Quilts, pots and funky nests

The summer holidays are over (boo) and we're now back into running creative holidays and retreats (hurray) here at les Cerisiers. We had a smashing group of ladies staying here last week who had come to celebrate 5 years of walking together. Before them, another group, tutored by the brilliant Christine Porter, came to quilt. From beginners to seasoned quilters, they all found something to inspire them and the skill and colour were simply amazing.

This week sees Malcolm Jarvis sharing his talents with enthusiastic pastel artists. We'll be out and about, weather permitting, taking in the views in this workshop entitled 'From Village to Vineyard'. I'll post some of the emerging art later in the week.

I actually had a weekend off last week so headed down to Lyon for the annual Potters Fair. 140 stalls displayed some quite extraordinary work mostly from France but also from further afield. I treated myself to a little crystal glazed piece and picked up a couple of early Christmas pressies. Thankfully I travelled by train and was restricted by what I could carry, otherwise I think the bank balance may have taken a real bashing.

On Sunday I was reminded (as if I could ever forget) how skilled and artistic nature can be too. Whilst hacking back one of our vines that threatened to completely engulf one of the out-buildings, I found a small birds nest that had incorporated a grape within its walls. Beautiful - or perhaps the birds were just hoping to have wine on tap!

Our feathered friends

Oh I've been waiting for this for such a long time - we've finally got chickens. We've read the books, surfed the net, visited chicken chat rooms (yes, they do exist), spoken to breeders, even made a film (see below) and collected birthday money to fund the project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZu-OVa1VFU&feature=channel_video_title

Thanks to my lovely niece Sophie, who is going to be an amazingly succesful film producer one day and to Adam, who plans to be a cameraman after being an olympic athlete, for this wonderful documentary.

The six new arrivals were bought at Marcigny market this morning and after much deliberation and debate we decided to name them Arizona, Zaphyra, Daisy, Plum, Maddie and Lou (don't ask!).

Although I'd promised Mark's son that there would be a fresh egg for his breakfast tomorrow, I also knew that it usually takes chickens a couple of days (or weeks) to settle into their new home and start laying. So, imagine my joy when one of the girls had laid an egg before they even got home.

Within an hour or two we had two more beautifully formed eggs waiting for collection. We introduced Eddie cat to our new familly members and everyone seemed to get along just fine. We sat, supping wine, as the sun melted into a sea of gold behind the chicken coop, and then, one by one with just a little jostling, the girls took themselves off to bed.

Yay, poached egg on toast for breakfast tomorrow.

In the garden (and slightly beyond)

It's been quite a challenge trying to manage the garden this year. We had amazing hot weather from almost the end of february which resulted in a hose pipe ban. Whilst we ensured that every last drip from the washing up bowl was poured onto the veggie patch or garden pots, our normally green space started to look positively Mediteranean. Then - rain!! Tons of the stuff and our parched landscape turned into a water park. I'm happy to say that the garden is back under (loose) control and the plants are really thriving. Today I'd like to share some photos of our hanging baskets, flowers and fruit trees:

Our neighbour's donkey has just had a baby that they've named Bonbon. I went over to visit with my niece and Marks son.
At the end of the day we enjoy having supper al fresco. Eddie cat is never far away waiting for his share of tasty treats.

Heart Felt Fruits

I've been truly amazed and impressed by the amount of creative talent in this region and we've been fortunate to become friends with some of the most gifted (Jean-charles Doyen and his glass insects, Pascale Grissard and her farmyard paintings, author Corine Pourtau).

We're regular attendees at the craft fairs - which are frequent, well attended and of exceptionally high standards, and was surprised and delighted to discover a craftswoman I hadn't met before.

Cecile Kifee (http://cecilekifee.over-blog.com/) makes fruit, veg and other treats from felt.

These colourful creations were grouped beautifully on her stall and although I couldn't initially think of why I needed to buy her wares, I was drawn back time and time again.

Then it struck me, her Camemberts would make excellent pin cushions for all my sewing friends and guests attending one of our quilting or stitching events.

I have not as yet worked out a use for the felt fried egg I bought but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. I'm open to suggestions!

Thanks to Naomi Haigh for the photos at Matour night market.

Our friends from across the pond (and those more local to us)

Every now and then you have a REALLY special week and last week was certainly one of those. We welcomed back Karen Ely from A Womans Way and 8 amazing women from North America who had ventured here for a spot of 'Joie de Vivre'.

The aim was to combine valuable 'me time' and reflection with a huge slice of French life. As always, the friends we have made here rallied to the call and we had some rather splendid moments. Mike H teamed up with Roger Bonjour to host an evening of wine enlightenment and tasting.

