Day tripping~Fontvieille and Maussane Les Alpilles~

From St-Rémy you can get to sooo many places..
in fact if we go back..we will just stay there and drive farther for the small day trips..as the higher places ..that we have seen..we won't return..BEAUTIFUL..but we remember now..we went in 2008..and went back twice in areas while staying in Bar-Sur-Loup..so because these towns are well known to us..we would skip Les Alpes Maritimes next time..albeit we do not know..Cannes well..Nice..Menton..St-Tropez..etc..we just quickly go and come back..a 2 hr walk along the Mediterranean..
It's just that the driving in those higher elevations ..well I have mentioned it..scary.

From St-Rémy you can have daily adventures..  get in the car and go..
many charming towns are within easy driving distance..such as Fontvielle..and Maussane Les Alpilles.




Fontvielle is home to the Alphonse Daudet Moulin and Montban castle..if you go..wear better shoes than espadrilles;)  It's a walk to the moulin;)
I love my espadrilles..and you can get some at most markets ..
all colors..charming little foot pleasers.
In Fontvielle some streets we walked were just loaded with charm..small cute..adorable..one man had classical music playing and came out to chat w/ us..right next to that house up there:)
Numéro 18♥
Look at that red door and her Zen garden out front..so many people in small towns..and larger ones..make their homes so darned adorable outside..
they say:"Come in"!!


Maussane..is also old world charm..and so many Deux Chevaux..really..so many..and an ancien lavoir..
Inaugurated in 1865.It is magnificent.
  Ap 2000 is the population w/ ap 320 days of sun per year.
Imagine walking along a beautiful street..and right there..this♥

Now even Jacques and I look in the widows of realtors offices..I was after all..a realtor for almost 30 yrs.

above..ap $4 million euros give or take;)

Our offer was refused;)Kidding.. no offer:)

The day trips from where one stays in Provence makes that one trip..so many trips♥

In the kitchen I made Isabelle Lambert's FABULOUS date squares w/ apples!  I have never made w/ apples..w/ oj yes with coffe yes..never with apples as and add-in..

Taking an online class that I am learning a lot about mixed media from..I am so bad:( THis one turned out ok and I was excited..I made a tall Fancy Lassie..it's in the mail..it's not good:( The class has wonderful tips and the artist is amazing  Kate Thompson..my class is Fancy Lassies..  

My garden journal for this last week of October..the big thing is..

Garlic is planted..over 100 bulbs.

So you divide the big bulb..not grocery store garlic..and plant the cloves individually..pointy side up..like tulips..

I use my dibber..it was a gift years ago..and ever since I started w/ garlic I use it..I don't think I have followed the rules for my garlic..certainly not:)  But it works ..I eyeball the space between..what looks comfortable for them:)

Speaking of tulips I thought I was planting 50..they are annuals here..  at least 12 bulbs were rotten..dust..I mentioned it at Costco and she said bring the bag back full..lol..no.


Have a great weekend..week..~

Fall~ Chez Nous~ Au Québec.

Oh my God..tell me where the years have gone?
Look at my Littles..now..they are almost as tall as I am..well maybe not Noah yet..
but look at those precious fall faces..♥♥
A blog is a great thing..you can look back..I also look at albums..and Shutterfly books and DVDs of my photos..

but sometimes I just blog back in time..and come up with pics that just get to me.
Like these fall ones..
I love their growing up faces..but I would eat them up at those ages...

I was looking for my stuffed acorn squash recipe that Mylène our oldest daughter shared with us..

keeper..no kidding..I make it every fall..more than once..

I bake my squash longer at the beginning..I use hot Italian sausage.
It is delicious.

In Provence..there are so many great papeteries..where you can pick up watercolor paper..paints..brushes..and look they give out samples of paper..genius.IMHO.

I mentioned Jacques rekindled his passion for crème brulée..in Provence..well I found a small batch recipe and it's a keeper..
From Jasmine Cuisine.2009!!

For 2..it made 3 that size for me..the size above..

