More chocolate more eggs

Easter Monday...still it rains.
Lazy day just doing getting  ready for estate agents visits.
Go on google just to check up on dominos and the rules....
off for coffee and domino game with Marie and Joaquim.  Very nervous have written few words to cover ie pass... etc.
Very serious...open door to smiles and en famille.  Wonderful i have been so fortunate to find these lovely people.  Take chocolate eggs and orange cigarettes.....more chocolate cakes...coffee and laughing and then out comes the box.  Complete with separate box for money tiles.... do I need a mortgage.
We play for 2 hours I can't believe it and I only won once.....Joaquim says Marie is the lucky one...and she did win all the time.....amazing and why did I worry...language and game well done! Funny how the numbers and dots add up and fall down on the table.
No more chocolate now until next year.  Such sweet tooths for elderly people.  Wonderful fun I wonder how I could get on with SCRABBLE in French perhaps a little spanish thrown in..totally impossible I am sure but may try.
Thank you dear people.  I am most grateful for having you as I can say my friends....
Serious cooking now from tomorrow.
Planning the shopping and the meals/menus see how little I can survive on financially.  Taken out chicken breast from freezer will make super supper for me tomorrow.....will write the recipes.  Watching the lbs and the £s.  I have 2 months before going back to Wales to drs and my treatments.  Want everything to be better this time so that they will let me stay longer......

Good Friday to Monday.

Called to see my old folks and wish them well. at 11.30 they were just sitting down to early lunch.  Invited me in and pulled up chair and shared their repas.  Soup, trout en paupiette, salad cheese nuts and paste sweetened fruit.. told when to go as they always have a sleep.  Home for a lazy afternoon and sort papers and photos of family  Started family tree with photos....will post up.
Invited for coffee at 4pm this is how the Aznars are...precise and makes me feel comfortable as I don't want to out stay the welcome.  Although French spoken a little spanish creeps in...I am trying... and getting by.
  Sat and chatted and then formal invite to lunch for tomorrow the Easter meal.  WOW I feel so honoured they want me to share.  My 2nd family adoption.
Take some bubbles..made melon balls and cakes.  Amuse bouche little biscuits and nuts with the bubbles...glad I took the bottle. Lunch on the big table in the salle a manger....all laid up ..how kind how lovely. Quiche Lorraine for starter in the most perfect puff pastry...Marie is 86 amazing lady!  The pair of them such hospitality.  Followed by pasta maison...ribbons with meat and tomato sauce.  Chicken followed with beetroot and artichoke hearts.  Cheese local and bread and then fruit from the summer we picked peaches and pears.  Marie had bottled.  Wonderful 3 full hours gone by just eating and chatting and laughing...all in French.  Another invite for tomorrow.  Dominos and coffee at 4pm.

My first Easter in south of France.

Maunday Thursday
Busy making chocolate cup cakes.
weight of egg/ 2 x 2 x 2 flour sugar and butter.  tablespoon of chocolate powder or bournville cocoa.
Individual small cup cake moulds to cook.  When cold make up chocolate butter cream with icing sugar scoop out center cut into 2 to make butterfly wings...pipe in butter cream, place in butterfly wings and dust with icing sugar white.  Delicious.
To distribute...to.....
 1 for Nicholas my butcher in Bedarieux the best meat ever and always such a welcome nothing too much trouble...low and behold its his birthday Easter Saturday could not have been better timed. 1 for my little veg/cold meat counter girl.  Always smiling and speaking so slowly for me to understand.  Its been a long haul this learning the language.  But hey ho mastering a little more each day!  2 for my neighbours Francoise and Batiste.  They are working so hard on new kitchen I feel sorry for them....always such a mess kitchen replacement I know wonderful at the end...but who wants to come back to work mans mess when you have had a full day at work!  Nearly finished.... 2 for the Aznars my saviours and now 2nd family.  For all the coffees the language and just the comfort to know I have some one close by just if.....
Off to see Jacqueline for translation ready to put new offer in place for gas and electric...for 2 years.  good price cheaper than Wales.  What a wonderful friend to help in translation and supporting me.  Take her soup doesn't eat chocolate.  Made wonderful veg soup with ham stock like minestrone.....all veg cut into small dice with tomatoes, pasta and garlic and herbs from Joaquim s mountain garden..
Home for tea and a bun my sugar fix.  Enough for today.

