Cliff hanger

Yesterday’s walk took us along a cliff of fossilferous material, to me it appeared brick like in its nature, but Brian applied the little bit he had learnt from reading and his brother – from when they used to go fossil hunting together – to understand what we could see.

He said that we would probably find a fossil between the strata, where it looks darker and more like sandstone, so we walked on a bit further where the darker material met the rising path. We then had a little root around in the rocks, not damaging any, but soon found signs that fossils may be found there. Apparently the area we live in was underwater tens of millions of years ago, during the Cretaceous period, and what Brian found was what looked like a sea creature.

One thing we are sure it’s not – although it was one of Brian’s thoughts – is a Trilobite. Apparently they were long extinct by the Cretaceous period, by at least 150 million years. It is probably more likely some marine mollusk or something similar. Now, I know this may seem like I know what I’m talking about, but I don’t. I reached out to Alan, Brian’s brother, for some help. Our family palaeontologist put me straight on what it wasn’t and what it could be. For now we are still unsure as to what it was …..

Day 29

Saturday 28th November, day 29 of confinement. The rules are starting to ease from today, and if the average number of daily cases remains below 5,000 then the rules will be eased further from 15th December. As from today all shops can now open with strict controls on the number of people inside. And we can now exercise for up to 3 hours outside, including travel time, however we do still need to complete our permit, and not allowed to travel between regions.

From 15th December we will come out of confinement and move back into a curfew phase – curfew starts at 9pm through to 7am. This will remain in place as long as the targets are met. Inter-regional travel will also be allowed again and foreign travel will be permitted subject to the destination countries rules.

The sun came out to celebrate, with a gorgeous blue sky and not a cloud in sight. We popped our walking boots in the car and drove round to the aerodrome at Celles-sur-Ource to discover a new walk.

The views were amazing

It was a gorgeous day

Wreath making

I love the build up to Christmas, and really enjoy getting involved and making the house look inviting and Christmassy. It will be a very strange one this year…for all of us. I really enjoy having people over – planning the dinners, trying new drinks, buying or making table gifts, decorating the house, lighting up the garden, and not to forget laying the table. It is all a pleasure to me. But this year it will just not happen like before, I need to make it happen in other ways, different, but fun and full of the Christmas spirit.
Today we removed the cloth from our dining table and gathered together everything we needed to make our first Christmas wreaths; some secateurs, wire, frame for the wreathes, moss, foliage, fir, champagne corks, ribbon, scissors. We already had one frame made from twigs, which I’d bought but never before used. Brian was going to make a second frame out of some wire we had found in the barn, so whilst he did that I started wrapping the moss.

I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the moss formed to make the basis of the wreath. We soon had two bases ready to start to add the foliage and berries. I’d also gone into the garden earlier to cut more ivy and laurel to use. It was great just being able to do that. Next step was to attach the foliage, which you do by wrapping the wire around the wreath, weaving in and out of the leaves so as to allow them to display freely, whilst varying the textures, colours and variety of the foliage and whatever you choose to use.

It was such a relaxing and enjoyable activity, and we appreciate having the time to be creative. It is so valuable, and really does help feed the soul. It’s also a nice way to show the village that we’re supporting the Christmas decorative feel this year.

A really good day.

Gathering

This morning we decided to get wrapped up and head out to gather some foliage and greenery from the local forest for my Christmas wreath we are going to make. Brian had sorted out a rucksack to collect it in so we put on our walking boots and set off. As we got just outside the village, the sun came out, and we soon realised we really did not need our hats and scarves. It was a beautiful day. It really didn’t take long as the forest had an abundance of beautiful moss and foliage, various textures, shapes and colours. We were also rewarded with finding some pine and fur trees, and an assortment of berries and cones. We are now looking forward to bringing them together and making the wreath.

But for today, I think all we need now is a cup of tea with toast and honey in front of the fire.

A stone’s throw

The stonemason from Sogepierre, where we have ordered our worktops from, sent over some pictures today of our new worktops and sink, they have started to cut them out ready to be fitted at the end of next week. It does seem a while since we ordered them, but now I’m thinking it will be well worth the wait. It will be great to finally have some proper worktops and a sink with hot running water.

The two companies that merged in 2013 to become Sogepierre have had quarries and factories in the Burgundy area since 1875, and have been quarrying Burgundy limestone traditionally since then. The equipment used now is nothing compared to how it used to be done but the processes are effectively still very much the same.

