In the French kitchen with kids by Mardi Michels

Opened, unwrapped, studied, a quick flick through and then to the ‘acknowledgements’. I, myself, am not a cook, although I am looking forward to proving myself wrong with a cookbook for ‘…francophiles of all ages’. I am, however, gluttonous for stories and even more so when these stories enable me to meet and learn about people. Thus, straight to the end of ‘in the French kitchen with kids’, where my inkling about this Australian-born, French-loving, Canadian-living lady was proved right. Mardi is also a passionate people person. Her book was created with others, for others and it is clearly important to Mardi that she encourage families, and kids, to cook, discover and learn together. ‘In the French kitchen with kids’ happens to be about French cooking, as France is another of Mardi’s passions, but I sense that it could just as easily have been about any cuisine as long as togetherness was at its heart.

Australian-born, just like Mardi, I took my family to live in France when my children were 6, 9 and 12. At school, a vegemite sandwich, piece of fruit and a treat for recess was no longer the way to go. Instead, the children stayed at school for a generous three-course meal on occasions or came home to enjoy their two-hour lunch break on others. There was a third option; eating at a friend’s house. Only, invitations in meant invitations out… Whilst all of my children’s friends were exceptionally polite and ate whatever we put in front of them, the stress of providing an acceptably French meal was real. If I had been armed with Mardi’s cookbook (which covers actual food eaten by real French children), I would have known what sauce to serve with the pork cutlets, how to prepare a good vinaigrette to mix with salad leaves, that fish fingers could be an acceptable option and how to check when my beans were ready.

I am going to leave the detailed food commentary to those more qualified than me, but make mention of the little tidbits, facts and ‘did-you-knows’ throughout, plus Mardi’s personal anecdotes (why vegetable soup is included being my favourite). These turn the book from a set of instructions into a story – and what kid doesn’t love a story?

Practical details:

Published by appetite by Random House

Length 184 pages

Recipes divided into sections: breakfast, lunch, after-school snacks, dinner, dessert, special occasions and basic pastry recipes along with tips for cooking with kids and lists of equipment.

Available world wide: Amazon for print and ebook copies

PS: As a somewhat impatient cook, when I witnessed a French friend in Australia prepare baguettes in front of me, with minimum fuss and a modicum of waiting (2 hours) for the dough to rise, I determined to see for myself if they required an authentic French touch or just any old (mine) would do. Click here to find out what happened.

choux puff tower - pièce montée

Thank-you, Mardi for generously sending me a copy of your book. It has been a pleasure to get to know you and to witness your enthusiasm for everything that you do. I wish you much success with this, your latest endeavour.

If you would like to find out more about Mardi, the best place to start is here at her eatlivetravelwrite website or in Mardi's own words:

Follow me!

Thanks so much for your support (always!). Please follow me on my various social media channels (and tag me if you make something from the book!)

Like my page on Facebook (this is the best place to keep up to date with book events, signings etc…)

Follow me on Instagram

Follow me on Twitter 

Or to rent Mardi's house in south-west France click here

***Purchase your copy of 'But you are in France, Madame', which takes you with us on our French adventure, at Amazon, here ***

The Book Podcast with Rosemary Puddy

Photo credit: @grosgrainhomewares

On Christmas Day 2017, I wrote a blog post. Actually, by the time I had finished it, we were into the small hours of the next morning. It hadn't been a normal Christmas and, truthfully, the morning itself had been a little sombre. Getting out into the mountains for a lunchtime picnic had changed our perspective and cheered us up and by mid-afternoon, watching Die Hard, sipping champagne and anticipating our festive dinner, things were back on track.  Receiving notification that my interview on The Book Podcast was live, was the icing on the cake.

I didn't make much of it at the time and it got a little lost in Christmas, yet Rosemary's program deserves attention. Her story is that, after a stint on local radio, she was at home in her library examining her extensive collection of books when it struck her that very few books on her shelves were by women writers and even fewer by Australian women writers.

Was this because there weren't many Australian women writers? Was it because they weren't very good? Was it because they were overlooked in a male-dominated domain? She decided to find out and set about creating her podcast by reading books by, and then interviewing, Australian women writers. Her first interview aired in February 2017 and a year and a half later, her program is still going strong. Typically, one interview is played per week on a Tuesday morning in Australia.

Completely off the topic, I have just started running again (after a slight mishap when skiing in January). For this, my treadmill is brilliant as I can pace myself, set goals and speed up or slow down knowingly. It is also the perfect opportunity to listen to one of Rosemary's podcasts.

