Meilleurs vœux, bonne année et bonne santé

Vœux du Maire

“Meilleurs vœux, bonne année et bonne santé” are words you hear a lot of in France at the beginning of the year. Neighbours, friends, work colleagues and everyone you meet will give you their best wishes for the coming year and especially for your good health. Yesterday we had the last of our village festive celebrations; the Maire’s New Year Wishes (Vœux du Maire) accompanied by tasty treats and aperitifs, but our festivities started quite a while ago. As a village councillor I feel honoured to have been involved in shopping, serving, decorating and eating.

With Père Noel at the children's party

Our small village is rather unusual, but lucky, to boast a healthy number of families with children so we always hold a party just before Christmas, with gifts from Père Noel, for all children aged ten and under. With hot chocolate, mini viennoiseries and music; a fun afternoon is had by all, including Ed and I.

Shopping with Père Noel

This year we contacted Père Noel in November to inform him of the names and ages of the 38 under elevens (just in case he needed a reminder) and he arranged a date to meet us somewhere special and top secret to decide what gifts would be suitable. 

Stacking the gifts

Together with a local toy expert, who we will call Chief Elf, we made our way down the list starting with boys aged ten and finishing up in the baby section. Père Noel (dressed down to ensure he wasn’t recognised) had brought his modern sleigh and it wasn’t long before it was stacked high with boxes, big and small and of every different colour. 

The arrival of the parcels

These were then wrapped by the elves and delivered just before Père Noel arrived at our party.

Foie gras starter

As well as the children’s party, we also have a bit of a ‘do’ for those aged over seventy. At the beginning of December, they were invited to the salle des fêtes where the councillors served them a five-course meal that we all enjoyed together. 

Fish terrine

I remember both my Nans having bird-like appetites and always choosing small portions and light meals. Not so French Mamies, they have no trouble in putting away a starter of foie gras, a fish terrine, a stuffed quail main course, cheese and dessert, all washed down with a kir, two different white wines, a red wine and a digestif of Cognac. 

Dessert

I could barely move afterwards and I didn’t even drink any alcohol with my meal, but it was a lovely afternoon with lots of chatter and fun.

Village decorations

With the sun shining in mid December, it was good to get out in the fresh air and help to put up the village decorations. Last year we had a little working party that made our unique wooden trees (see here) and it was lovely to put them out again this year and decorate the village. Our sewing group has also added to the decorations making a Joyeuses Fêtes banner for the salle des fêtes and some bunting for the square.

Choucroute meal

I was treated to another feast of a meal last Friday when the councillors and commune staff got together to thank everyone for another year of work and commitment to village life. We enjoyed a choucroute meal, which with sausages, pork and ham has to be one of the meatiest dishes known to man.

Choucroute - can you see the cabbage hiding under the meat?

Portions were so generous we all came home with doggy bags, and although I’ve made an Alsace themed pizza I still have enough food to keep me going well into the week.

All that is left now is to take down the wooden trees and pack our village Christmas away, but this being France the salle des fêtes will stay busy and shared meals will continue throughout the year.

I do hope that wherever you live in the world, your community also knows how to hold a celebration. Bonne année et bonne santé to you all.

This post has been linked to Paulita's #DreamingofFrance blog link up. See here for more posts.

France et Moi with author Catherine Berry

Welcome to my first ‘France et Moi’ of 2017 where this week I am talking to author Catherine Berry about what France means to her.

Catherine Berry

With both parents as teachers, Catherine’s future career was, at least in her mind, a foregone conclusion. Her long-suffering sisters, her early pupils, will attest to that. With school, university and teacher’s college behind her, she embarked on a journey, which took her to Tasmania, country Victoria, France as an assistante and back to Melbourne, and gave her a strong case of wanderlust. It was not, as she had presumed, her Maths major that would open doors for her. It was her French. This took a back-seat when career and ambition took over, but with the birth of her own children priorities changed. A plan to go and live in France gained momentum. ‘But you are in France, Madame’ continues the story. You can read my review here.

1) Firstly, I think France is a special place and it is famed for many things including its cheese, wine and diverse holiday locations plus, dare I say it strikes and dog poo littered streets. What do you think makes France so very unique and ‘French’?

Catherine: Passion. Whether for good; think eating, loving, creating, flirting, or not so good; think strikes, rights, schedules, there was an undeniable passion that permeated our French living. 

