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4 weeks ago I wrote about the happiness I felt when my daughter arrived and we had in front of us almost endless 4 weeks of being together. Now it is over and she left. It feels so empty and so sad. However, this is the way we live and I should be used to it. This is why I so deeply appreciate to have us all together. Lucky enough, in two weeks we will all meet in Lausanne for couple of day and I am already looking forward to it. Now my husband and I need to take care about our friends. Tomorrow we will host a dinner for our closest friends. Yesterday we went for a 50th bday party and met some new exciting people which I am looking forward to see again and to learn better.
My little family
My husband returned home from his trip to Sweden today so our little family is together again. M is leaving on Saturday so there are only few nights left before my husband and I will be alone again. The evenings and nights are marvelous and we enjoyed dinner on the terrace and celebrated with a glass of champagne.
La Canicule
Provence is in the beginning of a "canicule" which is a French expression for a very hot period during the Summer. It is a period of inactivity as you barely can do anything else than laying in the shade and with a short distance to the pool. In the end of this week the meteo forecasts 37°C. The food will be very light, a fruit smoothie with melon granita will serve well during those days.
Summer nights in Provence
You can't get enough of them. The warm calm nights with a sky full of stars.The restaurants are fully booked, and everywhere you can hear people murmuring and glasses clink. You drink local rose wine to cool off even in these late hours of the day. The food is adjusted according to season and you wish it would never ends.
And the Summer continues......
Sleepless night
Tonight we had a lot of "fun". First, at 2am a powerful thunderstorm passed our region and the lightning woke everybody up, in the house. The electricity went off and on and in the end we gave up the sleep and all of us stood on terrace and watched the beautiful "spectacle". After we fell asleep again the security alarm went off with all of its power. We understood that something went wrong with the circuit due to lightning and the power cuts. The alarm couldn't be stopped and we had to call the security company to come and shut it up. So today we decided to take it easy to recover after this crazy night. Now, after the rain the air is so fresh, so we lit the candles and enjoyed a simple dinner on our terrace.
Augusti Market
The first signs of autumn creeps closer and closer in spite of the hot weather. The selection of fruit and vegetables on the market is the best proof of it. The mushrooms and the grapes arrive, the tomatoes are offered in excess, the peaches are so ripe that you have to handle them very delicately. I also took opportunity to enhance my wardrobe with some white tunics, which were on sale. The rain is in the air now and we all welcome it, next week the heat will be back again....
Bohemian chaos
That's I would describe the atmosphere in our house. There are books and magazines laying on all tables, bathing suites hanging everywhere, kicked off shoes laying both inside and outside....and I enjoy it. Normally I am a ZEN person and like to have it tidy around but the summer is an exception. I do not care. So just now after having finished my breakfast (11:30am) I am sitting on our terrace, listening to the water sound of fontain and discussing yesterdays event. We went to Orange to see Rigoletto opera in the ancient roman amphitheater. The theater is in the same condition as 2000 years ago.... almost. We sat together with other 7000 visitors on the same stone benches as our roman ancestors did....and it was an overpowering feeling. If you combine it with top performing artists and musicians, the beautiful tones of Verdi and the sky full of stars, you get the picture....don't you?. It was first time this year I managed to secure tickets to this very special event. Next year we will be back there again.
Summer Food
Summer in Provence is a heaven for all us lovers of vegetables and fruits. The colors, textures, sweetness and the varieties are without limits. I make my shopping twice a week and then I compose the dishes accordingly. Salads are so easy to do so this is what we eat for lunches.
B-day dinner
It has been a tradition to celebrate my B-day with a dinner at the restaurant La Bastide de Gordes. It is a magic place located in the chic village of Gordes. Sitting on the terrace together with my little family and enjoying the superb service and food is worth to wait for another year.
Frozen watermelon
The watermelon is so sweet now that you do not need to add any sugar when making puree. I have frozen the puree and now I am not sure how I will use it. The color and the texture is so lovely so I am thinking to have it in a glass of champagne or in a glass of water....or just enjoy it as is in hot day as a refreshment.
