The Colors Yellow and Purple define April: the surrounding fields, gardens and verges are filled with them

Forsythia, Cowslip and Colza (Canola)

 


At the end of April we went to a brocante/vide grenier (empty the attic) in Champagne-Mouton (mouton = sheep)  47kms east of here. I knew Linda and Rod of the gite we lived in for 4 months were going too... So a few minutes after we arrive I think to myself - Hmm, I wonder if we will see  L  i  n  d  a  (that is me scanning the scene) and Voila there they were in front of us!  Weird but not too unexpected.
I had my camera with me, as I always do, and I was looking around thinking -I don't want to take the same ole' vide grenier photos of stalls and people milling around.  When Linda and I had been talking I pointed to a radio which was a pair of plastic boobs, nipples for knobs and an antenna. We had a good laugh. After we had parted and Brian and I were wandering around I thought of that old American saying: 'The things you see when you don't have your gun' and this led to me think - 'The things you see when you do have your camera'.  
So I went back to photograph the boobs and then looked for unusual objects d'art and managed to get some good shots.
 Click on photos to enlarge. 

Not what you would expect at a french sale, what a HOOT! 

 I Love this stuff.

Naked Barbie in a jug, fluffy chairs, Toast O Matic, A baby alligator?? In France?

 BBQ fired up to cook sausages and other meaty favorites at lunchtime.

Soooo delightfully French

Each VG we scour the stalls for an old chest. We finally found one we liked, Brian bargained for it and now it is ours. 

Off we go to the car with it on Brian's shoulder and on our drive out of the small town we see another area of stalls. So, we park and go to see what is available. About 10 minutes into the foray we hear a Scottish accent. To cut to the chase: Brian starts a conversation with the man and his wife and finally (after weird squinting at him on my part because he just seemed too young) we recognized him as one of Scotland's very well known comic/actors - Gregor Fisher. If you have ever viewed the Railway Children you would have seen him in his role as the station master or in Love Actually where he played the rock star's manager. Although he has done many movies and TV shows, his most famous role is that of Rab C. Nesbitt a long running TV show of the same name. Brian's brother could possibly recite every line from every episode.  It turns out that Gregor and wife Vicki Burton, an actress, purchased a house in the area four months ago ... Very lovely and down to earth people.
 
Before we parted I asked if it would be too crass to take a photo for Brian's brother. He humorously replied - "It is always for the brother"!!  

So, my WISH "to take photos of the things you do see when you have a camera" was prescient. It really paid off with a photo of Brian with two movie stars; for his brother of course!

A few months ago I joined a woman's group (over 1200 members) on Facebook and recently attended a luncheon in my area. Brian makes flavorful curry so I have tasted it, but sad to say though it was my first time eating at an Indian Restaurant! I found it quite tasty especially accompanied by the different condiments and naan bread. I met a few ladies but one in particular, Linda, has become a friend. We were connected by the discovery that she knew someone in a village close to us who knows a friend of mine in Canada! Small world as they say. The group is informative and very supportive. So many English speaking women live in rural areas and deal with the same quandaries: where to buy this or that, what is the name for blank, business and legal questions,  names of local doctors, dentists, hairdressers, etc and just general friendship. There is a wealth of knowledge concerning the bureaucracy of France, which can be daunting, and is willing shared. The composition is mainly British women but a few other nationalities, including French are represented as well.
From that group I jumped into a Facebook non profit group, administrated by extremely dedicated women, which raises funds for animal charities. They do amazing work. Unfortunately, the rural French do not have the much regard for animal welfare and often abandon or keep them in abusive situations. But, also a phenomenom is occurring now- many Brits are returning to the UK 'penniless' and cannot afford to take their pets with them and so they are abandoning their animals - horses, goats, dogs and cats. Thank goodness for the admirable work done by these women.

Returning to Brian's cooking, we decided it was time, after 35 years, that maybe I should take over some of the cooking.  I planned a week's menu of specific meals, made a list and was about to set off to the supermarché when Brian 'volunteered' to go with me, more like supervision really.  As many of our friends know, the only reason I would have gone into the grocery store in Florida was to buy wine or cheese! There, I refused to look at the meat counter but here there are so many more, shall I say 'unusual' looking items for sale, but somehow I don't find them quite so off-putting.  