2) Where did your love of France start?

Catherine: Like many students, I attended my first ever French language class in my first year of high school. I was a studious, serious student and most probably approached this subject initially with a simple desire to do well. By the time I was doing my final school year, my French class had dwindled to four students. It was a joy and the teacher, a nun with a refreshing sense of humour, did more than just instruct. She nurtured us, took us on wonderful weekend French retreats and successfully passed on her love of all things French. 

3) When you first arrived in the Alps region of France what was the best thing about being immersed in French life and the scariest thing?

Catherine: Watching my children become confident, resilient, knowledgeable about the world and, yes, bilingual, was the best thing about our initial immersion. Of course, this lasted much longer than just the beginning. I was still standing back admiring them and marvelling at their growth years later. Health issues, including a broken arm after just one week, were downright scary. I had no intrinsic understanding of French medical protocol, nor the language and was not sure how far our health insurance would stretch either. I experienced a vertiginous spike in fear when I realised that I would have to submit a French tax declaration...in French.

4) Every region in France has it’s own culinary specialty, do you have a favourite regional dish?

Catherine: Our region is big on cheese and potatoes. During the months of potentially snow-bound isolation, families living high up in the mountains would have had to rely on a repetitive menu based on what they would have grown, made and stored prior to winter. Tartiflette is one such cheese and potato dish, but my favourite is the raclette. Before leaving for France, I stood in the playground of my son’s French/Australian school and listened to the French mums bemoaning the fact that they could not find a raclette cheese in Melbourne. At the time, I did not appreciate the angst that not having access to a good cheese could cause. Neither did I really know how raclette could and should be prepared. Once in France, I found that eating raclette seemed even more social (if that were possible) than a regular French meal. We all put our little pans that were loaded up with slices of raclette into the machine in the middle of the table before slipping the molten cheese onto the accompanying salami, prosciutto, gherkins and potatoes. If you didn’t wish to buy a whole wheel of raclette, it could be bought pre-sliced on trays at the supermarket. In days gone by, the lump of cheese would have been melted on an open fire, scraped (hence raclette from the French verb racler) and after dinner would have been left to solidify in order for the process to be repeated the following night.

5) France has many different cheeses, a silly question, but which French cheese are you? A hard and mature Tome, a soft, fresh and lively goat cheese, the creamy and rich Camembert or maybe the salty and serious Roquefort?

Catherine: A bit of all of them, but you’ve described the goat cheese as fresh and lively and I relate most closely to that description. I’m not sure, though, that it is always a positive as I am constantly dreaming up the next thing to jump to. Being active both physically and mentally is a must for me. I hope that my children have not suffered too much as a result of my nomadic tendencies.

6) What is your favourite thing to buy in a Boulangerie/Patisserie?

Catherine: One of the chapters in my book is entitled ‘Mon péché mignon’, which literally means ‘my cute sin’ or more loosely ‘my weakness’. Bread, of any description, has always been my weakness. Imagine my conflicting emotions when I push open the door to any boulangerie. The day of our arrival in France, the lady who owned the little cottage that we had rented came by to offer to take the two girls (then aged 9 and 12) to buy our daily bread. She gave them the necessary language to buy two loaves of the superior, non-commercially produced ‘good’ bread. No doubt she presumed that our bread tastes were as refined as hers. Unknowingly, coaching them through “Deux pains de tradition, s’il vous plait”was a gift to the girls as it threw them straight into an authentic situation. Linguistically, they never looked back.

7) Best French tipple, and yes I know there are many to choose from? Also, as an Australian, do you prefer French or New World wine?

Catherine: Kir Royal (crème de cassis and champagne). My general preference is to drink red wine, but we often serve a Kir Royal as an apéritif. I’m not sure what attracts me to this drink. It could be the colour, the bubbles or the regal bottle from the Chambord castle but it is probably the anticipation of the lovely lingering that is to follow. So, I guess that means that I’m really not that fussy. Similarly, I am happy to drink wine from any country. Occasionally, when we were living in France, we would try and search out a bottle of Australian wine, but that was more as a nod to friends far away than to the taste.

8) Have you ever witnessed the Tour de France whizzing through your area?

