Hôtel de Hobson

We've loved having people come to see us in France, stay at our summer house, enjoy the surrounding villages, spend time with Elliot.

It's been great to share this experience with others, and once they have been here, hear them question how it is we are not pinching ourselves everyday. It is a good 'wake-up and smell the roses' call for us. 

First cab off the ranks in June was Em and Stew, or Emmy and Stoo for E.

He loved the company, extra attention and new interactions. And so did we!

June was H.O.T.

Our time was spent in the shade, in the pool and with plenty of Aperol Spritz's.

July saw the much anticipated arrival of Granny. More company for Elliot, presents, extra cuddles, story time, bed time, and some new (weird) nursery rhymes... "tick-tock" !?Granny had a wonderful 4 week stay, visiting a bunch of villages nearby, seeing the lavender, shopping in the markets, treating us to lots of lunches and enjoying some nice warm days around the house too. Aunty Amy made two treks down to Provence from London to see us, also armed with presents and the enthusiasm we needed to keep E amused and entertained. And let's not forget the babysitting ... WIN!The five of us took on some overnight adventures thanks to Granny's credit card, with short stays in both Uzes and Lyon, enjoying fabulous hotels and Michelin restaurants.Jetsetter Dymo came and stayed for 18 hours while en route to London. It was just enough time for E to learn his name, in this instance we went for Andrew, he got 'Drew' or 'Man', as we thought Dymo was too close to Dino(saur) and there would be some confusion with that.We managed to squeeze in some Jambon and Melon salad, a few Aperol spritz's, a couple of beers, a cheese plate, 2 bottles of wine, a very late night, a little hangover, a trip to Gordes, 2 swims and a bunch of grapes. Thanks for coming, Man.

At the end of Summer Em made another trip down to see us, the weather not as hot, but it was a welcome change for us all. Whatever inspired us to take on a mammoth walk to Goult through the hiking trails with the stroller, down 2 pints each, and then walk home, only heaven knows. We also squeezed in lunch at the Bistrot and another few bottles of Rosé in the yard. These girls are inseparable - every trip is their last catch up before being home in Sydney, and yet they are now planning a "last catch up" in Belgium, and another in London!

In a rather cool September Nanna and Pop made the long trip over to see us too. E happy with a steady stream of visitors was now getting the hang of playing tour guide, teaching guests how we play our games in the yard, play in the car and shed, showing off the grapes, the figs, the olives, visiting the chickens, the rooster and the donkeys.

We toured the local villages, took a day trip to Cassis, enjoyed the Bistrot a few times for lunch, and a few other times for coffee/beer.

It all ended with 2 lovely nights in Paris exploring the city and what was our last night of babysitting until 2018 in which Alison and I managed a dinner out in Saint-Germain. Bliss...

Having visitors has been terrific. It is great to both create and share some of these memories with others. E has thoroughly enjoyed the company and still asks for each and every one of you, somewhat randomly, we just know he has loved it. 

The worst thing about having a house with no guests is we that we are confronted with the amount of butter we are getting through ourselves. It didn't seem a problem when there were guests here! 

We hope you have all loved Provence as much as we do! 

Scott.

WTF .... What The French?!

WTF #1

A wallet, keys, phone and maybe cigarettes is all I think they probably carry. At what point does one decide that pockets don't cut the mustard and that an over the shoulder man bag is the way to go. Seriously, why?

At home I'd 100% assume drugs. Here, nope, no drugs, just comfort/ease/zero self respect. Man bags are all the rage; young and old, rich and poor, there are man bags galore.

WTF #2

Sure, Paris has it's parking problems, more cars than spaces, people in a hurry, and a lackadaisical police department more concerned with image than action. But in sleepy little Coustellet at the local Super U supermarket these people are clearly taking the p i s s .

A teeny Peugeot 206 taking 2 spots, not an uncommon sight.
And a number of nonchalant shoppers not caring to walk an extra 40 metres to the near empty trolley bay, but adding their vessel to the end of the convoy and pretending it isn't their fault - cause the guy before them did the same thing!?!  God bless the French-ness here.

WTF #3

Breakfast in France isn't a thing like it is at home. Sadly, I can count the traditional 'hot breakfasts' we have had here on just 3 fingers. For all the sad though, there is plenty of happy, which is pastries. Croissants, palmiers, pain au chocolat and pain au raisin. 

And there is also one WTF, this is our 'toaster'. 

WT actual F is this?

"Good morning, can I grill you some raw bread?"

Seriously.

Scott. 

Under seige in Provence

Oh it all sounds so idyllic, doesn't it ... cicadas chirping in the trees, bees buzzing about the lavender. But no, living in countryside Provence is next level dangerous. Forget the narrow winding roads and crazy frenchman on bikes, its the damn insects that will kill you!

