It’s surprising how one’s tastes change over the years. When I first arrived in France, just out of uni, I fell immediately in love with baguette – the lovely white squidgy sort. I even remember the price at the time (1975!): 90 centimes. Francs, that is. Today it’s 90 cents. Euros, this time. You know, … Continue reading Beret and baguette
We go to the fresh produce market in Blois every Saturday in Place Louis XII no matter what the weather. You never know what you’ll find! We arrive any time between 10 am and 11 am and park in the underground parking lot nearby. Over the last 3 years and particularly since we moved here … Continue reading Why I love the market even when it’s cold or rainy #1
We are well and truly back from our cycling holiday in Germany. It’s amazing how far away it already seems. Our next holiday, a six-day home exchange in Lisbon, is scheduled for September. Now we have to get ready for our move to Blois at the end of October, which means we only have three … Continue reading Last Three Months in Paris
At the Sainte Eustache market on Sunday, there were only two regular stalls – fruit & vegetables and fish and certainly no oysters! There were a couple of other people selling jewellery and scarves. When we arrived, there was absolutely no one at the fruit & vegetable stall and the three vendors were looking very … Continue reading Paris in August – where have all the people gone?
We’ve had a wonderful month, cycling over 1,100 kilometers along the Danube, Lake Constance and the Doubs, all on the Eurovelo 6 route, visiting two new countries – Slovakia and Hungary – exploring new areas of four other countries – France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland – and taking nearly 5,000 photos between us, but now … Continue reading Heading Home to France after a Month’s Cycling Holiday
Well, I shall start with my own! Closerie Falaiseau, our lovely house in Blois, has its own beautiful bread oven, unfortunately no longer in use, but Relationnel has every intention of turning it at least into a working fireplace. The day we were given the keys, Mr Previous Owner opened the door to the oven … Continue reading Bread Ovens in the Loire Valley
Up until now, most of the time spent in Blois at our beautiful Renaissance home, Closerie Falaiseau, has been devoted to getting the ground floor ready for holiday rental. Now that we have our first guests, we decided it was time for a bit of a holiday. We arrived quite late in Blois, having spent … Continue reading Another Great Place to Dine in Blois
The previous owners of Closerie Falaiseau were very keen on birds. When they handed over the keys to the house, they explained how to feed them and left us enough feed to go on with for a week or so, including couscous (these are French birds after all). There are lots of different bird feeders … Continue reading The Bird Bath
Two weeks ago, in part 2, I told you about my visit to Dr Séjean, a touchy-feely encouraging nutritionist from Martinique. She basically told me to cut out all wheat-based products for three weeks and divide my plate into four: ½ protein, ½ carbs (the contents of a Chinese bowl) and ½ cooked vegetables (cooking … Continue reading How I lost 20 kilos after 50, for good – Part 4
Enjoy my A to Z and don’t forget to click on the links for more … A – Aussie: How else could I begin? Aussies come from Oz or the Land Downunder where I was born and bred. B – Blois: In the middle of the Loire Valley, where we’re in the process of buying … Continue reading A to Z in the Life of an Aussie in France