Catherine: The Tour passed through Annecy a couple of months before we were due to set off on our French adventure. My husband had previously spent many sleepless nights following the race on Australian television. On this occasion, I joined him and was unimaginably excited to see the place that we would soon be calling home. Once living in France, going to watch the Tour became a must-do event. We were not there this year to see it go through our village of Talloires, but we did hear Robbie McEwan comment that if he had to choose a place to live in France, it would be Annecy. We’ll second that!

9) I know you have travelled extensively in France, but if you were to recommend just one location for a special holiday in France, where would it be?

Catherine: I love France. Just one location... I can’t do that! For love; Paris. For love; any little cobblestone-paved village on market day. For love; wandering the coastal tracks, forest paths, sandy coves of the hexagon. For love; setting out and never reaching your destination because there is too much to distract you on your way.

10) I enjoyed your memoir ‘But You Are in France, Madame’, do you have any plans to write more about your house in France?

Catherine: I was asked this question recently and it is true that the prologue to my book is actually the epilogue to our story. It is here that I mention that we did end up buying a house in France. I should have documented the purchasing process. That would have made a great drama. All I know at this point is that the past year since pushing the button to publish has been memorable. Definitely worth repeating.

If you would like to experience Catherine’s life in France her house in Talloires on Lake Annecy is available for holiday rentals, see here. 

You can also follow Catherine’s adventures on her blog, Facebook page and Instagram. 

Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions about France and you.

Book review of Fa-La-Llama-La by Stephanie Dagg

Fa-La-Llama-La by Stephanie Dagg

My first review of 2017 is a Christmas novella, as although we are back from visiting family, the decorations are down and Ed is back to school; I’m not quite ready to let go and move on just yet. Fa-La-Llama-La by Stephanie Dagg maybe set in sub-zero temperatures but it left me feeling warm on the inside.

Noelle arrives in rural France, in a snowstorm, a few days before Christmas, hoping the last minute pet-sitting project will help her struggling finances. However, although the llamas waiting for her are just as lovely as her quick Internet research led her to believe they would be, nothing else is quite what she was expecting. There is no power, no water and aside from the llamas, the company, to begin with, is rather difficult. The sensible option would be to leave as quickly as the snow will let her, but with nowhere to call her own, she opts for the adventure. Amid the snow, strange goings on seem to become normal, the nativity comes to life and with it there is a hint of romance in the air.

This book is a warm feel-good read that picked me up on a lonely weekend when I was at a bit of a loose end. Stephanie’s way with words and fun with accents made me laugh and I’m sure other word nerds will be just as entertained as I was. I could have stayed longer, but it finished.

You can read my review of Stephanie’s memoir Head’s Above Water here and my France et Moi interview with her here. I’m looking forward to reading more from Stephanie.

French School and Public Holiday Dates 2017

On holiday in Blaye, France

Welcome to January, the perfect time to think about your holidays in France. For a holiday destination I think it is superb and offers mountains, rolling Atlantic breakers, chic Mediterranean beaches, rural charm, Roman cities, fantastic architecture and stunning chateaux. Not to mention quiet back roads through quaint villages, perfect for road trips by car or bike. 

As my holiday dates blog has been popular and well received for the past three years, here are your all-important dates for 2017. Whether you are new to life in France, or just wanting to plan your holiday here in the quiet weeks outside of the French school holidays, I hope you find this useful.

Public Holidays in France 2017

1^st January jour de l’an (a Sunday this year)

16^th April, Easter Sunday, Pâques

17^th April, Easter Monday, lundi de Pâques, (note there is no Good Friday holiday in France)

1^st May, Fête du Travail

8^th May, Victory in Europe Day Victoire 1945

25^th May, Ascension Day, Ascension

5^th June, Pentecost Monday, lundi de Pentecôte

14^th July, Fête Nationale

15^th August, Assumption Day, Assomption

1^st November, All Saint's Day, Toussaint

11^th November, Armistice Day, Armistice 1918 (a Saturday this year)

25^th December, Christmas Day, Noël (note there is no Boxing Day holiday in France on 26^th)

With the exception of the holidays linked to Easter: Easter Monday, Ascension Day and Pentecost Monday, the above dates are the same every year and the holiday is always observed on the actual date rather than being moved to the nearest Monday as the UK would do. Public holidays can therefore fall on weekends; to make up for this it is not uncommon for people to faire le pont (make a bridge) if a holiday falls on a Thursday (Ascension Day) or a Tuesday  (Assumption Day), by taking off the Friday or Monday giving themselves a four day weekend. This will be part of their annual holiday entitlement, so while most businesses will be open on bridge days, some staff shortages can be expected. It is worth noting that in many areas of rural France, although some opening hours is becoming more common, most shops are likely to be either closed or only open in the mornings on public holidays.

