Sablet Home - A Provencal Dream
...... of our home in Provence .... of spending time in a small French village of special people who make Sablet such a wonderful community.
BLOG.SABLETHOME.COM
Blog Catalog Interview
Melody Haislip of Blog Catalog has just posted her interview - Living the Dream of Provence which we did last week.
You can read it at: http://blog.blogcatalog.com/2011/living-the-dream-in-provence/
You can read it at: http://blog.blogcatalog.com/
Sablet blog has moved!
Thank you so much for visiting this Sablet Blog............ here's the latest news .............
.......... Sablet blog has a new home - please visit us at
http://Sablethome.blogspot.com
.......... Sablet blog has a new home - please visit us at
http://Sablethome.blogspot.com
Latest Blog - August 27th 2011
Paris to Avignon by TGV - High Speed Train to a Relaxed Vacation!
A bientot!
Sablet Blog has Moved!
Thank you so much for visiting this Sablet Blog............ here's the latest news .............
.......... Sablet blog has a new home - please visit us at
http://Sablethome.blogspot.com
A bientot!
Sablet blog has moved!
Thank you so much for visiting this Sablet Blog............ here's the latest news .............
.......... Sablet blog has a new home - please visit us at
http://Sablethome.blogspot.com
This link does not work, but if you copy and paste it into a new browser page,
it will get you to the right place. Sorry for the inconvenience....
A bientot!
May Day - Brocante and Mugettes in Sablet
.......What are Mugettes?
I'll give you a clue......
The (new) Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton), carried a bouquet of Mugettes
when she married Prince William last Friday morning........
Yes ...... Lilly of the Valley!
But that doesn't mean that the French have become huge fans of the Royal newlyweds,
and designated the May 1st as a time to exchange Lilly of the Valley.
(Although they very well be??)
Mugettes have a long history in France as a sign of camaraderie and good luck.
On May 1st 1561, King Charles IX of France received a Lilly of the Valley as a lucky charm. It must have worked well for him, since he decided to begin his own tradition of offering all the ladies of the Royal Court a sprig of the delicate, and
beautifully fragrant flowers each year, on that date.
By the beginning of the 20th Century, it had become customary throughout France
as a way to celebrate the coming of a new Spring and friendship.
My first experience of May 1st Mugettes was while
we were renovating Masion des Pelerins -
I had the "very difficult chore" of going to Sablet for the finishing touches...
(sooooo tough!).
On the way, I stopped in Paris to visit the family of a young gentleman,
who had worked for my company, as an intern for a year while
he was studying in California. I had met his parents when they visited for their son's
graduation. They were a delightful family, who owned and operated a beautiful Florist store in the suburbs of Paris.
Our intern had met beautiful Californian girl during his studies here
- who went back to Paris with him and they married there. Such a lovely couple.
They picked me up at the hotel and on they way to dinner, they wanted to show me the Store. That was the first time I heard about the very charming idea of exchanging Mugettes on May 1st. It was mid April and the store was stocked full of Mugettes. When I asked if these were for an upcoming wedding - they said, "no ... it for the 1st of May, and of course you know that on the 1st of May, friends exchange Mugettes."
They presented me with a very pretty pot of Mugettes
that traveled with me on the TGV down to Sablet when I left two days later.
When I arrived at Maison des Pelerins I made sure
that the pot of Mugettes had a place of honor on the kitchen window sill.
There was another first that year. As the time (and work) in Sablet progressed,
I had the best time getting to know our village and the commercants
- who do such a great job for all of us.
May 1st was a glorious day - sunny and warm.
I decided that this was a day to be spent out in the Courtyard ... gardening.
I had not read all the "affiches" around the village advertising the Brocante that day,
so I was really surprised when I went down to visit Madame Bonnet the Florist.
The Village was alive with people.
Antiques merchants had set up their stalls and Sablet's population had turned out in force along with lots of visitors from many surrounding villages.
I couldn't help but walk around and around looking for all of the things I couldn't live without. (Any kind of market has that effect on me).
I saw wonderful sets of silverware complete with fish knives (hadn't seen those since I was little - my parents had some) - I seriously thought of buying them (just nostalgic), .....but thought again.
Then the china platters .... dangerous ..... yes, I found one I couldn't live without ....
and it works with my grandmother's china, which she very kindly left me.
Satisfied, I started to head back to Maison .... plants and new (old) china platter.... that was when I noticed that not only the florist (I expected that),
but the Epicerie and a couple of other stores had pots and pots of Mugettes!
I then learned that the May 1st Brocante, as well as the Mugettes
is an annual event in Sablet ....
so for me, May 1st is Brocante and Mugettes Day .......
........and wasn't it lovely, and so timely that (the former) Kate Middleton
chose to carry a beautiful bouquet of Mugettes on her wedding day?
