Ginger is crazy about alpine skiing. He has been checking snow reports since the slopes opened in France, in November. The World Cup race results are reviewed on a daily basis. He even convinced Nutmeg to leave shoes, clothes and her winter coat in Calgary, so that he could bring two pairs of his precious skis to France. So it may seem a bit obvious to tell you that skiing is on the agenda, while in France.
Ginger and Nutmeg both compiled “top ten” lists before leaving Calgary, to make sure that they were in fact headed to the same continent. The good news is there was some overlap when it came to skiing. However, the individual motivation might be a bit different:
Tags: Austria, Chamonix, Daube Provencal, Easy Beef Recipes, French Food, Stew Recipes, Travel Entertainment, Travel in France
It is close to impossible to buy Ginger a present. He loves sporting equipment, electronics, airplanes, wine and other expensive things. He is diligent about doing the research on a product, and ensuring that he is getting it at the right price. Ginger is also has very good taste, so these new toys have a tendency to raise the Visa balance to new levels. Nutmeg often struggles to find the right gift. This year with a bit of help from a friend, she landed on the perfect Christmas, Anniversary, Valentines, Birthday gift (read: $$$..).
Black truffle plants, ten of them. Nutmeg decided that the white truffle version he will have to buy for himself. So yes, he is the proud owner of some 2010 variety plants, they should bare “fruit” in about seven years. Ginger’s plants are very fortunate to be located on a plantation, in the well drained soil on the Valensole plateau in Provence.
Tags: French Food, Provence Travel, Travel in France, Truffles in France
Nutmeg is not superstitious by nature. That being said, she is not foolhardy either; there is no good reason to spend to much time with a black cat or walk under a ladder or generally tempt fate.
It is a tradition in Nutmeg’s family to eat lentils on January 1st every year. In many nationalities, eating lentils on the first of the year is supposed to bring you prosperity through the coming months. The round shape of the lentil is similar to a coin, and thus in theory the more you eat the more wealth you will gain. Given the fact that Ginger and Nutmeg are living, eating and drinking in France without paychecks, a bit of prosperity would not hurt.
Tags: food info, French Food, Recipes with Lentils, Travel in France, Vegan friendly, Vegeterian Recipes
Finally, Saffron got her wish! For years, she has tried to convince Ginger and Nutmeg to travel to Chamonix for Christmas. Of course that sounds outrageous and decadent, but long ago Nutmeg decided that travel at Christmas time is highly over-rated; crowded airports, busy roads, surly border guards, heavy clothing, excess baggage – you get the idea. This year, Ginger and Nutmeg really had no good excuse to say no, as Chamonix is an easy 5 hour drive from Aix en Provence. So they gladly accepted the invitation.
Then the plans had to change, Nutmeg flew to England for a rather sad family event, to celebrate the life of a very special lady. The game plan was to fly back to Marseille and drive with Ginger and Jade to Chamonix. So Nutmeg had packed one small carry on bag, with the essentials for a two day trip to the UK. However, Mother Nature had another plan, she covered the UK in a solid coating of the heavy white stuff and 6cm was enough to shutdown the country. The news channels and other media outlets had a Christmas gift like no other; 24/7 “emergency” coverage of a winter “disaster”. The roads were like skating rinks, trains and buses crawled to destinations on highly reduced schedules, major airports were shutdown for days leaving stranded travellers camped out at Heathrow, as flights were cancelled.
Ginger and Nutmeg are out celebrating the New Year, so it is finally my opportunity to write a blog post. For those of you who do not know, I am Jade a 9 + something year old black Labrador. I love food, people and smelling stuff – in that order.
So way back in September we head out for a little car trip in Calgary, I love the car. We go to “big-box dog heaven” sometimes known as Pet Smart. I am really excited there are lots of my favourite things, see above. Ginger is busy moving big plastic boxes off the shelves and I oblige when asked to run in and out, it’s kind of fun. So we all head home including the plastic box. The box is OK and I get to sleep in it for a few days.
However, there is something clearly greater going on, I know as I have seen this kind of action before. There are travel bags, piles of clothes and technical gear on the basement floor, counters and living room floor. Nutmeg is not very happy as the house is not very organized and Ginger is still clearly still deciding. So what is a bit of healthy tension? – I am still getting fed, so no need to get involved. Looks and smells like a trip to me.
Tags: Provence Travel, Travel in France, Travel Tips with Pets, Travel with Dogs
