green awesome

And 1.5 hours away is.... 

Ireland

Weekends away

We are here

What you can be guaranteed on a weekend away

1st stop: Bread

2nd stop:

where your butcher will sell you a good chicken with claws still on it.  And seeing as how it was probably de-feathered recently - he's going to do a bit of this to it (just to make sure he gets all the feathers/bacteria)

And then you have the push and pull of grocery shopping - if you are in an area that has one.  The tug-o-war comes when you want fiber to be able to go to the bathroom at least once and the menfolk want just meat, cheese and wine.

 

 If you are lucky you get to come home to this:

your rented gites.  

That has been in ruin, but some smart person thought they would invest in and update. 

Hooray for old ruins with new comforts like proper showers in every room.

 

And then after getting dressed to go back to the baker to get your morning bread you pass the old stone walls

 the village church

and the town hall with the memorial in front with the names of those from the village who died in the war

and you go back to your old ruin to have breakfast

Through a window: Leynes

Waking up early in an old fortress in Macon to the yellow autumn vineyards:  not too bad.

More illegal breakfast food

So in it's former life(yesterday), this was a croissant.  You know croissants: dough that has been layered with butter "mille feuille" or rather mille fois (a thousand times) folded over, rolling pinned down, slathered with butter and folded over again.
And now it has been resurrected (because that butter and bread isn't good forever! Or even more than 1 day, apparently.

They have taken this 1-day old croissant and injected some sort of almond sugar mix and then pressed it down and cooked it again and with toasted almonds and powdered sugar on top.
I was skeptical, but now I'm really not.

I can't believe they let me eat this for breakfast. My mother would die...or would she go into a sugar-fueled bing and eat all of them in sight?

But how long can confused fascination really keep you entertained

We went to a Rugby match on Saturday.

Good, or shall I say Fun, things happen to me when we go to sporting events.

In February we got to ride with the conductor in the metro.

AND this time I ended up in the metro car with the Irishmen who sang the entire way to the match.  Even breaking out a little Frère Jacques when the Frenchmen feigned that they had no songs to sing.

This is the stadium.  And the great October weather we got.
On the bright side, I am convinced that any sport played in open air  is  instantly more exciting when it rains and people start sliding 20 feet at a time.


 
I don't fully understand rugby, but how you cannot be completely fascinated by this

 

We won't talk about the size of their thighs.

Halloween plans

OMG we are going to Ireland for Halloween.

Are you excited?  I'm so excited I could pee!

Flavigny-sur-Ozerain

No joke

B's tante and oncle live in a city outside of Amiens.
He is a tall, quiet, hobby-photographer and former professional window dresser/designer.
She is a lively and colorful (and by that I mean, she likes colors) woman, who, before I could keep all the family straight, was known as "my aunt who laughs loud".
And she does.
I love loud laughers.  Especially when they come in  5' tall packages.

Their home is an interesting mesh of loud colors and professional dressing objects (i.e. enormous perfume bottles left over from his working days).

Just so you can share in my experience - I brought you a picture.
Yes that is a peach leather couch
Yes that is a red iridescent piece of fabric covering the couch.

What you do not get with this photo: the picture over the mantelpiece.
It, and 5 other LARGE photos like it, are 70's nudes of their 2 children and their family lassie-dog complete with 70's daisy-chain flower crown on her 7 year old head.

No, I am not joking.

I wonder how his now 40 year old cousin felt when she brough her boyfriend home to meet her adorable, nude, 7-year-old self. 

Fall is for

 CHESTNUTS

Chestnut trees line the streets of Paris  

In late September, early October they fall from the trees, out of their spiny casings, the color of rich warm wood. 

You can have crêpes filled with the crème de chataîgne, a floury, sweet-tasting goo.  

And for Christmas - instead of flowers, you offer your host marrons glaçé.  Sugared Chestnuts.  
A very traditional Christmas treat.

Photo of the day: at the Orangerie Museum