Easter Flowers in Sablet
Have you ever had one of those things,
that every time you walk past it you say, "I really must do (such and such)??".
Well, during our time is Sablet last summer there was one of those things .....
every time I walked from Maison des Pelerins to the village via place de l'Eglise,
I passed the side of the Church of St. Nazaire.
The large, shady Plane tree (in the "Place") was surrounded by newly erected balustrades,
to protect the tree from drivers trying to rearrange items in the "Place".
There they stood, seemingly just crying out for some flowers to decorate them.
Eventually, we did it ...... we installed four new "window boxes" ("bacs"), each filled with bright summer flowers - some new flowers at the base of the Plane tree, and a new pot of flowers by the seat.
Our neighbor le cure was so pleased, as were many of the parishioners.
It was lovely having flowers decorate the "Place".
In "Spring Flowers" I recently wrote about the flowers and petit potager that our wonderful neighbor and garden caretaker was going to install at Maison des Pelerins.
Yesterday, Easter Saturday, we received a picture of the new potager and were so excited
to see the new garden boxes planted with tomatoes and aubergines (egg plants).
We emailed back a big "Merci" and asked, "by the way, how are the boxes outside the church doing?" We said that we want to make sure they are replanted this year, and what a shame we didn't think about it earlier so that it would be done for Easter Sunday.
Easter Sunday morning - California time: very early this morning, a new picture arrived!
It was the side of the church with new flowers in the boxes, looking beautiful for Easter Sunday!
Monsieur had started very, very early.
He paid a visit to Madame Bonnet, the Fleuriste for some pretty petunias and other flowering plants.
He renewed the tired soil and had the new floral decorations in place for Easter Sunday visitors.
What a great Easter surprise! We were so happy to see it, and really touched by the fact that Monsieur went out of his way to make it happen, especially on a holiday.
It's the kind of thing that makes our little village of Sablet such a special place.
I can't wait to get back!
Jet Lag - part 2
A few weeks ago, I came across a great article on Fodor's blog about the10 best ways to avoid jetlag.
I started to write about it and .....
............ I got completely sidetracked on a very nice memory that involved the effects of jetlag.
Now ....at last, as promised are the suggestions ........
these are a combination of items in Fodor's article and my own experiences.
With the Spring travel season in full swing, it's important to make the most of the time you have at your destination(s). Laying awake in the middle of the night, waking up at 2am - 3am and being drowsy all day while you should be out enjoying your destination is enough to make anyone irritable
- irritability being one symptom of jetlag.
1.
Start your anti-jetlag campaign even before you get on the plane.
During the week before your travel, start to adjust your internal clock. Gradually shift your sleeping and eating times to coincide with your destination. Then once you arrive, it will be easier to adapt to the local time. For instance, traveling from California to France which is nine hours ahead - start by going to bed a little earlier and waking up a little earlier each day to put yourself closer to French time. Doing that will also adjust your eating times to work better when you arrive.
2.
Pack well ahead of time and try to be as organized as possible.
This cuts down the stress of getting away.
Worrying about all the last minute details really takes its toll on the first few days of vacation.
3.
3.. If you have an afternoon or evening flight, and it is at all possible, try having a massage before your flight.
It really helps you to relax and gives a jump start into your vacation.
4.
4. Overnight flights help - as you can have dinner soon after take off and then go to sleep. Depending on the number of time zones you cross, you will usually arrive at your destination in the morning
- much easier to start your daily routine.
5.
5. After arrival, go out for a walk
- get plenty of sunlight which helps to reset your body clock to your new surroundings.
6.
Back on the plane ..... Stay hydrated.
Drink at least 8ozs of water for each hour of your flight - even if you are not thirsty.
7.
If you wear contact lenses, clean them thoroughly before your flight,
and use eye drops while you're in the air.
When you sleep, you may want to remove your lenses.
8.
Your carry on pack should include:
a bottle of moisturizing lotion, lip balm
and hydrating spray with essential oils (not just water), to spritz your face with.
Be sure to use it inflight - and please note that all liquids must be TSA compliant.
9.
Limit or avoid alcohol in flight.
Cabin air dehydrates and altitude exaggerates the effects of alcohol
(a rule of thumb is one drink in the air equals two to three on the ground).
Make sure you drink at least one glass of water to each alcoholic beverage,
as a drink might help to relax you, but it can also worsen the effects of jetlag.
10.
Try to sleep on the plane - especially important when you are traveling overnight
or when you're flying from west to east.
Don't forget eye shades and neck support pillow.
It's also good to include a shawl as one of your clothing layers
- to double as a blanket for keeping you warm when sleeping.
11.
When you arrive at your destrination, try to do activities appropriate for that time of day.
Try to stay awake until bedtime.
12.
At your destination, do a little shopping. Pick up a few snacks, fruits and drinks - it sometimes helps if you wake up in the middle of the night and it's dinnertime back home.
