Early Sunday morning

During the summer months the potager comes into it's own, providing wonderful fresh produce for the table.

Watering always takes place either late at night when the bats come out to play or early morning whilst waiting for the coffee to brew as happened today.

my favourite salad "cut and come again" mixed leaves and roquet

When I noticed the way the water drops on this opened courgette flower sparkled in the early morning sunlight I had to dash indoors and grab my trusty Lumix.

Did you know that technically courgettes/zucchini are a fruit not a vegetable?
You can use them in cakes and tea breads as well as many savoury dishes.
These two plants are identical yet one bears yellow fruits and the other yellow and green.
Such a rebel!

They have both been quite prolific so I'm trying out all sorts of ways to prepare them. Fritters and casseroles are always good standbys but our favourite recipe this year is for courgette pesto pasta which makes a great BBQ side dish and the cold leftovers (if there are any) are delish.

The plum tree has plenty of fruit on it this year, I hope that the birds leave us some and don't steal all the plums, after all they've already had the cherries, raspberries and blueberries.

Soon the coffee was ready and calling me back to the kitchen, so I picked a good handful of dwarf haricots for tonight's dinner as the SP is planning on cooking pork tenderloin medallions with a Dijon mushroom sauce, c'est magnifique!

Pink Blossom

This week we saw warmer weather returning to Normandy and with it came our summer resident house martins who have been busy fluffing last year's nests in the rafters over the garage.
They fly so fast overhead it is impossible to be sure just how many have returned this year from Africa but I think there's at least three nesting pairs making their home with us, once again.

google image

The sunshine also brought out the beautiful blossom on our fruit trees.

The espaliered apple trees are looking particularly beautiful this year.

The ornamental cherry tree which is now almost as high as the house roof is a mass of vibrant pink blossom.

I love to look at it through my bedroom window as a sip my first cup of tea of the day.

Wishing you a beautiful start to the weekend, too.

Sharing the pink with Beverly @ How Sweet The Sound

Pink Saturday
and
The Tablescaper for
Seasonal Sunday #149

Christmas Open House - Part One.



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.

Fete de la Pomme in Trévières.

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.

Halloween in Normandy 2011

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

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.

White Pumpkin Vignette.

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.