All of our doors lead directly into the garden and now that summer has arrived they are permanently open and the garden has become an extension of the house, a space to be enjoyed and lived in. It is in fact a series of rooms, and it occurred to me that I haven’t taken you on a tour of it for quite a long while.
One of the many things we love about France is the slightly slower pace of life. However, at the same time our life seems more hectic than ever; it’s a total contradiction I know, but true. We have never been busier, but we also find more time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life! Continue reading “Finding Time for Oneself”
Who knew that keeping chickens could take us to so many places? We’ve driven down roads scarcely fit for a car in search of eggs and covered two départements buying our chickens over the past two years and it’s turned out to be a far more technical business than I realised. Along the way I’ve expanded my French vocabulary as we have dealt with species, sexes, ailments and treatments. All of this for the love of chickens, our own organic free range eggs and the excitement of newly-born chicks. Continue reading “Spring-Chicken Fever”
The French are exceptionally good at street parties. I remember going to my very first one in a village somewhere in southern France when I was about 20 years old and I have been hooked on them ever since. Throughout the summer little signs appear all over the place announcing the dates that each village will be having a party, or be “en fête“. In any given area during the summer months there is nearly always somewhere to go each weekend for fun, dancing, outdoor food and other entertainment. Continue reading “A French Street Party”
It was with some triumph that Roddy returned home from our local market a while ago with a bag of milk. I looked at it in some surprise but a closer inspection revealed the words “lait cru.” Roddy stood there grinning at me, and I realised he was as excited as I was becoming – this was raw milk, unpasteurised and fresh from the cow as nature intended it to be. Continue reading “A Land of Milk and Honey?”
When we think of the word ‘renovation’ we tend to think of houses and buildings, but it can equally be applied to gardens. For those of us in the northern hemisphere it’s late spring and the whole show has moved outdoors. So I thought I would feature a garden renovation which is quite remarkable and is a complete transformation from a sea of earth and weeds to a series of spaces overflowing with roses and an enormous variety of plants. Continue reading “Could you create the Perfect Garden?”
May is a month full of public holidays in France. I admit that I get just as excited as the children at the prospect of three days without school, or maybe my excitement is just the fact that the children are going to be home for three days. Either way, the extra 24 hours is always an added bonus. At this time of year there is so much to enjoy in the Charente Maritime. This is how I love to spend a long weekend.
If you ask most people what comes to mind when they first think about France and food, more often than not you’ll probably find croissants, cheese and wine popping up in their replies. Moules-frites, fruits de mer, Cognac, truffles and patisserie also play a role in most foodies’ daydreams, but this blog-post is about cheese, and in particular, goat’s cheese. We’re not talking mass-produced here, no, we’re thinking more about those soft aromatic little cheeses that are a real speciality. Continue reading “Cheese & the Goat that Ate My Homework”
One of the greatest things I have found out about blogging is that sometimes it’s an excuse to do all sorts of things I might otherwise never think of! During some gorgeous weather this week I played around with outdoor-dining, and for each meal I set the scene slightly differently. I cannot tell you how much fun it was, it felt a little like being on holiday! Continue reading “Outdoor Living”
Far down the garden in the potager, I stopped digging and listened carefully. It was early evening. The first small insects of the season were swirling like dust motes in the dying sunlight under the blossoming horse-chestnut, back up towards the house. The noise came again, and I recognised the faint sound of jazz as it floated down across the lawn in the gentle breeze. Intrigued, I wandered back up toward the house with a clutch of eggs from the hens and realised that our guest in the gîte was making good use of the new bluetooth-speaker. Continue reading “An American Dream”
Our French Oasis 