Perce-neige

Well, at the risk of jinxing us all over here..... we haven't had much snow this season.  What snow we have had fell at the same time as the snowdrops started showing and continued till they were blooming.

I call that an aptly named flower!

They look so pretty as their foliage is really dark green and shows up beautifully against a white background.  The flowers themselves are laced with lime green, so you can see the delicate pattern nicely in comparison to the snow.

A bit hard to get a really good photo as had no inclination to lay on my front in the snow to get down to their level... sorry, some things I just do not do.

Since then we have continued to have cold weather, but no good snowfall.  A lot of neige fondu and ice, but not much else.

Our neighbour has been tidying up the hedgerows around the farm and carting huge tractor loads of branches back to the field behind his house.  Any wood that could be kept for heating the house was put aside, but there was still a huge alount of branches and "bits".  Today all the grandchildren were visiting, so we had a bonfire at dusk. 

There is something lovely about standing around a blazing fire when it is really cold.  A very primordial and primitive sense of peace and enjoyment.  Your front is hurting from the heat, and your back is aching from cold.  It is essential to turn around every now and then to allow the back to defrost before facing the flames once more.  The flames leap and soar higher and higher, before dying back to smouldering coals.

Staring glassy eyed into the flames is essential, as is holding your hands out closer - even though it is already too warm where you are standing.  The children occupied themselves throwing twigs and corn stalks onto the fire, while the adults just soaked up the warmth and ambience.  Chickens pecked at the ground at the limit of the heat.

All too soon it was over, and time to lock the chickens up as the sun set.

Life in the country is good.

Glorious sunset

Tonight I was driving home from a Christmas party (yes, already!!!) and had to stop and take photos.  The sunset was magnificent.

When I arrived home I ran out the back and took this shot looking down towards the river.

The colours were extraordinary and it felt warm - even though it definately wasn't!

We have already had one snow fall, and a few frosts (some light, some hard), with the frost last night turning the fish ponds on my journey into patinoires.  Lucky I have pretty much finished up in the garden for the year.  Will put some extra straw around my rhubarb and strawberry plants tomorrow, then I am done till late january when it is time to prune the apple trees.

A few of the locals have said it is going to be a hard winter this year..... let's see what eventuates.  In any case, I am ready with full store cupboards and freezers.  Chimneys cleaned and emergency candles in place.  Plenty of "projects" to keep me busy, and lots of lovely friends in walking distance to share a cup of tea and a walk in the brisk sunshine.

Life is good here.

Perce-Neige

Snowdrops are called perce-neige in french, (pierce-snow).  The first hint that spring is around the corner and soon the garden will be bursting with colour and scent.


At the risk of jinxing myself, we have not had a lot of snow this winter.

It has either been too cold and icy, or too wet and rainy.

This has not stopped the snowdrops from blooming, even though there is no snow to push their way through.

It was far too cold to go for a walk this morning, so Sophie and I contented ourselves with a wander over the terrain, checking out the ground and discussing how long before I can start planting.  She is a lovely little companion.  We have nice walks together and she knows when to comment, and when to keep her thoughts to herself..... as only a cat can do.

My only problem is that she must be as close to me as possible, and so I am always at great risk of tripping over her.  If I stop, she immediately steps on to my shoes and leans her body in to my legs.  Not sure if it is love, or love of my body warmth on a frosty morning....

Eric is the master of warm and cosy spots in the house.  He has decided that radiators were made specifically for cats, and so can be found draped artistically (and bonelessly) over the radiator in whichever room I am in. 

Guy prefers warm laps, or the electric blanket, or just the blanket and quilt made in to a nest....

Neige!

Yes, it is finally snowing here.  I don't know who is more excited... the neighbours kidlets or me....

I love when it snows.  The world goes all quiet and peaceful and there is such a special atmosphere.  Everything ugly and harsh to the view disappears under a dusting of white.  It is like a return to childhood.  The anticipation, butterflies in the stomach - waiting for the moment when the world is completely changed into something magical and unreal.

