Not sure why I am obsessed with the weather but yesterday was beautiful...cold but again one of those perfect blue sky days. I drove in to Bridgewater to work on my wireless skills.... I am accomplishing the most rudimentary....am sending and receiving thru Gmail and can access this blog all quite easily. Tried to listen to CBC. Could easily do CBC2 but was unable to get onto CBC1 so I will keep trying with that. On the drive in from home to Bridgewater a large red -tailed hawk flew out from a tree stand in front of me...wings spread..all the colour patterns evident. Got me thinking about what I would be missing this year ...Spring in Nova Scotia.... I will miss the Loons and their call in the Spring as they mate.I might even miss seeing the ice come out of the lake...something we make bets on every year for fun.I will miss seeing my daffodils spring forth and certainly my tulips...however, my landlord in France tells me the roses will be out there soon.I will be very late planting my garden...vegetable and annuals but actually I am sometimes late doing that anyway and I am not sure how significant a lead one gets by planting in May anyway. I will also miss seeing the sun setting further and further toward the west as we get closer to the summer. It's fun to see it break free of a block of trees and start setting over the lake in complete view. I will also miss the start of the blackflies and if it is warm maybe the bulk of the season for those little pesks...am I sad about that? NO...just that I will miss a fair portion of it.
However, by missing all that I will gain some things..like the small strawberries that start in mid April in France. I will send a picture as I love the way they pack them...so orderly compared to how we do berries... but then they are a completely different shape. I am not going to start on a list of my anticipations....but it will be warmer and flowers will be blooming far earlier than here.
I had a major set back in my preperation this week. We returned home on Sunday evening from a basketball weekend in Halifax to a basement full of water ..about 3 inches...and it was 9 o'clock at night. If you go back to a past website you will see that I talked about cleaning out the basement! How serendipitous...most of what was sitting in water was stuff I was getting rid of...except for boxes of pictures I was going to sort and they were pretty wet...well, and years of Income tax data...who can be sad about that...oh yes and sheets I had packed in cardboard boxes and had stored on the floor in the cedar closet...wow does all that stuff wick. So I have been busy washing sheets, drying out picturs and there were lots, and literally mopping up the basement. What happened? Well our plumber diagnosed the problem right away that night...a blocked drain pipe from the perimeter drain around the foundation...blocked with ice and silt There had been a huge rain on Saturday and the blocked pipe would not let the water drain away so it backed up into the basement drain..The next morning a fellow arrived with this fantastic home made ,basically, piece of equipment that sprayed hot water and moved up the pipe breaking up the ice and cleaning out the silt. As soon as it was unplugged the water in the basement started to flow and within an hour was basically gone except for a few bucketsfull caught in basement vallies. This is where my mopping came in.
Anyway beautiful days let me put the sheets on the line and except for drying pictures and income tax stuff we are on our way to recovery and a,better knowledge of things that can go wrong in the country and who is there to fix it.
One last note before I sign off for this post...an author by the name of Colette has been on my radar for a number of years as someone I would like to know more about and read....just have not got around to it. However, last week in taking a look at the latest Frances Mayes book on travel...she had a chapter on visiting Burgundy and the birthplace of Colette....Saint-Sauveur-en-Puisaye. So off to John Doulls second hand bookstore I went and found a somewhat biography of Colette by Allan Massie plus the Claudine books by Colette herself about her childhood. Mayes told me there is a museum in Saint-Sauveur...a Colette Museum...s0 I have another destination. Those of you not sure of who Colette was will have heard of GiGi, that wonderful American movie with Maurice Chevalier. Well Colette wrote the book that the movie was based on. She wrote many many books lots about her childhood and with very little education dominated the writing circle in France in the early 1920's plus. So I have more books to take...must leave room for clothes etc.
