Quietly I watch, I never say a word, for I cannot talk; but I take it all in. The comings and goings and all the changes – I’ve seen them all. For I’m Chuckles, and incredibly I’m the longest-standing two-legged member of the family here, and although I cannot talk, I can tell you a great many stories. I can type though, of course – you may have noticed that! Continue reading “A Wise Old Bird”
For me, growing and cooking are inextricably linked. I am a firm believer in the importance of understanding where our food comes from and how it is grown. Perhaps it is my farming background but I feel it is necessary for both us and our children to realise what goes into growing food in order to fully appreciate what is in front of us on the table. Continue reading “The Simplicity of Food”
April showers bring May flowers. Dark brooding skies seem to clear as quickly as they appeared, a chink of blue will come into sight and then steadily take over, spreading like ink on blotting paper until it fills the entire page.
Those two simple words “For Sale” can turn our lives around, especially when the sign is small and hand-written in the depths of the French countryside. It doesn’t even seem to matter for me what it is for sale – “À Vendre” has me daydreaming. I can see a wooden board propped against a vintage car and I imagine driving it. A sign against some antique chairs outside someone’s house and I envision where I will put them. And something in the window of a building and immediately I’m planning it’s renovation!
For those of us in the northern hemisphere we’ve got to that time of year when we start thinking about summer holidays, or perhaps a little getaway in the spring; for those in the southern hemisphere I know it’s also a time when quite a few of you come to visit Europe. Not everyone who visits France from either direction is necessarily a seasoned hand so I thought it might be fun to take a light hearted look at some of the day to day things you might come across here. And even if you’re not travelling at all, I hope you will still find this little post enjoyable because I am a firm believer in armchair travel, and the more knowledge we have at our fingertips the more extensive our dreams can become. Continue reading “A Few Things You Need to Know about France!”
It’s one of those perfect mornings and I thought of you all. I didn’t have time to write a lot or to edit photos, I simply picked up my camera and snapped away. This is a simple Sunday morning in a country farmhouse in a quiet village in rural coastal France. Continue reading “A Sunday Morning in France”
Today I am doing something totally new and it’s taken me completely out of my comfort zone! When I was first asked by Mary Ann and Cindy if I would join them and a group of other bloggers for their latest ‘Project Design: Simple Ideas to Update Your Entry’, I was not at all sure. I felt I would be joining highly esteemed blogging company and some very talented ladies with beautiful entrance halls, and I didn’t want to let the side down. To say I felt a little out of my depth would be an understatement! But there is nothing I like more than a challenge; ask me if I am up for something and it’s a bit like a red rag to a bull, of course I am up for it! Actually, I really want to thank Mary Ann of Classic Casual Home and Cindy of Rough Luxe Lifestyle for including me in this fabulous group, as our entrance hall has had a complete makeover and has never looked so good!
Continue reading “Project Design: The Entrance Hall; Before and After!”
Something completely out of the ordinary today! The supernatural. Do you believe in it or not? I like to think I am a very grounded, down to earth sort of person, I don’t watch Sci-Fi movies and I rarely fantasise about things, well except perhaps about a holiday in Bora Bora or some such thing! I have had two strange encounters in my life, one with a ghost and one with a UFO and both experiences have happened in France. Continue reading “Ghosts and Aliens”
This is a time of year when we can literally feel spring coursing through our veins. It’s a season full of rebirth and new growth, a time of endless possibilities, and a time of innocent hope. Whilst our climate is generally mild here on the coast and the risk of a frost is pretty much gone now, March and April can be fickle months; we can be dining al fresco with windows and doors wide open one day, and the next be plunged into less favourable temperatures with chilly winds and in definite need of a coat. It’s also a time of year when you can bring spring inside too, when branches of blossom can fill the house with colour and scent Continue reading “The Optimism of Spring in Our Garden”
I am really excited today to introduce you to another British expat, Kathryn Dobson, and her family, who live in the Vienne in Central-Western France. But although they moved here for the good life and have surrounded themselves with numerous animals, their lives are far from ordinary. They live in a small chateau and own a hugely successful magazine that they publish here in France. Continue reading “The Fabled Good Life”
Our French Oasis 