Other dates to note

26^th March, clocks spring forward an hour to Central European Summertime

9^th April, Palm Sunday, Rameaux a day where our local boulangeries bake something different (see here)

28^th May, Mother’s Day, fêtes des mères

18^th June, Father’s Day, fêtes des pères

29^th October, clocks go back an hour to Central European Time

School Holidays

In France the schools are split into three zones and most of the holidays are staggered so not everyone is trying to hit the ski slopes or beaches at the same time, although be prepared for extra traffic on the roads on all Saturdays during the school holidays, or better still avoid driving on these days.

French School Holiday Zones

Here are the dates for 2017:

The winter holiday is from 4^th February to 5^th March. Zone C gets the first two weeks, Zone B the middle two and Zone A the last two.

The spring holiday is from 1^st April to 1^st May. Zone C gets the first two weeks, B the middle two and A the last two.

The summer holiday for all zones is from 8^th July until 3^rd September.

The October holiday for all zones is from 21^st October to 5^th November.

The Christmas holiday for all zones is from 23^rd December to 7^th January 2018.

Please do share amongst your friends and family and wherever you visit in France this year, I hope you have a great holiday.

Au revoir 2016, a challenging year

As the last few hours of 2016 draw to a close I can’t help but look back on what has been a year of challenges and wonder what 2017 has in store for us.

 

Morning coffee in La Sarthe

Back in April I was excited (and apprehensive) about challenging myself with a weeks cycling in La Sarthe. 480km in six days was more than I had ever done but I loved it! There is something quite special about waking up in one location, setting off for a day on the bikes and ending up in a different hotel that night, having carried everything you need with you (or having Adrian carry it, if I am to be accurate). We are already planning more long distance cycling challenges in France for 2017 and I can’t wait to take you along with us.

 

Under the EU flag in Tournon-sur-Rhone

In June the UK EU referendum result was quite difficult to come to terms with for us. We are a UK family living and working in France thanks to EU rules and regulations. From TVA/VAT rules that help Adrian run his business, to exchange rate fluctuations that affect our income, to French rules allowing EU citizens to be elected onto local councils that affect my life in the village; as Brexit evolves I foresee quite a few challenges to our way of life in 2017 and beyond. I just hope we can continue to live the life we have chosen.

 

Cycling my 100km-in-a-day

This summer saw us celebrate our 12^th anniversary of living here and the weather was perfect. With sunshine and high temperatures day after day it would have been an ideal summer for cycling, cycling and more cycling, if the challenge of a small operation hadn’t kept me off the bike for a month or so. Thankfully I made up for it by completing my 100km in a day challenge in September, just hours before the weather broke and the driest summer we have known came to a stormy end. As I sit here today on a cold and foggy December afternoon, I can’t wait for another hot, dry summer, and as the days are getting longer, it can’t be far off now.

 

Saying goodbye to David

In November, we hit our most challenging time. We received The Call. When you live far away from family you know that one day the phone will ring, the news will be bad and you will have to make a difficult journey. Adrian’s Dad David suffered a massive stroke on Friday 18th November and although Adrian made it to his bedside, he died on 21^st November. He was fit, active and healthy and this has left us all in a state of shock and wondering 'why him?' and 'why now?'. We have been back to the UK three times since he died and him not being there feels very strange and wrong. It has, however, made us appreciate each other and realise that there is no such thing as too many hugs for your loved ones and you can’t say ‘I love you’ too many times.

In Blaye, modelling my homemade skirt

On a more positive note, this year I challenged myself to learn to sew and use a sewing machine. With a few friends in the village we have created a weekly sewing and knitting group that is full of fun, laughter, coffee and cake, as well as great ideas. With their help and encouragement I’ve made bags, bunting and a skirt, as well as having a great time every Friday morning. There is nothing like community spirit to make you feel at home and put a smile on your face.

I’m looking forward to saying goodbye to 2016 and as always, I want to be more organised with my time next year. Read more books, write more book reviews (and be more prompt about doing so), write more regular blog posts and see more of France (on my bike, if possible). I hope 2017 proves to be a year of health and happiness for us all. Thank you for reading, commenting and coming back.

