A Quick Stop Along The Bike Route

As summer draws to a close, I remember fondly a day in the South France last June, John and I rented ebikes and took a bike route from the Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard to Beaucaire, a quaint town on the water for lunch. A dedicated bike path with no cars was a former railroad line that had been paved and groomed for bike riding. There was even a former railroad tunnel to ride through with guiding lights.

This was no ordinary bike route. It was a corridor of orchard fruit trees, vineyards, and beautiful grazing horses. A valley of abundance. Have you ever seen an entire huge orchard of pomegranate trees? Fig trees? Apricot trees? It was amazing!

Lucky Grazing Camargue Horses

An Orchard Of Fig Trees

An Orchard Of Pomegranate Trees

On the return trip home along the same bike route, we spotted this amazing potager. It was someone’s labor of love in their backyard. Organized tidy row after row. Tomato plants well on their way. I did, and still have, potager envy. I dream now in admiration, the beautiful produce coming out of this potager this summer, and especially now with the season’s abundance at its height.

It looks like it was put together so simply, but I bet it took years of growing practice and passion to cultivate a potager like this one. That is not all. This person had humor, and spunk to create a scarecrow extraodinaire. So clever!

A Potager To Envy

No One Or No Thing Is Going To Mess With This Scarecrow

Bon Appétit et Bon Semaine…Bonnie

My Provence Blue Desk

One of the first things France teaches you is patience. You must not fight it, but go with it. There is a certain rhythm to life that flows there. Once you start to understand it, your days also flow. With that said, it took three patient years of visits to find the right desk.

That stands to reason, as an given room is always much more interesting when it is decorated over time with pieces and finds that mean something, a memory, hold some weight, and uplift your spirit. I was okay to take my time, and enjoy every minute of the hunt.

Our little stone house in south France, has a somewhat spacious room by European standards upstairs which has taken on multi-functions. A small house from the late 1700’s, always needs more storage, so a custom closet was created with a linen curtain front which fills one side of the room. This room is large enough to do yoga, stretching, and even light weights. There is room for a small stand alone armoire which has become my linen closet. Additionally, In one corner by the window, the thought was it would be perfect for a writing desk area. Not all days are sunny, and not all days are market days. So began the hunt for the perfect desk to fit in that corner.

I looked diligently for a desk at flea markets, antique shops, and village garage sales called “vide greniers.” It had to be a certain size, large enough to write on, place items on, and spend some time there. For three years, I looked for the right desk. Some were not the right size. Some were too formal and not the right style. Some were perfect, but an earlier buyer had claimed it. Some were sweet, but had flaws from a past life, such as a gap in the table top or a corner missing, which ultimately wouldn’t work.

New Closet In The Room

First find, an old map of France, dated 1721 was found at a flea market. The actual map is vintage, but certainly not 305 years old. It is a colorful map of the past where bodies of water have different names, the French boundaries different from what it is present today, and yet if you look closely many, many towns today are listed such as Uzès. It would be perfect for the eventual desk in that quiet corner.

One day this summer, John and I ventured over to Sommières by a friend’s recommendation. It is a historic medieval town on the Vidourle river between Nîmes and Montpelier, complete with a Roman bridge and vibrant Saturday market. We weren’t disappointed. We strolled along the large market and adjacent flea market buying a few vintage treasures, but no desk.

We had a wonderful lunch at a cafe near the river, and headed back to our car through the medieval streets. In a narrow street, so narrow a car couldn’t get through, we stumbled upon a really neat brocante or antique shop. In the back of this shop was this Provence blue desk. It was the perfect size, rustic style, and charm for our corner. My only hesitation was the color, would it work in my mainly neutral palette room. I thought it was either going to look really, really good, or really, really bad. There was no in between.

The shop owner said it had been in someone’s garden, and that sealed the purchase. This desk had a past life and story. How apropo to have a former garden table as a desk. The desk luckily fit in our car, and made the journey home. We cleaned it up, and brought it upstairs to the quiet corner, and it worked beautifully in the room. The Provence blue actually makes a desirable color pop for the room, and the color of course is so traditional, so Provence.

Second find, was a very simple but beautiful vintage brass lamp was purchased for extra working light.

Third find, was a small hand-thrown ceramic vase with matching blue colors to hold fresh flowers to cheer on those working at the desk.

Fourth find, was a vintage patina basket with a loop, bought at a vide grenier. It could rest on the floor or hang off of the desk. The proceeds from this vendor’s table went to assist a cat charity. That tugged at my heart.

