Not jam!

Today we thought we’d take a look at the Christmas market in Mesnil St Pere. It’s a small village by the lac d’Orient, and has a very pretty little old church in the centre. The market was in the grounds of the church. They had decorated the grounds with lots of wooden painted Christmas characters- it all looked very festive.

The stalls were also set up in the grounds of the church and the stall owners were being very resilient to the cold grey day. They had lots of interesting crafts on sale, and some local produce like honey, cakes, pastries.

We couldn’t resist taking home six mini beignets, however they are not filled with jam but chocolate.

Bedraggled

I’d spotted there was a vide Grenier today in one of the villages near us. It was a cold drizzly morning, but I jostled Brian into wanting to go and see what treasures we could find.

We arrived there in the rain. The hastily written cardboard sign outside was looking a bit bedraggled, and didn’t give us much confidence, and the building looked a little empty and sad, but we decided to venture in, just in case. The venue was a modern village hall, or ‘Maison pour tous’. It was pleasant inside, and it was nice to see everyone was comfortable and in the warm, not occupying stalls in the cold and damp outside.

There was a real mixture of stalls. The initial few were selling kids toys and clothes, all in very good condition. The first stall that we stopped at was a young girl selling her unique style of pottery, but she also had a few pieces of nice bric-a-brac. We bought 3 little liquor glasses (like we need them!) and a Bakelite light switch, which will be great on an old lamp.

The next stall was a couple of ladies selling some very nicely washed and pressed linen. I got 12 plain white linen napkins with a laced corner for 5 euros, and an embroidered linen tablecloth and 12 more napkins for 20 euros. Perfect for a well laid table.

I then spotted a Crystal fruit/trifle bowl. Brian thought I was getting carried away at that point, so I refrained from buying it. But then he saw a gorgeous glass fruit bowl on a pressed metal stand. It would look great on a table to give some height. The man told me it was 12 euros. We agreed we would buy it, he then offered me the other bowl as well, for just 20 euros for the 2. Yes, thank you we will take the two. Oops!

Sewing cupboard

When we visited Emmaüs a few weeks ago, and bought our new wardrobe, I also bought a little cupboard to use for all my sewing bits: material, cottons, braiding, ribbons, lace etc. I have put it up in the atelier in the corner, which was looking a bit of a jumble of boxes, baskets and bags.

It’s really tidied things up for me. I’ve still got some stuff to sort through, but it’s a really good start and I just love being able to easily see all my material and projects I’ve got to do when I have time.

La Poste

Last year, when we visited the post office to post our Christmas parcels, we had lots of forms to complete, and it took over an hour. Things have progressed slightly this year, as they now need completing via a kiosk. It’s actually quite good. The kiosk weighs the item, you enter your La Poste account details, then you key in the parcel details, including information on the contents. It then prints out four copies of the customs form, the stamp, and your receipt or proof of posting. The great thing is you can keep going with the one transaction for each one of your parcels. The not so great thing is, there was only one machine, and when we were finally finished the queue was horrendous.

I couldn’t get out quick enough!

Fire and ice

Brrrh, it was a very chilly morning this morning, and we woke to a good sprinkling of snow. I love the way the snow brightens the winter palette, but it’s not a day to be venturing very far.

Brian had wanted to put a few more hooks up in the coat cupboard, but apart from that we just busied ourselves around the house. We have some guests arriving later this week, so I took the opportunity to freshen up the Magnum.

An afternoon cup of tea by the fire, enjoying the warmth, was a perfect way to end the day and start our evening.

Tipple and nibble

It was a bit of a slow start today. A lazy breakfast of boiled eggs, hot black coffee, fresh juice and a little bread and honey. That set us up for the day.

We then headed over to the atelier, as we wanted to make a start on making our Christmas cards. We had already had a bit of a chat about the design, trying to come up with something that we could both do. After a bit more chat we had outlined our plan. First things first, get the blank cards and find the red and green paint.

We then got comfy with a little tipple and a nibble of chocolate and started our card making. It was a delightful afternoon chatting, and painting in the warmth and comfort of the atelier. We didn’t finish, but it’s all there ready to go back at some point this week.

The shelf - part two

You may be wondering, ‘What has happened with the glass shelf?’ Well it has taken a little bit longer than planned to finish it off. As with all old houses you never quite know what you might uncover, or is it discover? And I think we have had our fair share of discoveries. I have to say though, nothing has stumped him yet.