One of my great pleasures is to go for a walk, camera in hand, and watch the transformation.  My eyes are constantly watching for the traces of the small animals normally hidden from view.  Finding the path taken by a badger, marten or other wild creature is almost as exciting as seeing the animal itself.  Those lovely little prints through the pristine snow are a delight to find.  I know, I am a bit strange.  Wayne shakes his head in disbelief that I have a book on animal scat and traces.  My theory is that if you want to understand and really know the environment that you live in, it is essential to learn about things like poo and paw prints.  It goes hand in hand with living in the country to my mind. Nerdy I know, but very very interesting....lol

Monday morning the cats and I spent hours glued to the windows watching the transformation of our neighbourhood into a snow fantasy.  Every few hours I ran outside with the video camera (new toy) and filmed the progress of the house turning from a typical maison Poitevin into something from Hansel and Gretel.  You know what I mean.... the frosted eaves and fairytale garden coated in a layer of snow, with smoke curling lazily from the chimney.

Tuesday afternoon saw my garden become the venue for a heated snowball fight between a neighbourhood 4 year old and myself.  No comments about picking on someone my own size.... this kidlet was an expert at snowballs!!  After nearly collapsing with laughter at his antics in the snow, his Mum and I retired to the comfort of the salon and a cosy armchair each in front of the cheminee.  Well deserved mug of tisane in hand - of course.

Today is a half day for all schools.  As it is every wednesday.  Another snowball match has been scheduled with the neighbours kidlets for 1300hours.  May need to have a few cups of full strength coffee before then I think...lol.  Yesterday at a routine checkup, the doctor asked about my exercise habits, and was puzzled when I burst out laughing.  Had to explain about the championship snowball battles every day while the snow lasted.  She had a good giggle over that and her only comment was that I was obviously getting enough exercise running from the neighbours kidlets.  Hmmm.

Seriously (?) though, the snow does change the whole outlook of people as well as the area.  On monday evening one of the neighbours arrived home with his wife.  Their young adult daughter drove in at the same time.  Within seconds of exiting their vehicles the father had commenced pelting his wife and daughter with snowballs.  A hilarious snowball fight ensued for about half an hour.  All three dressed in business attire and the women in high heels!  It was fabulous to see them having so much fun, and to hear their laughter echoing down the street.  What a great way to let off steam after a hard day at work!

I cannot imagine the heat and humidity being suffered by our family and friends in Australia right now.  My world is too full of fluttering white flocons de neige and crisp cold air.... and we have another 2 weeks of minus zero and snow to come.... YOUPI!!!

The photo at top was taken in my neighbours garden about three hours in to the snow.  The pic of our house was only one hour in to the snow.

Home Again....

Phew!  What a whirlwind tour of family and friends that was.  Think we need a holiday to recover from the holiday...lol

A good time was had by all and it was lovely to see everyone again.  We both wished we had more time to spend at each stop and with each person.

The boys had a lovely time at their pension in the countryside.  In fact it was extremely difficult to convince them to get into their carry cases to come home!  They did not like the Christmas week with all its coming and going, but loved the outdoor exercise area and the cosy beds.

It has been a relatively mild winter here so far.  No snow as yet and no ice, although high winds and lots of rain.  Fortunately for me, I missed all this and from the day I arrived back it has been cold and fairly clear.  In fact winter seems to have made an effort for me and the past week has seen temps below zero and severe frosts.  A few mornings I have awoken to a garden that was so iced over that it almost looked like it had snowed during the night!

I have spent the past 2 weeks catching up on things here and getting organised again.  Thought I was at the stage were I could relax and kick back a bit.... when 3 steres of wood was delivered yesterday.... and needs to be stacked quickly as they are predicting snow for tomorrow.... and Wayne is away on business... comme d'habitude.... sigh.  So guess what I am doing today.

Had a lovely visit from a friend this week.  She was passing through on the way south for work and stayed here, and then on her return trip she also stayed over.  It was great to catch up and to welcome her to our home.  First time she had visited here, and so it was extra special for me that she made the time to stop by twice.  A real treat to see her.

The cats in the neighbourhood were all very glad to see me back.  Little Salameche is now a big boy.  Still gorgeous and super affectionate.... and still spending the day and night everywhere else except his own home.  When he saw me outside he ran down the road and leapt into my arms. I had my face thoroughly smooged and patted (close eyes, grit teeth and don't breathe in all the cat hairs...lol) and he told me a huge tale of the past 2 months, before allowing me to put him down and continue to the letter box.  A funny little character.

