An early one

It’s been a busy few days preparing for guests, but that’s what I love, and I think it’s even more magical having people staying at this time of year.

This morning we said our farewells to a guest leaving early, who wanted to get an early start on the road. The village was beautifully calm, just a few sounds of people starting their days, and the trickle of the river.

Our Local Christmas markets

On Sunday we visited a couple of local Christmas markets, one in Ville-sur-Arce and the other in Bar-sur-Seine.

We just love all the thought that goes into these events. In Bar-sur-Seine they were offering pony rides for the children, and there was a small fair, along with stalls selling churros. But of course, as this was a festival, they were also selling oysters!

The stall holders are very welcoming and friendly, they will always take the time to carefully describe what they are selling, and often to allow you to taste their produce. It’s such a great way for us to practice our French.

The finishing touches

Over the years we have collected some beautiful decorations. Some have been given to us, some we’ve bought on our travels, some are satisfyingly classic, and some are hand-made, but all hold wonderful memories.

The tree is now looking rather splendid in all its red, gold and glittery glory.

Foraging

It was a beautiful winters morning, and as we walked through the village we could feel the chill of the breeze on our faces. We were heading up towards the woods, to look for some foliage to decorate the house.

We really don’t need to look too hard, the woods are full of luscious moss and ivy. We never take too much from one spot, always being mindful of our surroundings and the community that we live in.

It’s such a pleasurable little outing, we’d gone prepared with our secateurs and black sack to pop our finds in, negotiating a few little obstacles along the way.

On the return journey it was difficult not to stop and enjoy the view. The valley was looking beautiful at this wonderful time of the year.

Shut that door

We’d just got back from the market, and Brian said he wanted to go out and try to finish the cellar door off. He needed to join the two doors together and sandwich the insulation between them. I knew he would welcome some help from me, so I popped my coat on and went to see what I could do.

At first it was just a case of cutting the insulation to fit, which is a one person job, so I got on and tidied the mess this created.

He then had to cut the edges that would surround the door and connect the two sides. After helping him lift the bits into place I couldn’t help too much here either, so I went to make some mince pies to have later.

When I came back he’d finished all but one of the edges, and was cutting the last piece of wood to seal it up. The table saw is extremely noisy, but it does help do things quicker.

I was then able to help again, as the inner door piece needed screwing on. Brian drilled the holes, then I screwed the screws in. It was done in no time.

We then needed to fix the hinges in place. To be certain they were in the right place we carried the ‘now, rather heavy’ door into the cellar to check on the positioning. Back to the workshop with the hinge positions marked, and ten minutes later they were in place.

We carried it for the final time back to the cellar, and used wedges of wood to reach the height we needed it to be before fixing it to the oak door surround we had created previously. We were not sure if the screws needed to be pre-drilled, but fortunately they went in without a problem. Finally the door was in place, and swinging nicely on its hinges.

What a superb job. We were both very happy to get this done. It does need a bit of finishing, but that will happen over time, the important thing is, it’s now sealed and wine ready.

Cheese stall

We both love our cheeses, and living in France certainly means we have access to some gorgeous ones from all across France.

This Friday we spotted a visiting cheese stall owner at our local market, from the Savoie region of France, which is on the western edge of the Alps. We love the food delicacies from this area, often made with their beautiful rich cheeses. The taste of some can be quite farmyard-like, and you can feel the herds of animals living through the winter in their barns and feeding on the hay produced in the summer months. Others can be sweet, from the lush summer pastures where the herds of cows, goats and sheep feed in the meadows, or up high in the mountains.

The stall owner invited us to taste some of his very tempting looking cheeses. This is always a big mistake for us, as once we are involved we will never resist buying a piece or two…or three.

I’m really looking forward to dinner now.

Let it sparkle

We really had no idea how the tree fitted in the car this year. When we got it home it looked enormous.