Here it is translated for you~


225 ml heavy cream (35%)
1 vanilla bean pod
25 grams of sugar
 2 egg yolks

Topping

4 tsps brown sugar

Preheat oven to 170C

Slit vanilla bean in half and scrape seeds out..put into a casserole with the cream..
On medium heat warm and bring to boiling..let boil 1 minute on low heat.
remove from heat and infuse 10 minutes.
Beat the egg yolks w/ sugar until pale and foamy..

Add the infused cream and pour into ramekins.
Place the ramekins in a pan..and fill pan half way w/ water..

Bake ap 30 mins..or until the middle is slightly trembling..I made sure it was ever so slightly so..I don't like a liquidy CB.
Remove from the water bath..and let cool..
Refrigerate at least 4 hrs before serving..
I torched mine..sprinkle sugar on top and torch..it has to crackle when you spoon in♥



Fall..in QC..is pretty much paradisiac:)
I took a stroll around my favorite park..it's always my fave.


And my blessed calendulas!!  Still going on..

PS personal garden journal~I need to keep notes..

Today Saturday Oct 21rst~

I am almost finished putting the gardens to bed.

1.Leaving the back .. very very  back side one as is..I had to break off all the phlox and rake up the hostas..and clip some hydrangeas last Spring in that bed after leaving it intact..I just find there is too much in there and not my fave..so it is getting neglected..and i can wait till Spring.

2.Leaving a lot of the hostas..easier I find once frost has killed them off..to rake us the mush:)
Even left alone..they come back so well.

3.Ripped out several roses..and clump blue irises..they were taking over the round bed and really bloom for too short a time..too invasive.Hope I don't regret that..huge bare patches now.

4.Planted early tulips front walkway bed..supposed to be 50 but at least 15% were rotten in the bag:(

5.Took in 2 clumps of Dahlias..going to try once more..;)

6.Did the pond bed..potting shed..front beds..garage beds and side beds..circular one..and side one.

7.This yr giving the group 3 clematis a break and only cutting them after winter..

8.Hope we don't have another total water ban next yr.

9.Praying for rose chafers and Japanese beetles to become extinct.
Asian beetles too.

10. Next yr..Terry's calendulas  and giant Nicotiana again..Susan's nasturtiums..tomatoes,from seed..I won't start the tomatoes as early indoors.Not sure if I should plant Linda's perennial sweet peas now or next Spring~

11. I want Gaura next yr..it's been yrs.. and Provence had it..after such a drought the gaura was still there..we have drought so I need some..more Verbena Bonariensis..Provence had 4 O'Clocks too! Hot pink..that has been years also.I could have sworn I had a few seeds in my pockets..no..:(12. I'd like more lavender..one type does well here but which one?
It's here..no tag.

12.All the fairies and their "stuff" are in a box..hope to spray paint their furniture this week.To be ready for next Spring.

13.
I will not plant football seeds again;)After chopping down the pond bed..this football plant was still much too invasive..yet had been hiding from some boys who had looked everywhere for it.

Oh and PS..half your seeds are in the grandfather clock..half downstairs in the cabinet that was Jacques,,the paint stuff cabinet ♥

St-Rémy~

This town was one of our pied-a-terre.We had 4.
All different..all unique in their own way~
I have the pleasure of saying that all 4 places were clean and inviting.

When you get to St-Rémy ,the plane trees will pull at your heartstrings..the pretty carousel..the pretty streets with cafés and stores..our quick convenience store was across from the public parking where a game of "boules" was always going on..again..here people asked where we were from and welcomed us so warmly.

Make sure you look down also because the streets have Vincent brass markers..showing Van Gogh's Walk..parts are in town..I saw markers but there is also the walk to the asylum..called St-Paul Mausole..  a psychiatric facility..I loved reading the markers I found.I hope you can make some out....he was interned there..and created many of his famous works..

St-Rémy hustles and bustles at busy periods and yet can be calm:)
The best of both worlds.


Not to be missed..Le Glanum..unimaginable history.

Jacques is a history buff and France has always been his coup de coeur..