Carrots

Another thing we discovered on holiday in France this year concerns carrots. We love our carrots & I usually served them glazed.

After a day or two of using tinned veg we just had to resort to fresh so bought some fresh carrots for a change. We tried doing it in the same way as at home & it just didn’t work.

Normally to 7-8oz thinly sliced carrots I add ½oz margarine/butter, a teaspoon caster sugar & some salt. They are all go on the gas hob at high heat, stirring until the fat has melted & well coated the carrots. I then turn the heat down to minimum & cook until tender, usually 30-35 minutes.

This the Fox tried to do in the gîte we were staying in. However the gas never turned down as low as it does here. Suddenly we understood why Vichy carrots traditionally include a little water. We hastily added some water before the carrots burned black.

In most rural areas in France gas comes by the bottle, not the mains as happens here. For some reason the hobs just don’t turn down as low as here which does affect the cooking of foods. It’s something we just hadn’t realised before.

Minor miracles

The time of minor miracles seem to have arrived.

One happened on Saturday, when much to my amazement, I received a letter from the council. I’ve finally got the voucher for my new shower seat. I only applied for it in January! I’m just glad I put in my application before my old one totally disintegrated. Hopefully we will exchange the voucher for a seat sometime this week.

Now I only have to do battle with the council over the proposed payment card for the respite care we receive. Linda, our home help, has continued to come every week but we have paid nothing. Last week the agency did ring to ask whether we had received the card yet. I assured them no, though I had had a verbal confirmation that I would be getting sufficient to pay their fees. They were very good, & not unduly pressing. However, I know they are a small independent company & it seems unfair to me that they should have to wait so long. After all they have wages to pay all this time. Maybe it’s time for another go at the council, another reminder to them.

The other miracle is that summer finally seems to have arrived. We’ve even dined out in the garden once. I’ve been longing so much for a bit of sunshine to really appreciate the new garden. Things are opening out. A beautiful large pink clematis has manifested itself. Unfortunately, before this good weather we had bad – lots of winds, 60 mph at that. So it is that the house now has lilacs in one vase in the kitchen & irises in another vase in the lounge. But today is calm with bright blue skies – just right to sit out in & relax.

Further around

As long term readers will know, I do love the merry-go—rounds that seem to abound in France. Sure enough, on this most recent of our French holidays we came across yet more merry-go-rounds. And the children seem do still love them, an innocent old-fashioned pleasure in these high-tech days.

In Dijon

In Beaune

However, it wasn’t until I was looking at the photos we had taken that I suddenly realised the big difference between French merry-go-rounds & British ones. The former go anti-clockwise, as you go around their road roundabouts whilst ours go clockwise, as we go around road roundabouts.

We are quite convinced that the French seem to take pleasure in doing things the opposite way from us. So it is that windows open inwards in France, outwards in Britain, for example. If there is a way of doing something different the French will find it. That’s not an adverse criticism of them. It’s just part of their wonder & why we love them so.