washing....

Bonjour from a sunny SW France,


It is the perfect weather for washing and that is exactly what I am doing today.

Fortunately we have a washing machine as I cannot begin to imagine life without one and the thought of having to carry all the washing down to the river for washing, makes me tired just thinking about it.

Just think 100 years ago that is what the local women had to do, haven't we come a long way in a relatively short time.....

bon courage à tous, Leeann x

sunday morning treasure...

As I sit writing this post, French Boyfriend is taking a sieste after spending the morning treasure hunting with me.

The first vide grenier that we visited this morning was situated in a park which backed onto a river.

What a fabulous way to start the morning......blue sky, cool morning air, shady trees and lots of stands full of potential treasures for one and all!

My first find was a local lady selling lots of fabulous table napkins; 3 different designs and all are gorgeous. I was conscious of the fact that there were a lot of antique dealers circling so decided the best approach was to purchase all that she had available.

End result.....french shopping basket full of serviettes, 33 in total.

Next purchase was a wall mounted cabinet containing a collection of shells, will photograph this later and show you a photo.

A few stalls later, we found a lovely local lady selling antique post cards which we admired one by one and walked away with 12 beautiful cards which I plan on placing in the album that I found last week.

Next up was the crocodile's head which FBF wanted so I bought it for him and you can see it in the photo above...enough said!

Then it was off to another vide grenier wwhich was being held in the streets of a local village.

It was chaos when we arrived, with everyone searching for a space to park. We managed to find a parking and off we set on our mission.

This particular vide grenier, was a contrast to the first, in the fact that there were more professional sellers, hence the quality of the goods on offer was high as were the prices.

This said, there is always a special price for fellow dealers of which French Boyfriend is one, having been in the business for over 30 years (let's just say he started at a yound age :-) )   and I love it when they start talking about their recent finds and the history that surrounds each object.

From one dealer who had the most gorgeous items, we bought the soup ladle that you see above....

....plus the set that you see below in its original box lined with velvet. All three pieces have the same design and gorgeous monogramme.

Another purchase from the same dealer was a pair of gorgeous but heavy candelabras which would be perfect for giving your dining table that something extra. I have not had time to unwrap these but will try and take a photograph tomorrow as they are very decorative.

Think that is about it for now, hope that you are all having or had a fabulous weekend. 

à demain mes belles, Leeann x 

I want one of these....

photo from here

I adore this bath and  am already imagining myself lying in it, with lots of fragrant bubbles and a few candles..........my idea of heaven!

Bon week-end à tous.....Leeann x

French Food Friday...White Sangria Sparkler

White Sangria Sparkler

Ingredients:

• 1-2 bottles of crisp white wine (I used  a  bottle of local Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1 punnet raspberries
• 2 peaches, sliced
• 2 kiwis (fruit not the people that live in NZ)
• 1 liter sparkling water
• ice
• several sprigs of mint

Directions:

1. Place all fruit in a large pitcher or bowl, add wine and refrigerate for 3 hours (or longer) for the flavors to meld.
2. When ready to serve, add sparkling water and ice. Garnish with fruit and mint.

Bonne santé à tous.....Leeann x

il fait très chaud ici.....

It is very hot here, 37 degrees hence I think that a nice cool drink is in order......recipe will follow tomorrow.

à demain mes amies, Leeann x

Bonne journée a tous...

fabulous photo by Kees

Just a quick post to say Bonne journée a tous...

Leeann x

bonjour mes belles...

For those of you that think that summer in SW France is all about sunshine and sunflowers, this photo is for you...

It was taken a little over an hour ago and fortunately for me they were facing the right direction. We passed some others who unfortunately for me were facing the other direction so it was not possible to take a photo.

We changed direction and this is what we found........

..... a sea of goldeness, all lapping up the lovely sunshine!

à demain mes belles, Leeann x

Sunday treasure...

Unfortunately this morning's  treasure hunt did not result in us finding a lot of treasure but as we were leaving we struck up a conversation with the last vendor.

I spied a fabulous antique postcard album that still contained lots of fabulous old post cards resting on the bonnet of the vendor' car  that I really wanted but French Boyfriend really did not want me to buy as he thinks that I have too many post cards.

Hence things got a bit tough as French Boyfriend was trying to drag me off and at the same time the vendor was trying to entice me to buy the album......

End result, I purchased the album and have spent a couple of hours looking at all the fabulous postcards that it contains.

  For me it really is something fabulously French and I adore all the fabulous images that it contains.

Je vous souhaite une bonne soirée, une bonne nuit, 

à demain, Leeann x

French Food Friday...Jambon et Melon de Pays

I love this time of the year in SW France as there is an abundance of fresh fruit on the market stands, and it is hard to resist buying more than we need.