I think with this cupboard the main challenge for Brian was that over the years the shelves had warped and twisted and had become very wonky, so he not only needed to fit a new shelf, but he also wanted to straighten up the old ones. Which in some instances meant he needed to strengthen the wall they were attached to.

Part two of the shelf video shows what happened next and why we needed to create an extra shelf, and in fact have a whole cupboard dedicated to glassware.

I have to admit I do have a bit of a passion for nice glasses and different glassware, and living in France where they produce some beautiful glassware means that we often find some really elegant glasses in Brocantes and Vide Greniers. I recently bought a complete set of 8 settings of crystal glasses comprising of red and white wine glasses, liquor and champagne glasses for 40 euros.

Bucket of beers?

The table is set.

The fire is being lit…

…and the beers are chilling in what we would normally use as a champagne bucket. All is set for a great evening ahead.

It is so wonderful to be able to enjoy and create memorable moments with some great friends.

The spicing of the curries was just right, and to finish the meal I served chai masala kulfi in some little tea cups, with some fresh tropical fruit salad on the side.

What a superb evening.

Important delivery

Good news the beer arrived just in time for our Indian curry evening.

We have had great fun in the kitchen preparing a delicious Indian menu for friends. To help me get ahead I’d already prepared a garlic and ginger paste which can be stored in the fridge or frozen flat in a bag, and broken off as you need it. I was storing ours, for now, in the fridge with some vegetable oil covering the top to keep it fresh.

We will be starting the meal with poppadoms and vegetable samosas, with homemade raita and chutneys. Brian loves vegetable samosas. I wasn’t too happy with the dough last time we made them, so I’m trying a different recipe this time. It’s from the Gordon Ramsey escape book where he travels to India. It’s good, as we can make them and fry them off, then they are served warm. So looking forward to eating these later

For the main course we will be having butter chicken, pumpkin curry, Bombay aloo, aubergine curry, mushroom bhaji, and dhal. Served with rice and naans.

Frosty

It was a cold, frosty start to the day this morning…

…but we have been tucked up indoors keeping warm and enjoying some delicious coffee breaks together. Brian has been working on finishing the ‘extra shelf’ in the glass cupboard, whilst I have been taking some time researching some new recipes for the festive period. I’d bought a copy of the Good Housekeeping Christmas magazine and the Good Food Christmas magazine whilst I was in the UK in October, so enjoying planning some tasty dinners to try out.

Lets think

I’m planning to serve a masala chai kulfi for dessert on Friday, to some french friends who are coming over for dinner. I am taking a bit of a risk and cooking Indian. I say ‘risk’ because generally french people don’t really seem to do spicy food, I know I just need to not make it too hot for them. Hopefully the kulfi will be a nice cool end to the meal.

Camille Claudel

We had a clear day yesterday so decided to take a trip to the ‘Camille Claudel’ museum in Nogent-sur-Seine, about a 90 minute drive for us. I had also seen that there was an antiques fair on in the local sports centre, so we took a look at that first. There were probably 50 stalls across 2 large halls, selling some beautiful antiques. Lots of glassware and porcelain by Lalique, Baccharat, Dour, also a lot of gorgeous silverware, and real quality pieces of furniture. We were tempted on a small table and a bust, but not enough to make a purchase.

After we went off to have a lunch of croque monsieur et frites in a local cafe.

The museum is set in a modern, purpose built building, amongst the old buildings of Nogent-sur-Seine. There is also a walking tour that can be taken around the town, which takes you past some of the significant buildings and down along the banks of the Seine, but it was quite a chilly day, and we were not sure how much time we’d need enjoying the sculptures, and soaking up the museum, so we might do that another day.

We are always quite surprised how few people seem to visit the beautiful museums that France has to offer. We must have only seen about 8 other visitors, which was delightful for us, as it felt like our very own personal viewing. The first room you enter introduces the important contibutors to Claudel’s life, and tells a little of her story. Her family moved to Nogent-sur-Seine when she was a child, and she was only 12 years old when she started to sculpt in the local clay. Her mum didn’t really like the fact that she sculpted the human body, but her father was more encouraging. He turned to the sculptor Boucher, who happened to be a neighbour of theirs to help encourage her to develop.

You move through into a room that helps describe the lost-wax method, which is a well developed, ancient process that enables sculptors to create beautiful works in bronze, and is a method that is still used today.

