Rain, Rain, Go Away

Posted on June 7, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

 

This has been the view from the front door for over half of May and most of June so far. My Dordogne version of “30 seconds of CALM.” Ha, maybe I’ll make my own app! Looks like we have another week of showers, then summer weather should arrive.

Although it has saved me from watering the beds, the mushrooms are going crazy all over the property and I think I might be sprouting a few too! JK!

Between downpours, I’ve been able to get a lot planted in the potager. In between the larger plants, I tucked in a bunch of onion sets. Had to laugh at my choice of container to transport them—pretty damned ritzy for plain-Jane yellow onions, doncha think? Obviously left out from a recent party and I grabbed it. Whatever works, right?

Even concocted these ‘trellises’ for the tomatoes, squash, and cantaloupe. Theo was quite proud of my ingenuity when he saw the first one standing. I felt like a cave woman pulling the felled bamboo out of the grove and cutting off the lateral branches, then dragging them over to the site. Me woman. Me grow vegetable. Me grow vegetable very, very tall! Just crossing my fingers they don’t topple with the first breeze!

We enjoyed a visit from Theo’s cousin, Ulla, and her friend Monika, from Germany. Monika also speaks French and English, but we laughed often at ourselves speaking this hilarious mix of German, French, and English. But somehow everyone processed the mash just fine. Again, between showers and especially in the late afternoon when it cleared up, we were all in the pool having a great time. Shared cooking duties and a few meals away from home made it almost a holiday for me as well! Thanks, Ulla and Monika, for being such easy guests.

Theo, Ulla and Monika

Just before our guests left, I caught my pinkie toe in a rolled up oriental rug (if you know me, you know I rarely wear shoes in the house), and I think I broke it. Hurt like hell, then turned bright red, then blue and purple. Now, a week later, the whole side of my foot is simply a sickening shade of green. Iced it, elevated it, tried to stay off it, and taped it to it’s best new buddy, Toe #4. With enough trusty Doliprane (a popular pain killer here in France) I get through the day, and it is getting better.

Chillin’ out with the dogs and my broken toe.

Sorry to bore you with more rose pictures, but these were so huge and beautiful. Clipped them just before they would have been beaten to the ground by yet another rainstorm. Actually, the rose garden is suffering, when it should be flourishing. The little darlings keep on blooming and growing, then get the snot beat out of them from the pelting rain. And the black spot—can’t even treat it, it’s been so wet. But sunnier days will come…

Couldn’t help but rescue these beauties in the downpour.

Speaking of which, it almost always clears up around sunset. Got this shot tonight with a stunning sky, which I will leave you with. (And yes, we have baby owls in the pigeonnier  again this year. So excited!)

Posted in American Expats in France, Barn Owls, Expat Blog, Gardening in the Dordogne, Southwest France American Expat Blog | 3 Comments

Printemps

Posted on May 12, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

Annie is so happy in her favorite morning place in the garden. You wouldn’t believe how many wood chips I find on the floor in the house, on the sofa, on the chair, on the bed…

Spring has sprung and it’s ALL about the garden these days. Here’s what’s going on in my world. Time is whizzing by so fast, I hardly have time to write!

My little patch of Lily of the Valley blooming right on cue—May Day.

I’m so excited to announce some progress with my potager, as I figured it wasn’t going to be in place until later this fall. Well, wonders never cease, and just in time to start planting, I have one box ready to go and the other three waiting for more of my time and effort. I had dreamed of having an elaborate and beautifully designed layout for the raised beds, with a large obelisk in the middle and benches, yada, yada (see March 2017 post). Then there’s the reality…

Even though everyone thinks I’m crazy for having it in a part of the garden so far from the kitchen, this patch is the best for many reasons: great sun exposure, it’s flat already, and is downhill from my (hopefully) gravity-fed irrigation system.

Rocks inidicating garden planter placement.

So after being promised wood bids from several sources with no results, we wandered into a local scierie (saw mill), talked to the owner who then produced a devis in 5 minutes. We accepted, paid a deposit, and 2 weeks later my wonderful cedar raised-bed boxes showed up. It was still too wet to drive the delivery truck to the lower garden, so he unloaded them by the driveway and the three of us oompfed them down into place (sweating and cussing the entire way) on my handy-dandy new 600-kg capacity chariot (sides removed of course).

 

 

Delivery of THE BOXES for my new raised beds.

My raised beds ‘in situ.’ Notice what a difference a couple of weeks makes in the trees in the forest!

