the biggest congregation yet.

Life size wire mesh sculptures of the
Three Wise Men
part of a Nativity scene inside Hereford Cathedral

So many in fact that the overflow from the nave had filled the side aisles and the transept too!

The Hereford Church Singers opened the festivities by singing "Ding Dong Merrily On High" which was swiftly followed by the Congregational Carol "Once In Royal David's City".

We also sang "O Little Town Of Bethelem"; "Whilst Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night"; "O Come All Ye Faithfull"; "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" and concluded with "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing".
The Hereford Church Singers and the Herefordshire Junior Singing Club also sang several lesser known Carols which were interspersed by Bible Readings recounting the story of Jesus' birth.

After the Carol Service we headed to Ledbury to the apartment that we had rented for two nights.

Here's where I digress a little, bear with me please!
I announced in this blog post in early January that my word for 2011 was "de-clutter" and that is why all of this

found it's way to here.

The St Michael's Hospice Charity Shop, conveniently located two floors beneath the apartment in Ledbury's Homend, I'd call that serendipity!

The comfortable apartment living room,
complete with
a very pretty Christmas tree and a
challenging thought!

As there was no wifi available at the apartment I was unable to visit all my favourite blogs but just as soon as everything is back to normal around here, hopefully tomorrow at the latest, I'll be calling round to catch up with everyone during the final run up to Christmas Eve.
ho ho ho!!!

Sunday Favourites with Chari.

2011-12-17T18:18:00.000-08:00

Joining Chari @ Happy To Design for the final Sunday Favourites of 2011
with a rerun of a post from Christmas 2010.

I haven't come across this game in blogland so far this year

and thought we could have some fun with it once again.

Dining room tree, where did all the snow go?

Earlier this week I came across a Christmas meme that the lovely Lorrie @ Fabric, Paper & Thread had joined.

Now that I have most of my decorating done, just the tree in the library to finish off, I sat down with a cup of tea and played along.
1.Hot Chocolate or apple cider?
Hot chocolate.
2. Turkey or Ham?
Turkey.
3. Do you get a fake or real-you-cut-it-yourself Christmas tree?
After many years of one of each, we now have 2 fake trees.
4. Decorations on the outside of your house?
Usually just a pair of wreaths on the double front doors although last year I did decorate the box topiaries too.
5. Snowball fights or sleddin’?
As we Brits would say, “sledging”.
6. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping?
If it’s downtown London yes, otherwise no.
7. Favorite Christmas song?
Happy Christmas (War is over) John Lennon. Favourite Carol: Once in Royal David’s City.
8. How do you feel about Christmas movies?
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without watching “A Wonderful Life” at least once.
9. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?
November 30th.
10. Stockings before or after presents?
Stockings in bed with tea & toast.
11. Go to someone else’s house or they come to you?
We always spend Christmas “a deux” at home.
12. Do you read the Christmas Story? If so when?
No.
13. What do you do after presents and dinner?
Watch the Queen on BBC television.
14. What is your favorite holiday smell?
Gluhwein.
15. Ice skating or walking around the mall?
Neither, a long dog walk on the beach would be my preference.
16. Do you open a present or presents on Christmas Eve, or wait until Christmas day?
One table present each during dinner on Christmas Eve.
17. Favorite Christmas memory?
A horse drawn sleigh ride with friends through the snow to a schnappshaus deep in the forest of Ellmau, Austria.
18. Favorite Part about winter?
The first snow fall and log fires.
19. Ever been kissed under mistletoe?
Many times!

My latest tree ornament:
A portly French waiter with tray aloft
holding a bottle of wine & a glass.
Souvenir from HHI

Care to play along?
Simply cut & paste the questions below.
1. Hot Chocolate or apple cider?
2. Turkey or Ham?
3. Do you get a fake or real-you-cut-it-yourself Christmas tree?
4. Decorations on the outside of your house?
5. Snowball fights or sleddin’?
6. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping?
7. Favorite Christmas song?
8. How do you feel about Christmas movies?
9. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music?
10. Stockings before or after presents?
11. Go to someone else’s house or they come to you?
12. Do you read the Christmas Story? If so when?
13. What do you do after presents and dinner?
14. What is your favorite holiday smell?
15. Ice skating or walking around the mall?
16. Do you open a present or presents on Christmas Eve, or wait until Christmas day?
17. Favorite Christmas memory?
18. Favorite Part about winter?
19. Ever been kissed under mistletoe?

With many thanks to chocolatechic for starting this thread.

Christmas Open House Tour Part 2 – Festive.

2011-12-14T04:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the second and final part of the Presbytère house tour.

In the library the tree is finally decorated and the dining room table is looking festive.

I began with a pair of table runners overlaid with silver and gold chargers.
The china is Rosenthal "Classic Rose".

The red napkins were a TJ Maxx purchase the last time we visited Hilton Head, SC. and the white napkins are from the Spode Christmas Tree range, as are the coasters beneath the stemware.

The stemware is vintage Baccarat, bought at auction in Bayeux several years ago. I think the pattern is Harcourt.

The green English pressed glass dishes are vintage too, I’ll serve one of our favourite appetizers in these; avocado prawn cocktails with Marie Rose sauce, very 1970’s!

I kept the centrepiece simple, a large white candle inside a plain glass hurricane surrounded by a faux wreath embellished with faux white poinsettias and gold accents.

I love Christmas Carols, singing along to them when playing CD's at home or, even better, going to a Carol concert and lending my voice (not good!) to all the others, an opportunity that I rarely have living as we do in deepest rural Normandy.

When our house & pet sitter called to let me know that she was available for a few days due to a cancellation, the Senior Partner and I quickly agreed that a long weekend back in the U.K. was just the pick me up we both needed.
Herefordshire is a favourite place of ours to visit and so we decided to head back there and experience it during the festive season.
I saw on line that the Goodrich Village Choir the “Roaring Megs” would be appearing at the Hostellerie in Goodrich on Friday evening. There was mention of open braziers, hot chestnuts, mulled wine, sausage rolls and mince pies whilst the lovely choir entertain us and bring the whole spirit of Christmas to our doorstep.
I booked a room and dinner for two, tout suite.
Then I read in the December issue of "Herefordshire Life" magazine that an Advent market and Carols for Shoppers would be taking place Saturday morning in the grounds of Hereford Cathedral, and that the Ledbury Community Choir would be performing at a Carol Concert in Ledbury on Saturday evening.
After a few minutes spent on google I'd found a lovely apartment for two in the centre of Ledbury, a beautiful little town steeped in history, and booked it for Saturday and Sunday.
So, there will be carols, shopping, good food and wine, carols, a seasonal client meeting for the Senior Partner, did I mention carols, and a rare opportunity for retail therapy with a friend for me.
As we’ll be on the overnight ferry back to Normandy late Monday, a cosy cabin to ensure a good night’s sleep in case of a choppy Channel crossing has also been reserved!

Isn't that enough to make anyone feel Festive?

Joining Jenny @ off on my tangent

for Alphabe-Thursday

I'm sure there will be lots of festivity happening this week in blogland

as we celebrate the letter "F"!

Christmas Open House - Part One.

2011-12-10T09:35:00.000-08:00

Bienvenue!

Welcome to the first of my Christmas Open House posts.

As you enter through the double front doors

Colonial Williamsburg

Byers Choice Carolers

are waiting to welcome you

with a ballad or two, a cup of grog and a choice of seasonal fare.

This year the mantlepiece in the library has a new look,

but still traditional!

Meanwhile, in the dining room,

Bavarian Santa presides this year over Spode "Christmas Tree" china tea things.

He has his eye on those mincepies, I can tell.

The other Santas can only watch from on top of the mantlepiece.

In the window,
The Byers Choice Salvation Army Brass Band and Choir

sing Christmas Carols to entice

Shopping Carolers.

However, the Shopping Carolers seem to have been waylaid

decorating their own tree.

Maybe they think they're in the Rockwell painting of

Stockbridge, Massachusetts?

I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favourite Christmas vignettes

and will stop by again to see more displays soon.

Joining the Tablescaper

for

Seasonal Sundays.

Click on the link to take a look at

more seasonal delights.

E is for Evergreen.

2011-12-07T17:53:00.000-08:00

Joining Jenny @ off on my tangent

for Alphabe-Thursday

where E is the letter of choice this week.

