Tuesday, July 30, 2013

"T" is for Tuesday...

It's funny how your mind works. 

Last week I was bringing a couple of the grandchildren home for a sleepover and to keep them amused during the car ride we played some games.

First it was " I Spy" and then we tried the "Alphabet Game", you know where you say "A" is for apple and so on, this turned out to be the boys' favourite game.

So today that's how my title was arrived at ... 
"T" is for "Tuesday".

    A unisex hairdresser's shop in Duravel, France

Today started with Monsieur Honey visiting the local Barber Shop in our town... "Pour un coupe de cheveux bien nécessaire"... "for a much needed haircut".

He and I left at the same time, he travelling by horsepower from the car and I used my shanks' pony to walk downtown.

After our errands were done we ventured further south for a drive and lunch...ending up in Port Burwell.


We sat outside in the patio area at the Lighthouse Restaurant surrounded by Canadian flags and the oh so French geraniums reminiscing about our "French Rendezvous".

I asked Monsieur Honey... what the highlights of our French trip were for him.. so now here I am trying to remember what he said... the list is in no particular order.

The friendships ... catching up with old friends and cultivating new relationships.

Gardening at "Beaucaillou".
"Spannering" in Cazals
Oh yes "The Kiss" from Jenny!
The many Brocantes / Vide-Greniers and treasures we found...
                      
   
And some we didn't acquire...

All the different foods, wonderful meals and restaurants...and of course the wine both French and Italian.

The "yellow fleshed chickens" and the potatoes that taste like butter... and why can't we grow them here?
The pleasure of guiding our English friends "J & A" on their first visit to Southwest France.
The village resident with the birds who one day introduced himself to Monsieur Honey and shook his hand... not typical of the French.
The Italian themed soirée at Le Diabolo Fraise in Nabirat where we were treated to a feast prepared by Cathy and Fred, had fun with our "Belgian Connection" friends and made new friends with I & J.
The Rogues Concert in the vineyards at Le Caillau. 
An evening of great food, friendship and festivities with live music in the most perfect setting.

The getaway at "Chateau D'Ygrande" with our French Connection friends, B & C.

Fortuitously stumbling upon the Hotel in Bidart...that had it's own tropical oasis and provided the perfect base for our week's adventure along the Basque Coast.



...and as we continued to reminisce we realized the list was way too long.

My highlights closely mirrored Monsieur Honey's.

My new friendship with Madame M and our talks and walks was a wonderful part of this adventure for me.
Madame  M and I both think that Monsieur Honey and Monsieur Guy enjoyed their time doing "guy" things while we walked .... eg. concrete work and tiling of the terrace and of course sharing a cold one after a hard day's work.


After lunch we drove east along the Lakeshore ... 

    The Lighthouse...which houses the Tourist Office in Port Burwell.
    The Submarine Ojibwa...
    Everything you need for outdoor activities...
   The windmills along the lake...

Sailboats and soybeans... Can you see the boat? 
I know it's just a speck...this is why I need a camera with a better zoom feature.
   The Waterfowl Reserve... Long Point Conservation Authority

Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday...

Monday, July 29, 2013

Finding a Nook

"In this sequestered nook how sweet,"
To sit upon my orchard seat
And birds and flowers once more to greet."
... William Wordsworth


Here it is Sunday morning again and it's been another busy week.

Summer time activities with the family while they were on their cottage vacations at the lake. 

Fun times at the beach with the little ones playing in the water, building sandcastles with moats and running water and even volcanoes.

Some of the grandchildren are so confident in the water while others were finding their comfort zone and by the end of the week Sawyer was also not so afraid to venture into the lake and was playing "jump" in the waves maybe they were just ripples... summer memories!

This morning I am baking a cake using a new recipe by Paola Westbeek, known as the Queen of French Cuisine for Gateau aux pêches (French Peach Cake), it's in the oven now and the aroma is wafting throughout the house... I'll let you know later how it tastes...

   The cake...it was delicious!

Today I found a nook in our home and spent sometime blogging.

As I was looking through our "Postcard Photos" I found these of different places to sit and relax.

Take your pick which nook you would like to sit in?

Each one will provide a different view and experience.

     The stone bench by the babbling brook in Catus

    Bench outside a shop in Esplette
  
A "Bench" with a view of the Atlantic Ocean (Bidart, France) on this day it was Monsieur Honey's pick.

The view from the Table d'Orientation high above Gourdon...
 
A bleacher seat at Chateau des Milandes...where you might watch the Bird of Prey show and long views over the valley.
 
An inviting table and chairs outside the jewelry shop in Daglan.

Lakeside seating at the Plan d'eau Dégagnac ...
ready for a picnic of baguettes, cheese, fresh fruit and a bottle of wine!

Or maybe the stone bench in the Gambetta Square, Cahors on a hot day watching the children playing in the fountain.


This storekeeper in Monpazier knows what he's doing ... okay Monsieur Honey you can sit here and people watch while I check out the neat things in this shop.

Maybe some quiet time under the arbor in the medieval garden in Salviac.

Or lounging by the pool at Domaine Gaury...

A table for two on a quiet side street in Sarlat

The park bench overlooking the boules court in Dégagnac 

Relaxing bench in the vineyards ... Chateau Monbazillac 

  Let's sit here awhile...

Man and his best friend keeping watch in the village of L'Herm.

 Maybe a beach chair with a view over the beach and ocean in Biarritz.

Hope you all had a good weekend and found your own little nook!

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Soon ...

It's been a week since my last post ... busy with Summer time.

I have a couple of posts that I' m writing and will publish them very soon.