Along with the tree, they also sold us a rather large slice of a tree trunk with a hole in it to fix the tree into, as I think they were quite concerned it could fall over if not secured properly. After Brian had positioned the stand in the salon, where we planned to put the tree up, we had to then move some furniture around to fit it in. Later with a bit of heavy lifting, and carefully navigating the hallway, the netting could come off and the decorating begin. I do think it’s the biggest tree we’ve ever had.

This task obviously called for a celebratory glass of Champers, just to help everything sparkle that little bit more.

Mr Billy

When we nipped to the boulangerie this morning we noticed the sign for sapin on sale in a nearby village.

This is where we bought our Christmas tree from last year, so we know they sell really beautiful trees. We decided we would get in early and go and get ours on the way home. Obviously we couldn’t just buy a tree that would fit comfortably into a corner of our salon, oh no, we needed a 2.5 metre tree. We managed to squeeze it into the car - just - although it was touching the windscreen, and taking up most of Brian’s seat. Once we’d fitted it in the car, I went back to get some cut off branches, which are all free, and will be great to fill the house with greenery! Simply wonderful.

And you may remember the goats from last year? Well they are still there, Mr Billy looking a bit more grown up this year, but still very agile. The others were all very curious to come and say hello, such little darlings.

We were both starting to feel very Christmassy, so in the evening, we sat down with a little liqueur and finished off the Christmas cards, ready to be posted, tomorrow we will put the tree up.

L’eglise de Saint Pantaleon

Whilst in Troyes last week we came across an amazing little church which was nestled in-between the old buildings of Troyes. The insignificant sign on the heavily painted door shared that it was open today, so we pushed the handle and snuck in.

As we entered our eyes were drawn to the alter along the narrow nave, and then taken upwards by the superb stained glass windows to the rafters, and the rather impressive roof which we realised was entirely made of wood. The narrowness of the nave gave a truly spectacular feeling of height. Suspended from the ceiling, above the alter, we could see a tiny carved wooden dove, such a delightful addition.

The walls of the church are made from carved white stone, I’m thinking probably the local limestone. The balcony that sweeps around the nave looks amazing, and is probably spectacular to walk around, something I’m not sure I would want to do.

We then started to notice the beautiful stained glass windows around the church, which are exquisite.

They date from the 16th century and many are in muted, pale tones, which is unusual, as intense vibrant colours are preferred for the region.

We learnt that after the Revolution sculptures from the 16th century were collected and taken to the church for safe keeping. They wanted to try and save them from being destroyed, as was happening in other buildings. Many of these were never returned, so the result is that it has transformed the little church into a remarkable museum of the religious statues of Champagne.

Some of the statues on the pillars have been carved directly out of the pillar stone. Such care, and so intricate.

It’s a beautiful little church to find on a wander around Troyes, one we will definitely return to.

Cut once

I’d been planning to make some curtains for one of the windows in the Magnum room. We had bought some beautiful rich dark blue velvet material whilst in Troyes the other week, and were keen to see how they would look. Brian was happy to progress on his own in the cellar making the door, so I thought I’d get busy and make the curtains.

The material has a delicate stripe in it, which I’m hoping will help frame the window nicely, and pick the stripe pattern out which is in the fabric used on the walls.

Because all the windows in the house are so tall, the fabric is often quite long and becomes quite heavy to handle, so measuring it out does take me a little time. As my dad always says “measure twice, cut once”.

I just need Brian now to help me hang them.

Not one, but two

Brian was keen to get back in the cellar this morning. He wanted to start working on the door, which would mean that the cellar would then be completely sealed. He still needs to fix some more OSB on the side panels, but this can wait for now. The priority needs to be getting the cave sealed.

I was really surprised, as after I’d been pottering around indoors for a bit and then went out to see how he was getting on, he seemed to have pretty much made the door already. All the planks were laid out and joined together, and he was cutting out the door edges to fit perfectly into the hole.

However, he needed to actually make two doors, which would sandwich the insulation between them. He had his template now though, and soon got on with the second door.

The two doors still need to be bolted together properly and the hinges and handle added, but for now it’s filled the space, so we can be comfortable in the knowledge the cave is sealed from the cold temperatures that are forecast over the coming weeks.

