ce mercredi je mange du confit de canard

Autumn is setting in and we feel the need for warm nourishing food.

A truly traditional French meal is confit de canard.  It's also about the only time you buy French food in a tin. 

The duck meat is preserved in it's own fat and canned.  All we have to do is open the tin.

Confit de canard is best accompanied by sautéed potatoes.  Cut into small cubes or thin slices the potatoes are baked in the oven or fried in a pan using the fat from the duck.  Believe me this is delicious.  We also add green beans finished off in butter, garlic and parsley.

Bon appetit!

photo thanks to Google images

brocante - what the early bird caught .....

I had a particularly fun time at the foires a tout, or brocante sales on Sunday.  The first one was small and unpromising but actually I bought a load of linen, which as you know is a MAJOR weakness of mine.  A sweet lady has set up a table outside her house, and had a big pile of beautiful embroidered bed linen.  Somehow the linen didn't square with the house, and she told me rather sadly that she had  bought the sheets because she thought they were so beautiful, but her husband didn't like them. and she didn't have the space to keep them.  What could I say?  I was happy to relieve her of the offending items and move swiftly on.  I'll be showing you those pictures another time.

The real fun was to be found at Giverny, yes the same Giverny that Monet used to frequent..  Here the sun was shining and the fair was huge.  I'm still sorting through some of the things I bought,  but today I took some photos to show you. 

I found some beautiful books, which will make instant little collections.

I picked up some cute enamel ware and old tins

There was quite a bit of  blue and grey  transfer ware.  Put altogether they'd make a wonderful display on a wall. 

... and just when I was turning around to go back to the car, I came across the stand of a lady who arrived late.  Amongst her treasures she was selling papers found at her grandpa's home.  Lots of legal documents and manuscripts.  Beautiful handwriting, scrolls and flourishes.  I bought wedding acts; sales of land and vineyards; donations from parents to child ...  The dates range from  1830 - 1880.  I can't decide which is the most beautiful.

Driving home wondering how such amazing scripts could be used to decorate a home, I remembered that the talented Trish at Trouvais has just such penmanship framed on her wall.

She kindly gave me permission to show you these photos from her blog. 

Thank you Trish!

Once I had bought the papers, the kind lady at the fair gave me a few extra bits from her grandfather's personal collection, which I rather think I may keep for myself!

This week is going to be crazy, so  I won't have the chance  to put much up on my etsy shop.   In the meantime, since I did promise you first dibs, if you see anything you like, drop me a mail and I'll let you know the prices.

I hope you enjoyed these photos, maybe one day one of you will come with me brocanting - what fun that would be!

brocante - the early bird .....

Don't ever let it be said that I am not committed to finding goodies for my shop!!   As the brocante season draws to a close, I'm up early each Sunday morning, rewarded by beautiful light and  views.  Yesterday morning, the clouds just couldn't rise from the river in the valley.

This weekend the most fun was to be had at the brocante in the streets of Giverny,
popular, as you would imagine, but well worthwhile.

Tomorrow I'll be giving you first dibs on the latest treasures, but  in the meantime just look at this dear little vintage hat I bought, and which my daughter kindly modelled when I brought it home.

A demain!

le salon au rez de jardin

These days I'm drawn more towards the realistically-lived-in look than the glossy-magazine-picture-perfect when it comes to interiors.  In this salon we have the high ceilings, the herringbone parquet, the decorative plasterwork that any decorator would approve of, but it still remains slightly offbeat.  Home made, family.

Loving this large open salon, sitting room cum dining area.  Opening on one side to a garden through huge windows that let in loads of light.  On the other side double doors walk you through to the entrance hall.

The photos were taken in a "hotel particular", which means a large private town house.  The charm here comes from this generous room being on a level with a garden.  So often in this style of house, the ground floor is raised by a few steps.

Love the piano that faces the player towards the room and the view.  Love the purple bergère, whose colour reappears in the curtains, a lampshade and the rug.  Love all the space; enough for a big family to move around in without getting in each other's way, and finally love the zinc table top.

What is missing for me is a couple of huge comfy sofas to sink into in front of the fire and some colour onto the walls. What do you think?

photos thanks to Mires Images

french kiss

"OMG" an American friend recently yelled down the phone, "I think I just made a dreadful mistake, I was introduced to this  distinguished looking French man and I leant forward to kiss him on both cheeks, I'm sure I should have waited or just shook his hand, or done nothing....His wife was standing there just sort of smirking .... This is SOO hard, I never know what to do"

The time had come to get back to basics:

1.    Respectable adults (whatever that means) shake hands when they meet.  If they get on well together and if the atmosphere is friendly and sociable, they will probably kiss - faire la bise - when they take leave.