On The First Day Of Christmas.................

2011-12-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

To coin a phrase it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.
The Byers Choice Carolers are out and in fine voice and today, 6th December in honour of Old St Nick, the Santas arrived laden with sacks of toys and goodies to decorate the dining room mantlepiece.
More about them later in the week.

Like everyone else I have boxes and boxes of Christmas "stuff" in the attic, (not all of it is displayed every year) it's always a joy to unpack the boxes and take a nostalgic trip down memory lane as I decide what will be displayed where, whilst listening to Christmas music CD's.
Christmas Carols from Saint Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle is a particular favourite.

Each year I limit myself to buying just one new item to hang on the tree but when I saw the beautiful hand made, limited edition, 2011 Partridge Nest created by Vicki in her Sacred Yarn Room (ably assisted by her very good friend Mary) on her blog 2 Bags Full my heart did a little flip!

Then when I read that
"The charitable portion of the proceeds from the sale of this nest will be donated to our local Ronald McDonald House. So many families can't be at home during the holidays because they have sick children in the hospital. These funds will be used to help make their Christmas a little brighter."

I wanted to buy one even more.

Sadly, all the nests that Vicki had created were already spoken for by the time I saw them and I resigned myself to waiting until Christmas 2012 for my Designer nest.
You can imagine how delighted I was when Vicki emailed me to say that one of the reserved nests had not been picked up and it was mine if I wanted it.
In keeping with the Pantomime season it felt like "Cinders you shall go to the ball!"

The beautiful hand crafted Partridge Nest arrived today and I have spent a very pleasant afternoon fluffing my nest and finding the best place to display it, in all it's gorgeousness.
With the nest came a wonderful glazed pottery pear to sit in the centre of the nest and a partridge ornament to hang on the Christmas tree, these were both made by Susan Jenkins another talented friend of Vicki's.

Click here to find out more about Vicki's amazing hand made nests and perhaps get your name on the list for next year!
Now, if I could only get hold of those Williams Sonoma 12 Days Of Christmas plates...................

Linking this post to Bunny Jean's Wednesday Bunny Hop

Sunday Favourites with Chari.

2011-12-03T05:17:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that I recently changed my header image to reflect the season.
I may tweak it again during the next few days
but in case I decide to leave the Bavarian Santa in pride of place
I thought I'd share with you once more this explanatory post from last year.

I hadn't planned on blogging today as I've been busy decorating the Christmas tree for the dining room and baking more mince pies.
However, a comment left on my last post by a confused Jenny @ Jenny's Bouquets needs addressing tout suite!

This is what Jenny had to say.................

"I want to come to your house for Christmas! But, I can't find the head on your Bavarian Santa in your header. I keep looking for it every day but can't see it. I may be blind. All is beautiful!
Love,

Jenny"

Well, Jenny I'm pleased to say that you aren't going blind.

I do wonder though if anyone else is thinking that I may be displaying a headless St Nick??

The dear old man with his long white beard

is so beautifully bundled up in his ivory coloured, fur trimmed robe and hood

that it's very hard to see his little face.

So, here's a closeup.

He has the bluest, kindest eyes I've ever seen.

A back view and a peek into his sack.

Joining Chari @ Happy To Design

for

D is for ducks.

2011-11-30T04:51:00.000-08:00

Picture the scene.................

The Senior Partner and I are walking our dogs, Ben and Fleur,

on the path close to the river bank.

We turned down a track and caught sight of a large pond,

in the middle of nowhere,

that we hadn't come across before.

The conversation went something like this:

Me: Look at all those ducks on that pond, and it's hunting season, too!

SP: They're decoys.

Me: Of course they're not, they're real.

SP: Why aren't they moving then?

Trusty Lumix in hand, I walked nearer to get a better look.

He wasn't wrong!

Can you see, on the right, the overhanging roof of the blind

where the hunters lie in wait for the real wild ducks to land?

This is the entrance to the blind, on the land side.

I tried to get inside to get a "birds eye view"(!) but it was locked up tight!

Handing in my D assignment to Mrs Matlock

for Alphabe - Thursday

@ off on my tangent.

Hope it get's an "A"!

Poor Old Mr Ben!

2011-11-28T06:44:00.000-08:00

My little dog - a hearbeat at my feet.

Edith Wharton.

Our sweet little cocker spaniel Ben has been under the weather recently.

A quick trip to the vet's last week resulted in
a 15 day course of antibiotics, for a undiagnosed infection of all four paws,
and a disinfectant foot wash for every other day;
a five day course of medicine for an ear infection
(which made him ill between 2 o'clock and 4 o'clock every night for 5 nights!),
sterilizing ear wash and ear drops;
plus his annual vaccination against rabies.

We also had his eyes tested and picked up another bottle of eye drops
to replace the tears his poor old eyes have ceased to produce.

Quite an expensive visit but he's so worth it!

As you can imagine with all of the above to deal with
plus those 5 nights without much sleep
there hasn't been too much time left over for blogging.
So, I thought I'd let you know
that my very good friend Sarah @ Hyacinths For The Soul
has written, today, about her visit to us here in Normandy.
Maybe you'd like to pop in and see us all there?
And
My November Book Reviews are on my other blog
just books
if you're looking for something to read during the holiday season.

Seasonal Sunday.

2011-11-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the first Sunday in Advent 2011 and since I'm nowhere near ready to decorate or even bake Weihnachts Plaetzchen this year I've decided to repost my first Advent Sunday post from 2010.

As today is the First Sunday in Advent I'd like to share a little of my story with you, and introduce you to a wonderful friend of ours.
In 1984 Mr B's career took us to Bavaria, Germany.
We left all our family and friends behind in the UK to start a new life in a new country. Scary.
We threw ourselves wholeheartedly into our new surroundings, making many German friends in our neighbourhood and amongst his work collegues, but the most important friends we made were our landlords and next door neighbours Herr & Frau Wilde.
Over the years we shared many wonderful times with the Wildes, celebrating not only high days and holidays but also day to day life in Pöcking, a small town on the shores of Starnberger See.
Frau Wilde (never Traudl, never "du") sort of adopted me as the daughter she never had.
She taught me many things, like how to play bridge, she is a fanatical bridge player and to this day, if I ever get the chance to play, I always find myself bidding in German! (Vier pik!)
We spent many an afternoon sitting in her "winter garden" as she helped me improve my embroidery, knitting, and German conversation skills all the time enjoying her "kaffee und kuchen".

From top right: Our house
a favourite woods where we walked our dogs,
Feldafinger Strasse.

The snow season in Bavaria starts around the beginning of December and during our first winter in Pöcking she taught me how to cross country ski on the local golf course in Feldafing.
Did I mention that the lady was born in 1918?

Frau W & me 1991

Perhaps the one thing that Frau Wilde taught me which touched me the deepest was how to celebrate Christmas the Bavarian way,
Her Weihnachts Plaetzchen (Christmas biscuits) such as Zimtsterne and Springerele were legendary.

And so on this First Sunday in Advent and in honour of a much loved lady, I'd like to invite you to "kaffe und kuchen" my way.

My Adventskranz 2010.

Sadly, fresh evergreen wreaths are not easily found here in rural Normandy and so once again this year, a "faux" wreath decorated with white poinsettia flowers and silver pine cones surrounds four classic white Church candles.

The china service is Rosenthal's "Classic Rose" in white, which with its silvery grey design and gold trim complements the Adventskranz beautifully.
Napkins: Spode Christmas tree. (was sonst?)

For you to enjoy during the Adventszeit

old fashioned mincepies

and lebkuchen, a very simple iced biscuit similar to gingerbread.

Joining the Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday # 76

with this nostalgic look at Christmas past.

Hampton Court Castle - revisited.

2011-11-22T06:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I received a surprise email from a member of The British Red Cross Spring Garden Event Committee, Debra Tritton is her name.
It seems that she had come across a post that I wrote back in May about the day the Senior Partner and I had attended the BRCSGE 2011, at Hampton Court Castle in Herefordshire.
Here's a link if you would like to see it: here.
If you google BRCSGE 2011, my post is #6 in the list, who knew?
In 2012 the event is to be held at Berrington Hall, Herefordshire and Ms Tritton very kindly invited me to get in touch with her should we decide to attend the event there.
The Senior Partner and I have already made plans for a vacation next May and it won't be the UK, so sadly we won't be able to go to Berrington and revisit that amazing National Trust property and enjoy one of their amazing cream teas.
I took another look at the May post and enjoyed the event all over again and realised that although I promised to show you the inside of Hampton Court Castle (click on the link to go to the HCC website)I never did write that post.

