A Bilingual Kitchen

Talk about luck.....................an already extremely competent English cook being transported to a French kitchen! The best of both worlds in a tiny Minervois village..........and she's my sister-in-law so I got to hang out almost daily in her domain.

All those years in London it was the same ~ canning, preserving, bottling, call it what you want, Alison did it all, along with fabulous nightly dinners prepared with the freshest ingredients.

Alison's pantry stocked with soups, sauces, vegetables, chutneys, jams, all from this year's garden harvest, and those are her awesome homemade flavored aperitif wines on the top shelf.

Alison is also a great from scratch baker. On the afternoon my niece ordered homemade cakes for her school fundraiser...................there were, within a couple of hours, these four yummy cakes ready to be carefully transported to Carcassonne the following morning!

Well I must be fair here and tell you that my brother, John, spends an awful lot of time in this kitchen too. Not only does he wait tables, wash dishes, make coffee and act as sommelier when it comes to choosing, opening and pouring the local wines, he helps prepare the harvest from their fabulous vegetable garden.

Freshly picked tomatoes and the best lettuce ever ~ still coming from the garden in October!

What to do with all those beautiful tomatoes? John making sauce using the Italian 'passatutto'. I bought one of these amazing kitchen helpers (available at Williams-Sonoma) when I saw this one in action in their kitchen in the Summer of 2006. It's so easy to use and removes all the skins and seeds from the tomatoes in one fell swoop ~ definitely worth the price which I believe is only around $25.00.

China cabinet and table made by a local craftsman, the cabinet painted and aged in traditional French colors by my brother. To sit here enjoying fresh food, lovingly grown and prepared by one's own family beats any fancy meal in a posh restaurant.

Christmas Simplicity

I'm planning to turn over a new leaf. After staying in lovely places where less is more, and visions of simplified French country decor, rather than sugarplums, still swim in my head, I'm hoping to keep the holidays simple around the cottage.

Christmas decorating time is here. The boxes are down from the attic, tissue wrapped ornaments are dusted off, and once again stuff is everywhere!
BUT.....................I am restraining myself somewhat. I love Christmas with vintage glitter, angels on high, velvet robed Santas, white wood snowflakes hanging in the window, musical snow globes, white candles in mercury glass holders...................the smell of fresh pine garlands, red holly berries.........a Christmas tree.
So decorate I will............simply.


I started on the outside on Saturday......................strung new white lights along the fence and arbor........wound strings of lights and replaced the white star balls hanging from a little tree by the potting shed, pesky squirrels having chewed the original ones. Sunday it rained heavily all day. On the next fine one I'll be stringing lights on the front porch and decorating the tree in the gazebo.

Meanwhile, in the house the kitchen rooster was first to be 'decorated'.
Hung a candle wreath around his neck ~ looks adorable.
Can I keep it all simple like this? Wait and see.

A French Village Garden

A new day in the South of France.....................

One morning I awoke just before sunrise. I tiptoed down the stairs and let myself out into the garden. The light was mauve, the village silent. Most French village houses are not blessed with extensive gardens. My family's house is an exception, they have a truly lovely garden on two levels. For several years they have worked diligently to resurrect this garden that had been neglected for a long time.

Passing the deck chairs and still blooming shrubs on an early October morning.

Overlook from the top garden ~ Caunes Abbey keeps the bell tower illuminated through the night.

As the sun came up the flowers seemed to open with the day.

The lovely garden has several natural springs. They have created small ponds, called bassins, the largest being home to many fish, others used to water shrubs and the vegetable garden.

Later in the day the sun was out and the air comfortably warm for Autumn.

If you follow the path from the house you will arrive in the potager ~ a vegetable garden of small proportions that somehow produces enough vegetables year round to feed the family......and all the visitors such as me! My sister-in-law bottles sauces, soups, chutneys, jams, vinegars, and even makes exquisite flavored aperitif wines. In another post I'll take you inside the house and show you her groaning pantry shelves!

From the lower level, steps lead to the upper garden.........

..............where the inviting pool overlooks the 9th century abbey and the village rooftops. Needless to say this was the perfect place to sit and ponder why one might want to live in a small village and enjoy a quiet and more simple life!
The day passed and late afternoon arrived. A storm was brewing in the fading light. I took another walk through the garden, enjoying the flowers as the thunder rumbled in the distance.

Caunes Abbey in the last light as the sun went down.

A beautiful day in the garden.

Pink Saturday

Provence loves pink, most of the South of France

loves pink.......I think!

Wandering through small towns and villages...........

....................a plethora of pink signs...............

...............pink shutters ~ of course..............

...............pink eateries ~ this one is a couscous restaurant in the town of Apt where there is a large North African community...........

.........and pink plaster 15th century market buildings in the Centre Historique in the town of Mirepoix ~ the heart of Cathare country.
Do you live in a pink house by chance?


For more pink in your life, be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound ~ remember, she's our fabulous Pink Saturday hostess.

Sharing a Passion

How wonderful it is to make friends with women who have a vision.............and then they share their passion with others in many generous ways. Many of you already know of my wonderful friends Susie and Anna (also Linda, Jenny and the others) at SuzAnna's Antiques. Their great shop has become almost a second home! Part of their ever expanding business has areas filled with everything from crystal chandeliers to vintage cotton aprons, all offered exuberantly by several great dealers, one of whom is Jeannie ~ lover of all things pretty, painted, Parisian, vintage and glittery.

The best mirrors.........................

...................great painted furniture ~ Jeannie always has the best pieces........

............and of course plenty of aprons and crystals.

However, Jeannie also has her very own shop called UNIQUITIQUES tucked away in a quaint little downtown cottage in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Vanessa of Vanilla Lavender and I went to visit recently just as she was decorating for the holiday season. Yes, it was all there............vintage, Paris pink, glittery glass ornaments and signs, china teacups, and more of those marvelous pink cowgirl hats. Jeannie, delightful and generous, is another of these amazing women who is following her vision, her dream, of being a shopkeeper, of bringing back treasures from near and far to share with us.

Jeannie's shop in Hillsborough ~ dressed for the season...........

................Christmas ornaments in her space at SuzAnna's.............

..........one of Jeannie's German glass glitter angels ~ now hanging out at my house as I start holiday decorating.

Jeannie's generous and pretty little 'thank you' gifts offered at SuzAnna's recent Holiday Open House ~ what a fun evening that was!


If you are living near, or passing close to Hillsborough, NC ~ an interesting historic town ~ don't miss a visit to see Jeannie and her friends who share the cottage. Out of all the lovely things she has collected, one or more items will definitely look fabulous in your home.

Do remember to support the local shopkeepers in your town, especially now during the Holiday season. They are the nicest people, offer unique items, and always provide the best service.

Holiday Warmth

Give thanks ...........Happy Thanksgiving.

Blessings from my hearth to your home.

Enter Here

Guardian of all things old and lovely.

Brocante in Carcassonne.

The beautiful antique treasures of France are often displayed on the sidewalks, even spilling out onto the streets. After gazing at statues, huge urns, and intricate iron pieces, you are easily enticed to step into the shop where the merchandise leaves you swooning, longing, and wishing you could say to heck with the budget, lease a container and ship it all home!

Outside an antiques shop in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Provence.

I enjoy seeing items displayed like this ~ no clutter ~ the shapes clearly visible.

I'll be waiting ~ do return soon.