Claudel moved to Paris with her mother, whilst her father remained in Nogent-sur-Seine working, helping to support them. She attended one of the only art institutions that would take women at that time, the Académie Colarossi, which was way more progressive than other arts institutions. It not only allowed female students, but permitted them to work from nude male models. She remained a student of Boucher for 3 years, until he moved to Florence to pursue an award.

When he left in 1883, he asked a friend of his, Auguste Rodin, to continue mentoring Claudel. She was to become a source of inspiration for him. She started working with Rodin in his workshop. She also acted as his model, his confidante, and was soon to be his lover.

There are over 200 pieces of sculpture in the museum from different artists, many having impacted on Claudel. Rodin probably being the most famous. She never lived with Rodin, as he was reluctant to end his ongoing 20-year relationship. If you’ve never been, a trip to the Rodin museum in Paris is a must, there is a room there dedicated to Claudel. However I do remember that museum being a lot busier. Here we were enjoying just drifting through each of the carefully set up rooms, being up close to the works of art. So close in fact that in some cases you could touch them, not that we dare.

We just wandered and shared our thoughts, chatted about the different works and styles, what we could see. About how Rodin was so careful at creating weight and movement into his pieces, something he was obviously trying to help Claudel with. She was never really that admired whilst she was alive, in fact she relied heavily on the support of Rodin to keep a roof over her head. Her father had died and her mother and family had disapproved of her art so cut her off. It is only later that her work was really respected for it’s true value.

I always find days visiting art museums very thought provoking, but in a calm tranquil way. Brian had captured his thoughts on Rodins work which I wanted to share, it helped me to view Rodin’s work differently, not just look, but to feel the piece;

“What I love most about Rodin’s work is that it rarely has a single viewpoint. The pieces refuse to exist in that renaissance ideal of the world composed for the viewer. To fully appreciate a Rodin you need to keep moving, so that you can firstly understand, and then begin to realise the work. You cease to be the centre of your existence, and you are forced to accept your place outside the subject, where you become voyeur. This allows you to forget yourself, and focus on the beauty, and emotional power of the other.”

Misty start

We are at that time of year when the nights bring a blanket of mist across the village and surrounding hills. Last night I woke thinking morning was breaking, as the room was filled with light. However when I looked out of the window I realised it was the full moon reflecting in the white mist. It was a calm and quiet start to the day.

This photo was taken at 3 am in the morning.

Going up

Having prepared where we were going to put our new armoire, and Brian having finished all the preparation work on it, we made the several journeys up and down two flights of stairs to carry all the parts up to our top floor. This is where we have our bedroom. It’s a loft space, with vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, bathroom, large landing (which doubles as a living area) and spare bedroom. It was the spare room where we were going to put the armoire.

Although we hadn’t seen it come apart, there were plenty of clues as to how it would go together. It was actually great fun working out how to put it back up, and in what order it all needed to happen. Brian had noticed a stamped number 4 on most of the parts, which told us what way up to put things. We didn’t quite work out any other relevance for it.

After just about 20 minutes, and a lot less trouble than an IKEA built wardrobe we once had, our shiny, old armoire was up and ready for clothes. How great is that? We love it!

I’m now on the look out for some more old hat boxes to go along the top.

New arrival

Our armoire that we bought at Emmaüs was delivered this morning. Brian couldn’t wait to get started on cleaning it up. One of the feet needed fixing, but they were all a little loose, so he took them all off, sanded off the rough areas and re-glued them all in place. He had also seen a crack when it was in the shop, so he was keen to sort that out. He also felt there were areas that needed new lacquer, but for only €45 he was up for the challenge.

Hivernage

Brian was up early this morning. He left me in bed with a cup of tea, which was a very relaxing start to the day. It was all a bit grey and cold, but the ‘pool man‘ was finally coming to close the pool for winter, so he wanted to go and make sure everything was ready for him. It did feel quite late to be doing it, certainly later than we’d closed it before, but they seemed to prefer to keep it open and cleaned through Autumn until the temperature had dropped sufficiently.

Brian had readied all the floats, and given everything a final clean before the process of wintering the pool began. Firstly the ‘hivernage’ chemicals were added, the pump was decommissioned and drained, and the floats were linked across the pool. This all needed to happen to prepare it against the sub zero temperatures that we would often experience between December and February.

Finally all was completed and the winter cover was rolled on. To think we were sitting up here in t-shirts only two weeks ago.