Well, better late than never!

So sit back, with a cup of your favourite beverage and enjoy a virtual tour of inside Hampton Court Castle.

Warning there are a lot of pix!

The first room that you enter is the Great Hall (pix 1-4)

There are long corridors filled with suits of armour,

coats of arms, pikes, swords, guns and trophies.

The authentic mediaeval chapel is licensed for weddings.

One of the bedrooms and a large bathroom,

with monogrammed towels.

Another enormous bedroom.

The massive central stone staircase (next 3 pix)

complete with stuffed lion!

How would you like to celebrate Thanksgiving around this magnificent table?

The Library.

I've added some links in the above text if you would like to learn more about Hampton Court Castle,

they tell the story much better than I can!

If you are ever in the area I can highly recommend a visit to this very quirky and original place.

Joining Bunny Jean for

Bunny Hop Wednesday #16

why not hop on over and meet some new bloggers?

Chutney/Confit

2011-11-16T08:32:00.000-08:00

As I set off for a walk the other afternoon I noticed that a neighbour, the farmer who's cows are in the fields surrounding us, was out in his orchard collecting apples with his young family.
Imagine my delight when I got back home to find a bucket of apples by the front gate.

After picking them over and washing off the leaves and grass I seperated them out, some for eating and some for cooking.
Chutney is something that I enjoy making especially at this time of year, so I gathered the rest of the ingredients together and got peeling!

The French word confit can mean any type of food that is preserved.
A tomato confit goes well with chicken and an onion confit is great served with goats cheese, a balsamic vinegar will deepen the sweet/sour flavour of both.
The English word chutney, derived from the Indian word chatni, has become one of the UK's favourite condiments and is never far away when a curry is on the menu.
Here's my quick and easy recipe for a spicy apple chutney, equally good with English cheeses such as cheddar, cheshire and white stilton or a French cheese like camembert or brie.
It also goes well with ham/gammon, pork, cold roast chicken/turkey, ideal for Christmas leftovers.

Here's what to do..............
Take
8oz onions, chopped
2lb apples, cored & chopped but not peeled
4oz sultanas, raisins or dates, chopped
half a teaspoon each of ground coriander, mixed spice, paprika and salt
12oz granulated sugar (I used half white, half golden)
three quarters pint (or one and a half cups) of vinegar.
(I used a special pickling vinegar this time but you can use malt vinegar in this recipe also).

Put
all the ingredients into a large, heavy bottomed saucepan (if you have a preserving pan all the better!) slowly bring to the boil and cook until the sugar has melted.
Then simmer for two hours on a low heat (keep an eye on it from time to time, so it doesn't burn on the bottom) until it is thick and sticky.
To test if a chutney is ready, I always follow Delia's advice.
Take
a wooden spoon and draw it quickly along the bottom of the pan if it leaves behind a channel that doesn't fill up immediately with liquid then it's ready!

If you like your chutney a little less spicy you can amend the quantities of each spice but don't leave out any one spice completely or it will upset the balance.
Decant the chutney into sterilized jars, seal and store in a dark, cool place for 2/3 months before eating.

Joining Mrs Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday

where you will find lots more C words

also

Beth Fish Reads

for

Weekend Cooking
and
The Tablescaper
for Seasonal Sundays

Click on the links or sidebar buttons (you know the rest!)

A Sunday walk with a difference.

2011-11-15T07:27:00.000-08:00

On a recent dog walk we were surprised to find ourselves

sharing the lanes and tracks with some unusual traffic.

Bonjour!

Urban cowboy!

I don't know where they came from or where they were going.

Were they on the way to a competiton, in training, or simply good

friends out horse riding and carriage driving together?

What a great way to see the countryside!

Adieu!

All I do know is that it was lovely to meet them all,

however briefly, on a Sunday morning in Normandy.

Joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday
and
Bunny Jean for Wednesday's Bunny Hop.

Click on the links, or sidebar buttons, to visit our gracious hosts.

Lest We Forget.

2011-11-11T03:15:00.000-08:00

Today's date is 11.11.11.

Armistice Day

which marks the anniversary of the ending of hostilities of World War I, at 11.00 am in 1918.

It is a French public holiday and schools, banks, post offices and businesses are closed.

Poppies flowering this week in my Normandy garden

To mark the occasion, in our small village, flowers will be laid at the base of the Calvaire which stands at the crossroads opposite the Marie's office.

A two minute silence will be observed at 11.00 a.m.

This fitting tribute below can be found in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux.

Click here to see a recent post about the Cathedral

This weekend, on the Sunday nearest to Armistice Day, in towns and villages all over the UK people will come together for Remembrance Sunday.
Local dignitaries, ex service men and women from all of the services, members of the Royal British Legion and Boy Scout and Girl Guide troops, will lay poppy wreaths of remembrance at their local War Memorial.

The National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph in Whitehall is a unique expression of national homage devoted to the remembrance of those who have given their lives in war. It was originally conceived as a commemoration of the war dead of the First World War but after the Second World War the scope of the ceremony was extended to focus on the nation's dead of both World Wars, and in 1980 it was widened once again to extend the remembrance to all who have suffered and died in conflict in the service of their country and all those who mourn them.
The service at the Cenotaph is framed to ensure that no-one is forgotten. The wreath laid by The Queen and the other tributes placed on the Cenotaph are dedicated to all who have suffered or died in war. Members of the Cabinet, Opposition Party leaders, former Prime Ministers and certain other Ministers and the Mayor of London are invited to attend the ceremony, along with representatives of the Armed Forces, Merchant Air and Navy and Fishing Fleets, and members of faith communities. High Commissioners from Commonwealth countries also attend the ceremony and lay wreaths at the Cenotaph.
Source: The Royal British Legion
In June of this year I was lucky enough to spend an evening in the company of two World War II veterans, at an event to mark the 67th Anniversary of the D Day landings.

Click here if you would like to see that post again.

Click here to go to the website of Woodlands School in Kent, UK.
Their Calendar of Special Events and Celebrations is extensive with categories covering Daily Life, Customs and Traditions and Etiquette in the UK, to name but a few.
It is a wonderful source for everyone, not only children, and describes what Remembrance Sunday means to us all.

Wear your Poppy with pride!

(poppy images courtesy of telegraph.co.uk)

A swarm of French B's.

2011-11-10T00:49:00.000-08:00

clockwise from top left:
bee
boucherie
bombarde & biniou musicians on Quimper faience
ben
basil
boulanger

bulldog

clockwise from top left:
bar
boucherie
broderie decor on Quimper faience
blue shutters
boulanger
bonaparte

I trawled my photo archives and strolled around town at the weekend

to find some very Frenchy B's

for

week deux of Mrs Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday
@ off on my tangent

where the letter B is the star today.
Click on the link to join in the fun.

In 2010 my B post for Alphabe-Thursday was all about our dogs.
Click here if you'd like to meet the gang.

Mary Berry's Victorian Christmas Cake

2011-11-08T00:25:00.000-08:00

Did you know that there are only 46 days to Christmas?
Yikes!
Have you made your Christmas cake yet?
Now, I know that lots of people hate fruit cake but the Senior Partner and I cannot be counted amongst them.
We do both loathe, despise and abominate marzipane the traditional layer between the fruit cake and the Royal icing topping.
We're not mad about Royal icing and all the fiddly little Christmas decorations either.
I usually bake Delia's Christmas cake, a tried and tested recipe which never fails, however in the November issue of Good Food magazine I came across Mary Berry's Classic Victorian Christmas cake and decided to bake it this year instead.
Click here for the link to the recipe on the BBC Good Food website.
I tweaked the recipe only slightly by replacing sherry with whisky, and it's whisky I'll "feed" the cake with every two weeks until decorating the top with jeweled coloured glace fruits and seasonal nuts, and I might well decide to enhance it further with a beautiful shimmering ribbon.
I'll probably post a photo or two of the finished cake, all glossy and pouting in it's rich deliciousness, a little nearer Christmas, for now though all I can show you is the cake before it went into the oven and all the messy detritus left for me to clear away whilst it bakes for 5 hours and 10 minutes!

