Moule Frite et Muscadet

Imagine the setting: A  balmy summer evening looking across the almost empty beach sipping a cold Muscadet...mmm heaven!

The slipway

If you like simple pleasures then let me tell you about my new favourite place to eat out.
'La Calle' sits on a slipway on the west coast of the Normandy peninsula.
It's a Shack!

La Calle

The tables are scattered willy nilly...the benches are planks stretched across old plastic beer crates.

The perfect restaurant

You can dig your toes into the sand as you sip cold wine and take in the beautiful surroundings, watching the fishing boats hauled in after the day's work as the sun sinks down to evening.

Fresh Oysters, Clams and Bulot to eat lazily and savour slowly...ice cold and dribbled with lemon.After lots more chat and a little more wine Moule Frites,a very large pan to be shared with friends.
More wine?...Ah oui merci!

Mon repas

et le Muscadet

The sun slowly sinking, the air taking on a slight, but not unpleasant chill...lots of laughter now  the as the wine works it's magic and loosens the tongue.

beautiful sky!

Ah! Tout est bien avec le monde !

Ahh...tis lovely!

Just as you are leaving le propriétaire calls you back for a parting Calvados...just a sip but the perfect end to a perfect evening in just about the perfect place.

looking through a window

perfect ending

I'm just a simple girl at heart who finds pleasure in simple things.
Love Maffy x

Caméras et autres choses !

Cameras and stuff!
This is one of my favourite afternoons out...a visit to the Depot Vente.This one is in Coutance just south of La Commune
It is full of hidden treasures!

à la dépôt vente

I like to take my time there.
Number 1 rule of truffling for treasure...
Take your time!
Sometimes you have to look under things, sometimes you have to look in to things,sometimes you have to delve deep inside things...but persevere, those little treasures are there, just waiting to be found.
Quite unbelievably, on this occasion, I didn't find anything that was within my possibilité financière.
What I did find though, were cameras...lots of them!
...and I find I have a sudden urge...no indeed need, to start a collection of old cameras.
You will find that I am a person who can never own one of anything.
Oh dear! I think I may have to go back to the depot vente aujourd'hui.
I did get some very funny looks from other shopper while I was taking these pictures...

I know!...not a camera. Old sewing machines...another whole story.

I love these cases

...and this case

this was kind of cheeky looking

what do you think? 

Ok...I'm going back

Venez retrouver bientôt!

Music Monday...On a Monday!

A little French café music on Monday.

La Chapelle au clare de Lune 1937

This song is a very old French folk song dating back to the 18th century,  here performed by the very beautiful Léo Marjane.


The song references the French version of the Commedia Dell'Arte - Pierrot is the French version of Pedrolino, and Harlequin is the French version of Arlecchino. We can presume that our unnamed lady is Columbina/Columbine. 


I've been singing along to this tune for years in French not knowing exactly what the lyrics meant. It sounds romantic and my goodness it turns out it is...if not a little saucy!


In the light of the moon, Pierrot, my friend
Loan me your pen to write something down
My candle's dead, I've got no flame to light it
Open your door, for the love of God!


In the light of the moon, Pierrot replied
I don't have a pen, I'm in bed
Go to the neighbor's, I think she's there
Because someone just lit a match in the kitchen


In the light of the moon, likable Harlequin
Knocked on the brunette's door, and she responded immediately
Who's knocking like that? And he replied
Open your door, for the God of Love!


In the light of the moon, you can barely see anything
Someone looked for a pen, someone looked for a flame
In all of that looking, I don't know what was found
But I do know that those two shut the door behind them.

Turn it up...et chanter!

Revenir bientôt

Monday Music On A Sunday

Just read a lovely piece of writing about music, frequency, ego and peace so thought I would share it with you.
I love this little paragraph:


'And remember, you're like a song to the people around you. If you pump a room full of happy frequency, you may even make  grumpy people dance. If they don't, tell them to get the hell out...and keep dancing'
It's a nice little read so you can carry on here. http://lesism.blogspot.fr/


As anyone who knows me will tell you, music fills me...it's where I go when I need sustenance.
Sometimes when you are tired or sad, just the sound of a voice can calm you, bring you to a peaceful place...like someone saying "don't worry, everything is fine"


I tend to listen to classical music when I need calming or when I'm in pensive mood or when I need to think and words get in the way.


Opera when I am in drama queen mode.


On days when everything is well with the world I like to rock, to dance around like a mad thing (not a pretty sight at my age but what the hell) and pretend I am not invisible.


Turning all the theory on it's head though, at least for me, are the blues.
They don't make me blue at all, generally they make me want to sing, a skill I have always longed to have, but regardless, I am always happy and willing to give a little rendition of 'Summertime' or 'Lady Sings The Blues' no doubt much to the annoyance of the neighbours (good thing then that I no longer have close neighbours here in Normandy.) 


I can just belt it out with free abandon!

Today I am listening to, and loving this tune. Originally written and recorded by Miss Kate Bush in 1985 for the album 'Hounds of Hell'

This is a fabulous version by Placebo...I like it better! What do you think?

And if I only could, 
I'd make a deal with God, 
And I'd get him to swap our places, 
Be running up that road, 
Be running up that hill, 
Be running up that building. 
Say, If I only could, oh... 

Turn it up!

