Looking back at my Birthday in Lods, France. ( August 2013)

 I have learnt to believe in two things in life; firstly that time heals wounds, and secondly, that dreams can and do come true. This little French escape is proof of these facts.

Our last morning of shopping in Paris before going 'home'to Lods. E. Dehillerin, le specialiste du materiel de cuisine.

My life-long friend, Tina who I grew up with in Plumstead, Cape Town, has been living in Europe since her family emigrated to Germany in 1977 when we were still both young teenagers!

Our cruise on Lake Geneva with CGN took us from Lausanne to Chateau de Chillon.

Life has thrown us both demanding challenges, but we have never given up and have always remained true to each other..........I have had the pleasure of visiting Tina in both Germany and Switzerland before.This trip, was however extra special as I celebrated my birthday with Tina and her family. We had time to discover the magic of Paris together and for me to discover the delights of living in the Franche-Comte region.

Arc de Triomph in the late afternoon, such lovely soft light.

Franche-Comte is a paradise of natural and authentic pleasures.Spruce forests and Oak groves, breathtaking cascades, lakes and rivers. This region is now the most wooded region in France. 

Bright and cheerful. There are colourful explosions of flowers  everywhere.

Dramatic cloud formations are forever entertaining....... en route home to Lods, Franche-Comte.

Above, the mustard coloured house was my home for two weeks. Yes,Tina  made it all happen!
My time spent exploring the Franche-Comte region was fascinating. Lods is truly a spectacular and peaceful place to live.

 This perfect, postcard view is what artists come to Lods for......to paint this tranquil town. With the calming effects of the river, beautiful scenery, ever changing atmosphere throughout the day, this town has a lot to offer.

Water is everywhere, with more than 5,500 km of rivers and 80 lakes, the waterways are both peaceful and foaming......
The rivers rush down the mountains and shape the land are spectacular from source to the moment they erupt to carve themselves a course made of breathtaking cascades and steep gorges.
This is the reason for the  many water-based recreational activities such as canoeing and fishing. 
 

 Over the years, the Franche-Comte has become a favourite among the mountain-bike enthusiasts. A continuous and safe 187 km route exists for cyclists from Nantes to Budapest offering splendid natural landscapes.

Franche-Comte is an unusual, disconcerting and amazing region.
It is at its best when you do not expect it.......and I did not expect to be captured by its magic! 

The architecture and design is traditional and historical......I could not stop myself from taking photo's of the old houses and beautiful window boxes everywhere. I will dedicate a blog to hanging baskets and window boxes! Each town has an explosion of colour from these bright, lush vertical gardens, hanging baskets and window boxes...... I cannot wait to create some here at home. 

There is always a reason to stop and take a photograph!

A view of Ornans from the bridge.  Colourful planters brighten up this town en masse.

Spectacular, is all I need say!

The magic of Lods.

Lods, a beautiful, historical old town. One of the most beautiful villages in France.

The view of the mountain from our balcony looked pink in the evening light. An absolutely spectacular sight. Our own Table Mountain in Lods!

The reason for my adventure, my birthday! With Tina's marble cake and Otilia's cards, I started my day on a high note!

We spent the morning enjoying the beauty of Ornans on the Loue River. Note the chateau on the mountain in the distance. Just imagine living with this culture every day.......just magical!

In the valley, the Loue River is part of the heritage of Ornans and the everyday life of its inhabitants.

Bright and beautiful, colour everywhere........

Back home in Lods.....this photo shows the steep road we had to negotiate! Best of all, how beautiful are the bright colourful planters which Tina won a prize for maintaining? 

And so to the rest of my birthday present..... A cookery session with Tina's friend, Manu.

Macarons in the making...... a tricky process!

The famous cheese from this region, Morbier.

Manu at work on the Creme Brulee au Savagnin et aux noix caramelisees. That is Creme Brulee with roasted walnuts....really different!

My best surprise of the day.....a gift from Annetta.....time to start sketching!

A surprise visit from Tina's neighbour, Annetta, an artist from up the road. Her gift to me was the best surprise of the day....how special little gifts can be?

The end result...... Creme Brulee au Savagnin et aux noix caramelisees.

Cheers! To a wonderful birthday celebration. Thank you Tina, Osvaldo, Manu and Otilia.

A little reminder of Tina's Mom....... always a little posy of flowers on the table. I think we both adhere to this display on a regular basis. Thank you Tante Helga.

Well, this was an extra special birthday to remember. So special to have spent time with my life-long friend, Tina and to have had time to discover and appreciate the delights of living in the Franche-Comte region...... until I return .......I will keep on dreaming of this magnificent valley.
Thanks to you dear Tina, my dream came true!

And so the journey comes to an end!

This is the view from Tina's home looking down onto the Loue river. The house in the middle is a bed and breakfast, or Gite as they are known in France.

I am going to miss my daily dose of tranquility. The trickling water of the river is enough to calm anyone who has had a hectic day. Not that the people in Lods have stressful days. Most are retired and relaxed. Some, like Tina and Osvaldo travel to Lausanne for work.

At Doha International Airport.

Yes, the real departure actually happened yesterday. After a major gremlin crept into the paperwork for what should have been my departure on Thursday evening!

All resolved and here I am sitting in Doha.

My special friend awaits my arrival in Paris tonight.....we are going to need to crack a real bottle of Champagne after all this trauma.

In the end I can only praise the Cape Town Qatar staff for bending over backwards for me. Thank you Marium and Tracy Lee, you both deserve medals for perseverance!

The interior of the  Silver lounge in Doha.

Great service, free wi fi,drinks and snacks.

This one is for you,Nirmal. A lovely bowl of Lentil soup with lemon @ 10 am. My breakfast!

So if this all works, I will do many more posts. Trial completed!

More later folks.

Lunch on the run with Frankie Fenner.

Where does one go for a quick snack when one is running around Cape Town on business? The answer is easy, pop in at Frankie Fenner's Meat Merchants on Kloof Street in Town. We are pleased that our business took us to the top of Town.....just look what we found.

Find Frankie Fenner Meat Merchants in Metal Lane, 8 Kloof Street, Cape Town. His hours are Monday to Friday 07h30 to 17h30 and from 09h00 to 13h00 on Saturdays.

The interior of this outlet is one of a kind and simple, as the product, the fine selection of meat is the main focus.

Hide your wallets, as the delightful selection of  cured meats and other meat products will tempt you beyond control......I came home with the finest Pastrami and Russian sausages. Not forgetting the dried meat stick for the dogs!

A limited selection of sandwich fillings ensures superb quality ingredients. We enjoyed our rolls sitting in the car  at Lagoon Beach watching the waves.....just like the old days when one would go for a Sunday drive and sit in the car at the beach on a miserable day!

Frankie has teamed up with local suppliers for quality products. His coffee is supplied by Deluxe, and it is good. The bread selection is supplied by Jason.

Who could ask for a better view while enjoying a lunch time snack in the car? Cape Town at its best as seen from Lagoon Beach......if only I could have climbed out of the car and had a walk on the beach.......

One has to be a tourist in one's own country sometimes....I never realised how clear the view of the Cape Town Stadium was from Lagoon Beach! Just perfect for tourists to enjoy.

Watching the waves....I can just hear the words of the song from years gone by......who can remember the tune?

When life gives you Lemons, continued........

And so the juicy, citrus rush continues..........

It is World Baking Day today..... nothing could smell more like home and bring back comforting  memories than Apple cake served with chantilly cream. This version is my quick and easy recipe which I have been baking for years. It also features lemon zest added to the batter to infuse a delcate lemon tang.

  Since we are celebrating  World Baking Day today, I have included this image of my favourite Apple and Cinnamon muffin flavoured with lemon zest.... I also scatter the lemon zest in the sugar topping for an extra crunch... mmm...

Back to the workbench where dreams are created........

Herewith a quote worth sharing, any crafter will agree!

I am a beadaholic......
If you are a decent person, you will (not) sell me one more bead!!

I have always wanted to create a piece of jewellery on the spur of the moment especially to match an outfit. Well, I found the inspiration I required when I scrolled  through the Vogue newsletter .
Have a look at http://www.vogue.co.uk/spy/celebrity-photos


A beautiful gown created by Elie Saab was worn by Fan Bingbing at the Cannes Film Festival....... the gown is a festival of delicate lemon yellow with an embroidered lace bodice and long flowing skirt. Look at the Summer 2013 collection  www.eliesaab.com

 

And so, back to the kitchen for a little more juicy, citrus inspired recipes.

Firstly, if someone offers you a bag of freshly picked lemons, grab it as you will discover endless ways to be creative in the kitchen. My first thought is always creamy, delicate and zesty Lemon Curd.

Herewith a quick, tried and tested recipe:

100g Butter
4 large eggs
Juice from 5 lemons
Zest of 1 lemon
100g Castor sugar
2 x 250 ml Glass Jars, sterilised

Melt the butter, gently in a saucepan. Pull off the heat, cool.
When cooled, add the eggs, sugar, juice and lemon zest.
Whisk the mixture over a gentle heat until it becomes thicker and more viscous.
Allow to cool before filling the glass jars.
Refrigerate and enjoy!

For an unbelievable treat, enjoy on top of a layer of cream cheese on a slice of wholewheat toast!


I have discovered many recipes worthy of sharing, so I can see I will be featuring this citrus issue for a while..... until next time!