It’s nice to be able to buy a quality product that’s been quarried and produced by a traditional, local artisan only a stone’s throw from our home. It’s like buying into a bit of history and supporting a local producer at the same time.

Toasty feeling

This is the view from our bedroom window this morning, taken by Brian. Loving the sight of seeing a crisp white layer of frost across the garden, whilst we enjoy the warm toasty feeling of the house. It really feels like winter has moved in. You can see the sun just starting to come up on the trees at the back of the vines, now experiencing those short days of winter. They have all turned brown, having fallen asleep for the year.

I do not know why, but it made me start to feel Christmassy. We will get out over the next couple of days to forage for some moss and foliage for our Christmas wreath we are going to make. I’ve got the wire and base so just need to start getting creative.

Enjoying a kip

It has been rather frosty these last few days, getting down to zero °c at night. However the days are bright and sunny. Lily has found a nice spot on the top floor by one of the windows where she can enjoy the sun and have a wonderful daytime snooze.

Today, we have been unpacking some boxes. We have only really just started to get round to those boxes that were not on the ‘we need them open’ list. It’s nice discovering items that you’d forgotten about, some though you just think ‘I’m not sure we still need that’. There will need to be a visit by us to the Emmaus (charity shop) at some point, to drop stuff off, not to buy more – not just yet.

Next stop…

We had been discussing the look of the pot rack for a few weeks. Should it or should it not …be mounted on a piece of wood?

When Brian removed the top from the cabinet for the sink to be fitted we realised this was exactly what we would use for the back of the pot rack. Today was the day we planned to put it up. It was all a bit tense as the rack itself was heavy, and we were adding on the mahogany back board. So we needed a way to hold it in place whilst Brian drilled the holes.

First Brian secured it to the mahogany board, which he’d already prepared by rubbing it down with some wire wool and white spirit and coating it with a layer of wax. He then needed me to confirm I was happy with the height and could reach it. Initially we used a couple of support poles, but these were not stable enough for when he wanted to fix the screws in. So we assembled a stack of boxes, some wood, and a table to reach the perfect height for us to rest the pot rack on before screwing it into the wall. Worked perfectly.

It’s an old luggage rack off an SNCF train – I just love repurposing items. And using the mahogany worktop as the back plate works perfectly with the rest of the kitchen. It really is looking like the kitchen I had imagined it to be.

Bhajis or not

I knew one of the things we would miss when we moved to France is a curry night. Ever since we were together we have enjoyed going out for a curry and it has always been a favoured choice for going out with friends as well, so I wanted to make sure we would still get those flavours and tastes and be able to enjoy that hot spicy kick of eating a curry.

Last night I decided to make us a madras style vegetable curry, I was using the last of the veg in the fridge, a courgette and green pepper with a few fresh tomatoes. I allowed it time to steep in its juices and spices, so didn’t rush the cooking. I thought some bhajis would also go well with it, however I’m not sure they were proper onion bhajis. They came out a bit heavy and dense. The recipe had suggested I shallow fry them in coconut oil, I think next time I will try and deep fry them for hopefully a crispier texture. That said they were all eaten.

A rather delicious curry night.

Light work

I’d had an idea for the kitchen with regard to the lighting. You may have realised I do like an eclectic look. I wanted to have three lights in one of the corners to light up over the old stone sink. I had collected together three very different lights to use which would complement each other and hang at different heights. Today was the day our electrician came to complete the look for me.

We’d had to have a couple of wooden circles cut for two of them to sit on, not a usual job for him, but he embraced the subtleties of what we were looking for, which helped provide a secure fixing to the ceiling. I absolutely loved the look once he’d finished, the light they provide throws interesting shadows across the kitchen.

He then put the mirror and lights up in the new downstairs cloakroom. We had bought them separately, both really delicate and complimenting the look. The lights are made of individual glass dowels, held together within a chrome casing.

We have a glass and chrome shelf which we’d taken down from the old bathroom, so tomorrow I will see if I can find that to put up as well, if it looks right that is.

