tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-180714072024-03-19T09:48:06.615+01:00Living the life in Saint-AignanDay by day in France’s Loire ValleyKen Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.comBlogger6499125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-14504538341497664822024-03-19T07:24:00.001+01:002024-03-19T07:26:49.012+01:00L'église St-Julien de Brioude en Auvergne<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XEWKlW6luZEEavfJpn2xpRFKcLGJQGEZqH6keGGY_SUov1lQtVXZ1SVQ-Fts_qJ5AfVAhChCpqGstvsltMG1iqjpxtPUOaW45DVJfHQpzQOy2DTCTc9EtElP_htc-dzHxVdJ5DeLzvF0KMRK91Vkg6CslEAp6SXw4ZzBrZgu2_m7HpDFt0QZ/s1600/1P1120622c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XEWKlW6luZEEavfJpn2xpRFKcLGJQGEZqH6keGGY_SUov1lQtVXZ1SVQ-Fts_qJ5AfVAhChCpqGstvsltMG1iqjpxtPUOaW45DVJfHQpzQOy2DTCTc9EtElP_htc-dzHxVdJ5DeLzvF0KMRK91Vkg6CslEAp6SXw4ZzBrZgu2_m7HpDFt0QZ/s372/1P1120622c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CZuRcgAiusLtk7FrxTnYBBpwQS9qDvGPS0iCICtXXf9OltaWhY1DZMz20TGfeTInic9VYUvnVdWnisWJ_vuKM_hGHdJMPOQJv9IwSe9k_itZf4LJ-2tYuhykuNOh-VY-O5yacfRb7dLbGWpBBThzcXrXG0M1cEVSF8bpMHc7GGZ2f2Hgv30_/s1800/2P1120580c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CZuRcgAiusLtk7FrxTnYBBpwQS9qDvGPS0iCICtXXf9OltaWhY1DZMz20TGfeTInic9VYUvnVdWnisWJ_vuKM_hGHdJMPOQJv9IwSe9k_itZf4LJ-2tYuhykuNOh-VY-O5yacfRb7dLbGWpBBThzcXrXG0M1cEVSF8bpMHc7GGZ2f2Hgv30_/s553/2P1120580c.jpg" /></a>The St-Julien church in Brioude (pop. 6,500), just an hour's drive south of the city of Clermont-Ferrand (pop. 150,000), is classified as a basilica. That's a church that is given special privileges by the Pope. There are 167 basilicas in France, <a href="https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_basilicas_in_France" target="_blank">says Wikipedia</a>, and only eight of them are in the Auvergne.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYc1PoUBarbTz4S3HKdSLhPvy9pKYPiQBhALehC1HN5kC9Nx6Z2wj7r8BkM4v7nyz3AqjqNL7TEtr_vowshjlzqKrRR7H150RLHYSEu2L5rOJJ73_4i2u3jW8vpC0QiJqp1-mT_x2orETJiDyT_rdd5_QX7kEDPLwFnnhHK3UwQAsT0FLLPhq/s1600/3P1120579c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYc1PoUBarbTz4S3HKdSLhPvy9pKYPiQBhALehC1HN5kC9Nx6Z2wj7r8BkM4v7nyz3AqjqNL7TEtr_vowshjlzqKrRR7H150RLHYSEu2L5rOJJ73_4i2u3jW8vpC0QiJqp1-mT_x2orETJiDyT_rdd5_QX7kEDPLwFnnhHK3UwQAsT0FLLPhq/s447/3P1120579c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFd4IDAIpSUJ-HP5RWKTph330Bn5Yrpao-NSvgUFziVbrezqoNkkAooUUdS5m12RUNCfNPrE8pt1zEUupg9taVpxYaDmMJ7D51lDNmXey6uYnSu4YF_GGYfuc744B64F3aEwiIpDFDAJyCp25BB8YJIZ5oRkz4lKRNk3moCI0LN_wp1G8z-oj5/s1398/4P1120620c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFd4IDAIpSUJ-HP5RWKTph330Bn5Yrpao-NSvgUFziVbrezqoNkkAooUUdS5m12RUNCfNPrE8pt1zEUupg9taVpxYaDmMJ7D51lDNmXey6uYnSu4YF_GGYfuc744B64F3aEwiIpDFDAJyCp25BB8YJIZ5oRkz4lKRNk3moCI0LN_wp1G8z-oj5/s520/4P1120620c.jpg" /></a>The Michelin green guidebook describes Brioude as <i>une cité animé et coquette</i> located in the Allier river valley in Auvergne. That's how it felt when we were there in March 2019. There was a big open-air market set up near the basilica, and we bought some Auvergne cheeses to bring back to Saint-Aignan. The town was hoppin' and the cheeses were delicious. The basilica <i>se rattache à l'école romane auvergnate...</i>, says Michelin, <i>par ses pierres de couleurs variées, qui lui confère tout son charme...</i></div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-73693407554701275392024-03-18T07:38:00.006+01:002024-03-18T07:47:18.697+01:00Windows at Brioude in AuvergneOne of the best <i>gîte</i> trips we've taken since moved to Saint-Aignan was a trip to the Auvergne in 2019 — five years ago. It was actually our third trip to the Auvergne region starting in 2009, and each time the <i>gîtes</i> were excellent and there was plenty to see all around the region. After those trips the pandemic began and our travels had to be curtailed.<br><br>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4isYv3uQWV2jkOmKVpNbiMYDCVpnpxk5aM73XiD9O1Sl1i-VNj0rHqUHF6-IalyNoGxu_658hJbF-91q9I9E1n3XXZ1aPzKVsgJtHBxg10DqzJ5Jm_24roA1KfUNVs8Oxb-sdX0MH1_T0OksbRHKngiyWCyQGMb8AMpBRkTmaHnHFjXH_oB1/s1600/2P1120587c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="966" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4isYv3uQWV2jkOmKVpNbiMYDCVpnpxk5aM73XiD9O1Sl1i-VNj0rHqUHF6-IalyNoGxu_658hJbF-91q9I9E1n3XXZ1aPzKVsgJtHBxg10DqzJ5Jm_24roA1KfUNVs8Oxb-sdX0MH1_T0OksbRHKngiyWCyQGMb8AMpBRkTmaHnHFjXH_oB1/s425/2P1120587c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLs0JxwSb7m3_T-x2itCTrQkXuq7Psz4ZveYvCMWuf4ZB2d5KHQmEhcY3NkVC5p0vP8uyyUSQJXDD9UzzF-yER21-IIr5Sno15mKEn7kRlIqom_-64JHm1-9gMRriGJ7McLYA4oSDWCNwEzDZsH0L3rjKnkysidYdOWePLRB7DfxYi9Qqg62HW/s1600/1P1120588c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1003" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLs0JxwSb7m3_T-x2itCTrQkXuq7Psz4ZveYvCMWuf4ZB2d5KHQmEhcY3NkVC5p0vP8uyyUSQJXDD9UzzF-yER21-IIr5Sno15mKEn7kRlIqom_-64JHm1-9gMRriGJ7McLYA4oSDWCNwEzDZsH0L3rjKnkysidYdOWePLRB7DfxYi9Qqg62HW/s425/1P1120588c.jpg" /></a><br>One of the most amazing places we saw (and there were many) was the town of Brioude and its church, not far south of Clermont-Ferrand. According to the Michelin Green Guide for the Auvergne, the church there, <i>le basilique Saint-Julien</i>, is <i>un chef-d'œuvre architectural that is a harmonieux mélange d'art roman et gothique, aux pierres polychrome, magnifié par des vitraux contemporains...</i> Saint-Julien is the largest Romanesque church in all of the Auvergne region, with its population of approx. 1.5 million and area 26,000 km²(10,000 mi²). /Saint-Julien was built in the 12th century and is worth the trip.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFg8mrG2NlwsrOAzgqA7akmCoqEQdC82cOK3wrr6LDh2Q0_JI1xf9bIsWZ7ThReneNywOobrTxdrePpWkyta9cmnBRJWPx5rDurh1iYwbHlQVzYOFbbMdxtd8G-0lpREr4fs-5m584ZH5Q68PaGjORNA4eOSLJHXFslGunmmC8C0DoW3piekK/s1600/4P1120603c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFg8mrG2NlwsrOAzgqA7akmCoqEQdC82cOK3wrr6LDh2Q0_JI1xf9bIsWZ7ThReneNywOobrTxdrePpWkyta9cmnBRJWPx5rDurh1iYwbHlQVzYOFbbMdxtd8G-0lpREr4fs-5m584ZH5Q68PaGjORNA4eOSLJHXFslGunmmC8C0DoW3piekK/s600/4P1120603c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlpjFib8X5SmhMiV3ChyjULa7dRdC-KaQIpC8poMtPRaezYiJG4sZrt6cMaqOCxeVT25VeE8M9Grj-yH5GZ7AG8zMxh2eCt1yCPTdZ9F6Fhp7fDwXhMgu4fVEJXaHNhfdLMBiPV5Yqpf9ODCe-4fOtrPrJiF0LzLLI9_7LImlt_eg7y9I8Rgt/s1600/5P1120611c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlpjFib8X5SmhMiV3ChyjULa7dRdC-KaQIpC8poMtPRaezYiJG4sZrt6cMaqOCxeVT25VeE8M9Grj-yH5GZ7AG8zMxh2eCt1yCPTdZ9F6Fhp7fDwXhMgu4fVEJXaHNhfdLMBiPV5Yqpf9ODCe-4fOtrPrJiF0LzLLI9_7LImlt_eg7y9I8Rgt/s600/5P1120611c.jpg" /></a><br>The windows in this post were put in at Saint-Julien in 2008. They replaced clear glass windows and made the church much more colorful and impressive. It's a place I would love to go back to. It's a three-hour drive from Saint-Aignan.</div><br />Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-36682622252429509432024-03-17T07:35:00.006+01:002024-03-17T07:53:25.027+01:00Cabillaud or morue... and “filet” or “fillet”?<div style="text-align: justify;">The fish called "cod" in English is called <i>cabillaud</i> [kah-bee-YOH] in French. I remember it being considered as an inexpensive and not really high-quality fish back in the 1970s and '80s in Paris. Now it's held in much higher esteem and can be pretty expensive. <i>Cabillaud</i> is fresh cod, not the salt-cured version, which is called <i>morue</i> in France. Often, <i>cabillaud</i> is referred to as <i>morue fraîche</i>.<br /></div><div><br />
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The latest (electronic) editions of the Larousse Gastronomique food and cooking encyclopedia describe <i>cabillaud</i> as having <i>une chair délicate, blanche et feuilletée</i>. <i>(Chair</i> means flesh, and <i>feuilleté</i> means flaky.) I think that, because cod is so flaky that it kind of falls apart when it is not handled gently and cooked very carefully. That might be why it was not considered a first-class fish in the past, at least among the Parisians I knew. It was not easy to cook at home and it was certainly not expensive.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
I can't find any mention of <i>cabillaud</i> being a delicious fish in my 1967 edition of the Larousse Gastronomique. Other old cookbooks — for example, La Véritable Cuisine de Famille, written by a woman known as Tante Marie and published nearly 100 years ago — gives at least half a dozen recipes for cooking salt cod, but only one or two for fresh cod. For centuries, I believe, cod was sold mostly in its salt-cured form in France because it needed to be salted down to survive the long voyage from the cod fishing grounds in the northwest Atlantic Ocean back to France. Nowadays it can be kept fresh under refrigeration.<br /></div><div><br />
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These days, the cut of codfish that is held in highest esteem in France is <i>le dos de cabillaud</i>. (<i>Dos</i> means "back" or dorsal.) It's not just a boneless filet (or fillet) but it's the thickest and firmest par of the cod filet. (In North America, we tend to use the spelling "filet" instead of "fillet", which is more used in the British Iles. Both are pronounced [fil-AY], I think. Do you say "fill-it" of fish?)<br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Later editions of the Larousse Gastronomique explain that <i>le dos de poisson correspond à l'ensemble des muscles de la partie dorsale des poissons à deux filets, situé au-dessus de l'arête centrale. Il est plus charnu et plus ferme que le ventre.</i> (<i>Une arête</i> is a fish bone in French. <i>Charnu</i> is related to <i>chair</i> and means meaty or fleshy. <i>Ventre</i> means belly.) I haven't found any reference to <i>dos de cabillaud</i> in other French cookbooks I have. I have seen it described in English as <a href="https://americasrestaurant.com/cod-loin-vs-fillet/" target="_blank">"loin of cod", "cod back", or "loin filet/fillet of cod."<br /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Walt and I bought and cooked a loin filet of cod a few days ago. We cooked it gently in melted butter and white wine and enjoyed it with capers, shrimp, steamed potatoes, and steamed cauliflower florets. Those are the photos above.