Sharing this post with Claudia @ Mocking Bird Hill Cottage

for Reality Shot Thursday #7

a fun gathering where we reveal how we really live

away from the bright lights and cameras!
I've had a request from Bunny Jean asking
that I link this recipe to her Wednesday Bunny Hop.
No sooner said than done!

Fete de la Pomme in Trévières.

2011-11-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

The Calvados region of Normandy is famous for it's culinary heritage based on fine local products such as butter, crème fraîche, world famous cheeses and of course apples!

A visitor to our region cannot help but notice the multitude of small farms, each with an apple orchard or two, as they drive along the country lanes.

You can often call in and buy home made cider from the owners, sometimes you might also find Normandy's famous apple based brandy, Calvados, or the apple based apéritif, Pommeau, for sale.

Last Sunday we visited the small town of Trévières for the Fete de la Pomme where we wandered around the exhibition of apples staged by "la corporation Saint Fiacre de Bayeux" (gardening club of Bayeux).
We stood for a while and watched the ancient apple press being put through it's paces, over 1 ton of apples were crushed during the day.

Trévières is twinned with Stokeinteignhead, Devon, U.K. and delicious baked apple goods, home made by the ladies of the Association, tempted us.

We bought two small apple crumbles and a bowl of Teurgoule, which is very similar to an English rice pudding, for our dessert that evening.

Joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday # 73

with this glimpse of life in rural Normandy.

Alphabe-Thursday. A is for Apple

2011-11-03T07:05:00.000-07:00

Once again Miz Jenny Matlock is hosting Alphabe-Thursdays at Off On My Tangent
I didn't fully participate last time having completed the entire alphabet in the previous round, however, AT is a favourite meme of mine and so, here we go again.................................

These apples are being shoveled into a large wooden box to be pulped
before being turned into cider or calvados.

A is for Apple, well what else could it be for in Normandy.

I took this photograph at the Fete de la Pomme in Trévières last Sunday, and will have more to share for the Tablescapers Seasonal Sundays gathering at the weekend.
If you would like to see my A post from the first AT that I particpated in, then click here, and here for the A post from the next.
This my second post today if you're looking for this week's Reality Shot then please scroll on down.

Reality Shot Thursday

2011-11-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

After a visit recently to the garden centre for new rose bushes (Peace) and top soil to plant them in

I snapped this quick shot of my very basic (definitely not glamourous) potting table.

The table acts as a catch all space for things going in and out of the house

from the laundry/wine cellar/storeroom,

which you can just glimpse through the window,

behind it.

Now, that's a place you really wouldn't want to see.

Keeping things real with Claudia

for Reality Shot Thursday #6

over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage.

It doesn't get more real that this!

Halloween in Normandy 2011

2011-10-30T00:04:00.000-07:00

Here in France Halloween isn't celebrated as exuberantly as it is in say the USA, or Canada.

However, when I find this little slip of paper in my letterbox

I know that I have to get ready for Trick or Treat Night.

The night when wizards, monsters and witches chauffeured and chaperoned by their parents

invade the lanes of our village.

In order that they don't haunt us for too long we are advised to have "bonbons" ready

and an outdoor lamp shining.

If we don't want to ~~play~~ be disturbed we just leave all the lights off.

Monstres & Sorcieres 2011

To get us in the mood inside the house
a few Halloween touches here and there.

On the library mantlepiece - witches, ghosts and pumpkins.

HB Henriot Quimper plates
on either side of the fireplace .

HB Henriot Quimper Witch Plate 2010

Joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday.

Click on the link or sidebar button to visit other participants,

I'm sure there'll be lots more ghouls and ghosties there.

Pink Saturday

2011-10-28T06:43:00.000-07:00

Last week the Senior Partner and I celebrated 32 years of wedded bliss, aahh!

We marked the occasion with a little retail therapy

followed by lunch at a favourite restaurant in Bayeux.

We also purchased mouthwatering deli treats

(tuna stuffed sweet peppers, artichoke hearts and onions; three cheese ravioli; buffalo mozzarella and sun dried cherry tomatoes filled with delicate ricotta cheese)

from

"l'oliverade" - Epicerie Méditerranéenne

for a special "couch picnic" in front of the TV that evening.

Mr B - chef, gourmand, bon viveur and
the love of my life

Joining Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound for Pink Saturday.

Click on the link or sidebar button to be in the pink, too.

Reality Shot Thursday - That Cupboard!

2011-10-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Do you have one of these?

A cupboard where you ~~shove~~ store all your Tupperware and other storage containers.

Every time I need a container I can never find the corresponding lid and so have to take most of it out, or else it falls on the floor of its own accord, whilst I ~~rummage~~ search through them all.

And why is the one I want always at the back?

Just thought I’d ask, I can’t be the only one?

Joining Claudia for Reality Shot Thursday #5 @ Mockingbird Hill Cottage.

It's an easy group to join no fluffing or primping required!

You just have to be brave enough to take the shot

and then share it with the world!

Sharing this post also with Bunny Jean for her Wednesday Bunny Hop

Why not hop on over and meet some new bloggers?

Shadow Shot Sunday - Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux.

2011-10-22T03:50:00.000-07:00

Joining Tracy for Shadow Shot Sunday # 179
@ Hey Harriet
this week.

A friend from Maine, USA. recently came to visit us in Normandy

and together we spent some quiet time in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Bayeux.

The stained glass windows created amazing shadows

across the Caen stone walls.

The simple cross panes of this window

created a checked pattern high up

on the vaulted roof.

A place of quiet reflection.

More stained glass jewel colours play across the floor.

Down in the crypt a shard of light breaks through.

It is an ancient site, the present Cathedral was consecrated in 1077.

A fitting memorial.

To the one million dead of the British Empire

who fell in the Great War 1914-1918

and of whom the greater part rest in France.

I hope you've enjoyed this tranquil space as much as we did.
Click on the link to see wonderful shadow captures from around the globe.

There are new posts this week on my other blogs.
My October book reviews can be found on just books
and
there's a Quimper Witchy themed post on Collecting Quimper

Reality Shot Thursday.

2011-10-19T23:37:00.000-07:00

Autumn is a wonderful season, full of mellow fruitfullness.

Early mornings are crisp and clear, the sun sits low in the sky

and the trees cast beautiful shadows across the grass.

We love to be outdoors in the garden at this time of the year but

clearing leaves, acorns and horse chestnuts off the lawns is not a job we enjoy!

Hidden away in three of the four corners of the back garden are our compost heaps,

out of sight but sadly not out of mind.

This is the reality of being the present caretakers of

venerable silver birch, ancient oak,

massive horse chestnut and stately sycamore trees.

Joining Claudia for Reality Shot Thursday #4.

a new but fun weekly gathering

where those of us brave or silly enough

share the less than glamorous side of daily life.

Click on the link or sidebar button to participate.

Go on I dare you!

Also linking to The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays gathering this weekend.

Teatime treat - Apple and Sultana Cake.

2011-10-19T03:25:00.000-07:00

We've had a good crop of eating apples this year

from the trees espaliered against the garden wall.

As a thank you for staying home with the dogs, whilst I swanned off to Paris last week, I baked an apple and sultana cake to make teatime a little bit special for the Senior Partner.

(he's partial to fruit cake)

It's a very simple cake to make, especially if you have a KitchenAid Mixer.

Ingredients:

350g self raising flour

150ml sunflower oil

175g golden brown sugar

3 eggs (beaten)

1tsp ground cinnamon

75g golden sultanas

3 medium sized eating apples (peeled, cored and diced into small pieces).

Method:

Preheat oven to 180⁰C /350⁰F/Gas 4

Lightly grease and base line a 21cm/8" deep cake tin.

Pour the sunflower oil into a bowl - add the sugar and beat together until well blended.

Gradually beat in the eggs until the mixture has increased in volume, then add the sieved flour and cinnamon and stir gently into the liquid, until fully incorporated.

Add the diced apples and sultanas and mix well, don't worry if the mixture is stiff.

Transfer to the baking tin and bake for about an hour or until golden brown.

