Celebrating Summer in the best company ...

Just can't believe it's only a week ago we returned from our family holiday in the Provence.

Despite all our good intentions to slow down after our return, this past week was a busy one.

Unfortunately some things can't be ignored (read the daytime job 😉) 

But also busy with the pleasant ones, like our frequent visits to my dear mother-in-law

 and of course the Webshop 😊

Even during our break you've been so very generous with your orders, 

can't thank you enough for your constant support for our small business!

Blogging about our holiday sure is a way to remember and document the lovely time we've had.

You must agree with me that we were so very lucky with the luxurious accommodation we stayed in,

 Villa la Farigola

Two whole weeks of enjoying blue skies and Oleander

And clearly not the only one, because it was a coming and going of butterflies and bumblebees.

Being in the Provence, visiting a market is a real must (at least to me it is 😜)

So we went to the market in the lovely town Cotignac

In my opinion, you only find market stalls like this in France

For me another typical french thing is the taste of their melons.

 At least, I never have tasted them better than in France.

Before we left I found a very easy recipe for a salad including melon.

Here it is;

You will need:

- one package Serrano ham

- one ball mozzarella         

        - one bag of rocket salad           

        - a half ripe (cantaloupe) melon
- olive oil                           

- balsamic vinegar             

 - pepper and salt                 

Spread the rocket salad on a large bowl.

Then divide the mozzarella together with the Serrano ham 

into small pieces over the salad.

Drizzle the salad lightly with olive oil and balsamic 

vinegar (and some salt &pepper)

Bon Appetit!

        

After a stroll in town and having crepes on a lovely terrace accompanied by live music,
we continued our way to the village Tourtour

On our way me made two unexpected stops.
First one was this wonderful cascade near the village Sillans-la-Cascade
we encountered along our way.

We also passed the town Aups where we camped many years ago when
 our boys were still young, so we just had to stop and have a little walk.

Love this display as an entrance.

After lovely Aups we finally reached our destination Tourtour , with this wonderful view!

Such a privilege to have again two of our sons joining us during this holiday.  

Not only a fabulous view but also a very picturesque village

I finally had time to catch up with my embroidery 

Accompanied with a cuppa made by the husband who was 'in charge'

 for our daily one on this holiday.

Another outing on our list was going to Lac Sainte-Croix and

 hire a pedal boat to explore the Gorges du Verdon

Nature at its best

Afterwards we ended up in the lovely village Moustiers-Sainte-Marie 

Just can't beat facades like this (📷 my sister-in-law).

And again stunning views

After a day of rest we went to the village Cannet des Maurus to go to the 

Brocante Market I already visited a year ago. 

And also this time it was worth the visit, because I found these lovely Tureens

 you can find in our shop on here 

After that we continued our way to Aix en Provence 

A city that never disappoints, despite the fact that all the roads around the centre looked 

more like a building site, due to the construction of a new electric bus.

The villa were we stayed was surrounded by vineyards

Here is one of the stunning views driving to our villa at dusk

Still making (holiday) memories with two of our boys is such a blessing, 

the second town we explored this year was Marseille

Where we climbed a lot of stairs to reach the Notre-Dame de la Garde 

The stunning interior of the upper Church

On one of our last days we went to the town Vidauban

In love with the shutters, balcony ... well actually everything in this photo. 

Our main reason going there was to eat a real french delicatessen, Profiteroles!

I've so enjoyed spending time with this lovely lot and having serious
 intentions to go for a repeat next year. 

This home coming sure made up for missing blue skies and oleander every day, my Cafe au Lait 😍 

At the moment we're having a little Sale on our Website to make room for our new Autumn stock, 

which I'll share with you next time. 

Until then, have a peaceful Sunday all!

Anita

~xo~

Autumnal days are here ....

Don't know how it's with you, but over here there's a definite nip of Autumn in the air.
Though I've still got some (french) sunshine coming my way,
 I'm quite ready to embrace it.
I'm sure this has a lot to do with the wonderful Summer we've had so far.

Eating every possible meal in the garden was almost a rule.

You can find the Rustic Hanging Bottles here 

You can find the Wooden Scandi House here 

This year I was very late sowing and the heath wasn't very helpful either,
 but there still were enough flowers to fill my Jugs.

Both Hogben Jugs are available on our website and can be find here

A lovely customer gave me the idea for this display, 'love in a mist' in an Espresso Mug

For the third year in a row my 'Cafe au Lait' is flourishing, 
even after I left the bulbs hibernate in my border during Winter

The pond was the most popular spot for all wildlife this year

But also my Buddleia

Trying to hang on that Summer feeling I like to preserve all its produce in a box

You can find the Wooden Window Box here

Now the days are drawing in, I like to cook meals that have to simmer
or bake cakes.
Any excuse will do and this time it was the youngest son
coming home from a holiday trip on Ibiza.

You can find the Wooden Cookbook Stand and Tea Towel here

I saw the recipe of this cake on Facebook at a friends profile 
and because the men around this house love coconut I gave it a go.

I dare say with success.

I already shared this photo on my Instagram and there were a lot of requests
 to share the recipe, so here it is.

This is what you need for the Coconut Cake:

       *For the Cake Base:

- Sponge Flan Base 200gr

*For the filling:

                                                    - 30 gram Cornflour

                                                  - 480 ml of Cream

                                          - 3 Egg Yolks

                                                - 150 gram Sugar

                                                             - 55 gram grated Coconut

                                                       - 2 tablespoons Butter

Put the 480 ml Cream in a saucepan and add the Cornflower. 

Whisk until the Cornflower has completely disappeared.

Then whisk the Egg Yolks and sugar in its total through.

Put the fire on medium heat and bring to boil while constant stirring.

Once it boils, take it off the heat and stir in the Coconut and Butter.  

Pour the mixture over the Cake Base, cover it with Cling Film
and put in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. 

     *For the Topping:

                                                     - 180 ml of Cream

                                                             - 3,5 tablespoons Sugar

                                                                       - 1,5 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

                                                                             - 40 gram grated Coconut roasted

Whisk the 180ml Whipped Cream, 3,5 tablespoon Sugar and 1,5 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
at medium speed and spread over the Cake.
Sprinkle the grated Coconut over the Cake and after being in the refrigerator
for at least two hours it's ready to serve.

The Cake can, provided it's covered, be kept for several days.

  

Right now I'm busy packing for our break in the Provence.
I'm still very behind with my monthly Embroidery subscription
so I made sure to pack the 'essentials' 😜

Basket available here

Leaving my garden in the capable hands of my lovely neighbor,
I can't wait to see my Wisteria (which is full of buds) flowering for the second time.

And of course meeting you here again!

Anita
~xo~