Mombrier July 21

One of the first things we saw today were two deer out near the vineyards. These were not the two I saw the other day but younger ones, one was smaller than the other. At least I got a photo this time before they ran away! 

Today was a peach for breakfast and then we headed out to the Bourg Farmer's Market. We weren't exactly sure where it was but we found it. Surprisingly, it was right near the little cafe where we ate, in that large square or gazebo area and a bit of the surrounding area. There were almost all the items that we saw in Blaye yesterday but on a much smaller scale. I was surprised to see the same man selling roasted chickens here too! We didn't really need anything because we stocked up yesterday. We bought a few potatoes and some dry beans I had been looking for for my cassoulet recipe. The best part was the boulangerie right by the market that had freshly baked baguettes! The place is an actual shop, not just for the market day set up. Our baguette was still warm when we bought it! After a quick beer to cool off, we headed home. We were going to stop for something at Carrefour but it apparently closes at noon. I guess that's why the parking lot was overflowing earlier. We could hardly wait to slice that warm baguette anyway! We did have a piece with butter as I sliced more and chopped parsley and celery for Stuart who is making the chicken salad. We had some delicious open faced sandwiches with the fantastic bread, an epicurean delight!

We had a small slice of the baguette mid afternoon with some cheese. We skipped our original dinner plan and had two more slices of the baguette, toasted in the oven with butter, and we added our choice of cheese spreads. Not to ignore the veggies, we had cherry tomatoes, some olives, and artichoke hearts as well. It was so delicious and we are already talking about going back for another baguette soon!

Mombrier July 20

We are up early and off to the market in Blaye. Our first stop was the fromagerie that Paul told us about, La Fromagerie de L' Embarcadère. It was amazing. I am mad I didn't take a photo inside because it was so charming, as were the couple inside. We had tastes and bought 4 different ones. The first was chèvre for our host Paul, Morbier was our next choice, Comté is the third one, and lastly St. Nectaire. It was just a wonderful little French experience to go into this small shop with Artisanal cheese, have tastes, and purchase what we wanted using our limited French and no English from the owners. I loved it!!! Of note, later at the market we go one other cheese, Gouda with pesto/basil & pignon. It is green and caught my eye, just couldn't pass it up!

The market was amazing. Wonderful fruits and vegetables are in large supply, we bought 3 different types of peppers, a melon, green beans, cabbage, peaches, and cherry tomatoes. In addition, we bought a whole (very large) roasted chicken with a bit of clear sauce that is loaded with herbs and tons of garlic cloves and 2 pieces of seabass. I took lots of photos. We were given a whole Canelé as a sample and there was some sort of rum sample to go with it. Along with many cheese samples along the way. We had a great time. It was warming up and we were thirsty. Surprisingly, the only beverage we saw at the market was that rum sample and several places to get coffee. We walked back, crossed the street, and went to the cafe where we ate lunch the other day. A cold beer tasted really good. Now it is time to head back to Mombrier.  

We had a nice cheese plate that Stuart prepared in the mid afternoon. For dinner I used some of the shrimp stock Stuart made and made a sauce, it wasn't great but the fish we bought at the market was delicious, as were the fresh green beans. A nice dinner and playing cards completed our day. I will say we did not eat dinner until 9:15p! We are becoming quite French!

About the Cheese:

Chèvre is cheese made from goat's milk. Goats were among the first animals to be domesticated for producing food. Goat cheese is made around the world with a variety of recipes, giving many different styles of cheeses, from fresh and soft to aged and hard.

Morbier is a semi-soft cows' milk cheese of France named after the small village of Morbier in Franche-Comté. It is ivory colored, soft and slightly elastic, and is immediately recognizable by the distinctive thin black layer separating it horizontally in the middle. It has a yellowish, sticky rind.

Comté is a French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France bordering Switzerland and sharing much of its cuisine. Comté has the highest production of all French Appellation d'origine contrôlée cheeses, at around 66,500 tons annually. It is classified as an Alpine cheese.

