Off again.

I'm going to be off line for a while.

England beckons, family are hoping we will get there for New Year.

One daughter and grandson put on the train for Paris,

one more daughter waits in UK.

Arent we fortunate to have so many choices?!

Now all I need to do is to...

undecorate (is that a word?) the house,

clean out the fridge,

pack the suitcases,

unpack and check that I've put the medicines in,

Pack again,

get house ready for friend who look after things,

fill the car blankets andwith emergency packs in case

we get caught in the snow/ice of UK.

And go.

SAfe arrival>

My family arrived safely today!

We will have just a week together to celebrate Christmas

and to enjoy being together after so many years.

Why do these children live so far away?!

I leave you with this beautiful picture,

and wish you all a very

Happy Christmas.

Jesus is the reason for the season.

Pearls

This exquisite rose is called Pearl.

Today is our Pearl wedding anniversary, thirty years of happiness.

The sun shone for us, despite it being a December day. The service of blessing, held in our little local Church, which followed our registry office formality was a very beautiful occasion, with our families and friends around us.

I have so much to be thankful for.

No snow!

This morning we looked out on a green garden.

The snow had gone overnight, and we were able to get out and do the shopping.

Now, like so many other families, we wait to see if daughter will make it here, despite Canadian weather and French rail strikes.

We're all ready, advance cooking done, shopping finished, beds made, presents wrapped and under the tree.

Ever hopeful.

Melting snow.

The snow is beginning to melt, slowly, drip by drip. We walked from our gateway down the lane to the road, but it was too dangerous to go further. The lane was a sheet of ice.

In small villages like ours there is no gritting service, and we just have to wait until the roads are safe to drive on.

I pray it won't be long.

Hoping..........

We're living hopefully at the moment. My daughter and grandson are flying from Canada to join us for Christmas.

At the moment there is a strike of trains out of Paris, where she will be landing.

The snow is covering our lanes to such an extent that the postman hasn't been for two days, and I'm due to meet her at the station about an hour away.

The town where she lives in Northern BC could easily be under such heavy snow that the plane might be unable to fly her down to Vancouver.

We live in hope. We pray that all these negatives will be swept away, and that we can enjoy Christmas together.

White morning.

Snow is very rare in this part of Brittany. I cant remember when we had

more than a light dusting, a few flakes.

However, this is what we found this morning!

The birds are desperately crowding over the bird-table

in an effort to fill themselves up with the food we put out.

We've cleared a little space on the ground for the robin

who visits hopefully every day.

The snow keeps falling, white on white.

Market day.

This picture is titled 'A French market place', by David Cox, painted in 1829.

We went off to the market this morning and found it strangely quiet. The stalls were all there, but very few people. Then we saw the enormous marquees that are being put up for the special Christmas market this coming weekend. That's what people are saving themselves for, maybe!

One stall sold nothing but Corsican Clementines, leaves still attached, with a basket of pieces for tasting.What a good idea. I bought a couple of kilos, but they won't last long.

It's a very social meeting place, a French market, and it is lovely to watch people greeting each other, stopping for a chat, comparing prices. In the cafe/bar there is always an atmosphere of jollity. No one comes in without a greeting to everyone 'Bonjour, M'sieurDames!', and friends and aquaintances are kissed or offered a handshake.

The rain came down just as we were leaving, but we'd had a couple of hours strolling around.

Things we don't do.

Strolling through the supermarket this morning, I realised just how many typically Christmassy things don't happen in France. Music was blaring through the speakers, and whereas in England it would have been Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, or Little Donkey, here it was the latest rock band.

Carol singing? France is a secular nation, with no outward show of any religion, so singing hymns in the street isnt normal. Of course, the Catholic churches will be having their services as normal.

Christmas cards? Over the last few years cards have begun to appear in the shops, but only of a secular nature. Nothing that relates to the spiritual reality of Christmas is permitted. People dont send cards to each other, but prefer to telephone.

Presents? Yes, but in a much more understated way than in England, very little advertising, very little 'must have' culture. The children here will open their presents on the night of the 24th, sometimes leaving their shoes out for Pere Noel to fill with goodies.

Christmas plays at school? Yes, but usually about something that has no relationship to the Christmas story, maybe an adventure, or a Breton folk tale.

Christmas food? Quite different. Ususally a Seafood platter on the night of 24th, followed by beef or salmon. Christmas pudding...try explaining that! A 'Buche de noel', or 'Christmas log' is served here, a bit like a rolled creamy cake.

However, all the shop owners are happy to wish everyone 'Joyeux Noel!'