Check for doneness by testing with a wooden skewer, if any uncooked mixture sticks to the skewer, continue to bake the cake for a further 10 minutes or until the skewer comes out clean.

Leave in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack until completely cool.

Linking this post to Weekend Cooking @ Beth Fish Reads

click on the link to see Beth's review of

The Mozza Cookbook

Nancy Silverton

Paris Love Locks Mosaic

2011-10-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Passerelle de Solférino a footbridge over the River Seine close to the Musee D'Orsay, is festooned with Love Locks, symbols of eternal love.

It isn't the only Parisien bridge to be covered in padlocks which couples wishing to celebrate their relationship inscribe with their names and sometimes the date, before locking them onto the bridge and throwing the key into the river below.

In June 2011 The Independent newspaper reported the return of Love Locks to the bridges in the city of love.

Click here to read more.

Sharing the love with Mary @ the little red house
and all the bloggers participating in Mosaic Monday
this week.

White Pumpkin Vignette.

2011-10-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite blogs to visit is The Tablescaper.
She has such wonderful ideas, not to mention the china, pottery, accessories, linens and silverware collections that she owns.
Well, I guess the clue is in the name of the blog!
Although I personally don't "tablescape" (is that a verb?) I often find inspiration there for ways to decorate our home, especally at this time of year - Autumn.
A recent post featured a collection of gorgeous white pumpkins and brown ceramics, you can see it by clicking here.
Suitably inspired, I went "shopping", through my home, to create a fall vignette for the top of the wood burning stove in the sitting room.

I gathered together a large faux white pumpkin (TJ Maxx 2009), a white ceramic cake stand, rattan tablemat and faux fall wreath (Michaels 2009).

I added a tall lantern (a recent purchase from La Redoute), which I placed on a couple of hardback books for extra height, before lighting the "Cashmere" candle inside.
Then for added interest and texture, a log which I unearthed from the outdoor wood pile, "enhanced" with real horse chestnuts from the garden.

I really like how it evolved, however the chimney sweep called by the house on Friday morning to clear away any debris which might be blocking said chimney.
Soon there will be wonderful log fires to sit beside, with tea and books, so I think I'd better find a safer place to relocate this vignette to, very soon.

Joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

and

Marty @ A Stroll Through Life for Tabletop Tuesday # 86

click on the links or sidebar buttons

to see who else is particpating this week.

Pink Saturday in Paris

2011-10-14T03:11:00.000-07:00

Joining Beverly for Pink Saturday @ How Sweet The Sound with this poster for an exhibition

which, sadly, finished in May.

Click here to visit the La Pinacothèque de Paris to see what's currently showing.

Reality Shot Thursday - Parisien Tablescape

2011-10-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist sharing these photographs of the table

after our lunch on Tuesday at La Boheme in Monmartre.

John and I both chose an omelette with a side dish of French fries

and Susan had her favourite salad

buffalo mozzarella, tomato and basil.

Not the most elegant of tablescapes I know but the people watching was fantastic!

Linking to Claudia's Reality Shot Thursday #3

@ Mockingbird Hill Cottage

and to Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps On The Porch.

24 hours in Paris

2011-10-12T06:41:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a great time I had with our friends Susan & John in Paris.

We packed so much into twenty fours hours,

sightseeing, shopping, eating.

Hotel d'Alba this way.

Ready for some retail therapy? Want to see some shops?

Across the road from our hotel is this great shop which specialises in vintage posters.

Further along the street - "Nonna Bakes"

Cakes like these!

Whilst we're talking cakes.........

fancy a coffee?

How about some fresh flowers to take home?

Not a great shot......perhaps you can see our reflections in the window?

This fabulous shop is angelic

a close up of a miniature shop in the window

We found this beautiful place just off the Place du Tertre, Montmartre

look at the window display!

just couldn't resist those macarons

Next time..........sightseeing

Leaving on a fast train...............

2011-10-09T23:26:00.000-07:00

On Monday afternoon I'll leave the Senior Partner, Mr Ben and M'selle Fleur home alone, and hop on a fast train, away from the sleepy Normandy countryside.

My destination?

Paris!

That's right, the City of Lights - Paris, France,

to spend the day with friends

before they fly home to Dallas, TX.

at the end of the week.

I'm thinking galleries, museums, shopping!

à tout à l'heure mes amis.

A Seasonal mosaic

2011-10-08T05:44:00.000-07:00

There's definitely a chill in the air these early mornings here in Normandy.
Autumn has finally arrived after our wonderully unexpected Indian summer of last week.
To add a touch of Fall decor to the dining room I used an orange and black paisley shawl as a table runner on the dining table, filled an antique Choissy - le - Roi, Majolica soup tureen with windfall apples and pears and placed it on a matching serving platter.
I added faux mini pumpkins, leaves, berries, acorns, real horse chestnuts from the garden, a pair of vintage French, silver plated pheasants and a simple white lantern to complete a seasonal vignette.
Photographing the whole table was a nighmare, thank heavens for mosaics!

Joining the Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays #69

Mary @ the little red house for Mosaic Monday
and Marty's Tabletop Tuesday @ A Stroll Through Life

Click on the links or sidebar buttons to visit our gracious hosts.

Reality Shot Thursdays

2011-10-06T03:22:00.000-07:00

Have you ever looked at a favourite blog and found a new party going on that you think you like the look of?

Well, this morning whilst perusing Mary's delightful blog "A Breath of Fresh Air" I discovered Reality Shot Thursdays a new blog party being hosted by Claudia @ Mockingbird Hill Cottage.
Claudia describes it like this -
it's about letting everyone in on a glimpse of real life in our homes every Thursday, a Reality Shot is what's just to the left or right of a staged, pretty photograph?

If I can drag myself away

from my computer and camera today

this is my next task...........ironing!

Go on take a deep breath and show us what's lurking at the corner of your eye.

Heligan - the tour continues.

2011-10-04T06:21:00.000-07:00

Once you've bought your ticket to enter the wonderful Lost Gardens of Heligan you are faced with two options.
Walk straight ahead towards the Northern Gardens, or turn right into the Woodland Walk.
We turned right along a sheltered and shady path venturing into over 80 acres of ancient woodland.

The Grey Lady

It isn't long before intriguing woodland sculptures such as the Grey Lady and the Mud Maid reveal themselves.

The Mud Maid sleeping peacefully beneath the greenery

Once past the Grey Lady another choice presents itself - continue on along the Georgian Ride eventually arriving at the Lost Valley, or cut across to the Jungle?

As the walk back up from the Lost Valley is described as steep, or very steep in places we decided to take the less strenuous path and explore the Jungle.

Everywhere you turn there's a "Kodak" moment waiting to surprise you.

We walked past the Steward's House, which is now a tearoom, and the Poultry Orchard.

Whichever way you decide to walk around the Lost Gardens Of Heligan eventually the path leads back to two very important places.

The Willows Tearoom - where you can sample many delights such as savoury snacks, sweet treats and wonderful pasties all freshly baked at the on site Heligan bakery.

Oh! They bake wonderful scones too for delicious Cornish cream teas.

After tea - shopping!

The Heligan shop is a wonderful place where you can find high quality items such as stationery, prints tapestries, toiletries and much more.

Next door the Heligan Plant Centre is brimming with all sorts of marvellous plants, gardening equipment, seeds and bulbs.

I stocked up on Cornish Spring bulbs.

They all had such fabulous names - Pipit; Niveth; Cheerfulness; Chuckles and Rip Van Winkle.

I'll be planting them in the garden and garden urns soon, for a marvellous display next year.

Joining our gracious hosts Bunny Jean and Susan

for

Bunny Hop Wednesday #9

and

Outdoor Wednesday #143.

Click on the above links or the sidebar buttons

to see more Wednesday posts.

A Very UN Seasonal Sunday

2011-10-02T00:18:00.000-07:00

White Clematis - Orange & Yellow Nasturtiums
Pink Fuschia - Blue Hibiscus

Joining the Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday

and

Mary @the little red house for Mosaic Monday

this week

with these photographs taken around the garden yesterday.

Red geraniums - Yellow Marigolds - White Marguerite (self seeded!)
Red poppy

The thermometer on the patio climbed to 30C/86F

on the hottest day of 2011

here at Le Presbytère.