The first meal I attempted was Angel Hair Pasta with Shrimp and Lemon Cream Sauce.  Yummmmm. However, when the shrimp which were packaged in a non-see through bag were defrosted and Brian tested one, it tasted so, so disgusting!
How disgusting were they??  They were so disgusting that the village feral cats would not eat them. Shrimp with black bits showing through the shell don't look very good nor well.
I substituted a can of crab meat but that only sucked up the sauce and made the pasta dry. I am not destined to be a cook but I think I can pick out a good recipe or two for Brian to make into a great meal. Life as is should be.


 

 My fascination with the sky continues - we were driving back from somewhere south and this sky was lit up just like this - no 'photoshopping' of this picture - it is the real thing. I was captivated by the flat bottomed cloud and the light emanating from behind it. I took many more photos as the sun set but this is at its best.




Also, in April we were presented with a sunset that was 360 degrees. I went into the kitchen, which faces east, and I saw the brilliant reflection of the sunset and knew it must be a super colorful sky in the west and it was.

      As we usually we have pink and blue sunsets - this was a true gift!

I gleefully pranced and danced on tiptoes in the back garden, breathless, quietly shouting - WOW! OMG! HOH What an amazing sky! I was literally beside myself with childlike joy!

Now, like most of Northern Europe, we are awaiting the warmth of spring/summer and the abundance it will bring along.
Will leave you with that thought. 
A bientot!

Jo et Brian

Travels and Travails

Guidance: if you are linking to this from an email, please click on Our Life In French to go to the blog site. 
You can click on the pictures to make them bigger.
 
 Just when we thought spring had arrived again, we were hit with cold weather again. The Jet Stream has moved to North Africa and doesn't seem inclined to reposition itself into its usual place in Europe and so we are subjected to 'below average' temperatures. The UK was hit with terrible snow storms right at lambing time so the poor wee lambs and their mothers had to be rescued from under a 2ft snow blanket and many people were without electricity for a long time. Therefore, must not complain.

In the middle of March we took our first overnight trip since September 2011 (1-1/2 years!!!) up to the Loire Valley. There was an RV for sale near Orléans, which looked interesting on the Internet, however, we couldn't see it until Sunday and since we love that area we left early Saturday morning. We arrived mid morning at Amboise, where we had stayed nearby for one week in 2006 and where Leonardo da Vinci lived his last 3 years at Clos Lucé. The former Royal town was built on the banks of the Loire River and sports its own beautiful chateau. 
It was miserably cold when we arrived so we found a café/pâtisserie and ordered croissants and coffee. We wandered the streets, reminiscing, freezing our buns off.

The restaurants had their outside seating in place but no one was taking them up on it.

         Click: for more about Amboise and its history

 I have brightened up the sky just to add a wee bit of color to such a dull day.

After lunch we drove to our hotel. The Loire Valley is filled with magnificent Chateaux and I had booked a hotel near the most famous one, the magnificent Chateau de Chennonceau which is built over (in) Le Cher rivièr.

Click: Chateau de Chenonceau photos and history

 From our hotel the chateau and its tour bus parking lot were within walking distance and when we arrived in the small town of Chennonceaux we spotted Japanese tourists photo-snapping everything in sight.

Our hotel was small and quaint. We had forgotten the delights and oddities of old European hotels: the small rooms, lots of staircases, the narrow halls with lighting which only turns on when you hit a switch and turns off after a little while, windows that open, the quiet, the ambiance and the friendly staff. This hotel seemed to be operated by  4 or 5 women who did everything efficiently from reception to dining room.
We spent time in the room relaxing and catching up on emails. I had walked down to the chateau which is obscured by a high wall and surrounded by water so I couldn't really see anything other than bus loads of tourists, but I took a couple of photos and then Angus and I strolled into town to look at what other hotels and restaurants had to offer. It is law in France that eating establishments post their menus outside. I think this is brilliant - no surprises. We decided that our own hotel offered the best and also we would not have to brave the cold.

