Snow in France today

Well, I spoke too soon yesterday. Around 10pm last night, down it came, thick, white & very fluffy.
It did look beautiful, but this morning, the temperature had risen & now it's all gone again.
I love watching snow in the light of a street lamp, it reminds me of my childhood when I would keep peeking through my bedroom curtains to see the snow swirling around the amber light outside the house. The flakes looked huge and I could hardly sleep, knowing that just the other side of the window, it was piling up thick & white on the lawn, drifting against the house wall and covering the plants & trees until they had all but disappeared.
It was certainly magical then, and the thought that school would be closed was even better!
Those were the days, now I just worry about getting the post delivered ... whatever happened to childhood dreams?

Today, I had a message from my fellow artist in the UK who has a sprinkling of snow today.
This had me thinking. When I lived in the UK, what was the weather I most enjoyed and what was the least enjoyable?
Everyone says that it is only the British that discuss the weather on a regular basis, but I can tell you, that is not the case at all!
The French also love to talk about the weather, and mt French friend is the best weather girl I have ever spoken to.
If I need to know what we are in for over the next few days, I don't go to the meteo websites or the France 24 tv channel, no, I ask Marie every time, she is consistently right in her predictions.
In fact, If I has consulted her two winters ago, before I made the rash decision to venture out to the city, I wouldn't have been stuck on the motorway for five hours on a journey that normally takes 40 minutes.
So, to get back to my original thought, what weather do I look forward to seeing?
Soft rain, sunny intervals, warmth, not too hot.
My least favourite, is in July & August, searing heat, temperatures over 40c and sticky, sleep depriving nights.
Can't please us all though eh?

Snow on the way ...

The forecast is for snow this weekend, and it will be the first of the winter.
The past two years have been much colder in November & December, and we have been snowed in for three weeks at a time.
The main roads were no problem, but living as we do on a hill,  it doesn't get cleared, so we either have to walk, or stay put.
I still have some radishes in the cold frame, but I'm not sure how long they will last now.
The children have returned to school after the Christmas break, so I expect they have sledges & plastic trays in readiness,  hoping for lots of the white stuff as soon as possible.
The best thing about snow, is that we can walk around the garden and see all of the wildlife that's been prowling around the night before. Deer, badgers, red squirrels, wild boar and of course the large variety of bird life that surrounds us.
Still, roll on the spring I say!

St Valentine's Day Origins

February 14th, Valentine's Day.
A big day in the romantic card sending calendar.
Here in France, it's generally thought that this special day began when the Duke of Orleans was captured in 1415 and taken prisoner by the English.
Imprisoned in the Tower of London, he wrote love letters back to France and they were called Les cartes d'amities, sort of friendship/love cards.

Then there's the thought that most birds and animals have their mating and courtship rituals in mid February, exactly when Valentine's Day falls. Coincidence or not?

The town of St Valentin, also in Indre, France, holds many ceremonies on this day and people take the opportunity to renew their marriage vows there on Valentine's Day.

An old custom in France, that has now been banned, was for groups of single women to enter a house right opposite a house full of single men. They would then open the windows & call to each other, pairing off as they did so.
If a man rejected the woman he had paired off with, she would then light a fire and burn his photograph, hurling abuse at him whilst she did so.
Sadly, this all got out of hand, frequently ending up as a brawl and so was banned forever by the authorities.

So, whatever you like to believe about the origins of St Valentine's Day, it's very likely that it all began in France.

The sun is shining this Christmas!

Hello everyone,
I hope you are all enjoying the run up to the festive season and not wearing yourselves out too much!
The wet weather has gone today and we are under some warm sunshine with a temp of 27c in our little hot spot corner of the garden.
I would ask that we all spare a thought this Christmas for people in war zones, in hospital, hospices, those who have no food, drinking water, the lonely, the cold, the homeless, anyone undergoing treatment for serious illness, pour souls tormented in their mind, the frightened, the misunderstood.
We are so lucky to be enjoying a relatively peaceful Christmas and New Year, there are so many in the world who won't be able to do this.
Peace to you all.

No roast turkey this Christmas?

Living in a foreign country can mean difficulties in adjusting to many things. Christmas is just one of them.
The French don't do Christmas day like the Brits. They have a slap up meal with family & friends on Christmas Eve and Christmas day is usually a very quiet affair.
So, the typically British Christmas day turkey feast is not common here.
That doesn't mean they don't enjoy the festive season, far from it, but it's a gourmet affair that usually consists of loads of fresh oysters (huitres), massive cooked hams, chocolate treats, champagne and nougatine. The latter can be found in abundance from mid December onwards.
I noticed this year, there are a few more frozen turkeys in the supermarkets, although the French still prefer their meat fresh, and free range chickens,  local lamb and all kinds of duck are to be found everywhere.
Fois gras is still coveted and handed out on special feast days and the apero reigns supreme at family gatherings.
So, if you are a mad turkey fan living in France, worry not, they are there to be bought, personally, I'll be having lamb and some local Cantal entre deux cheese, but that's just my personal preference.
Bon appetit & Happy Christmas wherever you are.

Who are the Chasse in France?

This is a very touchy subject here in the French countryside.
The hunting fraternity, known as the Chasse, are in almost every hamlet, village and town in France. 
 Mostly, this takes place at twilight, early morning, and weekends.

The main requirements for the chasse are ...

Men
Dogs, usually French beagles, but other breeds can be used.
A white van to transport the said animals.
Guns, big ones for killing the animals.
A brass horn.
Glow in the dark jackets so they don't shoot at each other.
Camouflage trousers.

There are probably other handy items the chasse use, but the above are the mainstay of the hunting club.

The chasse can usually be heard before they are seen, a slightly off tune and breathless puff or two on the horn, loads of barking dogs and some distant garbled French swear words.
The lookouts can be seen at the edges of the fields and roadsides, eagerly awaiting even the smallest glimpse of something running through the trees or hedgerows.

These glimpses can be confusing though, as I've heard tales of the local butcher or pardre taking a quiet stroll on a misty autumn morning, suddenly taking off across the field like the proverbial shot rabbit, keen not to be the target of the chasse that day.

It has happened on more than one occasion, that an innocent person, out collecting ceps or mushrooms, has been the unfortunate target of the huntsmen. 

So, if you are new to France and French country ways, I will give you a few tips that may save your life.

Take your walks outside the dusk & dawn hours and preferably at the times of the year when large animals cannot be hunted.
Wear a dayglow jacket or gilet. Not guaranteed to save your life, but at least it will be easier to recover your body.
Learn how to say " I surrender'" in French. I'll help you, it's "Je me rends."
Don't be a fungi collector, far too dangerous in this part of the world.

Do I like the Chasse? 

Well, I tolerate them, after all, it is an age old tradition, and well, 
What harm do they do!