A little bit of 'home made' Christmas.

My two angels on the right came from

Austria, two years ago, when we spent a wonderful

Christmas there.

Advent 3

The third Advent candle is lit today. It's the candle of Joy, of rejoicing. This is Gaudete Sunday, a day on which to rejoice at the coming of the Christ.

The third candle is often a pink one, not on this photo, and not on our church wreath. Maybe pink candles are harder to find?

As we draw closer to Christmas our thoughts are on the coming, the birth of our Saviour, the Light of the World.

Winter walk

This is the River about a mile from our house. As my camera forgot to come with me I have had to use a photo taken by someone else, and in the summer too!

Today the trees had lost their leaves, their branches hung pale and insubstantial over the water. A bright but not very warm sun made a walk such a pleasure after days of rain.

We took secateurs with us, hoping to find holly. Holly there was, but none with red berries. The birds have been stockpiling, I think.

We brought home bunches of shiny ivy leaves, glistening with black berries, holly to which I can add red ribbon, and a few seed heads to spray silver.

And by 4.30 it was cold and almost dark again. Time to head home for a cup of tea and a plate of scones with apricot jam!

A silver apple or a golden pear?

Watched the delightful Kirsty's Home made Christmas last night. Some of her ideas are lovely, sensible and do-able.

She created home made gifts, such as pretty jars of chutney, beautifully wrapped, table crackers that I would love to make.

But......oh dear Kirsty. How can she justify rubbing pears with gold leaf, yes, real gold leaf at £25.00 for a book of small sheets. The pears were to be used as, wait for it, place markers. When so many people are wondering how to cope with Christmas at all, it didnt seem the most tactful thing to propose.

So, I offer you my silver apple, Kirsty. Just a simple apple, a bit of foil and a label tied with a ribbon. And you can still eat the apple later.

This is what my friends brought for me.

How lovely to have a bit of Spring in the middle of Winter.

What am I doing today?

You may recognise a certain desperation in the title. It goes with 'whatever can I write about...???' So I thought I'd just look at the day ahead.

What am I going to do?
The ironing is first on the list, one of those lovely white washes that I actually enjoy ironing.

When thats all put away I'm going to make mince pies. I'm not sure how well known they are in USA, but I do remember one year in Australia having a terrible time trying to buy mincemeat. I kept being directed to the butcher's department! Mincemeat is of course known as Fruit mince over there, and with the help of a young assistant I eventually found one jar.

Just shows that the best laid plans etc etc......half way through this, two friends appeared, whom we havent seen for months. They're still here, so my day has taken on a different pattern.

And the ironing waits.

A kind gift

How kind people are.

I won a giveaway recently from QMM, who has a fascinating blog from Kentucky. Knowing that it could be expensive to send from USA I asked her if ahe would like to choose someone else.

But yesterday a parcel arrived containing a sweet painting and also two cuts of pretty fabric, garnished with a delightful pin.

A charming card accompanied it all.

Thank you so much!

Advent 2

Today is the second Sunday of Advent, and once again I'm joining with Floss and

others (see A pause in Advent button on the right)

The second candle will be lit today, and it symbolises our preparation to welcome the Light of the world. It's a candle of Love.

I was reading a bit about the wreath itself, which has its own symbolism.

Even the evergreens that are used to make the wreath can have a message.

Laurel represents victory over suffering.

The holly is like the crown of thorns worn by Jesus.

Pine and yew represent immortality, and cedar, strength.

Any pine cones or seeds that are used to decorate symbolise new life,

a resurrection.

And the wreath shape, the circle itself? That is the eternity of our Lord, the everlasting life in Christ,

a circle with no end.

Christmas market

Our Church is having a Christmas market tomorrow.

There will be all manner of things for sale , Christmas cards, books,

gifts, cakes and handmade presents

The photo shows just a few of the things that I have made for sale.

(Click for a bigger picture)

There are pretty Lavender sachets, filled with Lavender from

my garden here in France.

Lavender hearts,

Tree decorations,

and tiny stockings containing a Candy cane.

I hope they sell well. We raise funds for a number of charities every year. One of my favourites is Shelterbox, a company in Cornwall, run by Rotary, who send huge boxes of relief to needy areas of the world. We also support a French charity called Medecins sans Frontieres. We try to be an outward looking church, supporting where possible, and the profits raised tomorrow will be well spent.

.

Sapins de Noel

All of a sudden there are notices outside the Garden centres. 'Sapins de Noel!' The Christmas trees have arrived. Even some of the Supermarkets have started to get them in.

