It is a joy to be here in north Brittany. The daily temperature rarely reaches above 25 degrees. This year we have had less rain than usual, (my poor hydrangeas are suffering) but we are comfortable and we are safe. I have felt saddened reading about the wild fires in southern France. We considered the Gironde whilst searching for our holiday home, but the houses we could afford were too far from the beach. North Finistere had beautiful beaches and more affordable homes. 24 years later I have never felt more grateful for the choice we made. I have seen devastating photographs from the Bordeaux region, from Spain, from Scotland and most recently Suffolk. I hope people and animals are safe, I am full of admiration for the Firefighters and volunteers helping these stricken people and places.
Debora Robertson has written a particularly insightful piece on the fires and the heroism of the firefighters.
I am looking forward to a quiet August. As with many places in Europe, during this far too hot year, everything is a little ahead. I gathered my wild fennel flowers in mid July. Once they had dried I stored them in a couple of jam jars, ready to flavour roast vegetables throughout the winter.
I’ll be checking the sloes next week, I don’t want to miss making my annual Sloe Gin.
The first plums are appearing in the shops and market stalls here in Brittany. I hope to buy Greengages (Reine-Claude) and Mirabelles to eat fresh, and maybe make one or two jars of my Small Batch Jam (you can find my recipe/method in my previous post: Summer Fruit Jam.
I have cut a few flowers from the lavender, to make Lavender Sugar. I noticed the bees were buzzing around the flowers. As everything is so parched, with many flowers fading, I have left most of the lavender for the bees to gather pollen.
I pick the lavender and leave it to dry, on a windowsill under a warm window for a day or two.
I remove the flower heads from the stalks, then simply layer them in sugar, in a couple of jars. Gorgeously scented sugar for autumnal baking.
We usually have our family staying over the summer. This year it has just been my husband, myself and the dog. Our daughter has returned to the Summer Camp she worked at last year, our younger son has work commitments, which mean that he, his wife and their children are unable to take a holiday this summer, our eldest son and his wife have a brand new baby. I am missing them all.
However there is something calm with it just being the two of us, we have adopted gentle routines. I walk the dog in the morning, whilst my husband swims in the sea. We have breakfast and plan the day, maybe we’ll go shopping or out to visit a local town. The weather has been so wonderful that we have eaten lunch outside everyday. We take an evening stroll along the dunes, looking at the sunlit sea is the very best tonic for the soul. There is time to read, to cook, to think and to plan, it is wonderful to have mental space.
Of course there can be minor problems! I find that French people are incredibly polite, greeting each other as they walk past. However, during our evening walks I will say Bonsoir to someone who immediately replies, Bonjour. Thinking that is the correct greeting, I say Bonjour to the next person, who responds with a Bonsoir. I’m really not sure of the evening greeting etiquette!
I continue to be disappointed with the turtle doves (see last month’s newsletter!), despite hearing turtle doves cooing (on three separate trees) most mornings, I have yet to see them. Pigeons and collared doves are plentiful, but those shy turtle doves remain elusive.
Did you watch the new Little House of the Prairie? As it was on Netflix, I was able to watch it on my iPad (we don’t have a television here in Brittany). I know it has had mixed reviews, I thought it good. The child actors were superb, the updated storyline was sensitively told. I first read the books when I was about eight, a natural progression from Anne of Green Gables and (a probably abridged version of) Little Women. I remember loving the details of the day-to-day pioneer life of Laura and Mary, the games, the few precious toys, and the food. In the early 1970s I watched the first, original series of Little House, I absolutely loved it. I can see some re-reading of these childhood classics ahead.
Both the original series and the new series have fabulously detailed costumes. I am sure that my love of Laura Ashley dresses in my late teens and early twenties was, at least subliminally, influenced by The Little House on the Prairie. At the time I thought the dresses and clothes were based on Victorian and Edwardian fashions, but have noticed that many of the dresses I loved are now called Prairie Dresses.
I had versions of these three dresses. The high-necked long corduroy dress was absolutely ideal, especially when I was a student living in chilly rented houses. I had this pink dress! Perfect for parties and dressing up events. The summer smock was lovely for floating about in a dreamy way (though the frill was constantly catching in my bicycle chain!)
As I may I have mentioned before I love listening to plays based on books. Especially those made by BBC Radio 4. Some can be found on the Sounds App, and there are lots of collections available on Audible.
Recently (on the Audible App) have listened to The Pallisers by Anthony Trollope, E M Forster, A BBC Collection (including A Passage to India, Where Angels Fear to Tread, Howard’s End and one of my favourite novels : A Room with a View) and for some serious detecting I listened to Volume 1 of Lord Peter Wimsey. All the productions were superb, some are quite old recordings, it’s lovely to hear well known actors at the beginning of their careers.
If you’ve been reading my Substack for any length of time, you will know I am a huge fan of Georgette Heyer. I have re-read her Regency novels innumerable times, they are light, full of great historical detail; beautiful heroines and handsome heroes, there is often a problem to surmount, fortunately a happy ending is usually guaranteed.
I was delighted to learn that Heyer’s estate has given permission for ‘new’ Georgette Heyer books to be written, I am looking forward to reading Henrietta, written by Sophie Irwin. I have read two of her regency set novels and thoroughly enjoyed them.
India Knight has the first chapter of the new book available on her Substack, do go over to read it, I’m really looking forward to reading the rest of the book.
What are your August plans? Will you be on holiday or at home? Will you make jam or forage for sloes or maybe blackberries, perhaps make some lavender sugar? Most importantly will you be reading Henrietta?
Thank you for reading, See you in September.
Judith xxx
Love the look of your lavender sugar, I must try this. I always put any used vanilla pods in my jar of caster sugar, which imparts a deliciously subtle infusion, but I think now I will need two jars: one for vanilla, one for lavender.
Beautiful photos Judith. Plenty of produce to cook and eat. My mother loved Georgette Heyer. We hope to visit Donegal this month to explore the beautiful beaches there. A long drive from Kerry but we will pace ourselves 😁 🚗 ⛱️