Spring is here, or so they say…….

blossom beside the Dordogne at Port Ste Foy

After days of strong gusting winds and rain, the clouds finally parted to show off a bit of blue sky. So off we went to visit some friends newly arrived from Australia and staying on the Lot river to the south of us.

Lots of trees are in blossom, those fields with crops already sown are a bright green , interspersed with those of rich, freshly tilled soil. Probably corn or sunflowers will appear before long.  And the vines have been pruned ready for that first flush of leaves that should be here in the next few weeks. Despite most trees still being bare, the countryside does look lovely in the sunshine.

I just love the signs in these old villages

anyone for a coffee ?

or a beer ?

We joined our friends for lunch at a typical routier’s café ( truck drivers, that is). You are always advised to watch out for a café surrounded by trucks at lunch time. This is the sign of good cooking offered at a reasonable price. No such thing as takeaway food for our truckies. There are 3 courses for a set price and no choice. A salad starter from the buffet, a main of hachis parmentier au boudin ( a version of shepherd’s pie but made with black pudding this time), and a selection of desserts, all served with a basket of bread, a bottle of water and a carafe of wine, and for the princely sum of €15.00 each. The dishes are declared to be  made freshly in house and were delicious.

one of the original gateways into the village
tucked away beside the church

the Pujols coat of arms

Next, off to visit a local “Plus beau village de France”. Pujols is a medieval hilltop town in the Lot et Garonne. There is also a Pujols in the Gironde near us, but that is another story. It was very quiet on this particular day except for the commune workers cleaning and preparing for the summer rush of tourists and the owner of the local restaurant setting up his courtyard dining area and filling pots with flowers.

one of the commune staff hard at work

lots of colombage on the local houses (timber and brick work)

not sure what the cauldrons are for ...

love that restoration includes medieval style doors

another gateway, the Porte des Anglais

And at our saturday morning market in Ste Foy la Grande, the flower seller has returned. 

this flower seller specialises in 'meadow'  and 'wild' flowers rather than the usual cultivated varieties. This week he has acacia (wattle to australians) and magnolia. and they're selling fast

Summer can’t be far away.

Bon week-end à tous

Ideal time to trim that tree…

With all the leaves gone and almost everything in the garden dormant, it’s time to trim that tree. Graham had made a valiant effort , but without the right tools, it wasn’t easy.

 Antony to the rescue.....

No, he's not standing on the old wooden arbor,
but on  another branch

almost done

lots of firewood

With his ropes, chainsaws and giant mulcher he completed the job in no time.  Even removed some scrubby bushes at the rear of the garden so we can see that lovely stone wall.  Now it’s the perfect place for climbing roses.

the giant mulcher had to be brought down the back lane
by tractor as the trailer was too big 

There’ll be lots of work once the weather starts to warm and we know that spring has arrived.  I’m planning to add more roses, hydrangeas and agapanthus, and the potager and herb garden will need planting out again. It will be such a joy to see things growing and the sun shining.

such a beautiful stone wall and it was hiding 

Meanwhile, there are storms in the north east and we have wind and rain here expected to last a few days. Well, “ the garden needs it”, as we always say.

Bon week-end mes amis

Another Australia Day party

Our annual Australia Day party went off well on Saturday and we even had four australian guests this year. It was so much fun that we forgot to take pictures…sorry. The weather was the usual winter grey so we congregated indoors, many of the men around the bar, of course. Some things really are universal.

To the background music of Skyhooks, Redgum, Johnny Farnham, AC/DC, Cold Chisel, and even The Seekers we explained the significance of lamingtons and anzac biscuits, the choice of the date of Aus Day and even the australian flag that hung above us all.

It’s difficult to find the sort of foods that we would traditionally eat in Aus on this day and the weather is not conducive to cooking and eating outdoors, but we managed to make lots of chilli prawns, chicken sates , salmon rolls and other finger food. Even vegemite on baguette for those europeans brave enough to try it. Thanks to our friend Kate we also had a supply of lamingtons and anzac biscuits which were very popular along with our french style contribution, individual chocolate and orange mousses. The only australian wines available locally were appreciated for what they were…..with labels like “Yellow Tail”, so we did as we always do and drank lots of the local product. Beer was in the minority.

It’s the custom in France to bring a gift when invited to someone’s place. This means the usual chocolates, wine, flowers, potplants, but our australian friends topped this all with Twisties and Jaffas ! Thank you, thank you.

Anyway, it was the best kind of celebration, surrounded by good friends having fun.

nos bons voeux à tout le monde

Christmas Lights

"choir" on a roundabout

If there is one thing the french love at christmas, it’s lots of lights. No matter how small the village there will be special lights draped across the streets in december , just to get you in the mood.

entrance to the main shopping precinct

watch out for the shoppers !

We went for a walk through Bergerac one evening during the week to check out «  les illuminations ». As the sun sets around 5.30pm at this time of year, this made an enjoyable stroll before dinner.  

Every street, pedestrian lane and square is ablaze with lights and christmas carols are playing in the background.

even the cathedral is in on the act

Every little shop has the festive spirit.....

little animated christmas scenes

every clothing store is decorated

the Occitane snowman

even the tea shop

These little characters were automated and lovely to watch

And so many chocolatiers.....

slightly scary looking snowmen

Though the budget is small, even  Ste Foy la Grande has made an effort at the christmas decorations...

and the theme this year is snowmen.....

snowcat ??

Joyeux Noël et meilleurs voeux à tous