Gardening in France

When we first came to France, we were not experienced gardeners, but we were enthusiastic. The previous owners told us that the soil was very good and that they had grown vegetables very successfully. We noticed that the soil was quite red and looked very rich. There was a vegetable patch already established, so the first year we decided to buy the seeds and have a go.

Veg. plot

We started with tomatoes, courgettes, potatoes, onions, and a few herbs such as basil, thyme, mint, sage, rosemary and oregano.  I can honesty say we had such a glutton of all these vegetables, we were well stocked for the whole winter. The tomatoes were made into tomato sauce, tomato soup, and tomato tarts and put into the freezer. The courgettes were also frozen for winter use. I blanched the potatoes and part sautéed them, then froze them for later use as well as mash. The onions I just used as I needed them.

As well as vegetables we have strawberries, rasberries, figs, peaches, cherries, pears, plums and apples. Because the apple tree is very young we didn't have a lot. I think there is nothing like going outside into your garden and picking own your vegetables and herbs for your dinner, especially when you have grown them yourself and you know they are organic. There is also a big walnut tree in the garden, and I love walnuts. As I make my own muesli with oats, bran, fruit and nuts, walnuts are great and full of nutrient.

Basket of fruit

At the front of the house there is a small patch for roses, which I love, there are also irises, lilies and geraniums. Around the sides there is four large bushes of lavender.

Rose garden at front of house

Our tomatoes this year

In the summer months it can get close to 40 degs, so water is crucial, here you have to pay for it. So we have three big water containers holding 6000 litres of water. So when it does rain, usually April and May it is very important to collect as much as you can.

A New Life in France

Deciding to move to France should not be taken lightly, there are a number of important issues to take into consideration. Whether you consider the cost of living in France to be higher or lower than the UK, depends very much on your circumstance. If for instance you have to renovate your house in France, you run two cars, you arrive with a sparse wardrobe, you may find the cost is excessively high.

Clothes for example, I find really expensive here, you don't have stores like Tesco's and Primark, or many of the high street stores like Topshop. A lot of the places you would buy clothes are boutiques and a plain t-shirt is around €40. I find a lot of the clothes are not as fashionable either, so if you like fashionable clothes they may not suit you. Most expats living here buy there clothes on-line, as I do, or I would wait until I go over to the UK and buy what I need.  You can buy cheaper clothes in supermarkets but the quality isn't very good.

Bills I would say utility bills in France are around about the same as in the UK, although you don't get the same competition. But there seems to be more competition in the more modern services like broadband and mobile phones.

Shopping I  do most of my shopping at the local supermarket, as do most of the French. On average a weekly shop would cost around €130 for my husband and myself and of course that includes the wine. I can buy a bottle of Bordeaux for €3.50. If you buy seasonal and local produce you can cut your costs and your getting quality produce. A lot of DIY products vary considerably, although the price of paint is really expensive compared to the UK.

Eating out It is much cheaper eating out if you live in rural area's in France. The food is simple but good quality. You can get a three course meal in a bistro cafe from 10€ to €15. which would include a carafe of house wine. It would consist of salade, soup, a terrine or pate for starters. Main course would be fish, chicken, or pasta with/or vegetables. A selection of cheese, and dessert, which is not usually listed on the menu. The waiter would usually advise you on the the dessert.

Services Such as health care and schools can be considerably more expensive than the UK, but they are widely considered far superior. Health care is available to all expats with the relative forms.

Recession in France Talking to friends and family, I would say the cost of living in France is definitely not as high. There doen't seem to be the same obsession of home ownership in France as in the UK. As the property market boom in the UK played a hugh role in the banking sector crash, you find the banking sector in France was not as exposed.

Hospital Experience

In June this year I had to go into the Hospital for a small operation, this is my experience leading up-to, and after the operation.

Before I came to France about  7-8 years ago I discovered a small lump between my breasts, well it was more on the right breast. So of course I panicked, as you do, when you find something like that. Anyway off I went to the doctor to have it examined. 'No need to worry, she said, 'its just a small cyst', well what a relief, as you can imagine I had myself dead and buried. So there was nothing more to worry about and it was forgotten about.

