Advent Day Six

Welcome to Day Six of my #FrenchVillageBookworm Advent Calendar.

Yesterday was a day of action for charity that found us on the bikes from dawn until dusk, but where delicious food was on hand almost nonstop to keep our energy levels topped up. It was the annual Chef Boutonne Cyclothon, a 60 km cycle tour of the canton raising money for Téléthon, the fundraising event that takes place throughout France on the first weekend in December, to support families with children with muscular dystrophy. Every village we passed through welcomed us like kings and offered a selection of sweet treats from biscuits to brioche, cake to coffee, sandwiches to satsumas, mulled wine and more.

Defrosting my fingers with mulled wine

It was a freezing cold start and despite many layers of clothes I was painfully cold, however this glass of mulled wine at the first stop (8.44am) soon warmed me up and gets my vote for the best mulled wine of the day.

The biggest brioche I've ever seen

The best brioche of the day had to go to this giant that despite the size was the lightest brioche I have ever eaten.

Our village welcomes the cyclothon

The best hot chocolate of the day had to be the afternoon stop in our village, not only because it was the first hot chocolate of the day, and there is only so much mulled wine you can drink without falling off your bike, but also because it was a proper, rich and milky hot chocolate that gave me the energy needed to get back on my bike rather than give up and walk home.

Homemade cakes for hungry cyclists

The best cake selection goes to the last village we stopped in where there were at least six different homemade cakes perfectly presented in bite-sized portions, and yes I did sample them all.

Tired but happy after 60km

It was a challenge, but it was also an incredibly fun day out and we were rewarded with the most spectacular sunset at the end of the day.

Today for my French Village Bookworm advent countdown I am featuring the books of local Poitou-Charentes author Susie Kelly who is no stranger to tackling tough physical challenges, like walking alone from La Rochelle in the west of France to Lake Geneva in the east, or cycling from Versailles in the west of Paris, through Paris and on to the east following in the footsteps of Marie Antoinette. Susie’s adventures are well written, entertaining, as she encourages to laugh at her misfortunes and informative as she shares her knowledge of the France she travels through. Susie has also written a series of cookbooks influenced from her well travelled life, that are ideal for those of us who like simple, easy meals. The ebook version of The Lazy Cook book two is currently FREE on Amazon.

Links to my reviews of her books can be found below and you can read my France et Moi interview here.

Best Foot Forward

Travels With Tinkerbelle

The Valley of Heaven and Hell

Swallows and Robins

The Lazy Cook

A French village in hibernation

Hibernating cat

Despite the mildest November we have experienced (and this is our 11^th) I have a feeling that our village has already entered into its period of winter hibernation. This is not my favourite time of year and the idea of hiding away until spring is very appealing however there is plenty going on in the run up to Christmas to keep me busy, but where is everyone else?

Last Friday I attended a meeting the Maire had set up to find out what the adolescents in the village would like the council to do for them. Invitations were personally delivered to all aged 11 to 18 (about 20) but unfortunately the only one to turn up was Ed and if I’m honest it was because I told him he had to! (I really am that mean parent). I had the usual grumps as we walked down to the meeting; why do I have to go? I don’t want to hang around with any of the other kids in the village. I don’t want anything except faster Internet. How long will it last? etc

I felt so sorry for him as all eyes were on him as we arrived and if looks could kill I may well have dropped dead as he walked into the salle des fêtes and had his choice of empty seats. It could have been a lively evening where ideas were discussed, taken note of and plans put into place. Instead, it was a little awkward until his ruffled feathers were smoothed with the Coke and apero nibbles that came out afterwards and he began to feel important rather than intimidated by the attention. Our Maire looked on the bright side; we had the youth development officer who presented the project the local town are planning and she was impressed that we are the only commune in the canton to start thinking about what we can do for our youth. But where were our youth?

