Hey, hey it’s time for some more sights from around our ‘hood!
I’m always passing this old ‘cave co-operative’, ‘Costos Roussos‘ – the date on the facade always reminds me of some special people back home(!), and now there’s always this lovely old Renault ‘4L’This was a first for me… the ladies in the market vans had old quilts and blankets protecting their produce on a recent market morning. It was below freezing and bloody cold… and on this morning it was -4 degreesIt’s starting to snow, approaching Chateau Violet – a beautiful old wine property near usSaturday morning at the supermarche… preparing delicious ‘Aligot‘ – yes, a delightfully light, refreshing dish, composed of cheese, cream, potatoes, cheese, garlic, butter and then some more cheese. Come on, it IS light – really!Wine of the Month in our house: the recently bottled ‘Boulevard Napoleon‘ with local smallgoods (where are you Dad?!)the local hospital for the old metalheadsSunday night and pooch is hangin’ at the pizza vanHot drinks at the cafe after playing in the park …but check out the tele! – the kids are getting clued-up on winemakingDowntown NarbonneCarcassonne marketMeat, anyone? Delicacies at the Carcassonne market… lungs, heart, tripe. Note: bottom right in the tripe corner, the butcher has his Rose ready and chilling…and another glass of Rose. One of the many perks of living around here is the access to delicious, cheap wines served from tap straight out of the wall of our cave co-ops – simply BYO your own bottle…I love this – it’s Pierre the baker’s price list at the Olonzac marketCheck out the airbrush work on the hot rod … a Renault 4L vanOur school celebrates ‘Carnaval‘ each year, where everybody accompanies the school kids on floats in a tour of the villageA few things from last weekend’s ‘vide-grenier’ (village garage sale): some keyrings and an old “Science et Vie’ magazine from 1944. Ashamed to say I get obssessed with many things, advertising keyrings from the 60s for eg! And hang on, I’ve even discovered there’s a name for it – ‘Copoclephliie‘ (!!)my favourite view coming out of Olonzac…and a favourite close to home, this wall in our hamletFavourites, favourites… now I promise this one wasn’t planned! I think I have a thing about apples? (you started it Mum!)on the road, yesterdayShort, back and sides in lovely Toulousethe old ‘manege’ (carousel), Toulouse
A big Hip hip to this New Year, 2013! May it be a good one for all and a happy and healthy one.
Just thought I’d say I haven’t forgotten about the blog, just busy cruising the streets in S.A. (South Australia) and lapping up as much quality time as possible, before the annually dreaded departure. Gotta make the most of it!
But somehow there’s those petite ‘mon Dieu’ surprises that always bring France back to mind…
les geants… as seen at the Adelaide Central Market
“1. a bundle or parcel. 2. that in which anything is packed, as a case, crate, etc. 5. to put into wrappings or a container.” – ‘Package, packaging’ from the Macquarie Dictionary, 2nd Edition, 1981
Do you remember when I let it slip that I have a thing for packaging? Mmn, yep, still have it and lately I feel like I’m being bombarded with even more wonderful examples of it, everywhere. At home, at the markets, at the vide-greniers (the village garage sales – something I must absolutely tell you about soon), at friends’ houses, in the guise of gifts from friends… everywhere.
Colours, texts, fonts, old, new, shabby or shiny… I can’t get enough of it – and if there’s a text or a word here or there in French, even better! It’s amazing how much you can improve your vocabulary just reading the fine print! (and probably a lot more educational than my dippings into, shock, horror – Voici).
At the moment I’m getting a buzz out of OLD packaging and the eg’s here are from either home (my mother-in-law is a great help here) – or from stands in the markets and vide-greniers. I understand why people start up businesses selling this stuff – there are crazy people out there, like me, who love it! But a lot of it can be quite expensive so I’m happy to admire it and ask permission to take a photo or two. Yes, I think I am mad!
So here’s a second instalment of boxes, tins, bottles I’ve seen here in France lately. I should add however, that not all these products are French. Some come from next door in Spain (thanks to Vincent who is aware of my condition) or further afar. But they seemed too lovely to leave out.
I hope you enjoy them!