Having a quick snack when you wake up, often helps you to get back to sleep.
13.
Now ..... if having done all of this ... you still wake up in the early hours of the morning and can't get back to sleep .... be sure to have a good book!
I started to write about it and .....
............ I got completely sidetracked on a very nice memory that involved the effects of jetlag.
Now ....at last, as promised are the suggestions ........
these are a combination of items in Fodor's article and my own experiences.
With the Spring travel season in full swing, it's important to make the most of the time you have at your destination(s). Laying awake in the middle of the night, waking up at 2am - 3am and being drowsy all day while you should be out enjoying your destination is enough to make anyone irritable
- irritability being one symptom of jetlag.
1.
Start your anti-jetlag campaign even before you get on the plane.
During the week before your travel, start to adjust your internal clock. Gradually shift your sleeping and eating times to coincide with your destination. Then once you arrive, it will be easier to adapt to the local time. For instance, traveling from California to France which is nine hours ahead - start by going to bed a little earlier and waking up a little earlier each day to put yourself closer to French time. Doing that will also adjust your eating times to work better when you arrive.
2.
Pack well ahead of time and try to be as organized as possible.
This cuts down the stress of getting away.
Worrying about all the last minute details really takes its toll on the first few days of vacation.
3.
3.. If you have an afternoon or evening flight, and it is at all possible, try having a massage before your flight.
It really helps you to relax and gives a jump start into your vacation.
4.
4. Overnight flights help - as you can have dinner soon after take off and then go to sleep. Depending on the number of time zones you cross, you will usually arrive at your destination in the morning
- much easier to start your daily routine.
5.
5. After arrival, go out for a walk
- get plenty of sunlight which helps to reset your body clock to your new surroundings.
6.
Back on the plane ..... Stay hydrated.
Drink at least 8ozs of water for each hour of your flight - even if you are not thirsty.
7.
If you wear contact lenses, clean them thoroughly before your flight,
and use eye drops while you're in the air.
When you sleep, you may want to remove your lenses.
8.
Your carry on pack should include:
a bottle of moisturizing lotion, lip balm
and hydrating spray with essential oils (not just water), to spritz your face with.
Be sure to use it inflight - and please note that all liquids must be TSA compliant.
9.
Limit or avoid alcohol in flight.
Cabin air dehydrates and altitude exaggerates the effects of alcohol
(a rule of thumb is one drink in the air equals two to three on the ground).
Make sure you drink at least one glass of water to each alcoholic beverage,
as a drink might help to relax you, but it can also worsen the effects of jetlag.
10.
Try to sleep on the plane - especially important when you are traveling overnight
or when you're flying from west to east.
Don't forget eye shades and neck support pillow.
It's also good to include a shawl as one of your clothing layers
- to double as a blanket for keeping you warm when sleeping.
11.
When you arrive at your destrination, try to do activities appropriate for that time of day.
Try to stay awake until bedtime.
12.
At your destination, do a little shopping. Pick up a few snacks, fruits and drinks - it sometimes helps if you wake up in the middle of the night and it's dinnertime back home.
Having a quick snack when you wake up, often helps you to get back to sleep.
13.
Now ..... if having done all of this ... you still wake up in the early hours of the morning and can't get back to sleep .... be sure to have a good book!
Most of all ... relax, enjoy ...... bon voyage and bonnes vacances!
The First Flowers of Spring
What a way to start the week!
Bright and early on Monday morning, we received an email from a wonderful fellow "Sabletain"
who cares for our "jardin exraordinaire".
He had some suggestions for the new seasons plantings and .........
........... some pictures of les premiere floresons de Printemps - the first blooms of Spring.
Voici ........ Our garden has started to bloom ......
Lilacs against a background of the old church wall ......
who cares for our "jardin exraordinaire".
He had some suggestions for the new seasons plantings and .........
........... some pictures of les premiere floresons de Printemps - the first blooms of Spring.
Voici ........ Our garden has started to bloom ......
Lilacs against a background of the old church wall ......
Bright blue Wisteria winds its way along the arbor by the kitchen doors .......
Waiting for lavender, roses and, potager hollyhocks to bloom ........
Amongst his great suggestions was building a small "potager"
- two small raised beds where we can plant some tomatoes, aubergines, bell peppers and strawberries - together with the herbs that are already growing ...... a real Provencal welcome to Maison des Pelerins.
I can't wait to see it!
Sablet Newsflash!
Madame Gisele Bonnet of GB Fleurs - Artisan Fleuriste is giving classes in the art of creating floral arrangements at her atelier in Sablet village. The cost is 30 Euros which includes instruction and materials. Madame Bonnet will guide you through the art of creating the type of arrangement of your choice.
What a fun activity while visiting Sablet!