That is the end except to say that the first night in Beaune I am being treated to dinner by friends now, former guests of the B&B, who will be in the area having just picked up their new Mercedes in Stutgaart..not sure of the spelling there but I know you know what I mean. Enjoy the DAY!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
The Final Month
What a beautiful day here in Nova Scotia..temperature about 6 degrees C and the sky a clear clear blue, not a cloud.... I am down to the last 30 days before the plane takes off for France.... Last week I sent in my final payment and have already heard that it has arrived. Friends have been asking how I am doing and if I am getting excited. I sat down on Sunday and checked out the Michelin guide ...started to look at restaurants in Lyon and Dijon...Paul Bocuse's famous restaurant named after himself outside Lyon...and then the famous "Pyramide" ( once a 3 star but now only a 2 star)that he trained at in Vienne in the Cote do Rhone....we might drive there and I could see the roads and the markets and actually started to get excited! I am too practical to keep that up as I have my days planned and things I must get done before I leave. Every winter I promise myself that I will get rid of everything in the basement... well as much as I can part with , so I have been doing that...and doing very well I must say. I have boxes ready to take places. I begin by thinking I will sell some of the things and then that task seems too much and I start putting it all at the end of the driveway...someone else can make use of it.
I am also now thinking what books I will take..... My friend Mary on her visit in the Fall brought all the books that were on the Giller Prize list as a present..... The Perfect Circle, The Sea,De Niro's Game and Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures. I think I will take those plus Stephen Clarke's ...A Year in the Merde and Merde Actually.... but then I have a book about the pinot noir grape called The Heartbreak Grape by Marq de Villiers... the major grape of Burgundy is the pinot noir so it might be useful. All suggestions would be appreciated.
I do intend to read as I also intend to cook but I can get recipes from the internet or send home for them. Then there is what CD's to take... that I have not worked on at all. That will be next after I have organized my wardrobe. I still need to learn to put pictures on the blog with the digital camera.... Last weekend we were in to Halifax to a basketball game and sat with a retired lawyer who spends 3 weeks , twice a year in Paris. He loves going back year after year as he feels like he is not a tourist and this justifies not running around during the time there visiting touristy things. To quote him "it has been 10 years since I have been down near the Champs- Elysees.That is actually how I am feeling. Without a car I will need to stay within walking distance most of the time...maybe taking a bus here and there sometimes.....sitting in outdoor cafe's reading and watching..working on the blog. Other times I will visit the market and cook in my apartment. I plan to take long walks and /or rent a bike to get out in to the wine area. But I know there are numerous walking trails outside my village/town. I want to go to church. I have visited so many churches on my travels but I always feel they are empty...this way I can be there when they are being used as they should be...to hear the acoustics and smell the incense.... and then there is the history of the place... this village is ancient has not always been part of France... I should be well versed when I return in June. Last but not least there is the wine..... this is where my sommelier course will keep me in good stead as I go to tastings and try out the various wine cellars... I need to be well versed when Bruce arrives for his visit. And the beat goes on...each day I am doing a new thing toward getting ready.... I have lots of things to photocopy to take with me...walking trails,vineyard routes,the great Burgundy estates and where to find them, Burgundian food specailties, etc etc... so keep in touch!
I am also now thinking what books I will take..... My friend Mary on her visit in the Fall brought all the books that were on the Giller Prize list as a present..... The Perfect Circle, The Sea,De Niro's Game and Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures. I think I will take those plus Stephen Clarke's ...A Year in the Merde and Merde Actually.... but then I have a book about the pinot noir grape called The Heartbreak Grape by Marq de Villiers... the major grape of Burgundy is the pinot noir so it might be useful. All suggestions would be appreciated.