Tins of ‘pois chiches’ (chick peas) at the supermarket yesterday. I thought you Miss Nick might like these!I love this bottle of Pineau from the Charentes – “Pineau Francois 1er” Not only is the label just fabulous, but the sweet, fortified wine, a speciality of the Charentes region (near Cognac, not far from Bordeaux) wine inside, is DELICIOUS! It is a family-run winery, established in the 1930s by Gaston Riviere, with the wine now made by his grandson (who greets you at his cellar in leather pants). He said it was Gaston himself who designed and drew the label and there is a great quote on it – by him?… the ranslation: “Women often change, Mad are those who trust them. Only this Pineau remains faithful to his King.”Don’t need one, but loved this box for an iron at the vide-grenierOrtiz ‘El Velero’ tuna. Merci Vinnie.a few old ‘bonbons’ tins (sweets, lollies or candy to us)‘Les Deux Pigeons’ (the two pigeons) allumettes – an old matchbox found amongst other treasures at my mum-in-law’s. Merci Christine!…don’t need this either. But just love the bangs and make-up.Adore this tin. But it went back home with V.I almost wanted to buy the old knife just so I could have the sleeve it slid into!My body moisturiser. Mamy put me onto this. The ‘pharmaceuticals’ look is big here, but I love it for its smellSpied this at Emmaus. Tres simple, no text but I LOVE red applesAnother item from Vinnie in Spain and oh so delicious, “Sanchez Romate Vinaigre de Jerez” – sherry vinegarold packets for bonbons, dried beans, cream cheese…no, it’s not a French product but it made me laugh when I saw this at the supermarket… the first time I read the box I thought it said ‘with sleeping tablet’ You try it!a favourite at home – the whole range is great togetherSaw this Offenbach record, “Gaiete Parisienne”, in Emmaus and loved the imageThe ‘Caille’ desserts are delicious. Seems like this style tub has been used for much longer than I realised.Once a VW owner, always a fan. Certainly didn’t need this, but I fell in love with the radio-controlled VW at the vide-grenier. It is the sedan version of my very first car, a Type 3 station wagon that I called ‘Fritz’. The price was extremely high. But the man was kind enough to let me take the photo.
Checking the grapes, the night before school goes back
a bunch ready for the picking
It only seems like yesterday that Lilas broke up from school and started the Summer holidays at the beginning of July.
And then before I knew it, we’d been on the Naked tour, my family had come and gone, the Olympics and Paralympics ended with a bang, the Fetes de Villages had packed up for the year, our Summer friends had all been and gone…
Summer 2012
…and suddenly the grapes got ripe for the picking! (‘Les Vendanges’):
‘Vendanges en Languedoc’ (AS DE COEUR)
– and the new school year (‘La Rentree’) 2012-2013 started.
la classe
Come September, a different kind of ambience sets in around here. The tourists (or most of them!) have left en masse, the weather softens and jumpers come out for nights on the terrace, the markets no longer have ‘bouchons’ (traffic jams):
– and tanned bodies (just not ours) post ‘les vacances’:
Lola and Lilas
…get ready for some WORK!
You often get stuck behind these people during the harvest! Time to slow down and have some respect…‘Les Vendanges’ in La Liviniere
Les Vendanges is one of the most important events on our local calendar (most people in our village own or have some family connection/ investment in grape vines) – and each year, come September, there is the most wonderful buzz in the air. The village hums with expectation and excitement over the ‘recolte’ (harvest) – it’s time to pick the ‘fruits’ of a long year’s labour.
check it out
And harvest always coincides with the kiddies going back to school after two months’ of holidays. I still can’t quite get my head around this school ‘year’ here. In Australia our school ‘year’ begins around the beginning of the calendar year, in February – after Xmas and at the end of Summer. Here, each school year ends in what I would call the middle of the year, July, and then recommences in September. And because of this schoolbooks, labels etc name the school ‘year’ as ‘2000-2001’ etc. This year for example, is ‘2012-2013’. I know I’m rambling. Maybe it’s because I’m from ‘down there’ that I’m confused.
Picking an apple for tomorrow’s ‘gouter’ (afternoon snack) on the first day back at school
Anyway, back to the grapes. The reds are just getting under way, but Benji has been picking for a couple weeks’ now as the whites here ripened earlier. As for how this year’s harvest will be? It’s looking good so far – relief! The weather has been almost perfect for the grapes these last few weeks – a lot of sun and no rain – and so it all needs to come in NOW!
It will be the biggest week yet – 4am starts, working through until 6pm, 7/7. Another couple of weeks of this, then it’s finished for the pickers and machine harvesters in the vines, but full-steam ahead in the wine cellar – managing the tanks and their juice. Benji will maintain this crazy routine for a few more weeks yet – until the end of October. And then it will be time to think about HIS holiday!…
The Vigneron's Wife 