Monday, February 27, 2017

February 2017


Février 2017

Tim, our winter cat

Ah yes, it is the end of February. February the month of two faces, chilly and warm.

I have to admit I have spring fever.Warmer and longer days have taken their toll and I am looking for buds on everything. Forsythia has buds as do the roses and the primrose is flowering all over the yard.  Nature is slowly waking up.

Today it is Sunday and it should be 13°C ( or 55°F). It is partly cloudy and I am going for a walk with MT this afternoon.


And miracles, the crédence( back splash) has been installed. It has been a long journey to get this far in the kitchen, but it was our choice. We started a year ago, and found some nightmares on the electric connections behind the cupboards. So acting as our own general contractors, we took it step by step.
But I have a kitchen that I enjoy. I really love it. However, as far as cleaning, I probably picked some of the hardest things to keep clean. Dark counter tops clean easily, but leave streaks, so wash and buff. Same with a black glass back splash. And who knew that stainless steel streaks too. But still, I made the choices and I am happy.
New counter top, back splash and hood.

For those that have been here, the was a table here
and I had it taken out and replaced as a
peninsula. Love it..Keith has to replace the
top drawer, about an inch taller.
 Wall sage green.

Sink is new too, stainless
Bored you enough on my kitchen!

Politics is gearing up here in France. Round one of the elections will be 23rd of April. The second round, if needed will be 7th of May.  The top runner was Fillon (conservative), but a scandal has marred him in the last few weeks. It is alleged that he paid his wife for a job she did not do. The on the far far right, Marine LePen. She has been in the news lately too. She has two campaign workers who are being paid by the EU, with fake EU jobs? LePen is very conservative, wants to stop certain immigration, return to the Franc and get out of the EU. Then there is Hamon, who is on the socialist ticket. But Holland has damaged the party enough, not sure he has a chance. So what will happen? Stay tuned!

Had a few walks this month. However, it is between seasons, and not as much to photograph.
Here are a few of my photos.
Dols waiting for us to join him

Photo of Curtil 

The forest is managed and each year allotments for wood are
sold to the villagers. They can cut down marked trees. The wood
must be transported out by a certain date, and site cleaned. Here
is someones wood ready to haul out.

Winter vines. These are in the Haute Cote and are taller than
the vines in Gevrey. Someone told me that this way the ground
gets more sun to reflect back and keep the vines warmer in the spring.
In Gevrey the stalk is very short.

Spring! Euphorbia blooming

Willows blooming

Even the mistletoe is flowering


Walk on the 26th above Chambolle, waiting again.
We talk and I guess we are slow sometimes

Then we saw a carpet of flowers. SPRING

Nivéole de printemps (L. Leucojum vernum)

Nivéole de printemps 

Nivéole de printemps 
Not to be confused with :
Pierce Neige ( snowdrop)

Fragon faux houx (Ruscus aculeatus)
The flower is very small, about 1/4 inch wide. It blooms on the
underside of the leaf.

Sunday's walk, straight ahead,just beyond the trees, is a huge drop!!
That is all from Gevrey for this month.


Recipe of the Month
Salad Dressing
I make most of my own salad dressing. It is so easy and so much better than industrial salad dressings. I love the taste of fresh dressings, they are more lively.
One dressing that I use the most is a Dijon vinaigrette. really not hard. One version, slowly mixing in the oil makes a thick dressing. Other times I put all in bowl and whip it together, just enough to mix before I pour it on the salad.

Dijon Vinaigrette

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 c - 1/2 Good oil (some use vegetable oil such as sunflower, others olive oil. Depends on your taste)
  • 1 Tablespoon vinegar
  • pinch of salt
PREPARATION
(for thick dressing)
  1. Put mustard in a small bowl
  2. Whip the oil into the mustard (with a fork), a little at a time. The mustard will plump up 
  3. Add vinegar and salt and continue to whip until blended well
  4. TASTE! 
As stated, I put all in a bowl and whip. It is a little more fluid.
Always always taste. If bitter to taste, it could be the oil or the vinegar, small amount of honey will work. When I have a salad with fruit, I add enough honey for a slight sweet taste. 



Saturday, February 4, 2017

Janvier 2017

   
Galette des Rois
JANVIER 2017


It is the new year and still struggling with the 2017 instead of 2016 for the date.

The 6 of January is the feast of the Epiphany. Here in France it is celebrated with the traditional Galette des Rois (the galette of kings ). Every year both the Photoclub and the Assoc celebrate with the Galette and a coup (glass of wine or crémant). There is a "feve" (bean) in the Galette and whoever has the feve, gets to wear the crown. The feve is no longer a bean, but a little porcelain figure, usually based on a character from a childrens' movie. Each bakery though has feves with different themes, and some still use traditional feve designs. If you collect the feves, you probably shop around.

We have had some very cold weather throughout France, but now  in the Cote-D'Or, temperatures have mellowed. Even a little hint of spring. However, it is only Feb and it can still turn cold.

Not a lot to report, shut in with the cold weather for a couple of weeks ( and yes, I no longer have the strong fortitude of a Minnesotan!!). And now with a cold. Not a good month!

I have had to work on what photos for the Expo in May, we need to turn in the photos by the 16th of Feb. The post under this one has the 4 photos that I am considering, and I need to pick two. If you want to add comments, please do.

The mayors office has made a film on Gevrey. Kind of a quick look at the place where I live.
Go to the site ( it is the site for the city) and you need to scroll down to the "Présentation du Village" Sky view of the City
The Reserve Naturel has hiking trails and lots of flowers, mushrooms etc. One of my favorite places to walk. Also the wild cat lives there, but chances of ever seeing one are zero!
Watch it and let me know what you think. I had nothing to do with this video.
(found the YOU TUBE version...Gevrey YOUTUBE     it is larger

OK a few photos of mine next. The frosty ones, there should have been more; I set out to take lots of photos, until a tree cracked and fell not that far from me. I turned around, got in the car and came home!
Berries

Frost and or ice

Reulle Vergy- row of vines

Reulle-Vergy
Then a couple frosty photos
Near Semezanges-where the tree fell!

Vines of Gevrey-( Reserve Nature starts on the left)

Semezanges
And a photo from the back yard
Sitting pretty out in the vines. AUTOUR ( Goshawk)
This month they are doing the census. I do not know much about how or more to the point when a census is done here. It is not as official as it is in the USA, each 10 years. I need to check out more, just out of curiosity. But we have now been counted.

That is all from here in Gevery.


Recipe of the Month
Galette des Rois
I am going to take the easy way out this month and give you a website with a great Galette des Rois recipe. It is puff pastry and almond paste filling. It is really very good and decadent, but only comes around once a year.
Here is a site by David Lebovitz with step by step instructions with photos.
You should really try it at least once.
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/galette-des-rois-kings-cake-recipe/