Throughout the Summer we have been hunted down by monster wasps who nest in the clothesline and pool umbrellas, bees who seem to be intent on sharing our aperol spritz and jambon cru, and vicious mosquitos that will find the one little patch of skin you forgot to dose in repellent and go to town on you.

You would think being an Aussie, I would be used to bugs and bites, but this place is insane. We've seen geckos on the window sill, a frog on the back table, caught huge grasshoppers in the lounge room and centerpeids in the bathroom. The French have not caught on to the idea of fly screens and every night we find ourselves either chasing down mosquitos or eradicating the bedroom of blowflies or hornet wasps.

But above all else .... the one creepy crawly that really gives me goosebumps ... is the SCORPION!

You heard me right, we have encountered not one, but four scorpions in the last couple of months. You can't kill these suckers with insect spray or the back of a flip-flop, they need some serious battering, and the croquet clubs have become the weapon of choice for Scott - I stand back and take photos obviously. "Don't kill him yet" I say, "let me grab my camera!".

Of course, after the first scorpion encounter in the garage, I spent hours online researching ways to deter them and ended up placing dried lavender in all the window sills and around the edges of Elliot's cot. I was madly getting the torch every night and looking under the bed and on the ceiling in fear of them getting in our room. But alas, the little darlings prefer to hover in the doorways downstairs and I almost didn't even freak out last week when coming home from dinner I brushed straight past one in the front doorway and we decided to let the little fella live ... they're all part of the ecosystem right?!

If it's one thing that won't be bothering us from now on, it's wasps at the dinner table. 

While Em was here a few weeks ago, she came up with a fantastic plan to set up a 'ham trap' to entice the wasps away from the table and onto a lovely piece of jambon cru ... we ate in relative piece and the 6 or 7 wasps literally devoured the ham over the course of an hour. Who knew french wasps were meat eaters?! 

So, still think Provence is idyllic as the pictures make out?! 

A xx

Bread. Butter. Cheese. Wine.

Bread

Bread with olives, figs, nuts, honey, sunflower seeds, herbes de provence. Baguettes, loaves, croissants, pain au chocolat, pain au raisin. Oh, we have eaten them all ... and then some! No meal is served in France without wonderful fresh bread on the table.

Our local baker has a revolving daily bread menu which we have worked our way through. Of course the classic french baguette is a staple on the kitchen table ... to be served with the cheese, no less (see below!).

Butter

Mmmmm French butter. I don't know what it is about French butter, but it is seriously addictive. None of this spreadable margarine rubbish in a plastic tub. This stuff is the real deal. It comes in 'doux' or 'demi sel', the latter being salted, our favourite. Don't even ask how much butter we go through. Let's just say, winter is close and my jeans are not my friend ....

Cheese

The average French person eats an impressive 25.6kg of cheese a year! I think we have probably met the quota in the 6 months we have been here!

France, the land of the unpasteurised cheese. Of course, pasteurisation kills off all the nasty bacteria responsible for listeria and the like, but the French also tell me it kills of all the beneficial bacteria in the milk which are also responsible for the flavour. The difference in raw milk cheeses is amazing.

No market trip is complete without purchasing a little aged comté or fresh chèvre. Served with charcuterie, fruit, crunchy baguette (no crackers!) and a glass of wine. Bon dégustation!

Wine

"Un repas sans vin, est une journée sans soleil" says the wine carafe on our kitchen bench -"a meal without wine, is a day without sun". We agree whole heartedly and have endeavoured to enjoy a glass or two of the local wine wherever we are. Of course, summer in Provence means rosé. It's so good, and so cheap that we have found ourselves buying cases from our local wine caves saying 'we will never get through all of this wine' only to go out to the garage and find empty boxes and off we go on another expedition to the next winery! 

Ahhhh you are probably thinking what gluts we are. It is true.
We are in desperate need of a detox. Green juices. Carb free. Sugar free. No wine!
But then, we are in France ... and we did say we were going to immerse ourselves in the culture ... so until 2018 or until we make ourselves sick on cheese, whichever comes first.

A xx

Lavender trails

Is there anything more quintessentially Provence than lavender?

Rows upon rows of the most wonderful smelling lavender dot the landscapes of Provence, and the Luberon, where we are living, has a fair concentration and therefore the famous 'lavender trails'. In July and August the lavender is in full bloom and we along with the rest of the tourists went looking for those perfect holiday snaps standing in a field of lavender.

Just 15 minutes away from home is the stunning Abbaye de Senanque, probably one of the most photographed lavender shots in Provence - what's not to love about a 12th century abbey still run by monks with a field of lavender out the front and mountains behind.

The lavender was harvested early this year due to the heat and now the markets are full of all things purple - from soaps and essential oils to lavender honey and biscuits.

A xx