Time for a pause.

It's time for a pause.

I'm closing down for a couple of weeks over Christmas and the New Year.

May I wish you all a peaceful and truly blessed Christmas time.

Severe weather

We had a warning that there would be what the French call 'Tempetes' last night, and it certainly was dreadful.

The wind never stopped, the rain lashed down, and we woke to no power. Three local villages were cut off without any electricity, but thankfully it has now been restored. I had freezer anxiety, thinking of all our lovely Summer fruits melting away!

Looking around we can see that our neighbour has a beautiful Mimosa tree that is about to lose a branch.

Our other neighbour has lost his greenhouse....and our useful little plastic tunnel is in bits.

But...no one was hurt.

Poor tree

We have had two nights of very stormy weather, howling winds, thunder and pouring rain. the garden has been flattened, and today we are sad to see our lovely 5 year old Eucalyptus is down.

There is nothing that can be done for it. The root system obviously wasn't strong enough to support it.

All the other trees seem fine, inspite of the battering.

I have been off line and without a phone for two days as a result of the appalling weather.

I'm so glad that we decided not to go across the Channel for Christmas this year.

Advent 3

We have taken our weekend as a pause.

I was just reading Floss's Advent post, and it struck me how similar our pauses were this weekend.

Because our week has been really busy we decided to do very little during the weekend. Yesterday , when the sun shone warmly, we took a stroll along the river bank, admiring the reflections in the water, greeting the lone fisherman, and taking time just to 'be'.

Today we are not at church, but have had a late brunch, gone to fetch the papers, and are probably going to spend the day reading, talking, listening to Christmas music and relaxing.

Advent is a time of preparing, and that needs good health in body and spirit.

Taking time to listen , to think, is never wasted.

Broadway next?

Last night the angels flew.

Well, tripped daintily across the stage in our Christmas play. Wings and haloes were worn, Joseph looked suitably stunned at the news, and the audience seemed to enjoy the fun of it all!

Scenery was mostly absent.

Each month our Church has a 'social evening', sometimes with a quiz, or a speaker or even just music. There is always a light supper, and last night we had about 30 people in the audience.

During the next week there are four Carol services in different areas of Brittany, one of which is an ecumenical one, with the Catholic churches here.

Our church will be having a Candlelit service, and we are in the midst of planning it.

It's a non-stop time!

Last night we watched 'Masterchef, the Professionals'. It's a programme featuring a competition to find the chef of the year amongst a group of young chefs. I know there are some likes and dislikes about the programme, but we do enjoy listening to Michel Roux Junior's comments. He is very professional.

What disturbed us last night was the part of the programme that came from this very lovely hotel in Scotland. It has a two Michelin star restaurant, and two of the chefs were sent off to cook parts of a meal there.

The actual meal was a seven course 'degustation menu'.

Cost £125.
We just felt that at this time of acute recession, and with many parts of the world having little food, that this was not a tactful programme. I'm not sure that I would ever want to eat seven courses, let alone pay sums like that.
What do you think?

My star

Here's my star

...or maybe, stars.

Getting ready.

We're getting ready for our Christmas play at Church.

A star was needed, so I was so pleased to find these on Buttonbirdesigns blog, courtesy of Rhondi at Rose Coloured glasses. I made one of these stars a couple of years ago following the pattern on Angela's Tracing Rainbows blog, so was delighted to find it again. I have decorated mine with sequins for a real shine.

Button bird designs, photo

Another item that I found today was a Keffiyeh, in fact two of them, both in a 'rag bag' in our charity shop Emmaus. They cost the huge sum of 1 euro, and will be perfect for our shepherds to wear. No tea towels for us!

All I have to do now is to finish dainty little haloes for the angels. fix our wings on firmly, and flying can begin.

For Cottonreel and Pondside

Recipes .

Firstly in answer to Pondside's query, Flapjacks in England are not pancakes, but a sort of thick biscuity thing made with Quaker oats. Very easy.

You need;

6 oz hard margarine or butter

4 0z Demerara sugar

Golden syrup

12 oz Oats

It's one of those recipes that I do by 'feel' rather than following the recipe too closely.

Melt the butter and sugar together slowly.