I do intend to read as I also intend to cook but I can get recipes from the internet or send home for them. Then there is what CD's to take... that I have not worked on at all. That will be next after I have organized my wardrobe. I still need to learn to put pictures on the blog with the digital camera.... Last weekend we were in to Halifax to a basketball game and sat with a retired lawyer who spends 3 weeks , twice a year in Paris. He loves going back year after year as he feels like he is not a tourist and this justifies not running around during the time there visiting touristy things. To quote him "it has been 10 years since I have been down near the Champs- Elysees.That is actually how I am feeling. Without a car I will need to stay within walking distance most of the time...maybe taking a bus here and there sometimes.....sitting in outdoor cafe's reading and watching..working on the blog. Other times I will visit the market and cook in my apartment. I plan to take long walks and /or rent a bike to get out in to the wine area. But I know there are numerous walking trails outside my village/town. I want to go to church. I have visited so many churches on my travels but I always feel they are empty...this way I can be there when they are being used as they should be...to hear the acoustics and smell the incense.... and then there is the history of the place... this village is ancient has not always been part of France... I should be well versed when I return in June. Last but not least there is the wine..... this is where my sommelier course will keep me in good stead as I go to tastings and try out the various wine cellars... I need to be well versed when Bruce arrives for his visit. And the beat goes on...each day I am doing a new thing toward getting ready.... I have lots of things to photocopy to take with me...walking trails,vineyard routes,the great Burgundy estates and where to find them, Burgundian food specailties, etc etc... so keep in touch!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Winter Planning Continues
We are in the throes of winter with temperatures 20C below 0C. Today though is crisp and clear with lots of sun...a perfect day for a trip into Mahone Bay to use the wireless network at the Biscuit Eater Cafe and continue my blog The Burgundy Ox...which by the way I can never find when I go in to the Search part on the Blogspot website.... I am sure I am doing something wrong. Anyway, as luck would have it, the Biscuit Eater was closed today due to electrical problems so no blogging there . Home now and on to the dial up server...slow service.. to carry on. I did go through my books this past week and made up a list for those of you who are interested. These are the books written by folks who pack it up and move to France or Tuscany to live! They are in no particular order just how I found them on the shelf... I will comment on those I particularly liked or not. Before I get into that though Iwanted to let you know that I have bought my plane tickets...in spite of the guilt that was rushing about this week for those of us going to fly somewhere and all the pollution it is causing ..flying that is... I purchased a ticket to Paris ,France for early April. I gave myself several days to visit Versaille before heading to my village in France. This might be a good time to tell you how I arrived at what village I would stay in. I actually used the Michelin Red Book Guide...2006 edition.... I wanted a village with the range of restaurants...starred, bib gourmands, the knife and fork ratings. To have this variety the village now a town would need to be of a certain size...approximately 20,000 population. The guide tells you this. I wanted to be near a wine region and somewhere conducive to walking..no car. A market town was a must! I was looking for cultural events..so the size was once again a factor. I would like to be able to walk to concerts, museums ... that something would be happening. And finally there had to be an apartment for rent. I was lucky in finding that apartment in a wonderful town... I had visited this town several years ago and can remember somethings about it....my apartment looks on the internet wonderfully comfortable and is very central in the town.
I do have some apprehension being there alone and how I will feel day in and day out. I was visiting my son last week in Ottawa and he was instructing me on the need to make daily goals. I do that in life but I can understand where he is coming from with his advice.... I will need to have a daily goal...remember I know no one and do not speak the language enough to have a conversation. Somedays this scares me and on others I look forward to the challenge. Today is a day of fear....oh well.
So I have started to think about several things I will do to make myself more comfortable.....this blog is one of them keeping in touch with friends and family. Secondly, I will attempt to listen to CBC radio which I love... I was going to try this today at the BE but will do so in the next while. And finally I will miss NBA Basketball...so I must see if there is some way that I can watch this on the computer.... I will miss the playoffs....I remember hearing of folks watching football on the computer so I am sure the NBA is similar.. I just need to figure this out and I will!! So this is it for today and now on to the list of books...happy reading.
Susan Loomis On Rue Tatin(2001) and Tarte Tatin(2003) Susan and her husband..both American...move to France....buy a house in a village called Louviers...they remodel the house and Susan does cooking classes and special dinners there...she has cookbooks now and all this can be found on her website. This was a good read ! Harper Collins
Ann Barry At Home In France(1996)....another American. from New York City actually, buys a small house on a hilltop area . She never stays there for longer than a month at a time as she is still working but she does go there often. In the book she mentioned a restaurant in NYC called the Luncheonette.....the chef had relatives in the village near her French home..... we have gone to the Luncheonette twice now and love it as it has a real French rustic menue and Cahors wines. On our last visit we met the chef's wife who told us that Miss Barry had died.So you can leave a legacy...that small book provided us with joy twice over...in the reading and the introduction to the Luncheonette. Ballentyne Books.