Something nouveau

It’s the third Thursday in November, and that means it’s the first day they can sell this season’s Beaujolais. It’s been just weeks in the bottle as the harvest would have been around mid August. I can remember when I first worked in London in the early 90’s, it was a big event to get into the office do a couple of hours work, then go for an early lunch to enjoy a bottle of ‘nouveau’ on the day it’s released. I’ve never been in France on the 3rd Thursday in November to enjoy a bottle, so today we grabbed the opportunity – if somewhat encouraged by Lee-Anne, a friend who lives in Châtillon-sur-Seine – to go to the supermarket and buy a bottle. In London, I can honestly say I’d never been that impressed, my experience was that it was a wine with little character at inflated prices. Oh, and superb marketing techniques promoting it.

But after some careful consideration, as I was not up for the bottle costing 2.45 euros, we pushed the boat out and plumped for a top of the range bottle at 5.25 euros. And I have to say it was rather delicious. We had it with a charcuterie platter with gherkins and remoulade to accompany, and finished off with a piece of very gooey, ripened Epoisse, which oozed with a strong spicy taste – all very delicious.

Spiced apple cake

We had a very slow start to the day, although I was conscious I needed to get the second coat of hard wax oil on the stairs, our plan for the day was really about catching up on bits of admin and doing our french lesson. The morning went well with lots of little wins, and after french we both went outside to finish off oiling the stairs.

when we came in I decided to bake a cake. We still had some of the ‘acquired’ apples left over, so I decided to make a spicy apple cake. The recipe I had used sultanas. I had bought some in readiness for the mincemeat, in case I decided it needed them, but I thought I could use them for this instead. However, I was still 50g short, so I added some walnuts I had. I must say it was rather delicious.

The full recipe less the walnuts is here. I did think this would make a tasty light Christmas cake, I would change it slightly by soaking the sultanas in some brandy to give it that Christmas kick. A simple decoration or just some holly leaves with a dusting of icing sugar would finish it of nicely.

It’s all coming together

The day started well. Brian has been practicing his toppings on our cappuccino’s and they are really starting to take shape now.

The main aim for the day was to get the staircase finished, and get the first coat of hard wax oil on.

Firstly, Brian needed to tidy up a couple of the ends to the steps, which he did by sanding, then he just needed to fit the last two steps at the top of the staircase before he handed it over to me to coat with the hard wax oil. I need to paint two coats on before the temperature drops below 10°c, as that affects the stability of the oil, the forecast is showing that to happen on Thursday. As soon as Brian had completed them, and we both had admired his achievement – which is simply amazing – I brushed the stairs down and pushed to get the first coat of oil on.

Tomorrow morning I will get the second coat on, so Thursday we can walk on them proper.

Sunday Roast

I thought we should really give our new oven a test run on a roast dinner before Christmas Day. So I bought a small, local organic chicken to try out in the conventional oven. Brian smothered it in butter and rosemary and doused it in a good slosh of wine. We covered it up with tin-foil and let it cook gently at 180° for about an hour. I then added the potatoes, parsnips and carrots to roast in the juices. After about half an hour, we drained the wine and chicken juices off to make the ‘jus’ – by reducing it by half – and returned the chicken to the oven to crisp up the skin before resting it. At that point I turned up the heat to finish off the roasties, before serving up along with some choux (sprouts).

For dessert I had cut some of my ‘acquired’ apples up, which Brian mixed with some lemon juice and apricot jam to make a quick apple tart.

The whole dinner was delicious. Carrots tasted like carrots, apples like apples, chicken like chicken – great produce all cooked so simply, yummy.

Day 16

We have never spent more than a long weekend here this time of year, so never really knew what the days would be like. We have been pleasantly surprised. Yesterday morning, after we’d done a few jobs in the house, we sat in the garden enjoying our morning coffee. The roses were still blooming and making the most of the warm day.

We needed to go into Bar-Sur-Seine to buy a SIM card, the one we had ordered from Lebara had not arrived, so we were going to endeavour to buy one from a Tabac. Brian also wanted some more ‘exploding’ screws to hang up my pot rack. That’s the only way I can describe them, you push them into a pre-drilled hole in the plasterboard, and use a kind of ratchet gun to make them flip out and bite onto the other side of the board, making a very strong hold. So we filled out our forms/permits to travel and ventured into Bar-Sur-Seine. The shops we needed were both open, and there was no-one around, so great for us. So as not to miss the opportunity, I also nipped into the boulangerie to buy some bread.

