Greetings on this beautiful September day, my dear friends.
I have been back here in Brooklyn for exactly a week and settling back into the neighborhood nicely after a long summer away. I spent the last several days sorting through the mail, unpacking suitcases, weeding my little back yard, and reconnecting with friends and family.
I am ready to begin blogging about our neighborhood again. I hope you will join me in celebrating life in Carroll Gardens in images and words.
New postings will be up very soon, so check in often.
Cheers, Katia
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.
And just like that, the summer weeks here in the Auvergne are slipping by. My family and I spend the time taking walks through the countryside when the skies are blue,
stop the car by the side of the road to admire the cloud formations
and the silhouette of the Chain of Volcanoes,
or close the windows and doors of the house to stay dry and warm when a storm approaches.
On some mornings, we need to light a fire in the small wood stove.
Sometimes, we sit by the big fireplace till late into the night.
The biggest excitement in a day may well be a few cows being led from one grazing spot to the other.
Herding them is actually not as easy as one may think. Take a look.
Of course, this year, as in years past, we have big and small projects to complete on our 1866 stone farmhouse. After we had the roof totally rebuilt last year, we found a local artisan who pierced through the thick walls in the attic, to add two window openings.
He used reclaimed granite stones,
which perfectly match the existing window openings. The new ones look as though they have always been there.
All we need now are windows, before fall arrives.
This is the view we gained from the attic. Do you see the famous Puy de Dome volcano in the distance?
Here is a close-up, taken just as the sun is setting on a perfect day.
Many hours are spent in the garden, taming the wilderness that surround us.
Every year, I plant more, hoping that one day, I will have a real flower garden, one that thrives on neglect. I think I am making progress, no?
It represents a lot of trial and error, but I am getting better at choosing plants that will survive at 800 meter altitude. That includes lavender,
and Rose Campion, which is multiplying happily in the flower beds.
These daisies obviously like it here as well.
I am particularly proud of my Jasmin, which was covered with blooms this year. Its scent was intoxicating.
All the flowers mean that there are always vases filled with bouquets inside the house.
In between guests, my husband and I never manage to sit down to relax for long. There is maintenance to be done on doors and windows,
and rooms to be painted. This year, we removed wood cladding that my father put up in the mid- 1980s in what used to be the kids' room.
Underneath, we found
old wallpaper that he and my mother hung on those same walls in the 1970s. It brought back a flood of memories, pealing away the years one layer at a time.
The result was worth all the hard work. Here is the same corner of the room freshly sparkled and painted. Next, the wood floor will be sanded, but it may have to wait till next year.
Now that it is August, guests are arriving and with that, I will be spending more time making meals in my little country kitchen. I don't mind cooking at all, as long as it means that I can shop at the local farmer's markets around here.
Just look at all this wonderful local cheese.
And these just-laid eggs from my friend's hens.
I hope that your summer is going well and that you have been able to get away from the heat and the noise of New York City for a bit.
(This summer, I have been posting more photos as PardonMeForAsking on Instagram. Pop on over there for more frequent updates while I am here in the Auvergne.)
A new stall this year sold micro greens. I took coriander and radish greens, which really added something salads.
The same vendor also sold edible flowers.
These blooms, however, where for the garden.
Micro breweries are a thing even here in the Auvergne.
Instead of a rotisserie chicken, one can also purchase live chickens at the Issoire market.
or ducks, if one has a farm.
The freshness and the taste of the produce is so inspiring that I can't wait to get back to my kitchen to start cooking. Sending greetings from my Auvergne kitchen back to Brooklyn, dear Readers.
Zucchini tarte with onions, potatoes and goat cheese.
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