And so, staying true to my commitment to employ the Hugelkultur technique for my raised beds, here is what we did:

Mole deterrent was installed in the form of galvanized wire covered by the recycled cloth of a broken awning from the house. The little devils better not get through that!

Forgot to take pictures of each step, but we used up a pigsty full of decaying twigs that the previous owner had collected, covered it with straw and wonderfully composted quail manure, then topped it all off with rich soil and grass clippings for mulch.

The whole concept behind my madness is that the raised beds will not only be easier on my aging back, hips, and knees, but will provide excellent drainage, protection from pests, and easy access to crops. And by layering the old wood branches with straw and fertilizer, I can raise awesome veggies and flowers with little irrigation or fertilizer. Click here for  more information on this underused (IMHO) method of gardening.

Great selection from small growers at the Grande Marché aux Fleurs in town this week.

I’ve been hitting the local nurseries hard and enjoyed a wonderful flower market in Lalinde on Fête du Travail. Bought some hard-to-find herbs from specialty growers and opted for a stunning Billbergia.

My Billbergia’s new home for now—in the shower.

We also bought a metal owl at the Marché aux Fleurs to add to our growing collection. We’re hoping for baby owls again this year, as we hear Papa Barn Owl screech when he goes hunting every night from the pigeonnier. Not that you care, but here’s our little collection so far…

And here are some shots (albeit quite braggadocious) from around the garden…

Colors are starting to pop in the front garden. So pleased the Butterfly Lavender wintered over, and finally the Geum is a star this second year (tall wirey orange flowers in rear).

My neglected azalea in the secret garden seems to have profited from all the rain this winter (and maybe a severe shaping and some coffee grounds didn’t hurt either)!

After a hard pruning and individual leaf and stem washing to rid it of scale, the lemon tree is raging with new growth.

The Philadelphus by the guest house is just starting to explode in bloom!

Enjoying the Mock Orange (Philadelphus) on the patio before bringing it into the house. The smell is intoxicating!

Ready to party. Again! Love being able to snip the spring shrubs for bouquets, in this case lilacs and snowballs in Theo’s mother’s Blue Delft vase.

Speaking of partying, here’s a slice of my crazy ‘bombe’ made with pound cake, a layer of homemade strawberry preserves, and an ice cream center, all packed in a bowl and frozen. Yum!

And lastly, I should be careful what I wish for. Today, we bought a fantastic used Husqvarna lawn mower so I can keep my paths well trimmed and the front garden looking neat in between visits from the regular gardener. It’s a beast, but what a great machine for a good price! “Another piece of equipment to make Cindy’s life easier…” touts Theo. Ugh…

 

Posted in American Expats in France, Expat Blog, Gardening in the Dordogne, Hugelkultur, Southwest France American Expat Blog | 8 Comments

A Great Idea

Posted on April 22, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

We just finished cleaning up from a most glorious Sunday lunch. Allow me to tell you about it…

Nearby friends had suggested months ago they wanted to start a “Cookbook Club” and would I be interested in joining? Never heard of such a thing, but here’s the concept. It’s for people who love to cook, eat, and drink and aren’t afraid to go outside their comfort zone a bit. We have established our “Club” as a once-a-month gathering, rotating between members’ homes.

Ready, set, go!

The host picks the theme for the meal—either a cookbook, a chef, or a cuisine—then they prepare two main dishes from said cookbook, chef, or cuisine, and everyone else antes-up to bring a course to add to the meal, sticking to the theme. Each participant also brings a bottle of wine to pair with the meal.

The men holding down the patio furniture…

We stepped up to host the first meeting, the Première Fête, for our group today. There were only seven of us today, but that made a really great group to get things started. Since everyone in the group had some sort of tie to the US and we were all living in France, I chose Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking as the inspiration for the meal.

We started out with a local sparkling wine, La Sauvagine, made in a traditional method, paired with Roquefort Cheese Balls and other nibbles as an apéritif.

The menu.

Lunch consisted of an entrée of Cucumber Soup, garnished with amazing garlic croutons and herbs. I made two main dishes: a Tarragon Stuffed Chicken roasted in a covered cast-iron casserole, with Mushroom Stuffing and a Brown Tarragon Sauce, and Paupiettes de Boeuf, which were thin slices of beef wrapped around veal and pork sausage, braised in a wine stock with bacon and vegetables that created a most amazing sauce in the end, with a little mustard and cream added to the strained liquid.

These were accompanied by some amazing garlic mashed potatoes and fresh peas á la Française. We enjoyed a delightful 2014 Cháteau Barreyres Cru Bourgeois from the Haut-Medoc region and a 2013 E. Guigal Côtes du Rhône. They were different from each other, but both paired lovely with the chicken and the meat.