Happy New Year!

This post has been linked to Dreaming of France. See here for more posts.

Book review of Purged by Fire by Diane Bonavist

Purged by Fire by Diane Bonavist

Purged by Fire: Heresy of the Cathars by Diane Bonavist

(historical fiction) Release date: July 29, 2016 at Bagwyn Books ISBN: 978-0-86698-810-0 274 pages

Author's website Goodreads

SYNOPSIS

In the thirteenth-century, a unique civilization flourished in the region that is now Southwestern France. The tolerant rulers of this realm embraced the Cathar faith which kept the simple teachings of the early followers of Christ, and rejected the venality of the Catholic Church.

To destroy the heretical faith, the pope declared a holy war. With the infamous words 'Kill them all, God will recognize his own,' the crusade against Christendom began. For two decades, these wars decimated the old regions of the Languedoc and the troubadour culture. But when they still failed to destroy the heretical faith, the papacy gave special powers of inquisition to Dominican monks. Their mission was to root out heretics, compel confessions, and burn the unrepentant at the stake.

Purged by Fire tells the intertwining stories of three people enmeshed in the treachery of the Inquisition. Isarn Benet believes he has survived the wars by accepting the pope's will and the French rule, until Marsal, the child he once rescued, arrives on his doorstep, forcing him to question every conciliation he has ever made. Marsal has lost everything to the Inquisition. Raised to always turn the other cheek, now she wants back what the Catholic Church has stolen, and she will aid anyone who helps her do so, even outlaws and rebels. Isarn's son Chrétien can barely remember his life as a soldier and troubadour, the time before he knew and loved Marsal. Condemned and hunted by the Catholic Church, the two escape to the mountain fortress of Montsègur. Here, as the forces of the Inquisition lay siege to their place of refuge, they must make one final choice between life and love or death and faith!

MY REVIEW

Set in 13^th Century France, a troubled time of religious wars and persecution, this is a period of French history I knew little about, but was on my list to learn more. I hoped this book would give me the perfect chance to understand the Cathars and why there had been so much violence towards them.

From the beginning I enjoyed the writing style and the alternating chapters that told the story through the lives of the three different but entangled characters of Isarn, Chrétien and Marsal. I instantly found Marsal, who had been rescued as a baby when the town of Beziers was falling, to be engaging and was intrigued to learn more of her story now she is an adult and alone in the world. Her childhood had been spent in a small Cathar community, but following the death of her guardian, she lost everything. Isarn, who despite taking a huge risk to rescue baby Marsal, now seemed to want to take the easy path for a quiet life; keeping his relationship with Chrétien and feelings for Marsal a secret. Chrétien, his son, was more of a mystery to be unfolded over time. Appearing and disappearing, he seemed to have a hold over Marsal, but also a reluctance to get too close. Despite their lives being difficult, these characters assured I never lost interest in their stories.

This book gave me a good insight to the religious discrimination and persecution of these times and why the Christian beliefs of the Cathars were at odds with the French crown and Roman Catholic Pope. Not an easy subject, but Diane has made it very readable. I’m sure this book will appeal to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Diane Bonavist's fiction has appeared in Tiferet Journal, The Milo Review, Fable Online, and The RavensPerch. She is a former Editor in chief of Tiferet Journal. Her other novels are Daughters of Nyx, a mystery of ancient Greece and Waters and the Wild, a multi-generational story set in the Hudson River Valley, both to be published in 2017. Visit her website. Follow her on Facebook Subscribe to her newsletter Buy the book: on Amazon

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Unite Not Fight

The French, German and Belgium flags in Melle Deux Sevres

This year marks the 100^th anniversary of many of the bloodiest battles of the First World War including the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Verdun in France. It is also a year that has seen many political changes being made across the globe. Britain has voted to sever it’s ties with the European Union, believing it will be a better place standing alone and sadly newspaper headlines that have celebrated policies to reform immigration rules and give British jobs to British workers have led to anything and anyone foreign being deemed to be suspicious and not to be trusted. As an EU immigrant from the UK living in France and the granddaughter of Irish immigrants who moved to England in the 1930’s this makes me uncomfortable and worried for our future. I’m not an American so don’t really feel I have much to say much about US politics, but again when I read newspaper headlines that talk of building a wall on the Mexican boarder, refusing entry to all Muslims and inciting hatred of minorities, I feel sad and disappointed in the way the world is heading.

