Joyeux Halloween...

{fabulous image from here}

We have already had some wee visitors this evening albeit a day early and we are hoping that our supply of bon bons and gateaux hold out.

Wishing you all a "Joyeux Halloween",

Leeann x

Vendredi fleurs....

All Saints Day in France is part of a national holiday known as La Toussaint.

La Toussaint is a two day festival during which the French celebrate two holidays together: All Saints Day, the day for remembering Catholic saints, and All Souls Day, the day for praying for the souls of the deceased

1 November - All Saints' Day - Toussaint
Pronounced: too-sont

While Halloween is celebrated with trick or treat & parties, on November the 1st Toussaint or All Saints Day, it is traditional for the French to visit the graves of loved ones and decorate them with Chrysanthemums and sometimes Heathers.

Chrysanthemums symbolise hope of future resurrection. Toussaint is an important holiday for the French and a week or so before the shops will be filled with flowers especially Chrysanthemums.

As Chrysanthemums are traditionally laid on graves in France, it would be a considerable faux-pas to give these flowers as a gift to French friends or neighbours.

...Bon week-end a tous,

Leeann x

Demain matin......

One of the things I love about living in the middle of a French village, is that you do not need to go far to do your shopping.

Infact the "shops" come to us, every Thursday morning and there is nothing nicer than strolling around the market, taking in the sounds and smells unique to a market in France.

I love the way that the French vendors spend hours carefully arranging their wares, chatting to one another as they do so.

It makes shopping at a supermarket almost boring but then I am not a huge fan of large supermarkets and often manage to loose Mr FF and then spend, what seems like hours wandering up and down the aisles trying to find him. Note I also do this in hardware stores and feel like a lost child, that said my dream is to get lost in a clothes store which is probably Mr FF's idea of a nightmare......

And you happen to miss the market then there is sure to be another not far from the village in which you live, on a different day, which is great for the shopping addicts amongst us.

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

…à la prochaine…

Leeann x

vendredi fleurs......

{Beautiful bouquets de lavande fine bleue from Provence}

Unfortunately all the bouquets of lavender that I bought back with me from Provence, sold out today but I have more arriving next week.

Wishing you all a fabulous Friday,

L x

p.s. Have not forgotten about blogging about "A Good Year" and the locations that we visited whilst in Provence last week and promise to do this bientot.

Linen everywhere...

{fabulous antique monogrammed linen chemise}

You will recall that I bought some antique french linen and other goodies whilst in Provence, well it has now been washed and ironed and all I need to do is update the shop.

My Mathilde M order also arrived so there are boxes and objets everywhere....

A demain mes amies,

L x

Why I love blogging....

Through blogging we all get to interact with like minded souls around the globe and I for one, would be lost without this fabulous invention.

Some times we are even fortunate enough to meet in person. Mr FF finds it hard to comprehend the world of blogging and to him it is my imaginary world so is always a bit taken back when we meet a blogger in "real".

A month or so ago, I blogged about a fabulous vintage leather coat that I was selling and a fellow blogger wrote that they were interested in buying the coat.

That blogger was Jill, an American living in Provence. I replied that we were going to be visiting Provence and could deliver in person.

{Jill, the new owner of my vintage coat and moi}

Not only does Jill offer fabulous tours around Provence, she also runs this fabulous place called Liquoristerie de Provence with her partner Pascal.

Such a beautiful showroom, selling many items which would make fabulous gifts for friends and family.

I especially loved the gift boxes as although France produces many beautiful items, they are often not marketed to their full potential.

Pascal was responsible for the reintroduction of absinthe, a drink which was banned for many years in france as it was thought to cause halucinations. You can read more about absinthe here.

They also sell lots of lovely Cote de Provence wine, which is one of our favourite rosé wines.

Whilst we were there, we sampled a perfume made from Absinthe, which has a lovely fresh smell and for me is similar to fragrance made from green teas.

There is also a version for men which Mr FF has developed a liking for so I have a feeling that I be placing an order soon Jill, if you are reading this.

Also it was due to Jill, that we found the fabulous restaurant in Casis so we hope to return to the favour should Pascale and Jill ever be in our neck of the woods.

Jill is a fellow lover of vide greniers and all things fabulous and French so if you are looking for a tour of Provence with a difference then she is the lady for you. You can read more about Jill here.

Merci beaucoup to Jill for a fabulous visit and to you all, as I would be lost without you all....you make my world a better place.

