Shopping

You'll be pleased to know that Easter eggs have just come into our shops. Isnt that about the right time for them? Rather than the hustle of them arriving in UK shops just after Christmas? Sadly the Hot Cross bun is unknown here (but I did bring some back with me!)

I suppose it is a good thing that we are a bit 'behind' here. There isnt that feeling of being rushed. Our shops are quite staid, quite unadventurous. We're not into 'conspicuous consumption'. Yet.

I fear it will come one day.

We dont have people like you do in Sainsburys, who say 'Follow me', when you ask where something is. We have to weigh our own fruit and vegetables, and if you arrive at the checkout having forgotten, there is usually a smile from the girl, and an offer to do it for you. In fact I noticed this morning that we have a new weighing machine right by the check outs. I think they've got fed up with the Brits who dont realise that this is a do it yourself exercise.

We have NO conception of Tesco's 'If there's more than 2 in a queue we will open another check out.' What?? Why do we need to do that, when you can enjoy a friendly chat with the other ten people standing in the queue? The fact that some of us are raring to get out and get going matters not one whit!

Many supermarkets have little English shelf areas, where they display with great pride useful things like Fray Bentos pies, mincemeat (all year round, I think I must tell the manager it's not necessary), salad cream, custard powder, and best of all, ginger nuts! But we also get strings of fresh garlic, wonderful French cheeses, and lots of different breads now.

Of course, we are ahead of the game with recycling. No bags. Not one. You have to remember to take your own, available for sale very cheaply. I couldnt believe how many bags were being handed out in English supermarkets. In fact, I was poised and ready with my own French bag!

In our little local supermarket Beatrice leaned across the counter recently and said 'You can call me Beatrice now, I think we know each other'. What a sweetie!

Collecting.(inspired by Pipany)

I have to admit to being a collector, as is Pipany, whose gorgeous photos of things she loves have inspired me to think about my collections of ...well, Things.

Mainly they centre around fabric which also includes linens, bed linens, old linens, antique French linens, how I love them all. The local market used to be a real hunting place for antique linen, especially monogrammed pieces. I even found a lady who saved them for me. Now she's gone, and my lovely old cross stitched monograms with her. I used to cut them off the damaged linen, and make them into cushions and lavender bags for friends, with their initials on. But squirrel- like, I head for the brocante shops and rummage amongst piles of fabric till I find a little treasure. Even a little initialled tea towel is valuable to me.

I have a collection of large square pillowcases, all with embroidery, frills, lace and monograms on. I just couldnt resist them, and found them here and there over the years. They sit on pillows on our beds. I have sheets with initials embroidered , so painstakingly and beautifully. A dear old lady gave me a hemp sheet many years ago. It is heavy, and discoloured, but once somebody slept under it, most uncomfortably I should think.

I have lengths of silk, brought back from Thailand by my cousin who used to work there. Some that I bought when I visited Bangkok, with no real idea of what I would use it for. The silk sits in a pine chest, because one day it will be

used. I hope.

I love modern bed linen too. My most luxurious buy was a pair of high thread count pure cotton sheets, with pale blue embroidery, that I found in The White Company. Pillowcases to match. I gazed at Marks new embroidered sets when I was back in England, and thought 'Do I really need any more'? I was so pleased when I found in a little shop in a seaside town here, a pair of quilted bedcovers in pale blue Toile de Jouy. A must have.

The photo is of just a few 'Things' from my cupboard.

I am like a chatelaine, standing gazing into my linen cupboard counting sheets! But I love to feel them, to look at them neatly ordered, lavender scented, waiting for the next use.

What do you leave behind?

Having just returned from England my thoughts turned to the things I feel that I leave behind every time we return to France. Obvioously there is family, there are friends, but what else?

Things I dont mind leaving behind ;
The cost of eating out. We are fortunate in France to be able to eat out much less expensively than in England. We had lunch in our local hotel this week, and three courses cost 11 euros, which is around £7.00. That wasn't 3 small courses either, their portions are too big for me. A starter of tomato and mozzarella slices, followed by chicken with pommes dauphinoise and vegetables, followed in turn by the usual choice of desserts (Creme brulee, tarte aux pommes, ice cream, and the latest..crumble!)
The litter. France isnt totally litterless, but on balance the communes seem to be much more aware of cleaning up.
The attitudes. We are so geared here to go intop a shop where everyone says Bonjour, Au revoir and have a nice day. Not too many shops seem to care if you are there or not in UK.
The traffic. Say no more.

Things I miss;
The kindness of people, particularly the Cornish, who can be unfriendly but can be lovely too, and are liable to greet you with 'Youallright, me ansum?'
Waitrose and Sainsburys. People rave about our supermarkets here, but give me Sainsburys any day, no queues at the tills unlike our local who dont bother to put more than 2 girls on and ignore the queues of 10 or more.
The gardens, especially National Trust. Yes there are gardens open here, but not of the same style or casual beauty. We tend to be more formal here.
And most of all I do miss the contact with my old friends, whom one can ring at any time and say 'Come for coffee, come shopping, come and talk'. I have friends here too, but roots go deep.

So.... not to denigrate the country in which I live, more of a musing about the differences.

A meeting

Several people have asked if I had written about meeting Pipany, which I hadnt. Partly because of privacy, and partly because of time constaints. But here goes.
I had a picture in my mind of Pipany, and she fitted it absolutely! We met at an old Cornish Inn half way betwen our respective places, and I parked up just five minutes before a blue people carrier came whisking in to the carpark. Out leapt Pipany, carrying spring daffodils and pussy willows, a beautiful bag...and best of all, Brownies! Home made too and very delicious they were. I had tile samples and a gift for Isabella from UPL which she was delighted with...and also a few Breton specialities from me (cider, honey and locally made biscuits).
We sailed in to the Inn and after being ignored for a while asked if we could have a cafetiere ( a what?) of coffee. So we settled for a cappucino and a latte, cafetieres obviously being unknown.
We talked and talked, and Pipany is very easy to relate to. We have our love of Cornwall in common and know many of the same places. What did we discuss? I honestly dont know...family, jobs, people, oh of course...Purple people too.
The morning went by and we decided to go on to lunch but to move to a different venue, a large Garden centre with a good little restaurant. More talking! A quick look around the plant areas, and then I had to go back to catch the ferry over to the Roseland.
But what a good day it was. A delight to meet a fellow stitcher, to be able to give her part of my fabric stash now not really needed as my grandaughter is 20 and beyond little Liberty frocks.
Thanks Pipany. I hope we will be able to do it again the next time we are over.

Oh to be in England...

We came back this morning from sunny Cornwall. Daffodils, snowdrops, and camellias had been in flower everywhere in the West country, and I was so looking forward to seeing all mine in flower too. After all, France is warmer than the UK, no?
No. Not a yellow bloom anywhere. Leaves, buds, but nothing in flower. No camellias. No snowdrops, but thats maybe because we dont have any. But there should be hundreds of daffodils, and they are all sulking, waiting for the temperature to go above 3. It is very cold here. It isnt like Cornwall. I need a hot water bottle.
Come on Spring, my daffodils are waiting. So am I.