Wednesday lunch date with Susannah  find her www.languedocretreats.com
house all spring cleaned smelling just wonderful orange oil.  odd fluff ball hanging about but can't do it all in a day!  lunch prepared all the best crockery and china/glass.  Why not use everyday...everyday is a special day after being so ill.
My grannies champagne bowl for starter, fish plate for the salmon actually a fish only 6 left....a special purchase by my dad all those years ago...how they have survived all the packing and unpacking in the move.
dessert on glass plate with apple juice/water in glass.
french cake no butter - dunkin doughnuts vanilla coffee for elevensis.  the best coffee cups and saucers - victorian gold and green royal doulton - HARRODS my grannies best.....yellow cloth and napkins.  red roses....and my gift from Susannah yellow roses how lovely.
So much to say ...tour of the house fabrics to see and touch.  My dad was in the trade - I collect fabric like others buy shoes.
then a massage....such a luxury.....so much pain and side effects from the cancer pills.  I am so fortunate.
cup of tea and then she left with home made marmalade easter eggs and a hug.
Someone for me to lean on and support me just in case!  What friends are made of after all these years!
All into the dishwasher OMG just thought we didin't take photos.

Lovely day opening all the windows and french doors onto terrace for breakfast.....time to plan.  Must go shopping I have got a college friend of Sarah my daughter coming for lunch tomorrow Susannah Cartwright.  She lives in Roquebrun and runs her own business massage/retreats for well being.  Time for re energising and of course spoiling ones self.  She will even travel to you how amazing is that. She also has workshops and trains.
Will keep the odd spider to eat the bugs just need to play MABLE and rid the cobwebs.
Planning menu for lunch.
Must buy roses for table.
Already made fatless sponge flour sugar yoghurt and oil...light and airy..just delicious.
Serve with"dunkin doughnuts vanilla coffee from States".  A treat a present for me from my daughter!  Just wonderful.  No need for sugar or milk if preferred black!
Shopped for veg in season - asparagus - wonderful and green, local produce.  A little salmon, melon and oranges in season for starter.
Segments of orange and melon cantaloupe balls.  A drizzle of vanilla and juices to steep.
Salmon sealed in foil envelope with lemon juice seasoning and butter, then baked in oven.
Hollandaise for both asparagus and fish.
Asparagus spears gently steamed al dente.  Side dish of bulgar wheat with diced with cucumber with vinaigrette made with pear balsamic vinegar.
Home made cream caramel....and so many people don't know this is an English dish - side dish to accompany of fresh Spanish strawberries delicious red and juicy ready for Easter celebrations.
Decided on yellow napkins and cloth, bit of spring.  Roses for the table.
Every where clean and tidy...I feel at home again so quickly the changes from Wales to France.  Just to have the sun.  Can it be so cold in wales still all that snow and the problems that have occurred.

Picnic up the mountain

Picked up mamman and papa [our neighbours, the Aznars] and went up the mountain to their land and house....can you imagine the snow in Wales and UK and here we are lighting a fire and having a picnic on their terroir!  Glorious views over Bedarieux valley and the haute Languedoc and surrounding mountains most of all glorious fresh air.  Just to laugh enjoy good food and company.  Met the neighbours, [plumber and wife] and catching up with life.  The first of many days to come as the spring arrives and turns to summer sunshine.  Went home with bouquet of spring flowers a little chilly as the after noon progresses but hey we are here and settling into the most amazing life ahead........... back home to escalope of turkey breaded topped with lemon juice served with rice a la maison adding chopped onion, courgette mushroom, fennel and leek garlic and fresh ginger.  Dessert baked bananas in rum and dates fresh orange juice, oranges are delicious at the moment ...marmalade season here ...

Friday 22nd March 2013

Just started to blog and hope to post up a scrapbook of day to day life in the South of France.  Very exciting.  Up and running very soon!