The ‘spread.’

We finished our gastronomic delights with a fabulous cheese tray and Charlotte aux Pommes, which had an amazingly complex and delicious gooey apple center inside a cakey exterior. Hard to describe and not easy to make, but was out of this world!

We had such a fun time sharing our challenges with the recipes and joking about all of it. And even though each of the cooks had their doubts about their contributions, at the end of the day, the meal was FANTASTIC. We all agreed on that.

Great lunch with friends.

If you are interested in starting such a group in your area and have any questions, just ask. I think it’s such a great concept and is so much fun. It’s a good excuse to stretch your culinary skills, win, lose, or draw!!!

Posted in American Expats in France | 4 Comments

All the News

Posted on March 18, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

As I read these news tidbits this week, had to stop and ponder how different living here in rural France is from living in the California Bay Area…

Apparently there was a burglary in Porte de Couze, our sister village less than 2 miles from here. I had heard there were seven break-ins during Christmas time—a real rash of crime for here—so we were all being extra careful to lock our doors and close our shutters when we went out.

I was in the garden working the other day and noticed a most out-of-place helicopter buzzing around, back and forth, obviously looking for something. Then I stumble upon the article that explained there had been another burglary in Couze and they sent out a helicopter to search for the perpetrator! Couldn’t help but contemplate that if they sent out one helicopter per burglary in San Jose, the sky would be dark with aircraft!!!

Lalinde Gangster

Another funny incident was this one about a goat that was ‘locked up’ behind bars at our town’s gendarmerie. What made it super funny was last year, my friend and I were headed downtown, when we encountered something standing smack in the middle of the road. At first I thought it was a huge dog, but as we got closer, realized it was a huge billy goat, complete with big thick horns and a long beard! Right in the middle of the road. A country road, nonetheless, but in the middle of the road. Not moving. I honked. He didn’t move. He just stared at me with those slitty eyes and didn’t budge. I honked again, opened my door and hissed at him, and inched the car toward him. He was standing his ground. My friend got out and approached him, while I honked again and finally, he moved enough for us to get around. We were at the town hall and told them there was a billie on the loose and they went to look for him. I don’t think this was the same goat, but probably from the same farmer with obvious voids in his fence! Ah, life in rural France…

What in the world?

Another little oddity from this week…
Saw this in the field and wondered what it was. Had an orange whiffle ball melted? Was it a glob of orange tape? As I got closer, it looked like an alien brain from Star Trek. It was a mushroom that had ‘hatched’ a hollow orange lattice ball. I ran to my French Mushroom Encyclopedia and couldn’t find anything like it. Then found on the computer that is the Clathrus ruber, or Basket Stinkhorn. Then, of course, I had to run back out and sniff on it and yep, it stunk like rotten meat on a hot day. There are many other ‘eggs,’ so I don’t think the show is over yet.

Not exactly news you can use, but cheap thrills of living in the country!

Posted in American Expats in France | 2 Comments

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity, Jig

Posted on March 4, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

After posing with ‘silly legs’ in front of every fountain we found, we returned home safe and sound last Saturday. The weather in France has been unseasonably cold, so we skipped the visit to Toulouse—it’s close enough, we can visit another time. It was SO good to be home again.

Theo started it…!

The dogs were very happy to see their Papa.

All in all, we traveled 5175 kilometers (3216 miles) and enjoyed every minute of it. Now it made sense that we bought the BMW for our ‘touring’ car, even though it’s a boat around town! I didn’t nearly fill it with treasures, but could have. The valets at the hotels were amazed at the amount of crap we were traveling with, even though I thought we were quite restrained! 😝 After explaining that we were on a 6-week automotive adventure, they nodded their heads with understanding.

Our route.

Just a little postscript. I know only a couple of you will appreciate this photo (are you out there Hillary and Dulce?), but before leaving on this adventure, I bought an extra Nespresso machine to take with us (which will now go into the guest house), because to NOT have coffee in bed for six weeks simply isn’t living. And so I lugged my “little kitchen” bag (not so little or light!) with my coffee machine, pods, cups, spoons, sugar, CoffeeMate (one of our guilty pleasures), knives, cutting board, rag, ziplock bags, and paper towels. All the comforts of home…

Ah, nothing like java in bed.

I have to put in a word for our over-the-top fantabulous dog/house sitters, Diana and Ron. They were superstars and spoiled the dogs in the fashion that they are accustomed (uh-hum). They were in touch with us throughout the trip and now I think the dogs have visited more of the sites around here than we have! 🐶 When we returned, we found that Ron had cleaned up a mountain of sticks from the trees, and we were treated to Diana’s fabulous leg of lamb for dinner. We enjoyed a couple of days swapping great stories—surely friends for life.