The little wooden chair is a typical Provençal country chair. It is one of four chairs that was part of my very first flea market purchases. Two are in the kitchen, and now one is front and center at the desk.

The spirit and charm of the room was taking shape. The corner was complet, as they say in French.

A Nice Addition To The Room

Bon Appétit et Bon Semaine….Bonnie

Bonjour!

Hello from sunny South France! I have been here over a month now, enough time to experience spring transition to summer. It has been hard to sit down and write which I love, because days are filled with seeking something for the mas, getting into the everyday rhythm of this life, meeting new and old friends, and exploring new adventures.

Life slows down from what I am use to, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Businesses close, errands are halted, as everyone takes a two hour lunch break. A long pause midday, also means that businesses are open longer into the evening and generally dinner starts later in the evening too.

A month ago, spring thunderstorms and heavy rains were happening and now have disappeared into hot, sunny days approaching 90 plus degrees F. Temperatures are about 14 degrees higher now than the average.

Green and white asparagus which were so abundant in the markets earlier, are nowhere to be found. It is true, when the season is over, it is over until next year. Yes, asparagus, artichoke, and cherry season are gone but luckily replaced with the equally incredible season of luscious stone fruits of apricots, nectarines, and peaches. And not to forget squash and haricot verts. No one complains, everyone knows. The seasons are short, yet to be embraced and celebrated until their glorious time comes around next year.

It is very much a rural and agricultural area here. Vineyards are abundant in carefully tended neat rows. You often see people bent over in fields, and wondering what they are tending too. Tractors large and small can impede normally impatient fast-driving cars.

Wednesday Uzés Market at Place aux Herbes

Incredibly, John and I have had our little mas for three years now. The real estate listing said the mas was built in 1850. We have since learned that is a “blanket date” for certain homes, and our mas actually dates back to the late 1700’s, evidence by its ceilings and architectural nuances. That makes sense as we live in the older part of a village, and the mairie (town hall) down the street dates back to the 18th century too.

Our Mas Kitchen Ceiling

Our Village Mairie Amongst Open Fields And Poppies

Our mas was certainly updated and modernized, but it lacked the warmth and charm this little mas deserved. Three years later, we have just about completed our long list of desires. In fact, this trip, I listed 28 things , big and small, we did or found for the mas. Little changes that make a huge difference.

Most of the decorating is finished. Most “wants” have miraculously be found. With that said, I have enjoyed frequenting brocantes, flea markets, and vide greniers (local village sales) for items and pieces that fit in nicely and complement the period of the mas. I always have “edit” on my mind, as here in France especially, “less is more.”

I found on this trip an oil painting on canvas at one of my favorite flea markets. I love the content and colors so much. Much of my mas decoration is earth tone colors, and the blue flowers and copper pot pop the room. Besides, who can resist “Provence Blue.” You can find these wonderful paintings frequently at the flea markets and for very reasonable prices. Need I mention, that art is a very integral part of French life, as they excel in the “art of living.”

Blue Flowers In A Copper Pot, A Flea Market Treasure

This time of year, there are a lot of fêtes, events, and happenings in the villages. Most are very local, and even word of mouth, as they are small, yet well attended. This year friends invited us to their small village, Sauve, where there is an annual Fête des Violons. A three day celebration that attracts violinists of all ages and ability to play together. The kickoff of this celebration is a mass of violinists playing together and parading through the village in a “pied piper” fashion. People are encouraged to follow and dance among the violinists, with surprise vignettes playing from a balcony or in a garden. This annual event was started to honor the traditional village life and folk music of the past, and remind new generations of both.

Fête des Violons at Sauve

John and I have made it a point to do a few short trips, two days and one night within easy driving distance of our home base. In Europe, distances are quite deceiving, taking much longer, and sometimes much slower.

On our first getaway, we went down to Sète, a beautiful port town on the Mediterranean. It is often called “The Venice of the Languedoc.” It borders the Étang de Thau, which is a saltwater lagoon known for raising delicious oysters. The oysters, mussels, and seafood are amazing. We stayed in a beautiful little Belle Epoque hotel, Le Grand Hotel, located right on the Canal Royale. The lobby and three floors open to an incredible glass atrium. It was tastefully decorated with wonderful antiques that all tugged at my heart.

