8 Photography – Page 9 – Myfrenchkitchen

I love Montlouis and our house here by the Loire. I love the beautiful town of Tours, a mini Paris with its incredible architecture. I love the Loire with its wild unpredictability.

…la loire et ses oiseaux…

But my love lies even deeper at Coin Perdu, where the sunsets and clear stars keep me outdoors early until late… Where I love the roaming cattle with their undisturbed manner, the bells clinging even somewhere at night. Where I love the buses roaming the skies, where I love listening to the the complaints of the owls in the dark of night, crying their dissatisfaction with us taking their barn…I’ve said all these things before. I will say it many more times. They are important things in my life; the simplicity and honesty of the country side, where life isn’t always easy, but where the comfort lies in knowing and acknowledging it. There aren’t short cuts in honesty, no shifting of boundaries. There is no playing around with honesty. Taking on a day can’t be played around with…animals can’t wait for their food, hay will be wet tomorrow if not cut today, the birth of a new calf cares not for convenience, rain boots wait by the door for a good reason…nature dictates and man dances. It gives life its equilibrium. Keeps man humble, with his ear to the ground, his instinct awake. It keeps him alive. It gives him life.

…coin perdu…

I am looking forward to when we can get started on our restoration again and return to our life in the barn which is temporary home until the house is finished. Read and see more on Coin Perdu, a mountain home, about our country life in Correze.

So, while I am waiting for March and spring to break through so we can pack and take off to Coin Perdu for the spring and summer months to resume working and restoring our mountain home, I have last year’s photos and many memories to keep me going these next two months.

But still, I can’t wait to…

…start working…

…enjoying evening barbeques…

…enjoying breath taking sunsets…

…delighting in simple, delicious food…

…go for long walks…

…revel in rediscovering nature and animal life…

…paint, paint and paint…

…visiting with angelina et agnes…et billy-jean…

…fiddle in our barn kitchen…

September is the peak of the tomato season in Europe. At the chateau de la Bourdaisiere, where le festival de la tomate is held every year, tomatoes are found that is hardly ever seen on the street with names as cute and funny and original as you can get them; bloody butcher, daxacan jewel, burrackers’ favorite, little monk, black zebra, black prince, banana legs….

…chateau de la bourdaisiére à Montlouis sur Loire…

This sunny weekend in September had everybody out and about, dogs with their owners, mothers with daughters, grandparents, babies, toddlers, fathers carrying tired litle feet on their necks, tired pets carried in backpacks, photographers, writers, dreamers, painters. Le festival de tomate is an occasion to revel in the colours of the September garden. Having just entered la rentreé, where everybody is back to school and work, la festival de tomate provided that last occasion for us to soak up the warmth of the mellow September sun. A last outing before we slowly but surely creep into winter disguise and start our hybernation cycle with our red wines in front of the fireplace.

…walking – but not in the beds, please!…

fete de tomate 30

…children, dogs..backpacks, sunglasses…

The late summer colours of the September garden, already whisper of autumn with reds and yellows, dark purples, greens and oranges, burgundies. The herb gardens are full, the basils are setting seeds, the fennels are standing high and whispy. Pumkins abound in their plump autumn attires and burgundy cock’s combs take the lead to yet another bed, another colour, another discovery, another feast for the eye. Lavenders still stand high and full with flavours whifting through the air.

…reds, oranges, purple, green, yellows…

No festival can be really successful without eat and drink, with Le festival de tomate no exsception. From traditionally baked breads to confitures, to jus de tomates, freshly squeezed, to small tomato appetizers, a variety of fleur de sels, to contemporary creations from l’ecole de la cuisine and last but not least in the eyes of la population Francaise – lunch at set tables under la grande tente marquise – booking essential!

…la dégustation…

Even when experiencing this year after year, it is always fun. Maybe because it is tradition. Maybe because of the ambiance. Maybe because everybody does it. Maybe because we meet friends there. Maybe because the days are so beautiful. Maybe because…well, maybe just because.

… à l’année prochaine!…