Curtain up

There was rather a lot of material for the door curtain, and it really was quite difficult to manoeuvre it into place to sew it, so it was great having the big table to work on. It was also nice just being able to walk away from it when I’d had enough for the day, without having to tidy everything up. The atelier is such a great space.

With the curtain, I just took my time without rushing, and focused on what I needed to do. It was nice each day just being able to pick up where I’d left off.

The finished article is a fully lined curtain with a pleated header tape. It has made such a difference to reducing the drafts through the front door, and I love the really bold and colourful pattern.

Fly past

Today started a bit grey, but it soon brightened up, becoming ‘very fresh’, as my mum used to say, but a good day to do a job that we noticed needed doing in the garden. As the rose had started to die back, Brian realised a wooden beam that was set in the wall was rotten. And that the stones around it were now loose, and the wall was in need of repair. A job that needed doing before winter really set in. A couple of days before we had heard the cranes flying over, heading south. The locals say that once the cranes start to leave it’s about two weeks before the temperatures will drop, so we wanted to get this done before it got too cold, and before the winter did any more damage to it.

It started with Brian removing the loose stones above the rotten area, then cutting out the wooden beam. That didn’t take much as it was pretty rotten. He then cleaned it all out of any loose stones and debris, before mixing up some chaux (lime mortar) to use to fix the stones back into place. There are a few other areas of garden wall that need repair, but we will do them when the weather is warmer next year. What I do need to do though is get out and prune the roses.

Troyes

Troyes is such a beautiful old city, familiarly known as le bouchon, as the city is shaped like a champagne cork.

It is full of beautiful old buildings, which are a photographers dream to wander around. We had driven there early, and didn’t quite feel confident about the parking sign, so we used one of the many car parks.

We had lots to do, we were mainly looking to buy a couple of wardrobes, or armoires, from either one of the depot ventes (secondhand warehouses). We managed to find one, which is really quirky, and needs a bit of work, but I know Brian will soon have it looking good. I did also buy a small, glass doored cupboard for my material in the atelier. I will show you how these work out later in the week, as they are being delivered tomorrow.

It was all thirsty work though, so we stopped off in the main square for a cup of hot chocolate.

Before heading home, I wanted to go to Ellen, the fabric shop we had discovered on our last trip. We had seen a sign, whilst driving into Troyes,that read, ‘liquidation destockage’. We thought ‘Oh no, they can’t be closing down!’, so we went to see if they were, and if so, was there any bargains. Of course they did, some fabrics were reduced to €3 / metre, previously €19.50 / metre. We had a good look and decided to make a few purchases. The board of trim, which Brian found in a ‘bargain bucket’, was €3 for around 7 metres of cream and 3 metres of green trim. I’m not sure what I will use it for, but it really was a bargain.

When we got to the till, Brian asked if they were closing after the liquidation ended on 15th December. ‘Oh no’, the lady said, ‘we will have new stock in the new year’. Hoorah!

When we came out it was getting dark, and the sky was turning mauve. The street lights had come on, and the buildings now had a warm glow, against the crisp, chilly evening air. We were now looking forward to getting home, and being in front of the fire.

Chablis

On Wednesday we took a drive to Chablis. It is just over an hour from us, travelling west into Burgundy. It’s the northern most wine producing area in that appellation, with fresh, fruity or mineral wines.

We arrived before lunch in Chablis so we went for a stroll around the narrow little streets, discovering little hidden architectural treasures that we hadn’t found before. It is an old, well established town with many old stone buildings and lots going on. I so enjoy roaming around the streets and discovering unique little shops, selling local produce whether it’s whicker baskets or handmade worktop cupboards, or truffles - as they have just come into season. The river meanders through the middle, and on a warm day there is a beautiful park to picnic in down by its banks. As it was a bit chilly for that we decided we would have lunch in one of the many small restaurants. It was all very relaxed and very tasty.

We came across this building which was previously an old monastery, where the monks would make their own Chablis.

After lunch it was time to try some Chablis. A favourite producer of ours is Jean-Marc Brocard, although his son, Julien Brocard, is also now producing wine. We stopped off at their shop in the centre of town for a very delightful tasting. Julian’s biodynamic wines were really interesting and definitely worth taking home.

After taking our wine back to the car we came across La Meulière, where we enjoyed another excellent tasting, and came away with a few more bottles to help stock the cellar.

All in all a really enjoyable day.