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Tag Archives: aperitifs

Aperitifs, birthdays and champagne

27 Sunday Jan 2019

Posted by in Food in France, Friends, Simple things, The continuing adventure

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It’s been a strange couple of weeks, my sister turned sixty (60!!!) on the 18th of January and it made me realise as I turned 56 last Friday the 25th just how time is of the essence. But more of that in future blogs.

One of the best things about living here is that we are blessed with wonderful French neighbours; out of all the arseholes we have met over the years on this adventure none of them are French!

Our neighbours knew that things had been difficult for Rich and I, and my darling friend Martine knew it was my birthday, so a couple of Sundays ago they rang our bell and invited us for aperitifs at their house on the 18th (my sisters birthday). It was so lovely of them, and it made me feel better because I couldn’t get to see my sister on this landmark birthday (that is all part of the adventure, but I am sad I missed it).

On the evening of the 18th our neighbours and friends Marc and Nadia picked us up, and when we got to Martine and Michel’s home the assortment of aperitifs was amazing: mussels, stuffed cherry tomatoes, olives, little hot dog balls, spinach in pastry, so many things!) Out came the champagne and I found myself, in my basic French, conversing with my French friends about politics, and language.

We laughed about the hot dog balls being called knackers! Explained the dual meaning of that word in the English language which made them laugh, and this led to a conversation about the word for testicles in French! They have a fantastic sense of humour and really are lovely people.

Fast forward to my birthday, I had given myself a gift of a day of doing nothing: no logs, no new FB sites, no ironing, washing, writing, no promotion of my book and blogs on social media, nada! In the early evening I did venture out to the postbox and Marc called me. We were invited to their house for champagne, and when we arrived there was a big bunch of flowers waiting for me. The time flew by, as it always does with them and it really made my day. Hubby cooked me a Mexican so hot I couldn’t eat it, and it was the day I wanted, with some added extras along the way.

But I am at a crossroads……

Is it my age?

Moisy

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The water is flowing, and we are thankful for change

05 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by in Change is a coming, My home, The adventures of living life in the French countryside, The continuing adventure, The good life

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So the water men arrived early, in fact they were digging up the field before the sun had fully risen over the horizon..

It is fair to say that as soon as they arrived they got stuck in, and did not stop. They had to dig a huge trench from the field opposite our house come under the road and up by our ditch (the one we had to climb into in our pyjamas when the naughty Welshies were chasing hedgehogs! See ‘The hedgehogs, the Welshies, the ditch and pyjamas)

But the problem was the huge pine tree that had been felled in February was still laying in the ditch, and it is so big our neighbour is going to have to lift it out for us with his tractor! (That is the problem when they knock on your door the day before to say ‘We’re coming tomorrow to do this huge job, see you before eight!’)

‘Oh no!’ We thought, but the lovely French man called us over and asked if it was okay for him to push the tree over towards our fence with his big digger. ‘Go for it!’ We said, so he did and now our life is easier because all of the overgrown weeds have been dug up, and the branches have been broken off. Result! We thought.

Nothing fazes the French!

In no time at all we had a huge hole in front of the house, and could not get out of the gate easily, our fence by the chemin was up and it was established that our wall would have to be drilled; that is when they called hubby over and told him he would have to do it (probably because of liability) handed him a huge drill, with an even bigger drill bit attached, and sent him on his way. God knows what they would have done if I was here on my own!!

We did not believe, at one point, that they would get such a big job done in a day, but they did and left before six, just in time for aperitifs.

Despite previous information, things I had asked for, and told I would have to fill in copious amounts of paperwork for, were just provided. I wrote a cheque and they drove off without it!

But, that is France as I said before!

So we have mains water, we have new gates, what’s coming next? Life will show us the way!

Moisy