2.    Whenever I meet a friend, male or female, I will faire la bise.  If I bump into them again during the day, it's not necessary to kiss since it's already been done for that day.

3     The bise, or kiss, itself is not a warm sloppy affair.  Each person leans forward and directs his cheek towards the other persons cheek and makes a soft kissing sort of noise as their heads brush together.  Hands don't have to touch, but may do.  Generally the right hand is lightly touching the other's left shoulder.

4.    When children meet up, or take leave,  all ages in all circumstances, the girls do the bise to everyone, and the boys kiss the girls and shake hands with other boys.  After all these years I still enjoy watching this need to touch as I sit outside school gates, or wait for my son at the rugby club.

5.    There is nothing shocking in two men doing the bise, just  a sign of close friendship and affection,  not sexual.

6.    There are those that give 4 kisses instead of two.  This is a social class issue, take it from me, you don't want to go there!

Hope that helps!

Je t'embrasse!

photos thanks to Google Images

Respelido - staying on the Cote d'Azur

While visiting Nice last weekend, we  were lucky enough to stay in holiday villas that belong to my brother and sister in law.

Sabrina and Jean Paul have created Respelido, a beautiful property hidden in the hills above Nice.   Behind these stylish gates are a handful of small villas  set in beautiful gardens with a magnificent pool.

Respelido was created by Sabrina and Jean-Paul about 10 years ago,  and they are present every day, ready to welcome their guests.

Jean Paul's family has always been on this land.  The  trees planted to landscape Respelido came from his family  property, and many of the olive, palm and eucalyptus trees are  between 200- 300 years old.

Respelido is the sort of place where a family can relax, and where a couple can unwind.  Guests are discreet, the welcome is friendly, the villas impeccable without being too precious.  Sabrina chose beautiful local tiles for the bathrooms and kitchens, and employed local black smiths to create the forged iron pergolas over each terrace as well as the intricate gates.

Each villa has its own totally private garden, with garden furniture.  Near the pool there is a sauna and jacuzzi which my youngest two had all to themselves.

Would we recommend it to friends?  In a heartbeat.  
If you stop off there,  be sure to say that you're one of my blogger friends.
Sabrina will make you doubly welcome!

Nice et la Côte d'azur

We were lucky enough to spend the weekend in and around Nice on the Côte  d'Azur.  So lovely to be back there.  I  love the rococo architecture and  the way they can paint the town orange and yellow without looking ridiculous.

In the nearby villages perched on hill tops, time seems to have stood still.  The several hundred year old houses aren't empty, but remain totally unchanged, simply inhabited by yet another new generation.

Rich travellers on their Grand Tour in the nineteenth century wouldn't  have used the same forms of transport, or had the crowds but they would certainly have admired many of the same views. 

one naughty pony

I had planned to leave you with a wonderful post for the weekend, full of architectural detail, elaborate text and fabulous photos.  I am afraid to say that a pony has changed my timetable this morning and I need to vent a little emotion here.

May I introduce you to Iris.    Iris is what you might call a free spirit, although this morning I called him quite a few other and less complimentary names.

 Iris has been part of our family for 6 years.  To begin with he had a certain amount of excess energy and regularly helped us to dismount at the most unexpected moments, but at the age of 10 he decided he was too cool for that game and became a model family pony, well almost.

The only problem Iris has today is that he's rather bright.  Who says bright says easily bored, curious, eager to explore, always looking for a solution to a problem.   This morning his problem was that he didn't want to stay in his field and he found a solution..... three times, and that was just before 11am.  Houdini on four legs.

For a while he was in livery at the local stables   where he was the only pony who needed a padlock on his stable door.  His endearing habit was to wait for everyone to go home at night, then unbolt his stable, choose a couple of pals and unbolt their doors too, then lead everyone to the cereal store where a midnight feast was just an easy peasy door latch away.

He gets loads of affection, and he's always pleased to see us 

He likes to make himself useful

and we wouldn't swap him for the finest sports horse, but this morning, I promise you

he heard language from this blogger that I cannot put into print!

Wishing you a fine weekend!

May all your four legged friends stay put!