My yoga teacher Alexia Fachon, led a day of yoga and holistic massage whilst good friends Mike C and Roland created a magical evening of music.

In between times, the ladies visited Cluny and the beautiful Chateau de Dree and we all made lavender wands together!! (Yet another 'things I never thought I'd do' activity to add to the list). Time for a spot of R&R now before the courses kick off again in September.

Chickens, Harleys and Cherry Pips

How often do I stop and reflect and think to myself, 'well, that was a funny old week?'

We've just completed two back to back art courses here with amazing tutor Nicola Slattery (who will be back in 2012 so watch this space). What better way to unwind than to attend a bikers party at our new neighbours farm. Our neighbours love motor bikes and their friends seem to be, for the most part, Hell's Angels (or at least lookalikes) but we had our invitation and we wanted to welcome them properly to this special part of the world. We took along friends who are visiting from the UK (safety in numbers) and as we strolled the half mile down the road, bikes roared past reminiscent of early shots in The Rocky Horror Show.

A nicer bunch of people you couldn't hope to meet. As the evening wore on more and more people wanted to try out their English on us and we were soon making friends left, right and centre. Pit Bull, a 'non standard' Harley rider from the Alsace, regaled us with tales of derring do which often concluded with the phrase 'kiss my wheel'. As the hostess fretted about the lack of salad, Mark turned to me and whispered that everyone seemed to be doing very well thank you, on the great platters of meat that weighed down the trestle tables.

Then the gauntlet was thrown down, a challenge - England v France, cherry stone spitting. well, I know I shouldn't get involved but I find it almost impossible to resist a challenge. To the utter dismay of my friend we stepped up to the mark and popped the first of our cherries into our mouths. A platter had been set about 4ft away and the aim was to land your pip on target. The first round saw everyone spitting wide. Round three saw me hit my rhythm and my pip landed smack in the middle of the plate before bouncing out agai. Valerie, a petite biker from Alsace saw her chance and landed a pip on point. Pipped at the post, I felt gutted but offered my congratulations before heading for home.

We needed to be up early the next day to check out the chickens at louhans market. Mark has built the best chicken house in the world and now the search for it's lucky inhabitants begins. Confronted by thousands of feathered friends, hundreds of breeders and hoards of crowds, we felt quite overwhelmed. I was distracted by the rabbits and goats and by a stall with a variety of animals, all in miniature. We soon got into the swing of asking about egg production, laying life expectancy, food and preferred conditions and found we agreed on what makes a good looking chicken. we've narrowed our list of potential new family members down to 6 breeds and will make our final selection in August.

On our return home we were pleased to welcome a couple of the bikers from the night before who wanted to stop by to say hello before heading off, a great photo opportunity for our Burgundy Bike Breaks.

Elderflower Heaven

My kitchen smells glorious today! Next week sees the arrival of guests for two weeks of painting bliss with celebrated artist Nicola Slattery so I'm busy in the kitchen and garden preparing treats for their stay. I love foraging in the hedgerows around here, particularly the ones at 'Les Cerisiers' and right now they are dominated by the splendour of Elderflowers. I love the creamy mass of brightness, the sweet scent they produce and their promise of Elderflower cordial and, later on in the year, elderbery jam and wine. Today I thought I'd share my recipe for the cordial with you:

You will need-

1.5 litres water

1.5 kilos of white sugar

2 oranges thinly sliced

2 lemons thinly sliced

Thinly sliced ginger to taste

40 grammes citric acid (available from chemists)

20 Elderflower heads

What to do-

On a warm afternoon or evening (and we're having quite a few of these at the moment) harvest your flower heads. Just snip across the stalk to keep the flower heads whole. Fresh flower heads will be light and creamy with plenty of pollen and are heavily fragranced. If they smell like old socks or cats pee, they are passed their best (or your cat has widdled on them) so don't use them. As you harvest the flower heads, lie them flower down, stalk up, on a flat surface giving any unwanted visitors the opportunity to escape. There are no strict rules regarding numbers of flower heads, I was making a double batch and lost count after 27, it doesn't matter.

Warm the sugar and water in a large pan until the sugar has dissolved, then bring to the boil. Add the flower heads and bring to the boil again then remove from the heat. Stir in your remaining ingredients and leave this mixture to steep for 24 hours in a cool place whilst you enjoy yourself doing something that makes you feel glad to be alive.

Strain the liquid into bottles or jars that can be well sealed. The cordial will keep for up to a year if placed in the freezer or 2 months in the fridge.

To serve, blend with mineral water or lemonde then share with a friend.

NB Harry Cat has agreed to his photo being published on the understanding that I point out he has in no way interfered with the Elderflowers featured in a negative way!