Finalement Le Soleil

The sun has finally come out & it has made me so happy. You might think that I couldn't wait to get outside, & I have enjoyed sitting in the sun from time to time. But I actually love just being in the house when the sunshine comes flooding through the windows. The warmth & the brightness make me so happy & I am inspired to get things done. I have been doing laundry & washing windows & doing all kinds of things that I couldn't or wouldn't do when it was dreay & cold.

Eventually though I did decide to take a break & get outside in the fresh air & take a walk.  

I took a path along the river on the opposite bank.

I love seeing the bridge from this perspective...

....& the village peeking through the trees.

I came home with a sweet bouquet of wild flowers to bring a little bit of the outdoors in.

I hope you have a sunny & happy weekend even if you happen to spend it doing the laundry or washing windows. 

Le Marché du Dimanche

I finnally got my bike out, put air in the tiers & rode to the market in St. Antonin on Sunday. It still isn't really sunny or warm but it was a beautiful day for a bike ride none the less. The market was surprisingly crowded for May. Many English speakers & tourists were there. So different from the old days when no one at all spoke English. I even met an American couple who now live in St. Antonin with their guests, one of whom was from Charleston SC. Such a small world.

Because it was a bit grey, I did not take my usual sunny shots of all the fresh produce. It's early yet & many things are not yet in season. There are cherries though & fresh peas, two of my favorites. 

Instead I consontrated on what the market looks like as you make your way through the busy lanes & throngs of people.

And then I also focused above the fray looking at the buildings just over the tops of the market parasols.

I enjoyed my ride into St. Antonin & loved shopping at the Sunday market again but I was also happy to get home & unpack my purchases & make myself a nice lunch.

You can see what I bought from the photo above. The little container in the foreground is Aligot  which is a traditional dish from L'Aubrac region not far from here. It is made by combining melted cheese blended with mashed potatoes. It is traditionally prepared in a large pot & stirred vigorously until it becomes smooth & stingy rather like fondue. It is delicious.

Wish I could have shared just a little with thoes of you now 

Dreaming of France.

Crêpes aux Fraises

With all the rain we have been having the strawberries have been growing like mad. I am so lucky to have so many generious neighbors, who bring me beautiful ripe red berries from their gardens. I have been eating strawberries every morning for breakfast with my yogurt & they are so good. But when yet another neighbor gave me a bowl full of eggs from her friends chickens, I decided to make crepes.

I don't use much of a recipe. I think it's two eggs to equal parts flour & milk about a cup each I would say. Then a pinch of salt & a few tablespoons of melted butter or oil. 

That's it! So easy & so good!

The French that I have watched seem to put crystallized sugar on the crepe in the pan after turning it. So I do the same, as it melts a little & adds a lovely sweet texture.

I do not add any sugar to the berries as they are so sweet & delicious as is & of course there is the sugar already on the crepe.

I am afraid I did not take the time to get a good final photo of my rolled up crêpe as I was too anxious to dig in. I started out mixing the batter on the table but I never made it back there. I ate my crêpes standing up at the kitchen counter as soon as they came off the pan. 

Have a yummy weekend everyone!

La Premier Semaine

My first week in France is always divided by cleaning & opening the house & dealing with the fatigue of jetlag. The weather has been chilly & rainy. The sun has only been peeking out at intervals. Today it has been  constantly going in & out of the clouds providing at least some moments of glorious sunshine. Yesterday it rained pretty much all day. Whenever the sun does come out for any length of time, I get out as fast as I can & take a walk in the countryside.

This house has been closed up like this for as long as I can remember, at least twenty five years or more. I am sure that all of the furniture is still in place just as it was left. How I would like to take a look inside.

I did take a peek in the barn, however, & this is what I saw. 

It is so green this time of the year.

I had a bit of a staring contest with this curious cow. 

This is my friend Gabby's chicken coop. I love that it is beautiful with roses cascading over it.

Thanks for coming along on my walk with me. I hope your week has been a nice one & that you have had some glorious moments of 

sunshine too. 

St.Antonin Noble Val

France is hosting a contest to decide on the favorite village in the country. That is a tough decision but the website

 LeVillage Préfère Des Français 

is giving everyone a chance to vote. And St. Antonin is one of the villages selected to participate. It is number 16 on the ballot & tomorrow is the last day to vote. 

There are so many beautiful villages in France it would be very difficult to chose just one. But if you are

 Dreaming of France 

maybe you will enjoy seeing what

 other villages France 

has chosen for a possible winner. 

I will keep you posted as to just which one wins the vote.

Je Suis Arrivée

Yes, I have arrived. 

The country side is green & as beautiful as ever. I am happy to be here in the early part of May, when all of the flowers are in bloom. I am especially happy to see my rose at its blooming peak. 

As soon as I arrive, a sense of peace & tranquility washes over me as I step into a much simpler sort of life. 

On my first day here I was treated to a bowl of fresh picked strawberries from my neighbors garden. What better & more delicious way to start my summer sojourn. 

Family

This has been a wonderful week of family fun.




















Although I hate to leave, it is time to move on. Next destination, France. So I am linking to Pailita's Dreaming of France.

See you when I get there.

Leaving

I am rushing around packing & trying to organize for my departure.

But there are always things to do & last minute tasks like dirty dishes in the sink mixed with flower petals.

My still unfinished studio will have to wait until next fall for its inauguration.

We leave Charleston tomorrow morning driving to Boston for a family visit before I head off to France for the summer.

So although this post has very little to do with

Dreaming of France 

it has everything to do with getting there. 

Changes

There are lots of changes going on in Charleston at the moment. Urban development is taking place at an alarming rate. I for one am not such a fan of so much development.

I always loved passing by this singular building standing alone & proud on upper 

King Street.

Today the older building is dwarfed & wedged in on all sides by the construction of an enormous hotel complex.

 I am of course glad that the building remains in place at least, much like the children's story 

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton.

Another beautiful example of an older Charlestonian commercial building is just a few blocks away.

For years, I have loved it & it's old painted sign announcing 

"Leon's Mens & Boys Wear".

But now it has undergone a change & a modern renovation turning it into yet another upscale eatery in Charleston.

I personally hate to see modern additions tacked onto these stunning & stately old buildings.

But I guess this is the price of progress & certainly I am thankful that the beauty of the old patina has been valued & preserved.

It will be interesting to see just what changes will have taken place over the summer, when I return to Charleston in September.