In the main they are cut trees, with a cut log on which to stand. We were very lucky yesterday to find pot grown trees, so snapped one up , brought it home and placed it on the terrace for the moment. It will come inside closer to Christmas. the birds are eying it up wondering if it's for them.

There used to be a fashion here for spraying colours on the trees, blue, white, silver. I prefer a plain, green, live one. The smell of Christmas trees takes me back to childhood Christmases, mingled with Tangerine scents, and log fires.

The lights are up...

Christmas is on everyone's minds, not least our Office Municipale.

The decorations are going up, this is surely much earlier than normal? It

cant be that long ago that there were no decorations here. I remember being astonished at our first Christmas here in 1995, to find very few decorations up until the week before Christmas, and then only some peculiarly coloured blue trees.No

lights are switched on yet, and we certainly dont have 'celebrities' to illuminate the

town, but there are men with cranes and ladders putting up strings of

decorations. We are modest here, we dont go in for the Parisian style of lighting.

.

Neither will you see the 'Las Vegas' light experience.

The towns have simple strings with a few stars or tree shapes intertwined.

Our village hasnt done anything yet, but down our little lane we always have one pretty string of coloured lights, so we arent forgotten!

Advent 1

I'm joining Floss ( and several others) in a series of Advent posts.

Today was the day when our first candle on the Advent wreath was lit. It was such a pleasure to walk into the church and see the wreath with its four red candles, waiting for the first light, the light of God coming into the world.

Traditionally each candle has a meaning, and the first one represents the People of God and is the Candle of Hope. It is the light shining in the darkest of places, bringing hope to people.

As children we used to wait with anticipation for the candles to be lit, loving the smell of the flames, and the newly cut fir branches that surrounded it.

I wonder if one day the wreath will come under the dreaded health and safety rules, and have to be electric?

Comings and goings.

We move at a slow pace here in the village, but there is always something happening....slowly.

A Badger crept up the side of the meadow overlooked by our house, early this morning. I had to look twice to make sure I was really seeing him. I guess there is a sett somewhere deep in the hedgerow.

The strident horn of the travelling fish van hit the village from about 10 am . The van parks near a group of houses, and out come the ladies, with plates or bowls. Very jolly is he, full of chat about his fish and advises all and sundry on the best buy.

The phone rings. It's the garage where I have my car serviced. Would I answer a few questions on Customer satsfaction? This a new thing here. I tell her I was pleased with the work. I dont think she is really interested, she has boxes to tick and that's the job done.

Didier arrives with the post. He is earlier now that Michel, his buddy, is no longer with us. For years his round has been punctuated with a slightly alcoholic stop-off at Michel's cottage. Now, sadly the cottage bears the sign 'A vendre' (For sale)

The morning ticks by, slowly.

The evening is enlivened by the visit of The Fireman, fully uniformed and very gladdening to the eye. He brings the annual Calendar, full of photos of husky firemen. A donation is expected and gladly given.

I wonder if there are any unattractive firemen? We always seem to get the pick of the bunch!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends across the ocean!

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

St Catherine's Day

If by any chance you are 25 years old, and an unmarried lady, then today is the day for you.

St Catherine's Day, on the 25th November is the day when these young ladies are encouraged to wear very extravagant head-dresses, either made by them or for them. They should be yellow or green, or both, and should be quite fantastic. The ladies, known as 'Catherinettes' used to promenade to the statue of St Catherine and ask for her help in finding the right husband, often with a suitable prayer.

A husband, St. Catherine
A handsome one, St. Catherine
A rich one, St. Catherine
A nice one, St. Catherine
And soon, St. Catherine

St Catherine of Alexandria (306)herself was of noble birth. She refused to take part in what she considered to be pagan ceremonies. Unfortunately she was bold enough to correct the Emperor Maximus for his persecution of Christians, and was beheaded.

Stormy days

The painting is 'The Storm', by Watteau.

Today we have the same black and thunderous clouds.

We have non stop rain, lightning, thunder.

My Eucalyptus tree was almost out of the ground, and we have had

to cut out the top branches to make it safe.

Yet, in all this we are not suffering like the people of Cumbria and the Lake district in
England. Can you imagine having 6 feet of water in your house?

Question-answer time.

In answer to the many questions left on my post about the Permis.....

Friko, no they dont let you keep the English licence, but I took a copy of it in case I need it in the future.

Pondside, it doesnt cost anything to change the licence.

Country wings, I think I shall try to get it laminated as soon as possible.