Pink Saturday in October!

2011-10-01T03:27:00.000-07:00

Although it's officially Autumn and the Virginia creeper on the house is beginning to change colour from green to burgundy, there are still plenty of roses in my garden.

So, I'm sending you all a little piece of pink, from Normandy, to celebrate the first day of October!

Joining Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound and her wonderful Pink Saturday party

click on the link to see more beautiful pinkness from around the globe.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan - The Productive Gardens.

2011-09-28T05:14:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our recent stay in Cornwall, UK was a visit to the Lost Gardens of Heligan.

I imagine that most of my British followers will know the amazing story of how the abandoned and forgotten gardens were discovered by Tim Smit and John Willis (a descendent of Samuel Tremayne who purchased Heligan in 1569), after the devastating hurricane of 1990.

Fruit such as melons, grapes and peaches
were cultivated for the Heligan table

It is a story that has captivated me for many years, since I first saw a BBC documentary featuring Heligan in the 1990's.
We joined the guided walking tour through the Northern Garden and these photographs were all taken in the walled garden of the Victorian Productive Gardens.

potted plants "resting"
inside one of the many glasshouses

There is so much to see at Heligan that I decided to devote a blog post to each of the special areas of interest.

Bee boles were incorporated into the wall outside the garden. Here bee skeps (the forerunners of bee hives) would be placed, the boles had wooden doors which could be closed during the winter to ensure that the bees survived.

herbs planted close to an ancient stone building
where garden tools are housed
onions and shallots hung against the wall
a wheelbarrow full of leeks
ready to go to the restaurant kitchen

"A motto etched into the limestone walls in barely legible pencil still reads “Don’t come here to sleep or slumber” with the names of those who worked there signed under the date – August 1914. "
(source Heligan website.)
Many of the gardeners, who's names were listed there, were never to return from the Great War.

seedlings and sensitive plants are "brought on"
in the large glass frames

A quote from the Heligan Gardener's blog.
The Productive Gardens at Heligan have been restored to reflect the workings of a Victorian garden before the First World War. We remain true to this period in our cropping plan, growing only heritage varieties and cultivating the soil by hand. The garden is fully productive throughout the year and there is a constant supply of produce ready for harvest. This is taken to our restaurant on a daily basis in much the same way that it would have been given to the cook at Heligan House a hundred years ago.

gourds and succulents sit in a shadowy, cool glasshouse

If you have enjoyed this virtual tour of the walled kitchen garden at Heligan and want to learn more about this amazing place all you need do is click here to visit the Heligan website and here to learn about it's chequered history.

Linking this post to

Outdoor Wednesday #142 @ A Southern Daydreamer

and also to

Hey Harriets Shadow Shot Sunday.

Click on the links to join the other bloggers participating in these great memes this week.

Blogging again and having fun with friends!

2011-09-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

Such a lot has been happening since my last post almost 2 weeks ago that I'm only now able to catch my breath.
I'll be posting about where we went and what we got up to during our wonderful break back "home" in the UK very soon, but first I want to share with you the two visits which we have had since our return.
On Wednesday my very good blogging friend Jenny, & her husband Enno, (Two Tumbleweeds) from Holland came for tea.
It was the first time we had met face to face but you would never have known it, as we hit it off right from the start.

Jenny & Enno
just two tumbleweeds!

Jenny & Enno are both talented artists click here to go to Jenny's new painting blog.
The Senior Partner and I were thrilled when Jenny presented us with one of her artworks which she had painted during their time spent close to Monet's Garden at Giverny.

We spent a lovely afternoon together chatting over tea and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam.

As they left Jenny told me that she felt we could be related, well, all I know is that we're family now!
On Thursday afternoon my dear friend Sarah (aka Hyacinths For The Soul) and her husband Mr HFTS came to stay for the weekend.

Sarah, Mr Ben & me

Sarah and I met over 10 years ago, through our love of Quimper pottery, at the Quimper Club meeting in Washington, DC and have met almost every year, since then, at the same annual event.

Monogrammed napkins from Roundtop,
gingerbread from Dijon & graines de moutarde de Bourgogne,
French nougat, quince,thyme & rosemary preserves,
and
pretty notecards

Mr B & I were in the UK whilst the club was meeting this year in Brittany but Sarah soon brought me up to date on all the latest Q news and I felt as if I'd almost been there myself!
She also brought delightful gifts for us both, we did feel spoilt.

Hyacinth in Bayeux!

Sarah & I drove to Bayeux on Friday for a little flea marketing, a visit to the Bayeux Tapestry and the Cathedral, followed by crepes for lunch.
If that girl lived here we could get up to all sorts of mischief!

experiencing my local epicerie

The "husbands" were happy to sit in the sunshine and have lunch in the garden putting the world to rights, until Sarah & I arrived home with one or two "treasures" found at the Depot Vente.

Hidden in a pile of plates I discovered this special piece. Number 50 of 300.
It was produced in 1990 to celebrate the "Trois siècles de faïences", Keraluc, Quimper.

The price?
Just 2€ - the thriftiest find I've ever had!

Joining Bunny Hop Wednesday at Bunny Jeans Decor & More

French Inspiration Thursday @ The French Cupboard
and

Vintage Thingies Thursday with the Colorado Lady

Click on the links to see who else is participating in these great meme's this week.

Déjà vu in Cornwall

2011-09-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Today we dragged ourselves away from the beautiful harbourside in Portloe to take a drive to another small fishing port on Cornwall's north coast.

The weather reports of the last few days have been filled with storm and gale warnings

but here in Cornwall the weather has been wonderful.

The scenery over there is just as breathtaking as on the south coast, although it did rain during the drive by the time we arrived we were met by sunshine and the bluest of blue skies.

The narrow lanes leading down to the beach are lined with pretty fisherman's cottages,

now they are holiday or second homes for wealthy people!

These two interesting buildings caught my eye.

The view across the bay to the other side is wonderful.

I was beginning to get a funny feeling, a kind of déjà vu,

which was strange, I knew I'd never been to Port Isaac before

but I seemed to recognise the place.

These homes on the opposite bank look very familiar to me.

O.K. now I know why!

Who would live in a house like this?

Maybe a Doctor?

Time for lunch.

I had to take this for Ricki Jill!

More Harbour views

So, have you guessed where we were today?

Here are some clues -

Port Isaac is the location for a very popular British TV show.

The new series began on ITV last night.

No, not guessed it yet?

Here's your final clue.

Answers on a postcard please.

Only joking!

Just leave a comment.

R&R + Retail Therapy + Reiki = Happy Me!

2011-09-07T05:49:00.000-07:00

Taking a fast ferry

Millston Postcards provided this great image.

Close to the cathedral town of Truro, hidden away in a tiny coastal village

with the waves almost lapping at the door, is a beautiful hotel.

The Lugger.

Hanging the Do Not Disturb notice on the bedroom door.................

will be back soon.

Tuesday morning muffin - Ginger Pear

2011-09-06T08:26:00.000-07:00

There's something about a wet and windy Tuesday morning that has me reaching for my favourite muffin recipe book - "Muffins fast and fantastic" by Susan Reimer.
Mine is the second edition 1999, but you can still find it on Amazon if you click here.

The espaliered trees on the west facing garden wall are heavy with apples and pears.

Ginger Pear Muffins

Did you know that the second post I ever wrote was about a Tuesday morning muffin?
It received one comment!
I was such a newbie at blogging.
But quite good at making muffins!
Still am..............
Click here if you missed it and are not the person who commented.

Joining Bunny Jean for Wednesday's Bunny Hop the place to meet new bloggers every week.

The faded charm of pink hydrangeas.

2011-09-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

I've been in the wars a little bit this week!
On Monday I was stung by a wasp on my lower left arm, as I'm mildly allergic to wasp stings it wasn't long before the swelling went from elbow to fingers.
As I'd had the same thing happen last year I had antihistamine tablets and cortisone cream in the cabinet so after a couple of days the swelling was starting to recede.
That was until this afternoon (Thursday) when I got stung again whilst in the garden getting some fresh air.
Same arm, just higher up!
Taking no chances I went to see our lovely Dr B-B who loaded me up with more tablets, cream, compresses, alcohol (to cool the arm, not to drink!) and bandages to hold the compresses in place!
I look like the walking wounded and have to stay this way for 10 days.
So, I need some fresh flowers to cheer me up, more than ever which is why I'm ..............................

