tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post7539484701972294100..comments2024-01-12T00:24:35.544+01:00Comments on St Bloggie de Riviere: Forging AheadSarahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13195684182481935384noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-80834755332564562212010-04-09T05:28:54.304+02:002010-04-09T05:28:54.304+02:00Goodness, I remember a cafe in Bedarieux from the ...Goodness, I remember a cafe in Bedarieux from the 1970s..an oasis of good food in a desert of 'buffet menus'.<br />As to the dead village syndrome...well, when everyone on the street looks like a clone...drive on!<br />Congrats on your award.well deserved!the fly in the webhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04563871975125538755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-78717442529314956802010-04-08T10:40:46.531+02:002010-04-08T10:40:46.531+02:00Pueblo Girl - they probably believe that if they s...Pueblo Girl - they probably believe that if they say it often enough it'll become true!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195684182481935384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-30786096401996932152010-04-07T23:39:57.347+02:002010-04-07T23:39:57.347+02:00Actually, that would be "touting" rather...Actually, that would be "touting" rather than "totuting", though I like the sound of it.Pueblo girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04904318623281033442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-75827352862643016212010-04-07T23:39:01.165+02:002010-04-07T23:39:01.165+02:00Mmmm... there are some pretty grotty places around...Mmmm... there are some pretty grotty places around here too, totuting themselves as tourist resorts due to their proximity to the Picos de Europa, and failing to mention that they are, in fact, economically depressed and run down former mining towns.Pueblo girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04904318623281033442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-26636628576174498552010-04-07T15:48:09.196+02:002010-04-07T15:48:09.196+02:00What do other lovers of the delights of the Etang ...What do other lovers of the delights of the Etang de Thau think of violets? Those amazing univalves that look exactly like a turd on the outside, but on the inside turn out to be orange stuff that tastes exactly like congealed metal polish?<br /><br />Here's what <a href="http://www.beachmedia.com/images/violets.jpg" rel="nofollow">I think of them</a> (Mèze) and here's what <a href="http://www.beachmedia.com/images/midi97_05b.jpg" rel="nofollow">my wife thinks of them</a> (Grau du Roi).expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10369924104634464934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-10338122299616070542010-04-07T13:24:10.838+02:002010-04-07T13:24:10.838+02:00Kerry - welcome and thank you so much for your kin...Kerry - welcome and thank you so much for your kind words. :)<br /><br />Dash - I don't know what it is with hair colour here. Either you're chic and blond or you're a peasant and along the spectrum of intense red. At a certain age, natch. My ex-mil henna'd her orginally glorious red hair until well into her 60s and it's so dry you fear sharp gust of wind could snap the whole lot off.<br /><br />Sharon - thank you very much! My email is dslfr at hotmail dot com.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195684182481935384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-14824905677310084152010-04-07T12:48:06.931+02:002010-04-07T12:48:06.931+02:00Hi Sarah
I always enjoy your writing! I wanted t...Hi Sarah<br /><br />I always enjoy your writing! I wanted to email you but can't find a link. If you pop over to my blog there is a surprise for you! Don't worry I'm not selling something<br />Sharonsharon santoni at my french country homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17475608374691177747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-31388084930079613032010-04-07T11:50:38.638+02:002010-04-07T11:50:38.638+02:00Love Bouzigues too, it's so pretty, full of ch...Love Bouzigues too, it's so pretty, full of character and has some very enticing seafood restaurants, we have never managed to eat there, as we have always arrived too late to secure a table.<br /><br />I thought Aubergine hair was just a local Pyrenean custom, obviously it is endemic in France, bright orange is also de rigueur round here.Dashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-36470047487024579762010-04-07T11:50:18.454+02:002010-04-07T11:50:18.454+02:00Found your blog through Sharon's and her anoin...Found your blog through Sharon's and her anointing of you with the Beautiful Blog award. A writer? Fabulous. Consider yourself followed!Kerryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01762326830724357881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-80555002600586971882010-04-07T08:59:38.478+02:002010-04-07T08:59:38.478+02:00JN - You are quite right: France and Norfolk have ...JN - You are quite right: France and Norfolk have a great deal in common. I was born and brought up in South Norfolk (I'm bilingual English / Norfolk, though I think that the proper dialect is a rare thing these days) and frankly the major difference is that in Deepest France they drive on the other side of the road.Jonhttp://www.vendeeblog.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-12465728638023322322010-04-07T08:45:02.143+02:002010-04-07T08:45:02.143+02:00Jon, you must have been deeply satisfied to walk a...Jon, you must have been deeply satisfied to walk away from the old bugger knowing he'd shot himself in the foot. 500m² - that's NOTHING!! Stupid greedy old fart.<br /><br />JN - I love NFN. Pity the PC brigade have banned it.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195684182481935384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-1478071175693034322010-04-07T08:21:01.395+02:002010-04-07T08:21:01.395+02:00Sounds like you ended up with a great day.
