Stairs, Rue de Cilly, Saignon

Rue de Cilly, Saignon

Chair, Rue de Cilly, Saignon, Holga lens

I got a Holga lens for my Olympus micro 4/3 cameras just before we came to France. I used Holgas and Dianas back in my film days and loved the soft rendering of tones and the odd vignetting caused by a plastic lens on a camera that cost $15.00. Of course I had to use Tri-X or faster film in full daylight to get a usable negative. With digital I can shoot in any light , and, with DxO Filmpack 5, I can convert to black and white and simulate any film. This is the Agfapan 25 medium format setting. Playing is such fun.

Shadows and reflections, Rue de Cilly, Saignon

Soupe de Poisson, Rue Cilly, Saignon

Yesterday we went to Goult with our Australian friends. It was market day and Mary had told us about her favorite fishmonger, who was there. We all bought jars of her soup de poisson, which is the soup base for bouillabaisse. It is a rich soup that tastes of all the good seafood in the Mediterranean and this woman makes it herself from her own wares. It is served with croutons, which over here mean slices of toasted baguette. Onto the crouton you put some aioli, mayonnaise with minced garlic and top it with some parmesan. It is heaven.

Faded roses. Rue Cilly, Saignon

Our lovely hosts, Alain and Jacqueline, left us some incredible roses from her garden. They were huge. Even 10 days later they are still beautiful.

Rue Cilly, Saignon

That little planter with pink begonias is just to the left of our front door. There is a little bell that people ring and we can hear it on the third floor.

Chives and Basil, Rue Cilly, Day one

Last year, feeling the need to do a little gardening, I bought a chive plant, some soil and a pot. It was spectacular. The Provencal sun made it grow like a weed and it filled the pot after 6 weeks. This year I am adding a basil plant. I'll keep them posted weekly.

Roof succulents at sunset, Rue Cilly, Saignon

Sylla box, Rue Cilly

I mentioned, a few posts below, that Sylla wines punched above their weight. We bought this as our house wine. It's the equivalent of 4 bottles and never gets air in it so it keeps perfectly. Always nice when all you want is a glass.

Garlic bread, home, Rue Cilly, Saignon

One night we stayed in and had pasta with Picard pesto (very good). I made this garlic bread out of a baguette from Christine's and a head of fresh garlic. I read about fresh garlic on a wonderful food blog, Chocolate and Zucchini. A blog everyone should know. Fresh garlic is sold in Provence in the Spring. The stalk is still green and the garlic had a milder yet richer taste, with none of the harshness even when raw. I sautéed it in Biologique Extra virgin olive oil from Christine's. It was heaven.

I wish that I had taken a picture of our toaster. It was a very basic model, one long slot, avocado or yellow, I can't remember, and probably cost 20 euros. It never failed to make perfect toast. Makes me want to burn my Williams-Sonoma catalog.

Sunset, Rue Cilly, Saignon

Ciboulette (chive), Rue Cilly, Saignon

When I bought this on the first Sunday here, in Coustellet, it was about eight leaves in a tiny pot. The Provencal sun has worked wonders.

Dinner in, Rue Cilly, Saignon

 Aperos and hors d'oeuvres

 Chicken and risotto

Digestifs and Picard's addictive cookies

A lovely evening.

Clouds from our deck, Rue Cilly, Saignon

Provence has spectacular clouds, and this day was even more so.

Pesto and sunset, Rue Cilly

 We stayed in one night and I made a spinach, walnut pesto for dinner. We were rewarded with a grand sunset.

My new favorite cookie.

These are a wonderful way to end the day.

Dinner Rue Cilly

 I grilled some salmon  and put it with some pea puree from Picard, a French frozen food store. Wonderful.

A happy customer!

Rooftop garden, Rue Cilly

These are some of the plants I care for when we're here. I actually miss my garden at home so it's therapy to care for some growing things.

Strawberries, Rue Cilly, Saignon

Once a week Christine's is closed and we have to get our own breakfast. Of course there are always the wonderful farm eggs, but I chose cereal and strawberries. These were like candy. Here in the U.S. most strawberries are 50% white in the middle. These are either a different type or fully ripe (my suspicion). We got them from a farmer who was mobbed at the Coustellet market.

Laundry setup, Rue Cilly, Saignon

We had a washing machine and this drying rack, which we kept on our deck. Clothes would dry in four hours on a typical, sunny, dry Provencal day. Once again, lovely light.