Les Cocktails
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Showing posts with label south of France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label south of France. Show all posts
March 8, 2013
March 1, 2013
July 1, 2012
Summer Weather in Normandy
Would you like to know what the summer weather is like in Normandy? I can easily describe it in just one word: schizophrenic.
You wake up to sun.
Then by the time you've made coffee and want to sit out in the garden, it's drizzling. Then the sun comes back out for a few hours, followed by a two minute shower.
Sun.
Rain.
Sun.
Rain.
Sun.
Rain.
Then, almost every evening, bright sun and blue skies.
It's pretty fabulous.
By contrast, the summer weather in the south of France is more consistent. And by consistent, I mean it's either all or nothing.
Mind-numbing heat for weeks on end that sap your energy and your appetite. Errands must be run early in the day and salads, ice cream and glasses of cold rosé become your best friends.
Strong winds, not mere gusts, but winds, that blow for days.
Violent thunderstorms that dump buckets of rain and knock out power, then disappear as quickly and dramatically as they arrived.
It's beautiful, it's the south of France for heaven's sake!
But it's not for the faint of heart.
I'm discovering that extremely hot weather doesn't suit me anymore. Maybe if our house in the south of France had had central A/C and a swimming pool, then the heat wouldn't have bothered me so much. But those are luxuries that we never had, so it's hard to know.
What I do know, is that for me, summer in Normandy is perfect!
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November 30, 2011
La Cité de Carcassonne
In the height of summer, La Cité de Carcassonne oozes a plastic, Disneyland-esque quality, but on a quiet November day it still offers a bit of magic.
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October 8, 2011
September 22, 2011
Photo du Jour - Picked
The vendange has been going for about a month now.
First the white, now the red.
The village streets are dotted with grapes spilled on their way to the cave to be crushed and the air is filled with the aroma of rich, earthy yeast.
Les vignerons are barely taking a moment to rest.
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August 22, 2011
Restaurant M'11
If you ever find yourself in Carcassonne and either need an escape from the crush of tourists in la Cité or just can't face another overpriced, mediocre restaurant, I suggest you hop in your car and head 15 minutes southeast to the tiny village of Monze.
There you'll find Restaurant M'11, an unpretentious, charming little place that offers a menu of regional dishes done with panache.
August 14, 2011
August 3, 2011
Surviving Summer in the South of France - 10 Things You Should Know
1) It's HOT.
You probably already knew that, right?
Well, you'd be surprised by how many people come here and are shocked by how intense the heat can be in June, July and August.
2) Air conditioning is a luxury.
A good fan is worth its weight in gold.
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July 31, 2011
Photo du Jour - Summer Light
Summer evening light over the Canal du Midi. Magical.
My first submission to The Creative Exchange hosted by Lisa Gordon.
July 17, 2011
An Early Morning Vineyard Walk
This is my morning dog walk.
Up a small road that is lined with lichen covered, ash colored stone walls.
Past an open garden gate. I can hear another early riser tending to their garden behind the tall stone wall.
Into the vineyards. The grapes are coming along nicely.
My weekly contribution to Your Sunday Best, hosted by Nancy at A Rural Journal.
July 9, 2011
Photo du Jour - South of France Color
Another day, another door. Great color, don't you think?
Submitted to Your Sunday Best, a weekly event hosted by Nancy at A Rural Journal.
June 19, 2011
Photo du Jour - Secret
An open gate invited me in.
Then I saw the cave like tunnel and the stairway. How could I resist?
Dodging the cobwebs I went in and climbed up. A secret garden!
Off to one side I found a statue of Mary. Tucked under a tree was an old fireplace mantle and in another corner, this dilapidated, empty greenhouse.
Don't forget! Only two days left to win a copy of Patricia Well's cookbook, At Home in Provence
.My submission to Your Sunday Best, hosted by A Rural Journal.
June 17, 2011
Photo du Jour - Jewel Like
I've always had a thing for frogs, lizards, newts, turtles, etc.
This handsome fellow, an Ocellated Lizard according to my friend Mark, lives in the garden where I work.
He (she?) is quite shy so I had to be super stealthy and quick with my camera. I think he (she?) needs a name. Any ideas? Pin It
April 29, 2011
April 22, 2011
April 20, 2011
Photo du Jour - Waiting...
Last week we took a little road trip down into the middle of nowhere, or more precisely, down into the middle of the Corbières.
It's an area of the Languedoc-Roussillon that I've never really been enamored with, though there are some producers making some spectacular cheeses and some pretty decent wine.
Les Corbières, despite its ruggedly beautiful landscape and charming, picturesque villages, is a region shrouded in mystery. It also boasts a turbulent history and there always seems to be an ominous cloud hanging over the place.
(People who live in the Corbières will most likely disagree with me - all I can say is that it's just a feeling I get when I go there)
The region's most recent claim to fame, or infamy, is the tiny village of Bugarach and the Pic de Bugarach, which looms over the village.
Le Pic is the highest peak in the Corbières and there is a certain group of
Wait...it gets better...
They also think that when the Mayan calendar ends, on December 21, 2012, bringing on Armageddon and the end of human civilization, the Pic is a "special mountain" that will be saved from destruction. At the moment when it's all going to hell in a handbasket, the aliens will emerge from their caves and will invite the "lucky few" on to their spaceships, saving them from the certain death and destruction that is the fate of us poor souls left here on earth.
I have just one question: What are these people on? Pin It
April 12, 2011
March 31, 2011
le Minervois
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It is a region of breathtaking natural beauty, superb wine and history so old I can hardly get my head around it.
And I admit that I sometimes take it for granted.
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Right now the almond trees are covered in fluffy, white flowers and little leaves are starting to sprout on the fig trees. Soon, boats will be gliding down the Canal du Midi and the seasonal restaurants will open their doors.
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Yes, life is good here. Pin It
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