Monthly Archives: December 2011

Christmas? Just ducky, thanks

Posted on December 25, 2011 by loren24250

We’d opened the cards and presents, enjoyed the scrambled eggs with smoked salmon for breakfast, and now it was time to get on with preparations for the big meal of Christmas Day — our duck-enabled lunch. Actually I had begun … Continue reading →

Posted in French food, Life in southwest France | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Our green (and marine) Christmas Eve

Posted on December 24, 2011 by loren24250

We’ve gone green! No, not just my wife and me — the whole countryside. For the past many days, the Greater Daglan Area (or GDA) has been foggy and rainy. But today, Christmas Eve, the sun broke through and it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in French food, Life in southwest France, Markets in France | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

My Lassie moment

Posted on December 22, 2011 by loren24250

There are probably some readers who are old enough and North American enough to remember the TV show Lassie. If so, you’ll recall that almost every episode seemed to include the collie running into the house and barking furiously. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in southwest France | 2 Comments

The bad-wine kir-all

Posted on December 21, 2011 by loren24250

We’ve all done it — “Hey, Honey, let’s try this wine. It looks good!” Based on the name, the shape of the bottle, the name of the vintner, or the cleverness of the label, we’ve bought an untried wine and … Continue reading →

Posted in French food, Life in southwest France | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Fancy a horse ride?

Posted on December 11, 2011 by loren24250

It’s been a bit grey and rainy for the past several days, but no complaints from this corner of the Greater Daglan Area. The rain is much needed, the sun does break through now and again, and the temperatures are … Continue reading →

Posted in Bicycling in the Dordogne, Flora and fauna, Life in southwest France, Tourist attractions | Leave a comment

A seriously bright French Christmas

Posted on December 10, 2011 by loren24250

By North American standards, Christmas in France is a pretty restrained affair. As in, seriously restrained. (Turning that around, of course, you could say that Christmas in North America has grown completely out of bounds.) In any case, decorations tend … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in southwest France | 2 Comments

Mixing shopping and lunching

Posted on December 9, 2011 by loren24250

Today we’d planned to have lunch with friends Derek and Sue, and it was a fine time to try a new restaurant — one that’s built around regional foods. As always, our time with our friends was chatty and fun. … Continue reading →

Posted in French food, Life in southwest France, Restaurants in France | Leave a comment

The Christmas bulb tree

Posted on December 8, 2011 by loren24250

We have a few trees in the Greater Daglan Area that look for all the world as if they’ve been decorated for Christmas — hung with bright orange bulbs. It’s taken us a while to figure out what the tree … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and fauna, Life in southwest France | 1 Comment

Taking on the Mammoth Duck

Posted on December 6, 2011 by loren24250

Since time immemorial, giant duck-related creatures have rumbled through the valleys and over the hills of the Greater Daglan Area. There was Triduckotrops of course,  and Canardasaurus Rex, and even the Greater Wooly Mammoth Duck. Okay, I’m making up that … Continue reading →

Posted in Flora and fauna, French food, Life in southwest France | 3 Comments

A Clean, Well-Lighted Place

Posted on December 5, 2011 by loren24250

Congratulations if you recognize the title as belonging to a melancholy short story by Ernest Hemingway, in which a tipsy old man is reluctant to leave a café late at night. Halfway through the story, one of the waiters says … Continue reading →

Posted in French food, Life in southwest France, Restaurants in France, Travels in and out of France | 2 Comments