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12 months 12 views
Hello/Bonjour, Happy February. How are you? I hope you have had a good weekend? I mentioned in my last post that during 2025 I undertook a little photography project. On the 9th day of each month I took a photo of the same view at the same time to see how that view changed over the year. Whilst my positioning was not entirely accurate each month, the difference each time is noticeable. I love this view from our terrace. It is East facing so watching the sunrise is an almost daily occurrence. It is a wonderful place to have a coffee, listening to the birds, hoping to catch a glimpse…
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A few of my 2025 favourites
Hello Everyone When I started this post, I was on my way to Manchester for a quick visit to watch my son Alex’s gig. I managed to pick a bad weekend weather-wise to travel. It was touch and go whether we would get to the airport, whether the plane would take off and whether there would be any transport once I got to the UK courtesy of Storm Goretti. I had already greatly reduced the length of the trip as our car broke down on Christmas Eve and was finally repaired and ready for collection on January 7th! Anyway long story short, we got to the airport in plenty of…
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Food for thought
Hello Everyone from a very warm SW France Last Friday, having dropped one of my sons off at a retreat in the Dordogne, we had supper in the delightful town of Eymet. We ate (not for the first time) at the wonderful La Maison d’Amour, a creperie serving the most delicious buckwheat galettes (savoury crêpes) I have tasted. It was an incredibly hot evening, storms were brewing, the air molten and still. Before setting off for the 3+ hour drive home, we decided to cool down with an ice-cream. None of us wanted a whole pudding as the crêpes were incredibly filling, so we shared 3 scoops of their local…
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Five years
Bonjour to you all Five years ago today we completed on our lovely French home. Where has that 5 years gone? The decision was made, the deed done and we owned a tiny corner of South West France. A new life, an adventure beckoned. A house to sort out and pack up in the UK, our life to be transported across the Channel and down to the Tarn. Here we are 5 years later, settled in rural France – something I never saw myself doing – the rural part that is! The house has been a roller coaster of events and experiences, just like life really. Good times and challenging…
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Winter Food
Hello everyone It has been a long time since I posted about food. Don’t think for a moment that I have given up on sharing foodie thoughts, recipes and produce. Food still remains at the forefront of every day, including of course enjoying coffee and chocolatines from time to time! The winter months have seen some unusual discoveries – not always of foods that I didn’t know but of new ways to cook some of the foods we love. Pink lemons and green tea cake were new experiences, roasted steaks of celeriac a new approach to a firm favourite. Citrus fruit has of course been a focus during the cold…
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Pancakes and Purchases
Bonjour to you all How are you and how is February going? I can’t believe we are half way through February now! It really does seem as though time has sped up. I am trying to slow down a little, enjoy the ride rather than racing through each day. Easier said than done most days, what with work, the house, the garden, general life stuff and everything else. Our February fortnight has been filled with work, household chores and that never ending renovation list, as well as pancakes, books and some brocante finds, amongst other things. Max has been getting the bannisters ready for the main staircase, as my Mother…
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Derailed by December!
Bonjour Everyone I do hope you have all had a lovely Christmas? Ours was not quite as we had planned. I often seem to start blog posts these days with an apology for my absence. I had planned everything and was all set to post every fortnight and had prepared lots of extra bits on wine and our renovation to share. However December was having none of it. Why let life go ahead as planned when a few bumps along the way make it all so much more interesting? Where to start on what has been an eventful final month of 2023. My father died on December 1st, alone in…
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November bits and pieces
Bonjour to you all Here we are mid-November already – how did that happen? A moment ago it was October. The year seems intent on hurtling to its close and we are running to catch up. So many plans for this year, many accomplished, many not. The list of jobs the house would love us to tackle grows almost daily. Just as you think you are coming up for breath, off you go again. I have even started thinking of Christmas and the things that need to be prepared in advance – Christmas cake and pudding being two such examples, neither yet done; my citrus wreath needs a scent boost…
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Raindrops keep falling.
Hello to you all from a much chillier petit château. My posts have become a little adhoc for various reasons lately. Days speed by and we are often diverted by the latest challenge here at our renovation project. What a project it is. We moved into a house that was absolutely liveable in, with running water, electricity and a couple of woodburners, as well as an amazing swimming pool. The décor wasn’t too awful and we had plans aplenty! But as is the case for everyone, life changes and plans have to change accordingly and small renovation jobs have a habit of surprising you with the enormity of the tiny…
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Autumn’s arrival
Hello to you all So Autumn has finally arrived – a bit of a shock to the system. We have got so used to the warm weather that maybe we just thought it would go on. Whilst the evenings have been getting cooler the days have remained lovely. Now suddenly summer clothes need packing away to be replaced by warmer layers. The pool has hit 17°C, so maybe swimming days are over for this year. Perhaps one last cold water dip? We were in Albi last week and noticed that Christmas things are beginning to make an appearance. How quickly the year has flown by, so full of plans, some…