Bourse aux jouets - toy sale

Last Sunday we held a successful bourse aux jouets (second hand toy sale) in the village salle des fêtes. I was very impressed with the number of good quality toys piled up on the tables, ready and waiting for their new families. However, not one seller was a family from our village and although there were some local faces out searching for a bargain, most were from outside our commune, which I think was a shame. Where was everyone?

Village volunteers

We are usually busy at this time of year organising a charity meal for the first Friday of December as part of the nationwide Téléthon fundraising weekend. However at the meeting a few weeks ago to plan the details only eight people turned up and half of them were the four of us organising it! I was confident that we would be able to manage, as it is something we have done many times before, but the general opinion was that if no one could be bothered to come along to the meeting who would come along on the night. Costs would also be higher, meaning less money raised, as usually all the vegetables are donated by local farmers and potager growers, but with none of them at the meeting there were no guarantees of free produce this year. I know I’m not the only one who thinks it is a shame it isn’t going ahead. It has always been a lively, fun evening with a great atmosphere, but it needs the support of the villagers to make happen and at the moment it seems they’ve all gone into hibernation. Roll on spring.

Early December

Café de la Paix, La Rochelle

I have been a little quiet on the blog as I took some time to enjoy five treasured days, the only ones that Ade had at home this month. I collected him from the airport at La Rochelle and we treated ourselves to a date at the delightfully decorated Café de la Paix before heading home where I kept him busy with the list of things that had broken/gone wrong in the time he had been away. I can’t tell you how lovely it was to have someone who was strong enough to put the front gate back on it’s hinges, someone to look at the slow puncture on my car, someone to struggle along with when manoeuvring the heavy pot plants indoors for winter, someone to encourage me to get out on the bike, someone to snuggle up with at night and someone to talk to when watching TV of an evening, even if we did miss many of the programmes when the talking took over. I even enjoyed getting up early on Sunday and making him a fresh batch of plum jam that was still warm when we breakfasted on our croissants and coffee.

My lovely weekend has evolved into a very busy week, as I am part of the organising team cooking up a meal for over 100 people for the Téléthon charity this weekend. I have been shopping for vast quantities of food and drink, helped with peeling kilos of vegetables and tonight we will be setting out the tables and chairs in the salle des fêtes before eating a yummy tartiflette together. Top tip – if you want people to come and help with something always offer a delicious homemade meal.

Thankfully having Mini and her doggy friend Toffee, who is staying with us this week, means I do have to go out every day and enjoy some quiet time in the countryside. There is not much to beat a crisp, early morning December walk with frosted hedgerows and mist clinging to the fields. Winter isn’t my favourite time of year but I can appreciate the beauty that is out there when you take time to look. The cold and frost are suggesting winter, but the stubborn golden leaves are still clinging on to autumn. There are deer in distant fields that thankfully the dogs don't notice and clouds of lapwings crying and calling out in protest as we disturb them in the fields. Life may be busy, both for Ade away at work and for me but I’ve lots to be thankful for and it won’t be too long before I have another date with my favourite man at my favourite café in La Rochelle. I hope you enjoy these pictures from my dog walks.

