Et le soleil brille ici en Octobre

Fources and Friends

Spaghetti, tomatoes, garlic & olive oil!

No more reptile visitors these last couple of weeks, which both Jon and I are quite happy about. A few other strange visitors of a different species though!

Sleeping Coco, after a nights hunting & chatting!


 Coco has started talking a lot more than usual - she sighs and meows as cats do but she also says 'Qui' in a very French cat like way... seriously it is the strangest thing. I am sure on her midnight adventures into the depths of the garden she must meet the local cats and have a good banter!

The white horse, Laujuzan

We were driving back from La Foret the other day and stopped the car to get a closer look at this white horse that had appeared through the doorway of a run down stable which is just up the road from our house. It was a sight that took us both by surprise - almost out of this world and rather alluring, but pretty soon after we stopped it disappeared into the darkness that was the stable and the moment was over. Every day we look for that magical white horse - but no joy. I just got the camera out in time...

We had a very busy weekend last week with the yoga girls at La Foret. Spent the days leading up to it clearing the garden and getting the house ready all fire places filled with enough wood, bedrooms and bathrooms filled with fresh clean linens and of course flowers and candles everywhere. We were also cooking breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner for the 4 days over the weekend and 3 burns and 2 cuts later I survived the kitchen and all the cooking, not without Jon's help though! He was the table designer too for the weekend and got the tables set for each meal and created different settings using fig leaves, banana leaves, figs and candles so that each meal was enjoyed with a slightly different anbience - think he found his calling! As it was our first weekend cooking it was difficult to get the camera out in time to capture anything so sadly nothing to put it up here.

Delicious meals from Spinach, feta and mint parcels to Indian vegetarian samosas to local fish fillets cooked in homemade pesto to roast vegetable tarts and quiches. Jon made Armagnac and prune ice cream too which was just amazing and went down a treat - one I think we'll do again!

Early morning mist

After our busy weekend cooking, we ourselves had a few visitors and troops from London, Spain and France came marching in...yes it was a bit like an army when the house was full! Piers and Katy flew in from London and Nick and Paloma got in their car and drove from Madrid. We were also lucky to have Rowan with us too and he drove from further down South (France). We had a rocking weekend and Jon and I spoiled them with our new culinary delights, lots of wine and fun! Showed them the sights and chilled out too. Saturday night we wined and dined at La Foret and cooked a lovely meal which we enjoyed by the roaring fire...good company, great banter and a stunning setting. Sunday we drove out to Fources where we enjoyed a lovely bistro lunch and then a wander through the brocante which they had in full swing that day. From glass jars of different sizes to bottles, from furniture to old indian columns and window frames...Anything and everything. A few old postcards (a real treat) and an old pewter plate (thank you Paloma - who bought it for me after Jon refused claiming I had way too many things already!) later we met artists and wine merchants - two of which own one of the larger vineyards in the area - some of which we had already been enjoying at La Foret - 'Pellehaut' - fantastic range of very good wine of an exceptional standard that is reasonably priced. An outing to their vineyard for tasting is definitely on the cards - look out for it. I wonder if you can buy it elsewhere - keep me posted.

The Boys

The fairies from Laujuzan

Lots has been going on these last few weeks, even a very quick trip back to London to meet my very newborn God son Harry Street! Andrea & James are on top of the world and are besotted with their new arrival. Timing was perfect and I was lucky to have been there for them all. Jon stayed here in France and took the reigns of both La Foret and Le Pehaou - did airport pick ups from Pau and is now confident driving in all directions and I think was relieved after picking me up from Bordeaux (2 hour trip) that after doing it 6 times he won't have to for a while!