Snapshots - literal or otherwise - of French Village Life

Categories: uncategorized, life-in-general

Date: 27 September 2009 08:13:00

Goodness me - Real Life has happened with a vengeance! I don't seem to have had much time to myself, but I think if I consider carefully I probably have, but I've "wasted" much of it in front of the TV. I don't seem to be someone who can motivate themselves to do stuff in the evening: I sit in front of the TellingVision (as I always seem to think of it. Did I get that from Catweazle? Or possibly, Edward Eager's "Half Magic"? Does anyone know?) and do very little. Though to be fair to myself, I have knitted 7 scarves in the past months for Christmas presents. I'm going to start an 8th, to use up all the bits of fluffy wool, but this one's going to be for me, because I think it will be a bit of a mish-mash. I have loads of scarves, but the wool has felt so nice while I've been knitting it I've had "scarf envy" and want to have one for my very own self.

Anyway. Back to snapshots.

Sunday morning: A hazy morning, with an Autumn chill in the air. The sun is weak, and there are wisps of mist among the trees on the hills surrounding the village. There must be a wild boar nearby, as I can hear the hunters' horns and the bells on the dogs. I can't help hoping it escapes. I know that here the hunters generally eat what they kill - unlike the slaughtering of foxes in the UK - but I still don't like the thought of it. Which is both ridiculous and hypocritical as I'm not a vegetarian and happily tucked into Sanglier (wild boar) casserole, made from a hunted creature. You don't need to tell me how stupid that sounds. I know. (shakes head wryly)

Sunday morning (again): I'm not going to church today. Having spent quite some time this week driving back and forth to work, I don't feel inclined to drive another 30 minutes each way to church. Not today. So I'm cooking lunch and dinner. There's a delicious smell of roasting tomato and garlic as I prepare Gascony Tomato soup for lunch, courtesy of Joanne Harris's "The French Kitchen" recipe book, which I borrowed from a friend. She has a recipe for Gratin Dauphinoise which I now love. It's not terribly cholesterol friendly, but hey! I have a Danacol Yoghurt drink every morning so I'm okay. (Just don't tell the doctor!) I've also piled a load of vegetables and little lamb chops into the slow cooker for tonight's dinner. I don't use the slow cooker very much (generally because I don't want to be browning meat at 6.30 in the morning!) but it seemed like a good idea today. Last time I cooked a meal in it, it was still semi-raw after 10 hours. So I'm going to check this with an hour to go so I can bung it in the oven if necessary. I'm hoping I've put so many veggies in (by that I mean vegetables, not vegetarians...) that I can zuzz the remainder for a pasta sauce tomorrow.

Saturday afternoon: Mr D took part in a cycle race yesterday.

[caption id="attachment_83" align="alignnone" width="150" caption="Mr D and his partner, Céline"][/caption]

While they cycled round the countryside,

arriving back 34 minutes later (which was not a winning time, but was, apparently quite respectable) I went for a wander around St Germain Laval,where the race was being held. More pictures

(dammit, I've forgotten how to turn my photos round!)

Sunday morning (again): I've been to take my cherry tomatoes and garlic out of the oven. Hmm'mm. Description from introduction to recipe: "This rich, sweet soup relies on the traditional ingredients of Gascony for its powerful flavours." Judging from the state of my cherry tomatoes, the "powerful flavours" will include a distinct charred taste. They are as black as a very black thing. Nous verrons...

Saturday morning: Pomme caught in a position that really doesn't do her justice. But it makes me laugh! (Sorry, it's yet another Lie On Your Side photos. I really must ask my IT Consultant (Mr D) what I need to do.)

This post is too long. I shall stop wittering on now.