Frosty morning walks

December country walks

Telethon Charity Meal

It has been a fantastically busy weekend, with the highlight being our Téléthon charity meal on Friday night.  Téléthon is an annual event in France raising money for research, and to help the families of children with genetic conditions like muscular dystrophy.  It is also an annual tradition for our village to host a meal and raffle with all proceeds going to the Téléthon appeal.  This year things were run a little differently from previous years and I somehow found myself as one of the three organisors.  My telephone number was on the posters, so I found myself having to take down names and numbers spelt out in rapid French over the phone.  I also found myself attending meetings where I was expected to talk, listen, understand half a dozen conversations being simultaneously spoken in French and take notes for the minutes – all I can say is that my French neighbours must think my French is so much better than it actually is.  All I wanted to do was peel some vegetables and help in the meal preparation like I have done in previous years and spend some time soaking up the fun, convivial atmosphere of an evening with good friends.  Never mind, we made it, and our recently renovated village salles des fêtes was packed to capacity and the atmosphere was buzzing.  The newly arrived retired chef from Lyon made himself at home in the new kitchen and in a flash, without a glimpse of stress, he rustled up a tasty spaghetti bolognaise for the volunteers who set the hall up on Wednesday (nothing is done in France without food), and a beef bourguignon for Friday night.  I think the only thing that spooked him was the small army of village women bearing vegetable peelers and invading his space, but he’ll get used to that.  I also have a feeling he spent the night in the kitchen as by the time we arrived on Saturday morning to prepare the brioche and mulled wine for the cyclothon that was pit stopping in the village, all was done and the smell of the wine was divine.  Next year we have decided to join the cyclothon, a 50 km bike ride around the local area with numerous (like every 7 km) stops in villages ready to ply you with pastries and hot chocolate, coffee and biscuits, brioche and mulled wine, a three course lunch and afternoon snacks too – how much fun does that sound like!  Although we haven’t quite worked out a final figure raised for Téléthon, our takings were over 1500€, which for a village of 350 we are very pleased with that.

Sunday was spent at a Christmas market held in a cold, but beautiful Abbaye, where we nibbled on raspberry macroons, drank yet more mulled wine and bought some Christmas presents too.  Monday arrived with the shock of a 5.45am alarm, so Ade could make an early morning flight to London.  With Ed out of the house by 7.45 I had plenty of time to plan my English conversation session at the local college, on a Christmas theme.  Despite it being a great British tradition I decided not to take mulled wine, but I did make a batch of mince pies to share with the kids that went down well, as did a box of crackers complete with silly hats and naff gifts. 

The best thing about today was the ‘me’ time where I treated myself to a back, neck and shoulder massage with essential oils, and it was bliss.  A friend with a beauty treatment business had a work experience girl who needed bodies to practice on and all treatments were half price.  The treatment room was beautifully scented, warm, with oak beams, high ceilings and relaxing music, just perfect to unwind and enjoy being pampered which I did.

Please don't forget there are still a couple of days left to enter my Susie Kelly giveaway see here.

Beginning to feel a bit like Christmas

This week has been a busy one and with a BIG event in the village tomorrow (a charity meal for over 100 people that I am helping to organise) it is not over yet. 

Earlier in the week I met some lovely local ladies at a blogging/social media session run by another local blogger Emma, (you can read her blog here). As online socialising is something I find much easier than face to face socializing I was a little bit out of my comfort zone to begin with, but I am so glad I went. It was really nice to meet the people behind the Facebook page or blog and an added bonus was that I received some lovely comments about French Village Diaries that made me blush. If any of you new bloggers just happen to be reading this then thank you and please contact me if you think I can be of any help.

Ade and I have also had an exciting time in Poitiers, our local (one hours drive away) big town, where we pretty much managed to finish the Chirsitmas present shopping, and by the beginning of December too. This is a first, but as I still need to write the cards I can’t be too smug just yet. 

If you are still looking for some Christmas ideas my friend Jeannie at Belle Fusion has some lovely handmade glass pieces and she is running a competition on her Facebook page (see here). For all of you book lovers, here is a cheeky little Christmas present ideas link, if you are looking for some inspiration.

C – The Confidant

H – Hidden in Paris

R – Ramblings in Ireland

I – The Illustrated Olive Farm

S – Swallows and Robins - The Guests In My Garden

T – Travels With Tinkerbelle: 6,000 Miles Around France In A Mechanical Wreck

M – Markets of Paris: Second Edition

A – An Olive Oil Tour of France

S – Sell the Pig

G – Grape Expectations: A Family's Vineyard Adventure in France

I – I'll Never be French No Matter What I Do

F – Faking It In France

T – Treachery in Bordeaux (The Winemaker Detective Series)

S – Son of Serge Bastarde: Mayhem in the Antiques Markets of Rural France

Assuming I survive the Téléthon ‘do’ tomorrow night I will let you know all about it in my next post, please keep your fingers crossed, thank you.