Tomber dans les Pommes

Tomber dans les pommes. It's a playful expression that brings to mind young blonde maidens and curly-headed breeches-wearing shepherds laughing and blushing under apple trees in a hillside orchard, tumbling, tumbling. Falling into the apples.

I learned this expression this week, and from Ma Fille. We were at the doctor's office and this was her way of explaining that when she stood up that morning she nearly fainted. 'Je suis presque tombée dans les pommes.' Presque. Also one of my favorite words.

All of this falling into apples and mentally cavorting in orchards was the result of one Mademoiselle Gripette. Our doctor described it as such, nothing more than la gripette, just a small flu, not to worry. Unfortunately, the mademoiselle made way for her bitchy older sister, La Grippe, and she found an in, just the tiniest twinkling of weakness in me, brought on, no doubt, by dancing until dawn in Aix-en-Provence the Saturday before. Naturally, this horrible thing is feminine, as are most destructive, chaotic, bring-you-to-your-knees words in French.
And so, Ma Fille and I spent the week together, holding hands through the tempête (f.), dozing and trying to loosen her grip.

As I began to emerge from the aniseed-flavored medicine haze (all the medicine tastes like Pastis, why?) I craved purification, a detox. Something to flush it all away so I could face life anew, blinking, fresh from the cave. Thankfully, I didn't have to look far to find a recipe for detox tea last night that seems to be the perfect flu and its medicine hangover buster. And even better, (because there was no way I would have been able to  to ask P to go to the store for cloves at 10pm) everything I needed was in the pantry: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cayenne, turmeric, honey and lemon juice. It's not actual tea, more of what the French like to call a tisane. They drink tisanes after meals, when they feel ill, have overeaten, need to sleep, to fight a bloated feeling, have tired ankles or generally need a little bien-être. I'm all for bien-être. Bien-être, all around!

Of course you don't have to be wrestling with a virale (f.) sorcière (f.) to enjoy it. It would be great on any cold weather day.

Flu Detox Tea (Thanks for the recette Tara)

The recipe is at the link above, but as usual, I didn't get all follow-y, rather simply boiled the kettle, squeezed in some lemon, shook in the spices, (use the cayenne, it is a miracle) and then spooned in a bit of honey from friendly French bees (f.). That's something.

{that number may explain why dancing til dawn let me down}

Here's very sincerely hoping that you and yours remain well over this winter season.