Farewell to the Granadilla Vine

Sorry I know it’s been a while. Dealing with French officialdom and administration is a full time job and has been taking much of my time.
When we first moved to France, my husband always said it will be ‘just for a year’ well that time has flown by and our year is nearly over.  I am however happy to report that is not just for a year especially as I am about to launch my new business Le Petit Chou Café.

But let’s rewind a little, after the kids were settled at school I began looking for some formal employment and even though the French grannies and gardens were keeping us busy it was not putting food on the table.  Obviously my biggest hurdle was my lack of fluency in French and nothing really suitable was being offered so as we say in Africa ‘ a boer maak a plan’ – (one makes a plan).

Our lovely friend and French teacher of all things official Mr C said ‘what you need is the little cafe under the arch’ what cafe under the arch?  (Mr C we cannot thank you enough for all the help and support you have given us).So this is how it all began.  We met with the owner who was amenable to our plan and so the paper trail began....

Firstly, I had to attend two courses in French one of 2 days and the other of 3 days, this was for the Hygiène alimentaire and Permis d'exploitation basically Health and Safety and the Operational licence.  Fortunately I was able to study some of the course material online beforehand and then translate the relevant slides so I could try and keep up with the class.  On the first day I arrived with big butterflies in my tummy worse than any exam.  (This was after very complicated child-care arrangements as of course, the courses were in the same week hubby needed to be in London.)  I greeted my fellow attendees with the usual bonjours and tried to smile confidentially when I was feeling anything but.  Just take the iniative Ruth, I thought, so I went up to the lecturer and explained my situation and he was very sympathetic as were the rest of my class mates.  I would love to say it was plain sailing from here on in but it certainly wasn’t in fact it was really hard work with lots of homework to do in the evening just to keep up, however I did manage to do it and obtain the necessary certificates required.

Next on the list was the notaire to set up the lease, ‘this is a very usual situation’, he said after I explained what I needed. Why was I not surprised, I thought the end of this venture would stop right there in the notaire’s office but then he said ‘ah, yes we could do it like this but it will mean this’ and then proceeded to list all the restrictions and conditions. Great, when can we sign? ‘Leave it with me’, six weeks later we were able to sign the lease, still not sure what took all that time but that’s how it goes around here.

Next port of call was the mairie; we had a good relationship with the outgoing mayor and didn’t really know the new one.  However we meet him socially and he was very charming and eager to assist in any way possible.  I made a rendez-vous for the next week and all the necessary permissions went smoothly including the agreement on me renting the outside space adjacent and opposite the cafe.

After signing the lease we needed to go to the Masion l’enterprise to register the business but surprise, surprise the local one is closed for the holidays and I now need to go to Perpignan,  I still need to register with the Department of Minstere de L’Agriculture, De L’Agroaliment et de la Foret, for the health and safety bit, meeting the bank manager or equivalent, sorting out the insurance all to be done by Friday. That’s all!

In the meantime we have been enjoying the company of some lovely visitors including my family from South Africa. Meeting them off the TGV from Paris, as my belle-soeur stepped off the train she didn’t see me, but my 7 month old nephew did and gave me this HUGE grin, what a way to meet him for the first time! It was precious moment. We had a wonderful time with them and I was very sad to see them go, however we have lovely visitors for the rest of August and currently some of our closest friends are with us.

So the cafe opens on the 1^st August we need to leave our rented house by the 31^st August so this is farewell to the granadilla vine that is in its full glory at the moment.  This house has cradled us for our first year and helped us settle into the community, we will miss the glorious views but the one thing about St Paul there is always a glimpse of a view.  So my next blog will be on peitichoucafe@blogspot.com which will be written in a quiet moment outside the cafe still looking at our wonderful mountains.

Thank you for reading this blog and the support you have given me and I hope to see you on the petitchou site. A bientôt.

It's just a stroll over the mountain....