A bientôt

Les Animaux De La Commune

Since I have been here in Normandie I have walked miles, rain or shine...well mostly rain really.As I mentioned in my previous post I have been lost quite a bit, I have also been muddy quite a bit having fallen down more than one rabbit hole. Freaky how I always seem to find the muddiest spot to do that in.My gorgeous, most comfy, walking shoes which were immaculately clean in the UK really look a bit of a state now.I have loved meeting the inhabitants of La Commune and they have been very welcoming.So far during my cross country hikes, and even here in the village, I have only made the acquaintance of one human being...She was shouting her dog in, who was trying, but failing, to guard his property with all his might...turned out to be a pussy cat in disguise!Anyhow nice lady waved up at me and wished me Bonne journée!
Come and meet Les Animaux de La Commune

Couldn't photograph the frogs but they were certainly enjoying the pond

These little bullocks look like Freisians 

Big scary dog!!!

Little donkey

...who scared the life out of me with the volume of his bray

French cows!

...and a rather matronly cow

Thought they were looking at me a little suspiciously

...they got a little braver, especially the little ones

Morning!

Getting familiar

Okay that's it... I really love you lady

Bonne journée

Kinda Twitter,Kinda Music

Tweet!

Kinda Twitter:


If you look back at one of my earlier posts you will see that I was slightly bemused by the whole Twitter experience.
Tweeting just didn't make any sense to me...talking to complete strangers about absolutely nothing...what a very weird and alien concept.
However you are now talking to the tweeting queen...yes, I'm hooked!
I have been lucky enough to meet some really nice and interesting people.
I have shared, all be it in short sentences, some emotional, interesting and very funny moments.


Kinda Music:


It might have become apparent that I love music...I have shared  some of my favourite pieces with my new tweeting friends and in return they have shared with me.
I have been to many live gigs but I have only seen a short set of The Stereophonics at Live8 in 2005.
So...I have a goal!
Maybe they will come to France...Come on you angels make my dreams come true!
Oh! Forgot to say...not only do I tweet...I speak to the angels too!
Turn it up and rock!




Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life (Berthold Auerbach)

Lost in France

It's been 2 weeks now since I arrived at La Commune.

I've been out walking a lot...trying to find my way around.

I have spent quite a bit of time being...Lost! 

But how exciting getting lost can be!

The place is beautiful, the hedgerows are looking particularly lovely and I have really enjoyed some quiet time alone.

Don't get me wrong I love being among people and have some very special friends old and new... but sometimes a girl needs sanctuary...right ladies (and gentlemen of course)? 

Come with me for a walk round La Commune..

.

Le Bocage

Les abeilles ont été chantant

Si jolie

Crystal de Nature

Portes du château I look forward to seeing you again soon. Take care x

Sentimental Indulgence...A Letter To My Daughter

Forgive me this moment of sentimental indulgence...
Recently I decided to do a short on-line writing course.
I really enjoyed the process, it was somewhat a voyage of discovery where my innermost secrets and feelings took flight and landed on the paper.
The tasks involved writing in 10 minute streams of conciousness and there were various prompts.
One of these was to 'write a letter'
This is an unedited (excuse the grammar) Letter to my Daughter:
Dear Daughter, I just want to tell yo how much I love you and how much I miss you.
You make me laugh often!You inspire me in lots of different ways.You understand me when others don't and I just want to tell you how glad I am that you were born to me.
There have been times I feel I have let you down.Sometimes I have been selfish, particularly in the early years when I had no experience of motherhood, when support was somewhat lacking.I was little more than a child myself not ready yet for a baby of my own.I was inexperienced in the ways of parenting.I am so happy that I stood my ground in those early days and that meddling others failed.
My task on this course is to 'write a letter'...I chose to write to you my beautiful girl.
I thought of writing to my mother but then decided it would be painful...maybe negative...that I would no doubt cry.I didn't know that writing to you would also reduce me to tears...but in a good way.
We are quite different really but so alike.
I wish I could bake cakes like yours!
Thank you for my beautiful grandchildren.
Thank you for always being there when I need a moan or a hug.
Thank you for helping me design my blog and for all the advice and constructive criticism,Sorry I have been such a pain!
I love that you love the same kind of things that I do, that you love the same kind of junk as I do, that you love truffling for treasure as I do.
I wish you were a bit tidier!
One kind of little negative in amongst a whole heap of positives
with all my love mum x

...to all my lovely daughters 'I love you'  xxx

I love religious icons...I have collected many over the years and when I find new ones it is always difficult for me to part with them...


These two will be in my Etsy shop very soon.

Notre Dame de Pontmain

Qu'c'est beautiful!" says he in a moment: a lady dressed in dark blue, with stars like the vault of the church.

A mourning veil framing her face thin and young.

She wears a golden crown marked with a red border halfway up, she smiles and holds out his hands towards the child.

Silver-tone crucifix on teak wood

Festival Des Fleurs Faux

My first trip to the local Depot Vente yielded little!


On the plus side I didn't spend any euros, but... quelle domage!
no treasures today!


I was tempted by this pile of 78"s but decided against, my decision based on the fact that I don't own a gramophone.

0ld 78"s

What I did find was a flourish of fake flowers...lots of them!


I am not a lover of fake flowers and my superstitious side says it is unlucky to have fake flowers in the house (and dead flowers too!) but I did enjoy taking these photos, they brightened up a very wet and windy day in Normandie.

It's been raining quite a bit since I arrived in Normandie

 Enjoy my festival of flowers...Bon journée!

Le Depot Vente

Les Fleurs

plus des fleurs

Who will buy?

A little more tasteful I think!

...not sure about these!

Little bunch in big pot!

Reviens vite mon les mignons !