When we returned the sky was still blue, and the sun shining, so we decided to go for a walk up through the forest at the far end of the village, across the fields, then down past the ‘point de vue’. In France the rule is you can have one hours exercise outside the house per day, but you need to stay in the vicinity of your home – thankfully we have some beautiful walks right on our doorstep.

Dillon

This week one of our beautiful cats, Dillon, who featured as ‘the cat that lost his miaow’ lost his own little battle, and is now sleeping peacefully. We had saved Dillon, and his sister Lilly, from Battersea Cats and dogs home nine years ago. They were seven years old and had been found locally, abandoned by their owners. We had not gone looking to adopt two cats, but after some encouragement by the helper we ventured into their pen to say hello. Dillon – whose name then was Dill, which didn’t seem to suit him, he was definitely a Dillon – immediately came up to me, miaowing for a cuddle. I sat down and he jumped on my lap, purring his little head off. Lilly was up for escaping, and pushed past Brian to venture out, only to realise it was a big world out there so promptly nestled around his legs for protection. We already had Boo, and really didn’t think we could take on two more cats, but on the journey home we knew we had to rescue them. So Brian called the shelter and we agreed we would be back the following day to collect them.

Dillon miaowed the whole way home, we were so worried he was upset but realised, after time, he chatted to you constantly. I do so miss that miaow.

Sunset

Last night the sun was bringing a warm late Autumn glow across the vineyards, this lasted just minutes before the sun set for the day, and we closed the shutters in readiness for the chilly evening.

Today, Brian had been ensuring the drawers in the mahogany cabinets we had bought for the kitchen were running properly. As they were old and well used, they had been worn down by time, so he filled the right hand runner with a strip of oak to lift it slightly, it did the trick. He also filled the fronts of one of the other drawers with a small slither of wood before staining it to match the unit.

For the unit to the right of the cooker Brian needed to remove the wooden top and add a piece of oak for the worktop to fit onto. This needed to be just the right height so the worktop is even with the one on the left of the cooker. Once it was shaped he stained the front with two types of wood stain and then lacquer to protect it. He also needed to fix it to enable the drawers to still work once the stone worktop is fitted. I will use the gap between the unit and the wall to store trays.

Christmas country living

This week I went to a Christmas wreath making workshop. Well, ‘went to’ may be a bit of an exaggeration, I watched it virtually in the comfort of the salle à manger, enjoying a freshly made cup of black, Earl Grey tea. It was organised by the Country Living magazine, and Mon Amie ran the workshop – two delightful ladies who run a flower shop with workshop facilities out of a barn in Leicestershire.

Their work all looks very natural. The Christmas wreath they showed ‘me’ how to make used the moss based technique, which involved wrapping wire around moss applied to a copper wire frame before attaching the foliage, flowers, and fruit. It really did feel that it was me they were showing, despite it being a virtual workshop, it actually felt really intimate.

We are both really looking forward now to getting our kit, and foraging for some foliage to get creative.

I’ve included a link to the mon Amie website if you are interested in looking at more of their work or web shop. I had a peep, and love their linen aprons they wore in the workshop. They looked really good in them.

The Case of the Missing Shutter

At the back of our house we have one shutter that is missing. So when we were renovating the other shutters on that floor we decided it would be right to get one made up to fit. It will provide more privacy, security and help preserve heat loss in the winter but also help to keep the house cool in summer. Over the last few weeks M. Galice and his carpentry team have worked on making us a new shutter to fit our window, and of course they have painted it. Today they came to hang it.

It has made a really positive difference to the look of the window from inside the twin room, which is part of the Jeroboam, and it also finishes off the look from outside – it always felt like something was missing.

Now I just need to sort out the curtains in there.

Mincemeat

300g of dried fruit, sultanas, raisins, apricots, cranberries, cherries, mixed peel (whatever you like or whatever you have in your store cupboard)

zest of one orange

juice of one lemon

100g of brown sugar, I used dark brown, and actually added another tablespoon as it was a bit tart.

one/two apples depending on their size. Chop them finely and leave the skin on.

1/2 teaspoon each of mixed spice, nutmeg and cinnamon

75ml of alcohol. I used brandy, but you could use a flavoured brandy or sloe gin, or even whisky or Grand Marnier

50g of melted butter, unsalted

Mix everything together, taste it to check you like the seasoning, then spoon into a couple of sterilised jam jars. I’m storing it in the fridge. You can make this a few months in advance to give it time to mature. But as long as it has a few weeks it will be fine.