More Than You Really Want to Know

Sarah, the soon to be Londoner from Texpatriate Musings tagged me on this fun questionnaire. If you want to know what kind of books I like, where I met Mon Mari or if I like Elvis young and one-legged or old and fat then read on....

If not, I understand. And I'll see you tomorrow with a recipe for a delicious noodle salad.

1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals or are the members of your family?
No pets now. We had a cat but had to leave her with mes beau-parents when we moved to Ireland. She died the week before we went back for a visit a few years ago. It was sad.

2. If you can have a dream come true, what would it be? 
A personal dream? Well, it's kind of cheesy but it has already. See my life in France.

3. What is the one thing most hated by you?
Arrogance. There's more than one way to skin a cat.

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
This question makes me think of those Texas Lotto commercials when people would say, "I'd buy myself the new Buick!" and it just goes to show that someone else's Buick may be your Vespa. I didn't really answer the question, did I? I'd buy something nice and then I'd do something nice.

5. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?
A jog.  A cuppa and a chin wag. None of your business.

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
I agree with my fellow Texpat. This is a silly question. "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." Moulin Rouge

7. What is your bedtime routine?
I'll tell you there's a lot more to it than there used to be....eye creams, face creams, elbow creams, heel creams. And reading. Always reading.

8. If you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?
Through friends on Memorial Day at a lake party. Cut-off shorts, tie-dyed bikini, cute boy with the bluest eyes. Irresistible.

9. If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be? 
Definitely an artist; Picasso or Matisse maybe. And Rodin. For sure Rodin. 

10. What kinds of books do you read? 
I love historical fiction, classics from Jane Austen, contemporary fiction but nothing horribly sad and tragic like all those Jodi Picoult novels, I can't read those. But I do love anything a bit melancholy with a touch of longing like you'll find in war stories. And cookbooks. I actually read them.

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?
Published. Fabulous and fifty. Able to go on a date with Mon Mari without getting a babysitter.

12. What's your fear?
I don't want to say. It's too scary.

13. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?
This is like that question, 'who'd you rather do? young Elvis with one leg or old, fat Elvis?' No.

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?
Um, how poor is poor exactly?

15. What's the first thing you do when you wake up?
Go back to sleep.

16. If you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?
More romance. But then again it might freak me out if it really happened and I would wonder why and then what has he done? and then maybe think it was kind of cheesy. It's worth a try though....I said, it's worth a try.....

17. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?
I used to hate my name because it is a popular boy name and before that it was always hard for people to understand. I like it now though. But if I had to pick a new one it'd be something like Olive or Violet or Teddy.

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done?
It depends on how special the special someone is and how horrible the horrible thing was. I've been forgiven and have given forgiveness before though and it does make you feel better. Better than holding onto all the badness and keeping it inside.

19. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?
Green beans? No. Cereal.

Oh, and now I want to hear from YOU:


1. Susan*  The Fearless
2. Diane from KidsnCastles

Blogapalooza in Provence

Have you ever had a pen pal? Like back when you were a kid and people actually wrote letters and put them in the mail? If so, you know what it's like to meet someone and like them based on shared stories without ever laying eyes on them. This is exactly what I felt about the fellow women bloggers I was lucky enough to meet this past Saturday. I felt like I'd met them long before through comments, jokes, support and the shared experience of being an English speaker living the good life in France.

There was Sara who followed her heart to Le Petit Village and makes us all laugh on a regular basis with stories of life in her tiny hilltop town, Kirsty whose beautiful creations are not limited to sewing but also include gorgeous kiddos and delicious banana muffins, Piglet who climbs out of windows, has a thing against pole dancing and is about to enter the magical world of MommyPiglethood!, Charley the published author of ghost stories (holla!) who is beyond cool, Tanya who met her husband online and now lives in one of the Nicest spots in France and B who I could sit and listen to tell stories for hours because she's so darn funny.

Meeting them in person was what I'd expected. And more. When you read each of their blogs you get a really good idea of who they are, how cool they are, how diverse they are and what it is about life in France that suits them all. It's the life part. Each of these women has a  joie de vivre and I'm delighted to have met them. Thanks ladies for a lovely afternoon and for living up to my expectations of your fabulousness with bells on!

I didn't take any photos because I was too busy yapping with Sara (my cyber soulmate) and Kirsty. I didn't even take any the next day when Kirsty opened her sun-filled garden to the five of us for a morning turned afternoon of chatting and laughing (grown-ups) and exploring, running and jumping on the trampoline (the kids). If we lived closer I know we could have spent the entire day together.

The only requirement for participating in Blogapalooza French Stylee was to write about it afterwards.
Here's Kirsty's.
The rest of you cheeky ladies must have been recovering from all the fun like me and taking your sweet time. I can't wait to read them all so post away....but please, no more group photos because I seem to be the least photogenic human on the planet. At least I hope that's it.

Bisous a tous!

Dinner with French Friends

We went to dinner last week with the Bon Amies and another French couple who will now be known as Mme & Msr Avion. We went to a restaurant nearby that's on the grounds of an old farm, complete with stables, gites and a small wooden bridge. Rustic. Inside it was luxe; all gold, crimson and emerald green and we sat at a round table in the center of the dining room in Alice in Wonderland chairs. The bottle of champagne and salmon appetizers went beautifully together and as we clinked glasses across the vast round table, careful to make eye contact and not cross glasses (bad luck apparently) I remembered how nice it is to go out to dinner sans enfants.
There were two set menus, one a bit less expensive and exotic and another just this side of pricey and very interesting. And by interesting I really mean bizarre. I love the bizarre, I love trying new things, I embrace food of all varieties and will try anything. As you recall I bravely ate my first escargot only recently.
The frog legs, yea, no problem. We ate those when I was a kid in East Texas. Crayfish, sure. Ditto the Texas thing. Even the tete du veau that Mon Mari ordered in a rush of French inspiration is only a step away from barbacoa except it's baby cow cheeks and not full grown mama's. Oh, and the tongue This dish included the tongue.
But the most bizarre thing, hands down was the little stew pot of crete du coq that Msr Avion chose. Apparently it's a specialty of this particular restaurant and not to be missed. Do you know what a crete du coq is? Well. A crete is a comb....getting a better idea? Everyone around the table was gesturing with their hand on top of their heads, wobbling it back and forth in explanation. A cock's comb. The reason those pretty red and pink flowers are called coxacomb. The red thing that handsomely flops on top of Foghorn Leghorn's head. There were about eight of these served fricassee with crayfish and vegetables. Except they weren't red anymore. They were pinkish beige. Mmmmm.
What do you think? Can I tempt you with some cock's comb?

Fric, I say, Fricassee