bloggers + brocantes = fun

Having a  lot of fun here this week  as I am lucky enough to have Julie of Being Ruby staying in our cottage!  As you will know if you visit Julie's beautiful blog, she is a whizz with the camera, her pictures are amazing so I'm a bit shy about taking pics this week, but today we headed off together at an UNEARTHLY hour hoping to strike gold at the brocantes in deepest normandy.

Julie has been to France before, but this is her first time in Normandy, so I was really glad to be able to show her some of the pretty spots around here.  We drove a long way today and sorted through a lot of uninteresting junk in the fairs, but in the end it was worthwhile as we came home with a totally respectable load of loot!

Here are my favourite shots of the day, I'll let you be the judge....

Gibson  and I hope you have had a fun weekend too!

a french love affair

I have to share a secret with you - I am celebrating a special anniversary, It was 30 years ago today  (oh dear, did I just say 30?! - of course I was extre-e-e-emely young at the time) that I first arrived  in France as a young student.    And yeah, I guess I have to admit it, 30 years that I have a love affair with France and the French.

Of course I have my moments when I moan, but there's a whole 
load more that I love.  So today is a day for mentioning a 
few of the things that I love in everyday life in France

I love it when little children greet adults with a 

"bonjour Madame" and a proffered cheek for a kiss

I appreciate  the open mindedness and tolerance of the French. 

I love to shop at the  markets

I love the roofs of  Paris and the variety of 

beautiful countryside and coastline

I love the everyday importance of good food, 

taking your time and enjoying simple pleasures

I love the individuality of the French and their

disregard for what others think of them

I love the differences between regions, .....

and of course, last but never least I love
my French husband, and children, 

our house and home 

Merci La France

Paris terrace in high style

To get your weekend off to a great start, I just had to share this beautiful Parisian terrace with you.  I love it's French style, it's comfortable look, the eggshell blue paintwork,  it's amazing setting on the Champ de Mars. 

photo thanks to sothebys internaional

mon bouquet du jour

Sometimes you don't even intend to create a bouquet, your mind a million miles from home, and the flowers just come together unassisted.  It's happened to you too -  out on a country walk and returned home with  a posy, you know how it goes.

Last week I was driving home from Paris and as I turned the corner onto our valley, I couldn't resist pulling off the road  and getting out of the car to admire the view.    From the sky my eyes wandered down to my feet and I discovered that there were all sorts of wild flowers growing on the road edge.

 It was irresistible: five minutes later I found myself holding a bunch of flowers that were simply plopped into an old French utility jar as a vase.  As I said , some bouquets are not even intended ....

ce mercredi je mange ... a raspberry millefeuille

The garden is producing raspberries at the moment, jam is  happening, pavlovas regularly devoured, but I have to save some for a millefeuille aux framboises!

I make my millefeuille as simply as possible, which means using a ready made puff pastry - life really is too short to make your own puff pastry! - a home made creme patissiere and fresh raspberries.

I roll the puff pastry out to a large rectangle and cut that into three long thin rectangles, all the same size.

These I sprinkle with a little sugar and bake in the oven until golden brown, then flip them over, re-sugar, and quickly toast on the underside, the extra sweetness to the pastry is appreciated.

I make the same creme patissiere as I use in the strawberry tart recipe.

To make the creme patissiere I heat 1 litre of milk in a pan with a split vanilla pod.  While it's heating mix in a bowl 6 egg yolks, 1/3 cup flour and 1/2 cup sugar.  Pour the hot milk over the eggs and sugar mix then pour back into the pan and stir gently until the cream starts to thicken.  Watch this carefully, it doesn't take long.   Pour back into the bowl and leave to cool.

Once this cream is cool I beat up a very small amount of  fresh cream until fairly thick and mix the cream into the creme patissiere.  Leave in the fridge until ready to assemble the tart.

To assemble the tart place a rectangle of pastry on a serving plate and spread some creme patissiere over.  Second layer of pastry, second layer of cream, then a neatly positioned layer of raspberries.  Topped with a layer of pastry and dusted with a little icing sugar.

If you are too worried about this collapsing when it is served you could pre cut your pastry into individual sized pastry shapes and mounting each person's serving one at a time.

I'm sure you are saying, "but why hasn't she told us how many raspberries, how much pastry?!!", Sorry!  For one thing the day is a little speedy today, and for two I'm confident that you can all guess that one pack of good quality puff pastry and a medium sized bowl of raspberries should do it !! :)

Bon appetit !!
and thank you so much for reading my blog !

Thanks to Notrefamille.com for the photos

my early morning reward

Sometimes it's difficult to get out of bed early on a 

Sunday to go to a brocante - this week I was

rewarded with these beautiful scenes.

you may like to click on a picture to see it in full

yesterdays loot shoot and a giveaway winner

I have decided not to show the loot directly on a Sunday.  Taking the photos and listing my finds makes  it feel too much like a working day, instead of a resting family day.  So here is my loot I was happy to find yesterday.  The brocante was on the streets of a local town, which I don't normally enjoy, preferring instead the feel of grass beneath my feet, but despite that the fair was huge and  treasures were to  be found.

I was very happy to find some pretty china, engravings, old papers, more moulds for candle holders, some amazing linen shams that were only half made by a meticulous seamstress.  Beautiful unfinished work that is strangely touching.

I adore these old bills, with their pretty logo and stunning handwritten invoice details.

Love this old bread basket and of course the enamel jugs.

Had fun with the moulds yesterday evening and enjoyed the play of light through the glass knife rests.

And then my giveaway winner, the name was pulled out of a hat by Gibson, no I'm kidding, by my daughter and I'm happy to announce that the grain sack is packed and waiting to be sent off to Lorrie of Fabric Paper Thread .  If you don't know Lorrie's blog then stop by, she shares her life in Vancouver, her love of France, and she often leaves comments on my blog in French YAY!  Congratulations to Lorrie, and a big thank you to everyone who joined in the giveaway and who reads my blog regularly.