How to make honeycomb

A favourite recipe for this time of year is homemade, honeycomb ice-cream. First you have to make the honeycomb, which although takes a bit of care, is great fun to do, and you can store it easily in the freezer. This recipe makes enough for quite a few pots of honeycomb icecream. You can also use it to just sprinkle over ice cream, or dip in chocolate for that ‘crunchie’ feeling.

All you need is 2 cups of castor sugar, 1/2 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.

The video is about 7 minutes long, so sit back with a cuppa, and I hope you enjoy it. I would love to know if you’ve ever tried to make it?

On the practical side, the washing up is dead easy. The stuck on sugar just melts away in hot water, so I normally rinse it all off first, then give it a proper wash, or just pop it in the dishwasher.

Christmas is coming

There was a small Christmas market on in the pretty, little village of Essoyes on Sunday, it was the first one for us to visit this year. Christmas is so magical, I just love all the build up, and France does seem to like a good Christmas market. We decided we would take some time out and start our Christmas festivities by having a little look to see what we might find.

It was only a small market, but had plenty of hand-made gifts, such as soaps, candles, knitted items, table decorations, paintings, wooden toys, and some local produce - sausages, goats cheese, yoghurts, honey and cakes. It was a very pleasant little market, and we did buy one of the books which had been made into a delightful Christmas decoration. I’m thinking it may be the first Christmas market of many we visit this year.

Up and away

It was quite a grey day yesterday, the starlings were loving it though and getting very excited flying around in the cool air and using our neighbours trees as their play ground.

Brian was up and away early this morning as he knew he had a full day of work ahead of him in the cellar. He had to repeat what he had done the day before, but on the other side of the door entry. He started off by filling the last of the small holes near the ceiling, then he worked on batoning and fitting the insulation for the two remaining panels on the left hand side. It was all pretty fiddly work and took most of the day.

I was keeping him motivated with tea, and made some homemade soup for lunch to give him some sustenance for his afternoons work. The space is really starting to feel like a useable cellar now, a few more days and it should all be sealed and we can start to monitor the temperature in there.

Insulation

It was a very misty morning, and as we ate breakfast I asked Brian how he was feeling about the cellar. “There’s still a lot to do “ he replied. “Hmm I know, but it’s looking excellent. “

He’d got the four wooden bases for the framing finished yesterday afternoon, and was going to push ahead now with fitting the insulation.

Firstly, he marked out where the batons needed to go. Then he fixed them to the oak beams, cut the insulation to size, and slotted it in place.

He then needed to cut the OSB, which was going to cover the insulation on both sides. This was a bit tricky, as the uncut boards were quite heavy and unwieldy. By early afternoon though, he’d completed two of the panels, back and front.

Ideally, before he finished for the day, he wanted to try and fit the insulation in the gap between the ceiling and the panels he’d been working on. They were only small areas, but awkward to work on. By the time he’d finished two of the three holes he was done for the day.

Not to worry

Last night, when Brian was just finishing off outside, he received an error message on his iPhone stating that there was an issue with our boiler. After a bit of investigation on his part, he thought it may be because there were some pellets blocking the tube that feeds them from the silo to the boiler. He came in to update me on what was going on, and see if I had any ideas on what to do! The whole system appears, from an untrained eye, to be completely sealed, and not something I thought we should ‘tinker’ with. So I suggested we ring the plumber.

Luckily he was available and soon put us on the right track to try and resolve it over the phone. He directed Brian under the silo, really not an easy place to reach, but with a bit of wriggling he got himself in position. He could then see clearly which of the pipes was delivering the pellets. He needed to unbolt the pipe and clear the blockage. After rather a lot of ‘I hope this fixes it’ and a little pile of the pellets, which we believed were the culprits, he was soon securing the pipe back and I was switching the boiler back on to see if it was going to suck the pellets through.

Getting out from under the silo was not quite so easy, “Not to worry, I’ll get you out”. I grabbed Brian’s legs and with an almighty pull, freed him from his awkward position.