Add the syrup (here I'm not sure if you can get English type golden syrup in Canada? Would maple syrup work??)

Mix the oats into the pan stir well, and then press firmly into a square baking tin and bake at about 140 degrees till browning on top.

Cut into squares while warm.

***********************************************************************************

Now for Cottonreel, who asked for the all-in-one fruit cake.

You need;

8 oz SR flour

Tsp baking powder

4 oz Dem sugar

4 oz soft margarine

2 eggs

6 oz dried fruit

Mixed spice.

Milk

I grate an apple in to add moistness.

Put the flour, sugar and margarine in a big bowl with the spice and baking pdr. Add the fruit and the grated apple if used. Whisk the eggs and add them with a little milk to the dry mixture. Beat together until it is all well mixed. Put in a cake tin and bake at about 180 degrees till done (about 1 hour). Test with skewer.

There we have it. hope you enjoy your baking!

Advent 2.

Deep in darkness we begin,

dark outside and deep within.

Now ignite a single flame,

shadows form, let light remain.

Flaming brightly, let love shine,

flaming out through space and time.
As they gleaned the word of life,

narrative of love and strife,

people through each age have known

yet more light: God's glory shown.

Flaming brightly, let love shine,

flaming out through space and time.

Weekend cooking.

The cake tins were all empty, not a crumb in the house...So this morning I made Flapjacks, an all-in-one Fruit loaf and a Mincemeat and apple pie.

I know that in Australia what we call mince meat is known as Fruit mince, a delicious spicy mixture of dried fruits.

Flapjacks are an old family tradition, and my son still tells me that mine aren't quite as good as Gran's!

The all in one cake is such an easy recipe, everything goes in together and is mixed in one go.
I've also done a small mountain of ironing, addressed the last of the cards, and now I'm going to sit down for a moment.

The first sighting.

I saw my first Father Christmas today, a little similar to the inflated one below. He was, as ever, hanging uncomfortably from a roof. It's a tradition here...and there they stay until they are deflated, somewhere around next February.

We are slow to decorate in Brittany.

Some of the towns have decorative lights up, but not our village yet. There are trees available in the supermarkets, real ones which will surely be dead by the time Christmas is here? There are plastic ones in the Garden centres, surrounded by tinsel, shiny baubles.....and motor mowers.

A few examples of Christmas cards are available here and there, and some enterprising shops have pretty baskets full of goodies and beautifully wrapped.

There are Christmas markets planned for next week in the local towns, so I think Christmas will be happening, albeit at our own pace.

Refreshing after the hustle of some of the shops in the UK in October!

Strikes

I'm sad to read about the huge strike protests in England today.

Two million public sector workers are walking out of their jobs to protest about the Government's proposals about pensions.

With the proposed changes, people will have to work longer before retirement, may well face a two year pay freeze, and in some cases have had a 1% wage cap. With the recession as it is, this makes a big difference to some families.

(Photo Reuters)

Today the strike will affect airports, hospitals, trains, Government offices, ports and schools.
It's a very unhappy state to be in, and I'm not sure that striking will change Government's mind.

It's the time for writing Christmas cards again. It's something I really enjoy doing, even though we have cut back on the numbers a bit this year.

As France is a secular country it is almost impossible to find cards that are about the true meaning of Christmas, so I bought most of mine in England when we were there.

When I took my first batch to the local Post office, the lady was astonished. 'You are sending for Christmas already?' she asked. I explained that most of the cards were for Australia, USA and Canada, and that they would take a while to reach their destinations. 'It is', she said, 'a very English tradition to send all these cards?'

The French send very few cards and are always amazed at the number of birthday cards and Christmas cards that we receive. I love to see my cards arranged cheerfully at Christmas, and I love to think that some of my Christmas wishes have gone winging over the ocean to friends and family.

PS, I've lost my background and in trying to get a new one I end up with just the written code. Any ideas? Sigh......

Advent 1

Once again Floss is leading some of us in 'A pause for Advent', thank you Floss.

It is a time when it's easy to leap through the weeks, being terribly busy with this and that towards Christmas. So, as Floss suggest, a pause is what is needed.

Advent is inextricably linked with candles, and this brings me back to a favourite childhood hymn. Jesus bids us shine

With a pure, clear light,

Like a little candle

Burning in the night.