</div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-87470779841111889002024-03-16T06:41:00.002+01:002024-03-16T06:44:50.701+01:00Spiders?<div style="text-align: center;">Yesterday morning, my walk in the vineyard was damp but not chilly. We had had a little bit of rain overnight, and it was foggy when I went out. I saw that quite a few creatures had been busy. I assume these webs are the work of arachnids of some type, but I never see them, just their work.<br /></div><div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYc3vZBLvZAwQ1L8t_qlaWsBCwoCzwdACMPwk-OfSvpIYwbkUhLS1Fb3RKVJyj9f6bXwUmJMB3TCg-PLALsJHd0rXyTpFsFvHfQzPS_DsVfgN1QiSNM7vULHpNvwyeuJ3akWNqsnDcNVohKa76FfgC76ScXeO6L4GMyF1vqAllEJFZFVZ0tQv/s1800/4P1090162c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYc3vZBLvZAwQ1L8t_qlaWsBCwoCzwdACMPwk-OfSvpIYwbkUhLS1Fb3RKVJyj9f6bXwUmJMB3TCg-PLALsJHd0rXyTpFsFvHfQzPS_DsVfgN1QiSNM7vULHpNvwyeuJ3akWNqsnDcNVohKa76FfgC76ScXeO6L4GMyF1vqAllEJFZFVZ0tQv/s860/4P1090162c.jpg" /></a></div>
</div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-49652188901460451532024-03-15T06:12:00.005+01:002024-03-15T07:11:59.678+01:00Primrose season at La Renaudière<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjq_iLMzCVPrBfY9E9TpzorDaBGs2rFg-6qIhRc3kOChCxEXJBIIvnBAulXwkJSsY7-rJ7g1iDFMOLqk14bKDU7cjxXgjyGmavBxUr2beGW2zx1etww6k6IpIkhx_RVarJ4e1oMNCAKMj0G-jHtDBVmKnRyYd9sxVeaHabPlYAZO8OpRTx8R3/s1800/1P1090135c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjq_iLMzCVPrBfY9E9TpzorDaBGs2rFg-6qIhRc3kOChCxEXJBIIvnBAulXwkJSsY7-rJ7g1iDFMOLqk14bKDU7cjxXgjyGmavBxUr2beGW2zx1etww6k6IpIkhx_RVarJ4e1oMNCAKMj0G-jHtDBVmKnRyYd9sxVeaHabPlYAZO8OpRTx8R3/s427/1P1090135c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrZkj0LoYZF1P9cb5Lnvx1P_doEvRHRo2ukZ5kIsb3kLQM0JlSSq1nl0gTkpqFfa18RZr6Xbljd3huEtKHJ2V2mojM5Y_oe_fkdQYeQrS-RksJzhAA74IQQb_bPi5uWu-ITU5p4gnBFtnjXf678ieTkwiA-kwVngHfWBe6Q2MZ7kvypokEBLO/s1800/2P1090138c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrZkj0LoYZF1P9cb5Lnvx1P_doEvRHRo2ukZ5kIsb3kLQM0JlSSq1nl0gTkpqFfa18RZr6Xbljd3huEtKHJ2V2mojM5Y_oe_fkdQYeQrS-RksJzhAA74IQQb_bPi5uWu-ITU5p4gnBFtnjXf678ieTkwiA-kwVngHfWBe6Q2MZ7kvypokEBLO/s427/2P1090138c.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe0b83KQbvet7q39CO5imumeYb_r1x8ILXuo_040m2rdDWkjgpa9fJx9q5DNvEFFZAy3anib3WfWTHsE5ECEl2syBZB98BZQwtSw7QfFxFvNx0iJ4eEH6aufJL1ErX95kL99NFChe_WwIK1BXNHrOXMlPaU60mO9cgyFgc1CotP9aFXWWTpDI/s1800/3P1090134a.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOe0b83KQbvet7q39CO5imumeYb_r1x8ILXuo_040m2rdDWkjgpa9fJx9q5DNvEFFZAy3anib3WfWTHsE5ECEl2syBZB98BZQwtSw7QfFxFvNx0iJ4eEH6aufJL1ErX95kL99NFChe_WwIK1BXNHrOXMlPaU60mO9cgyFgc1CotP9aFXWWTpDI/s550/3P1090134a.jpg" /></a><br>Every year in late winter a lot of primroses come up in our yard. They are in flower right now. The woman we bought this house from 21 years ago said they weren't wild. She would buy little pots of them for their springtime flowers and when the season was over, she would just take them out of the pots and throw the root ball out into the yard. They started coming back every year. This year, we've had a lot of rain and not many warm days, so the bloom is not as spectacular as it sometimes is.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLSKYV6VD7AqWJl8cXy6HHKGO0S78BZx3xlzf3RRwl6s4Djlaqyag-dTswJX-X6evA9CQdNlpjGjK7VvmfgHCpTRue5YouLQybjVQ1z8lziMncXbJWFEIm-acFvHH5MkrgDbFpYi8Kj3Ot_ThRGJTz3BbMYdsUfUCt_w7kfyiJGDh4egKCzza/s1800/4P1090137c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYLSKYV6VD7AqWJl8cXy6HHKGO0S78BZx3xlzf3RRwl6s4Djlaqyag-dTswJX-X6evA9CQdNlpjGjK7VvmfgHCpTRue5YouLQybjVQ1z8lziMncXbJWFEIm-acFvHH5MkrgDbFpYi8Kj3Ot_ThRGJTz3BbMYdsUfUCt_w7kfyiJGDh4egKCzza/s427/4P1090137c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwqowBt8fGC0127JWM2oqFXJpXNHlc7Wn2tw-SSlQZxA3KbmZKe4TZeGNzmZDb8AFZ_5zqwfD0GCh5QOkzs1lQ6_TXrY79hyBccITxtLvNr5oujC8Z7idfTUP2TSkf5WDYceJU4JIrbtdGKkLrxcViO1oqmChY5coNncwxwdfLTRfAjGaUQ1S/s1800/5P1090136c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVwqowBt8fGC0127JWM2oqFXJpXNHlc7Wn2tw-SSlQZxA3KbmZKe4TZeGNzmZDb8AFZ_5zqwfD0GCh5QOkzs1lQ6_TXrY79hyBccITxtLvNr5oujC8Z7idfTUP2TSkf5WDYceJU4JIrbtdGKkLrxcViO1oqmChY5coNncwxwdfLTRfAjGaUQ1S/s427/5P1090136c.jpg" /></a></div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-26462771265780258292024-03-14T06:00:00.055+01:002024-03-14T06:07:30.425+01:00March 2024 skies over the vineyard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpPuY7oajtr0hipGaxY97a2Gk65v5O29aX5ASUIdgyHEm0sWrllisgdRhBTQ8HLi1j-JdSexNpy7hfOHGAlSlcw8IfggME9wLrnJgntkd4gO2ASKEHYLVPizaDuLBl_heGsE2WMpBIE3SG84FSWBf9hID3DVhS9UBbOfzGpWKQriHr_kB9enl/s1800/P1090103c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpPuY7oajtr0hipGaxY97a2Gk65v5O29aX5ASUIdgyHEm0sWrllisgdRhBTQ8HLi1j-JdSexNpy7hfOHGAlSlcw8IfggME9wLrnJgntkd4gO2ASKEHYLVPizaDuLBl_heGsE2WMpBIE3SG84FSWBf9hID3DVhS9UBbOfzGpWKQriHr_kB9enl/s427/P1090103c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnbUA7aY6m4xK2W-dVV813aeUHsYM1rRsuykJB_YCtnerLl2_0oKHPUnzPx0SEHiCBoAKYo9vbOdmPXT7V5eoRZyLwu3tuCSRTY_uI4BP1iF7hl1YvwttGWyfcDAzwUK0VhPmlWU-t7bXTtSYQUIIcLqwrD-VgQ77i69jpH3QKsl-UcetSxlG/s1800/P1090113c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlnbUA7aY6m4xK2W-dVV813aeUHsYM1rRsuykJB_YCtnerLl2_0oKHPUnzPx0SEHiCBoAKYo9vbOdmPXT7V5eoRZyLwu3tuCSRTY_uI4BP1iF7hl1YvwttGWyfcDAzwUK0VhPmlWU-t7bXTtSYQUIIcLqwrD-VgQ77i69jpH3QKsl-UcetSxlG/s427/P1090113c.jpg" /></a><br />Yesterday I went to the supermarket and spent 145 euros on groceries! We've been working on getting our two freezers emptied out, but now I guess we'll fill them up again. Yesterday's lunch is something I don't think I've ever made before: a stir fry of cauliflower florets, chicken, onion, and cashew nuts. It was delicious and seasoned with soy sauce, yakitori sauce, oyster sauce, and spicy-hot black soy bean paste (pâte de haricots soja pimentés), served with steamed rice — a winner!</div><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbv8vIhL20EUa1PXP0TQQNr5pl2pkPa63zCc_HrgJClsfFOZnHow0pFAqwUHIENJLcrl93Z3MQGL1G7Q4uqn0kDCsvmCrWM90VKnGqbDiOL-LfLDaJfytKXT2BP1I4rXtBQIQ8J7jiqWwCCNteDqd0Smp2eCsqpE9beTCj3sRK_HiHPyqINUCn/s1800/P1090108c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbv8vIhL20EUa1PXP0TQQNr5pl2pkPa63zCc_HrgJClsfFOZnHow0pFAqwUHIENJLcrl93Z3MQGL1G7Q4uqn0kDCsvmCrWM90VKnGqbDiOL-LfLDaJfytKXT2BP1I4rXtBQIQ8J7jiqWwCCNteDqd0Smp2eCsqpE9beTCj3sRK_HiHPyqINUCn/s427/P1090108c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jvr5y_VfzdwsidNQUvQyaQ2PfdwBXPDQLO0S1w0pE7z7Vn-PDrq6aeiSz3rA1F073-uE5X1ywnBsK_ityqy80eTCtj-IEqlMl3g3tmzOk0oPb44Krd9UDjq9dBJEVSwW2F7F6TXsIFAYfAxqw8SFoOQuJo4Su_3GtMwvcB-6QelF_JC8Teeu/s1800/P1090106c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Jvr5y_VfzdwsidNQUvQyaQ2PfdwBXPDQLO0S1w0pE7z7Vn-PDrq6aeiSz3rA1F073-uE5X1ywnBsK_ityqy80eTCtj-IEqlMl3g3tmzOk0oPb44Krd9UDjq9dBJEVSwW2F7F6TXsIFAYfAxqw8SFoOQuJo4Su_3GtMwvcB-6QelF_JC8Teeu/s427/P1090106c.jpg" /></a>Late yesterday afternoon, I took Tasha out for her walk and I didn't have to put a coat on. The high temperature was about 15ºC (about 60ºF). Today's high will be more like 66ºF (19ºC). It's very pleasant and sunny in the afternoon. I hope it doesn't turn hot too fast this year. I think the rains are coming back tomorrow.</div>
Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-16365734039376318972024-03-13T06:01:00.002+01:002024-03-13T06:01:18.969+01:00Just a few photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAEBQq5l57zUq2YnNw9pq3glnjDCYLwPP-Qefafm6xxp_ez0ECWSFkuG054maf55mmGEC2yFbQz53s71szLA6P4bRTWB-0o2HPXThQsdjrk6XZISCZiZYGS-LarB1kIzBJ2bxrpvPOyKKYW10T3HD20jbIoCU0pcRyV0cHzM2oymlZQizJ0ZO/s1800/1P1090095d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAEBQq5l57zUq2YnNw9pq3glnjDCYLwPP-Qefafm6xxp_ez0ECWSFkuG054maf55mmGEC2yFbQz53s71szLA6P4bRTWB-0o2HPXThQsdjrk6XZISCZiZYGS-LarB1kIzBJ2bxrpvPOyKKYW10T3HD20jbIoCU0pcRyV0cHzM2oymlZQizJ0ZO/s700/1P1090095d.jpg" /></a><br><br><br><br>Cloudy March skies, vines, big trees, and little Tasha</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeVvDYKzF5LoKKjRZyeoW08H3t8ANIWiLGBsFmvpZB9Ha26PfwqS_FOuCYX0m3zF7GdbRX6k9_1_pzy1vVCsaNZy4UHQf5u-FXoDCWu4kZXCRxvZda1M9PbayOgYG5r1FytBfbFqq4rsyI6XwKxKx9cKole-eVCRP_Qa8YMN7CBpHjN2gvV39/s1800/5P1090143c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKeVvDYKzF5LoKKjRZyeoW08H3t8ANIWiLGBsFmvpZB9Ha26PfwqS_FOuCYX0m3zF7GdbRX6k9_1_pzy1vVCsaNZy4UHQf5u-FXoDCWu4kZXCRxvZda1M9PbayOgYG5r1FytBfbFqq4rsyI6XwKxKx9cKole-eVCRP_Qa8YMN7CBpHjN2gvV39/s700/5P1090143c.jpg" /></a><br><br><br><br>This beautiful parsley plant grew as a volunteer in the greenhouse. We've been using a lot of parsley in our cooking.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_fU89PSEDcPgCgQJCjIrvvZkLzapGrii2DmcobD6fIwjKAK3Uuh3rWGbMtuU2grbDKOQjxMcvXj3CYKWxgbq_f_AKSW3ciFnVuXE1WznLuBaZY4KJJn8UtkWZ5vEl3X4vKd8sDE-mrEsLgG8TmhkmzpyxteZRj2PmPQLI-jorwdzIvLqDVrR/s1800/2P1090139c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw_fU89PSEDcPgCgQJCjIrvvZkLzapGrii2DmcobD6fIwjKAK3Uuh3rWGbMtuU2grbDKOQjxMcvXj3CYKWxgbq_f_AKSW3ciFnVuXE1WznLuBaZY4KJJn8UtkWZ5vEl3X4vKd8sDE-mrEsLgG8TmhkmzpyxteZRj2PmPQLI-jorwdzIvLqDVrR/s700/2P1090139c.jpg" /></a><br><br><br><br>Ivy climbing up on a concrete block, sneaking up on a vineyard rock</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eFySPQKYZ-_MMDYz8EqT3RcfNIgteQdZK9bTKQuEIyjFmy2JLzzEyzylNkqOwNisYNUGQRmNZkZotJp07I5m3xFaq3oaYBY4_PnWs5ggyeFO1k0QtnmUHH4dS5DgrHfse94gAGkODzDSQYJdpDCoy-pq43LBbKqnre5rzgDiOreSzly6fy6Y/s1800/3P1090144d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eFySPQKYZ-_MMDYz8EqT3RcfNIgteQdZK9bTKQuEIyjFmy2JLzzEyzylNkqOwNisYNUGQRmNZkZotJp07I5m3xFaq3oaYBY4_PnWs5ggyeFO1k0QtnmUHH4dS5DgrHfse94gAGkODzDSQYJdpDCoy-pq43LBbKqnre5rzgDiOreSzly6fy6Y/s700/3P1090144d.jpg" /></a><br><br><br><br>I grew this rosemary plant from a cutting I took from the neighbors' plant last year.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzCtOWx2B2w9_224ChDw3lfT4g7utWrT01xXMIAcv_TFyDMNBBiStcuCSDXjREuuKup7yt-YpjtOg8WITRedhTTUnVdtogFN2gOU83R0FrR3KOsFbKMMtxV2gAbzbgECNP1St0ai3xDnKB5wa-011QVCBTPoUKaabXaXbWXlFLtpGaG15zNeS/s1800/4P1090098c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikzCtOWx2B2w9_224ChDw3lfT4g7utWrT01xXMIAcv_TFyDMNBBiStcuCSDXjREuuKup7yt-YpjtOg8WITRedhTTUnVdtogFN2gOU83R0FrR3KOsFbKMMtxV2gAbzbgECNP1St0ai3xDnKB5wa-011QVCBTPoUKaabXaXbWXlFLtpGaG15zNeS/s700/4P1090098c.jpg" /></a><br><br><br><br>The plum tree, our garden shed, a neighbor's house, our house, and a forsythia</div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-54914365402998066512024-03-12T07:14:00.005+01:002024-03-12T15:19:52.161+01:00Back to the presentI did something yesterday afternoon that I haven't done in a long time. I took not only Natasha for a walk but also one of my old cameras. You've probably surmised that our weather hasn't been too conducive to taking pictures this month. We've been having a lot of rain. Look how happy my plum tree is about that. It grows on the northwest corner of our yard, and gets full afternoon sun (when there is any).