Looking down on Lesquerde

Towards the end of last year I had ear-marked some markets I really wanted to go to and see.  One in particular that really excited me was the Truffle Market in Lesquerde on the 9^th February.  It was on Sunday which for us is often not the best day but I was determined we would go and made sure hubby had it in his diary too.





The view in October - Via Ferrata

When he is not working he can be seen on the various walks, climbs and general grand randonnées that surround us.  One day he went off to pay the schools dinners about an hour later I got a call, have lunch without me I may be a while as presently I am on top of the mountain and going over to Lesquerde.  Four hours later a little dishevelled and very hungry he returns, I should have seen the warning signs!

Much to my shame I am not as fit as I once was and certainly not as toned as I should be but I like a stroll or two up not too steep an incline.  Where we live we are spoilt for choice as we can stroll through vineyards, villages, forests, around lakes and if we are so inclined even down to the beach but you cannot miss the mountains, they surround us.  The family have already taken to doing the local Via Ferrata but I declined and walked up the wrong way to see the view and what views they are.

So the 9^th arrives and I am all excited about the market, there will be NO parking so let’s walk it will just be a stroll over the mountain. Now, I know my husband knows my limitations and also my Mum is visiting and she is in good shape, but doesn’t really like going up steep inclines.  Are you sure it’s easy and a stroll, yes, you will all be fine.  The kids are a bit grumpy about having to walk and we have an extra one too, as we often do on the weekends.

So off we set, my Mum and I with our ‘old lady sticks’ and traipse off through the village.  As we start to ascend I look above me and realise this is going to be no stroll; and a little bit of me is really mad with myself, I should have known I KNOW what these mountains look like! The kids have warmed up and are competing with each other to be first, racing ahead like the mountain goats they are. 

The path is pretty good and the views are spectacular and every now and then I stop for a water break just to enjoy the stunning scenery.  The path seems to go up and up and the stones are getting loser and loser, I am very grateful for my stick.  I find myself walking alone and I start to breathe, really breathe not just panting but breathing the air right into my lungs, you can taste the earth as you breathe, it’s full of the garrique that surrounds us, which is the natural bush but just happens to be full of  natural growing herbs,  fennel ( hence Fenouillèdes,) also thyme, rosemary, lavender, sage, bay, it’s amazing; no wonder the wine tastes so good with all of this in the soil.  I pause again to survey the view and yes, I am sweating like a pig, I am sore and unfit but it’s beautiful, it is truly magnificent and I feel very privileged to be living in such an amazing part of the world.

We eventually get to the summit and see the village nestled below us, we hear the music and the hum of the market and now I am anxious to get there.  It takes a little while for us to meander down but we eventually get there.  Kids still racing ahead and in spite of a few scratches and grazes they are still in one piece. 

They get their reward of hot churros (doughnut like ropes, sprinkled with icing sugar and dipped in nutella) and play with a puppy while we investigate the market.

We see some vignerons with their maroon aprons and silver sieve-like medallions, from what I can understand they are inducted a new member into their fold.  We continue to peruse the stalls and get ‘caught’ by an artisan cheese seller, the cheese is delicious and especially after the stroll, but we buy far too much, well we were having guests for dinner that night. So many other lovely temptations, I try escargot for the first time and am very pleasantly surprised it’s delicious maybe that air had got to me or I was suffering from mountain fatigue but it was delicious. 

Eventually we make our way to the ‘truffle hall’ the smell hits you as you walk in.  A bit like the air itself  but much earthier and richer, and so many on display which to buy? I choose a stall that is as local as possible, knowing better than to ask exactly where, I buy my precious bit of ‘black gold’ and am very excited about having it, as the finishing touch to my starter of local ham and fried quail egg.

We are lulled by the smells, the music and a bit of the local wine, and I know I cannot face going back over that mountain, no matter how pretty.  So hubby and daughter ‘trot’ back over and go and collect the car and a while later come and collect us.  So we could have driven to the market, but something tells me we may have missed something, not least  ‘the essence of the land’.  I am really happy we did it but please don’t tell my husband.....