The vendor of the lovely looking melon that you see pictured above, guaranteed that they would be the best that we has tasted and if not he would give us our money back, sure enough they were delicious and we will be back to buy more next week.

Combined with jambon de bayonne, which is a local delicacy as the region in which it comes from is only a few hours drive from us, is pure pleasure for the taste buds.

I adore market day and think there is nothing nicer than a shopping basket full with local produce.

Today it was full with honey, goats cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, white peaches, nectarines, aubergine and courgettes. Gently rested on top was a couple of pieces of poulet roti.....nothing better than French chicken cooked on the rotisserie.

Last of all was a couple of bouquets of flowers from our lovely flower man, beautiful vibrant colours.......
       

This weeks recipe is short and sweet.........

Ingredients

1 melon

6 slices Jambon de Bayonne or if you do not have this use Parma ham or prosciutto or Serrano ham which are similar in both taste and texture; 

Method

Slice melon in half, remove seeds and cut into slices.

Serve with thinly slices of ham.

Bon appetit à tous, Leeann x

 

lovely butterflies.....

photo from here

I know that butterflies in cases are not everyone's "cup of tea" but I for one, adore them.

I recently found a few fabulous vintage sets of naturalised butterflies which I will be listing over the next day or so, for any fellow lovers of naturalised butterflies....

à demain mes belles, Leeann x

reorganising my bedroom....

It all started yesterday when I looked for a favourite necklace and ended up spending clos to an hour untangling the multitude of necklaces that had become tangled in my jewellery box.

In the process I discovered a few necklaces that I had forgotten about......

I decided that something had to be done, so visited a lovely shop I know aka mine and took one of these heart shaped holders and placed it on the wall.

Result a tidier jewellery box and a nice display of necklaces hanging on the wall which made choosing one this morning much easier.

I am in the mood to tidy, so any tidying tips would be appreciated.....

Amicalement from a hot and getting hotter SW France,

Leeann x

the perfect mix...

photo from here

I want the chairs in this photo as I already have a table like this in our kitchen and think that they look great together.

The buffet also looks fabulous in its natural looking state, and the view is to die for......Sydney I miss you and promise to return one day soon!

à demain mes amies, Leeann x

lovely bathoom...

photo from here

I  am loving this gorgeous bathroom, which belongs to a house in Scotland, as it has so many of the objects that I adore.....lovely big bath, fabulous romantic looking wall light along with sweet florentine style chest of drawers.
Also love the glimpse of the louis style bed reflected in the oh so stunning mirror.

..bonne semaine à tous, Leeann x

Arrived today....fabulous and oh so French

I could not resist sharing a photo or two with you of this fabulous barometer that has just arrived at Fabulously French.

It appears to be working but I am not 100 % sure but think that it would look great hanging on a wall as it is very decorative and as long as where you live is "beau temps" (fine weather) which is what it is showing at present, you will not have a problem.

Please click here for further details.

à demain, Leeann x

Bonne Fête Nationale...

French Food Friday...Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Carrots

This has to be one of my favourite all time recipes and although a tagine originates from Morocco, this recipe was created by Daniel Gouret, a favourite chef of mine, who has taken the aromatic and deeply flavored Moroccan tagine and adapted it to his own taste.

I made it this week and it went down a treat, just wished that I remembered to take photos before we ate and not after when it was too late......


2 tablespoons pure olive oil
3 pounds meaty lamb neck and shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
Kosher salt
3 large carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of saffron threads, crumbled
2 cups water
1 cup pitted prunes (6 ounces)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup coarsely chopped coriander/cilantro

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium enameled cast-iron casserole. Add the lamb in 2 batches, season with salt and brown lightly on all sides over moderately high heat, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate.
2. Add the carrots, onions and garlic to the casserole and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onions are softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, cinnamon, cumin and saffron and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
3. Gradually stir in the water, scraping up the browned juices from the bottom of the pan. Add the lamb, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 hour and 40 minutes. Add the prunes and continue cooking until the meat is very tender, about 20 minutes longer. Tilt the casserole and skim the fat from the sauce. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.

Bon appetit à tous, Leeann x

waiting game...

photo from the fabulous Rodney Smith

Why is it, that on some days time speeds by and on others, take today by example, when waiting for news, it drags...........a waiting game. Unfortunately it is a game that I do not play well.

Is it just me? Or are there others out there in blogland who find waiting tedious?

Dites-moi.....Leeann x 



Busy working....

fabulous photo from here

.....but at the same time, busy wishing that I was staying in this fabulous hotel which is only a couple of hours drive away - it looks like the perfect place to relax!

Click here to see more photos of this fabulous hotel.

But for me it is back to work I must go.

à demain mes amies.....Leeann x

watch this, it will make you smile...

Watching this video clip from Emilie Simon made me smile, I hope that it makes you smile too.

Leeann x

p.s. For those of you that are in the US, I am hoping that this link works!