Château de Nacqueville,

Statue in the impoeral park of the Castle of Urville, Alsace region of France

The amount of baking that has been done in this house lately, you would think I was going to be feeding the five thousand, but no, I have been preparing to give homemade food gifts to friends and neighbours this year.

After the open invitation I received last week, to visit a friend in a nearby village, I received a message from the friend in town where I spent “Réveillon” four years ago. She said that her daughter was coming from Nancy to spend time this Christmas and that there would be 11 at the table she was sorry that she couldn’t invite me. She did say that when her daughter leaves (27 December) I can go to eat with her and her sister. I did reply saying that as I still have low immunity I am wearing my mask and being very careful and avoiding large groups. I guess going to her home with just two people there could be ok but of course they will have been with nine other people themselves. Well we will wait and see.

It has been mince pie making, date stuffing, peppermint cream making, cake decorating, meringue making, baking other cakes and a first attempt at making sage and onion stuffing balls. I am still not finished, I need to marinate goats cheese to have with endives, pears and walnuts as my starter tomorrow. Monday I will be making another “first attempt” this time it will be bread sauce, I can but try these items which in the UK are readily available in a packet and only require the addition of water or milk in the case of bread sauce.

Monique came to visit and forgot the glycerine! She brought it down the following morning, unfortunately I was out shopping so she left the bottle on my kitchen window sill. In the afternoon I went to meet Claudine at the stained glass workshop to collect the bottle of glycerine she had bought at a pharmacy. One thing is certain I have plenty of glycerine I will probably be making Xmas cakes regularly to use it all up!

I went to the cinema with Pauline again, we saw “La Tresse” (The Braid), what a moving story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Pauline is leaving this morning to go to Lille to spend Christmas with friends. We will meet up after Christmas. She has been visiting McDo in the afternoons (it’s quiet then) and she said they have been selling two macarons and a coffee for €2,90.

I went to see my friends Marlene and Manu on Friday taking foodie gifts for them. I came back with a beautiful Christmas card and a homemade gift with chocolates. I also received the most heartwarming message when I got home, not just thanking me for the gifts.

The cleaner was ill on Monday so didn’t come to work she was better for Thursday and I had a present for her. She asked if she could open it and was so moved by the gift that she hugged and kissed me. Well I didn’t see that coming!

Had a video call on Thursday evening with a friend in America. We have both been receiving treatment for cancer, she is still receiving the treatment so most of our conversation was around treatments however as her home is actually in Bar-sur-Aube she likes to catch up on activities in town.

I messaged Josette, a lady from the old knitting group. She had moved from Urville to Troyes a few years ago as her husband was on dialysis and they moved nearer to the hospital. Sadly she lost her husband back in May. She said she is finding it hard to adjust and will be spending her Christmas with her children.

It is so funny that when I was coming to France one of my criteria was to be in a town with few English people as I wanted to integrate with French people. When I arrived I believed I was the only English person in the town, I have since heard that there is an English man married to a French lady who has lived here for a lot of years, however, I have never come into contact with him. What a surprise though to now have among my friends, Portuguese , Finnish, American, Dutch, Afghan, Romanian, Turks, Georgians, Nigerians and Syrians, as well as French! The doctor I had when I first arrived was Equadorian now that was a first for me 😂.

I have decided that my taste in music is quite eclectic, so let’s have a look at my choices this week. The first one is back to 1971, it is “Tap Turns On The Water” by C.C.S. It always brings to mind my Godmothers house that I had known from being a very young girl.

The second song is “Trapped” by Colonel Abrams which dates back to 1985. Memories of this song are from dancing the night away in “La Grotte” disco in Sousse Tunisia.

“The Photographer” messaged me last night saying the bar he was in had a bottle of champagne which came from very close to me. The champagne was £64 per bottle in the bar. Turns out it was a bottle of Drappier Champagne. the champagne house is 4.5 miles from where I live, situated in the village of Urville. I wonder how much that bottle would cost here?

“The Trainee Solicitor” has finished work for a break over the Xmas period, he said he will be “popping in” to catch up on things. Well I hope he is going to take some time to rest up as he has been feeling “not too good”.

“The Ex-Graduate” has been working her socks off and the work doesn’t ease off over Xmas for her. She has the Bank holidays off but then is working 5 days/nights in a row including New Years Eve! Roll on a start date for the full-time job in her chosen profession.

I imagine that my gorgeous grandchildren are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus. They are celebrating their Xmas Day with Daddy on the 26th December. What fun, two Xmas Days 😁, hopefully there will be time for a video call with Grand-mere in France not on their Xmas Day but one day that they are with Daddy.

So now, when Pauline is preparing to travel to Lille for Xmas, Anie is safely ensconced in Indonesia, Darcy is ready to enjoy Christmas in Florida, I am ready to enjoy my Christmas here in my home. I have chosen a bottle of champagne, it is a rose and is my last bottle of Cudel. There won’t be anymore of that for me as the champagne house was sold a few years ago. Never mind I may have a bottle of Drappier another year, who knows!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, hopefully catch you again before the New Year.