LAST DAY IN SANARY AND DONKEY

On my last day in Ollioules, we went to a friend of Claudie who has three donkey.



We arrived at a huge property with a little way leading to a beautiful house. The landscape was absolutely stunning !



Then we arrived with our bag of bread for the donkey.



Before feeding them we had a tea with cake in this very beautiful living room, which  looked like a round tent, but all in glass and cast iron. We chatted together and made a tour around the house. From some places you could see the sea from far.



and finally after having called them by their names, they all arrived and were happy to get the bread. I had never seen donkey like that, they were silver grey and looked as if they were sewed together as they had a black stripe on the back which looked like a seam. They were so friendly. How lucky they are to have such a nice home with such a huge territory to walk around.



I also liked the interior decoration very much



The kitchen was very modern and enormous. In the middle was the island in a corner a big round antic table and on the other side cupboards until the ceiling. There also was a big utility room.

After having spent a very nice afternoon, we returned home and Pierre had prepared a good bye meal for me, baked little potatoes with olive oil and garlic. I had never eaten such potatoes before and had asked him to prepare them for me for the last day. Tomorrow I fly home.

WHAT DID YOU DO THIS WEEKEND ?

Helps you to remember what you have done on the weekend of April 28. If you participate please put the little logo on the top of your post and leave your link.

I was still in France half of the weekend. Early morning we got a phone call from the restaurant Mafana neay Hyeres, that the cow had fallen down from the exposition wall ! Claudie and I quickly drove over there to repair the damage. Claudie was better then I in hammering stronger nails so I was just the supervisor.



We noticed that more people had left little messages in the "Golden book" and checked the other paintings before driving home again.

The so beautiful weather had turned into rain and it was rather cool ! But nevertheless Claudie wanted to show me the Salins-d'Hyères an area of ​​salt marshes along the coast. They are one of the most remarkable natural areas of the Mediterranean shore.

These saline were operated from 963 AD to 1995 for the production of salt.

That's how they should have looked ! It's also a paradise for birds, but I didn't see any !



There was a kite competition going on despite the rain ! We looked a bit, and I took this picture of Claudie, her daughters and the boyfriend who hid behind the car.



Claudie's daughter Mélissa took these pictures of me, while I was walking back from my photo shooting ! It was so awful, that we decided to drive back and rather have a drink at the Sanary beach.



There the rain had stopped and the sun came out !

Her husband had prepared delicious Doner Kebabs which we ate with big appetite !




and the boyfriend who is a baker had brought these very yummy little cakes he had brought for me so that I could taste his work ! They didn't last long in the box !

Then came the moment to say good bye, and Claudie drove me to the airport in Marseille. It was still raining and cold ! My flight was smooth and I could work on my photos.

Mr. G. was waiting for me in SUNSHINE ! It should have been the other way around, as the French Riviera is rather famous for its good weather !




From my four cats only Rosie showed that she was happy and took a nap, while I rested for a while and watched TV while Oscar the Robot mowed the lawn !  Nature  had changed, the grass had grown and flowers were blooming ! It seems that spring has finally arrived !

I unpacked my suitcase and went early to bed ! What a wonderful break I had in my routine life ! Tomorrow I will certainly be full of energy !!

FRIDAY's FAVE FIVE

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1. This week I stayed 5 days at my friend Claudie's in the South of France for the New Year's Eve.



From a grey and cold Waterloo I arrived in Ollioules' almost Spring weather. We made a walk along the Sea and could even sit outside.



After our walk, I helped with preparing the buffet for New Year's Eve. I was in charge to make the Foie Gras sandwiches, while Claudie with the help of her SIL opened the oisters.

2.



We ate and danced til midnight, and then everybody with a glass Champagne, wished for a happy New Year !




We had a lot of fun, but the next day we found paper streamers and little paper balls everywhere in the house ! Even in our beds and in our shoes (work of the children !).

3.



While Claudie went to the doctor with her daughter, I walked through the little town and admired the beautiful Christmas decoration. The Christmas trees, on the left below, were made by the school children's different classes. The one in front was made by Claudie's class.



The whole town was decorated and little Father Christmas were hanging at the windows.

4.



On my last day I took some pictures of their property, the vegetation is so different to ours in the North.



Claudie's husband Pierre loves to cook and decorate and prepared our last brunch together.

5.



Then we went for a walk along the sea again, and sat there for a long while in the sunshine ! It was a wonderful weather 20° ! After a coffee we went home, and so ended my year's end holidays.

When you read this I am probably sitting in the plane, I'll arrive late afternoon home and into the winter again !

