do you have enough 'me-time'?

Most women spend more time looking after the people around them than taking care of themselves.  That's not philosophy, it's just a fact.  It is built into us somewhere, we're genetically programmed to  tend.  That doesn't mean that men don't do their share too, but it does look like it's easier for them to detach themselves and .... go for a run, or watch a match or sit down and read the paper ....

I have noticed that French women really understand the importance of a little me-time.   It is part of the culture that they will find the space in their busy  timetable to take care of themselves too.  Their me-time is often spent doing some sport; having lunch with a girlfriend; or an appointment at their salon de beauté.

So today, on a breather between guests and appointments, I checked into our tiny local beauty salon and got a simple manicure.  Forty minutes of soft music, plump pillows covered with fluffy soft towels, easy conversation, the lovely smells of the perfumes and creams all around me.  No gel, no false nails, no fancy colours, just a quick tidy up and clear nail varnish, but I emerged feeling very good indeed.  I have even resolved to do this sort of things more often!

What do you like to do for a quick pick-me-up?

summer food - la tomate

Summer food... we want fresh, we want healthy, we want quick and abundant and high in colour.  La belle tomate makes an appearance nearly every day on our table during the summer.   Oven roasted, sun dried, puréed in a gazpacho or quite simply sliced and seasoned with olive oil  as a salad.

Doesn't take much ..... some good tomatoes, olive oil, olives, basil leaves, 

some rock salt, maybe a few anchovies ......

part of the enjoyment is the beauty of the fruit itself ...

and what to serve alongside for a quick and easy lunch on a hot day ....

this combination  has been happening a lot here this summer, tomato salad and goats cheese

 baked in the oven on a slice of good bread , a little olive oil and a few sprigs of thyme ...

it really only takes a few minutes ... 

 and it looks so pretty it can go straight from the oven to the table

all these great pictures were taken by my daughter Ella, you can see more of her photos  here .... please excuse her for not updating too recently, she is busy living her life!!   :)

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for the last of my august giveaways - this one you do not want to miss!!

inspiration found in a Provence château

While in the South, I was lucky enough to meet rather an extraordinary French lady, living in an 18th century château, ... with an art gallery in her garden.

Sabine Puget is passionate about art and the importance of art in everyday life.  When she and her husband bought their château some years back, she was brave enough to create a gallery and open its doors to the public.

She quickly ran out of space, but boldly created extra display areas around the gallery, stark modern shapes, that fit into her breathtaking property effortlessly, and whose brick red colour echoes the beautiful patina on the château walls.

The gallery is open from May to September, and she creates two exhibitions each season.    I was fascinated to visit the current show, which combines and juxtaposes the work of two artists:  a photographer who likes to shoot pictures of old catalogues of plant collections, and a sculptor  who is passionate about granite, marble and stone.

All through the show, sculptures, large and small, echo the beautiful black and white photos on the walls.

 To add interest to the already breathtaking sculptures, they are created to move and to turn upon themselves.

The garden around the gallery and the house is carefully planted to emphasise the presence of the gallery.  Walking around the grounds, this visitor sometimes gasped at the beauty of an unexpected artwork, whose silver grey wood or subtle stone, reflects the soft Provençal light.

In a corner of the garden is a tiny chapel, long since abandoned when Sabine and her husband bought the property.  It is now restored with evocative paintings on the wall and unique stained glass windows, and has become the subject of a small book.

This stunning property is perfectly maintained and designed but never overwhelming.  At every corner there is a reminder that this is first and foremost a home, owned by a couple who have understood the importance of life's simple pleasures.  Be it a striking work of art; sitting in a simple deck chair in the shade of an old chestnut tree, or hearing grand children play pétanque outside the house.

So if you find yourself in the south of France this summer, and you would like to visit Sabine's gallery, simply contact her or turn up on a sunny summer afternoon and refresh your body and mind as you breathe in the utter beauty of her property and the art she cares to show.

authentic tables for a french country kitchen

There is a very traditional piece of French furniture that has found its way from a butchers store to many fashionable kitchens - it is the 'billot de boucher',  (pronounced  bee-o  de booshay)  or the butchers table.

They are prized and expensive pieces to find, generally built from large blocks of oak or hornbeam,  and if they are genuine - and genuinely old  -  their table or counter top will be worn down and rounded away through years of use as a chopping block.

 The photo below has done the rounds on pinterest, so I don't even know where it originated, but it is a reproduction butcher's table, hence the practical and flat counter top.

What is lovely in this copy is that they have gone to the trouble of reproducing the hand carved decorative edge along the body base.

Here in france there are still a couple of places where they make real billots de boucher, like this one made from solid hornbeam in the centre of France.

When we first moved to this village, our butcher used a billot just like this one below, with the steel bar attached to the back splash, a safe and handy way to store knives.   Sadly the health and safety rules were stepped up, and it was no longer considered desirable to have meat cut on a chunk of wood ...... hmmm.

  I'd be hard pushed to find one of these on a country fair, but I should think I could source one or two at the right dealers.  Then I'd just need to find a space for it at home.

all pictures sourced on Google images and pinterest and at Les Billots de Sologne