A week later we went into Provence and revisited many of the villages we had traveled to nearly 20 years ago. We specifically stayed at the Le Saint Hubert in St. Saturin-les-Apts, and dined in their stunning terrace restaurant overlooking the Luberon. Le Saint Hubert was established in 1852, and has had many lives. Six years ago a young vibrant husband and wife, followed their dream and have slowly renovated the hotel, its six rooms, posh restaurant and cafe. Their food is amazing and captures the best of Provence flavors.

Melon Cucumber Gazpacho With Goat Cheese And Market Vegetables at Le Saint Hubert

Our last trip was to Lyon, the second largest city in France situated on the Rhône and Saône rivers. Lyon was a surprise. Quite a vibrant city where the late famed Chef Paul Bocuse made his name. We stopped in at the citiy’s food hall named after him for a sampling of many of Lyon’s specialites. We had a great dinner at La Meunière, a traditional Bouchon Lyonnais since 1921, and the next day a great lunch at Saône whose chef treats you to a modern twist on Lyonnais cuisine. We did a lot of walking in Vieux Lyon, a saved neighborhood district that dates back to the Renaissance, and climbed up high to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière overlooking amazing Lyon, and not to forget the Fourvière Roman Theatres.

Overlooking Lyon From The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière

I hope you have enjoyed a little snippet of our life in France. We have done and experienced so much in such a short time, I can’t share it all. This is great, because it opens the door for more sharing, tips, and inspiration for future writing about why I am so passionate about “A Taste of French Country Living” through the garden, kitchen, and home.

Thank you for following along. À bientôt…Bonnie

From Our Home To Yours

Twelve Thanksgiving Wishes For you

May you be thankful for all the blessings in your life, big and small.

May you hold your loved ones close and tight.

May you “be present” on Thanksgiving day and at your beautiful table with all who surround you.

May you savor the delicious foods and flavors made with love and beautifully prepared.

May you be grateful for this day, and every day forward.

May you lovingly remember those who have passed, yet are here with you in spirit.

May you want for nothing else, but this time together.

May you shine and radiate joy and contentment all day long.

May you laugh heartily and even shed happy tears.

May you hear a Thanksgiving blessing that touches your heart.

May you know that you are loved.

May you hold the memory of this day for the rest of your life.

Happy Thanksgiving…Bonnie

A Warm Welcome Fall Tablescape

Last September I wrote a post called “Fall Fortune.” Although we are now in November, these words capture so nicely my sentiments surrounding fall, last year and this year.

“Just like that, exciting August summer rolled into reflective September fall and we have fall fortune to look forward to. What is your fall fortune? An abundance of vegetables from the garden. Savory new recipes using figs, root vegetables, persimmons, pumpkins, and squash. Beautiful jeweled golden, amber, and rust colors to wear and decorate your home. A subtle intensity change in sunlight. A tarte tatin baking in the oven. Your first sip of warm spiced cider. Crunching of leaves on your morning walk.

Take advantage of all the simple everyday riches that make up your fall. Fall is here, but for a few short weeks, and then gone for another year. That is one of the reasons that makes it so special.”

“Fall Fortune and Abundance,” I have been enjoying and maybe some of these ring true for you too!

-Bringing my fall cookbooks into the kitchen, for ideas, recipes, and making.

-Organizing my kitchen and pantry. Do I have the ingredients I need for fall into the holidays.

-Making three Blondie recipes, to find the best one.

Delicious And Nutritious “Pumpkin Curry With Lentils and Apples”

-Making new comfort food, fall favorite recipes. Pumpkin Curry With Lentils and Apples. Touchdown Chili. Food & Wine’s, Creamy Tuscan Chickpea Soup.

-Decorating with fall touches and color on my dining room tables, and at my front door.

-Finding that perfect “persimmon color” candle for the vintage pewter candlestick.

-Dividing and replanting my iris in flower beds.

-Adding amendment, new plant material and new life to different spots of the garden.

-Raking leaves, and adding them to the compost.

-Finding a tiny perfectly engineered empty bird nest delicately attached to an olive branch.

May The Wine From These Grapes Carry The Spirit of Gratitude

-Receiving harvest blessings from our grapes, macadamia nut trees, and herb, lemon verbena.

-Creating a list of Thanksgiving-worthy recipes for appetizers, sides, desserts, to share with friends at Thanksgiving.

Fall Sunset Over Cardiff-By-The-Sea

-Taking in the spectacular fall sunsets on our horizon and special moons in our sky.
-Enjoying a nice blazing fire on a cool evening with a cup of tea to ponder the day.