GORGEOUS HOLIDAYS

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I just wanted to show you in what gorgeous place I am right now. I am in the South of France and enjoy Palm trees together with Christmas trees !

During the day it's almost like spring, but once the sun is gone it becomes quiet cold.



at the sea, in front of the house, a Father Christmas and Sanary the little town at the sea



I went for a  walk and visited the church and the little streets in the little town Ollioules.

A CITY GIRL AND THE FISH MARKET

I had never been on a real fishmarket along the sea where the fishes were fished early morning and sold as soon as they were ready and displayed on a table.

I had never lived at the sea either and I have always been a city girl. So when I discovered all these fishes in all shapes, I found them rather ugly and thought that I prefer them already cleaned and cut into handy pieces and if possible without bones. I certainly didn't want to see a smiling fish head in my pan.

When I went to the fishmarket in Sanary at the French Riviera I certainly wasn't prepared to see how a dead fish looks like, the once I know were swimming in acquariums mostly in waiting rooms of dentists ! They think it calms your nerves looking at swimming little fishes. We even had once two mini fishes, a black and a red one swimming in a round bowl, which belonged to my son and which one of our cats had catched, played with them and I found the corpses under the table !



The market started with seafood. I saw the first urchins of my life. As they are called "Oursins" in French which means little bears I thought little hedgehogs would be more appropriate ! They looked quiet funny but the spikes were very sharp when I touched one.



Next came oisters, mussels and shrimps. All this I knew nicely wrapped from the Supermarket. The fish eyes looked quiet cross at me.



Claudie bought one, which was a female we have been told because it was full of eggs. Fortunately it was cleaned for us but everything the woman took out of the fish was rather disgusting and as a last gesture she cut the head off and throw everything in the bin, except the fish of course, which was wrapped in paper.



I saw another fish who had been busy to swallow a smaller one, when it was surprised by a fisher's net I suppose and killed. Now I don't know if you eat them both or not. Canibals under fishes ! A horror movie.



These charming looking calamars (I suppose they were) were certainly fresh, but honnestly if I imagine them in my kitchen, I think I would escape, although I like to eat them but already cut into pieces and breaded and not looking like monsters from another world.

I must admit that the fishes we ate were phantastic and very tasty, but still I prefer to see spices, vegetables and potatoes on a market !

Fortunately I didn't have any nightmare where a big fish swallowed me and I was sitting in its stomac !

GOOD BYE PALM TREES AND PANCAKES

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For my last day of holidays in Ollioules (French Riviera) I just wanted to go to the seafront in Sanaray. I loved this place for its beautiful little old houses along the seafront and of course the palm trees !



The winter had been unusually cold up to - 10 °C (13 F) which hadn't happened in ages, and some of the palms were damaged by the frost as most palms grow in the tropics. But now they are recovering (hopefully) in the warm sunshine.



Under the palms youngsters were playing handball while others walked along the seafront. One of a sick palm had been cut into a rather strange shape.



We choose a little Snack restaurant were you had an enormous choice of pancakes, sweet or salty. I personally prefer them salty. We could sit outside in the sun and ordered our "crèpes", that's the name of the French pancakes. They have another shape than the once in the States or in the UK. They are very thin and rolled around the filling.

I had one with mushed eggplants and goat cheese. It was delicious.



I made a little collage of the French pancakes, as you can see they are served with salmon, goat cheese and vegetables, chicken or bacon.

After lunch and a little walk we went visiting Claudie's sister in law just for a short visit.

To end the day, we spent the afternoon shopping, I helped Claudie to choose curtains and other little things for the new house.

Now I am back home and was welcomed by a heavy rain and 4°C (39 F) !

SANARY FISHMARKET AND PHOTO EXPOSITION

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Since I arrived in Ollioules at the French Riviera, the almond trees in Claudie's property started to bloom and yesterday I could take this picture.



Early on Sunday morning we drove to the Fish market in Sanary where the fishermen sell their freshly fished fish (tongue twister), oysters, mussels, urchins etc. She bought a big fish, which was baked with different vegetables and potatoes slices all together in the stove. Her sister and husband came over for lunch and we had urchins as starter. Now that I know them I love them !





at the fish market



I don't know what this was, but it looked rather odd !



After lunch we drove to the sea again and had a coffee at the seafront of Sanary, watching the boats and people.



The habour



a strangely cut palm trunk



A painter exposed his paintings



We also visited the exposition of this famous photographer, whose photos from around 1920 of the little towns along the sea were exposed.



In the evening her husband had prepared a pizza which was delicious.