QMM, we do have to carry it with us at all times when driving, and can be stopped by the Gendarmes and asked to produce it at any moment .

Karen, I can imagine their faces if I produced a sweet little Kath kidston covered licence!!

Angela, can't wait!!

At last!

At last it has arrived!

It isnt obligatory to change from an English to a French Driving licence, but for various reasons I decided to do so.

Way back in June I took my licence and a million other bits of paper (birth certificate, photos, old licence, marriage certificate.....)in to the Sous Prefecture, who deal with licences.

I waited.

And waited.

And after four months went back and asked where it was. I got the typical French shrug, the raised eyebrows, and the....well there are only three of us in the office, and quite frankly changing foreigners' licences isnt a priority.......

In other words, Tough.

I gritted my teeth, had a few polite and smiley well chosen words, and today, almost at five months, the permit has arrived. It does seem that I am allowed to drive everything including a bus, which will be interesting.

But no motor bikes.

...and a win!

A win as well! I'm so fortunate to be one of the winners of Heidi's giveaway.

Heidi is one of my favourite stitchers. She lives in Holland, and always has something interesting or beautiful to show us.

At the moment she is having a fabric clear out, and is making these delightful coasters. I never expect to win things, so am thrilled to receive these.

A swap parcel!

On the right of my post you will see a 'Join in the Swap' button. This was organised by 'Heart in the Country', and we were asked to send a handmade card, gift and decoration to our partners.

My parcel arrived today from Karen, my partner. She has a lovely blog called Karen's playtime.

what a delightful parcel it was. Sadly I completely forgot to get the camera until after I had opened the beautifully wrapped packages, but did remember to photograph the contents.

A pretty handmade card is there, and a delightful little hanging bird for the tree. The stocking is so attractive, and a sweet little notebook came too....as well as some fabric for my patchwork.

Thank you Karen!

Fete Day

Today is my Fete Day!
In France every day is named after a Saint, and if one bears that name one is treated almost as if it is a birthday.
It's the day for St Elisabeth to be feted!
The Catholic calendar of Saints gives every day a Saint's name, and it has been a longheld tradition in Catholic countries that the particular Saint is celebrated on their day. The name days commemorate Saints and martyrs of the Catholic Church, and this was thought to be less of a pagan tradition than celebrating a birthday.
I suppose that in England St George's Day , the patron saint , would be remembered in April, but it is not as common to celebrate a Saint in UK.
There are other countries such a Sweden,Germany, Greece, which fete a St's day. In France, it is normal now just to say 'Happy Fete day', rather thn giving a gift.

The English shop.

The English shops in France are up and running with a vengeance. Not that I'm not grateful, as unlike some English who decry all things British, I'm quite glad to be able to get the odd tin of Custard powder.

Doesn't it seem strange that certain foods that we rely on are virtually unknown here? France and Britain are not that far apart in distance, but quite a long way as far as food is concerned. I think 90% of my shopping is French, but if there is a chance to have a special tea brought back from UK, or maybe some Cheddar cheese, then I'm very happy.

When we first lived here there were no such things as English shops (or builders, tradesmen, accountants, beauticians.....) Now they are all here. The English shops stock all the foods that one might not find here, though in fact many of the Supermarkets do have a small shelf area for 'foreign foods'. Their idea of what we might like tends to be different to ours.

Yesterday I popped in to an English shop about 30 mins away, and treated us to Oatmeal biscuits and , for my husband, Liquorice allsorts. I could have bought Christmas puddings, mince pies, Christmas crackers, and any number of things ....but at a price of course, as the cost of import is factored in.

I think I feel a litle sad that we British seem to be imposing our tastes in France.......but I suppose that French people living in London will try to find an elegant little delicatessen that stock all their favourites?

Handmade gifts

Kathys Cottage is today hosting a showcase of Homemade gift ideas. Quick and easy, not expensive, and interesting to see what others have produced.

I'm using my huge store of lavender from my garden here in France, to make pretty lavender bags. Each one is made from natural linen, pale cream and taupe stripes. Each one has a different motif, some cross stitched, some decorated with fabric hearts. these are just a few.

Some of these will be Christmas presents, some will be for sale to friends or at a 'Marche de Noel' that our church is holding. (click for a bigger picture)

The scent of lavender is overpowering!

In the cafe

En route to the pharmacie to pick up medicines, we paused, as you do, at the Bar/cafe in the town. This is where the men gather to read the daily paper and drink a glass of wine, and the ladies come in for a chat.