In this world of darkness

So let us shine

You in your small corner,

And I in mine.

My mother used to sit on the end of my bed, and teach me the little hymns and songs that she had been taught. This one has always remained with me. Its words are simple and childlike, and maybe that's what is needed nowadays.

Thank you Floss for the pause.

Red-fabric Day!

A while ago, a very talented quilter known as Cottonreel, asked for some special fabrics for a quilt she was making. ( She does make the most beautiful quilts.)

She needed velvets and satins. I had some silk pieces that I offered her, and in turn she sent me these wonderful pieces of fabric.

I am making a wall hanging using lots of red, so these are perfect, and such a generous collection. Thank you Cottonreel!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends in the USA!

So much is written and published about the meal, the turkey etc, that I thought it would be a change to see this picture. Might it show the pilgrims first Thanksgiving in 1621?

Imagine the life then, the desperate need to harvest everything possible, fish, vegetables, venison and of course , the wild turkeys
No wonder they gave thanks in this new land.

Paper whites.

I was given this Paper white 'kit' when we were back in the UK recently. I have never succeeded in finding them in France, so it was lovely to have them.

They came with their own glass container and glass pebbles. All I had to do was to place the bulbs and give them water. They have grown very quickly and drink lots of the water.

I do hope they have flowers on them, as the last ones I grew were not very successful.

Paper whites do have a very strong scent, and not everyone likes them, but I love to see them in the Winter.

Wings.

Sheep may safely graze........., on my table watching the craftwork. A semi finished pair of wings.
And here is my friend who will be playing 'Angel Angelica', modelling her wings.
Flying is such hard work....

Christmas box.

This exciting box arrived with the postlady this morning.

We have said to our family , bearing in mind the recession, that we wouldnt send important presents this year. So my dear daughter in law has filled the box with tiny presents, far more than I would ever expect. She is thoughtful at present giving.

In general, we are limiting our Christmas wishes this year to nice cards, some handmade gifts, and a couple of donations to local charities.

It's hard, but our friends are all feeling the same way. Present giving has become so different these days. I remember the thrill as a child, of feeling the orange in the toe of my stocking, of opening the book which would have been my main present, and of making so many of the gifts we gave to friends and families.

Cards, calendars, decorations, funny knitted things for my grandma....have we lost those excitements now?

Oh for the wings.........

What's on my worktable today?

Piles of white lace, actually a curtain that I found in Emmaus for 75centimes. Super glue. Pins, needles, white thread. Scissors. A slightly scruffy whitish feather boa, bought half price because it was scruffy etc. Glisteny little beads. Garden wire....and so on.

I'm making Angel wings. We need three sets for the Church play, and I have gone back to the days of Blue Peter, cutting and sticking, and hoping to produce one I 'made earlier' for my little group of helpers who come tomorrow.

The wings that I am producing bear no resemblance to these beautiful ones below (175 $), but will, I hope, look fairly good in a Blue Petery sort of way.

There are also three sheep on my table, just practising....being sheep.

There will be photos at some point.

Oh dear.

This is what I found today in a secluded corner of our garden. Please forget any romantic notions of elves and little people living under these horrible toadstools. As soon as I can bring myself to do it, they are going to be destroyed.

They are called Fly Agaric, and when I googled them I found that they are also known as Magic Mushrooms. They are not deadly but can be harmful, but they are hallucogenic.

I am expecting the Mushroom police any day now.

The fireman/lady cometh.

Just as I was making coffee, and wondering what to write about today, there was a knock at the door. There stood a delightful young lady in full firefighters uniform. This is the time of year when we expect the 'Pompiers'. They call with the gift of a calendar, and hope for a donation, though it isnt obligatory.

It's the first time I have seen female firefighter, as usually a smart young man comes in the evenings. But apparently around 12% of Pompiers are female now.
The term Sapeurs Pompiers has its origin way back in Napoleon 1's time, when he formed a unit which was part of the military Engineering arm, the Sappers. The word pompier refers to the old manual pumps that the firemen used to use.
Whatever the name, as I said to my visitor, we are delighted to make a donation to their work. Not only do they deal with fires, but if there is a medical emergency they have ambulances and trained staff who will race to wherever they are needed, whether it be in a home or a major emergency.

