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Rosie’sFrenchAdventuresandIrish Shenanigans.com

~ Letting ‘Life’ show me the way.

Rosie’sFrenchAdventuresandIrish Shenanigans.com

Tag Archives: Dancing

Partying Francais style

25 Saturday May 2019

Posted by RosieJoseph in Food in France, Friends, People, The adventures of living life in the French countryside, The continuing adventure

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

aperitifs, Dancing, drinking in France, English food, French food, Friends, happy times, neighbours, parties, The Village People, voisins, Welsh Terriers, YMCA

Some of my readers may remember the big birthday party that we went to last year: it lasted two days!

You can read about it here

So really when we were invited to our friends and neighbours house yesterday we should have known better than to think we would only be there the two hours that etiquette dictates for aperitifs. We left our doors open, the Welshies bounding around the garden, didn’t feed any of the cats, and off we went. We don’t know what time we got home!

The evening started sedately with dainty morsels to eat, whisky for Richard and a fruity drink for the ladies. We had taken over some prawn cocktail crisps for Manon, Marc’s niece, she love fish & chips so we thought she would like to try a flavour of crisps that is popular in the UK. (Just an aside: in England chips are called crisps and fries are called chips, but if they are thin then they are called fries. Confused, you will be!)

Anyhow back to my story of how we are slowly introducing our French friends to English food: we took two packets and then Rich went back for more. With the exception of about three people there they were a resounding success. So we upped the anti: If you look in the photo above you will see a black and yellow jar which is a jar of marmite. Rich bought that back over with him as well and proceeded to spread it on the prawn cocktail crisps and feed them to our French friends, They loved them, well some loved them, some pulled the face so many pull when they try marmite for the first time! The marmite fest was under way, they spread it on cheese, various types and it was a success. All this time Marc was constantly topping up everyone’s glasses: rose wine for me and whisky for Rich.

A marmite eating contest ensued, which Rich obviously won because he is used to it. The poor Frenchman put too much in his mouth in one go and ended up with marmite all over his beard. (We’re still giggling about that this morning).

As the drink flowed music was found and I found myself in a surreal moment as I danced to YMCA with a room full of French people, with my husband standing the other side of the table leading the dance moves. It’s fair to say we were pretty pissed by then!

It is one of the things of this adventure that we are so blessed with our friends and neighbours that we have: all French, all supportive, they have welcomed us into their lives and family parties and we know that it is an honour that they have. Just another reason for taking that chance and having that adventure.

Moisy

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Five go mad in France

16 Monday Apr 2018

Posted by RosieJoseph in Friends, People, The continuing adventure

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Ambrières-les-Vallées, Dancing, dauphinois, Fontaine Daniel, France, French cheese, French medieval villages, Friends, Lassay-les-Châteaux, Mayenne, Patisseries, Sainte-Suzanne, Welsh Terriers, Welshie puppies, Welshies

As I sit here this morning in the Spring Sunshine looking out at this view and listening to the birds welcoming spring with their song, I feel both at home and also sad; because the rooms in our house are echoing with the memories of the last week that we have had with three good friends, who I have just waved goodbye to as they start their journey home, leaving the rooms forlorn and empty.

I always feel like this when people leave. Yes, part of our adventure is that we do not see people we used to know often, but, for some, that would have been the case in England; I think what makes it so different out here is that when they leave the distance between us is palpable.

So last week Karen and the Dyls monster arrived

With two other good friends, Jenny, who we had not seen for four years, but who has always been so supportive of our choice to go on this adventure;

and Russell who I had lost touch with for twenty years!!

But, as life does, my mini bus trundled round and Russ got back on board in recent years (take a look at my post ‘The mini bus of life’)

As is always the case with three Welsh Terriers in the garden, with four cats (Tilly has sadly not returned) and six chickens, mayhem ensued. Welsh Terriers are known for their naughtiness and stubbornness so the cats set up a cat flat in our bedroom, and just starting to decamp now. One of the themes of the week was ‘Where’s Dylan?’ Or hearing people say ‘You Cow!’ You just knew that they were talking about the dog!

On arrival the olives, cheese (soft cheese with fig in it, Sheeps cheese, blue cheese, goats cheese, you name it) and of course the wine came out. Much was consumed and we forgot about the spaghetti Bolognese I was going to make and ended up with sausage sandwiches instead!