The Last Of The Blooming Garden At Domaine de Manion

-Enjoying the last of the blooming garden before it rests.

-Gatherings surrounded by loved ones and friends with a toast and good food.

-Always grateful for all the blessings large and small each day, yet even more so in this fall season.

May your fall fortune and abundance, luminously shine and bring you everyday richness!

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

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A Great Spot Under The Mulberry Trees To Ponder

Pause to ponder, all of the wonderful things in your life, and where you are in this moment. How far you have truly come. Take a moment, pat yourself on the back. It can be anything that is especially meaningful to you. I think many of us don’t take the time to pause, reflect, remember, and pat ourselves on the back. Life itself often gets in the way, but the journey is really where the riches in life lies.

Twenty five years ago, my husband John and I, had just acquired our Encinitas property with an open field of nothing but foxtail. I remember vividly visualizing and wanting a property with two Adirondack chairs facing towards a view and water. Something similar I had seen on Cape Cod vacation.

After a good stab at starting a garden and failing in this field, I quickly realized it had to be a more serious concerted effort to successfully grow something here. Ironically, struggling to figure out what, I happened to see an issue of a Bon Appétit magazine’s “Back of the Napkin” article featuring Peggy Fleming, the endearing 1968 U. S. Olympic gold medalist figure skater, describing her Los Gatos, California, backyard vineyard. A spark of an idea to do the same was started. What about a vineyard as a landscape solution? It had many pluses. Beautiful to look at and onto the ocean, four season interest, drought tolerant, genuinely using the land, and possibly growing a good grape.

Finding a vineyard consultant, and expertise to plant a vineyard in Encinitas took many years. Backyard vineyards are prolific now in San Diego County, but back then I was a little ahead of the times. Finally, in 2006, everything seemed to align. We found a local consultant. Mira Costa College offered a Vineyard Management & Production class. Work finally began. Our field was leveled, measured, staked, planted and irrigated with the help of the entire class. it was a big experiment, a leap of faith, and the rest is history. Next year, our vineyard will be 20 years old.

Our west property backed up to a working nursery originally, early in our time here. I chose and planted a long row of ‘Little Ollie’ olive trees, to aesthetically buffer our view and property line. I chose fruitless olives trees because I wanted the wonderful Mediterranean look, and thought the grapevines were enough to grow and manage, without adding harvesting and pressing olives in the mix. It was a good decision.

Ten years later, I decided to create a nice alfresco seating area close to the vineyard. A social area for entertaining, possibly cooking, and overall enjoying the vineyard. Borrowing from my travels in Provence, where I saw fruitless mulberry trees commonly used as shade trees in courtyards, I thought to plant three fruitless mulberry trees. Fruitless because fruiting mulberry trees, although the fruit is divine, are messy, easily stain, and are not best for social areas.

Not easy to find, Village Nurseries near UTC at the time, said they had fruitless mulberry trees in their retail inventory and could have them transferred to San Diego from their Sacramento growing area. I remember driving up Highway 5 with my precious trees filling and hangin off the bed of my truck, hoping that the trip home would be uneventful. At first the newly planted trees struggled a bit, then a gopher nearly killed one, but, the trees came around and started growing nicely. In fact they need a good yearly trim, to keep them in check. I have shaped them to easily reach and cover the alfresco area with wonderful shade.

Around 2016, the nursery property in front of us sold, and is destined to be developed. Knowing that there was to be a development coming, I searched for taller trees for a west hedge that would work nicely with the view, horizon, existing olive trees, and the vineyard. I choose the Arizona Cypress, because it is a tall cypress that can be trimmed to a suitable height, is drought tolerant, has a lovely gray-green foliage that would work beautifully with the horizon and sky, and it has a fairly long life span. In short, it has the capability to hide what I want, and complement the existing landscape.

When I look out at this view, I do have to pause to ponder and remember it all. The challenges, the unknown, the triumphs, the appreciation.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Welcome To My French Kitchen, June 2025

This is my new kitchen after a few tweaks. New dimmable lighting. Linen mood sconces. Overhead light moved above table. New tile backsplash. Additional electrical wall outlets. New sink and faucet. New shelf for additional storage. Added flea market treasures for warmth and ambience.

In My French Kitchen, March 2024

This was my French kitchen a year ago in March 2024. Still very nice and basic, but a bit cold and industrial, and possibly— patiently, waiting for a little tender care and charm.