Guidel War Graves Cemetery, France

11.11.11.11

A 'one -off' date.

At 11am , on the 11th day of the 11th month in 2011 there will be services of Remembrance all over the nations.

This is the time when we give thanks for our lives, made possible by the bravery of so many young men, many of whom perished in the two world wars.

It's a time to remember those who have died in more recent wars

Here in France, where there is a thriving British Legion, there will be a gathering at Guidel, a little seaside village, where there is a cemetery with 108 war graves. Many are graves of British men, but there are Canadians and Americans amongst them. My husband, along with other members will be there today, and the ceremony will be followed, in true French fashion, with a lunch

There is so much to be thankful for.

.

.

Just a bit of Autumn colour.

My Eleagnus, now 5 years old ,is growing into a good sized bush. I love the way it gradually turns red, starting at the top and working its way downwards.

It won't be long before it is all glowing.

I think it is also known as The Burning Bush.
As most of our other trees have lost their leaves now (as you can see on the lawn), it is cheering to have this in the garden.

I went to market.................

I went to market (actually Emmaus) and bought a sheep.

We need three sheep for our church Christmas play, and there he was, waiting.

I may have mentioned Emmaus before, but it's worth another murmur. Emmaus is an international chain of Communities giving help to the homeless, backed up by their charity shops.

Emmaus was started in France, 1953, by Abbe Pierre, a Catholic priest, MP and an ex resistance member. He fought to provide homes for the Parisian homeless. Over the years the organisation grew and grew, until now it has 115 Communities in which are housed the Companions. These are people who have been for whatever reason, homeless and who are beginning to rebuild their lives with hope and pride.

Our Emmaus shop is comparable to a good English charity shop, or maybe a Goodwill thrift shop, clothes clean and nicely arranged, toys, childrens clothing put out attractively.

The difference is that on one rail there are oddities that you wouldnt see in England or USA, namely beautiful old Breton national costumes, headresses, exquisitely embroidered pillowcases, heavy hemp sheets. I guess they have been passed on after the death of a member of the family.

Why the name Emmaus?

Luke 24, vv 13-35 tells the story of the road to Emmaus, when Jesus walked with some of
His disciples after he had risen from the dead. They did not know Him until later, when they realised that He had come back to give them hope for the future.

Out of a meeting with an 'ordinary ' person we may learn something creating hope and confidence.

Eggs, anyway.

I had a letter from my son in Australia this morning. He was replying to one of mine, in which I described the joys of English Pub lunches. 'Mum', he said, 'You mentioned pub food. I've just found a recipe for pickled eggs, and they turned out really well. Probably they'll be even better next time'.

Now, seeing pickled eggs on pub counters has always sent shudders through me, and I wouldnt know how to , um, pickle an egg, or an onion for that matter (another pub staple). But my son has always been a bit of an experimenter, so I guess they are good.

It brought to mind the eggs that my grandmother used to preserve just after the war. Eggs in waterglass (sodium silicate).

In an enamel bread bin just like the one below she would mix the waterglass with water, place fresh eggs in, cover them, and they could last for up to 9 months. Apparently the waterglass seals the skin of the egg, keeping out oxygen and moisture.

Sadly I have absolutely no memory of the taste, so maybe there was no noticeable difference. Or possibly Grandma just used them for the many and delicious cakes that she baked.

Those were the days before freezers, though I remember that we had a huge curved fridge, one that would probably be called 'retro' now.

A simpler life, I think.

M 5.

I am sobered by the terrible news of the crash on the M5 today. Not least because we almost came back on that route less than a week ago. The M5 motorway runs from Birmingham through Exeter in the South West of England, and is a very busy road.

I know how terrifying I find English motorways. We drove the M3, the M40 and lesser roads, but still very fast and crowded roads.

People do take risks. We saw examples of lane changing, undertaking, speeding and other inappropriate driving. Of course, I am sure that the majority of sensible people do their best to stay safe.

Today I thank God that we are safely home, and I can only offer prayers for the families of the many people who perished,.

I do not want to post photos of the crash, so have just shown the M5 on the map

Teacakes.........