We waited a while to listen for the pellets to feed through, but although we did not hear them we were not getting any error messages. We headed back indoors and waited for any other errors. After a while Brian made a check on the boilers app, and we could see that the volume of pellets that had been used had increased by 4 kg. We let the plumber know, and finally settled into our evening.

Woodn’t fit

We needed to nip out and get the wood for the cellar this morning. It has to be a well planned event, as I have not mastered the art of reversing a trailer, so we try to time it to get to Weldom just before lunch, when the car park has emptied.

The plan all came together, and by 11.45 we were loading the wood into the trailer. We knew it was never going to fit lengthwise, so Brian had brought plenty of straps to secure the wood in the back of the trailer.

After a quick coffee, and some homemade honey madeleines, Brian was keen to get going on fitting the wooden frame for his wall.

He started off by cutting some wooden boards to top off the stone walls. These were quite a fiddly job, having to make them fit around each oak beam. But they have made a great foundation for him to continue with completing the main part tomorrow.

Green tomato chutney - take 2

A few weeks back I preserved my green tomatoes out of the garden by cooking them in vinegar and sugar. I didn’t really have time back then to cook them down sufficiently to make a good chutney, as I had too many in the pot and they were really juicy, which resulted in too much liquid. However, what I achieved was to preserve the ingredients until I had time to reduce them down properly.

It’s a wet dull day today outside, so ideal to make myself busy indoors and work on finishing up making the chutney.

Brian is outside working on the walls in the cellar and doesn’t need me helping, although I keep popping out for some moral support. But it’s nice just to be pottering in the kitchen.

Green tomato chutney

1kg tomatoes, mixed green, yellow and red

400g onions or shallots

100g dried fruit, I like to use some raisins

250g muscovado sugar

1 - 2 medium sized, hot red chillis

2cm ginger, grated

1 tsp salt

2 tsp yellow mustard seeds or a teaspoon of grain mustard

300ml white wine vinegar, I do tend to use up what’s in the cupboard (but not balsamic)

Start by chopping the tomatoes - not too small.

Put the green fruit together with the peeled and roughly chopped onions, into a large stainless steel or enamelled pan with the raisins, sugar, chilli, salt, mustard seeds and vinegar. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and leave to simmer for an hour, giving the occasional stir to reduce the risk of the chutney sticking. After about 25 minutes cooking, add the ripe tomatoes and continue to simmer. Then spoon into sterilized jars and seal. It really is that easy, and we love to eat it with cheese and biscuits, or drop a spoonful in a casserole to add another layer of flavour and richness.

Stirring it

The first set of stones that we had laid and cemented in were nicely dry and secure now, so this morning we were back out to finish the stone part of the walls off. It started by mixing up, by hand, our first batch of cement. Not too sloppy, as it oozes out under the weight of the stones, but not too dry, as it doesn’t stick well. I think we had this worked out now and, using the drill with its attachment, made quite light work of it.

We had checked the stones that we wanted to use, and laid them out ready. We wetted each one as we laid it into place, as this would help the cement stick. A couple of hours later and we were admiring our finished wall. We now have to wait again for the cement to dry before Brian will progress with building the wooden panels.

Master card

Sunday morning, and it’s a bit grey and drizzly outside, so I decided to bring some sunshine in and make us some banana pancakes to start the day. I’ve been using the Einkorn flour I buy locally from Dominique, at La Ferme des Blés d’Or. It is such a light, soft flour and is just gorgeous in cakes, biscuits and pancakes.

We talked about what to do after breakfast, and decided we wanted to give the wall one more day to set properly before going to finish it off. So instead we thought we’d head up to the atelier (studio) to make our Christmas cards which, of course, have been designed by Brian.

He thought his design this year would mean they would be quite easy to make, but I’m really not sure. All will be revealed over the coming weeks.

The wonderful thing, as with all Christmas activities, is that we can enjoy a little tipple whilst making them. What a delightful Sunday.