Then in May this year, it started to bother me, it was itchy at first and then became painful. It started to grow and was getting redder and redder. So I made an appointment with my French doctor to see what was going on.

Now just a wee word about my doctor, his name is Dr. Catoir and he speaks great english, thank god. He is equivalent to a GP in the UK and he is in the town of Realmont, only 10 mins drive away.  Anyway off I went, and he took one look at it and said it would have to be cut out, but I would need a mammography to diagnose exactly what it was before I saw a specialist in Albi hospital. So he made an appointment for the next day, Friday, to have the mammography done and at the same time he made an appointment to see the specialist for the following Monday.

So I had the examination done, but because a mammography would have been too painful they did a scan instead. They asked me to wait in the waiting room, and after about 10 mins they gave me a full report and the E-rays. On the Monday I went to see the specialist Dr. Denax in Albi hospital. He could speak a little english, but not a lot. Now I must say that my whole anxiety was the language and not understanding what was going on. So after the examination with Dr. Denax he said it was an abscess and I had to have surgery to have it removed. I asked if I would be put to sleep, and he laughed and said they weren't barbaric, of course. So he scheduled the operaton for the Wednesday, and I immediately went to see the anesthetist, who took all my particulars, now that was a bit more difficult as he couldn't speak a word of english.

So I wasn't to eat or drink anything the night before, and when I arrived at the hospital I was greeted with open arms. All the nurses were practicing their english, and I felt more relaxed. Because the cyst was infected, I had to wait in my room until the last surgery was finished. I had my own room with a TV, telephone, en-suite shower room and it was very comfortable. I had to shower and wash my hair with a disinfection shampoo, which was not very pleasant. After about 4 hours they took me down to the operating theatre, and the two young men who wheeled the trolley, tried out their english. The surgery went great and after about 5 hours my husband came for me to take me home.

Dr. Denax gave me a prescription for a whole load of stuff, so we went to the pharmacy and picked it all up. They said a nurse from Realmont would call out to the house to do the dressing. Next morning the nurse came, because the wound was left opened, she had to pack the wound, and had to call every second day to repeat the procedure. But after a week, I went down to them to have it done. This took about 6 weeks, after which I went back to see Dr. Denax to make sure everything was healed properly. So to summarize, from when I went to my GP, until I had the surgery, took 5 days, and that included a weekend.

I can honestly say the service and treatment I received was absolutely brilliant and I would say to anyone going in to hospital in France, 'you couldn't be in a better place'.

quote for today:
A nurse will always give us hope,
an angel with a stethoscope

Todays Mail

Bon jour, what a fantastic day it has been temperatures in the high 20's. So out early this morning with the dogs. I must say it is particularly pleasant and relaxing at the moment to lie on the lounger and snooze while listening to some soul music.

This morning we received a couple of community notices through the post. Now I'm not too bad on translating some of the French, but it took me a while with this one. It was 'Le chemin des mȗres' that got me. After reading the rest and translating some words I finally got it.  The village of Roumegoux, where we live, is getting together with the town of Realmont, which is about 10 mins from here, to go on a hiking trail to pick blackberries. So I think 'Le chemin des mȗres' is a hike to pick blackberries. Apparently we have been cordially invited to participate in the event, which will leave at 9am sunday 1st Oct. Before the event, we will be offered coffee in the village.

After the walk which should finish about 2h 30, it say 'we will share the pot of friendship' to close the morning. I think it was probably a small cartoon drawing at the bottom of the page, of a man with a rucksack on his back, standing at a tree that also helped with the translation. Anyway maybe somebody will correct me if I'm wrong.

Also this weekend the fête de Roumegoux is on. Fête in French meaning party, or festival. Now I have been before, and it is something like a car boot sale. Some fêtes are really good, if you like that sort of thing, but because Roumegoux village is very small their fête isn't that good. In the evening there is a meal, I have a photo in 'memories of France', and it usually consists of a small starter such a salad, then you are served Aligot, which is a speciality from the Aveyron department. It is a cheese and potato dish and a country speciality highly appreciated by the local gastronomy. It's served with Toulouse sausage or roast pork. This fondu- like dish is very popular in Auvergne's restaurants.

