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!

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

A sad day...tres triste...

Madam Paris passed away this morning...I will miss her and our wee village in France will never be the same for me...Rest in peace my dear friend!

Mauro's Blog!

MY SLOW BURNING LIFE

You Make a Living from What You Get - But You Make a Life from What You Give

MARTEDÌ 28 GIUGNO 2011

AUPRES DE L'EGLISE

Never feed your Tom Tom before you travel, and especially not fromage the night before, because that is when the nightmares begin.  Five hours into our journey heading towards the English Channel, the Tom decided we were in Portugal and despite frantic whispers of Estoril (it's vaguely in the right direction) peeped out completely at Mulhouse.  Result:  a beautiful cross-country drive to Champagne watching the sun set over the cornfields with a cloak of sign hiding darkness settling in all around us.

We despondently arrived at Aupres De L'Eglise at 22.00, a full six hours later than our ETA, envisaging a night in the car eating the melted remains of a kit-kat.  The gate, however, stood optimistically open and lights and doors went into action on our arrival.

Crossing the threshold away from certain death (mine) we stepped into a visual feast.  Belying its typical French exterior, the Aupres De L'Eglise bears testament to its owners' combined talents and their characters - charming, warm, eclectic, chic and harmonious, and above all comfortable and welcoming.

Despite the hour we sat down to a delicious Confit of Duck - made with homegrown cherries - mashed potato and french beans accompanied by glasses of a local champagne and swiftly followed by a satisfyingly tart rhubarb tartine topped with creme fraiche.  Then up the uneven foot worn wooden stairs to soft beds with perfect duvets allowing us to sink into dormouse oblivion.

In the morning, Glenis had prepared the breakfast that would see us through to Hilfield, and amidst talk about costume design - her chosen profession - she gave us a tour of their beautiful garden, whilst the Beetle bounced his heart out on the trampoline.

Anyone who is travelling through France or visiting Champagne should consider staying here.  It is excellent value - our one night stay, with two rooms, an anti-camera filled with books, and a bathroom overlooking the church, two three course meals with a bottle of champagne and some white wine + the best breakfast this side of La Manche came to Euro 170.  Glenis and Michael are kind, thoughtful and intelligent hosts with that glimpse of humor that comes from not being French (both are from New Zealand)  But hurry, the word is out in Paris and its best to book early to avoid disappointment.


DOVE COME QUANDO

AUPRES DE L'EGLISE
2 Rue de l'Eglise
OYES
CHAMPAGNE-ARDENNE
FRANCE
Tel: +44 7808905233
www.aupresdeleglise.com

[Price in Euros]
Double room for 2 with Breakfast...€70
Family room for 4 with Breakfast...€100
Additional foldout beds available for children with Breakfast...€15
Cots and Highchairs available at no extra charge

Evening meals with wine including a champagne aperitif...€30 per adult

Cherries season is here!! /Cerise season est ici!!

 Such a gorgeous fruit and so prized by those who have access to a tree or three [or 7 in our case] each year. The season is short and labour intensive with plenty of tree climbing, precarious picking, washing, sorting and stoning and bagging to be done

...some for jam and some frozen for cherry sauce to be served with Confit de Canard [Duck Confit]

and some for the infamous pudding Cherry Clafoutis

...and some to be simply preserved in a lemony sugar syrup served at breakfast and eaten with velvety greek yogurt...

 Labour intense but worth it!!

Cutting the Boxus / Coupe le boxus!!

 

Its that time of the year again when the new growth on the box has turned a darker shade of green and the shaggy locks must go! It is not a task we take on easily as it is messy and time consuming BUT they look so great after all is complete...it is very satisfying...

 By chance a few days ago I pulled out the electric hedge trimmer and blew off the dust...I brought it a few years ago hoping to make the box trimming task a little easier but abandoned it after I cut through two extension cords!!

Mike now has embraced the tool and off he went...I am a very happy women as I have been doing it all by hand for the last few years and it is very very hard to keep on top of it with all the other madness that goes on in this house...so here we are...all trimmed, slicked back and styled once again!!

These guys are going to have to wait till after the weekend!

By the by we had some very cool last minute Italian guests last night who sip, taste, photograph and write about food and wine....lucky them...

Check out their blog...it is gorgeous! They may even feature us at some point as the camera was clicking....will let you know...

http://myslowburninglife.blogspot.com/