"French Ties" & "At My French Table"

I have so enjoyed these two books. Melburnians Peter and Jane Webster took their four children to live in France in 2004. The first book of the series which came out in 2008, “At My French Table” tells the adventures they have settling into their corner of Normandy in an honest to god Chateau they buy – magnificent is all I can say. I often wonder how these people in books afford to do these things, especially with four children!! Jane works towards getting to know the area that they have chosen to live in with eventual goal of starting a cooking school for visitors to really experience local food and life. I loved the descriptions of cleaning the chateau (there was no shortage of hard, hard work) and the gradual realisation that this is the life they want to live.

The second book “French Ties”(2012) continues their journey – by now they are experience chateau dwellers and more confident with how their dream will shape up in the future. I particularly liked the conflicts they experienced about living between two worlds as they do not live in France for the whole year. Their life sounds (and looks) idyllic and I was green with envy. I know you only see the finished product in these books – the vases of stunning roses, the shining floors of the chateau, the smiling children etc but it just all looks very appealing. Very Moreish!!

I look forward to the next installment and of course, will keep dreaming about paying them a visit. I did look on their website as I may be over in Europe next year – nothing on there about when their classes are etc. Their website was a wee bit too much focused on style rather than ease of use and I found the scrolling pictures a bit distracting but hey, can I really say I found French pictures THAT distracting???

"Summers in France" - Kathryn M Ireland

Well, you know I love a good book about people buying a house in France and living the good life but this one got off side with me in about 5 minutes (did read it to the end though!!) - its like an indulgence book with an obviously wealthy woman buying a fabulous big rambling old farmhouse near Toulouse - from the apology at the front to her kids about forcing them to spend their holidays in France every summer to "how tos" for catering for 20 at a time, it was just a bit too obvious that Kathryn was not short of a penny and had the beautiful people staying with her. I think I like my books about France to be more about people that have really made a sacrifice to live their dream or taken a gamble. Kathryn did not appeal to me ("at the end of every summer my accountant told me how much I had spent on entertaining at my French house and I just did not care").
Its most unusual for me NOT to enjoy a picture book about this topic but sorry, it just did not appeal.

Paris, I love you but your bringing me down

Its a strange sounding title for this autobiographical book but the author has an even stranger sounding first name.... Rosecrans Baldwin... semi enjoying the ups and downs and ins and outs of this young couple as they attempt to live the dream in Paris.

French dreaming on a winters day

Its a cold, wet, windy day in Auckland and I am doing one of my favourite things....dreaming of France and and mulling over books and articles about it. It feels like I am surrounded by France some days. Today at lunch, a guest I don't know that well casually mentioned that she works for a French company (ahhh, bliss), then this afternoon on tellie (a perfect day for blobbing in front of the screen...) is "Monte Carlo or Bust" - a roadshow trip about a group of brits travelling around France.

Last night, out for a soup dinner at a friends house, she had got the DVD "Hugo' out for us to watch, you know the one, about the boy who lives in the clock tower in Paris... what other reminders am I going to see today???

My beautiful new Ecoya Candle

Its so hot today - not that I am complaining as Auckland has had the absolutely lousiest summer imagineable - its rained and rained and rained. Today however has been a beautiful day, but too hot to go outside and do things. I have been reduced to sitting outside on the deck, under the wide umbrella, reading the paper and letting smell of my new Eyoca candle waft over me. Normally I am a 'vanilla'or 'floral'candle kind of a gal but this time, I stepped outside my comfort zone and bought Lemongrass and Ginger - beautiful.
I had heard about these candles and wanted one for ages but just too expensive - but now I am a convert. Think I might buy shares in the company!!

Well its been a long time

but I am still here and still loving all things French - sorry my friends that I have been absent for a while - well nearly a YEAR but literally, STILL, not a day goes past that I don't meander over a website about my favourite country, see something about it in the news or do some french dreaming... So I have decided to reconnect with myself and do what I set out to do, some writing about the thing that I love to dream about. Do check back again as I reconnect with myself!!

Writing (and day dreaming) about France was not my only purpose for this blog - for years there has been a desire buried deep down in me to do some writing but what to write about? I think so many of us think we have the next thoughtful novel buried in our minds or just want to take to the page to put things down and make sense of things.

I read some regular blogs and one of my favourites - French Essence - she had a great post which I printed out and kept which talked about the discipline of writing and how its like any skill that you gotta work at baby! So stick with me for a bit longer as I hone my thinking and explore. Apart from being a mental traveller I want to ask myself "is there a writer in here somewhere"....

Plus its my last year before the big 50 so if that does not get you thinking about your life and goals (well known and secret ones) I dont know what will.

Speak soon