Saint-Nectaire is a French cheese made in the Auvergne region of central France. The cheese has been made in Auvergne since at least the 17th century.

Gouda infused with Pesto/Basil and pignons. A soft cheese with a good pesto taste, a balanced mix of pine nuts and basil. Here's something to give an original color to your cheese platters.

Mombrier July 19

This morning at mid morning I was sitting outside and 2 small deer ran swiftly down the hill on the east side, across the road, through a vineyard, and back into the trees. It was so fast, even with my phone in hand I did not get a photo. It was fun to see them, even if for a few seconds! It is a nice sunny day today. Supposed to be in the 90's, it never seems as warm as it says because there is always a breeze.

We went to the market today, just needed a few things. We got this in the frozen section, scallops au gratin. It wasn't very good but fun to look at and try new things. 

We both spent most of the afternoon on our computers, Stuart writing, and I worked on my summer album. Dinner was steak and a baked potato. I am not sure what cut of beef the steak was. It was pretty thin so only in the fry pan for 1 minute on each side. We split a baked potato with all the toppings. It all ended up being very tasty. 

We had just finished eating when Paul popped over. He wanted to take a photo of us dining outside at the picnic table. After that we had a nice conversation about the house here and the market we plan to go to tomorrow in Blaye. He gave us some good pointers as to the best booths to go to for fish, etc. He also told us about the best fromagerie as well. It is pretty close to the market. Looking forward to that tomorrow.  

Mombrier July 18 and 1 La Tenotte information

Today marks 2 weeks of being in this lovely little setting. It has been really wonderful. Since we were both still sick on arrival we have not been "busy" doing too much. Mostly daily things such as going to the market, cooking, laundry, and for me scrapbooking and Stuart has done some writing/website posts. Today it is quite warm and we are enjoying it. Stuart made breakfast of fried potatoes with the few leftover shrimp added and sliced tomatoes. We went to the pool late in the day because their kids were in it most of the day. I am sure we could ask to join them but I really didn't really want to.

I did dinner tonight. We had a couple of thin steaks, which I sliced up and used fajita seasoning on. We used our last 2 tortillas from the fajita kit, added lettuce and tomato and enjoyed that. 

Now, what about this place? The weather has not been as warm as expected. Our hosts commented on that as well. Yesterday and today have been sunny and nice. We even started a fire at the beginning. Since the smoke backed up a bit, we decided we would rather be a little bit cool that do that again. It did not help the coughing. However, Stuart seems well, while I am still coughing, yet I am much better. Now are we thinking about a couple day trips we would like to possibly make. 

Let's see what else I can say. The kitchen is small and not greatly equipped. For instance, we have one small, cracked ice tray - it functions. When we saw the price of a single ice tray at the market was 8-9€ we decided what we have is adequate, and it has been. The fry pans are exceptional, even if they don't have lids. There is a hand juicer we have not used. We use the box grater almost every day. Dishes are adequate, as is flatware. Overall, we have managed just fine. We have not been able to bake anything because there are no measuring cups or spoons. We hope to find some on our next trip to the market.  There is a microwave and our fridge plus a freezer on top is large by European standards.   

The beds are quite comfortable. They use just a bottom sheet and a duvet, as so many places do now. There are also extras, same for towels. The real plus is the washing machine. It takes a long time to do a load but works well and we are thrilled to have it. There is a laundry facility near the market, but we don't feel we need it. Things dry fine on the clothes rack, either inside or out.   

The floors are rustic tile in the kitchen, living room, and one bathroom. The downstairs bedroom has wood floors; they creak quite a bit when we walk across it. One doesn't think much of it until getting up at night. It seems very loud then. The upstairs bedroom has an area rug over the wood floor and some other carpet attached to part of the floor. The wooden stairs creak on the way up for sure! The claw foot tub upstairs is nice but very deep. I guess that is a good thing for a soak but getting in and out one must be careful!  