If you are a reader, or a writer, I would really encourage you to click on the link to The Book Podcast - link here. You will hear the back stories to the books, get hints on the craft of writing and will, I am sure, find Rosemary's interview style personal and easy to listen to. Each interview lasts for approximately 30 minutes.

My interview was Episode 43 Catherine Berry 'But you are in France, Madame'. Rosemary and I chatted about why I went to France with my family, the preparation phase, how the children settled into French living, coming back to Australia, why I wrote 'But you are in France, Madame' and whether that had been an objective all along (no!).

If you get a chance to check out the podcast and like what you hear, you can ensure that you don't miss future episodes by subscribing. It's free.

By the way, Rosemary's answers to the questions that she had asked herself - undoubtedly, there are many excellent Australian women writers. She hopes that her program is helping to bring them the attention and accolades that they deserve.

If, after listening to our interview, you would like to read about our family's French adventure, please contact me on cb222@me.com for a print copy of 'But you are in France, Madame', or click on the following link for a Kindle copy.

Porky pies

C'est du pipeau! That's a porky pie...or is it?

Truth be told, this brief (therefore highly consumable) article tells me that I can (speak more than one language) so therefore I might (tell a lie easily). I do (speak my own language well) so I am a highly functioning liar.

Ah. Those childhood chants come back to haunt me:

...liar, liar, pants on fire...

Et pourtant je suis simple et je n'aime pas le mensonge. Je le jure. .... Je suis plutôt un mensonge. Un mensonge qui dit toujours la vérité (Cocteau)

A Parisian Life - Part Three

Today I am sharing with you the third and final part in the series 'A Parisian Life'.

In Part One Tahnee introduces herself and her family, talks about why they made the decision to go and live in France, and takes us through the busy period prior to their departure from Australia.

In Part Two, we hear more about the day-to-day life of the family once in Paris and, in particular, how Tahnee's three children managed the transition.

If you are thinking of doing the same thing - going and living with your family/children in France, I know that Tahnee would be more than happy to answer any questions that you might have (@treasuredjourneys) as would I.  

I hope that you enjoy Part Three. Bonne lecture!

Can you share with us a couple of the most memorable experiences of your time in France? 

Occasions that bring back happy memories are the times we shared with people. To give you just one example: Our first stop on a big road trip was in Dijon. My husband had met some people through mutual friends whilst on a previous work trip in France. They had said to him to please call them if ever we were in Dijon and invited us to their family home. We were met with such warmth and hospitality. Only two people out of eight spoke English, but this didn’t prove any difficulty as conversations flowed; it was magical. The grandparents' garden was amazing, they grew a lot of produce and lived off what they grew. Perhaps it was because we hadn’t been around our own extended family in quite a few months, but being there and being shown around their garden made us feel part of something. The kids enjoyed picking raspberries, seeing all the things that were growing, hearing the spoken French and being with people who were so welcoming. We felt like we were with family, or that we had known them for a long while. 

It’s funny because you will read that French people are usually very reserved, and not too willing to find new friendships, or let people in. This for us could not have been further from the truth. We found the people we interacted with to be warm, inclusive and simply lovely. Everywhere we went we were always made to feel welcome.

My French tutor became my friend. I discovered that her husband was just as passionate about wine as my husband. So we arranged a dinner for our families to meet. All of us had a wonderful time, and many subsequent dinners and outings occurred. Our children still keep in contact with each other. 

Even my beautician (who did home visits for waxing!) became my friend. In fact, after only being back in Australia for three months, she came to visit us for three weeks. 

My children would say that dog sledding through the snow, ice skating on the Eiffel Tower, parasailing through the waters of Monaco, tree top climbing in Provence, electric bike riding through Champagne, swimming in the ocean in Cannes, visiting the battlefields in Normandy, picking lavender in Sault, eating falafels in the Marais, getting their tongue stuck on an icy pole from their favourite icy pole shop, scootering through the streets of Paris, floating boats in the pond at the Luxembourg gardens, being in a school drama production, would be just a few of their favourite things. They were extremely fortunate to have done so much, including travelling throughout Europe, and to have seen and experienced so many different things.

Another highlight for us was the Eiffel Tower. Every night the large light that rotates 360 degrees would shine straight into our living room. We all loved seeing this and on the hour loved watching her twinkle away. Every night my youngest son and I would stand by the window and say goodnight to her, and wait for her bright light to shine directly at us. We never tired of this and did this every single night.

Back now in Australia, what do you miss the most? How do the children view their French adventure?