 When we went to the fête a few years ago, we watched it being made, and there was an enormous pot and a man stood for ages stirring this Aligot with a wooden spoon. It is much lighter than a puree, and apparently the secret is in the local cheese, which is melted and then stirred into the potato along with butter, creme fraiche, and garlic. I must say it takes getting used to texture , but the French people absolutely love it. We had it served with Toulouse sausage. After that you are offered a sweet, which is usually a small fruit tart. Of course there is wine on the table as well.

So it has been a good day all round, I must say the weather at the moment is fantastic, and it is to continue for another 10 days. So jusqu'à la prochaine fois.

Quote for today:

'Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing'

The Internet in France

When we first came to France in 2007 the first thing I wanted was internet access. The internet has made our life possible in France, as in, communicating with family and friend. But when we first came here it was not possible to get broadband internet access. When we enquired from the neighbours they said you could only get dial-up internet access.

Now most of you will remember dial-up from the old days, I certainly do, when I lived in Northern Ireland it was also the only internet connection at first. I had forgotten what dial-up Internet connection was like until I had no alternative but to get it again. What a nightmare, I had forgotten how slow it was and also when you were on the dial-up internet nobody could get through to you on the telephone. It made that dododo sound when dialing and then the long piercing sound and you would keep you fingers crossed that it made the connection. Right in the middle of doing something it would lose the connection and you would have to start all over again. My internet server provider was Orange France, they weren't too bad and I think it cost about €10. per month and was limited for 2 hours. Of course I couldn't download or upload anything, so any software up-dates were impossible. I use to get my son, in Northern Ireland, to put the updates onto a cd which I would collect when I was over on holiday. Then about 3 years later I heard about internet connection via satellite.

The two way satellite connectivity meant you could have a permanent 2-way connection via a satellite dish, and because the system didn't use a telephone line, you didn't have to worry about missed calls or being engaged.  So I found a company called Kiwi who supplied this service and they gave me all the information. They had already erected a huge satellite dish on top of a water tower, not far from our village. This dish pointed to the orbiting satellites way out in space. Then they supplied a smaller dish, which they put on our roof. This dish then pointed to the large dish on the water tower and our village had high speed internet access.

Water tower

Of course there had to be a clear view to the south, between the dish on our roof, and the dish on the tower, we were lucky there weren't any big trees in the way. The basic satellite equipment was supplied free of charge, but you had to pay for the installation which was over €200. The monthly cost includes telephone calls. Our monthly bills for this internet connection is around €45 per month. But the benefits are great. Mind you I only have 2mb speed, but now I can shop on Amazon, eBay, Marks, Next and a lot more sites and I can get my Mac updates. Because of this high speed connection I bought myself a new MacBook Pro and I have wifi.  But the biggest benefit is communicating with my family and friends on Facebook and Skype, and of course now I have my blog.

Quote for today:

'A journey of a thousand sites begins with a single click'

Food price comparaisons

Bonjour everyone, I was thinking about the cost of food today while down at the market. I find the food at the market dearer than the supermarket, so I don't usually buy a lot from the market. Anyway I thought I would do a price comparaison on a few things, so I went to mysupermarket.co.uk just to see what the prices were. Of course I can't price everything but I was interested to see the difference on a few things.

Lean steak mince £6.08 kg (France £3.07 kg) this was a surprise, although it does depend on the quality of the beef, I must say that the mince in france is very lean and delicious.

180g Scottish smoked salmon £5.49 (France) 170g Scottish smoked salmon £5.62.  I know not everyone likes smoked salmon, but I love it. So there isn't really a lot of difference here, the scottish salmon here is lovely.

Fresh salmon £12.50 kg (France £11.33 kg) Not a big difference, the fresh salmon here is from norway, and is really nice.

Tiger prawns £23.53 kg (France £8.69 kg) Well I'm not really surprised about this one, prawns are plentiful here and one of the cheapest seafoods.

Mussels £4.43 kg (France £1.97 kg) Same as the prawns plentiful, but isn't it strange that Ireland is an island and we don't have the same variety on seafood.

Tetley's teabags (80) £2.23 (France) 100 Teabags £3.51 Not a big difference, couldn't find a box of 100 teabags, but there isn't a big price difference.

