. Apricots are at their best in Provence this very moment and I am finding every opportunity I can to enjoy them. Like all fruits – fresh is best – but if you feel like indulging in a little caramelised fantasy of mine… xv Apricots, The French Way wash, split and de-stone the apricots (allow
When we first found our farm in St Remy de Provence there wasn’t much to call a garden. There were some established trees, an orchard of abandoned fruit trees, a few gnarly old olives and a whole lot of broken down buildings. There was nothing of value and everything of value. Amongst these ruins
You either like them or you don’t. Me…I love mussels with an accompaniment of pommes frites. You may notice that I am resisting using the English words…fried chips, french fries, just plain fries, hand cut chips, match stick potatoes or any other derivation of deep fried because pommes frites just sounds so much more delicate, so
Have you ever taken the TGV train in France? This high speed train travels from the North to the southern tips of the country in record breaking time….hence the name train a grande vitesse. It is a sleek machine that snakes it’s way through the countryside, reaching average start to stop speeds
French life, like all life, has to revolve around the everyday some days. Yesterday was one of those kind of days . As much as I would like to gaze at beautiful surroundings and wile away the hours there are things to be done and they are the kind of things that can
In the words of Britain’s esteemed author Samuel Johnson, ‘No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.’ June is the month when the sun shines, the roses are in full bloom and the gardens and parks are heady
Lime blossom tea. On the farm the tilleuil trees are in full blossom and the scent, as it floats and lingers on the breeze, is just another one of the million reasons why I am crazy about Provence. Up early with basket in hand, I wandered along the canal that cuts through our property to
If I could find one word that would illustrate my feelings towards English country life it would be comfort.
I always thought that mothers favoured sons. It seemed to me that sons were the golden boys, the boys who could do no wrong and the reason for the bright light in their mothers eyes. I was wrong and I didn’t understand this until I had my own son. Mothers and sons have a unique
The French girl loves her lingerie and every village, town or city in France is witness to this.
No matter how small the French village there will always be one or even two lingerie shops.
Like the lotions and potions from the pharmacy and the latest cut and colour at the hairdresser, the proper lingerie is a French girl’s staple.
That volcano in Iceland, with the unpronounceable name, might have been spectacular and may have been responsible for some remarkable sunsets but she sure has a lot to answer for. The nasty damage and the air space closures, not to mention the wasted TV viewing hours that accompanied this natural catastrophe. Looking at round the
click here to read part one Je suis Australienne, je suis Vicki Archer, je suis en vacances, I repeated over and over. No, no, no, the Inspector replied becoming more and more frustrated with me. Who are you? Where do you come from?Where is your husband? He asked me these simple questions time and time again
We have been reminiscing about our time spent in France in 1995. We had taken our three young children and travelled to Europe for six months from Australia, where we were then living. This is well before we had any thoughts of living in France permanently but on reflection this is probably the moment when my
You will receive my guide to, The Top Ten French Wardrobe Essentials, as a thank you.