Annie, Diana, Theo, Ron and Alfie

These pig floats in a pintxos bar describe how we feel after eating on the road for 6 weeks!!!

We are both at our lifetime heaviest weight, so healthy eating and exercise must now prevail. We did enjoy some fabulous food along the way, thanks to the European Michelin Guide. And some not so good, when our feet were too tired to find our way, or when we got so pissed at Google Maps spinning all over the place, that we gave up and just picked a restaurant! But we had fairly good luck and people were incredibly nice at every stop. Now it’s time to nest and get back to unfinished projects!!!

 

 

 

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Road Trip, Girona & Figueres, Spain and Carcassonne, France: Days 35-38

Posted on February 23, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

After Valencia, we decided to skip Barcelona altogether, as we were suffering from big-city burnout—a six-week trip will do that to you! That, and the fact that we’ve been there several times before.

Street in Girona.

We decided to scoot up to Girona, near the French border. We fought high winds all through Tarragona and fondly talked about our friend, Wolfe, who we stayed with several years ago and suddenly passed away last year. We wondered what happened to the finca and olive plantation that he loved so dearly.

While driving further north past Barcelona, we were awestruck by the sharp-toothed mountains to the west. After a bit of research, we realized that these were the Montserrat moutains, where the Benedictine Abbey, founded in the 10th century, still functions to this day. We decided to visit another time in warmer weather.

Montserrat Mountains, Spain. Photo from Lonely Planet.

Once we reached Girona, it was difficult to chose where to dine, as there were SO MANY great restaurants in old town. We chose wisely and had some wonderful meals. One evening, we stopped for a nightcap and to finish watching the Chelsea/Barcelona soccer match. Had a great conversation with a couple of local guys who surprised us by buying our drinks! We promised to root for Barça from now on (even though we really like Madrid too!)

    Theo’s impression of Sitting Bull in a bar with decor of American Indian stuff and Bruce Springsteen!

On our way to Carcassonne, we stopped at the must-see Dalí museum in his hometown of Figueres, Spain. We both admit that it was a surreal experience (pun intended) and are a bit confused by what was going on his mind, but thoroughly enjoyed the visit and were glad we went.

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The weather turned bitterly cold, so we decided to cut the last few days from our trip and head home. Our last stop ended up being Carcassonne, a medieval citadel, which is one of the best preserved in the world. It’s claim to fame is the 3 kilometer long (1.9 miles) double fortress wall, interspersed with 52 towers. With over 2,500 years of history, the preservation of the fortress was begun in the late 19th century, and was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Really great to stumble around here, despite all the tacky tourist shops. And thanks to the Michelin Restaurant Guide, we hit upon some great eateries too (and dodged the awful tourist food!)

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Posted in American Expats in France, Carcassonne, Dali Museum, Figueres, Girona, Northern Spain Tour, Traveling in Europe | Leave a comment

Road Trip, Costa Blanca, Spain: Days 28-34

Posted on February 21, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

From Malaga, we took the coastal highway to our friends’ house in Jávea. After joking about the landscape looking like the backdrop of many spaghetti westerns, we passed through the Almeria Province. We started noticing an overwhelming number of plastic grow houses. Theo asked me what I thought they were growing and my instincts were right. But to better explain it, I found this article very interesting.

Until the world learns to eat local produce in season, this phenomenon will continue. Such a waste of beautiful coastal areas.

Beautiful cactus at our hosts’ home.

We instantly felt like we were ‘at home’ upon arriving at our friends’ house in Jávea, since we stayed in the apartment in their house so many times while house hunting in the region in past years. Of course, as you know, we decided against a permanent home in Spain and, although the winter weather is lovely, this area is not for us. It was very validating that we chose the southwest of France instead!

A beautiful day on the Arenal Beach in Jávea.

But that doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t enjoy spending the winter months down here! And so we called upon some of the realtors we had gotten to know over the years and went out to look at some properties. After all was said and done, we have decided to not make any hasty decisions and made some inquiries about winter rental possibilities, so that we can bring the dogs along. Made some good connections, but need to wait until about September to dial in a rental. But with the almond trees in full blossom, and the Mediterranean beckoning, it’s hard to not think about basking in the winter sun down here next year!

We enjoyed driving around our old stomping grounds to see if our attitude for the area had changed. And it’s amazing how differently we felt! Of course, we’re looking at the whole experience through different glasses—part-time winter living vs. full-time investment.