4 pork chops £6.59 (France) 4 pork chops £3.07. Not too surprised about this, pork here is very reasonable and very tasty. Must be what they're fed.

Chicken breasts £12.78 kg (France) Chicken breasts £7.02. Now this was a surprise, I thought chicken in the UK would have been cheaper. The chickens here are mostly corn fed and are really good.

William pears £1.80 kg (France) William pears £1.04. A bit cheaper here, but I suppose the climate has a lot to do with the fruit to.

Lamb steaks £15.58 kg (France) Lamb steaks £10.50. I was also surprised about the lamb, this price was based on leg of lamb steaks, I thought the lamb here was really expensive.
Haven't got a comparaison on beef, but I do now stewing beef as well as steak is very expensive here.

So what will my shopping trolley look like in N.I. I will miss my prawns, mussels, chicken, and pork, but then again there is definitely a lot more variety in N.I. although I do find the quality great here. On average I would say we spend about €130 per week on food, which is about £114. stirling. 

So here is my quote for today:

'Maybe a person's time would be as well spent raising food as raising money to buy food'

Autumn arrives

Oh yes, Autumn has arrived, up this morning to the mist, but the sun is starting to break through. And break though it did, what a glorious day it has been, the sky could not be bluer.

I took this photo while lying on my lounger

Ok its 20th Sept. and I have been outside on the lounger having a snooze. Pure Utopia, excuse the pun.

This time of year everyone is getting things ready for the winter, and we are no exception. Today I telephoned our wood man, ha! what a laugh. When you don't have a good command of the language it is even more difficult on the telephone.

Wood burning fire

We have a wood burning fire and it takes about 5 steres of wood, which is about 5 cubic meters. A lot of the people here go out into the forest and get there own wood, bring it home and cut it themselves.  But we don't have the transport for that, so we get it from a man who delivers for us, cut into logs big enough for the fire. Anyway I telephoned him and ordered the wood, and he said it would be next week, and he would phone me to confirm which day. So you always manage. Then we decided we needed the chimney cleaned.

When we were up visiting Francois and Michel last week we mentioned about getting the chimney cleaned and told them we had gotten someone the last couple years to do it. It cost us around €65. Well their face said it all, they were astonished and said they did it themselves. So off we went to the DIY store to buy the necessary to do it ourselves.  My husband put the long sticks with a plastic brush on the end up the chimney, but when it was almost up to the top it seem to stick. When looking up the chimney he could see a bend, were the brush wouldn't go, so he had to get up onto the roof. I was laughing as he looked like an old fashion chimney sweep. But it wasn't possible to get the brush down the chimney from the roof. So fingers crossed, when we light the fire, everything will be ok. I must say, there is nothing like a big wood burning fire in the winter.

I love to watch to see what the wild life are up to this time of the year. Autumn is when birds form flocks, there are conkers and chestnuts covering the ground and plenty of sweet chestnuts which are delicious roasted. The French go berry picking, and they also make a lot of jams, which is called confiture and preserves. In Autumn the valley is bright with colour as the leaves change every shade of orange, red and yellow.

The Tarn in Autumn 

My quote for today:

"Tis the last rose of summer,

left blooming alone,
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone"

Undiscovered Jewel

Most people don't really know the Tarn area, if I asked someone in Britain about S.W. France they probably wouldn't know very much about it. This department offers one of the best climates, beautiful scenery and a rich heritage of culture and history. You have Toulouse airport to the west, Carcassonne to the east, and Rodez to the north-east.  Easyjet, Ryanair, BMI, Flybe and British airways all operate to and from the UK.  The villa is about 1 hour drive from Toulouse international and flights out of there with Easyjet are very good. The motorways in France are excellent you can travel to Bordeaux and the west in no time. A 2 hour drive takes you to the mediterranean or if you fancy a bit of skiing 2 hours take you to the slopes of the Pyrenees. If you wanted to go away for a long weekend shopping, 4 hours takes you to Barcelona.

The villa is 6 miles from the town of Realmont, which has a population of 3080 and is a 13th century bastide village as I said before it has a very popular market every wednesday.  On a good day you can see the pyrenees from the front porch. If you haven't seen the pyrenees before here is a photograph.

