Bonjour
I hope you had a good week. Here in my little of bit of France which I call the middle-of-nowhere since some days I don’t see another human being (if you don’t count the other half) and can drive for miles without passing a car – it’s been a quiet and industrious week.
After several years of renovation to my old bargain basement house, I’m feeling like we’re on the home run. Like all “bargains” this one had hidden costs – like needing to replace 37 windows. We also had to renovate every room including laying concrete bases in some rooms which had earth floors – it was after all originally a cow barn. We’ve done all the work ourselves, the other half and me AKA “gofer” as my job is to “go fer this and go fer that”. It seems almost miraculous to me that our relationship has survived, as renovating in the middle-of-nowhere is stressful at times and we’ve had some real humdinger rows about every stage of this job. We’ve learned to laugh at the bad stuff like him being electrocuted and me breaking fingers and toes dropping bricks on them – it’s the only way to get through. But finally, we have a list of jobs that fits on one page. Of course it might take another two years to get to the end of that list but it feels good to be looking at one page instead of an entire book load of jobs!
Meanwhile the cold spell continues here in France and the wild birds I feed are now arriving in huge numbers. With 6 cats I have to be careful about where I put bird food so I’ve erected a feeder post in the dogs’ pen. The cats don’t like to enter, except for Hank Marvin He’s Always Starvin’ who likes to sleep in the dog hut when they’re not there, but with just one eye and a weird sense of balance, he’s no threat to his winged adversaries.
Wishing you a very bon weekend
Bisous from France
Janine
Editor
On the website this week
Unique Wine Tour of Provence: Imagine yourself joining a grape stomp under the blue sky of Provence, wine makers opening their doors to you and making you a traditional lunch, joining in the harvest and tasting the most amazing wines – this is not a tour like all the others, and you can join it in the fall…
5 Fantastic things to do in Nice: From dawn to dusk – there’s plenty to do in the sunniest city in the south!
Bormes-Les-Mimosas: Our reviewer Darina looks at what to do and see in this pretty hilltop village…
How to take a foodie tour of Provence: a look at the different areas of Provence and the delicious specialities you’ll find…
What’s new in France for 2017: Check out what’s on – events and exhibitions galore to tempt you to visit!
Only in Paris Guide book: This is not your average guide book – it’s brilliant and full of quirky facts that will surprise you and may even inspire you to visit the city of light (it’s done that to me!).
Rue, home of aviation geniuses and miracles: The little town in Picardy is a fascinating little place with a huge history…
What’s on in Normandy 2017: Grand events galore this year for you to enjoy…
Congratulations to Geraldine Ah Koon winner of the 6 best-selling books and a tote bag from the American Library in Paris by Mark Pryor
Thank you for following my on Facebook Twitter and Instagram – I appreciate it enormously.
Photo: view of my village, the trees are filled with clumps of mistletoe and mole holes litter the hills!
