After A Glorious Summer In France, It's Time To Return To Carroll Gardens

My dear Readers,
I have been in France for a very, very long time. After a glorious summer high in the hills of the Auvergne,  it is time to come home to Brooklyn.

Though I spent my summers in the Auvergne every year, I have not been here at the beginning of September for a long time. It was very special to see the first signs of fall began to appear. The nights were getting very chilly,

and the days markedly shorter.

The light became less intense,

while the foliage was slowly turning into the most beautiful golden hues.

Even the vine on our house here in the Auvergne took on the most stunning red color.

With a heavy heart, my husband and I had to acknowledge that it was time to prepare for our departure.

We began to tackle the last projects before closing the house,

which includes pruning the vine, which had grown almost to the roof.

Here is Mr. Pardon Me sitting in one of the new  attic window openings that were completed by a local craftsman this summer.

and for which my husband made new shutters.

In the meantime, I busied myself in the garden.

The lavender had bloomed all summer long, but it was time to prune it as well.

The harvest was so bountiful that I was able to make lots of little bouquets, so that the scent could be captured for months to come.

The dried lavender blossoms were also placed into sachets, which i left a bit all over the house.

The hardest part of leaving is always to say good-bye to our friends, and especially to the neighbor's cat Caramel, who made himself quite comfortable at our table during the summer, as you can see.

So, after one last glorious day in our little village, we packed the car and headed back to city life.

We spent last night in Lyon,

which is a hopping place on a Friday night

and which has one of the most vibrant restaurant scene in all of France.

Next stop is Paris, and then, its directly back to Brooklyn.

I will probably need a few days to get back into the swing of things when I get home, but will begin posting news about Carroll Gardens as soon as I have settled in and gotten over the unavoidable jet lag.
Can't wait to walk down Court Street and to run into some of you to catch up.  See you soon.




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A Tiny Glimpse Of Sting In Lyon

A (blurry) view of the ancient Roman Theatre in Lyon last night

A little glimpse of Sting as he performed at the Roman Theatre last night.

Those without tickets, trying to listen to the concert

I found out too late that Sting was performing in Lyon last night when I was here as well. By the time I realized, the concert was sold out. (Honestly, even if they had been available, I wouldn't have been able to afford them.)

The concert took place outdoors in the old Roman theatre in the old part of town. The setting must have been spectacular for those lucky enough to hold tickets. For everyone else, a spot along the street above the theatre offered a small glimpse of the singer and some pretty great acoustics. I stayed long enough to hear him perform 6 or 7 songs. Pretty fantastic.

And just in case you were wondering. No, I did not climb that fence, but I was tempted.

Lou Reed and Brian Ferry will be performing at the same theatre next week-end. Tickets are still available for the Ferry concert, in case you just happen to be in Lyon then.

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A Quick Hello From Lyon

A very quick hello from Lyon, the gastronomical capital of France. My daughter is returning back to the US tomorrow morning bright and early, so we thought we would take advantage by spending a day in this lovely city. After four weeks in the Auvergne countryside, it feels great being back in a more urban surrounding, though I am not ready to get back to Brooklyn and the heat.

While here, we had lunch at Paul Bocuse's bistro 'Le Nord.' The food was wonderful, of course. I am getting used to three-course lunches with wine. I guess that's a bad thing, right?

I was rather entertained by this woman who was sitting next to us with her little lap dog. (As far as I could tell, she did not share her Bocuse meal with her pooch.)

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