On a clear day you can see the snow capped mountains and is truly beautiful. The pyrenees mountains form a natural border between France and Spain, and the tiny country of Andorra is sandwiched in between. Alpine skiing and mountaineering are popular activities there.

The villa is in the heart of the Tarn, midway between Albi and Castres. The lake Bancal, which is 5 mins walk from the villa is a large dammed lake with lots of walking trails.

Roumegoux village is a small village with a population of about 300, the villa is not in the village, but on the opposite side of the road in a small commune of about 10 other houses. The commune is called La Radablene, and was so named by the surrounding farmers.

 This is the local church in Roumegoux

Quote for the day:

"Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads"

Family day - Sunday

Yes, and I think its official around the world, all families gather together on a Sunday.  Oh yes, the memories of sunday's bring a lump to my throat and fill me with a longing.  In france Sunday is still considered a sacred day, a day for families, not working or shopping.  Everything shuts down on a Sunday and this day, by many, is treasured and so the people of France have not reacted kindly to Sarkosy's plans to relax trading laws and encourage more trading. What do you think, should France relax its trading laws on a Sunday? I think what so may brits didn't realize was the knock-on effect that sunday trading had on society as a whole. It replaced the one day we had for ourselves and family.

Living in France reminds me so much of what it use to be like years ago back home.

Sunday should be family and friend together.

Most ex-pats living in France would go out for Sunday lunch, unless they have family living here or they have friends over.  You would have an Aperitif, first of all.  l'entree (starters) might consist of Pate and cured ham, crevettes, stuffed mushrooms, Escargots, or smoked salmon. Le plat principal (Main meal) would be something like, different kinds of salad,  poisson (fish), fillet steak with chips, confit duck, coq au vin, lamp, and then le fromage  (a selection of cheese) desserts would be something like crepes,  chocolate pot, creme brûlée, or fruit tarte, followed by tea or coffee and a digestive such as cognac or armagnac. There would also be a pichet du vin, which is the house wine, and good enough with a meal and very reasonable.

So Bon appétit

and my thought for today
"The best of times are always found when family and friends gather round"

A day of Nostalgia

One of those days, we all get, of nostalgia.

After taking the dogs for their usual walk, and Bob decided again to go walkabout, we got home just in time for Saturday Kitchen. Love it, and of course when that was over I was inspired, as I usually am to cook. So into the kitchen I went and made my tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes straight from the garden mind you.  While that was on the go I made a batch of oat cookies, which my husband loves. Now the flour here in france is a bit different and takes a while to get use to. First of all the plain flour which is called farine,  is farine de ble, and is used for all general baking. Farine a gateaux is self raising flour and farine a pain is bread flour.  Leveur chimique is baking powder, and I would always at a 1/2 teaspoon into the farine a gateaux as it dosen't rise that well.  Anyway a lot of the time it is trial and error. Now I have to mention the baguette, the french baguette is distinguishable by its length and crisp crust. We always have a baguette on the table with our meal, and it is definitely needed for mopping up all that fresh tomato sauce. My husband can eat a whole baguette in one sitting, he loves it like no other bread.

It is also very necessary with cheese and a glass of wine of course.


Today is cloudy, but very warm, I think the humidity is quite high. So as usual we dined Al Fresco, and had our fresh tomato sauce and ravioli and a nice glass of Pinot noir and not forgetting the baguette.

While I was doing some cleaning today my husband was outside doing a bit of painting in the front porch, just a little touch-up to freshen things. So I decided to put some music on while I was cleaning, as you do. Ok you have probably been wondering where the title fits into all this, well it has all to do with Bob Dylan.
I love Bob Dylan, and when I listen to his music I get very nostalgic. Songs like 'Blowin in the wind', and 'Like a rolling stone', bring back such memories to me, that if I closed my eyes for five minuets I would be transported back to the 60's. So of course one thing laid to another and my mind was travelling back through time. Maybe I should have called the blog 'Bob Dylan'.