The students from Melle, Melle and Melle in our local paper

Thankfully, I have also seem a glimmer of hope this week for a future where ‘unite not fight’ could be a real possibility. Despite the atrocities and loss of lives of 100 years ago, our local market town of Melle, where Ed goes to lycee, is twinned with Melle in Belgium and Melle in Germany and it was heartening to see the Belgium and German flags flying alongside the French tricolore outside the town hall. This year marks the third year where students from all three towns have got together, united in remembrance of those who died in the First World War. In 2014 they attended a ceremony in Belgium and last year they were in Germany. This year our European neighbours are here in France and participated together in a ceremony this morning.

Poppy wreath and French floral tribute

Sadly we couldn’t attend as our village held it’s own ceremony, where two French-born British children laid a Royal British Legion poppy wreath alongside the commune’s floral tribute entwined with the ribbon of the French flag. I see this as another sign of unity between European neighbours and the positive integration of migrants into the community. It was also lovely to see so many villagers of all ages attending the ceremony today, although I’m sure the sunshine provided a bit of extra encouragement. 

Ed visited Melle in Germany, on a language exchange programme last month. In fact it was there that he spent his 16^th birthday, with a family he had only met five days before, but who made a real effort to make his day special. I am looking forward to welcoming their son Maik into our home next year and although I will probably never meet his parents, I am very thankful to them for making Ed feel welcome in their home.

Laying the Poppy wreath in France

I feel we need to do all we can to encourage the younger generation to reach out to each other and build positive bridges with other nationalities and cultures. We are living in a world that needs to remember the conflicts of the past and learn to #UniteNotFight for the future.

This post has been linked to #AllAboutFrance.

Autumn colours in the Deux Sevres

Autumn in the vineyards

The autumn colours this year have been magnificent and although I probably say the same thing every year, this year I am sure they are better than in previous years and I’m not the only one to think this. I have a friend in the village who has lived here much longer than I have and who has shared photo after photo exclaiming this year to be exceptional.

Autumn bike rides

Getting out on our bikes, walking the dog or even doing the school run or airport drop off has revealed a feast of golds, reds and oranges of all shades, often glowing in the sunshine, that have really lifted my spirits and made me thankful to live where I do.

Our walnut tree

We have many different fruit trees in our orchard, but rarely have we had much leaf raking to do, until this year. Looking back, it seems most years we have a mid-September frost, usually only for one night, but it is enough to kill off the courgette and tomato plants and cause the cherry and plum tree leaves to drop. Add an autumn breeze and magically the leaves have gone. 

Our red cherry tree

This year, with no early frost, the cherry trees have shown their colours in a surprising way; the leaves on the yellow fruiting trees turned a golden yellow, while the red fruiting trees turned from orange to deep red and have clung to the trees as long as possible. I can’t believe this is our 13^th autumn and I’ve never noticed this colour difference before. Raking and mowing the fallen leaves was hard work, but good exercise and worth it to be spending time in our colourful orchard.

Frosty morning

This year our first frost was last night and wow, what a frost. Scraping the car windscreen at seven o’clock this morning was finger numbingly cold and I wished I’d been able to find a pair of gloves, but as most days last week we were able to cycle in shorts and sunshine, I was woefully unprepared. The car was warning me it was minus 3 and a low-lying mist surrounded the village. It was a dark drive to get Ed to school, but the first pinks of the sunrise brightened up my journey home silhouetting the trees, wind turbines and even the deer in the fields. I don’t really like cold mornings, but I could forgive the frost this morning, as it was so very beautiful.

Frosted fruit tree leaves

As I sit here indoors with a cup of coffee and the sunshine warming me nicely, despite the fact the windows need a good clean, I can see the remaining autumn leaves falling like rain as they succumb to the cold. Sadly, I think in a few days our stunning autumn colours will have gone to be replaced with bare winter trees and hedgerows.

Tree-hugging on a dog walk in Melle

At least I have my photos to look back on. I have been sharing quite a few on Instagram but here are a few more. I hope you enjoy them.

Sunlight and autumn leaves

Autumn fire

Golden yellow walnut leaves

This post has been linked to Paulita’s Dreaming of France. Click here to read more.