After relaxing (and catching up with laundry)  in Jávea, we headed for one of our favorite cities, Valencia. Again, a vibrant modern city with a breathtaking old town. Nice to see that renovations are still taking place and tourism is booming. A very lovely town to visit in February, as we enjoyed 20° temps and clear skies. Revisited neighborhoods and soaked in some new culture and architecture.

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See no evil, speak no evil…

Posted in American Expats in France, Costa Blanca, Spain, Traveling in Europe, Valencia | 2 Comments

Road Trip, Cádiz/Costa del Sol/Malaga: Days 25-27

Posted on February 18, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

We pryed ourselves away from Seville and set out to discover what the Costa del Sol is like these days. I’ve never been and Theo was there 40+ years ago selling ‘villas’ as a 20-something, when you could score a 3 bed/2 bath for around $15,000! Shoulda, woulda, but couldn’t.

Had a quick drive through Cádiz because there was NO PARKING—we found ourselves just escaping the island before the Carnival Parade and promised ourselves to return another time. Estepona, Marbella, Fuengirola, and  Torremolinos were all ruined with dense high-rise apartment buildings. Yuk. We hardly stopped and I took no pictures of these coastline blasphemies. But the good news is that we ended up in Malaga for a couple of days…and what a DELIGHT!

Beautiful self-push floats for Carnival!

I had done a little bit of research and booked a great hotel in the old town of Malaga. More Spanish-feeling, less touristy and less busy. A very clean and proud city, with the added plus of us happening upon Carnival festivities!!!

Princess of the Malaga Carnival Parade

Fab-u-lous!

The backs of the displays were just as beautiful as the fronts!

Awesome mask. Can you find the guy’s face?

Carnival lights.

We felt very fortunate to visit Picasso’s birthplace and museum in Malaga, with a great cross-section of his work.

We walked our little tails off, but found the flat streets to be a welcome change…

Roman amphitheatre built in the first century AD, with the Alcazaba above it.

Malaga Cathedral

Wearing the ratty old coat in Malaga. There’s no hope!

Cathedral tower.

Posted in American Expats in France, Malaga, Traveling in Europe | 3 Comments

Road Trip, Seville, Spain: Days 22-24

Posted on February 16, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

Theo and I have returned to Seville, because it’s one of our all-time favorite cities. Enjoyed strolling around seeing the sights again, taking time in the parks, and enjoying a few beers along the way.

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Posted in American Expats in France, Expat Blog, Seville, Southwest France American Expat Blog, Spain, Traveling in Europe | 3 Comments

Road Trip, Day 20 to 21: Algarve, Portugal

Posted on February 9, 2018 by thecindy@mail.com

Best part of the Algarve is this little spit of coastline, Farol da Ponta da Piedade, near Lagos.

From Lisbon, we shot down to the Algarve with high hopes that we would fall in love with the area and put it on the short list of places to go next winter. Not knowing much about the region, I secured accommodations in the middle of the southern coast (in Albufeira) with the thought that we could go west about 45 minutes and see the area around Lagos and go east about 45 minutes and experience Faro.

Beautiful rock formations and more hidden beaches.

Upon arrival, we both agreed that this area was not for us. Albufeira was an armpit of a town. Overbuilt with now aging apartments, graffiti everywhere, and overrun with red-faced geriatric sun worshippers. The place had no soul. How could developers take such a beautiful area of the world and ruin it so badly? The weather is divine and it could have been so wonderful. But too late now.

Secluded little beaches tucked all along the coast near Lagos. And that water. Wow!

Our field trip to Lagos was the only saving grace. We liked this western part much better and found Lagos to be slightly more palatable as a town, but agreed that it wasn’t for us. But as we snaked our way down the coast, passing development after development, we happened upon this great little beach cafe. Had a wonderful lunch and chatted with a couple of gals from the Netherlands. And the views from the cliffs were breathtaking.

View from our lunch table at a jewel of a beach hut. Protected from the wind, great sun exposure, yummy fish, and cold beer. SO BEACHY!

Thank goodness the hotel turned out to be very nice, with nightly entertainment in the posh bar. Not to mention that two nights, including breakfast, was only €80 and no parking fees.

We decided the two nights was plenty for us and explored Faro on our way to Spain. It had some ancient buildings in somewhat of a downtown, but was still a real mixed bag. And so, our journey continued to Seville.

Posted in Algarve, American Expats in France, Expat Blog, Portugal, Southwest France American Expat Blog, Traveling in Europe | 5 Comments