Hotel Le Relais Chenoneaux is a member of "Logis" which is a chain of independently run hotels each one offering something different and usually with very good food. Having purposefully stayed at Logis hotels during vacations, we were again very pleased with our meal and accommodation.
Our waitress answered OK to one of our requests so Brian taught her Okey Dokey! The next morning at check out the desk person confided in Brian that the waitress had taught her to say it too! 
We do try spread culture no matter where we go...
To travel north we took the road which closely follows the River Cher with it's little islands and green fields. There was the occasional small chateau or village on the other bank but primarily it was fields. 

 
We were heading for Orléans where the seventeen year old Jeanne D'Arc (you know, Noah's wife) defeated the English in 1429. We'd like to return, on a sunny day, to explore that historic city and all its splendor.

BANQUE DE FRANCE                       A MAIN STREET AND SUBURBS

We arrived downtown and as it was Sunday the shops were closed but some restaurants were open. I found a Tex-Mex (not common) on the GPS but as usual we couldn't find the destination in real life but did discover a McDonald's like no other McDonald's we have been in (and I have eaten at their head office restaurant in Illinois).

Coffee and pastry were ordered here and brought on china to your table!

If you wanted a meal
then a quick 
way to order was
from the machine.

Touch screen menu, order what want, put your debit card in, get a receipt and Voila! Now that's a meal deal!

After our snack we traveled further north to meet the seller of the RV. We found out that he is a baker hence the 3:30 Sunday afternoon appointment. The RV was OK but not what we were actually looking for. He was disappointed and we were too. So, we decided to travel non stop back home.  Poor wee Angus was a mite bit hungry when we finally arrived having surpassed his 4 o'clock dinner time by 3 hours. Snacks were given along the way, no animals were harmed making this trip.

Our renovations are momentarily stalled. As I mentioned in the last post everything was going well. But, for an unknown reason the contractor failed to complete the work on time, he put his hands to a couple things which did not result in quality workmanship and he was clearly not focused on the project. We had no alternative but to fire him. And here we thought we had done our homework! We have had Ray the Carpenter lay the wooden floor but he will have to wait until Michelle the Painter is finished before completing the closet floor and the other woodwork.  She has to bring the walls up to a paint ready finish first; a time consuming task. So, we still live in a construction zone but at least it is not a room that is in use (yet).

Onwards and upwards, sucess was finally realized on the RV hunting front!
We looked at 100's online and four in the 'metal'. Eventually, we narrowed it down to a certain model and a week later we found one in Bergerac, about 3 hours south of us. The ad was on Leboncoin an online for sale and wanted site. This is predominately used by French people, English speakers mainly use English language sites. We were quite sure after looking at the owner's name that he was French and that verbal communication about the vehicle maybe a bit difficile. Through emails we arranged a meeting.
We had never been to Bergerac, what a lovely town with a big square and two statues of Cyrano de Bergerac subject of the famous play of the same name, though Cyrano never lived there.   
We had a chicken and couscous lunch then drove the 2 minutes to Jean and Martine's house. Their house is right in the city but it was so quiet in their garden. 
What a surprise to learn that Jean had spent a year in California's Silicon Valley. Language problem solved. Martine was patient with me, spoke slowly and with gestures I was able to comprehend her instructions on the interior systems.
We loved the vehicle on sight (I loved it on the Internet and knew it was the one). It is immaculate with everything we could ever need. The deal was made and then we were invited into their beautiful home to sign papers and partake of a glass of champagne. The French - they sure know how to do things in style.
 

We returned in a few days to pick up the RV and Brian drove it home.

 Our first fill up.
 HOW MUCH???
€1.35/litre = US $6.64/US gal.









The following pictures are from the online ad.

            Introducing: Our Boat On Wheels. 

We plan to see much of Europe and Morocco but our first long trip will be to Scotland. 
It is a 2008 McLouis Tandy 673G on a Fiat Ducato, 49,500 kms/30,700 miles. Both bodies are made in Italy and somehow there must be a Scottish connection as another McLouis model is called Nevis. Maybe we'll visit the factory when we are in Italy.
That is most of our news, but not all, for March. Will give the rest in the next blog. 
A bientot! (See you soon).