WINTER

Saturday, 16 July 2011

Sunflowers and a Grasshoppers/Tournesols et une sauterelle

 Oscar and I headed off in the 2CV to do a quick mad dash of a shop in Sezanne and en route were lured into the fields to pick a few sunflowers.....
 But we got more than we bargained for when we discovered a huge grasshopper was also in the boot!!
 He jumped further into the car and remained illusive....so he then joined us in our journey....
Rescued upon our arrival home he now lives in our garden....

Friday, 15 July 2011

Bastille Day!

Last night there were big Bastille Day celebrations all over France....we went to our local village Sezanne with friends once dark to see the fireworks display....it was absolutely fantastic!! For a small village of 6,000 inhabitants the effort and expense was just staggering...we were able to stand SO close to the display in an uncrowded area and that the normal jostling for a spot was absent and the experience made so much more pleasant due to it! The display lasted for half an hour and was accompanied by theatrical classical music and plenty of appreciative OWW's and AHHH'S from the audience...the children were entranced and we all went home to bed with a feeling of wonderment!









Wednesday, 13 July 2011

School Holidays / L'ecole Vacance

 So the exams are all over and the sun is shining and the kids are all running barefoot and fancy free as the school year ends and the holidays begin....

Time for the normal routine and structure of the week to disappear and the chaos of free play to spill over into the daily lives of one and all...
Our home becomes a playground and we get the pleasure of letting the children stay up with the sun and sleep in to make up the difference...children of different nationalities come and go from the house and our children enjoy the opportunity to swap notes, share their toys, fun and laughter with children from afar... friendships blossom and while some may return another time for most it is a temporary inclusion into a world different from their own...parents are happy to sit and sip in the menage while they hear the happy play of their offspring in the distance.
Liliana is a superstar hostess who enjoys the company of many young ones of all and varied ages...different languages are spoken, and often not one that she understands, but this is treated as a minor hitch and off they run...

Lately to keep these small ones cool after dinner I have been making different fruit ice creams which, rolled into a cone, are very well received by all....simple, fresh and delicious...

STRAWBERRY ICECREAM....Liliana's Favourite!!

350 gms of Strawberries
100 gm caster sugar
juice of half a lemon
200 ml of cream

1. Blend fresh or frozen strawberries till smooth.
2. Add caster sugar, lemon juice and cream to strawberries and blend again.
2. Pour into your ice cream maker and churn then freeze till ready to eat.
3. Roll into a cone with a scoop and lick and enjoy!!


These photos were taken by Ashley Coombes...a professional photographer who was staying with his wife and children from Scotland....check out his website as below...
www.epicscotland.com