I would have be 14 years old

So quite a lovely day, and now for a snooze.

my quote for the day

"To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward"

Souvenirs heureux  (happy memories)

Shopping Day

Well here we are another day and its Friday. As I said in my previous posts, certain days have certain meanings and Friday is no exception. First of all its the end of a working week, and funny enough, even though I am retired, I still get excited when Friday comes along. Also it is treat night, and I think that comes from when I was an infant and my daddy would come home on a Friday night with chocolate treats. Old habits certainly die hard.

Up early this morning as it has been another hot day 33 degs and beautiful. On our way to the lake this morning we came across a few of our neighbours, Michel, Robert and Albert. There they were, with their ladder climbing up the apple tree and collecting some of the big apples. It was a sight to behold and will be locked in my memory.

We went for our usual shopping this morning, ah! Friday, love to get the food in at the end of the week, isn't it funny nobody does their shopping on a Monday. Also love my dinner on a Friday everything is fresh and you always have those little extra's you put into your trolley.  By-the-way, do you know what you call a shopping trolley in France, its les mousquetaires, yes like the three mousquetaires (musketeers). Well today's shopping was a little different as we had the foire du vin or wine fete in english. So there we were with our catalogue, which we had received through the post, looking for the wine we had ticked off. We bought about 12 bottles, only a couple of whites as I prefer red.



Had to show you a photo of our shopping store, its not a centre, just a stand-alone store. But over the four years we have been here we have gotten to know quite a few of the people there and they are all lovely people.


So cheers everyone, or as they say in France, a votre sante, (to your health). Have a lovely weekend and don't forget to come back for a chat.

quote for the day:
some memories are realities, and are better than anything that can ever happen to one again.

Communicating with the French

Well, the day started as usual, with a dog walk, although Bob, the male boxer, isn't feeling very well today, so he really couldn't be bothered chasing after apples.  Also it has been very hot today so it does affect the dogs. Today the temperature was over 30 degs, but with it being cool in the morning and at night it is very pleasant.

Bien! quelle journee, communicating in French is defiantly not easy, especially when your french is very limited.  We have a garden shed in the garden, and the plastic windows are in a really bad state. 

So we needed to go out and look for a sheet of plastic to replace them.

  

We went to a big DIY shop called Bricorama I would say it is equivalent to  B&Q.  So we walked everywhere looking for this plastic and couldn't find it. Then we went to another shop, which looked more like a builders place, but all they had was glass. The young man there was really helpful, and directed us to another place not far away. When we got there a man came out to see what we wanted. Now first of all I must say my french is really very limited, and my husband's is even worse. So I tried to explain that we have a jardin abris (garden shed) and we need plastique dur pour couvrir les fentetres. (hard plastic to cover the windows). So after him shaking his head yes, he understood, I asked him if he had that, oui he said, but nous somme ferme pour le dejeuner, (we are closed for lunch). Now you have to understand, that in rural area's like this, everything stops from 12pm until 2pm. There is nothing more important to the French man than his lunch. They will have a big lunch and a snooze before going back to work. So we went home without the plastic. But at least we know where to go now.

'Now what?. Everything I can pronounce is OFF!'

This afternoon we decided to visit our friends Francoise and Michel, they are friends we met when we first came here and have been a life saver when things have gotten hard. We always have a laugh when we visit them, or I should say they have a laugh. You see when I can't remember a word in french I just say it in english, with a french accent. I would say about 40% of the time I can get away with it, but the other 60% people just don't have a clue. So when I say things like 'je suis chaud' I'm not saying 'I am hot' what the french here is 'I am a prostitute'. I remember one day we were leaving their house and I said 'je vais manger mon chien', which I meant as I'm going to feed my dog, but what I had actually said in french was 'I'm going to eat my dogs. So you really need to be a bit careful, although most people are very understanding.

Françoise

Aligot with sausage

Michel

Franscoise and Michel, were the first couple we went out with for a meal, of course it was the village fete and the food was not the best. As you can see from this photo, but it was an experience.

Bonsoir a tous !!!

