Monthly Archives: October 2011

An early start to Halloween

Posted on October 31, 2011 by

As I write this, it’s the early afternoon of Halloween, and we’ve already been visited by a couple of trick-or-treaters. Impressive? Even more than you might think. When we lived in Toronto, we could get trick-or-treaters as early as 5 … Continue reading →

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The duck soup saga — Day Three

Posted on October 31, 2011 by

We are nearing the exciting conclusion of the duck soup saga — the transformation of duck stock into actual, finished, ready-to-eat duck soup. Get your spoons ready! You may recall that at the end of the Day Two process, I … Continue reading →

Posted in French food, Life in southwest France | 6 Comments

The duck soup saga — Day Two

Posted on October 30, 2011 by

You’ll remember (possibly) that on Day One of our saga we went to the Sarlat market and bought the necessary ingredients for my wife Jan’s duck soup. Today, Mr. Duck goes to the chopping block. The starting point for a … Continue reading →

Posted in French food, Life in southwest France, Markets in France | 2 Comments

The duck soup saga — Day One

Posted on October 29, 2011 by

Now that we’re well and truly into autumn, it’s time for duck soup. My wife Jan makes an excellent duck soup, and we’ll often have a bowl of it for dinner, since we usually have our larger meals at lunch … Continue reading →

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Doorway through the stones

Posted on October 27, 2011 by

I don’t know if it’s because of simple evolution, healthy living by our ancestors, or a good food supply over the years. But my wife and I, and many of our friends, are taller than the reported height of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in southwest France | 9 Comments

Dish du jour — 2011/10/26

Posted on October 26, 2011 by

We are in the final stages of having a new front door installed — not a minor undertaking, since our house is made of limestone and is between 400 and 500 years old, and since the new (much taller) door … Continue reading →

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European protection plan

Posted on October 24, 2011 by

It is comforting to know that there are people in Europe looking out for our security, our safety and indeed our happiness. I’m not exactly sure who they are, but I suspect that many of them live in or around … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in southwest France | 6 Comments

Mother Nature — or Agent Orange?

Posted on October 20, 2011 by

I can confirm that it’s now getting pretty cold at night in the Greater Daglan Area, and it stays cold for most of the morning. Today my wife Jan was heading out in her car and realized she couldn’t see … Continue reading →

Posted in Bicycling in the Dordogne, Life in southwest France | 2 Comments

Chop chop!

Posted on October 17, 2011 by

Exactly a year ago, in a post called “Pruned it? Nearly wrecked it!,” I showed how the plane trees in the Greater Daglan Area were being savagely cut back. Well, the cutters are back in action this fall. Let’s start … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in southwest France | 2 Comments

Jack Frost and Mr. Sunshine

Posted on October 16, 2011 by

The seasonal changeover is under way, big time. Our days in the Greater Daglan Area are sunny and bright, with temperatures reaching into the pleasantly warm 20s (Celsius, of course) in the afternoon. But the temperature drops sharply as night … Continue reading →

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