THE ALLURE OF LAVENDER by Andy Van Havelingen
"My herb mentor and friend, Emma Wakefield, introduced me to lavender. As we walked down the path that wound through her garden, she pointed to varieties of lavender while reciting horticultural epithets and interesting facts about each. During Roman times, the mention of lavender conjured up images of Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas) and French lavender (L. dentata)—the herbs of choice at the Roman Baths."
"Lavandin is the only lavender to use for wand making, as its stalks are 18 to 24 inches long. When cutting fresh lavender stalks for a wand, I cut at the base of the stalk, right at the point of the first leaf. I use my pruners, but a sharp pair of scissors can also be used. Once the stalks are cut, I gather a handful together and secure them with a rubber band and lay them flat until I'm ready to bring them inside."
Read the full story at: http://www.finegardening.com/plants/articles/allure-of-lavender.aspx
GOLF A LA BASQUAISE by Chris Redman
"France does not readily spring to mind as one of the premier golfing nations. Who remembers Arnaud Massy, the former sardine fisherman from Biarritz who back in 1907 became the only Frenchman to win the British Open? And who can forget his fellow countryman Jean Van de Velde's disastrous performance in the same event at Carnoustie, Scotland, in 1999 when he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with a famous final-hole triple bogey?"
"As one of Europe's most fashionable holiday destinations, the Basque coast underwent a rapid transformation. Palaces, pleasure domes and promenades were built, and bathing contraptions wheeled onto the beaches to satisfy the fashionable desire for therapeutic sea bathing while properly preserving one's modesty. And, needless to say, golf courses were carved out of the surrounding countryside, mainly for British visitors who could not get enough of the region—the balmy local climate makes it particularly congenial as a winter resort as well as a summer destination."
Read the full story at: http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2010/10/18/golf_a_la_basquaise.html
THE SANTONS OF PROVENCE by Thirza Vallois
"In Provence the holiday season belongs to the colorful world of santons—santous or santoùos in Provençal, “little saints” to the rest of us. A wrinkle, the shining dot of an eye, a graceful pose, the tilting of a hat, a lace bonnet, a weary back stooped by toil and age, a smile of contentment, an ample fold in a garment—since these clay figurines are often no bigger than Hans Christian Andersen’s Thumbelina, you will not be surprised that 85% of the cost goes to labor, a far cry from the modern mass-production Christmas industry. The making of a santon is a labor of love."
"The santon was a child of the French Revolution, paradoxically invented by a counterrevolutionary. It was egalitarian because it represented in miniature the entire spectrum of post-Revolution Provence—commoners all, little people most, aristocrats none, except for the royal Magi. It was counterrevolutionary because it incorporated the Nativity scene into its secular world. Ultimately free-spirited, for a time the crèche antagonized both the Church and the Republic. The Church tolerated it only as trivial entertainment for children; the homogenizing French Republic frowned upon it as a subversive expression of regional identity. But the people loved these little figures, who seem to have made their first official public appearance in 1803, within the framework of the Foire aux Santons, held in Marseille by three vendors. The sale of 180,000 santons, recorded in 1886, illustrates their persistently growing popularity despite the hostility from higher quarters. Today hundreds of santonniers work all over southern France, even far from Provence in the remote heartland of the Aveyron and the Lozère."
Read the full story at: http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2010/12/22/the_santons_of_provence.html
I DREAM OF FRANCE IN TUSTIN, AND ALSO EVERYWHERE ELSE by Priscilla Mayfield
Picture by Emet Martinez emetmartinez.com
"Tustin already has a lot of good things going on—a Wednesday farmers market on a designated gravel-lined site with its own permanent sign, the ineffably great Cream Pan, which for all this ineffability has certainly had many thousands of words written about it, a friendly and good sushi bar with a roll named for former resident Chuck Norris. (Two words in re the Chuck Norris Roll @ Tommy’s: No rice.)"
"IDoF has table and kitchen linens in typically striking Provençal patterns, some of them modern variations. I think traditional Provençal textiles already have a strongly modernistic air despite their ancient origins—a built-in classical agelessness. If you, like me, find our Orange County climate quite Provençal enough for lots of outdoor cooking and eating, perhaps also like me you see an outdoor table covered with one of these instantly recognizable cloths is almost always just exactly right."
