Those Boots

had to be cleaned... I know they could do with more wax on a weekly basis, so will try to do that!
I need to be at a boot camp as cleaning shoes is not a favourite occupation. I think though that shiny or unshiny shoes tell one a lot about the wearer! 
Unfortunately, the right boot had the leather partially cut through by wire on a walk!  They are quite old.. about 18 years...and were broken in on a route march through a Sri Lankan forest, after we had crossed a replica of the Bridge on the River Kwai used in the film of said name. 
NOTE: the real bridge is in Burma http://www.bridgeriverkwai.com/
These boots had to keep marching because if they stopped, the leeches jumped onto the skin.  Mine was fully covered.  My feet wore double lined socks. Those who did not heed instructions, who still wore shorts, screamed as leeches were lanced from their skin with a swift swipe of a knife. Boots with memories of fear and laughter, success and achievement.
Isn't the www interesting because I didn't know this was happening at Kitulgala. Also the river below that bridge was where the group did white water raft riding... just the once.  I didn't wear my boots, but did wet my knickers. We also had to cross the river in a canoe of a tree... balancing whilst we stood in the dug out part!
Would I do that again?  White water riding?
Yes, I think I would, even though in our raft, the leader fell out and it was down to the front two of the six to fish him out of the water whilst I bounced in the bottom of the raft, sobbing in fear, then laughing as I realised it didn't matter what I had done...and when I heard that the leader had fallen out on that particular bounce, I scrambled myself together enough to get back on the edge to balance the raft, and had a whale of a time... even to the end where we floated down the river in our life jackets. Everyone hugged me as I couldn't stop crying and laughing at the same time! For me, it was personal success, achievement and happiness. I had conquered that fear for that moment....ah, nice memories! 
The moral of the tale is that I got back onto the edge of that raft.... and I endured fear and conquered... I should remember that !!!! 

Near an ancient moulin

This local landmark near the river has been cleared of use as a cattle byre and is being made habitable.  It has a dirt track access.  It was covered in ivy in October 2014!  I wish I could find one of the older photos. Must try harder to sort my photos but it is an uphill struggle especially when I keep clicking the camera!

 

As a result of walking into the field and carrying a child across the mud, I created gloopy boots! Now I really do have to clean and treat them nicely after they have dried out!!

Hellebore

I think these are Stinking Hellebore! Two different plants - two pics - but they seem to have different leaf structure.... one has fat leaves, the other thin...

Just appearing in local French woodlands - quite common in the village river valley.

Temperatures

I notice that Blog devices for measuring outdoor temperature are different...
so  e.g. was Preuilly really 8 degrees different from here just a while ago?
Today, my kitchen with no heating is colder than the great outdoors!!!!!!! WHY?
Is it that the stone house phenomenon?...
or that three of the doors link to rooms colder than my salon.. and is therefore reason to have two radiators in that room once I start to 'do up' my kitchen...
I am keeping shutters and curtains closed on the 'barn part of the property' rooms so it is only electric light during the day.  Hat, scarves, thermal underwear have become indoor fashion in the last week but not yet seven upper layers, nor yet the coat.
I am grateful for oak logs...even if I do have to carry them in and ecoem dspondent that the will need stacking again.
I am grateul for my wonderful bed which with four hot water bottles is cosy!
I am keeping buoyant... going for a walk now...to get the grey light!!!!!!!
Addendum:
Have been out for five hours and although the kitchen is still cold the Big Room is 21C (rising to 24C two hours later) and woodburner has been slumbering on three medium sized split logs so 'tis good! Winter fuel essential as is inner fuel. Within the hour of being invited for a walk with three kiddies and three other adults, I'd made:
1. mushroom soup with fish stock... a bit acidic so I melted Valençay cheese in it... nice...
2. mincemeat tart with shop bought sweet shortcrust pastry, jar of ancient supermarket mincemeat, sliced eating apples below strips of pastry to make lattice work... cobbled together like my granny's tarts....   Here it was:

One slice each was more than enough! Very sweet! 