The stone both inside and outside make the area so rustic, inviting, and comfortable. During one conversation with Paul we asked about the house and what year it was built, etc. He is not exactly sure because it has been damaged and repaired after WWII, and also remodeling has been done over the years before they bought the place. However, when they were doing some re-wiring, he crawled down into an area and found stone that had a date in the 18th century. He says this is not really proof because when repairs were done, they could have used stone from other structures, this is often the case. Another thing, near the end of WWII the Germans occupied the house they are living in. This is the damage he spoke of as there were bullet holes all over the outside of the structure. I am not sure who but someone paid the owner at that time for the necessary repairs. He said the structure where the down stairs bedroom is was initially from the 17th century! He said he has not been able to find any original photo of the house earlier than the 20th century.  

When we were invited to dinner, we found out the house used to be a winery, there are still four large tanks at the end of the room forming a wall. They have worked long and hard on this house to make it a home, doing almost all the work themselves.  

The trash, recycle, and garbage system is unique and new in this area. They used to have pick up but not anymore. Just a couple minutes from the house is the church and city hall in Mombrier. They have locked bins to deposit all the different categories. There is a key card that we use. I was not very happy with the idea at first but it is easy.

Mombrier July 17

Stuart did a fabulous dinner tonight SHRIMP - something out of Julia Child's cookbook, Crevettes Sautées au Citron. He did an extensive and excellent job. He preped the cervettes yesterday and some of the sauces. I fixed a simple romaine salad with our last peach chopped up on top of it with a balsamic dressing. We ate outside. It was a beautiful day. It was nice enough to play cards outside too!

Paul stopped by for a quick chat. He is such a nice man!

Mombrier July 16

Another blustery day. It is a little bit warmer today and supposed to be in the 80's tomorrow. We are hopeful!

I had an upset stomach most of the day. Stuart went to the market on his own and got what we needed, or wanted is more accurate. I am making great progress on scrapbooking. 

Stuart prepped a shrimp dinner but instead of cooking it, we will have it tomorrow. No use him going to all that work when I don't feel hungry. Toast and tea was my dinner!

The only real excitement here yesterday was Paul pulling out their tractor, adding the forklift, and moving 2 huge pallets of supplies into the shed. I suppose it is all items for Fanny's staging business. She is gone this week, so she will unpack all of that when she is back I am sure. Still enjoying the countryside!!!

My personal notes:

The A/C at Julie's stopped working. She is staying at my house (with Tony) until it is fixed. Sam looked at it last night and thinks he knows what it is. He plans to fix it on Friday unless something comes up. I DO appreciate Julie can call them and they help her. The family is always there when she needs them. I am grateful Jeff will get the parts from his work so that is helpful too. 

Sierra called me on a video chat yesterday. I was so happy. I do miss my family and hearing about day to day things. I got to see baby Noah and that was fun. She told me all about the birth, which was exciting to hear. He was 2 weeks old yesterday. He now weighs more than 8lbs. He lost quiet a bit of weight in the hospital but happy to see they have been to the doctor 3 times to monitor that. He also had a tongue tie that is clipped now so he does not have to struggle to eat. Anyway, they are happy he is healthy and growing. Doug is back and so far the adjustment has been good. 

Mombrier July 15

It is a blustery day here in Mombrier. We are surprised it is so cool. When we looked up weather we assumed it would be warmer. We didn't bring many long sleeved things. We are certainly not complaining when we see the warm tempertures at our prospective homes!

Today I was determined to be current on all things Bordeaux. Yes! I did it! For lunch Stuart fixed some delicious scallops. He took and inventory of all the food we have. This was a good idea. We probably have enough food for a week. We are also making a shopping list again. Dinner was the last of the ribs from the freezer, squash, and half of a baked potato.