Today’s title is in reference to our housewarming party which was last night. In France, having a housewarming is called “pendaison de Cremaillere”, literally “hanging a chimney hook” and is so called because in olden times, it was the last thing put in place and signified the end of moving in. From the cremaillere, you hang a “marmite”, a large cauldron and you’re meant to make a big pot of something like stew and everyone comes to partake. The title is Will’s play on words, meaning “English housewarming” but also refers to creme anglaise, what the French call custard, another noun for which they use a description instead of making up a word.
In our version, we did not make anything in a large pot, opting instead to celebrate American style with a BBQ. I am happy to say it went off very smoothly, owing largely to the fact that we had two days to prepare. On Friday, we made dessert consisting of an extra-gooey batch of brownies and a new recipe for butterscotch walnut cookies; later that evening, I marinated the chicken pieces in a spice rub (chili powder, cumin, garlic etc.). Saturday, Will cleaned in the morning while I made burgers and in the afternoon we made potato salad, salsa and a veggie dip made from creme fraiche plus chives from the garden. We also sliced veggies and made salad. In addition to the burgers and chicken, we also served two types of sausage as well as purchased cole slaw, baguettes and burger buns. Also, since it’s impossible to buy bags of ice here, we started production on Thurs evening and despite our small, already full freezer, we had a good supply by Saturday afternoon.
The guests started arriving around 6 pm. Sharon was first which was good since she contributed a box of white wine plus some extra ice. Next was Barry, our friend in Villebois from whom we bought the diningroom suite and he was followed by Lee and Richard, friends of his who just moved to Villebois from Lancaster (northern England). They were quickly followed by Lucien et Mauricette, Nat and Jill, Mike and Jean and eventually, Morgan and Maude. Including us there were fourteen with Jean Mi being the only no-show. Everyone got on well although it was a bit difficult for the natives who don’t speak much English. Thankfully, Nat spent a lot of time speaking with Lucien and Mauricette so they weren’t completely isolated. Maude speaks English very well but Morgan doesn’t so they were a bit quiet most of the evening although both Sharon and Will chatted to them for a time. Sadly, it looks as if they’ll be moving to Bordeaux in the autumn since that’s where Maude will have to go to find work.
It was overcast and cool on Friday but heated up to 22C (71F) on Saturday with mostly sunny skies so we sat outside until the sun went down. I did two rounds on the bbq and nearly all of it went except for six burgers and a package of sausages, now in the freezer. Will and I just had leftovers fun lunch and will probably do so again for dinner and that will be nearly all the food gone so I’m pleased that we didn’t go way overboard as we often do. The French plus Mike and Jean all drifted off around 10, followed by Barry and Sharon so that left just Nat and Jill and Lee and Richard. We had met Lee a few weeks ago when we went out to lunch with Barry and his boyfriend, Simon but Richard didn’t arrive until last week so we met him for the first time last night. They are both really lovely and we’ve now got another couple to march with us in this year’s Milhac Pride Parade although it’s a shame they live in Villebois, 45 minutes away. They all left around 11 leaving Will and I to tidy up and relax. It was a very good time and we got a number of gifts including a bougainvillea and a budlea plant from Mike and Jean, a clock with two kitties from Nat & Jill, some nice wine from Morgan & Maude, a gardening encyclopedia in french from Barry and a floral centerpiece from Lee and Richard. Mauricette made dessert, a clafoutis made with cherries from their tree and we also received one in the post from the Demaillys, a retro teapot and some loose tea to put in it. All in all, a very good haul and nice for being unexpected too.
Apart from that, we had a mostly quiet week that started with the rest of Suzi and Alfreda’s visit. Sunday was cool and overcast so we didn’t end up doing too much. There was a vide grenier/brocante/art fair in St Front la Riviere, 10 mins down the road so we went there around midday. Alfreda found a french cookbook and we got a block of soft goats cheese, covered in leek and carrot and it turned out to be delicious. We went for a walk in the afternoon and then Will and I made fish pie which is becoming a bit of a regular dish around here. On Monday, we got bread and croissants from the mobile boulangerie and were also pleased to find out they sell coffee since we ran out the previous day. I took them to the train station at Thiviers in the afternoon and sent them on their way; Alfreda to Bordeaux and Suzi to Paris. They both seemed to have a good time despite the not so great weather and it was good to see Suzi and meet a new friend.
Both Will and I did some work this week. He’s been working with Mike on a brochure for SitesforHomes and it’s nearly done. Mike used to own a printing business and still does small jobs here and there so we’re doing an initial run of 100, English on one side, French on the other. We’ll give a bunch to Karen and then post the rest around Nontron, possibly putting them in mailboxes of houses for sale. I’ve officially started working on phase 2 for Carbon Plan making enhancements to the time-keeping app I built last year including financials and more reporting. This week was mostly talking to Alan and writing the functional spec and that is now complete. It’s really nice to be working again and the money is already spent so it’s nice to know it’s actually going to be coming in and we can eat for the rest of the year.
It’s lovely out there today, sunny with a high of 27C (81F) but it’s due to turn cold and possibly rainy over the next few days. I know we keep saying this but we really, really could do with the rain. The potatoes have stopped growing as have the root vegetables. The corn is coming up as are the beans and carrots but not much movement on the lettuce. The tomatoes are doing ok and a few have some green ones on them already so hopefully those will be ready soon. The big news in produceland, however, is the ripening of the big dark cherry tree in the back. The tree itself is laden with them, the lower branches are drooping and nearly on the ground and only the very first cherries are ready for picking. I now appreciate the aptness of the metaphore “low hanging fruit”, ubiquitous in corporate-speak, since we will definitely need a ladder to reach the majority of the fruit, which isn’t. This morning, I had a handful along with the first raspberries from out front and I must say, it’s a real treat to pick your own breakfast.
The cats are largely back to normal although the log shed has become their favourite hide-out and that’s where they spent most of yesterday evening. They eventually came out and Smoo mingled with the guests for a bit. To our dismay, they are not doing their part on keeping down our ever-growing fly population and I spent a few hours this morning making up for their shirking. We thought the flies were bad in Badaillac, living next to a farm but I guess being surrounded by horses and their excrement makes our place an equally attractive destination, perhaps even more so. We had the door open yesterday and the main room was replete with them this morning so despite my rampage, we’ve still got a few buzzing around even now. We will soon be investing in a bead curtain to put over the door as well as a new fly-swatter since our cheap-o one broke this morning. So it’s not all fun and games living out here in the country.
Having said that, I’m now stepping out to enjoy the sunshine.