Lavender scent
Yesterday we cleaned our house for the entire day. My husband cleaned the terraces, which became so fresh after he rinsed them with water. I had a help of a local lady to clean the inside of the house. We cleaned all windows, polished the wood furnitures with a special treatment, washed whatever was washable, exchanged bedlinen, towels and filled vases with fresh flowers. The cleaning itself is like a detox for my mind and I always feel so liberated after the cleaning. Later I collected some of the dry lavender flowers and put them in jars which I placed in each bathroom. I also lighted some lavender candles which I always buy in our local shop. So the smell and the tired muscles made my sleep very deep this night. And what a morning to wake up to the freshness of a super clean house....
Le jardin du quai
One of those evenings where everything fits together, the food, the ambiance, the company.....
Casual Sunday
My husband looks always for something to do, in opposite to me:) Today it is on his menu a maintenance of our outdoor table. While I am just strolling around with a cup of coffee and enjoying the beautiful view.....
Al Fresco Dining
As I mentioned earlier, today it was al fresco dining on our terrace. Just my husband and I. Tomorrow we will be out for dinner together with our friends. Monday is already reserved for the last preparation and on Tuesday is Macky here. Summer has never been better.....
Crowded Provence
Just came back from the market and happy to be back on our colline. The Apt market was crowded today like never before. The end of July an August are the most touristic months in Provence and this is why we leave our home only if necessary. So fruits, vegetables, fish and bread is purchased and we can relax at the pool side again. Next week will my daughter arrive and we are looking so much to have her here for almost one month.
Tonight it will be Al fresco dinning, salmon and tuna fish tartare and goat cheese with these beautiful figs from today market.
The another day we visited a local wine producer and stocked some bottles in our cave. I like to buy local as much as possible and their wine is really excellent.
Peaches
We have a couple of peach trees but it is only one of them who produces the fruits. They are so delicious, warmed by the sun and so sweet and juicy. Unfortunately they come all at the same time so I have to use them in almost all dishes. Yesterday I just enjoyed for lunch a bowl of yoghurt with peaches like they do in Greece during the Summer. Again, delicious in its simplicity. I also roasted small chickens with peaches and little of white wine in order to compensate the sweetness of the fruit. All is about improvisation when you have such a delicious ingredient on your doorstep.
En Passant
My B-day is approaching and I asked for a tiny present, I actually ordered it by myself in order to simplified it for my husband. The parfume En Passant.....just the name evokes all my senses..In Passing. I bought this exclusive bottle first time when I lived in Zurich and since that time I loved it. The most glorious, authentic smelling lilac fragrance I have ever worn. There is nothing synthetic about this perfume. It is so delicate scent and it reminds of dew drops on the lilacs. This fragrance is a masterpiece created by Olivia Giacobetti, and one that I will always love. Clean, light, delicate and quite remarkable in its simplicity. I am fast becoming a Frederic Malle addict. What a world of scents outside all synthetic products on the market....."Portrait of a lady"....."Angéliques sous la pluie"...
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Lunch at La petite école
Today came the long awaited rain and together with it also a violent thunderstorm. As usual, on the country side, this causes a power cuts and so did it this time. When we arrived from our shopping tour we couldn't open our electrical gate. Hungry and wet, we turned the car and drove back to a nearby village for lunch. It is better to deal with troubel when you are at least properly fed. So we ended up at this little restaurant which has been transformed from an old school building. Simple menu without wine and dessert 36€ for 2 persons...pretty cheap to be in France.
Tomato salsa and grilled tuna fish
It was a very beautiful evening yesterday. After the sunset the temperature dropped to more agreeable level and we enjoyed the BBQ on the pool side. An another idea to grilled fish is a seasoning mixture with roasted sesame seeds, salt and crushed rose pepper.
The colors of Provence are pretty pale now and the rain is needed.....the forecast promises it tomorrow :))