<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx29bdOLLevwYi-Q414nQIfGxkfcDn-eEvXGkQv1SY91SclZaFNDCokXUWVWrGaS9io9Mg6BP4-GXrR7oUuzEIOrVvSKCp440uxnJpTL0QtGISpa5mtIsSsEtC6tKp5TqNo9wjr2vQMHRyvs-7B-VPpA7MXtBzLVxEWx5i27Qy5ti-FfJ02gG8/s1800/4P1090097c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx29bdOLLevwYi-Q414nQIfGxkfcDn-eEvXGkQv1SY91SclZaFNDCokXUWVWrGaS9io9Mg6BP4-GXrR7oUuzEIOrVvSKCp440uxnJpTL0QtGISpa5mtIsSsEtC6tKp5TqNo9wjr2vQMHRyvs-7B-VPpA7MXtBzLVxEWx5i27Qy5ti-FfJ02gG8/s425/4P1090097c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiazUm8Uszs6Hhwm8318Zo-6gU6B0X4g48i-2gObD2YjZhYRJWB4PKh2Ig1oDFBuSqSWoQzo8c1r33dJl0jBgnOteUb-UjBObDzeNGpV8r4l-fESxNxgzXZ6guNEwnSdnXxW6FLSze3AzAdIijcizUJ3VviYdOUa8K4ISOX07Z413juRqLt2BE/s1800/3P1090088c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiazUm8Uszs6Hhwm8318Zo-6gU6B0X4g48i-2gObD2YjZhYRJWB4PKh2Ig1oDFBuSqSWoQzo8c1r33dJl0jBgnOteUb-UjBObDzeNGpV8r4l-fESxNxgzXZ6guNEwnSdnXxW6FLSze3AzAdIijcizUJ3VviYdOUa8K4ISOX07Z413juRqLt2BE/s425/3P1090088c.jpg" /></a>This is a tree that started out as two saplings. I planted them together back in 2010, I think it was, and they "conjoined" — they grew together into a single tree. I grew the two saplings by planting pits in pots. The pits came from plums that grow over in our Blois neighbors' yard. It's been a while since we've had a bloom as spectacular as this year's. Here's a <a href="https://ckenb.blogspot.com/search?q=%22plum+tree%22&max-results=20&by-date=true" target="_blank">link to a set of posts about the tree and its springtime blooms and fruit</a>.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQgVoJ_DeI7hxyNVan8uZM7F4btta7Yt6Zr7MtM0TBiwmsGUsZLIwh6weBi9Mqj089b_qTLvJKdT57Ixl_Klzhs2dZ9_83gaoOXGA_q23apk_TxmCCv-xyCm57obMgMDyWwnf7TtYCj_bUfCu2_x5PSiiqzJIhbpzKXmCeLDvX31Cub8jE7kc/s1800/2P1090086c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghQgVoJ_DeI7hxyNVan8uZM7F4btta7Yt6Zr7MtM0TBiwmsGUsZLIwh6weBi9Mqj089b_qTLvJKdT57Ixl_Klzhs2dZ9_83gaoOXGA_q23apk_TxmCCv-xyCm57obMgMDyWwnf7TtYCj_bUfCu2_x5PSiiqzJIhbpzKXmCeLDvX31Cub8jE7kc/s425/2P1090086c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXILOtFzzpaQCXEdr2A2QcJ-p_JY2E2iQLhjQt7zLKCDJDiCH_KIcSOCPdZtLRBgV1OWQ0CUpJzlYAexdAYoV7r4erQZljCSQv0qX3VUL49URB_FYz0hIlLH71-xg1OSaP1zHwVrxxUQ5WfaajLtIS5TTfZnA3u_hJg-7B6SWeJbmJi1xRd51/s1800/1P1090085c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXILOtFzzpaQCXEdr2A2QcJ-p_JY2E2iQLhjQt7zLKCDJDiCH_KIcSOCPdZtLRBgV1OWQ0CUpJzlYAexdAYoV7r4erQZljCSQv0qX3VUL49URB_FYz0hIlLH71-xg1OSaP1zHwVrxxUQ5WfaajLtIS5TTfZnA3u_hJg-7B6SWeJbmJi1xRd51/s425/1P1090085c.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Yesterday I wrote about forecasts for another rainy week in the Saint-Aignan area. Well, the rains didn't come yesterday. The sky looked threatening, but no rain fell. And it was relatively warm outside. Tasha and I had a good walk, and so did my camera. The forecast for this morning is... rain. <i>Pluie. Flotte</i>.Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-80729513464544742932024-03-11T06:43:00.006+01:002024-03-11T06:50:20.748+01:00March daze days<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHS5C_y7TeD7g71gj76G6569Lq1Why5gP5rtKsq-UQmkU01xpH_IB3z0RqfVv9liFB5y_6UPVtQdaNT6MvPQmvb3vR8ohWD9ae8ZbmNjoVNdykYCWgtQAorXuIkpBh5ABGSXMO-USYU36kKh_FQW1IsQDnIyScoglsDzDoE3RG9_LTmk7DCkgC/s1800/1P1030777c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHS5C_y7TeD7g71gj76G6569Lq1Why5gP5rtKsq-UQmkU01xpH_IB3z0RqfVv9liFB5y_6UPVtQdaNT6MvPQmvb3vR8ohWD9ae8ZbmNjoVNdykYCWgtQAorXuIkpBh5ABGSXMO-USYU36kKh_FQW1IsQDnIyScoglsDzDoE3RG9_LTmk7DCkgC/s428/1P1030777c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4L_Nss6P2TnPOfnvZ2MDRuOxjeoU4cM7jveqWZl3RoI40__1u_sA4lIwTHizRc_iMIigDMcWKoKeqpBH7fLC2xQRHVokghkCURro8jQV87D8SrEclKD5HR39p0ubPWQrqU-4FQ7HVBtwmachrPGrH-u9j0mrohyyEjkOLa7GlxtmfEjsqtRNi/s1800/2P1030837c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4L_Nss6P2TnPOfnvZ2MDRuOxjeoU4cM7jveqWZl3RoI40__1u_sA4lIwTHizRc_iMIigDMcWKoKeqpBH7fLC2xQRHVokghkCURro8jQV87D8SrEclKD5HR39p0ubPWQrqU-4FQ7HVBtwmachrPGrH-u9j0mrohyyEjkOLa7GlxtmfEjsqtRNi/s428/2P1030837c.jpg" /></a><br />Looking toward the east...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5noaTsvf7xnckHMkGzS8Nnm8Uz7XNlQdkQUrrC91g8WjHxTcg8uEwkvZcpYFUvcSQ_2JkYQbLcfFY-VJfm5MjSEWsqRmkpC2eCNtSnY50HgFCjWfKm3SO_IgsLSPccqtQXXQA0r9avumxBwuveENC3DLwsPoWNyBO2z5wErV4kKcfkpBL-4Jk/s1800/3P1030794c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5noaTsvf7xnckHMkGzS8Nnm8Uz7XNlQdkQUrrC91g8WjHxTcg8uEwkvZcpYFUvcSQ_2JkYQbLcfFY-VJfm5MjSEWsqRmkpC2eCNtSnY50HgFCjWfKm3SO_IgsLSPccqtQXXQA0r9avumxBwuveENC3DLwsPoWNyBO2z5wErV4kKcfkpBL-4Jk/s428/3P1030794c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Y-a1l8USSGbZ5u8aRknkm39lhRrleGt1dfLNBdlwMjHOCgOrbZX2zdFeud2GTaUD286S9o7cu-cHuZ6So4UpTBbpO-GU50kU6RsdGmDZANoeMWHipXwOFHdpoqEz9thYvfxANGq1857m2HWEBdNGK7RqnOwD9WRLUDn1SHWHo4p9knAY1W0x/s1800/4P1030891c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Y-a1l8USSGbZ5u8aRknkm39lhRrleGt1dfLNBdlwMjHOCgOrbZX2zdFeud2GTaUD286S9o7cu-cHuZ6So4UpTBbpO-GU50kU6RsdGmDZANoeMWHipXwOFHdpoqEz9thYvfxANGq1857m2HWEBdNGK7RqnOwD9WRLUDn1SHWHo4p9knAY1W0x/s428/4P1030891c.jpg" /></a><br />...and looking toward the west</div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">
Meanwhile, according to <i>MétéoFrance</i>, significant flooding may occur today on two rivers in areas where we have rented <i>gîtes ruraux</i> in past years: <i>le Serein</i> in Burgundy, and <i>l'Allier</i> in Auvergne. As I've said, we are expecting another rainy week here in Saint-Aignan too, but no flooding so far.
</div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-12814143512501143902024-03-10T07:04:00.003+01:002024-03-10T11:17:01.973+01:00Autour du vignoble en mars<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQg7MF69kgQ_fQa6AW72XeM8cZJiHbBnTKbMkQQcERDYt3x0tx_YvLQqDzeNfPBFlpL-K2JfselfYLoBRbgarnyX51T40oOGdo9VDXvzTT12J7LOxVGFbd-s6vlNHwq_klyhyphenhyphen0vb0vCWjEthiDYRUuv7I-kRUitIQ2u8acem6O2ZSM0KZVCJff/s1800/P1030811c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQg7MF69kgQ_fQa6AW72XeM8cZJiHbBnTKbMkQQcERDYt3x0tx_YvLQqDzeNfPBFlpL-K2JfselfYLoBRbgarnyX51T40oOGdo9VDXvzTT12J7LOxVGFbd-s6vlNHwq_klyhyphenhyphen0vb0vCWjEthiDYRUuv7I-kRUitIQ2u8acem6O2ZSM0KZVCJff/s428/P1030811c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlNbCy2gjIO_1AeNKOg9g2PRYhbAkSXsSCZlb0un-9XFQRwjW1Lb6-ywReCm_lG7G-f7eAkRW6lRWUU4nwUqQB1qCKJ6raQMi66O7VxTFY1ybHIv8NY5jQrJl5f1mK-kO2hBwb1jQnLHEC6WqR1WlTKHrkXJQJHDG6xxmrcUeD2S14B2xtN6p/s1800/P1030812c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlNbCy2gjIO_1AeNKOg9g2PRYhbAkSXsSCZlb0un-9XFQRwjW1Lb6-ywReCm_lG7G-f7eAkRW6lRWUU4nwUqQB1qCKJ6raQMi66O7VxTFY1ybHIv8NY5jQrJl5f1mK-kO2hBwb1jQnLHEC6WqR1WlTKHrkXJQJHDG6xxmrcUeD2S14B2xtN6p/s428/P1030812c.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTbGU_C-myMOdTs5eMsLrwHGNyBS_vW_J5O1SlZkiVLbgdFSrL7RNKK8npV7dt83wZFyMLp-uGXgHt-b429k-ZGxPzn-W9u4TbioKLL9dKLJySoX5QRzKIRwwqbWLikyZ_67Z94h_QTEAUGsPVhaks8q_7RRcMiz2Z4tAZLSI7EUV9KhZTvGp/s1800/P1030819c.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpTbGU_C-myMOdTs5eMsLrwHGNyBS_vW_J5O1SlZkiVLbgdFSrL7RNKK8npV7dt83wZFyMLp-uGXgHt-b429k-ZGxPzn-W9u4TbioKLL9dKLJySoX5QRzKIRwwqbWLikyZ_67Z94h_QTEAUGsPVhaks8q_7RRcMiz2Z4tAZLSI7EUV9KhZTvGp/s600/P1030819c.jpg" /></a><br><br><br>It was March 2016 and I had just acquired a new camera. I took it out to see if it would take decent macro (close-up) photos. Spring was just beginning, and traces of winter were still visible. So far, that's how it is here right now. We're in for another chilly, wet week, according to the weather guy on Télématin.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvW3twCVkXZWPfzRrE-4EnqDmjiKR-4hcc8iiR0yCBmboatpMPAOX7Tdr3HMf5v4nhFzSIdLuk8CcO8QCQfNEnHHFXbadfHrz_WysdZiwYXIT5GPb_PPNIPnj8HEkdYqMjTpfmGVO2SxoHSCZfFW_DwVRk6XAzEh3nb5k7BrMOrLK8al50xU4J/s1800/P1030822c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvW3twCVkXZWPfzRrE-4EnqDmjiKR-4hcc8iiR0yCBmboatpMPAOX7Tdr3HMf5v4nhFzSIdLuk8CcO8QCQfNEnHHFXbadfHrz_WysdZiwYXIT5GPb_PPNIPnj8HEkdYqMjTpfmGVO2SxoHSCZfFW_DwVRk6XAzEh3nb5k7BrMOrLK8al50xU4J/s428/P1030822c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQy939-jCFbPOZXAnp9EtreT8GdTX5QZ1WCmxdTsHc4Z2Cuf3nJwpf3dn6FL6vKAxsgVKHB_B_mxhvf2EEDhRdtb5Ny9X5T54CRQgbyrA2f59BDwn8ZhTWdD4mKC7jVkpzGlhYcTfUFnZPy6IZGIqryCBoK5o00c_5RdDblDT5puApgFxIjSei/s1800/P1030841c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQy939-jCFbPOZXAnp9EtreT8GdTX5QZ1WCmxdTsHc4Z2Cuf3nJwpf3dn6FL6vKAxsgVKHB_B_mxhvf2EEDhRdtb5Ny9X5T54CRQgbyrA2f59BDwn8ZhTWdD4mKC7jVkpzGlhYcTfUFnZPy6IZGIqryCBoK5o00c_5RdDblDT5puApgFxIjSei/s428/P1030841c.jpg" /></a></div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-16202189917100543552024-03-09T06:56:00.002+01:002024-03-09T06:56:40.228+01:00Distant memories of Paris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp-N-3yfPNO6nkntSASDb6Qxmcpvw8lbk9enm2Aa-BJK2uQfWVSIP4ahNlfcU0HzkPo4OdlPzOJjZPyAGcjlhcFgQ3kfseR5x6HSn9VrV7RB50JqPINxLSMfm52TDUOUiChddv5B7VWLQuHeL_Bf3BvXv960ZOqV5zHJdqcfknTauXcWonwLQ/s1800/1P1050181c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWp-N-3yfPNO6nkntSASDb6Qxmcpvw8lbk9enm2Aa-BJK2uQfWVSIP4ahNlfcU0HzkPo4OdlPzOJjZPyAGcjlhcFgQ3kfseR5x6HSn9VrV7RB50JqPINxLSMfm52TDUOUiChddv5B7VWLQuHeL_Bf3BvXv960ZOqV5zHJdqcfknTauXcWonwLQ/s428/1P1050181c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ymh3xaMrl5GqkL6BSJiYjyOEPIeoqqtVICeCA1RPnu_E5FVIhMHAbw7qW74sGXbhjc-5rkGD3_f7fr-o9uPZ-3x9XeL4Kb0lA45S4PjQTqlcY0aZY4HEVmaHV8FBwCLcqkYs9GL05dMOf9N_Z9bjOmzx6z0wIOS3xksn03G2dh5LncM2dOvr/s1800/2P1050188c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Ymh3xaMrl5GqkL6BSJiYjyOEPIeoqqtVICeCA1RPnu_E5FVIhMHAbw7qW74sGXbhjc-5rkGD3_f7fr-o9uPZ-3x9XeL4Kb0lA45S4PjQTqlcY0aZY4HEVmaHV8FBwCLcqkYs9GL05dMOf9N_Z9bjOmzx6z0wIOS3xksn03G2dh5LncM2dOvr/s428/2P1050188c.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_4han059ovTlde9p11p3bLSpvH7irkG-NOodP6-owO1Yhyphenhyphenns5g2Mmo5lcghE5aQIBADhWNmpf1A7dZFXdWsu2e50SjjSEnEqX1C1CUK_4c4973END6iZwou-VSjY33KOtqBylPA093R8CvW8gi2ZcLqhVKz4B-XBnSGhrs_NOnVCaAGd5704/s1800/3P1050160c.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_4han059ovTlde9p11p3bLSpvH7irkG-NOodP6-owO1Yhyphenhyphenns5g2Mmo5lcghE5aQIBADhWNmpf1A7dZFXdWsu2e50SjjSEnEqX1C1CUK_4c4973END6iZwou-VSjY33KOtqBylPA093R8CvW8gi2ZcLqhVKz4B-XBnSGhrs_NOnVCaAGd5704/s600/3P1050160c.jpg" /></a>It's so easy to take things for granted. When we came to live here in the Loire Valley, I figured I'd go to Paris often, several times a year. And I did do that, from 2003 until 2019. For one thing, when I went home to North Carolina to see family and friends, I'd go spend the night before departure in Paris, to make sure I didn't miss my morning flight the next day. For another, I had a place to stay on summertime trips to Paris, and that was with Charles-Henry. Now I have none of that except memories.