A Breath of Spring.

For a few hours today we had blue skies and sunshine, a breath of spring gently wafting over the garden.
I mooched around tidying here and there, stopping to take photographs of emerging primroses,crocuses and daffodils and getting dirt under my fingernails.

Bliss!

I'm joining Susan @ A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday
and Kim @ Savvy Southern Style for the very first
Wow Us Wednesdays Party

click on the links, or on the sidebar buttons,

 to see who else is sharing this week.

Normandy delights: Calvados and Cows

Today my friend and fellow Quimper faience collector Cerelle, has blogged about her love of cows on the QCI Blog.
Followers of my blog will already know that I too love cows.
Well, as cows spend a great part of the year in the fields surrounding our home here in the Calvados region of Normandy, I guess I have to love 'em!

"Bossy" Cerelle's favourite cow has six little cups hanging from her sides and a spigot beneath.

If she were a souvenir of Normandy and not Auvergne, Cerelle supposes that she might be dispensing some of Normandy's famous apple based liquer, Calvados.

One of the sweetest Quimper faience services, designed for serving our special "eau de vie de cidre", that I ever came across, is the one shown here.

In the very popular Ivoire Corbeille decor a pomme shaped jug/decanter complete with apple shaped stopper and six small cups sit nicely on a round serving tray, parfait!
à votre santé

Cows & Calves in Calvados, Normandy.

Today heralded the start of the vide grenier season in the Calvados region and so early this morning Mr B and I headed to a nearby village to browse the stalls. More about that in a future post, perhaps.

Some of you may already know that I love cows and can't wait for them to come back into the fields surrounding the house each Spring.

Imagine my delight when, as we driving home from the vide grenier, we saw this beautiful thing happening.

Mr B did an emergency stop (he certainly knows how much I love cows!) and I hopped out of the car to take these precious shots.

Hope you enjoy seeing these babies as much as I did.

Bonne Dimanche.

Normandy Cheese Board or Le plateau de fromage.

I'm linking this post to January's Fête du Fromage International Cheese Tasting Event taking place at Chez Loulou where wonderful cheeses from all over the world are being celebrated.
Normandy produces many cheeses but in this region, Calvados, three cheeses stand out above the rest.
I would think that most people have heard of Camembert but perhaps Livarot and Pont-l’Evêque will be new to you?


When dining out in any local restaurant le plateau de fromage will usually be offered before the dessert course. Quite often accompanied by a small glass of Calvados, apple brandy.
A favourite restaurant of ours is Le Pommier in Bayeux because of their Menu Saveurs Normandes.


I am quite partial to Camembert or Pont-l’Evêque which are soft and creamy textured cheeses and I usually return from the Thursday market in Le Molay Littry with one or both of these.

The Cheese Specialist.

Paired with a cup of home made vegetable soup and served with fresh crusty bread they make a simple but delicious lunch.

For myself I find Livarot is an acquired taste but I do enjoy it as part of a more formal meal.

The Cheeses of France is an excellent website full of information, click here to learn more about Normandy's specialities and do check in @ Loulou's place for the grand International Cheese Tasting Event.

Bon Appétit.

Baby Calves

Around this time of the year Marc, a local farmer, turns one of the fields in the lane into a "maternity ward" for his herd of Normandie cows to give birth.

I went out a few days ago to try and photograph them but they preferred the shade of the large oak, however I did manage to get one yearling to pose for the camera.

Bonne dimanche