Claire de Lune

Last weeks beautiful night sky with it's golden full moon & planets Venus & Jupiter aligned  made for enchanting walks around the village.

The moon light gave a lovely warm glow to the surrounding countryside.

Although the amazing phenomenon of Venus & Jupiter aligning in the sky was astonishingly visible I was only able to capture this funny squiggle with my camera.

The moon had already risen too high to capture it with more earthly visions below. So I collaged together a shot of the moon & one of my favorite photos of the surrounding farmland bathed in it's light to create this image.

Sometimes 

Dreaming of France 

is no more than that, sweet, silent,

 fuzzy dreams flooded in moonlight.

Cordes sur Ciel

  One travels over the years without quite knowing what one is searching for, wandering amid the clatter, caught up with desires or regrets, and one arrives unexpectedly in one from those two or three places which await each one of us in this world. The traveller who, from the terraces of Cordes, looks at the summer night sky, knows that he needs to travel no further, because the beauty here, day after day, will remove any loneliness.

Albert Camus

I made a recent visit to the beautiful hill top town of Cordes sur Ciel, the medieval village that 

Albert Camus

found so compelling. 

The little Saturday market at the foot of the village was bustling & is always fun for a change of venue.

The climb to the top is steep & requires some real exertion but it is a lovely climb non the less & well worth the effort. It certainly gives you pause to think about life in the Middle Ages & what it must have been like. 

Although it has become much more of a tourist town over the years I still value the beauty that Camus once saw in this historical treasure.

So if you happen to be 

Dreaming of France 

You might want to put this spot on your wish list.

Des Fleurs

Our village is filled with beautiful flowers for every season. When I first arrived in late spring the irises were still in bloom & what a treat that was to see. 

Now that we have past the summer solstice we are in full on summer with a profusion of colorful blossoms. Poppies & calla lilies, & pretty summer roses are just a few of what one sees as you walk about the village.

Windows are filled with geraniums & gardens are alive a vibrant mix of summer posies.

The ancient wisteria which is dripping with flowers in springtime has a second flowering in summer & competes with the butterfly plant in color & beauty.

Not to be out done my small flowerbed also adds to the happy flowery atmosphere of our colorful  little village.

Wishing all of you a very happy summer weekend filled with flowers.

Une Amie

Yesterday at the Sunday market in St. Antonin I was happy to meet up with  the adorable Molly Meng, a friend from the blogger world. Although she has let her blog 

a little house in the clouds

languish a bit, it is always a good read when she is writing it & she promises to commit to it seriously again very soon.

Molly is here in Southwest France  with her sister Karri Meng, who hosts yearly  creative getaways to France through her California based business 

French General

I have borrowed a few of the lovely photos from their website

FrenchGeneral.com

but I suggest that you explore all of them yourself at your leisure to get a real feel for the amazing adventures they offer.

It is a real family affair. Every year Karri, Molly & their wonderful mom Kick share their knowledge of France & it's crafts with lucky participants. They put together a most interesting & creative way to visit this part of the country all the while enjoying all of the best that France has to offer. 

So if you are 

Dreaming of France 

& actually want to make it a reality maybe you should consider one of French General's exciting summer workshops.

Des Commerçants

One sees many signs & advertisements for businesses both large & small. There are of course the realestate adverts which one finds regularly on buildings & in windows. 

Then there are all the shop windows, the pâtissières & the boulangeries & all of the many others local enterprises. I do love shop windows but even more I love the petits commerçants or the small businesses one finds right in French homes.

For example I love the stone in this window holding the affichés or flyers advertising a chambre de hôte within.

Or this tiny sign painted in a window in beautiful traditional French script. The meaning is a play on words for the French phrase méli-mélo which means hodgepodge or jumble. On certain days of the week the owner opens her door & welcomes visitors to her small shop in the front room of her home. And you guessed it, she offers her customers a hodgepodge of merchandise, some antiques & some gently used items as well as a wonderful mismatched collection of old linens & lace.

There is also this window where a gentleman sells chickens, rabbits & ducks as well as the occasional bouquet of flowers from his home.

You might wonder about the photo below since there is no sign to indicate a bussness. This is where I went with my French friend on Saturday to buy eggs. No there is no sign, you simply need to know the farmer. You unlatch the door & enter with your recycled egg cartons & there on an old enamel table are eggs for the taking. You get the number that you need & leave your payment in a cash drawer in the table.

We didn't see anyone but the beautifully  plumed chickens roaming about & the sound of a rooster crowing in the background. That for me was the most magical way to go shopping for eggs.

If this seems like a dream to you head over to Paulita's 

Dreaming of France 

to see what other Francophiles have to say.

Une Promenade de Nuit

In the southwest of France the weather has gone form chilly & rainy to unseasonably hot almost over night. Temperatures have been in the 90's during the day but drop pleasantly in the evenings. So going for a walk at night can be a lovely & refreshing thing to do.

You are looking at the village from the opposite side of the riverat around 10 pm....as you can see it is still quite light out at that hour.

Then coming back across the bridge as you enter the village. Have I mentioned that our bridge was designed with plans from the office of Gustave Eiffel, the architect of the 

Eiffel Tower.

You can just feel the quiet of the village in this photo. There is no sound but the chiming of the town clock & the croaking of the frogs.

Looking to my right is the sillouette of the château. It's funny to think of a 12th century château  with a TV antenna but there you have it.

 

And back home again. Time to go to bed & wishing everyone sweet dreams, especially if you are 

Dreaming of France.

Roses sur les Fenêtres

The roses have been so lovely  this year. May is really the month for them & they just could not have been more beautiful. Here are but a few of the amazing windows covered with roses that I have seen recently. 

So if you happen to be Dreaming of France  & a rose covered cottage maybe some of these photos will inspire you. 

Happy dreaming & may your week be rosey?

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!

Exhibition & Coincidence

Last week I read about a nearby exhibit of paintings by a young American artist named 
Jared Coffin.

What?!?

While that name will mean nothing to most of you, anyone who has lived on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, as I once did, will recognize it right away. Two bothers Tristram & Jared Coffin were some of the original settelers of the island. But even  thoes who are not history buffs, know the name form the islands lanmark inn 

The Jared Coffin House.

Well since encountering Americans from any state is rare in these parts, I set out to find this young man & his art work.

On meeting, all I had to say was "Nantucket" & we had lots to talk about. Jared is actually from New Hampshire but is definitely related to the historic family & his infamous name sake. Jared has been living & painting in none other than St. Antonin for the past two years.

What a coincidence!

What I was not prepared for though was how beautiful his paintings are. His show consisted of works that he has completed since living here in France & they are lovely. His masterful use of oil glazes adds a wondrous depth & luminosity, while his use of color is simply sublime.

He had a combination of both familiar French scenes & subtle abstract  offerings. Unfortunately these photographs in no way do justice to the beauty of his work. These are paintings that are best seen in person.

At first glance one might see an enchanting scene but on closer examination delicate detail draws you into the painting & a magical world beyond.

If you happen to be in the area & missed the show don't dispair, Jared & his lovely partner are opening a gallery in St. Antonin in the near future. So keep your eyes open, this artist really deserves to be noticed. And for all of those of you not in southwest Franec at the moment check out Jared's website here. 

It is always a pleasure to introduce a new & talented young artist & especially one that shares so many coincidental similarities.