Near the caves where prehistoric drawings were found at the beginning of the 20th century
Foie gras and truffle shop in Sarlat
On a walk in the Dordogne
Me, Mark, and Kathleen on a 2 and a half hour walk during which we ended up in the middle of a wild boar hunt. We never saw any boars, but we heard lots of gunshots and dogs baying
A beautiful house we came across during our walk. We decided we could easily live in France!
I petted the horses and got quite a shock - the fence was electrified!
Pastoral France
Our home base in Provence - about 6 km outside of Gordes
One day while in Provence, we took a cooking class from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It was on this beautiful property owned by the descendant of a French viscount and his partner, the latter of whom gave the cooking class. The place was actually occupied by the Nazis during WWII, but they took pretty good care of it.
After preparing our meal, we dined al fresco under the plane tree in the warm sun
So after 2 nights in Bordeaux, we rented a car and drove to the Dordogne, which is sort of in the middle of France. We stayed three nights in Sarlat, which is where the film Chocolat (with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp) was shot. It is a dapper little town dripping with charm and beauty. We basically had an apartment there as well, though it was connected with a hotel. We had a huge second-floor terrace where we soaked up the sun and ambiance over a bottle or two of wine. One night, we cooked a big vegetable stew and ate al fresco on the terrace.
This was one the way from Bordeaux to Sarlat at a quaint little town where we stopped to have lunch, Mouleydier
Mouleydier
Sarlat
Our private terrace
A river in the Dordogne
A sweet little town called Saint-Geniès
Market in Saint-Geniès - Terrific cheese!
Nightime in Sarlat - we were lucky enough to be there during European Heritage Days (September 18 & 19). This night the entire old town was lined with candels and there were numerous outdoor shows and exhibits. Serendipity!
After 4 nights in the City of Lights, we got very early in the morning and caught a TGV (train de grande vitesse) to the beautiful city of Bordeaux. It was about a 4 hour trip. The original apartment we had rented in Bordeaux was unavailable owing to pluming problems, but the owner recommended another to us and it worked out fine. It was in the middle of Old Bordeaux and was beautifully decorated, quiet, and spacious. We were well pleased:
Our second day Bordeaux, we hired a guide, Frédéric, who drove us around to various wine estates where we enjoyed several excellent tastings. Lunch was good too!
Moi et Frédéric
The lovely Kathleen, Brad's sister
One of the beautiful estates we visited
A vineyard - harvest would take place about a week later.
You know what's in there! These rooms smells sooo good! the oak from the barrels combined with the yeast and the wine... Intoxicating just the smell!
Dude let us sample a very young Bordeaux - it was excellent!
Hey all... We returned from France on Sunday (got back very early Sunday morning, as in 2:00 a.m.) We had an amazing time across the pond. Paris is a delighful and very chic city and probably tops my list of favourite cities right now. We spent 4 nights there before heading to Bordeaux for 2 nights, then Sarlat in the Dordogne region for 3 nights, and lastly in Provence for 4 nights. We went with Brad's sister and brother-in-law. I'll be telling you all about it in the days ahead, but here are a few pics to get started:
View from the Eiffel Tower. We climbed up and down all the stairs to the second level (as high as you can go on foot, which is the equivalent of a 41-storey building). We went in the morning. Apparently the same day we were there, in the afternoon, they evacuated the Tower because of a terror threat. We knew nothing about that while we were in France.
Brad's sis with a cute waiter from the restaurant just below the apartment we rented in Paris. He was a great guy and was actually the person who took us to the apartment and gave us the key. We ate at that restaurant the first night because we were too tired to go any farther, and it was so close and he was so cute! He's Italian, not French, and we never did get his name - next time!
Hey all, sorry for the lack of posts lately. We've been very busy and have had a lot on our plates in the past few weeks. Our biggest concern has been our dog Kaiser, who has had a slow but steady decline these past few months. His kidneys are going, he has a inoperable tumor in his stomach, and he probably has a heart problem as well. We've been pampering him all summer, giving him anything his heart desired to eat, - BBQ chicken, tuna, sardines, rice, potatoes, black forest ham, you name it. He has gradually stopped eating all together. Nothing tempts him anymore. He's drinking a little, but not much. Brad and I have decided that it's time to let go. Before he gets to the point where he can't even get up. Hopefully the vet will be able to come to our home tomorrow or Tuesday and euthanise him. Very hard to type that, harder to say it, and it will be extremely difficult when the moment comes, but it has to be done and it is for the best for Kaiser. He had an extremely good life with us, we love him dearly and he us. We will miss him immensly. He's one of the best dogs who ever walked the face of the earth. Please raise a glass or light a candle in his honour.