Read the full story at: http://www.orangecoast.com//blogs/tasteoforangecounty/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10202801
LA ROCHERE: Arts de la Table - Editor's Pick
"The glassmaking company of La Rochère, in France’s Franche-Comté, traces its history back to 1475, when “gentleman glass-maker” Simon de Thysac founded a glassworks that supplied the needs of locals in this rural area located between Champagne and Alsace. "
Read the full story at: http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2010/11/07/la_rochere_arts_de_la_table.html
LOVE IN LES LANDES by Suzanna Chambers
"If I close my eyes tightly enough while sipping a demi-citron in the heat of the midday sun, I can almost hear the sea crashing on the shore at Biscarrosse Plage. And if I let my imagination run wild I can see the hoards of surfers riding the waves that ripple and crest along the Atlantic coast of the Landes as far as the eye can see. It was there that I drank my first French beer, and fell in love, during my first year studying in France."
"I was delighted to see that the ambiance that mesmerized me in my late teens had not lost its laid-back charm. It does surprise me, however, that not many other foreigners have discovered it. A spokeswoman for the La Landaise real estate agency says most of the properties she has sold were to local people or to Parisians. "The area is known among the French but it's not really a tourist destination for foreigners. They don't know the wonderful things the Landes has to offer."
A six-bedroom villa near the sea, she says, would cost around €400,000-€500,000, while a two-bedroom bungalow a minute's walk from the beach recently sold for €168,000. The bungalows also make an excellent buy-to-rent investment, since they can be rented out during the summer months for up to €1,500 a week, depending on the amenities they include."
Read the full story at: http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2010/08/24/love_in_les_landes.html
HOW BOULES GOT COOL by Jon Henley
"Forget the image of boules (or pétanque, as it is more properly known) as the game of old men in string vests. Suddenly, it's becoming the height of cool – and not just in France"
"The principles of pétanque are as old as history. Archaeologists found two balls and a jack in the sarcophagus of an Egyptian prince buried in the 52nd century BC. The ancient Greeks and Romans liked playing with stone balls; medieval Europeans preferred wooden ones studded with nails. Boules became so popular in France that the game was banned for commoners for much of the 14th and 15th centuries. Here, successive English kings from the time of Edward III forbade their archers to play it, and an act not repealed until the 18th century formally outlawed the game for "artificers, labourers, apprentices and servants" at any time except Christmas."
Read the full story at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/28/france-boules-petanques-got-cool
MENTON ON THE MOVE by Lanie Goodman
"East of the enclave of Monaco, sheltered by a circle of mountains at the Italian border, Menton has preserved a certain foreign charm, a combination of ancient Genoese influence and former aristocratic splendor. There's a certain holiday languor in the air, and the dazzling light seems clearer and brighter than in any of the other seaside towns of the Côte d'Azur."
Read the full story at: http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2010/08/11/menton_on_the_move.html
BACK TO COOL FASHION Styled by Allison Tong & Tara Schwecke, photography by Ana Brandt
PARENTINGOC.COM
This Saturday, August 7, Parenting OC Magazine is hosting The Parenting and Kids Expo at The District in Tustin, where you can watch a back-to-school fashion show featuring an ensemble from I Dream of France! The magazine did a preview photo shoot with Ana Brandt Photography (an Old Town Tustin neighbor of ours).
See the white dress in the center? That’s our Alphabet Silver and White Dress! We offer it in sizes 2 through 5, and a matching white cardigan with crocheted roses is available. (Both dress and cardigan are made in France of fine cotton.) You can see both pieces go down the runway together at the Expo fashion show. We’re told the model LOVES her outfit!
Read the full story at:http://parentingoc.com/component/content/article/528-featured-articles/2685-back-to-cool-fashion.html
Alphabet White Dress from I Dream of France - Photo by Ana Brandt
SEVEN PERFECT DAYS IN PROVENCE by Kate Maxwell
CONDE NAST TRAVELER
"Don't blame Peter Mayle, of A Year in Provence notoriety: The southeasternmost corner of France has never been short of visitors. Its cobalt Luberon Mountains, seductive coastline, rippling lavender fields, and honey-stone hilltop villages have inspired everyone from Nostradamus to Van Gogh. The Romans settled in Provence in the second century b.c.; even the Vatican transplanted here from dazzling Rome in the fourteenth century. In fact, given its extraordinary history and bewitching natural beauty, you might call Provence's popularity a self-fulfilling prophecy. (You were right, Nostradamus!) Coming here presents the visitor with two problems: how to edit 12,124 square miles, six départements, and a whole season's worth of attractions—from market towns to world-famous vineyards—into just seven days, and how to see it more or less solo, leaving the tourist hordes behind."
Read the full story at: http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/502676