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1NDzkEdLPTl3kLhB7Gt0UPnCiBKHigHFxEvcxOsJ-Cw_uwDzZee0TvpBuBGpuQw6s5ri6D5bQIn_mZT7SxcbVXMvMxgDHdrzqMYFAiJrJ7z3OwUChA5VWZJ9NznEi3jo-_CsqvqrGUTDos1Sr8x76jNCrw_ApibMFREzAEk9Di7xmU5OeMX8/s1800/6P1050163c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-1NDzkEdLPTl3kLhB7Gt0UPnCiBKHigHFxEvcxOsJ-Cw_uwDzZee0TvpBuBGpuQw6s5ri6D5bQIn_mZT7SxcbVXMvMxgDHdrzqMYFAiJrJ7z3OwUChA5VWZJ9NznEi3jo-_CsqvqrGUTDos1Sr8x76jNCrw_ApibMFREzAEk9Di7xmU5OeMX8/s282/6P1050163c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7qXM1EOi0Jl3d2PVK45fYY7I7gyLng182_ON-NJm0SsM-lW0etlqGKyN0gFtKipkmh4rUiIHXA-wgD6bUydOaxc4pLhxKXMTQUFCgBSuB5vWj0OE8SZ3sifPR-jY32fM20uh27_sndjRL6yYhJFGSGESSLFwz2qmAC8v9lrs03ALAe33EOJF/s1800/5P1050174c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO7qXM1EOi0Jl3d2PVK45fYY7I7gyLng182_ON-NJm0SsM-lW0etlqGKyN0gFtKipkmh4rUiIHXA-wgD6bUydOaxc4pLhxKXMTQUFCgBSuB5vWj0OE8SZ3sifPR-jY32fM20uh27_sndjRL6yYhJFGSGESSLFwz2qmAC8v9lrs03ALAe33EOJF/s282/5P1050174c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BvteuEVDf7xC6VsdxTHyZ2meBGuZcaPHkMV_rnsWkaHWlbzXmVhiABZBjCqE-swkYjyqRhew4kO6a_ChklbRwIDpQfn-Lxe269IHwmLY6i62btlpClMkA6xn_ZTSqVeGPnhUH-0ou_PT3cDFC6pFBqkSHsu_qslZxsllPiOAtm9sYwd8Jkx0/s1800/4P1050184c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9BvteuEVDf7xC6VsdxTHyZ2meBGuZcaPHkMV_rnsWkaHWlbzXmVhiABZBjCqE-swkYjyqRhew4kO6a_ChklbRwIDpQfn-Lxe269IHwmLY6i62btlpClMkA6xn_ZTSqVeGPnhUH-0ou_PT3cDFC6pFBqkSHsu_qslZxsllPiOAtm9sYwd8Jkx0/s282/4P1050184c.jpg" /></a> The last time I went to Paris was in October 2019, and that was just for a few hours. I took the pictures I'm posting here. And the last time I went to North Carolina was in... October 2019 as well. I always enjoyed short trips to Paris, where I lived for five or six years, years ago. I'd wander the streets taking pictures and remembering my life there. Wandering through Paris alone eventually lost its charm. Maybe I'll go back one day, but sometimes I wonder.</div>
Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-78570093453785360242024-03-08T06:30:00.004+01:002024-03-08T06:45:59.796+01:00Natasha photo shoot<div style="text-align: center;">It was March 5, 2018, when I took these pictures. Natasha the Sheltie — we call her Tasha — was just one year old. We were in the old Bourbon province of central France, about two hours southeast of Saint-Aignan. We made a stop in the spa town called Bourbon-l'Archambault, which had only heard of for the first time three or four years before, when a friend of ours went there to "take the waters". We we on our way to the bigger town of Moulins, where we were going to spend a few days in a <i>gîte rural</i> and do some touring around the area. I was turning 69 years old. Good memories.<br /></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5AuNAj9nAawABbVBThf7oIIGAvAW5-Zv5XIH-nE4dC08GwlI4_1rzkYAR0EKqT0BvVcfv8BGdKxwqtp0XJLBF8Mn_MrRBIw7fMpnIpU_PXvgq1SFPzZG7k1OvQsuIyg9xn7Ab5ehSbAQYhP_dyJcAqtSQTAjRqsF8SP7kPF9i5ZeTwsearF3/s1800/P1010057c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5AuNAj9nAawABbVBThf7oIIGAvAW5-Zv5XIH-nE4dC08GwlI4_1rzkYAR0EKqT0BvVcfv8BGdKxwqtp0XJLBF8Mn_MrRBIw7fMpnIpU_PXvgq1SFPzZG7k1OvQsuIyg9xn7Ab5ehSbAQYhP_dyJcAqtSQTAjRqsF8SP7kPF9i5ZeTwsearF3/s428/P1010057c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9Ns7dMB6u2Dq-4xrGY1LkcDHmKYF7lLQw6cYapVLyAEjq3xJGeJlMtHRK37IvMwCefo3SpUKADdxfZZX5DseAr3ESFHuvtTMUypABsCwB97Txekmbiw9sueSE3nrKgpUfkT5joyTINm67D0NqYIhU_zQf-QCwL84SuSwG8h2ocl-e6-_tDsa/s1800/P1010058c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9Ns7dMB6u2Dq-4xrGY1LkcDHmKYF7lLQw6cYapVLyAEjq3xJGeJlMtHRK37IvMwCefo3SpUKADdxfZZX5DseAr3ESFHuvtTMUypABsCwB97Txekmbiw9sueSE3nrKgpUfkT5joyTINm67D0NqYIhU_zQf-QCwL84SuSwG8h2ocl-e6-_tDsa/s428/P1010058c.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IEKOahAxPWlRo9ki5NbDJa0mige4R9CZq78oKNcqPy4eHdNtIc2dsWCB-lPri_5CvXROjnw9qgXk8BrKUrzw6ro6I7jPzKbZDC6JSVzGv4ZZsk-KN7hNAucfPsi4CkwEAiYdVBaBoxKcz7vkaQUeq4PXtlxu2EF2UlRK1pII2bSNmHcpTccc/s1800/P1010062c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7IEKOahAxPWlRo9ki5NbDJa0mige4R9CZq78oKNcqPy4eHdNtIc2dsWCB-lPri_5CvXROjnw9qgXk8BrKUrzw6ro6I7jPzKbZDC6JSVzGv4ZZsk-KN7hNAucfPsi4CkwEAiYdVBaBoxKcz7vkaQUeq4PXtlxu2EF2UlRK1pII2bSNmHcpTccc/s428/P1010062c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLCKqbPYZILI4m89WHcwDfW5w1-CobXlNhtDbpQTl2dkTMl6HhGUfcDZzp8zdeUubd79jqB5ZFJ96OdqOw57tAli-jRleeJ5SIX52jWYnyYtjKec2AP_E2r3qApR1dN8E0LgMO-T3kb6-6JGhbNubNbV4CjP4sibprZVhlnpb2Nw9Uilzvxx8/s1800/P1010063c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnLCKqbPYZILI4m89WHcwDfW5w1-CobXlNhtDbpQTl2dkTMl6HhGUfcDZzp8zdeUubd79jqB5ZFJ96OdqOw57tAli-jRleeJ5SIX52jWYnyYtjKec2AP_E2r3qApR1dN8E0LgMO-T3kb6-6JGhbNubNbV4CjP4sibprZVhlnpb2Nw9Uilzvxx8/s428/P1010063c.jpg" /></a><br />Tasha is seven years old now. She's a very smart and very beautiful canine. She had an accident a few years ago that resulted in a torn ligament in one of her back legs. She had surgery and has completely recovered now, but it took two years. She wakes me up every morning at five because she's hungry. I don't mind; I've always been an early bird.</div></div>
</div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-41953707688462137832024-03-07T07:07:00.007+01:002024-03-15T07:32:19.593+01:00A spinach, potato, ham, and cheese “quiche”<div style="text-align: center;">I guess you could call this <i>une quiche sans pâte</i> (a crustless quiche). It does have a sort of crust, however. It's a layer of thinly sliced potatoes that are cooked until golden brown on an oiled cookie sheet in a hot oven. I made it just a couple of weeks ago.<br /></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Xao1-al7EY78SwEuRvo_kCKCmlTs-QtjvK0WdP6hbTHfOvABjf_A5011RQQ_UK9Zv05LNzM6bBjZC0ErhzbjVf0pgvSYhfcwB1VYInnRlMPnYy5e6MDfXChD9sEGNYmpR9wvMNxxRLJN6nemOuMrq6eAKPMAq5QrQy1ek3jd8L7kYfzbhUNg/s1800/1P1090015c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Xao1-al7EY78SwEuRvo_kCKCmlTs-QtjvK0WdP6hbTHfOvABjf_A5011RQQ_UK9Zv05LNzM6bBjZC0ErhzbjVf0pgvSYhfcwB1VYInnRlMPnYy5e6MDfXChD9sEGNYmpR9wvMNxxRLJN6nemOuMrq6eAKPMAq5QrQy1ek3jd8L7kYfzbhUNg/s428/1P1090015c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXKKx90BAsk3khmgN19CpOBkfvf8-iI_E9WxLPga_Sjp3Tvt6zFmArlLBeXKzmJEN8z9hcGT5cFcGZ8AEMk1-RfWz02NWjNVnIJ5_qFdKoWW7G3lAa5wBdID2XnWWyDlWweBINR14QX6Bzf1gsScJ9sF7TA9mt52pbp8Z_e133pjysK1RINnK/s1800/2P1090019c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXKKx90BAsk3khmgN19CpOBkfvf8-iI_E9WxLPga_Sjp3Tvt6zFmArlLBeXKzmJEN8z9hcGT5cFcGZ8AEMk1-RfWz02NWjNVnIJ5_qFdKoWW7G3lAa5wBdID2XnWWyDlWweBINR14QX6Bzf1gsScJ9sF7TA9mt52pbp8Z_e133pjysK1RINnK/s428/2P1090019c.jpg" /></a>While the potato slices are cooking, cut a couple of slices of sandwich ham into long strips. Use a vegetable peeler to cut a good amount of cheese into similar strips. Cook some spinach, fresh or frozen, in a pan on the stove top or in the microwave. Mix up the quiche custard by beating three eggs and mixing them into about two cups of milk or half-and-half. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCqZy_3TOPl4kjzKLsXYL4TMM7z0jOshlkaAHhaw86N__JTSmhksXQWMKJ55bO-J8_JYrHMFOorduV5UVphhoUrAEFdaCrV_kNIpguYN7X3P-LPqULNvHNoOo8j-MG9bWyrx9Uddtog9WwXFYnGpEQR9R9yQteRk1YZBPXYU4xD5-YAuqiHgP/s1800/3P1090021c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCqZy_3TOPl4kjzKLsXYL4TMM7z0jOshlkaAHhaw86N__JTSmhksXQWMKJ55bO-J8_JYrHMFOorduV5UVphhoUrAEFdaCrV_kNIpguYN7X3P-LPqULNvHNoOo8j-MG9bWyrx9Uddtog9WwXFYnGpEQR9R9yQteRk1YZBPXYU4xD5-YAuqiHgP/s428/3P1090021c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kvwLca_da59rkyn2vALv02Aq9Zp0Nlji-72pLY-d7t4sD7P6KrvWJmxlPgrp_ieLJOaoSNnA_MKzuV8czgPWpwZ-ORSNzWDC18sZ4gEbQzL-U_r9tGumpm47yqmYC4zDotxdOVZcix-8MSBm-8Fp6Fk04aze4CfmBMfBj-C0DbFetAwxJS-w/s1800/4P1090022c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kvwLca_da59rkyn2vALv02Aq9Zp0Nlji-72pLY-d7t4sD7P6KrvWJmxlPgrp_ieLJOaoSNnA_MKzuV8czgPWpwZ-ORSNzWDC18sZ4gEbQzL-U_r9tGumpm47yqmYC4zDotxdOVZcix-8MSBm-8Fp6Fk04aze4CfmBMfBj-C0DbFetAwxJS-w/s428/4P1090022c.jpg" /></a>Spread the cooked spinach over the potatoes in a baking dish. Pour in the quiche custard mixture. Scatter or arrange the strips of ham over the spinach, and then do the same with the long strips of cheese over the ham strips. (Diced up ham and grated cheese would work just as well.)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLilm8Fj2ZdbHidqg-1AMjzURkedFd7KQBwNPBI1hAHNkVhu7XFHtL6MYqJSUSOgngWBsf8setlO5NKNQklb2Gw5Tb0h6SJW0-2q2_tavwWEpFdCt1nUsANEiPjvkngE86w3LFbz32Tg-aIyYWNZm1VYW4pZx8NopLAZJVnwV8iGUGkzLLcxV_/s1800/5P1090030c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLilm8Fj2ZdbHidqg-1AMjzURkedFd7KQBwNPBI1hAHNkVhu7XFHtL6MYqJSUSOgngWBsf8setlO5NKNQklb2Gw5Tb0h6SJW0-2q2_tavwWEpFdCt1nUsANEiPjvkngE86w3LFbz32Tg-aIyYWNZm1VYW4pZx8NopLAZJVnwV8iGUGkzLLcxV_/s428/5P1090030c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1KBZC7RYUY4BQCiqBliDD9yvch1Luq1SrSzPulmOh8V0-973pjgZj6oNFei04AbS4rGPD6bpeTSfnTb8dPo0INyyqA16boroEfqc_f_IxedU4Chv64yizZCvv-P5yKRS4HXCT3rOX9moF9J1iycuVPaxy7uIMjALOcoN0M_xOsQSkV1Z2-tB/s1800/6P1090034c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1KBZC7RYUY4BQCiqBliDD9yvch1Luq1SrSzPulmOh8V0-973pjgZj6oNFei04AbS4rGPD6bpeTSfnTb8dPo0INyyqA16boroEfqc_f_IxedU4Chv64yizZCvv-P5yKRS4HXCT3rOX9moF9J1iycuVPaxy7uIMjALOcoN0M_xOsQSkV1Z2-tB/s428/6P1090034c.jpg" /></a><br />Bake the quiche in the oven at 180ºC (350ºF) for 30 to 45 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown. If you want to eat it hot, spoon it out onto plates at the table. If you want to serve it warm or cold, you can cut the quiche into wedges.</div><br /> </div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-14538291916772561012024-03-06T06:47:00.003+01:002024-03-08T11:41:00.817+01:00Birthdays past (4)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEToPU2jPxrojiz57PS5b9zD1t60GGA-h6wxkquIIzFJ1x73xq5erG-0-29KskZzVpl1BRzXfb_do7FDNLzmHyOgyLq61t8PMCzi4jSffMMeLIV2j18gdOjvW7hsp-URfPjrXWTFzc3ZtAYimk0CU2hvtWkdVUL3q5Ro8-BfB3PiVR8bNbLZkz/s1800/1P1090069c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEToPU2jPxrojiz57PS5b9zD1t60GGA-h6wxkquIIzFJ1x73xq5erG-0-29KskZzVpl1BRzXfb_do7FDNLzmHyOgyLq61t8PMCzi4jSffMMeLIV2j18gdOjvW7hsp-URfPjrXWTFzc3ZtAYimk0CU2hvtWkdVUL3q5Ro8-BfB3PiVR8bNbLZkz/s860/1P1090069c.jpg" /></a><br>I don't know if you agree, but to my taste a big pot of lima beans, which are very popular in the Carolinas, is a great birthday dinner. I grew up eating lima beans, butter beans, pinto beans, navy beans, field peas, and black-eyed peas... and other beans. I cooked this birthday pot of giant lima beans overnight in the slow cooker. I added duck legs/thighs and Toulouse pork sausages to the pot, along with bay leaves, a couple of cayenne peppers, allspice berries, black peppercorns, parsley stems, a carrot, an onion, some garlic cloves, and salt. Everything cooked at low temperature for 12 hours.