Joining Liz @Rose Vignettes once more for Fresh Cut Friday.

Even though they are past their summer pink gorgeousness now

my hydrangeas are still bringing me pleasure.

I'll let them dry out here in the dining room and

enjoy their faded charm for many more months to come.

Joining Beverly too for Pink Saturday @How Sweet The Sound.

Please click on the links to join both of these lovely ladies for gorgeous flowers and delightful pinks, me, I'm staying indoors with a good book until all the wasps have gone.

1001 Courgette/Zucchini Recipes

2011-08-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

O.K. it's a slight exaggeration.

I don't have 1001 courgette recipes to share with you today, but if like me you have been growing your own courgettes this summer you probably feel like you've tried at least that many ways to prepare them.

Here are a few that I've tried.

Courgette, mushroom and mozzarella tart

Like pizza only better!

Lemon Zucchini Muffins

I took Lynn's recipe for Lemon Zucchini Bread which she posted on her blog Happier than A Pig In Mud and tweaked it to make muffins.

Courgette chutney

I love to make chutneys and found a great recipe for spicy courgette chutney on the River Cottage website, it's delicious.

Chocolate zucchini bread

The chocolate zucchini bread was another recipe I found on the BBC Good Food website. I have a monthly subscription to the magazine but use the website to search for recipes to match the ingredients that I have to hand.

Courgettes and tomatoes
waiting for goat's cheese and thyme
stuffed chicken.

It's easier to print the recipe from there rather than prop the magazine up in the kitchen where I inevitably spill something onto the pages.

Courgette & Brie soup

I've had the New Covent Garden Soup Company's Book of Soups for many years and have tried quite a few of the recipes.

One we like very much is Jason Stead's Courgette & Brie Soup.

Here's the recipe (tweaked just a bit):

450g/1lb courgettes/zucchini, sliced.
2 medium sized potatoes, about 350g/12oz, peeled and chopped.
1 onion (white or yellow) finely chopped.
1.2 litres/2 pints vegetable stock (a stock cube is fine).
225g/8oz Brie. Remove end rind and cut into pieces.
salt & feshly ground black pepper.

Put the first 4 ingredients into a large saucepan .
Cover, and bring to the boil then simmer gently until the veggies are tender. This'll take about 15 mins.
Stir in the brie until it melts.
Allow the soup to cool a little then blitz it with a hand blender or in a liquidiser.
Taste for seasoning.

This is a versatile soup that can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Think about pouring chilled soup into small shot glasses or expresso cups as an amuse bouche, a great way to greet guests as they arrive at your house for a dinner or cocktail party.

Just in case you feel you need to add more "ways with courgettes" to your repertoire, click on the following links.

Courgette, mushroom and mozzarella tart. (BBC Good Food)
Lynn's Lemon Zucchini Bread
Pam the Jam's River Cottage Courgette Chutney
Chocolate Zucchini Bread (BBC Good Food)
Goat's cheese & thyme stuffed chicken (BBC Good Food)

Joining the Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

Weekend Cooking @ Beth Fish Reads

and also La @ A Musing Potpourri

for the End Of The Summer Celebration Party

August 31st.

P.S. Sending all best wishes

to any of my blogger friends

who are suffering

at the hands of Hurricane Irene this weekend.

Stay indoors and stay safe!

The last Pink Saturday of summer.

2011-08-26T08:49:00.000-07:00

Another week has flown by, another week of thunder and rain, soggy vegetables in an even soggier potager and the sound of falling leaves.

But the sun did peek through from time to time and as these photographs taken on Thursday afternoon reveal there is still plenty of pink to be found in the garden.

The hydrangeas which have really brought the garden to life this year with their bright pink blooms are fading now but still beautiful.
The roses climbing up the house and garden walls and the standard roses in the flower beds are giving us one last hurrah!

Fleur is ten months old now and loves nothing more than to chase Ben our cocker spaniel around the garden, which is what they were doing whilst I took the photographs, hence the pink tongues!
The hardy fuschia has bloomed profusely all summer long despite being invaded by a climbing nasturtium or two.

Joining Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound

for the last Pink Saturday of summer.

Click on the link to join in.

What a surprise!

2011-08-21T01:20:00.000-07:00

Every morning whilst sitting up in bed drinking tea I like to gaze out of the bedroom windows at the surrounding countryside.
There are usually at least three or four Normandie heifers in my line of sight. The field next door is home every year to a small herd of 11 of them.
A heifer in case you didn't already know is a female bovine between 2 and 4 years of age who hasn't yet given birth to a calf. Then she's a cow.
So you can imagine my delight not to mention shock, on Friday, when I spied this little chap running across the meadow.

All that chasing soon tired him/her out and so it was time to head back to mum for a rest.

Later that day we caught up with the farmer who owns the heifers and asked him about the calf.
"C'est une erreur"! he said.

It seems one young heifer met up with a neighbours taureau, quite unchaperoned, and this little guy only 3 days old, was the result of their romance.

After rounding up the rest of the herd the farmer with his wife and sons caught up with the mum and her little one, loaded them into the trailer and took them up to the farmyard to be better cared for.

Au revoir Tinkerbell! (it may be daft but that's the name I gave the calf as soon as I saw it flitting around the field!).

Joining The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays #62

with this bucolic tale from rural Normandy.

The foyer/entry/hall back-story - circa 1997.

2011-08-18T05:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I really enjoyed taking part in the Room By Room party, hosted by cottage and vine, with photographs of the hall here at the Presbytère.

You left me some very nice comments, merci!

After reading some of them the Senior Partner was overheard to mumble "if only they'd seen what it looked like when we moved in"!
Click here if you missed the "after" post.

So I thought it might be fun to show you what the hall did look like all those years go, in 1997, before and during the major house renovation.
We'll call this the "before" post.
I went through all the photographs that we took to document the work done and scanned them into my PC.
Those of a sensitive disposition may wish to look away NOW!

The original, white painted, front doors - notice there's no lock or door handle.

The staircase and walls were clad in cheap boards and beading. The previous owner removed the wall and ceiling lights, when it went dark each evening we switched on torches to find our way about the house.

This is Sam one of the builders mates.

It was very dirty work getting them off and the walls beneath were in a dreadful state.

Can you see the loops of electrical wire just hanging down?

These wires were taped together and led from the junction box on the landing to the wall lights - very dangerous.

The entire house needed to be rewired. The wall was replastered where needed and battened for the new plasterboards.

The staircase was rotted through in places, serious restoration was called for.

With work going on in virtualy every room of the house simultaneously, tools and implements, not to mention, other things too, came to rest in very strange places!

What was stashed in the hall depended very much on what was happening in the rooms either side!

The underneath of the cantilevered staircase, which rises up through the centre of the house to my attic craft room in the eaves, had to be rebuilt and replastered.

Starting to look a lot better!

Walls plastered and painted, new central heating radiator (1 of 17) installed.

Mr. J Ribet, Artisan.

Jacques is adding the extra finishing touches. Bespoke plaster moulding for baseboards; dado; ceiling coving and interior doorways.

Finally the big day came, new doors!

The new outside lamps had been installed just a few days before.

There may well be bare wires and lightbulbs hanging from the walls but hey, the new doors are on!

Walls finally painted in pale yellow shades (tick), artwork and mirror hung (tick), new rugs and stair carpet laid (tick), 18th century original handmade terracotta floor cleaned and repolished (tick). Chandelier had yet to be sourced!

It took us almost 2 years to renovate this old house. During that time we had about thirty artisans working here, some of them practically living with us every day.

Builders; electricians; tilers; plumbers; master carpenters; plasterers; gardeners and tree surgeons.

I made what seemed like thousands of teas and coffees, the kettle was always on.

Two years ago we finally finished the restoration when we had the house completely reroofed.

Click here to see some more about that adventure!

Hope you've enjoyed the "before" post, it's been fun looking back at what we went through and maybe I'll do it again after next month's Room By Room party?

Linking this post to Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday party @ Common Ground,

I always find great decorating ideas there.

Celebrity Cook - Along with Rachel Ray

2011-08-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

This month Lynn @ Happier Than A Pig In Mud has challenged us to a cook - along with Rachel Ray.