Beaucoup de bisous,

L x

p.s. the washing was a mixture of business and pleasure as I found some fabulous vintage linen whilst in Provence :-)

Time flies.........

{photo taken by moi in Apt last week}

......when you are having fun. Not sure about the fun part today as I am wading through a pile of post vacation washing.

Will be back tomorrow to share with you more photos and a story or two about our vacation.

A tres bientot,

L x

La belle Provence.......

{Restaurant in the beau village of Lourmarin}

Malheureusement, our vacance in la belle Provence is coming to an end and tomorrow we will be back on the road, bound for the delightful and petite village in the Dordogne that we call "home".


Here are some more pretty photos of La Belle Provence.....

Loved the buildings in this particular village in which Pierre Cardin owns a chateau situated high on the hill.....

Loved the unfussiness of this particular village, who needs fussy details when you have lots of lovely natural stone and a touch of iron here and there. No need for colour here.......

I can just see myself climbing the fabulous cobbled stone paths to this gorgeous boulangerie every morning....

.......and grabbing a few bunches of lavender on the way back down the hill....

a fabulous place to stay, love the colour of the doors and the lovely objets in the window...

and of course a few lovely old signs faded by time.....

beautiful ivy with a mind of its own.......

this photo of a "solex" is for a friend of ours, who has a passion for these bikes and as a result has spent many hours painstaking restoring one of his own....

loved this series of fabulous drawings displayed on the exterior of a building in the lovely village of Lourmarin....

this one is my favourite drawing....could have something to do with the fact that it has a 2CV in it...

lots of lovely items to buy and yes - I did do some shopping whilst on vacance.....

I adore the way the bottles of aperitifs are displayed outside this shop on a shutter.....

simply gorgeous......

lots and lots of lovely savon but then one can never be too clean.....

a gorgeous clothes boutique, don't you just love the sign?

of course a village needs a statue or two inorder to be "tres beau"

another fabulous use of a shutter.......

why are all French signs fabulous?

Well mes amies, that is my photo tour for today, stay tuned for the photos that we took of the locations used in the "A Good Life" movie filmed locally and also a story about meeting a fabulous fellow blogger living in Provence....

Bon week-end a tous,

L x

vendredi fleurs in Provence

{fabulous flowers on a windowsill in Lourmarin}

Yesterday when I saw these lovely flowers in the beautiful village of Lourmarin, I knew that they would be perfect for today's post.

We visited lots of lovely places yesterday and I will share some more photos with you tomorrow.

Hope that you all have a fabulous Friday/

Je vous souhaite à tous un fabuleux vendredi,

Leeann x

Perfectly Provence.....

Yesterday was another busy day sight seeing in perfect Provence.

There are so many places to visit and we wish that we had come for longer than a week.

Here are some random shots from yesterday.......

A fabulous shop facade....

Lots of lovely savon.........

An antique shop or two, to visit......

Lovely villages perched high on the hills.....

Lots of lovely lavender.......

Beautifully coloured buildings.....

one after another..........

Lots of lovely cafes to watch daily life pass by.......

and lots of fabulous doors which leave you curious as to what you will find behind....

As they say on many a postcard,

having a wonderful time, wish you were here.....

A demain mes amies,

L x

A petite note from Cassis....

{moi by the sea......}

Yesterday we spent most of the day at Cassis, an old fishing port on the coast.

It is an 1 1/2 hour's drive from where we are staying.

{the tres belle port of Cassis}

We stopped on the way to see a lovely fellow blogger on the way but I save this fabulous story for tomorrow.

The weather was gorgeous, warm and sunny and not a cloud in the sky.

We were given a few tips about where to eat and this is the restaurant where we had lunch...

I was fortunate enough to get this shot before the tables filled up. Despite the season being over, the whole village was buzzing with lots of French tourists every where.

Notice that the glasses are on their sides, we found out the reason for this as it can get quite breezy by the sea, and when the wind blows, the glasses take on a life of their own.

{Boats moored across from the restaurant}

Our lunch was fabulous and I cannot think of a nicer place to enjoy a nice cold glass of white wine and lots of fresh and oh so tasty seafood.

After lunch we strolled around the brightly painted village and I even managed to buy a couple of items whilst Mr FF was not looking.

{one of many lovely shop facades}

On our way home we even managed to visit one of the locations from "A Good Year" but I will tell you more about that tomorrow.

A demain mes amies,

Signed a tres contente L & Mr FF x