Market day in Realmont

Bonjour tous la monde, we are now halfway through the week and today is market day. Up early as usual to take the dogs on their walk. It was a bit of a nightmare this morning, as the hunting season has just started. When we reached our clearing to go uphill towards home there was a hunter with his two dogs. So we turned to go back and on the way Bob the male boxer spotted the hunter. So off he went, and all the shouting and yelling didn't make a bit of difference. He ran after the hunter and two dogs, so we just continued on hoping he would follow. Of course he did in the end, but then Lou (the female boxer) and Bob preceded to take a paddle in dirty stagnate water. When we got home they had to go into the garage as they were too dirty. Another beautiful day, blue skies and sunshine, and of course a snooze at the pool.

The market in Realmont today was quite quiet, all the holiday makers are now returning home. The stalls are starting to dwindle and all the vegetable seedlings are for the autumn and winter. We might plant some cabbage or broccoli, but we will have to clean up the vegetable garden more before we plant any fall crops. All the summer fruiting rasberries need to be cut back. We have had such an abundance of tomatoes this year, and most of them have been skinned, chopped and packed for freezing. Some have been made into tomato soup.

With the hunting season now started we will have to keep an eye on the dogs. 

Utopia another day

Bonjour everyone, well it have been another beautiful day, at the moment the temperature is very agreeable 26 degs. We did not leave the villa all day today as we were busy doing bits and pieces. I decided to make more soda bread. OK the recipe to make soda bread say to use butter milk, but in S.W. France it is very hard to get butter milk, so when I first came here I decided to try making soda bread with yogurt. Believe it or not it turned out just as good, if not better. So while I was standing in the kitchen this morning I had one of those lost in space moments as I was looking out the window. When I came to I thought 'god I am so lucky to be standing here looking out at this beautiful day' so I went for my camera and took a photo.  Another day dining al fresco, and another day snoozing by the pool.

So tomorrow we go to the Realmont founded in 1272, it is a quaint town just 10 mins from our villa. Every Wednesday morning throughout the year there is a large market selling live poultry and everything locally grown. Here we meet up with friends for an aperitif and a chat in the sun of course. Other stalls
include butchers, bakers, and delicatessens selling cold cuts, cheese and a variety of salads. On Saturday mornings throughout the year the is a big covered market in Albi, which sells just about everything.

I have to say that at this time of the year the climate is most agreeable, the autumn period ending one month later, than the UK and Ireland, so outdoor activities are possible from the beginning of March right through October and into November.  I just have to mention also about the wide variety of breathtaking scenery in the Tarn. Rivers, lakes, forests and valleys are found throughout the Department and with this sort of climate there is lots of time for exploring.

quote for the day 'La maison est où le coeur est' (home is where the heart is)

Foire aux vins

Bonjour everyone, up early at usual this morning and away for our walk with the dogs. I have been in the kitchen most of the morning cooking, which I'm sure dosen't surprise a lot of you. We have so many figs on our tree, I thought I needed to do something. So found this recipe called Fig Tart (Tarte aux figues) | My Cooking Hut, this is the link if you want to try, and here is a picture of the tarts. I have so many figs I've made eight tarts.  I also made bags of tomato soup and tomato sauce.

Today through the post we received a magazine from our local supermarket 'Intermarche' for Foire Aux Vins, which is a wine fair. So after lunch Freddy and I sat down to go through the wine. As the fair is only on for 4 days we wanted to make sure we got some good ones, as they go quickly. The most popular wine in this region of course is Bordeaux, so we have selected about 6 Bordeaux from the Merlot, Cabernet franc & Sauvignon grape. Next are the wines from south west region.  Bergerac, I'm sure a lot of you will be familier with and that is the Merlot, Cabernet grape. Then we have Cahors it is a red wine from grapes grown in or around the town of Cahors, we have chosen a Malbec, Tannant, grape, although tends to be a bit robust and full we are only getting a couple of bottles. Older than Bordeaux and with a reputation for darkness and strength it is the only French red wine to harness the power of the Malbec grape. Then there is Bourgogne wine, we know it Burgundy wine the most famous grape is wines made Pinot Noir. Also a few bottles of Bordeaux white which is Sauvignon, Semillon, the semillon is blended with the sauvignon to give a sweet wine, which is perfect with a nice dessert, such as my Fig Tart.

So although the day is not yet over we have been busy, as I type this blog, my husband is fast asleep outside in the beautiful sunshine by the pool.