</div><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqN6_6Au9N3MMQQAz6U3A1lT8sT4mMiy39wL4QG4W3Xt70otxDJ8YUJP5cz-JbOsOmyFrbIILxCpl5mJSzDxCgD6E86FU1yMBM6rElweStVmakuEM8qKblI72wZXlTc94VcgUkePXltmRtmmn6x5EsU6ZVn0NfN9TNntV3dz70iFLLrmXLp1I2/s1800/2P1090073c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1310" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqN6_6Au9N3MMQQAz6U3A1lT8sT4mMiy39wL4QG4W3Xt70otxDJ8YUJP5cz-JbOsOmyFrbIILxCpl5mJSzDxCgD6E86FU1yMBM6rElweStVmakuEM8qKblI72wZXlTc94VcgUkePXltmRtmmn6x5EsU6ZVn0NfN9TNntV3dz70iFLLrmXLp1I2/s402/2P1090073c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AurIpI8s5dCtv7MrQQERUH6eb13V7GB98wYOhyyVrAdElQjCIP-JFaZ1IVp0ZgqHOTcTWdjKgZx5WgjJge6jFsxKYZ5Jfk5jD5k41AaGeXjh_xTj_8kwkHYgSLBuu5QnsVH7SZxX_84957OcETYDk3TL2DWyIkORuI2bijtR-BvD7RHmNdOU/s1800/3P1090068c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AurIpI8s5dCtv7MrQQERUH6eb13V7GB98wYOhyyVrAdElQjCIP-JFaZ1IVp0ZgqHOTcTWdjKgZx5WgjJge6jFsxKYZ5Jfk5jD5k41AaGeXjh_xTj_8kwkHYgSLBuu5QnsVH7SZxX_84957OcETYDk3TL2DWyIkORuI2bijtR-BvD7RHmNdOU/s436/3P1090068c.jpg" /></a><br>As you can see, the beans didn't disintegrate into mush. They held their shape. The skins were not tough, and the beans were creamy inside. The sausages were tender too. As for the duck, the meat was falling off the bones. The broth had a nice brown color and good flavor.<br><br>We of course have leftovers. That's a good thing, because I just found <a href="https://www.camelliabrand.com/recipes/lima-beans-song-curried-lima-beans/" target="_blank">a recipe for curried lima beans</a>. In France, these limas are called <i>pois du Cap</i> — Capetown peas. But they are beans, not peas like garden peas. There's a French bean called <i>haricots de Soissons</i> that are very similar in look, taste, and texture.</div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-20396192073296520972024-03-05T07:18:00.004+01:002024-03-05T07:31:13.624+01:00Birthdays past (3)<div style="text-align: justify;">Yes, today is the day. Birthday present... well, that's ambiguous, isn't it. In this case, "present" means "now" not "gift". As for a birthday past, here's one from 2009. March 5, 2009, precisely. I took these pictures. And I turned 60. Those were the good old days, I guess. Today, I turn 75. That's 3 x 25. When I was 25, I was living and working in Paris. Actually, I had turned 25 in Urbana, Illinois. That was in 1974. When I turned 50, I was in California, commuting and working. I was pretty unhappy. Now I'm 75. And I'm in France. With Walt and Tasha. No complaints<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVCEcrPk_uIkNNlZMixwj6Mz4_feGYDCclM5JRub6h8VlcFE0zcskvs9BKQQwmzPgZgZkd4WUCVicTnn3xhETy-BN2qQdsOra1z8sojhdFfk7BACrQrANfDj1x-5YqDWacqKR6F_5cuSI_oec_LMAloNrMghsxavtQnYNgjx4TkyVCVhy23CS/s1600/1P1220980d.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVCEcrPk_uIkNNlZMixwj6Mz4_feGYDCclM5JRub6h8VlcFE0zcskvs9BKQQwmzPgZgZkd4WUCVicTnn3xhETy-BN2qQdsOra1z8sojhdFfk7BACrQrANfDj1x-5YqDWacqKR6F_5cuSI_oec_LMAloNrMghsxavtQnYNgjx4TkyVCVhy23CS/s225/1P1220980d.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLV_k1lUHyzgYSiKjl2hlphjWieNI5SROREZzqFjJ3qIKXYh38gugizZvEM74-aWobU-yeTyLywve8YAxZEVl6hWDpA40c_tYM2HnwJ6YUopLgW87crkJghxIjnz1f35XDZQ2OpCwW2XyxlC0KwcW5K_TXIJR4AUzDV9FzEp_8gjDO-luCDSf/s1600/2P1220990c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLV_k1lUHyzgYSiKjl2hlphjWieNI5SROREZzqFjJ3qIKXYh38gugizZvEM74-aWobU-yeTyLywve8YAxZEVl6hWDpA40c_tYM2HnwJ6YUopLgW87crkJghxIjnz1f35XDZQ2OpCwW2XyxlC0KwcW5K_TXIJR4AUzDV9FzEp_8gjDO-luCDSf/s225/2P1220990c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7RlkTdo_gxafnU3ezNT0KUAOwLbDlcTzq492B25WOwndnWupRjT2LJ9-x6peZH9SwzUyem7xnvolopX8H5ydtifiIZblffRUYQPH7vEMPv2p4gBZuIU4D-k8DsVuc5H9n4sq3B1jv0aI3sQmeSgdpHadmbaz2OvBIrwE57STjgKqs648nk8Q/s1600/3P1220972c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7RlkTdo_gxafnU3ezNT0KUAOwLbDlcTzq492B25WOwndnWupRjT2LJ9-x6peZH9SwzUyem7xnvolopX8H5ydtifiIZblffRUYQPH7vEMPv2p4gBZuIU4D-k8DsVuc5H9n4sq3B1jv0aI3sQmeSgdpHadmbaz2OvBIrwE57STjgKqs648nk8Q/s225/3P1220972c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQ8QVJtNp_qdhsaGAq8tV_qlN-IgGBuwRZliLtL_Lc646QXpRA3ht2NGeSEWsgsrcppIj9QEcNKS91Po8gNYP1vxH48ZUn8EalRBbqh7r2IOQxlMJNcXkzQUsO0nz-jek1RjdKCBuva4XgAxAoSG91pNtxKzd5v5GEN1Y5cQcPofbmbhen8AO/s1600/4P1220975c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXQ8QVJtNp_qdhsaGAq8tV_qlN-IgGBuwRZliLtL_Lc646QXpRA3ht2NGeSEWsgsrcppIj9QEcNKS91Po8gNYP1vxH48ZUn8EalRBbqh7r2IOQxlMJNcXkzQUsO0nz-jek1RjdKCBuva4XgAxAoSG91pNtxKzd5v5GEN1Y5cQcPofbmbhen8AO/s225/4P1220975c.jpg" /></a><br>Maybe I can complain just a little bit about the weather. We have a 20 to 30 percent chance of rain this morning. And the we have a 50 to 70 percent chance of rain this afternoon. I probably won't be able to have a long walk with Tasha this afternoon. Unless I want to get wet. The one I took with Callie in 2009 looks pretty nice. In the second photo above, that blue spot is the Cher River seen from the vineyard near our house. That's crazy Callie on the right.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEims9At3f5ysHaRoLyvbZLjBtRkhHuikqHj7UjWb3Xyyt7pn8ywyyMxLvxaZcR56hyphenhyphenhsqUFYcZ_5Rix7ypSrnoHlVQCXe74h74CFS1KIiNgjSzT7mX-vdlp9_kRyzvuw7CJkESU09ApDcwp3Q3eqykN8yoRqvDas59DiizZKK1KZXYuYdunNXTD/s1800/5IMG_4590c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEims9At3f5ysHaRoLyvbZLjBtRkhHuikqHj7UjWb3Xyyt7pn8ywyyMxLvxaZcR56hyphenhyphenhsqUFYcZ_5Rix7ypSrnoHlVQCXe74h74CFS1KIiNgjSzT7mX-vdlp9_kRyzvuw7CJkESU09ApDcwp3Q3eqykN8yoRqvDas59DiizZKK1KZXYuYdunNXTD/s860/5IMG_4590c.jpg" /></a>This was my birthday dessert in March 2009. Walt made it. <a href="https://wcs4.blogspot.com/2009/03/happy-birthday-to-ken.html" target="_blank">Here's his post about it from March 2009.</a> He'll be making the same thing for my birthday today. It's one of my favorite desserts, a tart made with pears in an almond cream custard. It's called an <i>amandine aux poires</i>. My birthday white beans are cooked, by the way. They spent to night in the slow cooker on low, along with the duck legs and Toulouse sausages. It smells good in here this morning.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfxNruFLhkFhvpK2HObMcbfPjVvyEXjrrU7-B3N0TLAE4IzQtCGBskoqFp56w8pDySQgUEFKxZV4POk0N_axC7-9c5_-MGvJyZvT5xrcnYvU0aCD5mLtGFJZXYz21Sw4Y1pkHAblaprP3n4A8NRDlK2gTpV6-5MaA3UZXw2ok_fPfiTK9Ebg-/s1800/6P1220984c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfxNruFLhkFhvpK2HObMcbfPjVvyEXjrrU7-B3N0TLAE4IzQtCGBskoqFp56w8pDySQgUEFKxZV4POk0N_axC7-9c5_-MGvJyZvT5xrcnYvU0aCD5mLtGFJZXYz21Sw4Y1pkHAblaprP3n4A8NRDlK2gTpV6-5MaA3UZXw2ok_fPfiTK9Ebg-/s280/6P1220984c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQNGxyeK9gPBPpgKQ5MrSqAMcYlA7LHy_rVY6Ee-wHfMaCFFb4463DU6sxMIuw4e9DtEhZsID4ChsJ9n06FhFJZkAVmtxEe1qk_BUiD42iwyjXXW_CzC6Eh9YFuEQAVxrhHhcVyujnu8ATKI9mEVseA1M-lTWnKX0w1QOAMaZtS-SEZwpCnhi/s1800/7P1220973c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwQNGxyeK9gPBPpgKQ5MrSqAMcYlA7LHy_rVY6Ee-wHfMaCFFb4463DU6sxMIuw4e9DtEhZsID4ChsJ9n06FhFJZkAVmtxEe1qk_BUiD42iwyjXXW_CzC6Eh9YFuEQAVxrhHhcVyujnu8ATKI9mEVseA1M-lTWnKX0w1QOAMaZtS-SEZwpCnhi/s280/7P1220973c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixg7Vdbn9YLDoFWJe0zPuFdHJppWnhVrezyYdsQIa7GlXHIpfX1PpXr7QPDrW42KHJt-uiKgU-To1o91DtBwEoYn8tw8zFLys25d_YBUC51c_An4s4Hjo0HP1WWaZyqgEek9IRfCL_p8zCYOMcX700jB2qa7IrV4Mjr58033pAln2eK3-995uj/s1800/8P1220981c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixg7Vdbn9YLDoFWJe0zPuFdHJppWnhVrezyYdsQIa7GlXHIpfX1PpXr7QPDrW42KHJt-uiKgU-To1o91DtBwEoYn8tw8zFLys25d_YBUC51c_An4s4Hjo0HP1WWaZyqgEek9IRfCL_p8zCYOMcX700jB2qa7IrV4Mjr58033pAln2eK3-995uj/s280/8P1220981c.jpg" /></a>Since the afternoon will be rainy, we'll probably have a fire in the woodstove. We still have some firewood left. That's our house and yard in 2009 in the middle, and on the right a picture to show you what our late winter woods looked like back then. They look pretty much the same these days.</div><br />
Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-35960875233353663942024-03-04T07:15:00.008+01:002024-03-04T15:14:43.076+01:00Birthdays past (2)<div style="text-align: justify;">In March 2008, my birthday was a stay-at-home affair. For my birthday dinner, I made a big pot of borscht. That's a kind of <i>pot au feu</i> (pot roast) that includes lean beef, red beets, onions, carrots, and other root vegetables like turnips or parsnips. You serve it with steamed potatoes, egg noodles, or pasta. You can serve the broth and vegetables as a soup. Cut up the the meat and put some of it in the soup, or don't eat it in the soup but save it for another use. The meat for this borscht was slow cooked beef shank, which made a good broth.<br /></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Mj45DhZEk3smM5bAWmb5Mkm1agQrKZKDRISNquH1H1Ebo1NNolau6GUxYsBVUunhSzkxaC8TLLFr0ZY0pYInhwx_rH-KescDZ10YpJ0aq26sfGOdb2Vgzp8JNM1Ms9QfBWcXayxUunneN1Aoo8qU4xQLEuhlK8pyBAfgJVN_E0CoIXlYaFcF/s1790/1IMG_3079c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-apen6xp9n="" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1790" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Mj45DhZEk3smM5bAWmb5Mkm1agQrKZKDRISNquH1H1Ebo1NNolau6GUxYsBVUunhSzkxaC8TLLFr0ZY0pYInhwx_rH-KescDZ10YpJ0aq26sfGOdb2Vgzp8JNM1Ms9QfBWcXayxUunneN1Aoo8qU4xQLEuhlK8pyBAfgJVN_E0CoIXlYaFcF/s428/1IMG_3079c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPTW0HMuXbGKkDFhctdkFqODlo0Sh-zb7vOmzueTKspDZYDOBXs8jWqYdP1cgoB_jx3EuuMNeWRFlWCKNWIS5FKIk-fZcpSaiMwJV4S_np2GlxxgD8KTSfF32m2641S7tUnsRgO21mfxDDNN4njBJvSHPljIoI8-WvDwr_TfFr-FEUzIEKtEh/s1790/2IMG_3084c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-apen6xp9n="" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1790" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNPTW0HMuXbGKkDFhctdkFqODlo0Sh-zb7vOmzueTKspDZYDOBXs8jWqYdP1cgoB_jx3EuuMNeWRFlWCKNWIS5FKIk-fZcpSaiMwJV4S_np2GlxxgD8KTSfF32m2641S7tUnsRgO21mfxDDNN4njBJvSHPljIoI8-WvDwr_TfFr-FEUzIEKtEh/s428/2IMG_3084c.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Borscht is an eastern European dish. I'm not sure, but I think the first time I ever ate it was about 40 years ago in Paris, when I was living and working there. I knew a French woman from Burgundy who had been married to a Russian émigré back before World War II. She had learned to make borscht because he liked it, I think. I liked the version she made, and she gave me the recipe (or method, really). Making a big meal like borscht for my birthday or other special occasions is one of my favorite things to do. Here's a <a href="https://ckenb.blogspot.com/2008/03/bortsch-or-if-you-prefer-borscht-or.html#comment-form" target="_blank">link to my post about making borscht in 2008</a>.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Today I'll be cooking a pot of white beans — either <i>lingots blancs</i> (cannelini beans) or <i>pois du Cap</i>, known in France as <i>haricots de Soissons</i> (big white lima beans). I haven't made up my mind yet. We'll enjoy them this week seasoned with with duck fat and served with duck leg and thigh pieces, along with <i>saucisses de Toulouse </i>(plain pork sausages, not smoked).