I have to tell you that I'm enjoying this monthly party very much, partly because some of the Chefs that Lynn has chosen are unknown to me.
I have seen a few Rachel Ray shows on TV, during vacations spent in Hilton Head, SC. and I believe she will be coming to the FoodNetwork channel, on satellite TV over here, sometime soon.

I always enjoy trying new recipes and Rachel Ray has some that are very simple and easy to follow.
For this cook - a long, I made.........................

Well-Dressed Salmon

and served it with

Crispy Mashed Potato Cakes

Click on the links for these recipes which were featured in an episode titled

"Steppin' Out"

Together they make a great 30 Minute Meal.

For "afters" I made Rachel's big sister Maria's

Peach Clafouti

A perfect summer dessert.

Bon appétit

Pink Saturday

2011-08-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

Inspiration for Beverly's Pink Saturday party this week

came from some pretty pinks

which make my craft room/sanctuary/attic bolt hole

one of my favourite places to be.

Pink scrapbook pages,
Pink Daytimer (love it!),
Pink Roses from the scrapbook
and Pink Radley dust bags and boxes.

I didn't take part in last weeks Pink Saturday but I visited quite a few of those bloggers who did.

One blog which was new to me is Raindrops and Daisies.

It caught my eye because of the doggy thumbnail pic and the title Pink Tongue!

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I'm a sucker for pooches, so how could I not click through?

When I visited the blog I discovered that a Mr Ben lookalike lives there!

Poor old Oscar broke his leg when he jumped over a wall and landed on some ice, he's been back and forth to the vets ever since.

Hope you're feeling better now Oscar.

This weekend Pink Saturday is participating in
The Miracle Makeover Weekend
Click here or on the sidebar button to find out how you can play a part in
Charlie's Miracle Makeover.

Bon weekend a tout.

Room By Room with cottage and vine

2011-08-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

Rene @cottage and vine has launched a new monthly party this week

which will feature our homes "Room By Room".

Do please come on in.

The first party is taking a look at entrys/foyers, or what we Brits would call "the hall".

Because the hall here at the Presbytère is a T shape with the staircase going up on the left and doors leading off left to the dining room, right to the library and at the back into the cloakroom, there isn't room for too much furniture.

The ornately carved chest of drawers and the mirror above are permanent residents. I change the objects on top regularly to suit the seasons.

I have a large pewter collection which is usually only displayed during the autumn and winter months but some pieces I love more than others and keep them out year round, such as the bowl, jug and plate.

The clock and the chair are mainstays of the entry way decor too, the plant in it's blue and white delft jardiniere tends to wander from room to room, again depending on the season.

The antique oak captains chair was a gift from friends many years ago, the quilted cushions are vintage and came from an antique fair in Maine.

Some architectural details

A view of the garden through the double front doors

Thanks for taking my Open House Tour,

I hope you enjoyed your visit,

and thanks too, to Rene for hosting Room By Room.

Click here or on the sidebar button to take more house tours .

Linking this post also to
Bunny Jean's Wednesday Bunny Hop
a new weekly meme.

Seasonal, Scenic Sunday & Mosaic Monday

2011-08-07T05:15:00.000-07:00

Instead of following the path that we usually take for our Sunday walk through the Normandy countryside this morning we headed in a different direction.

We crossed a low bridge in the village of Ecrammeville and walked along the bank of a tributary of the River Aure.

I was pleased that I had my camera with me so that I could capture the scene to share with the Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays

Scenic Sundays

and Mary @ the little red house for Mosaic Monday.

I think that this house that I glimpsed across the fields looks a lot like ours!

Click on the links or on the sidebar buttons to visit the other particpants joining us today.

Fresh Cut Friday with Rose Vignettes

2011-08-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

I think I spoke too soon, those gorgeous blue skies are nowhere to be seen today, the rain came back with a vengeance during the night and it's grey and overcast once more.

White hydrangea, pink roses and blue hibiscus

Luckily I picked these colourful blooms from the garden earlier in the week and arranged them quite simply in a Quimper faience vase decorated in the same colours.

The decoration on the vase is known as broderie and is made up of tiny little dots of coloured glaze which are applied to the surface with the aid of a small tool known as a "poire", it's a bit like icing a cake!

Many different designs can be found on broderie pieces, they mimic the elaborate embroideries which we see decorating traditional Breton costumes such as the one that the Bretonne, featured on the front of the vase, is wearing.

The back of the vase is just as decorative.

I find that the coloured glazes contrast beautifully against the dark cobalt blue background.

Joining Liz @ Rose Vignettes for Fresh Cut Friday

where everything is blooming wonderfully.

Wordless Wednesday - Incy Wincy Spider

2011-08-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday and Wordless................

Click here for more WW

Nothing but blue skies from now on................

2011-07-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

Summer has returned to Normandy and blue skies are the norm (!) once again.

For Mary's Mosaic Monday at the little red house and Blue Monday with Smiling Sally a little taster to brighten your day.

If the sight of blue skies fills you with joy,
if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has the power to move you,
if the simple things in nature have a message you understand,
Rejoice, for your soul is alive.

Eleanora Duse

As some of you will already know Sally has been hospitalised for some weeks now
but the latest on her blog is that she's doing o.k.

Do pop over for a visit and say hi to Sally's grandaughter Lauren
who assisted Sally with this week's Blue Monday.

Les Nympheas
Monet

Pink Saturday

2011-07-29T06:09:00.000-07:00

How the week has flown by.
It doesn't seem 5 minutes since I sat here with my daylily collage for Mosaic Monday, now here I am on Friday preparing for the weekend ahead and Pink Saturday with Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound.
It's not as if I've been that busy this week, the days have been filled with mundane things such as shopping, housework and gardening.

I did have a mini rant over on my other blog just books yesterday, after I heard about the actor who will, allegedly, bring Jack (no middle name) Reacher to our movie screens this fall.
If you'd like to register your opinion on the matter, click here.
I'd really like to know what you think.

So, what have I got to show you for Pink Saturday this week?

How about a pink cow?
Well, Normandy is famed for it's wonderful cows and dairy industry, so why shouldn't l'Authentique not only have a beautiful creamy white daylily but also a pink metal cow in their garden?

Bon weekend a tout!

Mosaic Monday - Daylily collage

2011-07-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

I spotted this beautiful, creamy white daylily in the garden of l'Authentique, a restaurant in our local market town when we had lunch there last week.
Unfortunately I got my shadow in there too, bottom right!
C'est la vie!

Kicking off the week by joining Mary for her Mosaic Monday gathering @the little redhouse with this simple collage and Shakespeares sonnet number 99.

To quote the bard:

The forward violet thus did I chide:

Sweet thief, whence didst thou steal thy sweet that smells,

If not from my love's breath? The purple pride

Which on thy soft cheek for complexion dwells

In my love's veins thou hast too grossly dy'd.

The lily I condemned for thy hand,

And buds of marjoram had stol'n thy hair;

The roses fearfully on thorns did stand,

One blushing shame, another white despair;

A third, nor red nor white, had stol'n of both,

And to his robbery had annexed thy breath;

But, for his theft, in pride of all his growth

A vengeful canker eat him up to death.

More flowers I noted, yet I none could see,

But sweet, or colour it had stol'n from thee.

Pink Saturday with Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound

2011-07-22T06:41:00.000-07:00

The weekend is almost here and so for Beverly's Pink Saturday party @ How Sweet The Sound I created this pinkalicious mosaic using photographs taken in our own garden and at the Château des Ravalet Flower show which we enjoyed visiting in May 2010.
The bad weather has kept me indoors almost all week.
There have been some dashes out into the garden, between the rain showers, to do bits of weeding and other tidying but mostly we've been housebound.
So, to while away the time, one of the things that I've been doing is sorting through the zillions of photographs stored on my PC
This is always a treat as I often forget just what's in there!

There are isolated T storms forecast for the weekend ahead so I'm glad that I have two new paper back books to read.
Mermaids in The Basement by Michael Lee West and Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen, they should keep me quiet!
If you are looking for a good read click here or on the sidebar link to go to my other blog just books.
There you'll find recommendations from myself and other book loving bloggers, I should think that between us there'll be something to suit all tastes.