Bowls

Just as cricket is that national past time for the English, bowls is enjoyed by the French. It is however a much more relaxed affair. All is required is a set of bowls and a flattish piece of ground. This game is played throughout France, throughout the year. Yesterday, I saw two or three games in different village squares in full swing. This game does however appear to be just for the men...I have yet to see a woman play !!

Christmas Lights

Brittany’s answer to Regents Street.

A evening stroll to enjoy the Christmas lights.

Last Minute Shopping

Our local supermarket at 10.00am on Christmas Eve. Really quite relaxed. Everyone seemed to be enjoying this last shop before Christmas, and at the checkouts, trolleys weren’t full, just a few items in the bottom.. at this point I did wonder if my local Sainsbury’s in the UK would be as quiet !!..

Repas de Noel

The Christmas Lunch. Everyone was invited to attend, so as the bells struck mid-day, everyone assembled at the village hall. We were ushered into the large and slightly chilly hall. Aperitifs were circulated, glasses were raised, Merry Christmas to all.

Tables had been laid in a large horse shoe shape and the school cook began to serve the scallops in puff pastry and then veal cooked in white wine. Whilst we were enjoying the salad and cheese the mayor sang a traditional Christmas song, as he does, I am told every year, and finally to finish chocolate cake with crème anglais.

As I looked around me I saw everyone enjoying a simple but traditional French meal with absolutely no pretensions at all, and again I noticed that there are no social barriers. The commune gardener had been in deep discussions with a very senior man in the police who is responsible for speed trap design and development for over an hour, the local cleaning lady was sitting between two very influential business women yet there are no social divides everyone is respected regardless of their job and the size of their car.

Christmas cake fascination

The Christmas cakes were a success. One woman telephoned a couple of days ago and asked me if a Christmas cake would keep until New Year. Easily, I replied. She was not convinced, ' Are you sure it won't go bad ?', she again asked.
I then explained that a tradition in the UK, was to keep the top layer of the wedding cake, which is the same as a Christmas cake until the Christening of the first child.
She laughed and said that even a Christmas cake wouldn't of waited for her sister, Isabelles' first child.. it took her fifteen years !!!..
The news of the longevity of the Christmas cake has obviously spread as yesterday evening I received a telephone call from another woman who asked, I bought a Bakewell Tart last Sunday, as this is an English cake, will this keep until the New Year ? !!

Christmas Fete

And finally, the day of the Christmas fete came and went. Thankfully, it was a success, most of out crafts which we have laboured over for the past 4 weeks sold. After again, much prodding, and numerous Gallic shrugs and mutters of, ' I don't know , she made them, she is English'.. all my 16 cakes sold..and at the end of the afternoon we had made 140 euros !!

Committes and Christmas cakes

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The annual Christmas Fete is now only two days away, and as with any event organised by a committee there are far too many chiefs. One evening last week I attended a 'preparation meeting' where lists were made of what need to be done. The hall was to be decorated, tree collected and erected, tables and chairs arranged, our 'crafts' displayed, the list went on.. and finally, to set a time to do the work. Of the ten people at the 'preparation meeting' only two were actually free to do the work !!.. It is quite therapeutic putting out chairs and displaying table decorations !!

Last year, I was asked to make a cake, a tricky one, far to risky to make something french like an apple tart, and would they eat an English cake... After much deliberation I decided to make a Christmas Cake..It would either be a success or a complete failure..there would be no middle ground. After much, pointing, and 'what is that ?', and 'I think it's English' , it was a success So, my other allocated task this year is to make 6 Christmas cakes, which are almost complete after three weeks of soaking the dried fruit in brandy, baking, marzipanning and finally today icing. This task thankfully requires no committee, just me with a bowl of icing and some Christmas carols...

Morning Sun

A sharp frost, a beautiful sunrise, how could anyone feel but happy and uplifted to wake up to this.

Ready Meals

For eleven months every year we are starved of convenience food. However big the supermarket there are still no ready meals to be found.. and on occasion I have even found myself craving reconstituted chicken which has been injected with garlic flavoured butter and then beautifully packaged as a superior chicken Kiev. Craving or not, these don't exist in France and I just has to make my own chicken Kiev using a real chicken breast !! But in December, every supermarket produces their own range of 'ready menus'. These are not just meals but 4 or even 5 courses !!..The booklets advertising these amazing feasts all beautifully photographed and offer the full menus or an a la carte option and some even include the wine..
However, although these gastronomic delights are heavily promoted, the French supermarkets STILL won't allow ready meals on their shelves, so you have to order your 'ready meal' !!!

The Hunt

Wild boar, or rather the long coarse hair of the wild boar is a very common sight in the wooded areas in Southern Brittany, but now I hope they are settled deep in the forest.
The hunting season is now in full swing, dogs are transported in special kennel type trailors and the orange capped huntsmen are a familiar sight in all woods, forests and scrublands.
The expectant anticipation of these solitary men and their dogs is clear.. will the mornings' work yield a pheasant, a rabbit or perhaps a wild boar !!

Dunking

I had always thought that dunking ginger nut biscuits into ones' cup of tea was a very English trait. For the English this activity is always done in the confines of ones home for fear of not quite getting the dunking time : biscuit sogginess ratio quite correct and dropping half a disintegrated ginger nut on your neighbours carpet !!. However, I have found that the French are a lot ore adventurous in what they dunk, they are also not at all shy about where they perform this act. The only difference is that the French dunk into coffee.. and they happily dunk bread, biscuits, cake and even camembert into their morning coffee. My neighbour puts her breakfast muesli into her coffee.. it is practical she tells me, only one large cup to wash up !!