<br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Here's what the weather was like on my birthday in 2008, when I turned 59. We had been here for nearly five years at that point. If I remember, it had snowed a week earlier, but all the snow had melted and it felt like springtime.<br /></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3WTChhNNmJ654JjZGo78ymlBOzUnan8MzL8UFhxCzabyQyqHVH-Y9pDUuNmTCmLMbfrZD_K8nclDqqv33PQrDMk531ROnL_Pc5R-X4REyPMOR0v47S036hohbUi-4hQDsoVdK0bfVAYVwYN_RdmrZvN6tsHxmO73oa-CHn0cdZYwo15h1ZLC/s1800/3IMG_3136c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH3WTChhNNmJ654JjZGo78ymlBOzUnan8MzL8UFhxCzabyQyqHVH-Y9pDUuNmTCmLMbfrZD_K8nclDqqv33PQrDMk531ROnL_Pc5R-X4REyPMOR0v47S036hohbUi-4hQDsoVdK0bfVAYVwYN_RdmrZvN6tsHxmO73oa-CHn0cdZYwo15h1ZLC/s428/3IMG_3136c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKMbZDm25ZjkSFs-4JSfZOm-jj6S1UgwjMfoKYRQPItjghv3FgQhYjJ6rk6uPcCZ_VWBsdXkBuVKw-9Tb8ahpCwhKjlFKHR5ib-WcnOYMqOfoQr3Prq9uHfFyzAvQ2WYpUAgN08XQyFQgMFVBgMYUo0TDBxI3-jeuOLXt2LxuW4fJrqbncU5o/s1800/4IMG_3121c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-apen6xp9n="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKMbZDm25ZjkSFs-4JSfZOm-jj6S1UgwjMfoKYRQPItjghv3FgQhYjJ6rk6uPcCZ_VWBsdXkBuVKw-9Tb8ahpCwhKjlFKHR5ib-WcnOYMqOfoQr3Prq9uHfFyzAvQ2WYpUAgN08XQyFQgMFVBgMYUo0TDBxI3-jeuOLXt2LxuW4fJrqbncU5o/s428/4IMG_3121c.jpg" /></a></div></div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-41979737672363639032024-03-03T07:28:00.009+01:002024-03-03T14:04:52.203+01:00Birthdays past (1)In 2007, Walt and I spent my birthday on the Mont Saint-Michel. We drove up there on the morning of my birthday, we had dinner in a nice restaurant, and we spent the night in a hotel room on the Mont.<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOho2_BR71BNaXBIzhLqw6Zc69TO8kLmuAWJj7j2p0k2sncmrpbmjZDNSDq6ifTyhULdqUKbDgJ1MWZgB6oTqErKyfT6rc1NyPev5J4DZnt4b48Kd7SEwOFBEX9FW7-3Liw8JVLFNF9_0cmKjnLZ13e4_c-JlbdH7_BrqwWiyT_oGrkV37aji/s1800/1IMG_9739c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOho2_BR71BNaXBIzhLqw6Zc69TO8kLmuAWJj7j2p0k2sncmrpbmjZDNSDq6ifTyhULdqUKbDgJ1MWZgB6oTqErKyfT6rc1NyPev5J4DZnt4b48Kd7SEwOFBEX9FW7-3Liw8JVLFNF9_0cmKjnLZ13e4_c-JlbdH7_BrqwWiyT_oGrkV37aji/s380/1IMG_9739c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHWMT-1-3tTd5o5G46sVijAQbTLz41dTHeMA7t_IkL3W7alydIWGV22ssKbRBCECzh9jFJ-Bz15AzlSngzOqDAptRUsb3EykQ3RN51kffcwYGf3Ado_i2Sw0bZ_-E0yg0HYrr0qgaWl1bkcrORR-dl5qacQ9LKKuxih0zo16OsevobQuKgec4/s1800/2IMG_9733c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpHWMT-1-3tTd5o5G46sVijAQbTLz41dTHeMA7t_IkL3W7alydIWGV22ssKbRBCECzh9jFJ-Bz15AzlSngzOqDAptRUsb3EykQ3RN51kffcwYGf3Ado_i2Sw0bZ_-E0yg0HYrr0qgaWl1bkcrORR-dl5qacQ9LKKuxih0zo16OsevobQuKgec4/s380/2IMG_9733c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eC2hMfuIOcDEmR0k4OBuH04ailwiOKdXlxz1he3lX7MGXUfq0eMMRkuhTclzrmptNAVblYik3J6OKVDic3o9ln54_HBwy_1FJm8he4oVacBogY4qf-697mGpiQ4CEDvbARUjQIEm3UOK7gYGQARresUaFvfsRtgnPInLA7A5V0eNGtES21Oz/s1800/3IMG_9893c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eC2hMfuIOcDEmR0k4OBuH04ailwiOKdXlxz1he3lX7MGXUfq0eMMRkuhTclzrmptNAVblYik3J6OKVDic3o9ln54_HBwy_1FJm8he4oVacBogY4qf-697mGpiQ4CEDvbARUjQIEm3UOK7gYGQARresUaFvfsRtgnPInLA7A5V0eNGtES21Oz/s380/3IMG_9893c.jpg" /></a> <br>The middle picture above shows the view from a window in the hotel room.<br>We were watching the tide come rolling in.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHuB2-p4fT3JZzozWik0NYFbOBgradG2gzYlfIFuss-Qn21o6dUAs-r05dbi_gH1cy8enaNOQThyfT5TU8ndDIf_723LkDrcSw7Fhdr2IKhax7SQ6UmlwasUPzhjclKxkh_MU6nAl34zO6l00nMPEq0mo60QL8NcH1UG7g799HyqyQHg1xz94/s1900/4IMG_9898c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHuB2-p4fT3JZzozWik0NYFbOBgradG2gzYlfIFuss-Qn21o6dUAs-r05dbi_gH1cy8enaNOQThyfT5TU8ndDIf_723LkDrcSw7Fhdr2IKhax7SQ6UmlwasUPzhjclKxkh_MU6nAl34zO6l00nMPEq0mo60QL8NcH1UG7g799HyqyQHg1xz94/s860/4IMG_9898c.jpg" /></a>We were lucky with the weather. The day we arrived, it was mostly sunny and not very cold. We had been to the Mont a couple times in the two or three previous summers. It was too crowded. We had to shuffle along elbow-to-elbow with other tourists. I decided I wanted to go to the Mont in the off-season, and my birthday was the opportunity I seized upon. You can see how beautiful it was. The next morning when we were leaving it was raining a flood. We got soaked just getting back to the car for our departure.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIKSwEuhkMrr2o_BuH1WPK-omRzLF3fqkprpymJVRIyctsPvuU4YVp1aMHWFrplCMHoeShhVcFQk2_i3L-yPiRPARG1MpwZ6cEphIgb3usFdRZh2LtmUcWUg7ZnBsEhLOsg742lCWf1z4hzipPGK74jxwJqmcHCimUlXKRiM8gmAHiHryM0Dt/s1900/5IMG_9859c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDIKSwEuhkMrr2o_BuH1WPK-omRzLF3fqkprpymJVRIyctsPvuU4YVp1aMHWFrplCMHoeShhVcFQk2_i3L-yPiRPARG1MpwZ6cEphIgb3usFdRZh2LtmUcWUg7ZnBsEhLOsg742lCWf1z4hzipPGK74jxwJqmcHCimUlXKRiM8gmAHiHryM0Dt/s428/5IMG_9859c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfc4uqB98fZ1u038W8Y2USLOe9rNyaZa-iIb_1bMqo3jAO027iaRN6bD3Bq4bEkEj1-3Hvjlq9wvPpw1fSeSgASHXsR8SKCSsLt3FyCUXm0WYT_MFDbt44Z6EFMHVtQBOY5w6Yl3xarMDlLWavLWpdzQpIP_34L9SaMnfAZtJJuu1a0hkXLLve/s1900/IMG_9857c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1300" data-original-width="1900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfc4uqB98fZ1u038W8Y2USLOe9rNyaZa-iIb_1bMqo3jAO027iaRN6bD3Bq4bEkEj1-3Hvjlq9wvPpw1fSeSgASHXsR8SKCSsLt3FyCUXm0WYT_MFDbt44Z6EFMHVtQBOY5w6Yl3xarMDlLWavLWpdzQpIP_34L9SaMnfAZtJJuu1a0hkXLLve/s428/IMG_9857c.jpg" /></a>There were no crowds on the steep and narrow streets of the Mont on my birthday. That evening, the restaurant wasn't crowded but it wasn't empty either. It was just right, and the food was excellent. Earlier that afternoon, there was a group of young people out walking on the mudflats around the Mont. One girl (I think) had sunk knee-deep into the mud. It's sand, really. They managed to pull her out.</div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-16671932860663563822024-03-02T06:59:00.012+01:002024-03-02T16:35:11.336+01:00RIP Peter H.<div style="text-align: justify;">Recently, I've spent a lot of time thinking and writing about my friend Charles-Henry and his passing. Now I need to share some more sad news. Another friend of mine, the food writer and excellent cook named Peter Hertzmann, passed away back in December. Peter's wife Jill sent out an e-mail in late December letting Peter's friends know that he had died. He was in his mid-70s. Sincere condolences and best wishes to Jill.<br /></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KCFu_-Y-qV6LLNbyyELvUaGMMs8bfh5I43YeFgFxJjoCK52Gd6uJkP0vhL67NUUbA9ocdTlhZu884lVj8HuxuBDLT6E3U8CSZRhdQ_GlLc88yvPuSp79Zftp4SoiaDrMbXxa6qRWsEBUNscaS1eyyGEnAhAFtXgN-nzIME6OhonoSy0x2Ugt/s1600/DCP_0246c.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0KCFu_-Y-qV6LLNbyyELvUaGMMs8bfh5I43YeFgFxJjoCK52Gd6uJkP0vhL67NUUbA9ocdTlhZu884lVj8HuxuBDLT6E3U8CSZRhdQ_GlLc88yvPuSp79Zftp4SoiaDrMbXxa6qRWsEBUNscaS1eyyGEnAhAFtXgN-nzIME6OhonoSy0x2Ugt/s860/DCP_0246c.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 88%;"><b>Peter at work in our little kitchen here in Saint-Aignan on a 2007 visit.</b><br /></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Peter was a major figure on this blog. I first met him back in 2002, soon after we had put down the money on our house here in Saint-Aignan and while we were getting our San Francisco house ready to sell. It was a friend in Rouen (Normandy) who put Peter and me in touch with each other. I didn't see him again before we left California and moved to France. French cooking was his specialty in those years. Earlier in life, he had spent several years exploring Chinese cuisine.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RSi6iOKq8G1kDEBg0ajZS6I7Ol6Iy8PicqxDwMePNgAggquYagZ_XMVaMzmUe2dIErX33cwTh6zhdce-17K8bCSLY7wBzZ6vVnYnmcTcSgPiVrnr9r2pL0snIigc4JbX5Z64eTg4NVfxaqQOb_DLp7TKED9S6BsKca30JecR3QFKP3UhmsnO/s1600/P1010921c.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1690" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2RSi6iOKq8G1kDEBg0ajZS6I7Ol6Iy8PicqxDwMePNgAggquYagZ_XMVaMzmUe2dIErX33cwTh6zhdce-17K8bCSLY7wBzZ6vVnYnmcTcSgPiVrnr9r2pL0snIigc4JbX5Z64eTg4NVfxaqQOb_DLp7TKED9S6BsKca30JecR3QFKP3UhmsnO/s860/P1010921c.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 88%;"><b>One thing Peter liked to do when he was here was to go see the kitchens in local <i>châteaux</i>. <b>This is Peter at Montpoupon.<br />Chenonceau, Moulin, and Valençay were others we went to see over the years.</b></b></span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
Peter was among our first visitors in Saint-Aignan. He was one of our most faithful readers and one of our most frequent visitors over the years. He and Jill last visited us in June 2022. I could tell that he was slowing down, but so am I. He and Jill were here for four or five days and Peter went out of the house just once during that time. That was to do some food shopping. He was fine with letting me and Walt do the cooking.<br /></div></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyDM5pv26BzqXKbXNGSG-DO0R536sn1Q8CLIYGd-5weUPys_4r6iqfgg5yuzQJ1X5QiDiHSZMRT4DqVEVDyGn7WTmTJPaUlLH6bg6MS5BlhQU6guEXRB4Yg6Jx9VUiN6-0ygqJoTdw-luBHNgwx3axlHWzlyfQanA1schawX3Ja-OBXPRZILW/s1600/P1180731c.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyDM5pv26BzqXKbXNGSG-DO0R536sn1Q8CLIYGd-5weUPys_4r6iqfgg5yuzQJ1X5QiDiHSZMRT4DqVEVDyGn7WTmTJPaUlLH6bg6MS5BlhQU6guEXRB4Yg6Jx9VUiN6-0ygqJoTdw-luBHNgwx3axlHWzlyfQanA1schawX3Ja-OBXPRZILW/s860/P1180731c.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: 88%;"><b>Peter Hertzmann and Jill C. in front of the wine co-op in Valençay. Where there's food there must be wine. Peter was a larger than life guy who just barely fit into my little Peugeot. If you'd like to see some of my old posts that he featured in, <a href="https://ckenb.blogspot.com/search?q=%22Peter+Hertzmann%22&updated-max=2005-12-10T08:54:00-08:00&max-results=20&start=13&by-date=false " target="_blank">follow this link</a>.<br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">