New Year Day's Picnic

It had to be a quick picnic. At midday, I decided it had to be then or never, as it was freezing! Getting the bike out from the store was tricky ... but arm strength has improved and I managed to lift it above two mowers.  Attired for the weather, I grabbed a paper plate, serviettes, tea towel and a picnic of smoked salmon gifted to me by a friend with her fig and anise chutney, two cherry tomatoes, rocket, crackers, two clementines and a posh caramel yoghurt, plus I filled an empty 25cl wine bottle with apricot juice and Armagnac... just to keep me warm!  There was sunshine by the River Gartempe but benches were in shade, so I nestled myself in the fork between trees for the Selfie.  I made myself cycle the circuit instead of returning home by the 15 minute route.  I walked the bike up the hill, past the bull, then saddled to Etranglar and back home.  It was an exhilarating ride but difficult to make breathing regular in such cold weather. It was wonderful to shriek out loud "Yoohoo" when there was no one else out on the high, empty agricultural plain.  I worked up quite a sweat in the glorious sunshine and cold air.  It was a lovely first day of the year.   I love these kind of picnics!

 

 

I took first footing gifts to my friends' house - a silver coin, bread, salt, alcohol, oak instead of coal for good luck, financial prosperity, food, warmth and good cheer but in fact I was the second person to have arrived that day.  After a family walk to the river and back, we had Christmas Pudding with my gifts of Armagnac and Cremant d'Alsace.   There was just a little red Chinon 2003 left which I tasted...mmmm. Following that were oysters... I ate two... they make the forehead feel funny!  Later, bread and Stilton cheese and Brebis. Nice!  Back home I ate the miniature yule log that I had bought on the Ile de Re and started to listen to War and Peace!

Two pics to start the year!

Low water at La remerle mill

Tide way out...

Bobbing along out of the old and into the new

This chubby, cheeky, chappy was proud to pose by the River Anglin today. I hope a fortuitous omen!

Food and too much of it!

For a dinner party of 4 adults and three children aged six and three, I could not get Bar which is Sea Bass.  However, a 2kg Norwegian trout was purchased at Intermarche, where the fishmonger explained how to cook it.  She descaled and prepped it.  In future I would ask her to take out the skeleton.  She had suggested that she could!  I would keep the skeleton for stock and stuff the fillets as I did for the whole fish... that way I would not have tricky bones and waste! After the dinner party, I froze some of the flesh as i got tired of eating trout for four days!   I made the debris into fish stock and used some of that as a basis for pea soup!  The rest of the fish stock has been frozen for winter soup!
We were supposed to start with oysters but my friends didn't go to the village and let me know.. Instead they brought smoked salmon on crackers with gravadlax for the aperos.  Nice!  AND they bought bubbly which I had already got but we opened theirs.  I hope I will take mine round to their house.
Then we had slices of finger thick, smoked salmon from a side fillet that I had bought a few weeks ago served with a green salad (rocket, avocado, shallots ( I wanted spring onions!) and asparagus.  I warmed up the salmon so it was cooked and very rich! The photo was blurred so got deleted!
NB That evening I realised the trout was not a good idea because it was almost like Salmon! T
For the main course the trout was served with small roasted potatoes which had been partially cooked in the kettle with the trout, plus grated celeriac and carrot which I had braised in lemon juice, zest and cream in the oven plus green shoots of Romanesco.
We were full. Parents were tired so the lovely Valençay and Gorgonzola cheeses remained untouched.   They chose the home made lemon curd dessert which was layered with crushed speculoos biscuits and plain yoghurt in individual glasses. I'd had desserts like that on Ile de Re so wanted to experiment. I haven't got it quite right. I also followed a recipe for lemon meringue pie / tart which i used to make almost weekly without blinking an eye!!!!!!!
I started it on New Year's Eve... because between the dinner party and NYE I'd made 12 mince pies with my own pastry and jar of 2005 vintage mincemeat! YUM!
The dinner party took me almost two days to clean, lay table prettily, find candles, plates, glasses and prep the food so that when guests arrived I had little to do except get food hot and plated!
C and JC loved the atmosphere with candles in several places and frankincense in the air.
I loved doing it but well out of practice!

It took several days for me to clear up as I have no dishwasher but between so I socialised and did other things! 

A few more pics of the port

24 and 26 December 2014 Ars-en-Ré

Ars-en-Ré won her heart yet again! She discovered a thriving market selling products from sea and land.  Shops were open on 26th December. She had walked along the sea wall and dunes into town and enjoyed Breton Far and Jasmine tea for a late breakfast lunch at La Tour de Senechal with the church opposite.

On Christmas Eve this was her first view of the sea when she crossed the road from her hotel.  The building is a douanier, also used by fishermen. The sea wall acts as protection against the Atlantic forces. Beneath the tide are 'les écluses". Further along this coast the sea wall is being reinforced.. a long task!