There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of our time there. I can truly say I loved it, and if I could move back, I would. As easy as life is here in Australia, I would still move back. I miss the city, the buzz, the people, the language, the culture. There is so much to do there, you’re never bored. Also being so close to so many countries is amazing. The ability to travel and not take a lot of time to get to other European cities is fabulous. I found we did more on weekends there than back home. We made the effort to go to different places and not sit around. There certainly were weekends at home too, when schoolwork and assignments ruled over going anywhere, there were times where we did simply sit at home and relax. But with so much to do and see, exploring was always something that we really wanted to be doing. We didn’t want to stay indoors, we wanted to find out about other villages and towns. Australia is spread out so widely, so to do what we did in France doesn’t happen here, as places take considerably longer to get to.

I loved showing friends around who came to stay with us. Seeing Paris through fresh eyes is a delight and to see their wonder and excitement made us all so happy. The kids were so happy to be tour guides and share their knowledge. This showed us how much they had taken in, understood and remembered. I loved listening to them and found this really special.

The children recognize and understand how fortunate they have been. The gifts of travel and of living overseas have been invaluable. We are constantly talking about our time away. I like to do this to keep the memories alive, especially for my youngest son, as these early childhood memories are easily forgotten. So far so good. They are still there. He even reminds me of things we did.

I took them back to Paris after we had been home for eleven months. We were all missing it so much, we needed a little Parisian fix. The first day we were there they all said to me that they felt like they were home and we all felt very peaceful. I love how they know their way around the city, and know where they’d like to go. I often think that when they go back as adults with friends, it will be a very familiar place for them, that they won’t really be a tourist, it will be their second home.

Overall, would you recommend the experience to other families?

ABSOLUTELY!

Life is too short, we need to get out there and live it.

It’s very easy to get into your comfort zone and remain there. We chose to shake things up, to turn our kids' world upside down, we showed them a different way of life. To show them that different can be normal as much as normal can be different, was a life lesson indeed!  We chose to challenge ourselves, to try a new way of life. The point is - we chose. Everything in life is a choice, and this is the path we chose, and have benefitted from it greatly. 

My husband and I wanted our children to learn to appreciate what they have in life, to acquire tolerance and understanding of others. It isn’t easy but, in the end, I think we’re all trying to do our best, no one is perfect, but with love and understanding it makes things a little easier. 

To any person thinking of making a lifestyle change, I say 'go for it'. There is so much to gain from the experiences you create, memories to treasure forever. I am sure that the children really do appreciate and are grateful for what we did for them which is really nice. They will often reflect and say things to us that show that their experiences have provided them with a rich tapestry in education.

Thank-you, again, Tahnee for chatting with me and sharing your story and pictures. It has been a real pleasure. I'm sure that you have inspired many other families, and definitely given some ideas for future dinner-table conversations.

Read Part One here and Part Two here

***Our family story was slightly different, but based most probably on the same ideas of 'doing things differently', living a rich family life and loving France. We set off to the Alps for one year and ended up staying for many. I wrote about our experience in 'But you are in France, Madame'. It can be purchased on Amazon, here or contact me directly on cb222@me.com ***

No Beef with these bikes

Cadel Evans with my girls in Bordeaux in 2010

The 2018 Tour passed along the road through Menthon-Saint-Bernard

Here I go again. Talking about food when I have no right to do so. But, in honour of the Tour de France - a race that I have come to know and love over the last ten years - we made a French meal. Actually, we never need an excuse for this, and I use the term 'we' loosely. I watched, took photos and sampled the red wine as the beef stew (boeuf bourguignon) was being put together.

But, back to the bikes. In 2009, we were in the final months of preparation before our family adventure (which would take us from living in Melbourne to living in France) when the Tour passed through Annecy. I stayed up that night to watch the SBS coverage on Australian television and, as my interest to that point in the Tour was scanty and my knowledge sketchy, I didn't understand a lot of what was going on: the idea of teams working together for one lead rider, the different specialists within the teams, the terms and duration of the Tour, the names of the riders etc. was all unfamiliar territory. I can't tell you who won that stage, where the race went after Annecy and had to look up the eventual overall winner (Contador), but I can tell you that that night was thrilling. It was a turning point of sorts, as it had been suggested to all of our friends that they, too, should stay up late to see our future hometown. After years of planning, there was no alternative but to finally walk our talk...and go.

I now feel like an old hand. Not only did Annecy again feature this year as a start town for the 10th stage, Taste Le Tour with Gabriel Gaté visited Le Père Bise in our village, Talloires. Go to Series 14, Episode 10 for more.

***Purchase your copy of 'But you are in France, Madame', which takes you with us on our French adventure, at Amazon, here ***