For Lorrie, and those of you in other countries where the teacake is not indigenous, here is a photo of the delicious things.

Imagine it, warm and toasty, covered naughtily in butter, scented with currants.......oh dear!

Nothing else is needed, no jam, marmalade or cream. Just toasted teacake and butter.

Now I'm going to have a very boring Ryvita with my coffee.

I dont think I have ever seen the trees in England looking so lovely as they were last week. True Autumn colours were everywhere, but especially on the motorways, the one place where I couldnt take photos!

We did all the things that we can't do here.

We strolled round National Trust gardens, Lyme Park being particularly beautiful. We had coffee and toasted teacakes in their restaurant. (I wonder if I could single handedly introduce the teacake to France?)

We went into the hills and dales of Cheshire and Derbyshire and had lovely lunches at hidden away Inns.

We did family things with daughter and grandaughter, home from Uni for the weekend.

Oh, and of course, we went shopping....Marks and Spencer, John Lewis.......

Most of the shopping was just gazing, but such fun.

Now we are back, and re-aadapting to our quiet life in Brittany - and missing the family, of course.

Visiting Derbyshire

A very tucked away village in the High Peaks of Derbyshire was our destination yesterday. Combs is set amongst rolling hills, green fields and majestic peaks surrounding the area. Photo from Peakdistrictinformation.com

Photo from Wikipedia showing the local reservoir.

Photo from Peakdistrictinformation.com.

The road seems to come to an end by this charming inn called 'The Beehive', where we had an excellent lunch. In fact one can walk from here up into the hills.

Combs has lost its shop and post office, but has retained a small infant school, saved by parents after it was threatened with closure. It figures very highly in Ofsted reports, and I think if I were a child I would love to be a pupil in this delightful little village, surrounded by nature at its best.

I'm taking a short break.

See you in a couple of weeks.

Not long ago we returned home via Cognac, the home of, well, cognac of course! All along the Vieux Port there are the famous cognac houses. Many of them have a boat, like the one you see here, belonging to Hennessey. We thought they were for a river trip, but they only take people across the river to visit the warehouses where the cognac is made. The River Charente on which Cognac is found, is an immensely long one, and winds right out to the ocean.
There was no river trip to be found.
All the big boats finished in September and were closed down.......but, as I chatted idly to a gentleman on the quay, asking him if there were any boats, he offered us a trip in his own private boat! It was so kind, and we accepted, just for an hour, agreeing a 'petit prix' with him. He was anxious for us to know that he was not a commercial operator, but he just loved the river.

As his boat had a very shallow draught we could go down these little 'secret alleys' in the river, where he told us there were often Kingfishers to be seen. We didnt see any that day but came upon a huge heron, who wasn't at all disturbed by us.

We had such a happy hour on the river in our little private boat.

Breton language.

What would you expect to see if you followed these signs? I guess many of you will remember that Ecole means school...but the other sign? It is in fact in Breton and means Breton-speaking school. Around 1977 it was felt that the old language of Brittany was dying out, and these small schools were developed. They are bilingual in the sense that they teach French and Breton.

Our neighbour, in his 70s, told us that for his first seven years he spoke nothing but Breton, and when he went to school it was very hard to have to change to French. He and his friends often chat in Breton, and if one was a Welsh speaker it would be possible to understand them, as the two languages are similar.



This is our local Skol Diwan in the town nearby. There are two teachers and two helpers and the school has been running for twenty years. They are very proud that soon it will be extended with new pupils coming in. The schools are privately run and rely on a lot of local help for maintenance of the grounds etc.

The children spend time in lessons, but also go out to the local swimming pool, or to the cinema, or on trips to places of interest.

Now, in Brittany there are 3500 students taught in these bilingual schools. There are 33 schools and 4 colleges. In Paris there is even a kindergarten to teach in Breton.
I have to say that the only words I know in Breton are;

Degemer Mat = Welcome

Below is a text from the Universal Declaration of Human rights.

Dieub ha par en o dellezegezh hag o gwirioù eo ganet an holl dud. Poell ha skiant zo dezho ha dleout a reont bevañ an eil gant egile en ur spered a genvreudeuriezh.
Translation.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood