64 Days till christmas ho ho ho

The Christmas Tree is very small so you can zoom past quickly if it makes you anxious

Hello Everyone
It has been a busy month introducing a new market location into the schedule. I have discovered how easy it is to fall into predictable, safe working patterns and become lazy about how to organise my days. With the children growing up and doing other things and the youngest growing up and becoming more indpendent there is actually more usable time in a day than there used to be. Not that you would know it from the irregularity of my blog ;). So, the new market in Chalais is ticking along and I have seen a few people from Riberac market who live closer to Chalais anyway and prefer it for their weekly shop. It is quieter,  everyone knows everyone, and I have a very chatty neighbour so I am learning Charentaise french. All good fun.

Patrick has returned from a successful and enjoyable internship in UK and is trying to find somewhere in France for his next one. Emily seems to be storming through her exams in The Netherlands this term and Alice is willingly, no prompting, reading a book this holiday. So something must have gone right this end of the year. 

I have started some thought about Christmas gifts and I am busy making hams in the butchery. So if you are looking to order ham for Christmas now would be a good time to start acting upon your thought processes. Last orders for ham will be on Wednesday 20th November.

Ham and salad for a day during Christmas

Pork Roast with crackling if you would like that too

The Christmas Market at Manoir de Longeveau is Sunday 1st December. We will be there to support the event with our usual Christmas treats. If you like you can place orders to be collected from this market as well.

The weather has changed dramatically and quickly in the last couple of weeks and so we have lit the fire. I am not sure if the fire has only been lit for my pleasure as the boys seem to wander around in shorts and t-shirts even now. I think I should blame the chilly mornings at the market and the wrong socks on the days in question. Happily the grass has greened up, though I am not sure how much bulk there will be for the winter as the cold will slow grass growth dramatically. The lambs are putting on some condition now with the fresh green growth and Gavin is looking slightly less frazzled than usual.
He celebrated another birthday on Sunday and we ate homemade lomo some fizzy (spanish, it went with the lomo theme ;)) for aperos, then slow-roasted lamb shoulder with roast potatoes, spicey cauliflower, onions and purple carrots and cabbage, some rather good Blaye wine. Apple crumble and Glace à la Ferme ice cream for dessert. Food carbon footprint......pretty darned small:) and I shall polish my halo later ;) It was a satisfied group who left the table after lunch.

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Looking forward to hearing from you soonish
Helenxx

Lomo

Gavins Birthday