Living here in my tiny quiet village , I am a witness to a passing era. On all sides of our house we have neighbours 'd'un certain age' who have seen good times and bad and have lived simple healthy lives.
When these dear souls leave their homes, for whatever reason, there are some essential elements of French rural life that will disappear forever.
This generation finds it normal to spend hours in their potager, not because it's fashionable, or healthy but because that is where their vegetables come from. Our closest neighbours harvest 1000 kilos of potatoes each year - just for the two of them.
They keep rabbits in hutches, not because their grandchildren want to come and cuddle them, but because rabbit is flavoursome and lean meat.
The sound of a rooster crowing in the morning is familiar, and reminds us that the best eggs come from chickens who wander around freely all day, and lay their eggs where they feel safe.
Bees are kept to pollinate the fruit trees, and the village bee keeper is allowed into neighbours gardens to keep an eye on his hives.
If so much fruit is produced, it's not only to eat raw, to put into tarts and jams. A lot is also put aside for the bouilleur de cru, who goes from house to house in the winter, a mobile distillery who'll turn the excess fruit into delicious eau de vie, to be packed away with care in the cave a vin.
I sometimes wonder who, in twenty years time, will still think it's worthwhile to do all this. There will be some of course, but I don't think there'll ever be another generation who'll achieve the same effect in such a nonchalant manner.
This post is linked to the June French Obsession Party
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You are so right. We live in an age of entitlement. Most forget that the simple things are what provide the greatest quality life. We have to be able to see the value of such a natural way of life, not as a novelty for "glossy magazine" spreads. Working the soil for your own food and bartering for the other things you need, I think that is how it was meant to be. Who will teach them, though? Do they have the patience to learn from the older ones, and do what is required. Ahh, such satisfaction awaits them, us, if we do.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Sharon and well said. Lovely photos too!
ReplyDeleteJeanne:)
what a fabulous post - sometimes i think it would be lovely if time stood still
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful post and a wholesome way of life. I think we get so wrapped up in the modern way of doing things that we are overwhelmed by technology and it works against us rather than for us. A thought provoking post with gorgeous photos - thanks for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to experience life in another culture. Somehow, it is so much more romantic there!
ReplyDeleteI agree- we should try to emulate the "old" ways more- respecting nature and growing our own foods rather than going for the greenest lawn on the block.
this is what I am trying to pass on to my daughter. this post is beautiful.
ReplyDeletesigh........a simple way of life that i dream of participating in. and how unfortunately correct you are sharon, who will see this as the norm in our fast paced world?
ReplyDeletei love sharing your world, dreamily :-)
debra
A lovely post and photos. 1000 potatoes - wow, that's impressive. I must say I'd rather cuddle the rabbits!
ReplyDeletea simple and beautifully healthy way to live! love your images :0)
ReplyDeleteYou are so right and I find that such a profoundly sad thing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sharon...loved strolling the neighborhood with you. My mother used to always talk about pendulum's "swinging back"...I know two people in town that have apiaries, my sister has her very own "victory garden" in her yard (could feed the neighborhood!). I'm hopeful. Love the photos, thank you! Trish
ReplyDeletethis would be an intriguing subject for a book~perhaps told thru a child's eye..so poetic & sweet, yet sad, too.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post Sharon
ReplyDeleteI think you are so lucky to look out on these beautiful sights each day... and to live amongst this history.. You know more and more people are leaning toward organic foods once again growing their own herbs and vegetables.. Living in the city/suburbs makes it difficult though ...
I think Cathy M is right.. this would make a lovely book subject!! xx Julie
Happy to find your blog!When I was a little girl,I'v seen members of my family working in their potager,and having rabbits in these hutches,unfortunately this life has disappeared,you found the right words to talk about this!formidable,j'ai beaucoup aimé la visite de ton blog!
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Val
Lovely images Sharon, it's the same round here, almost every house in our village is a smallholding or farm, even the folk from Toulouse, who have inherited houses and now use them as holiday homes, let the locals use their land for grazing (Good for keeping their land managed) and when they come in Spring they all plant fruit and salad to use for their long Summer holiday.
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A garden full of fresh vegetables!! Amazing! xx
ReplyDeleteThanks Sharon, I feel like I have had a real glimpse into your lovely area.
ReplyDeletethat was lovely...& you are right...these are not magazine pages- although any of your photos could happily grace the pages...these are peoples lives....the everyday...how blessed for you and your children to be witness to all of this...when i took my children to the south of france for only a 2 week holiday in a village the size of our square here...they saw how rare {unfortunately} this kind of excistence is...they totally loved it and spent there days in village allotments and in the local river...yours will remember it forever...
ReplyDeletem x
What a beautiful post and beautiful images. I am so happy to have found your blog! xx
ReplyDeleteWhat a joy to read! Yes, even in suburban US there are people like me who remember a different life growing up. Is it gone? I hope not, but it can only remain if we pass at least bits and pieces along to our children.
ReplyDeleteLe sigh! When summer comes I really do envy a garden. Growing up I used to visit my nanny's lake home in the summers. There were ducks, geese, and gardens. So lovely. And I LOVE the smell of a growing tomato plant. Nothing like it. Thanks for sharing with us how your garden grows in your village.