Paul Deggan All Our Summers are French(1992) this fellow is Canadian and an artist. He falls in love with France and the light...his wife is French...this book tells of their buying a house and restoreing it and running art classes there all summer. In the winter months he returns to British Columbia and teaches at a Community College. His life was a little easier as he had family there etc but interesting . Estival Press Vancouver
Patricia Atkinson La Belle Saison(2005) and The Ripening Sun. This English woman leaves behind a husband , moves to France, buys property,opens a B&B and starts a small vineyard. The books are little stories of how she did it all, who helped her out etc. She has a website and it looks like she is making a living at this...living her dream. Which is why it does not matter how well they are written..although it does help .These are real human stories where the authors grab hold of life and make it happen. Century Books, London
Isabelle Dusi Vanilla Beans and Brodo...a story of real life in the Tuscan hills. I bought this book in Tuscany as it was for sale everywhere we went...the author now lives in Montapulciano and the book is how she decided to stay on in this village and develop a travel company bringing tourists in and touring them about to the various vineyards and eateries. Lots of things happen to this author as she makes her way in the village life...another good read.
Isabelle Huggan Belonging(2004) Vintage, CA. Living in Cevenne, France. I cannot remember the story here .
Gordon Cope A Paris Moment(2005) This mans wife is sent to work in Paris and he decides to come with her and use the opportunity to write about living in Paris.Hard cover so look for it 2nd hand Fifth House, Calgary, Alberta
Richard Goodman French Dirt(2002) This was a terrible book..worst I had read in a long time. An American who goes to a small town to live for a year and decides to be like the French in the village and have a garden. I learned nothing from this book and I do not think the author did either . Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill
I do have some apprehension being there alone and how I will feel day in and day out. I was visiting my son last week in Ottawa and he was instructing me on the need to make daily goals. I do that in life but I can understand where he is coming from with his advice.... I will need to have a daily goal...remember I know no one and do not speak the language enough to have a conversation. Somedays this scares me and on others I look forward to the challenge. Today is a day of fear....oh well.
So I have started to think about several things I will do to make myself more comfortable.....this blog is one of them keeping in touch with friends and family. Secondly, I will attempt to listen to CBC radio which I love... I was going to try this today at the BE but will do so in the next while. And finally I will miss NBA Basketball...so I must see if there is some way that I can watch this on the computer.... I will miss the playoffs....I remember hearing of folks watching football on the computer so I am sure the NBA is similar.. I just need to figure this out and I will!! So this is it for today and now on to the list of books...happy reading.
Susan Loomis On Rue Tatin(2001) and Tarte Tatin(2003) Susan and her husband..both American...move to France....buy a house in a village called Louviers...they remodel the house and Susan does cooking classes and special dinners there...she has cookbooks now and all this can be found on her website. This was a good read ! Harper Collins
Ann Barry At Home In France(1996)....another American. from New York City actually, buys a small house on a hilltop area . She never stays there for longer than a month at a time as she is still working but she does go there often. In the book she mentioned a restaurant in NYC called the Luncheonette.....the chef had relatives in the village near her French home..... we have gone to the Luncheonette twice now and love it as it has a real French rustic menue and Cahors wines. On our last visit we met the chef's wife who told us that Miss Barry had died.So you can leave a legacy...that small book provided us with joy twice over...in the reading and the introduction to the Luncheonette. Ballentyne Books.