A note.  My computer is about to reach the end of its life, so for a few weeks - until I can replace it - I cannot do much on it.  Most functions, including emails, meet with a message telling me that no space or memory or capacity or just simply a fail message.  So emails will be a bit quiet from me till new computer is installed.  Apologies to all that I owe emails.  I am using my iphone to answer urgent stuff, and having to let all other emails wait.

The photo at top is of a King Parrot (male) taken in the Blue Mountains at a friends place. 
Second photo is a view through the gardens surrounding Circular Quay, (from the Rocks towards the quay).

Christmas time is here

... and hopefully the eurostar is running.....

Just a quick message before the last minute rush.

We are supposed to be going to London for Christmas.  I say supposed to be, as the eurostar has been running a very limited service due to all the snow we have had in France and England.  Not only has it affected the airports, but the trains have been hard hit as well.

As of this evening the website was saying we will travel, but then we have had more snow since that update.

Who knows what will happen.

What I do know is that whether we are in London or Paris we will have a lovely Christmas.  There is a good chance it will be a white Christmas, and that is something special for these little Aussies.

The boys are going to the cat sitter tomorrow, I will miss them enormously.  It will be a huge change for Eric who thinks he is so big and brave and fearless.  A real character.  He is growing at a great rate of knots and is becoming more and more acrobatic with each day.  Learning new tricks - when he wants to (he is a cat after all - not a goggie), and being so cute it is hard to punish him when he is naughty.  His latest trick is to bring me his stuffed toys whilst I am sleeping.  I wake up in the morning with a collection in bed with me.  Adores his stuffed skunk and lamb, carries them around the appartement and keeps them near him, and thinks his bilby is the perfect toy to bash up.  The Loch Ness monster he just washes and fusses over.  Plays fetch when he is in the mood and there is nothing better to do.

Guy is getting a bit muscular now.  All the playing chase around the appartement is doing him good.  Still a gorgeous snuggly boy though. 

It will be good to have a big house for them to play in.  I can imagine the games of chase up and down all the staircases...... and they will learn all about basking in front of an open fire.  Something which I am sure they will excell at.

No pics of decorations.  Due to having a teenaged kitten/cat and being about to move house, I have not done any lighting or decorations at all.  Must say I do miss the smell of pine boughs in the house. 

The pic above was taken by Wayne in Beaver Creek USA last winter.  Kind of appropriate for here this winter.

I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas with family and friends.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....

What a whirlwind the past month has been.  We have had many things to do and I have not been able to update via posts.

First news, in february we are moving house.  We will still be in France, but are moving to a different part of France.  Our new home will be in the Poitou-Charentes.  More on that as it happens.

As part of the move we have been making visits to find a new home, looking at the logistics of the move, researching what is required to furnish the new home, and also researching what type of car to buy (something which will be essential in the new city).  

At this stage I have done all I can, and now have to sit back and let things run their course.

Meanwhile, life is busy here with the wind up to Christmas and the party season.  I must thank all of you who sent birthday greetings.  It was really appreciated and I was touched that so many thought of me on this milestone birthday.

My plans for this week included a trip to Strasbourg to visit the Christmas markets.... as with all the best laid plans, there has been a slight glitch.  As in over 15cm of glitch called snow. (I gave up measuring at 15cm and went inside, but it continued to snow for a while longer so possibly it reached 20cm here on the hill).  I am monitoring the train website and we shall see if the trip goes ahead or not.

A simple trip to exchange my library books today turned into a 3 hour saga to get home.  Living on top of Butte Montmartre may be charming and picturesque.... but it means you get cut off by transport and cannot walk up the hill in the snow.  All good fun in the end though.  

I have added a new photo album to the sidebar and you can see some pics I took this afternoon when I finally made it home.  The cute puppy is called Pauline, and she was so excited to see snow.  It was the most adorable thing to watch her playing.  Pouncing at snowdrifts, biting at the flakes as they fell, and sneezing when she bit a huge pile of snow and it went up her nose.  Hope you enjoy seeing our quartier as much as I enjoyed taking the photos.

