No fog here

As the UK is covered with a thick blanket of fog, we have clear blue skies and sunshine. Luckily the Christmas house guests are getting through: Lancashire and Cambridgeshire arrived on time on Wednesday; Berkshire changed plans and drove on Thursday; Gothenburg arrived with only an hours delay in the end yesterday. Just the London contingent to arrive tonight. Here's hoping they get through.

Back to work on the reserves of Vitamin D; and then off to Nyons this afternoon to do some shopping. And sit in a cafe and rejoice that we're not battling the crowds (and the fog) on Oxford Street.

And the weather forecast is set fair for at least the next three days. So we'll be able to do aperitifs on the terrace on Christmas Day.

In the moment or by the clock?

I'm not sure whether this is city versus rural, or France versus England, but in the week I've been back in London I've been noticing some differences. In France, back at Le Colombier, everything helps you to be "in the moment" - whatever that moment is. It might be about the seasons, or the weather, or market day, or aperitif time, or coffee on the terrace. The moment is as long as it takes. If it's fine, you sit outside. If it's raining, you stay in.

There are a few things you need to be aware of in terms of time; shops close for lunch; lunch is served between 12.00 and 2.00 so if you want lunch out you to have to remember to be in time. But of course it's only city-basd foreigners who would ever want to eat outside of the main eating moments.

Whereas in London life is ruled by the clock, agendas, plans. You can shop and eat 24/7. The weather was really bad the other day - cold, windy, heavy rain; but everyone still carried on rushing from a to b, getting to work, coming back from work, rushing between meetings, going to the gym, getting to that class, going Christmas shopping, meeting up with friends, remembering the train schedules and the last tube home. And texts and phone calls on the ever present mobile to schedule, reschedule, plan and replan. All commuters hear the mobile phone "I'm on the train" refrain day in, day out.

Cafes proudly display there wi-fi zone notices; laptops jostle with the latte and americanos; and busy busy executives are grouped around the tables in earnest conversation, jostling files and papers, or on their phones.

Whereas sitting outside La Belle Epoque in Nyons, you just watch the world go by. It's a cafe moment. And probably in the sun.

Pan's Labyrinth

I'm in London at the moment, but decided to take advantage of a wet and windy afternoon (tornados in North London) to take myself off to the Ritzy cinema. This is a great art cinema in Brixton (just a short bus ride from me in Vauxhall), and usually has something "foreign" that's worth seeing. So yesterday's treat was Pan's Labyrinth:

Director: Guillermo Toro Origin: Spain Year: 2006 Duration: 119m Starring: Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdu, Doug Jones, Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez

A fairy tale for adults inspired by the paintings of Francisco Goya and rooted, like THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, in the context of war, this is del Toro's most accomplished work in his own opinion. In 1940s Spain, recently remarried Carmen (Gil) and daughter Ofelia (Baquero) move in with the cold and authoritarian new husband, Vidal (López), a captain in General Franco's army. Finding her new life difficult, Ofelia seeks refuge in a labyrinth she discovers next to the house. A magical creature named Pan, the guardian of the labyrinth, reveals that Ofelia is the long-lost princess of a magical kingdom. To discover the truth, she will have to accomplish three dangerous tasks. Del Toro's startling vision rests on a profoundly moving story with universal appeal.



It was slightly odd seeing it subtitled into English - I'm more used to seeing French subtitles! But well worth seeing.

One thing that I did notice was that in France, at the end of the film, most people sit through the music and the credits at the end - "respect" to the makers of the film. Here in London, people were putting on their coats and leaving as the first credits started to roll. And people were coming in for the next showing before the credits had finished.

Traditional Christmas fare in Provence

I'm trying to do some research into the traditional food for Christmas in Provence.

I've spent Christmas in the Beaujolais region (around Macon and Lyon) and there we would have the "reveillon" after midnight mass ... a full meal, at 2.00am! However, I think that's one tradition I'll avoid - especially as we will be doing a more traditional English style Christmas lunch of turkey with all the trimmings.

But I've just found this about Christmas traditions in Provence.

The "great supper" is eaten on Christmas Eve, before going to midnight mass. Everything is minutely prepared. Each dish has its own symbolism and numbers are important :

The table has 3 white tablecloths - 3 for the 3 members of the Trinity – with 3 white lighted candelabras and 3 saucers of sprouted wheat germs planted on St. Barbe's Day. Absolutely no mistletoe believed to bring bad luck&!

The "great supper" is paradoxically made up of 7 lean dishes in memory of the 7 sufferings of Mary. It is served with 13 bread rolls followed by the 13 desserts, which represent the Last Supper with Jesus and the 12 apostles.
These lean dishes differ from one part of Provence to another. The dishes often served are chard stalks and celery, cauliflower, spinach and cod, omelette, snails, garlic soup & but never any meat, simply fish, shellfish, gratins, vegetables, soups and anchoïade (anchovy paste). The only abundance is that of the thirteen desserts.

The thirteen desserts are eaten after Midnight mass. They will remain on the table for the following 3 days, until 27th December:

the 4 mendicant (orders): dry figs (Franciscans), almonds (Carmelites), raisins (Dominicans) and hazelnuts (Augustinians), dates: symbol of Christ who came from the Orient, nougat (black and white) for the white penitents and black penitents according to some people, while for others white nougat, soft and creamy represents purity and goodness, the harder and brittle black nougat symbolising impurity and forces of evil& the "fougasse à l'huile d'olive", also called "la pompe": a flat loaf made using olive oil, quince cheese or crystallised fruit in the Apt or Carpentras regions, "oreillettes": light thin waffles, fresh fruit: mandarin oranges, oranges, pears, raisins and winter melons preserved for the occasion.

Cooking in Provence

I'm getting into this blogging; and starting to think about all sorts of ways I can use the tools to help me.

So I've set up another blog - Cooking in Provence - to help me keep track of ideas for food, recipes and so on. You're welcome to check in on this one too - and add comments and your favourite recipes too.