DAY 5..Today Was An Improvement To Say The Least....

Jan 5

Today I have a confession, its not a bad one. But after spending so much over the holidays on bedding & other bargains to be had in the sales. I had promised no more treats but after writing my last blog last night i succumbed to ordering 2 books online written about French women by one of my favorite authors. How was i to know she had more books ((Mireille Guiliano). As i write they are on the way and i justify that they will help me to keep me inspired the way the French live……

When we look around our homes , gardens, wardrobes,food cupboards,dressing tables, dvd collection, music & even your makeup bag. You will eithier posses something that is French or resembles something French. In all things i Feel the French have a certain class of chicness that us English desire from time to time. Yes we have our own primness of tweeds but the French have a certain way of presenting things that create a simple awe. Take for example my home, its is very sweet home we have log fires in the main sitting room & 2 bedrooms. We have a lovely cream wooden country kitchen ( we are in thr middle of purchasing an aga or something similier. It is a cozy home and we get many people impressed in how we have made it so cozy. But people always notice the chic little objects that i have bought on my two journeys to the south of France for example, sugars for the coffee crystalized into sugar hearts, large coffee mugs, cake stands, glass ware in metal holders, and i cannot forget the large shopping baskets that i have through out my home that hold an array of things like magazines & towels etc etc.

But visitors always point something out and say ” Oh where is that from? ” And for me to get on my French high horse and say ” When I went over to France ” And then relay the story of the purchase which lets me escape for a while back to my French holiday.

My sister hated it because she loved everything I brought back ( I used to work for Laura Ashley in the Home dept so that helped with looking for interesting buys). She said she used to groan when she saw something lovely in my home and get depressed when i would state it was from France.

Enough was enough as i booked a surprise trip to Nimes for both me & my sister curtesy of my husband( he is wonderful ). I won’t go into detail about the trip as i will discuss more in my years journal but we did buy 2 extra bags crammed full with French homeware. We got charged riduculously but we were determined that it was worth it as we wanted that little bit of France in our homes.

So at Christmas time when my sister is sat around the table which is adorned simply but chic, she has a naughty glint in her eye when someone asks ” Oh that’s lovely where is that from?” To which my sister pleasantly told me she really enjoys saying “Oh i bought that on a trip to France.” She says its a wonderful feeling being on her very own French high horse.

First Day To Live As The French Do....

Well first day back today and it wasnt crazy as i had expected, there wasnt the endless queues of grumpy people. I even had time to have a cup of tea.

Well i have decided for a less stressful year that im going to embrace this year and live my life as the French do. Firstly i have uncovered a book that i try and read twice a year to give me the inspiration to change my eating habits. I cant stress enough that i cringe when i hear the word DIET. Argggh.

So out my little treasured book came ” French Women Don’t Get FAT.” By Mireille Guiliano, it starts of as a funny story of how she became lost in her ways of eating and alass put on unhealthy weight.

I am half way through it and as from today as the holidays are now over i start to live breath & copy the French. So i started my day with a bowl of hot porridge, a ham & salad wrap for lunch. I succumed to a chocolate flap jack by Three O’Clock. But by tea time i cooked potatoes, garden peas & chicken with peppers. I decided to do as Mirelle describes on page 39 ” Eat only at the table, only sitting down. Use real plates & decent napkins. Do not watch television or read.”

So i actually put a table cloth on ( a gingham one for that french feel) lit candles & used our posh vintage knives & forks. And of course the main healthy bit which consisted of a glass of water each.

I will include quite a few features from Mirelle’s fantastic book which i swear will change anyones ways of eating. But overall our meal was ate slowly & consisted of both me & my husband to actually talk about our day. So a big Thankyou to Mirelle not only have a ate well but its also creating a healthy marriage.