Christmas Day Menu 2014

 Breakfast at Z'Adore, La Couarde

Déjeuner at Le Belem, St Martin-en-Ré 

The 35e menu was served with a red Sancerre and water

Médaillon de thon mariné aux épices douces

Filet de bar rôti, sauce beuure blanc, étuvée de légumes frais

Gros macaron au caramel et aux pommes followed by coffee and brandy

Christmas Eve and Day

Christmas Eve and Christmas day, she stayed in a Hotel on the Île de Ré
All by herself with no tent to erect, an impromptu decision made her think "What the heck!"
No time for much planning, no cycle to ride, she thought she would wing it and later decide
where to dine, what to eat, where to walk, where to treat herself when not in a bedroom suite.

Bon Noel and Happy New Year

To you all. To all of you.
I hope that Pére Noël brought you kindness, peace, hope, shelter, food, warmth, love.  It is a wonderful thing to be cared for, to have friends, to live and to love, to gift whatever we can.
Thank you all.

I can understand why an island is a wonderful place. However, I didn't do the Christmas Day picnic. I succumbed to a wonderful meal after a walk which was enough.  I wished my legs could have walked further along the sands...but it is quite hard work and one is never sure how far from base one has wandered!

I started this post on 25th but am publishing on New Year's Eve. I didn't have the mental energy or time to post using the ipad whilst on the island.  Since then, having returned home, it took me almost two days to prepare for a pretty table dinner for guests, then there was the clearing up, then there has been going out with friends over this festive season -  a sharp contrast to last year, when I continued to nurse my bunion, biceps tendonitis, woodburner and jigsaw!
I am sure you are glad for me that this year I am happy!
There will, I hope, be some postings about my island holiday and a few other pics.
Meanwhile I am trying to write a fact or fiction piece for a writing competition!

Christmas Eve 2014

Big Feet does a little dance on four paws as she moves her polydactylic feet deftly from side to side at the window of the door into the outside workshop, until it is opened for the Queen of Cats!   She and Restless in France ...
aka SweetpeainFrance ... wish you all a very
Happy Christmas Eveeeeee- ning.
Tomorrow, her Christmas Gift and Surprise!
xxxxxxxxxx

Nomads

I have seen about three or four of the Chatellerault Christmas spectacles since living in France, but I had thought they'd been axed... so it was a great pleasure to know that these circus events are being continued as a free gift to residents of this region.  The best I saw was Transhumance in 2007.
I found this video of it because I don't know where my photos are!
For those who do not know:- Transhumance is the description of when cattle, sheep, goats go to the mountains in the Spring and are brought to the lowlands in the Autumn.  Of course it is a time of movement, of travel, of nomads and by extension could apply to many animals and people of the world.
Here is a video I found on the internet.
It is the troupe of modern troubadours in procession.  The procession is a representation of the Transhumance in the southern parts of France. I shall look for other information to display here...
Here is another link.
I would also like to wish a very happy feast to my former partner who is currently travelling in Australia, after 3 months in Malaysia and 3 months in Taiwan.  Soon he goes to Laos! A very brave and courageous man.  I don't know if he knows about this blog as he has never asked and so I have never said!  He is 'un petit nomad'. 
I too have a need to travel!

Fête de fin d'année

Sunday evening ça bouge à Châtellerault... but we could not get near enough to appreciate the moments... HERE ...you can see professional photography of the group Remue-Menage based in Paris and whilst you look at the photos 'vous faire rêver!'- l'objectif de la compagnie. Scroll down on their site for the videos which were not quite what was performed. The 45 minute apx show ended with fireworks.  These are some of my better photos but I was way way back in the crowds with a zoom lens that could see what I could not see. One needed binnies! Unfortunately, the parade was just the three angel/bird stilt walkers so we didn't have the pleasure of that for long as their long legs had gone as soon as we'd spotted them and they were being led by security! We had not arrived early enough to stake our patch near the front and the children were restless as they couldn't see! The music was very good. Garden chairs would be best to install in a premium position if such a spectacle occurs next year!  The Maire should have considered an even higher platform to justify the expense of this spectacle so that more people could DREAM of the JOY that was being performed!
Go HERE for the press review in French the following day but with a good photo!

The huge balloons came floating along the boulevard helped by audience push and I managed to push one too! Later, I saw one being carried home by a teenager as a trophy, whereas another burst in the trees!