Paul Deggan All Our Summers are French(1992) this fellow is Canadian and an artist. He falls in love with France and the light...his wife is French...this book tells of their buying a house and restoreing it and running art classes there all summer. In the winter months he returns to British Columbia and teaches at a Community College. His life was a little easier as he had family there etc but interesting . Estival Press Vancouver
Patricia Atkinson La Belle Saison(2005) and The Ripening Sun. This English woman leaves behind a husband , moves to France, buys property,opens a B&B and starts a small vineyard. The books are little stories of how she did it all, who helped her out etc. She has a website and it looks like she is making a living at this...living her dream. Which is why it does not matter how well they are written..although it does help .These are real human stories where the authors grab hold of life and make it happen. Century Books, London
Isabelle Dusi Vanilla Beans and Brodo...a story of real life in the Tuscan hills. I bought this book in Tuscany as it was for sale everywhere we went...the author now lives in Montapulciano and the book is how she decided to stay on in this village and develop a travel company bringing tourists in and touring them about to the various vineyards and eateries. Lots of things happen to this author as she makes her way in the village life...another good read.
Isabelle Huggan Belonging(2004) Vintage, CA. Living in Cevenne, France. I cannot remember the story here .
Gordon Cope A Paris Moment(2005) This mans wife is sent to work in Paris and he decides to come with her and use the opportunity to write about living in Paris.Hard cover so look for it 2nd hand Fifth House, Calgary, Alberta
Richard Goodman French Dirt(2002) This was a terrible book..worst I had read in a long time. An American who goes to a small town to live for a year and decides to be like the French in the village and have a garden. I learned nothing from this book and I do not think the author did either . Algonquin Books, Chapel Hill
Monday, February 5, 2007
The Adventure is Planned
This year is a significant birthday for me! Yes I am a Boomer...still married after 37 years. Two children. My life has been safe and secure. I am well educated... always had a job..have a pension...even did something twelve years ago to put a little zip in my life by opening up a B&B. I am no wilting daisy..I have lots of opinions, take control of most situations,manage my time well. In fact, I rarely waste time, always setting goals,planning activities,making sure that I fill each day with something of significance no matter how small and lowly. Travelling has always been part of my life....with France being my favourite spot, where my husband and I return to time after time..year after year. I love reading books about those folks who leave their present life and set up house in France. Peter Mayle is the most famous but there are lots more especially women. And France is not the only destination. Italy and more specifically,Tuscany,is another favorite. I have read many of them and will make up a list when I am home and able to look thru my libraray if anyone is interested.
SO, although I have enjoyed these sojourns into France and I have learned lots regarding food wine and cheese there has been a deep desire to stay longer than the two week vacation. To be more like the folks in the books who buy houses and actually make a life there in a small village becoming part of the daily grind of markets, espressos, Sunday church service, village concerts and favorite patisseries.
But my husband has continued to work and is not yet ready to stay longer than the usual 14-16 days and I am chomping at the bit. Couple that with the fact that I am feeling"older" and needing to get at it before my body fails me in some way keeping me stranded on the North American side of the Atlantic. Enjoin that with the fact that I left my Dad to get married and have done everything since with my husband.
I know you are guessing what I am about to be up to and if you said...she is going to France by herself you are right.... for 8 weeks in a smallish village in a nice little apartment close to the centre of town. No car but lots of opportunities to walk ..just like the French usually do and a small bicycle shop where I can rent a bicycle should I want to venture out in to the countryside. So there you have it. And the adventure begins this April! This blog is there so you can follow along with me on my adventure.
SO, although I have enjoyed these sojourns into France and I have learned lots regarding food wine and cheese there has been a deep desire to stay longer than the two week vacation. To be more like the folks in the books who buy houses and actually make a life there in a small village becoming part of the daily grind of markets, espressos, Sunday church service, village concerts and favorite patisseries.
But my husband has continued to work and is not yet ready to stay longer than the usual 14-16 days and I am chomping at the bit. Couple that with the fact that I am feeling"older" and needing to get at it before my body fails me in some way keeping me stranded on the North American side of the Atlantic. Enjoin that with the fact that I left my Dad to get married and have done everything since with my husband.
I know you are guessing what I am about to be up to and if you said...she is going to France by herself you are right.... for 8 weeks in a smallish village in a nice little apartment close to the centre of town. No car but lots of opportunities to walk ..just like the French usually do and a small bicycle shop where I can rent a bicycle should I want to venture out in to the countryside. So there you have it. And the adventure begins this April! This blog is there so you can follow along with me on my adventure.
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