We've also had to deal with the rest of regular life, which lately, has meant lifting and moving A LOT of wood. We ordered 2 cord of wood this spring and it was delivered to our driveway last Monday. In preparation for that delivery, we moved the wood we had in our garage into our newly insulated basement. That was probably about half a cord. I loaded it up in a wheelbarrow and passed it down to Brad in the basement through a window. (We couldn't just chuck it in because the washer and dryer are right where the wood would have landed.)
Check it out - the basement:
And here's what's now in the garage - after a lot of lifting and stacking - 2 full cord of wood. Hopefully with what's in the basement and now in the garage, we should be good for 2 years.
To keep our energy up, Brad made this delicious Pasta al Forno dish from my David Rocco cookbook. It was delish. A definite keeper - and lunch for a few days this week!
And here he is. Kaiser. One of the best hounds in the world. Last weekend when he was still able to get up onto the sofa in the sunporch. Sleep well dearest friend. We love you with all our hearts
Man, it's been HOT and MUGGY! We have a hornet's next in our back yard by the composter. Brad got stung 3 times and me twice! I needs me some ice cream!
Hey gang! Full summer is upon us. There's lots of fresh produce, the days are sunny and warm, people are in vacation mode, and in just a few short weeks, we'll begin to feel the shift in the air toward fall...
I took yesterday off work and next Tuesday as well. Monday is a holiday already, so I have a very nice long, long weekend. Then, we'll be in August with just over a month to go before we head to France for a couple of weeks with Brad's sister and brother-in-law.
Hopefuly this evening we'll have dinner with our good friend Paul at a patio overlooking the beautiful river that flows through our town. Generally the food and service there suck, but the scenery makes up for it. And sometimes you do luck out with the meal and service.
Here's a nice tune I found surfing the Net... Perfect for a day like today. Have a good weekend, my friends.
The more things stay the same... Hey all... Just doing a little check in... Just so as you know that we're still alive and kicking...
Not a whole lot new with us, though I HAVE been teleworking for the last 4 days! Yay! Everything went very smoothly this time around, though the IT dudes from work did have to come and take my computer back to the office to "reset" it, since I couldn't remember my password from the last time I used it here at home. But that was the only glitch. I was up and running within an hour or so. Hopefully, come September, it will be an official 6-month trial period, and if all goes well with that, then it will, in shalla, turn into a full-time gig! Brad, I must say, is thrilled! (He's actually having to make a little adjustment, since he has been used to having the whole house to himself from 7:00 to 5:30 on work days, but I'm sure we'll manage.)
Other than that, I've so far managed to get 9 quarts of raspberries off my backyard patch! That officially makes me self-sufficient in the raspberry department! They are all safely frozen and awaiting their incorporation into a pie, one of which I will probably make tomorrow as one of my nephews and his girlfriend will be staying with us for 3 days for a wedding here in the city. My nephew is best man.
We've also had several nice get-togethers with Mary's sister and her friend who are visiting the Maritimes from Ontario. Brad took last Friday off and took them to Fundy National Park, which lies on the Bay of Fundy, wherein are found the highest tides in the world, in case you were wondering... They are great folks and we've shared a lot of laughs.
My sister, who is now in Saudi Arabia, is adjusting very well to life in the Kingdom and has actually gotten herself a job at an Institute there teaching English to Saudi girls. It's still very early days, but I think she will like it a lot. Certainly beats sitting around doing nothing all day. And they already know that they will be coming home for Christmas, which makes my mother happy no end. I think she's been worried about my sister being so far away from home and family.
Kaiser continues to plod along. He's not throwing up quite as much, thank goodness, but it's always quandry as to what he will and will not eat next. Ah, the privileges that come with old age!
Have you already heard of Robyn? If not, you soon will. She a very talented pop star from Sweden and she's very good friends with Francis Strand! Check her out!
Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians! It's a great day here - mostly sunny, with the odd shower sneaking in. We're invited next door for a little doo in honour of our national holiday. I've got tomorrow off too - Yipee, a 4-day weekend!
Here's a little (a lot actually) Kylie Minogue to get your weekend off to a good start!
Others taunt me with having knelt at well-curbs Always wrong to the light, so never seeing Deeper down in the well than where the water Gives me back in a shining surface picture My myself in the summer heaven, godlike Looking out of a wreath of fern and cloud puffs. Once, when trying with chin against a well-curb, I discerned, as I thought, beyond the picture, Through the picture, a something white, uncertain, Something more of the depths—and then I lost it. Water came to rebuke the too clear water. One drop fell from a fern, and lo, a ripple Shook whatever it was lay there at bottom, Blurred it, blotted it out. What was that whiteness? Truth? A pebble of quartz? For once, then, something.