Where ...Sounds like you ended up with a great day.<br /> Where I live the phrase NFN. "Normal for Norfolk". is used to describe local people as a result of a similar life style to your part of France.<br /> Doctors have been banned from useing the NFN word on medical records.<br /> I often say to Mrs N Norfolk is like living in France only the locals speak a form of English.<br /><br />In some villages all the locals look and sound the same.Johnny Norfolkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16900659617233793880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-13773925772092126872010-04-06T21:44:00.983+02:002010-04-06T21:44:00.983+02:00Some areas of France certainly seem to suffer badl...Some areas of France certainly seem to suffer badly from Bereft Village Syndrome. <br /><br />When we first started looking for a place in France we were concentrating on the Charente Maritime. Since we were – at the time – looking for rural charm and a holiday home we really didn’t clock how completely empty of any facilities the villages were that we were considering. Most villages had no school, bar, post office or shop. At best they could offer a hair dressers, ambulance taxi and funeral directors, not infrequently run by the same people.<br /><br />The population consisted for the most part of the halt, the sick & the lame plus small groups of expats prepared for siege with vast stocks of cheap alcohol.<br /><br />Happily for us, the vendor of the house we settled on decided that not only did we have room temperature IQs but that we could clearly afford to pay more than the asking price.<br /><br />He kept finding reasons why we “needed” to pay a little more while at the same time hiving off bits of the land to local horsey types and farmers. When we walked away he was incandescent with rage having agreed the sales of the land (leaving the house with about 500 square meters rather than the 6.5 hectares it started with) but not having quite closed with us.<br /><br />But he did us a favour in that we ended up in the South Vendée, which has the advantage over quite a bit of rural France in that the French are moving into the place rather than beating the well-warn path to the urbs.Jonhttp://www.vendeeblog.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-52854938256614424712010-04-06T20:31:18.791+02:002010-04-06T20:31:18.791+02:00It certainly is, expat! Yum!!It certainly is, expat! Yum!!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195684182481935384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-27937165890088077362010-04-06T19:20:07.075+02:002010-04-06T19:20:07.075+02:00Bouzigues and Mèze are both heavenly. A plateau de...Bouzigues and Mèze are both heavenly. A plateau de fruits-de-mer and a bottle of picpoul de pinet. That's the life!expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10369924104634464934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-33842621919519666192010-04-06T16:25:21.495+02:002010-04-06T16:25:21.495+02:00Thanks, FF :)
Do the women of a certain age all h...Thanks, FF :)<br /><br />Do the women of a certain age all have aubergine-coloured hair too? It seems to come with middle age. They all rush to the coiffeur and have a nice vibrant rinse done.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195684182481935384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-86070833412961419722010-04-06T15:32:40.867+02:002010-04-06T15:32:40.867+02:00I forgot I knew you. I do like your blog and I mus...I forgot I knew you. I do like your blog and I must keep better track of what you get up to. You are now duly clamped to my sidebar where I can keep a better eye on you.<br /><br />As for inbreeding, my dear - the Bretons must have started the trend. We've still got them with mullets and shell suits here.French Fancy...https://www.blogger.com/profile/04941577892849157015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-52111958837735511472010-04-06T12:07:39.533+02:002010-04-06T12:07:39.533+02:00We didn't stop cos it was a bit early. Bedarie...We didn't stop cos it was a bit early. Bedarieux was 20 mins away so he suggested eating there. I'll know for next time. <br /><br />We had intended just having a light lunch but were obliged to have a full lunch cos there was just nowhere else. Never mind, it was totally yummy and in a beautiful stone dining area.<br /><br />Totally agree with you re Meze, and Bouzigues has some nice places too. You just can't get fresher oysters and mussels than from the producer's restaurant!<br /><br />I hadn't thought of the bike angle in diversifying the genetic heritage of French villages. Hilarious!!!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13195684182481935384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-68282642979319337862010-04-06T11:19:56.531+02:002010-04-06T11:19:56.531+02:00Sorry not Metz, I meant Meze.Sorry not Metz, I meant Meze.Dashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18862674.post-78362678718061533032010-04-06T11:14:42.411+02:002010-04-06T11:14:42.411+02:00Snap, MG has the same bike as your TWDB, have not ...Snap, MG has the same bike as your TWDB, have not been out on it this year, we are only fair weather bikers.<br />Why on earth did you not have lunch in Pezenas? I know it quite well as we often stop for lunch there on route to Belle Meres, I love the architecture. Never mind, sounds like you had a great lunch in an attractive restaurant, restaurants round here are crap and the ambience in them could make one lose the will to live. Another favourite stopping off point is Metz for great seafood.<br /><br />Completely understand about depressing villages, we have a few of those round here, can you imagine how bad the inbreeding would be if the bicycle had not been invented!Dashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05329090600374787029noreply@blogger.com