Here is a quote I read lately
“Home is not where you live, but where they understand you” à demain - until tomorrow

A day in Utopia and La Forge 11th Sept.

Bonjour à tous. Well its Sunday morning and we have been up early to take the dogs on the usual walk. Just the usual walk this morning. We gathered some walnuts from the road, I will have them tomorrow morning with my muesli. This morning after are breakfast we are going up to Rayssa, my daughters house, to check things out and collect any mail. I still feel Sunday is a special day, although I don't go to church it still feels like a religious day and so we always have a different breakfast on a Sunday. This Sunday we have boiled egg and toast. It is a beautiful morning again, the sun is shining and the temperature is to be about 29 degs.

Chateau

So off we went to La Forge, Rayssac on the way we passed this beautiful Chateau, it really is lovely countryside. It takes about 25 - 30 mins to drive to La Forge but it is so magical on a morning like today. When we arrived at La Forge we go around and check everything. OMG there is so much fruit on the trees.

La Forge valley

These are some photos we took today, I'm sure you'll agree the scenery is beautiful.
This is the village church in Rayssac.

Here is  the back of La Forge and the side view, notice the new windows aren't they beautiful.

 The front of La Forge
 and here are the fruit trees, the one on the right is a peach tree

This is an apple tree on the left and  another one on the right.

 Here is the walnut tree, I will be walnuts in my muesli tomorrow morning

Below you can see the basket of fruit and nuts we gathered to bring home.

So when we came home we had our dinner al fresco of course, I really fancied a roast dinner today. So we had Duck with roast potatoes, mash potatoes, and mixed veg, I made my special sauce for the duck  Cherry, citrus and mint yum yum. After that I made some tomato soup, to freeze, and a big batch of sausage rolls. We will have our apple pie and ice cream later. Needless to say I had my nap in the lounger by the pool for an hour or so.

So all-in-all I have had a good day, I will report back tomorrow to let you know what's happening in my little world of Utopia.

A day in Utopia - Saturday 10 Sept.

The road outside the villa, on our walk

Photo of the forest

Good morning all! Well its Saturday and today the temperature is to reach 35 deg. unbelievable for this time of year. We were up early this morning 7:30 conscious we had to take the dogs out for their daily walk before it got too hot.  Isn't it funny that Saturday morning still seems like a special day in the week. Must be years of working and associating Saturday as a day off and of course Saturday Kitchen. Of course we have to feed the dogs before we leave. Anyway by 8:30am before we even had breakfast, we were on our way with the four dogs. When we leave the house we always put their leads on, as we like to get past about 2 or 3 houses before we set them free. I love it when we take their leads off, it feels like releasing a bird from its cage. They run like they are liberated from everything and it always lifts my heart every time I see this. This time of year there are apple trees everywhere and the apples are just laying on the ground. So these four dogs don't fetch sticks, no they fetch apples. Needless to say they are eaten quickly, and of course its good exercise as the apple can travel a good distance when thrown.  Isn't it ironic that all these apples are laying on the ground rotting and there are so many people dying of starvation. I always think this when I see all the apples on the ground. When we get further down the road we go into a more forest environment. Our walk is usually just under an hour. Of course by the time we get home we are starving and ready for our breakfast. So breakfast, the most important meal of the day, and for me, my favourite.  Homemade muesli, off I go into the gardent to see what I can pick to put into it. This morning it was ripe figs, so that was my breakfast.

Then I parked my bum down for 90 mins of Saturday Kitchen, which I love. With a cup of coffee of course. After Saturday Kitchen, I had to gut and clean four mackerel and prepare for the bbq, I saw this great recipe on Saturday Kitchen, so I tried that. Into the garden again to get some lettuce and tomatoes for a salade. While I was doing all this Freddy, my husband was cleaning the pool. We had some duck sausages before, just as a nibble. Then we had our mackerel and salade and a lovely bottle of Bordeaux superior by the pool.  So that was my day, how was yours?  a la prochaine as they say in France. Until the next time.  

Signs showing direction to: Walk to lake which takes 2hrs 45mins
Walk to two lakes which takes 5hrs 30 mins
and Walk to the parking at the two lakes

In the forest with the dogs