P.S. I got so busy yesterday doing research about cataracts and cataract surgery in English and in French that I totally forgot to do a blog post. Thanks again to all of you who posted comments on the subject or sent me private e-mails. I'm pulling together questions I want to be sure to ask the ophthalmologist when I next see him. That won't be for the surgery, but for taking measurements of my eyeballs to prepare for subsequent surgery. </div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-62512628578192978872024-02-29T10:05:00.008+01:002024-03-01T14:59:44.767+01:00Medical news: it's about eyes<p>I went to see an ophthalmologist (<i>ophtalmologiste</i> in French, if you can see the difference) over in Montrichard yesterday. I had made the appointment months ago. He's the same doctor that I saw in Blois about 18 months ago, when he told me I had the beginnings of a cataract in my right eye.</p><p>Yesterday he examined me and announced that I also have a growing cataract in my left eye. He said the vision in my right eye was 10/10 in 2022 but now it is 7/10. That's not good. In my (weak) left eye, my vision was 7/10 in 2002 but now it's only 5/10.</p><p>I got caught up in reading about cataract surgery this morning and time got away from me, so I didn't write a "real" blog post.</p><p>On several web sites I see that the basic cataract operation (including the surgery, the anesthesia, and the cost of the implant that will be inserted into my eyeballs) costs a little less than $400 US and is 100% reimbursed by the national health service. If you go to a doctor who charges more than the health service's recommended fee, your private top-up plan might pay the extra.</p><p>Anyway, I told the eye doctor that I hadn't really noticed any change in my eyesight, but he said that was because the cataracts grow very gradually, so you just get used to it and don't know it's happening.</p><p>I'm wondering if I'll still need glasses and corrective lenses after the operations are done. My next appointment is on March 21 in Blois. If you have had the surgery, I would appreciate knowing how it worked and how it went. My mother had it when she was about the age I am now. A friend in California who was born 2 days after me back in 1949 recently had the operation on both eyes and said the result was fantastic.<br /></p>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-90940871235780424022024-02-28T06:26:00.010+01:002024-02-28T06:37:47.310+01:00Other CHM gifts<div style="text-align: justify;">Over the last 15 years or so, Charles-Henry gave us other kitchen treasures, as you see in the picture below. The set of three <i>gratin</i> dishes and the "bean pot" are pieces he bought from a vendor in an outdoor market not far from his Paris apartment, the Marché de l'Avenue de Saxe in the 7th <i>arrondissement</i>. I was with him when he bought them in the year 2000. He gave them to us a few years later because, he said, he wasn't using his oven any more and he thought we could make better use of ovenproof cookware. For more than a decade before the last time I saw him in 2017, he would come spend a week or two at our house in summertime, and we was always happy to see us using the things he had given us.<br /></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi2rGMy9U3uSn1DbIb1qG3I0u2nNzQ7uHZblPNmO6qeMXFQXuquilhFRiUg74xP-qCvdpjraHzifBKY5PDYWYsCpSTLVNLg6O4-2Jvgy4ymXTCFn0U_bho-dbkUNZqgzg-WJyjMXrY3bACUBZ1f9LHjMvvw66OX5dvo4askSc-_k3qds4ADVn/s1604/P1090054c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyi2rGMy9U3uSn1DbIb1qG3I0u2nNzQ7uHZblPNmO6qeMXFQXuquilhFRiUg74xP-qCvdpjraHzifBKY5PDYWYsCpSTLVNLg6O4-2Jvgy4ymXTCFn0U_bho-dbkUNZqgzg-WJyjMXrY3bACUBZ1f9LHjMvvw66OX5dvo4askSc-_k3qds4ADVn/s860/P1090054c.jpg" /></a>The dish at the bottom left of the picture is a soufflé dish that was his grandmother's, he said. I have no idea how old it might be. Since he died a few weeks ago at age 99, how old must his grandmother have been? I don't even know if he was talking about his paternal grandmother or his maternal grandmother. The cut-glass bowl (is that what it is?) on the right has no history that he shared. He just gave it to us. I'm sure he didn't buy it as a present for us. We use it fairly often. I should have asked him for more information about it before it was too late.</div></div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-91481638532277161862024-02-27T07:33:00.003+01:002024-02-27T07:35:59.132+01:00A 2013 gift<div style="text-align: center;">Charles-Henry, who passed away a few weeks ago, gave us a really nice and useful gift nearly 11 years ago. It's a set of stainless steel serving dishes — the kind you see often in Paris <i>bistros</i> and <i>brasseries</i>. It's a ten-piece set. When I took the picture on the left below, one of them was in the refrigerator.
<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ql5L2SoE4-_SkYBPqzjWDXggb3OtxFaq9OLb4MhQsuUJAaXqwgohmsYG4zMl0VI0XxK5vEETYqeapa321Q6LKS0A_i0tFY4eAMzRXO2WXfK68dyLXobYTI4zUDYWzAM7Lvgjb3zXJy17PRCmiskoL2msepEdqfM0MxAJF9RYQElj6xLFvQP6/s1800/stainless3.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1222" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0ql5L2SoE4-_SkYBPqzjWDXggb3OtxFaq9OLb4MhQsuUJAaXqwgohmsYG4zMl0VI0XxK5vEETYqeapa321Q6LKS0A_i0tFY4eAMzRXO2WXfK68dyLXobYTI4zUDYWzAM7Lvgjb3zXJy17PRCmiskoL2msepEdqfM0MxAJF9RYQElj6xLFvQP6/s428/stainless3.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhVfyJNkxxZs_iXET7mW8AntlNX6B4IJHOAkr3Nf8Ogb57DOWc9fLEXRmKtjWVe3cLhSkqPdYj-aoOjk3qj61vjn6jWcjNY3zl7peSxTSJ3sE3zCs80ed1nUhk77MHNO3lxzw_ES6NEiQLX1JSRYL8Ura60damQF8w5EDEkwDVsnRdPbkQKQp/s1800/P1210323c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDhVfyJNkxxZs_iXET7mW8AntlNX6B4IJHOAkr3Nf8Ogb57DOWc9fLEXRmKtjWVe3cLhSkqPdYj-aoOjk3qj61vjn6jWcjNY3zl7peSxTSJ3sE3zCs80ed1nUhk77MHNO3lxzw_ES6NEiQLX1JSRYL8Ura60damQF8w5EDEkwDVsnRdPbkQKQp/s428/P1210323c.jpg" /></a>These were dishes that his mother used all the time, C-H told me. She passed away several decades ago, so they are antiques by now. One of the nicest things about them is that you can also cook in them. They are unbreakable. They clean up easily. One other nice thing about them is that they will always make me remember Charles-Henry when I cook or serve food in them.</div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-70764179715926725992024-02-26T07:03:00.010+01:002024-02-26T08:30:23.293+01:00Spring... almost<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_42ft36DLHVSEWVtUdc4bZaMgGZvbeljOGHc5_Op4xDTnWcFZwFTaf7YUpOG4-1k13ToUqbj3NOcVt_FvorsoKzuRknnP_9vHJU1zwzb85CiNi9UQ-pYQk-Cm5R_eDkEOTKQdahjV16ndeC9qKMHvd_jvCG0jk5dE_bWfK3KAfFYVTYtrPJu/s1800/1P1090760c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-i7iyr0ix2="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_42ft36DLHVSEWVtUdc4bZaMgGZvbeljOGHc5_Op4xDTnWcFZwFTaf7YUpOG4-1k13ToUqbj3NOcVt_FvorsoKzuRknnP_9vHJU1zwzb85CiNi9UQ-pYQk-Cm5R_eDkEOTKQdahjV16ndeC9qKMHvd_jvCG0jk5dE_bWfK3KAfFYVTYtrPJu/s428/1P1090760c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNud8xj_GQvsYKnsIiRCKIsro2PmpzUK01eqBimwbgb5jmjBWOqJS-iAZgutq3wle7jIgj5mkKKz2wQEJdUQas_SHdhclgTqzCC9Qu5RGNMCowfbJqf7E9AuV3BWXpoq54OMj_zScU6H-5poEvZ8kH_XxfMLiin-ec9IqgLP0WGWjZsVfeFYM/s1800/2IMG_4699c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNud8xj_GQvsYKnsIiRCKIsro2PmpzUK01eqBimwbgb5jmjBWOqJS-iAZgutq3wle7jIgj5mkKKz2wQEJdUQas_SHdhclgTqzCC9Qu5RGNMCowfbJqf7E9AuV3BWXpoq54OMj_zScU6H-5poEvZ8kH_XxfMLiin-ec9IqgLP0WGWjZsVfeFYM/s428/2IMG_4699c.jpg" /></a>Some spring days will look like the one on the left above. Others will look like the one on the right. Such is spring in Saint-Aignan. These are views of the vineyard from our windows. The weather woman on Télématin says it's going to rain all day today.</div><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgIunQSpiwTHAUmy-hcfUnyGQBkhPoN5yI5zjbA9-ASwf83qTHyitvnUz8gOGzVeVuRhBydtfpG4hvUBQEfAbWajzmh_QZ-wOEvrZNpBvgcniWRtSLy0oQaw5PzQ5k-kjit0kpI6NW7aUgEkPVil554NkDCJDoSG-Xc9H0XULaa_M9FbxByXa/s1800/3P1090787c.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgIunQSpiwTHAUmy-hcfUnyGQBkhPoN5yI5zjbA9-ASwf83qTHyitvnUz8gOGzVeVuRhBydtfpG4hvUBQEfAbWajzmh_QZ-wOEvrZNpBvgcniWRtSLy0oQaw5PzQ5k-kjit0kpI6NW7aUgEkPVil554NkDCJDoSG-Xc9H0XULaa_M9FbxByXa/s800/3P1090787c.jpg" /></a><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br>Flowers like the ones on the left are already appearing. This is a photo<br>that I took 10 years ago today.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFzhmGbmFlVW-sf4n6aqWsCcGu-Q3R7VcD1kOr-bGzzC9WqkGyHZUqnnOEKxoK6wZ1mU29M9QYv4BzOhYvZqV_yabmvewXHALpob9D-84P2kTaybSumkNZV2z1H6CE-saL3tP19b_NljDpGQWn9L_gVqgoxy9lcFRLKRZI4vBLLzyDFiBkY8F/s1800/4P1090723c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFzhmGbmFlVW-sf4n6aqWsCcGu-Q3R7VcD1kOr-bGzzC9WqkGyHZUqnnOEKxoK6wZ1mU29M9QYv4BzOhYvZqV_yabmvewXHALpob9D-84P2kTaybSumkNZV2z1H6CE-saL3tP19b_NljDpGQWn9L_gVqgoxy9lcFRLKRZI4vBLLzyDFiBkY8F/s428/4P1090723c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZvurN9C2JBECvc41Oh8u4t78dj36Vbs-43RlVtkJQxXE8ZDdEFT0iq3e7y_vyI3SiOHKd0_hcQ21QN7f8ScvCUrBsVF6qHjOu5M7yQ41jBkasjVtZObnbEswG1YQgRBsj8QWw6IbspagOaRRdvDa8tErlb-xxKGPWQ-BUdJBbmA8XNBhb5JS/s1800/5P1090785c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZvurN9C2JBECvc41Oh8u4t78dj36Vbs-43RlVtkJQxXE8ZDdEFT0iq3e7y_vyI3SiOHKd0_hcQ21QN7f8ScvCUrBsVF6qHjOu5M7yQ41jBkasjVtZObnbEswG1YQgRBsj8QWw6IbspagOaRRdvDa8tErlb-xxKGPWQ-BUdJBbmA8XNBhb5JS/s428/5P1090785c.jpg" /></a>For a while yet, the grape vines will look like the photo on the left just above. But the fruit trees will be covered in blossoms like the ones on the right very soon. It's starting now. Maybe we'll get some plums this year.</div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-11806140863027506282024-02-25T07:07:00.003+01:002024-02-25T09:57:00.638+01:00Spring is knocking at the door<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1su231mQgDi_oTgZb-APdcqio6beC4cXZM3FoTNUUC0rVLaY3h6-EOCLLOaXhYB3n8ULQVLEv3zwuPcW8qVxGUs8570Wdgzlok0jqnCK6x1dcdcRcn7FTfALYA7SSuq1WUqsS_Jetrde91oNYRaGgXm5nuCJkMx2l7uX0Y1oXNxJMMoFNjwN/s1800/1P1090782c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1su231mQgDi_oTgZb-APdcqio6beC4cXZM3FoTNUUC0rVLaY3h6-EOCLLOaXhYB3n8ULQVLEv3zwuPcW8qVxGUs8570Wdgzlok0jqnCK6x1dcdcRcn7FTfALYA7SSuq1WUqsS_Jetrde91oNYRaGgXm5nuCJkMx2l7uX0Y1oXNxJMMoFNjwN/s428/1P1090782c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWDDpAPpBSg0NX0PAKgpKhI1ql28x6ffA5rVO3Lh8xlTbXsyHxinYoumdUizWmAHxZxLYyti9bjVBvo9IiN4LgWcYoyENMT_rNg11Iguhk6XgxFAOKKe48Jv-rzLQPyys5NIVDAxiJFQxzCPbRolEJxkIHpVv52BUHByfd3NWiotHTcnnJmre/s1800/2P1090810c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWDDpAPpBSg0NX0PAKgpKhI1ql28x6ffA5rVO3Lh8xlTbXsyHxinYoumdUizWmAHxZxLYyti9bjVBvo9IiN4LgWcYoyENMT_rNg11Iguhk6XgxFAOKKe48Jv-rzLQPyys5NIVDAxiJFQxzCPbRolEJxkIHpVv52BUHByfd3NWiotHTcnnJmre/s428/2P1090810c.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeu9OZAQ7lOl3pmHFHeHVi1MVTikjMW1QcfDRsqtbrFyTn2Q0NbZrahJyPUZa3gt6zJqW89BFSMBzDofuZLsnS-K6pdmawZU0noNLAuEKgXW7ff3BLKxePD02dlF4s21wFVPzC_4eEpcDlQplNvdtIkKQEf25FHfJzVhMW105hJncY0FYCNue/s1800/3P1090794c.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeu9OZAQ7lOl3pmHFHeHVi1MVTikjMW1QcfDRsqtbrFyTn2Q0NbZrahJyPUZa3gt6zJqW89BFSMBzDofuZLsnS-K6pdmawZU0noNLAuEKgXW7ff3BLKxePD02dlF4s21wFVPzC_4eEpcDlQplNvdtIkKQEf25FHfJzVhMW105hJncY0FYCNue/s560/3P1090794c.jpg" /></a>The big tree at the center of the photo to the right is the 75-foot cedar we had to have taken down a couple of weeks ago. It's harder to see, but just to the right of the cedar is a blue spruce that we had to have taken down four years ago. It too had died. In this post from 2020, you can see a video of <a href="https://ckenb.blogspot.com/2020/02/cedrus-deodara.html" target="_blank">the felling of the spruce tree</a>.