Oh, and yes, I did go out and have a good old fashioned snowball fight with everyone in the neighbourhood whilst taking the pics........ of course.

Midweek Musings

Here it is, wednesday again.

We have had so much snow today and yesterday. No photos of the snow as I have not perfected the art of photographing it yet. But I have certainly had a lot of practice today!

I love it when it snows. The whole world goes quiet and seems to hold its breath, as if waiting for something. Everything looks beautiful, gilded with a lacy trim of fresh snow, like icing sugar dusted over a cake. It blurs the edges and brings a new perspective to the world.

It was snowing so heavily this morning that I could not see the park across the road. Guy was fascinated. He sat on the dining table (yes, I know - cat bum on dining table - but let's not get into his bad habits today. sigh) and gazed at the flakes drifting past the window. Some of them were as big as a 2 euro piece!!

I waited till after lunch to head out to the shops thinking the snow may ease up or stop. Which it did.... till I set foot outside the door when it came down heavily again.....

Even though being hit in the eyeballs by snowflakes is right down near the bottom of my "list of things I enjoy", it was magical to walk through the snow and watch my jacket turn from black to white.

A father and teenage son started an impromptu snowball fight, which soon had everybody taking sides and commenting. A lot of fun. Amazing how that white stuff turns even grown ups into giggling children. Everyone walked off with smiles on their faces, something you don't see often in Paris.

Arriving home very chilled, with numb fingers and toes I craved something hearty and hot for dinner tonight. So we are having boeuf au carrottes with pomme de terre ratte. (beef and carrots with "ratte" variety potatoes). Being me, it is not the authentic version that takes all day to make. I always "adjust" recipes. There is no salt in this recipe. This is deliberate. If you add salt it will make the meat tough. There is also so much flavour that you will not miss the salt. If you must have it, add a sprinkle of fleur de sel when serving.

Enjoy your casserole and I will be back on monday. I am now off to England for a few days of fun with friends and family. Can't wait!

Boeuf au Carrottes a la Debbie
1kg good stewing steak, trimmed and cut into chunks
approx half bottle nice red wine (I am using a bourdeaux tonight)
good sprinkle of parsley, pepper, any other herbs you feel like 1bunch of thyme chopped
1 small onion chopped very fine
1 clove garlic chopped very fine
2 stalks of celery chopped finely
1 teaspoon of grainy mustard
1 tablespoon of redcurrant jelly
1/2 teaspoon vegemite

Put everything in a large casserole dish and stir to combine. Cover and place in slow oven.

After 30 mins add 1kg carrots chopped into rough chunks. Stir and cover again.

Now and then check that it is cooking well and stir. You may like to add stock or gravy granules for a richer or thicker gravy, or to leave the lid off for half an hour to reduce the gravy. Each batch is different and may need "tweaking" in a different way.

Cook in a slow oven for as many hours as you can leave it before being driven insane by the aroma

Steam/boil/microwave the potatoes till cooked. Drain any liquid and add fresh butter and fresh parsley.

Serve generous portions of the casserole in a shallow bowl. Don't forget to add potatoes to the bowl! Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley and/or thyme over everything. Dunk pieces of crusty bread into the juices and enjoy it all with a glass of whatever wine you used in the dish.... or a lovely bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape..... even better!

NOTES:
I do not use measurements very often... sorry. After checking my oven temp it is on 180C and I will turn it down to about 165C after the carrots go in.
I think dumplings would go fabulously in this. You may need to add some stock or water to the casserole though so it isn't too dry after the dumplings cook.
If you can't get fresh herbs, dried is ok. I tend to beg or buy fresh herbs when in season and freeze them for later use when they are not available.
The vegemite can be replaced with any flavourful stock cube/powder/liquid. It really just gives it a lovely colour and boosts the flavour.

Baby it's cold outside

Just walked into the bedroom to put on an extra layer of clothes (it is minus 5 outside, and it is 11am) and what do I find......

Hmmm, think I am approaching this cold weather all wrong.

Need to take lessons in coccooning from the cat.