La Cuillette de Torfou

Strawberry fields forever...

it was like hearing the Beatles in my head while strawberry picking last Saturday.

There were lots and lots of strawberry fields...never saw so many in my life.

So this is a vegetable and fruit farm not too far from where we are and there's a reason for each season! The signs change depending on what's ripe and ready to be picked. You go and choose whatever you want to, as much as you want to. We don't go that often but love the berries and since we missed them last year we got there as soon as they put the signs up.

Strawberries, raspberries, cherry tomatoes, a cucumber, beets and...sweet peas. Yum. And 2 salads that came in later, from a choice of over 6 varieties! I confess I spent quite some time in the salad area, could not decide which one to pick.

So we have been eating strawberries for a week now (I didn't realize it at the time but I picked almost 3 kilos). And since summer came by as well, I will make some real American strawberry shakes! Ildilika, come over :)

What would you pass on to your daughter, if you have or should you have one?

So here is Thursday, well in about 15 minutes that is. My frog charming is watching a football game. A Football Game! Not sure what is happening here since we never watch sports, but I'll take the time to write.

Even if I do not want to make this a regular, writing about personal stuff, my girl, lately I often keep finding myself pondering over instances in my life as a mother, clips I am telling myself I have to engrave in my memory and remember forever since they are flying by so fast...

While talking with a friend who has a newborn a few days ago I was thinking - I don't even remember when I stopped breastfeeding, when exactly did she start walking, when did she not need a diaper anymore, when did this all happen AND had time to diassapear already??

I am not taking as many photos as I used to, things seem so much more...normal, even if I am wondering daily in amazement at how beautiful her feet are, or the fingers, or the eyes or every little tiny part for that matter. Because they are still little. At the same time I see her getting bigger. This must be normal for a mom at my age I suppose? And I've been telling myself these are things I need to write down, to record, maybe not necessarily here, but just preserve somewhere, because, I will not remember them all... 
And I want to create traditions for us - like going every Saturday morning for croissants at the boulangerie, or going every month to Paris for a small concert, or theater, or a walk to Sacre Coeur, the beautiful big church in Montmartre. Or taking a portrait pic once a year, like americans do, you know the professional photos which you frame. Or or or I need a list! Ideas out there? :)

The 'wisdom' transmitted :)

So this was supposed to be my Sunday post I never completed...

Sunday! I am on the schedule with posting for the first time :)
I have to start with today`s brocante, look what I found this morning. It was a big one and once you fill your hands it is difficult to keep on going, I quit after 2 hours.

 A set of bird pics I will eventually change..I need the frames.
Another blue plate to add to my collection AND... starting a  new collection of plates :) like
these ancient, worked, beautiful colorful pieces. 

 2 lampshades for bed light fixtures I got a while back, and a metal bird!
And of course a book for my girl.

Anyway, to continue,

In the garden today:

Lapetite princesse- mamo, c'est quoi ca?

Me- it's a bee my love, you know bees come to flowers and you see, there is a yellow part inside called polen; they take that and go back to their house and make honey with it. Honey is sweet, like sugar, only better, you had honey in your cereal this morning, remember? (cereal=honey nut cheerios, the regular cheerios don't exist in france, they are obsessed with sweet and chocolaty cereal here)

LPP- Mamo, where is cat?...

The same happens with the bed time reading ritual:

LPP- Mamo, read read!

Me- Ok, Martine went to her uncle Gilles to learn how to ride a horse...

LPP- Elle est ou Camille? Maica deda aaaaaaaaaaa.....coala?

(Camille being a girl from another book, Maica and Deda are the grandparents and coala is her dear teddy bear mommy forgot in Romania...)

We went to Paris on Monday, to the "big park" inside Jardin de Luxembourg, but the most interesting thing was the train. Ooooooooo, train, train mamo! Yeap, we got there at 3 pm and left at 8 pm only to get home close to 12 am due to "an accident at 5:30 pm"! The wonderful train ...

Rain, brocantes and weekend village 'events'

So here is the second week of June already, just unbelievable. Time flies and flies fast. In a few days we'll have the longest day of the year and the reversed countdown will start: a few months till the year's end. Ok, not that fast but just wondering when did we get here. The weather sucks, rain and wind and more of it. France, Ireland, what's the difference. So still waiting for summer...

Anyway, imagine coming home even if it's raining daily!

(forgot which blog I took it off of, please claim it if it is your's, I will gladly mention you! Most likely one of the wonderful blogs on my read list :)

My brocante outings

Two weekends ago I did the 'brocantes", the flea markets here where the French sell and resell their stuff. I, and a lot others, call it treasure hunting. Here is what I found :)

 A beautiful miror I intend for a bathroom or restroom, a frame, a knob (we need this for the last knobless door in the house), curtain holding ...things...a new scraf in my favorite color,

 knife holders  shaped like dogs and cats and an ice storing device, the cool silver apple there.

A week ago I found a little bike for my girl and a stroller, since the wonderful Wizzair reps didn't let us bring the stroller back after our trip to Ro. We went away with it and came back without, so found one for 5 euros! I was thrilled. And then this past Sunday I found just a few books for la petite princesse. Can't come out of a brocante without a book for la petite princesse.
And next week I plan on 2 more brocantes! They are throughout the villages here, pretty much all summer long. LOVE them.

Weekends in French villages

And then the past weekend there was an amazing concert right next to our village, I say amazing because the band was playing serbian influenced music...it reminded me of old days and a different life. Weird to go back in time, at this time...

 After the band there was an awesome play on this art nouveau stage. Since we don't go out much, I really enjoyed this Saturday. Food, concert and theater, all in the park - awesome.

A day later, while I was visiting a house my French man and la petite princesse were visiting the wonderful park of the Chateau de Chamarande.

 There are often exhibits in this park and this time the theme was interior furnishings on an oversized scale- chairs, carpets, pots

 and the church where we got married... at the other side of the castle wall.

I ordered Merci cards today. I translated my favorite quote I had on all my cards in Chicago-

If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves

in French, although it may sound a bit 'bizzare"-

Si nous prenons soin des instants, les annees prendront soin d'elles memes.

You will see it next time :)

Have a great great week!