<br /><br />The flowers above and below are some that come up in our back yard in springtime. They've already started this year, as they had when I took these photos on 26 February 2014.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRYHFvasmQM6WT4smsex0xrTNR1VdcZ0X6xz9XdYATv_DuprOnvkz-WmFqbA4xpaPye-B7bA31uhc1uhxmddfaUEURTlQfy7zFKU5oemfd04zIwIFpYlJrPVjSjHlSj4Seo5qYpA5zihDRqYi96FjCq8-zpV6MPPyRzDzplkWRw-biAW7oARe/s1800/4P1090786c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRYHFvasmQM6WT4smsex0xrTNR1VdcZ0X6xz9XdYATv_DuprOnvkz-WmFqbA4xpaPye-B7bA31uhc1uhxmddfaUEURTlQfy7zFKU5oemfd04zIwIFpYlJrPVjSjHlSj4Seo5qYpA5zihDRqYi96FjCq8-zpV6MPPyRzDzplkWRw-biAW7oARe/s428/4P1090786c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoWCkpOgK3nnezQ1aAxxoGjw8oqaAadrmRpv9lFnHb0lnsStBwmF8_U3WDtHYZCyHlxSu8NDPZbfJfJprN1qChS44qW02DT4yN2UN3sw7srX6AV8EWmZtolALwrSgWziItHJ9XCr0Pn3_MZuGqh_LkJhW859-tA9lAS_UTqpHtTPV9kmTU70C/s1800/5P1090773c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoWCkpOgK3nnezQ1aAxxoGjw8oqaAadrmRpv9lFnHb0lnsStBwmF8_U3WDtHYZCyHlxSu8NDPZbfJfJprN1qChS44qW02DT4yN2UN3sw7srX6AV8EWmZtolALwrSgWziItHJ9XCr0Pn3_MZuGqh_LkJhW859-tA9lAS_UTqpHtTPV9kmTU70C/s428/5P1090773c.jpg" /></a></div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-30896436582461690822024-02-24T07:00:00.004+01:002024-02-24T07:33:20.873+01:00Recent tree pictures...<div style="text-align: center;">...and one ex-tree. These are photos I took over the last two weeks.<br /></div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgCfD_2AjEKXfeJ4i8ub8lwRqaiqYXzLpN6sKhc83fHfd12RkMc0l3tTm2OLlBYKI4Um9Q6U_wiELAC7DfPjwEJEXL8v-hmXsSlULQyArTvBRJdrhye_2PkAKNBFAGhoT_SRSGoH8sHoI0QK88K-L9BBaNn5Xm0Dc_T21_UBHVn-6vBqsc-NH/s1800/1P1090011c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEgCfD_2AjEKXfeJ4i8ub8lwRqaiqYXzLpN6sKhc83fHfd12RkMc0l3tTm2OLlBYKI4Um9Q6U_wiELAC7DfPjwEJEXL8v-hmXsSlULQyArTvBRJdrhye_2PkAKNBFAGhoT_SRSGoH8sHoI0QK88K-L9BBaNn5Xm0Dc_T21_UBHVn-6vBqsc-NH/s860/1P1090011c.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6RmvMYpmFmXn6koeuvmr5raOEsmb1ySz87jDlO_sxCsKfL3VPM1882NIn3eL9vC7qWEPtUiOZ5oCFTFWe1yiKhfnXevWkQHUsuJvn1wGuOqSc69Aj5hOa1KCebpWY2DDtyExLhDh-_XvN9KGLUG_diLV9yNxJ9z1asREWUSNxPW5iGftZv_C/s1200/2P1090002c.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6RmvMYpmFmXn6koeuvmr5raOEsmb1ySz87jDlO_sxCsKfL3VPM1882NIn3eL9vC7qWEPtUiOZ5oCFTFWe1yiKhfnXevWkQHUsuJvn1wGuOqSc69Aj5hOa1KCebpWY2DDtyExLhDh-_XvN9KGLUG_diLV9yNxJ9z1asREWUSNxPW5iGftZv_C/s560/2P1090002c.jpg" /></a> <br><br>As you know if you follow Walt's blog, we had the 75-foot-tall cedar tree on the north side of our house taken down about two weeks ago. It had been dying for two or three years, and we were worried it might fall on the house. We had a big wind storm just a couple of days ago and we were glad the sick tree wasn't a danger any more. The photo above shows what this part of the yard looks like now.<br>
<br />The first step in felling the cedar was to cut off all of its long horizontal branches (photo on the right). That didn't take long. The very top of the tree wasn't hard to cut off and pull down into the yard after that. The <i>coucou</i> birds that have roosted in the top of the tree for decades, cuckooing like crazy, will be disappointed and disoriented when they come back to Saint-Aignan from Africa this spring.<br><br>The photos here show how big and tall the trunk of the cedar was. The stump is more than three feet in diameter. That's just two-thirds of its height you see in the photo below. We're thinking we might soon have a cherry tree planted to replace the cedar. A big potted plant will look good sitting on the stump in the meantime.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCfzrHPEIYRGgx78MEgBcnTNkAGHxiykpYtLlT7IJzIr8rIC6oyCtpsPzahYiNh2i3TCICA5ydhzSHPzB0cd1Ynr73TK7bMMOHjs8FdspZ3jaGByNe39dkgGla2IXuXsD5o8zP4_6xvCwiFe980n9H5a9uKnLLVZ6piz346pcfu2l5XtLQUUY/s1800/3P1090008c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUCfzrHPEIYRGgx78MEgBcnTNkAGHxiykpYtLlT7IJzIr8rIC6oyCtpsPzahYiNh2i3TCICA5ydhzSHPzB0cd1Ynr73TK7bMMOHjs8FdspZ3jaGByNe39dkgGla2IXuXsD5o8zP4_6xvCwiFe980n9H5a9uKnLLVZ6piz346pcfu2l5XtLQUUY/s860/3P1090008c.jpg" /></a><br><br>Below is a recent sunrise seen from our front terrace. The house across the street is owned by some people from Blois and isn't much occupied at this time of year. The same is true of three of the four houses closest to ours. Why? Well, we're expecting a lot of rain over the next four or five days. It's been a very rainy winter.</div><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0Kfeuy3cgmpuaVc9gfhRMdYB0HPqHNxhhNrjWcYqKVLvSccJ9-QZJO55c-FnkrNo41DjYOiRYtysXbNkmyFs-BXPF4rj3Q5wBWy3S6QoyG2_GsyNMdVzYE0lbneMk9Wj6XLr8_VeY9fPOxA1XmiqDejKExfxAhHIWIQLg2PXYsmgaj30LL-K/s1900/4P1090038c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1900" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0Kfeuy3cgmpuaVc9gfhRMdYB0HPqHNxhhNrjWcYqKVLvSccJ9-QZJO55c-FnkrNo41DjYOiRYtysXbNkmyFs-BXPF4rj3Q5wBWy3S6QoyG2_GsyNMdVzYE0lbneMk9Wj6XLr8_VeY9fPOxA1XmiqDejKExfxAhHIWIQLg2PXYsmgaj30LL-K/s860/4P1090038c.jpg" /></a></div></div>Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18071407.post-16049373636634886102024-02-23T06:43:00.010+01:002024-02-23T08:54:19.656+01:00Ferronnerie (2)<div style="text-align: justify;">In 1998, Charles-Henry and I were driving around in Normandy, just sightseeing. We realized we needed a Michelin green guide for the region, so we stopped in a small town and found a bookshop/newsstand. We asked the woman running the place if she had a copy of the guidebook we could buy. She searched around for a few minutes and then told us she didn't seem to have the book in French. She only had it in English. We told her we could make do with the English version. And we laughed about it when we got back in the car and continued our sightseeing.<br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn-Cl1pWwBe3quNBb2b1hobZqhBGnOxGlv8Xe5UiomTn2CKq_Mx_fJ5PjtXNyZLqh0iRxenFRyX4Z0cOcmKUanh_xigGpnDx4bc1nbG0FwlA-e-6Q_BFaA1Skbs3h3tybf5FtKmmpIdaaZenofjHNQ6uMMMHZ4onnQ6UdsLQbG0IUObNnYn5k/s1800/1P0000992c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOn-Cl1pWwBe3quNBb2b1hobZqhBGnOxGlv8Xe5UiomTn2CKq_Mx_fJ5PjtXNyZLqh0iRxenFRyX4Z0cOcmKUanh_xigGpnDx4bc1nbG0FwlA-e-6Q_BFaA1Skbs3h3tybf5FtKmmpIdaaZenofjHNQ6uMMMHZ4onnQ6UdsLQbG0IUObNnYn5k/s600/1P0000992c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rtyp5OafBeR_ikykzzDp9G1PI1p3Uzepw_uNSNpFjkqZ0NE3AxZ1XTE89eMbA9IYMQM_K_zwk9MgxrRDeZOgs4qwikm47mUXmtsppbd74yfc-On7GN33QdjsCfHBtK-NK2MXZpLiEb8Voyu-ltGKsWV_-hDeqJdCevudf7GhwVjFbz7pBn-Z/s1800/2P0000989c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rtyp5OafBeR_ikykzzDp9G1PI1p3Uzepw_uNSNpFjkqZ0NE3AxZ1XTE89eMbA9IYMQM_K_zwk9MgxrRDeZOgs4qwikm47mUXmtsppbd74yfc-On7GN33QdjsCfHBtK-NK2MXZpLiEb8Voyu-ltGKsWV_-hDeqJdCevudf7GhwVjFbz7pBn-Z/s600/2P0000989c.jpg" /></a><br />So here is what the Michelin guidebook I have in my book collection says about the Musée Le Secq des Tournelles in Rouen:<span style="color: #a2c4c9;"> "The Wrought Ironwork Museum is housed in old St. Lawrence Church, a fine Flamboyant building, and is exceptionally rich (3C to 19C)."</span> I assume that means 3rd to 19th century objects.<br /><br />
<span style="color: #a2c4c9;">"The nave and transept contain large items such as balconies, signs, railings etc. and in the display cabinets locks, door knockers, and keys. Their evolution can be studied from Gallo-Roman times."</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmket_4xVD2iNeOewNsGIvGGfwymam-MSxOEW1o6JrLFnKO4h_wz24ldZ_nDfv22HBwaG3NnF-0DekKDSF_g-yORvPTTZmfxEDrPwUXrY15K7xw19vDXeAYSW0jxzE-PZMV65rooES1NyaTgc3ZCGobXfdR8H4T-HnjoIXN3Jl_F-gaAhzy3l/s1800/3P0000988c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmket_4xVD2iNeOewNsGIvGGfwymam-MSxOEW1o6JrLFnKO4h_wz24ldZ_nDfv22HBwaG3NnF-0DekKDSF_g-yORvPTTZmfxEDrPwUXrY15K7xw19vDXeAYSW0jxzE-PZMV65rooES1NyaTgc3ZCGobXfdR8H4T-HnjoIXN3Jl_F-gaAhzy3l/s400/3P0000988c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDhugHmLRNr2KRXWvqRmZo3dN9RJdR5kW9ofPU9dwBOsv5Ki8x437pf1YMaetmY8JVaElcKwlynQ2fJrvNfQpbgCfgRxStWvAeA8qjaX-GEP6vm_MkpR0sXqG7HMHljfohIwXdmAri_mRjH04plppJgqhql5oAsUxvCnfXmcGBpCdjczL5ttR/s1800/4P0000999c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixDhugHmLRNr2KRXWvqRmZo3dN9RJdR5kW9ofPU9dwBOsv5Ki8x437pf1YMaetmY8JVaElcKwlynQ2fJrvNfQpbgCfgRxStWvAeA8qjaX-GEP6vm_MkpR0sXqG7HMHljfohIwXdmAri_mRjH04plppJgqhql5oAsUxvCnfXmcGBpCdjczL5ttR/s400/4P0000999c.jpg" /></a><br />It continues: <span style="color: #a2c4c9;">"The north aisle includes displays of locks, belts, and buckles from the 15C to 19C... The south aisle exhibits a large variety of domestic utensils and tools such as knives, grills, irons, spice and coffee mills etc.The north gallery... is devoted to accessories such as jewels, clasps, combs, and smoking requisites."</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVOe34x9hiku5wq2fvE1gIJUEs5eMUHMh3MQDRVm8Kt2vm6yjCR6mmzN2n2e6us0X9TdtfEI76QLTgbOz_8H5YHaJahwQ4TWA2MpWIuRKGp3vo4gBA9qHxaZ0iOpCrDq_oZxy3O1eI5AZO4VnXxmBYEqigo1-cLQ3gk0DFKxLzKmDbc6hyphenhyphenNC7/s1800/5P0000991c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPVOe34x9hiku5wq2fvE1gIJUEs5eMUHMh3MQDRVm8Kt2vm6yjCR6mmzN2n2e6us0X9TdtfEI76QLTgbOz_8H5YHaJahwQ4TWA2MpWIuRKGp3vo4gBA9qHxaZ0iOpCrDq_oZxy3O1eI5AZO4VnXxmBYEqigo1-cLQ3gk0DFKxLzKmDbc6hyphenhyphenNC7/s600/5P0000991c.jpg" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnGgmptQvCBUIAUOhF9yR3V0sQGz27-y811mYfdB1B_GPjXun0YNOML9cNkwesc1SXrVbiQ6rSogkkHg1SpnQn0XKVTWhFAQJTZUaVrubUSghQXRv0NmHl0Po-pnXkwkwTPqqtkbdOTUrxzcvxVj-3P8SDCmNaiMPnhST0FEglvuNiYENzjLc/s1800/6P0000993c.jpg" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnGgmptQvCBUIAUOhF9yR3V0sQGz27-y811mYfdB1B_GPjXun0YNOML9cNkwesc1SXrVbiQ6rSogkkHg1SpnQn0XKVTWhFAQJTZUaVrubUSghQXRv0NmHl0Po-pnXkwkwTPqqtkbdOTUrxzcvxVj-3P8SDCmNaiMPnhST0FEglvuNiYENzjLc/s600/6P0000993c.jpg" /></a><br>Here's a <a href="https://museelesecqdestournelles.fr/fr/le-musee-des-arts-du-fer-le-secq-des-tournelles" target="_blank">link to a page about the museum in French</a>, and a <a href="https://museelesecqdestournelles.fr/en/the-museum-6" target="_blank">link to the same text in English.</a><br>If you want <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=mus%C3%A9e+le+secq+des+tournelles&amp;source=lmns&amp;bih=539&amp;biw=1280&amp;client=firefox-b-d&amp;hl=en&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjPzP2m1sCEAxUDYKQEHWnFD4QQ0pQJKAB6BAgBEAI" target="_blank">to see a lot more pictures, follow this link.</a></div>
Ken Broadhursthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04430899802705818716noreply@blogger.com3