After a day to recover from the journey they were off on their adventures, sometimes with me in tow. At the beginning of the week we visited the pretty little village of Fontaine Daniel, four of us (sadly Rich was unavailable) and the three Welshies, bundled into a Peugeot; and despite the April rain we were determined….

But eventually the rain turned into a downpour and we decamped to,our local town of Mayenne for some coffee and patisserie

Over the week they went off on their own, with the sat nav and hand drawn maps, depicting how to find the local shops, and visited the pretty town of Lassay-les-Châteaux,

Later in the week, with me in tow we visited the beautiful pilgrimage village of Pontmain with it’s stunning church and stained glass windows. It is said that the Virgin Mary appeared in the village, and stopped the advance of the Prussian forces in 1871.

Then with Rich in tow we took them to the beautiful, and one of my favorite, medieval villages in France, Sainte Suzanne. A fortress village, that is perched high on a hill it is quite stunning, and after a lunch of tornados de boeuf, (a cut of steak) and the obligatory dauphinois potatoes we walked it off with a walk around the village and it’s reinstated medieval gardens.

We have taken them to our hometown of Ambrières-les-Vallées, and after having a drink or two in the bar, returned home to have dancing in the kitchen, copious amounts of food and wine, and huge amounts of laughing.

We have Sat in the garden, as the weather started to get warmer,and watched the Welshies doing zoomies around it, and the time has gone way too fast.

So now I sit here with two exhausted Welshies, who are also sad because the puppy has left, the washing machine is on, the chicken’s are waiting for brunch, and the cats are slowly leaving their flat! This is the normality of life for me; and I am, once again, reminded of how fleeting life is and how blessed I am. Enjoy every moment.

Have a safe journey my friends, the chapter five go mad in France is over……..

Moisy…

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A special Christmas….

23 Saturday Dec 2017

Posted by RosieJoseph in Friends, People, Reflections, The continuing adventure

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

cats, Chickens, Christmas, Dancing, Dogs, Excess, Good Food, kindness, My Friend, My Son, People, Poignant, Special Christmas, Tandoori Chicken, understanding, Welsh Terriers, What's important, Wii

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This year is going to be a very very special Christmas for me; our dear friend Karen is coming to stay with her Welshie puppy (three Welsh Terriers, five cats and seven chickens, mayhem will commence!!) But more than that she is bringing my son Tom with her.

Twenty eight years ago I was in labour ( I know terrible timing!) and Tom eventually came into the world the early hours of Christmas Eve. A bouncing 9lb 3oz baby boy.

After that I spent every Christmas with him, despite my later divorce, Tom always spent Christmas with me (or at least part of it when girlfriends came on the scene.) But since moving here I have not seen Tom, in fact it was three years ago when we celebrated our last Christmas in England that I last saw him.

So today, as I know they have boarded the train, I find my eyes filling with tears because I am going to see my son, and I cannot wait. I don’t need any other present, he should just get out of the car with a big bow around him.

For those who have followed my blog for some time you will know that whilst I love Christmas I also believe that it is also a time of excess and at times crassness. It is as if people are drugged by the hype and hysteria fed to them and have lost site of what Christmas is meant to be about: a time for reflection, kindness and consideration.

I have come to realise, since living a frugal adventure and reading the Tao, that money and things do not buy you happiness, love and the actions of others do. So my Christmas is going to be all about being with people we love, Rich and I have not bought each other presents – we had our hair cut instead – and we will tie bows around our heads on Christmas morning and then untie them and shout surprise!!

We do have handmade gifts, and some of my Etsy shop cherished finds to give as gifts but more than anything the gifts to each other will be good food, for me cooking for others, chicken Kiev tonight, tandoori chicken tomorrow (as requested by Tom), playing on the Wii, watching the television, playing board games, going for walks with all the puppies in the beautiful countryside that surrounds us, drinking and dancing, talking to each other; and looking at Harley and all the others and counting our blessings.

Happy Christmas everyone; please say a prayer for those who are alone at Christmas, and those whose lives are difficult at this time (sadly illness and death still happen at Christmas time) and understand that, sometimes, not everyone is happy at this time.

Have a mellow, reflective Christmas one and all – look around and count your blessings, trust me they will not be material things.

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Moisy xx

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