To our surprise it has been taken over, and the new owner came to shake hands with us and wish us good morning. This greeting is an essential part of life here, and as each newcomer enters he/she stops to greet friends (handshake, kiss kiss kiss kiss depending on gender), with a polite Bonjour to all others.

The new owner has made inroads already, despite having only been there for two weeks. The place has been repainted, the awful old pictures on the wall have gone, and the seating has been re arranged. It's a comfortable place to pop in for a coffee.

Ladies came in with Junior in a pushchair, who held his hand out to all and sundry with a winning smile. When a gentleman took his hand, assuming he was saying Bonjour, mother laughed and said "It's not for bonjour, it's for chocolate!" Each cup of coffee comes with a tiny chocolate, and he knew all about it!

To give and not to count the cost

Watching the Remembrance day service last night, I noticed how much it had changed over the years.

No longer do we have Gymnastics, mock battles, marching. Now it is a gentler but much more relevant service. Film shots show us the horrors and the bravery of recent battles. Memories of much earlier wars are shared by some wonderful survivors.

More relevant because we are not only remembering the two world wars, but looking with combined despair and gratitude at what is going on now, in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Many years have passed since families lost their husbands, sons, brothers, fathers in WW1 and WW2 battles. There was little of the media coverage that we have now to show the heroism. But now it is a regular sight on the News. The planes fly in at Lyneham to bring in more coffins. People line the routes in Wootton Bassett to pay their respects. Death in war is real.

I will never know the terror of facing battle.

I will never experience the fear of sending my husband to war.

I will never know the agony of knowing that my husband, son or father will not return.

I will never have to face a future bringing up children without a father.

But I can be thankful and grateful that these young men go out there and fight 'because it's the job we do'.

Gradual recovery

Thanks so much for all the many good wishes and commiserations. I was honestly beginning to wonder if this was developing into the newest flu strain. But my lovely Dr popped in today and says it is a nasty Bronchial infection, which means........more antibiotics, more cough syrup, more rest.
I long to feel really well, but am certainly better than I was.

Coough cough cough..........

I've got the cough syrup.

I've got the throat spray.

I've got lozenge thingies to suck.

I'm going back to bed.

November............

This morning we woke up to torrential rain and high winds. Staying in a warm bed would have been good, but bravely, we did what we do, and went the 50 kilometres to Church.

Driving was hazardous, rain hammered down on the car, and the winds made it an uncomfortable journey.

And now, this afternoon.....no rain, pale skies, the wind has dropped. From my window I see a curl of smoke, my neighbour has lit the fire.

Can't think of anything nicer, really, than to curl up in an armchair in a warm room, with the weekend (English) newspaper to read. Cup of tea coming up.

Toussaint

Toussaint. All Saints night. I know I have posted about this previously, but...why not again?

There will of course be a quiet knock at our door tomorrow night, and Benoit and Alexandre will appear, masked and in disguise. There is no 'trick or treat ' mentality here. No menacing threats. They will be happy with a handful of sweets. In fact I'm pretty sure they havent a clue what they are doing or why.

When we first came to France fifteen years ago, Halloween wasnt a word that anyone was familiar with. Somehow, over the years, the 'tradition' has begun and grown. Now there are shops full of costumes, of masks and of horrid frightening things.
I deplore this fascination with evil, and think back to our English church's 'alternative-Halloween' party for local children, which I'm sure was as much enjoyed as anything else.

Toussaint is of course much more than just one of France's many Saints Days. It is the day when the ancestors are revered and remembered, a quiet day when the cemeteries will be full of Chrysanthemums, the flower of the dead. (Never take your hostess a bunch of chrysanths).
The Garden centres have been preparing for weeks now and the cushions of flowers just get bigger and bigger.

Every flower shop, every supermarket, even every small village shop , will have their selection of cushion Chrysanthemeums, all colours, from which to choose. They are not cheap but they are always bought, and the cemeteries are truly a picture of colours.

It's lovely to see all the families, gathering together to remember their loved ones.

Chestnut time

As you drive through the country lanes in October , you will often see a strange sight.

People are to be found in the ditches at the sides of the road.

They are quite deep ditches so at first you see only half of a person, scrummaging around

in the undergrowth.

Often these people have carrier bags.

What are they looking for?

It's Sweet Chestnut time here, and they are large and tasty.

Our neighbour tells us that they are best cooked over an open fire,

Then wrapped in newspaper (?).

Then salted and eaten.

Delicious.
And here is the chestnut pan in which they are cooked.

All Breton homes seem to have at least one.