ReplyDeleteSo many beautiful traditions, I REALLY hope they won't get lost. I am doing my best to grow my own vegetables and fruits and,next year, we will buy chickens to grow for eggs and meat.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I heard about a book written by Vandana Shiva, the Italian title is "Ritorno alla terra" which means "Back to land", I think it could be interesting...
Kisses to you,
Fra
Gosh I thought you were posting on Farmer MOTH at first Sharon! Although he wouldn't be too impressed by being decribed as 'd'un certain age'! Yes, you are right to be concerned about the changes that will occur when these plots are handed to the next generation - let's hope the Gen Y's surprise use with their rural endeavours.
ReplyDeleteMillie ^_^
I have just found your blog and this post really struck a chord. I hope all these traditions are not lost with the older generation. They are what makes the world such an intersting place.
ReplyDeleteI love your thoughts & writing. I wish governments & individuals could see the bigger picture in our future world.
ReplyDeleteYou are so fortunate that you have many around you who still do such things. Here in the states you will still find people who do, but not gathered together such as where you live. We have a veggie garden, chickens who roam freely (except when they get into my flower beds!), and we also have 5 hives of honeybees. We try to keep things as natural as possible especially for the "critters"!! I just love reading all the things in your blog!
ReplyDeleteLove this! Love it so much! I always wanted to have a Farm when i lived in Paris....It is kind of a dream when you live in the city. I enjoy the pictures and story. Thank you for linking to French Obsession :)
ReplyDeleteXOXO
Frenchy
What a lovely lifestyle. Not many of us would have the patience to do this anymore. What a blessing to see these folks everyday.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely images and thoughts. It is sad to think that much of this will be lost as this generation passes on. It's such a natural way of life and full of pleasure. My mom, 95, no longer lives in her home. At 90 she had to give it up. She didn't have bees or animals, but her vegetable and flower gardens were full time jobs. Thank you for sharing this beautiful post. ~ Sarah
ReplyDeleteWhat a life. Simple and purposeful.
ReplyDeleteI would love to be in your tiny little village right now!
But it is heartening to see that it still exists. I thought the same thing when I lived in Italy 30years ago and yet the custom of living off the land still remains there too and that a new generation has continued with the same lifestyle. Maybe we worry needlessly about the dying out of traditions and customs in countries where they are a very powerful part of their everyday lives.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me incredibly sad to think that all these simple pleasures may disappear.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping we all contribute to carrying on this lifestyle where possible
Great post and so true. I, for one, am making the switch. I bought a property with a kitchen garden and 20 fruit trees. We're starting from scratch this year but plan to grow most of our own produce. There are a lot of people like me in Northern California, it's a passion that's spread even into San Francisco. Gardens are cropping up everywhere. I hope it's a sign of things to come!
ReplyDeleteThis, I must say, is one of the best posts you have ever put up. I thoroughly enjoyed i.
ReplyDeleteI live in northern CA too, but the "passion" referred to above is, I fear, nothing more than a trend; and will be forgotten soon as the next one comes by a lot of the people. Most of us do not live rural lives anymore, and while it would be great; land is so expensive that it prohibits most people from owing any except for the very rich, (of course). This is what the protests are all about: corporate greed and only a few being able to buy a home. There are exceptions of course, but I hope anyone who wants a home can get one and put in a small fruit and veggie garden. Again, thanks for the beautiful post.
I really enjoyed reading your post. There is a movement in America called Urban Farming and I am one of those people. I live in a gated community in the suburb of a major City and I have two raised kitchen gardens, 6 chickens, 1 dog, 2 cats, many fruit trees, several different varieties of grape vines, citrus trees, and I want a goat and to keep bees. I wish we lived on a small farm but we don't, so we are Urban Farmers. We love our organic eggs, fruits, and vegetables, but looking at out house, you would never know we have that much going on in our back yard. We don't watch as much TV as we used to but we think it is better for our two young girls to learn how to grow the food they eat. I hope the movement keeps growing.
ReplyDeleteI love how you have ducks at your farm. Ducks are the cutest birds.
ReplyDeleteAmazing post! Have a nice weekend:)
ReplyDeletehttp://theprintedsea.blogspot.de/
Hi Sharon!!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you on that. It's a same really, that those generations now would find it too time consuming, but, let us hope that there are those, who like us, love those jobs from years gone by and they will keep it up!!
Have a great weekend!!!
Pam
xox
After visiting Germany and France I am convinced that our (America) "progress" here is actually no progress whatsoever. One of the worst things that is done here is tearing down old buildings for the sake of more modern ones. And don't even get me started on our traffic light system. I will take the traffic circle any day of the week. I really enjoyed this post. We are trying to be more self sustaining. Trusting others with our food, etc is just foolish.
ReplyDeleteHappy to find your blog! Excelent post...Julia
ReplyDeleteLa Silla Chic
How true, Sharon. Your observations are full of both joyous living AND nostalgia for an era that is passing.
ReplyDeleteIn the late 1980s I had the fortunate opportunity to see the irises blooming along the ridge of the rooflines of Normandy houses. I was utterly fascinated, but could not get a photo that clearly showed the flowers in bloom. But, I did create a photo in my mind which I bring out on occasion...such as when reading your post and when my sister and I reminisce about our trips to France.
Thank you for writing such a lovely blog that provides hours of pleasure in reading and viewing your photos.
Judith
P.S. I love the summer banner...
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