Bonjour
Hope you had a great week.
I’ve had the sort of week where things don’t quite go to plan. As a result, the winter magazine which I thought would be ready to reach you today, will in fact be next week. I hope the delay creates anticipation which makes it even better when it does arrive – I think you’ll love it, it looks wonderful and there are really fabulous features, recipes and give aways. (Subscribe for free via the Autumn magazine link below).
Here winter is only just starting to settle in. Despite the fact that it is December, I still have a sunflower in full bloom in the garden, and a few roses, clematis, marigolds and geraniums in flower. How strange, I’ve never known that before. Regardless of the fact that it’s still quite warm for the time of the year, old habits die hard so it’s shutters shut firmly on the village houses and hardly a soul to be seen.
When I walk the dogs in the morning it’s only just light enough to pick my way through the forest where I stop to feed carrots to a Shetland pony I pass en route. When I walk the dogs in the evening, it’s only just light enough to find my way up the hill past the chapel and around the top of the valley where I throw some bread for a goose that lives alone in a field. Poor thing, I sometimes think “am I fattening him up for someone’s Christmas”? I hope not, he’s very friendly and honks when he hears me coming. I hardly see a single person. There are no parents waiting at the town hall to meet the kids off the school bus – they sit in their cars instead, out of the rain that’s hardly stopped this week. My neighbours are all inside, snug, warm and dry. The only sign of life are the wisps of smoke coming from chimneys and the sound of tractors in the distance – farm life must go on.
Wishing you a very bon weekend wherever you are. Don’t miss The Good Life France advent calendar which starts today on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram!
Bisous from France, in fact from Bethune in northern France where I am today. I’m having a lesson with a top chef in my ongoing journey to master the art of French cuisine (more about that coming up soon!)…
Janine
Editor
Photo: Day 1 of the Advent Calendar on Facebook: Paris at Christmas. You’ll find different pics on Twitter and Instagram…
ps Thank you so much for subscribing to my newsletter and following my website. It’s now one of the most popular websites about France in the world, and voted best website about France several times – thank you so much for helping to make that happen
Read the whole newsletter here
If you don’t want to miss my weekly newsletters of musings from France and a round up of fab features, plus exclusive random newsletter give-aways – it’s easy to subscribe. Just scroll to the bottom of this post if you’re on a mobile device, or look on the right on a laptop, type in your email address and click subscribe…