Spring Asparagus At The Uzès Market

My cooking has also evolved as my kitchen has. I am now more comfortable with an induction cooktop, which is very common, popular, and energy efficient in France today. Armed with a new set of induction cookware, I love strolling through the farmers markets deciding what to cook based on what I see.

Cooking from the markets is simple and very rewarding. New ingredients to try and dishes to create add to my cooking pleasure. A simple herb garden off of my kitchen door further enhances my cooking.

Ripe Charentais Melon, Great For Breakfast, Appetizers, Or Anytime

Oddly enough, I a have a library of cookbooks at home in California, and just one or two in France. I prefer to cook in France by instinct and I suppose experience, off of the top of my head. As I mentioned in my last post, “delicious food is tightly woven into the French culture, each and every day. It is generally on the simple side, made with fresh ingredients at their peak, and beautifully presented like a gift.” I continuously strive for beautiful presentation, but I think you will agree, all the ingredients shine for themselves.

Sharing with you, a few dishes I have made from my recent visit, diving into my kitchen.

Steamed New Potatoes, Blanched Green Beans, Parsley, Red Lettuce Salad with a Sherry Vinaigrette

Sautéing Sea Bream Before Adding A Medley Of Sautéed Tomatoes, Olives and Capers

Roasted Organic Chicken Basted With Normandy Butter, Lemon, and Tarragon

Toulouse Pork Sausage Over Vinaigrette Salad with Auvergne Blue Cheese

Starting Pan Seared Salmon With Sautéed Spinach, Tomatoes, and Zucchini

Lunch From The Uzès Market Of Sliced Baguette, Tapenades, Tomatoes, Fresh Goat Cheese And Cherries

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie

Fête de la Musique Celebration in Gaujac

Fête de la Musique is a celebration of music started in France, but now observed worldwide. It usually happens on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. On this day, everyone is encouraged to play music outside, in their neighborhoods, in parks, in public places. In France, you can observe it in large cities, as well as trickling down to small villages. Sometimes it is a live band, sometimes a DJ, and sometimes even karaoke. The message is to celebrate the joy of music with everyone. It is always free.

We stumbled upon the little village of Gaujac’s Fête de la Musique, not far from Uzés, quite by chance. Gaujac in the Occitane region, is a small winemaking village of about 1,000 residents, surrounded by vineyards producing Côte du Rhône wines.

Approaching the the village, there were no signs for the fête, and when I inquired at the wine cooperative on the outskirts of the village, I was told they know there was a fête today, but didn’t know where or when it started. So we headed towards the center of the village. No signs, no publicity, this fête must be a long standing tradition that locals know about. We did manage to find the fête whereabouts.

In late morning, there was confirmation of a running of the bulls with French cowboys and cowgirls mounted on magnificent Camargue white horses down a sectioned street with protected bars. Spectactors, usually male adolescents, were allowed to run after the bulls, pulling their tails, trying to touch them. I was aghast. Each running of the bulls went very fast, about 25 seconds. It was very exciting and very hot that day. There was an ambulance strategically parked close by, in case of an emergency.

Running of the Bulls in Gaujac

There Were Several Running of the Bulls, Each Lasting About 25 Seconds

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Too

Next to the sectioned street was the main shady plaza of the village. Tables and benches were set up for the lunch crowd. Two very friendly ladies in pink were busy making paella for 250 people starting at 1:00pm. Each pan served 100 people. For 15 euros one could get a plate of delicious paella, your choice of a beer or glass of wine, and dessert of tarte tatin.

When the paella was ready to be served, the lunch tickets had been purchased, everyone got their lunch plates and sat down to enjoy. There were people of all ages, sitting together, eating and enjoying the day. I imagined most of them were from Gaujac. It was nice to see.

Paella Ready Just About Ready to Serve, a Masterpiece

The Fête de la Musique wouldn’t be a fête without music. A lively village brass band dressed in orange and lemon shirts was there to entertain us and put a smile on everyone’s face. Some spectators joined in the singing.

A large stage was set up at the far end of the plaza. A big music group would be playing later that evening. We decided to look for another Fête de la Musique in another location for later that evening. It had been a very entertaining, delicious, and delightful day.

Can’t Go Wrong with Brass and Lemons

When I think back on this memorable day, I think of the phrase “French Country Living.” I also think of key words that describe the essence of this day and “French Country Living:” fun, adventure, surprises, simplicity, seasons, delicious, beauty, visual, senses, drama, tradition, and joy of life.

Bon Appétit et Bon Weekend…Bonnie