Cooking & Art classes in France

LA CREUZETTE

An experience of a lifetime!

I don't think it's very often that one is able to declare with certainty..."That was the best week of my life"!...  Facing a couple of raised eyebrows from the family I was sticking to my story after an unforgettable experience at La Creuzette.

La Creuzette is a beautiful 18thC Chateau sitting in a very large walled garden on the outskirts of Boussac.  Boussac,  is a small town in the middle of rural France - in the Creuse Department,  in the Limousin.  This is a beautiful, unspoilt rural area of France - about 4 hours from Paris by car, and two hours by train.

The owners Louis and Hardy have lived there for the past 12 years.  Originally from South Africa,  Louis a very well recognised artist,  who also lectured in Art in Cape Town and Hardy was in banking.  At the time they owned a small house near Boussac which they visited during holidays.  It was when they discovered that La Creuzette had come on the market,  that they decided to sell up in South Africa and move to France.

They arrived in Boussac in the middle of winter,  to a huge 'house' which had no heating.  The Chateau had been  a summer holiday destination for the previous family and heating was never installed.  Louis in particular, suffered in those first weeks,  while Hardy who is terribly practical worked on getting the heating going.  After a tricky start,  they tackled the renovation and soon the Chateau was open for business. 

Accommodation is sumptuous!  All the bedrooms are en suite and the beds are made up with exquisite Antique French sheets.  The rooms are serviced each day and nothing is spared to ensure 5star comfort!

Residential courses are on offer at La Creuzette,  offering art, cooking, French lifestyle, and so much more.   Louis and Hardy are the most generous of hosts and upon arrival,  one is made to feel so welcome.  Tradition dictates that Louis is responsible for the first dinner at La Creuzette.  

The cheese course and Louis' signature!

Louis and Hardy have, over the years collected the most exquisite tableware - china, crystal and French antique flatware.  Louis likes to present this first meal in a very formal and lavish way and the food is absolutely delicious too!

Entry into the formal dining room - note the candles!

Louis loves decorating the dinner table and every night is a different theme and colour scheme.

Food is a very important part of the La Creuzette experience.
Hardy is a very accomplished cook and the meals are nothing short of spectacular!  I enrolled in art courses for both of my stays with them and I believe that the cooking courses are even more wonderful!  

Hardy

The food is healthy - using the freshest seasonal ingredients and served in abundance!

The art component of the La Creuzette experience is divine.

There is a wonderful studio  and everyone has their own station.  Louis adores opera and is very knowledgeable and while we sit and work on our paintings/drawings,  the music surrounds us, pealing out of the open windows.   It really is so uplifting!  

Louis in his studio

 Louis is a wonderful teacher and entertainer.  He often reduced us to helpless laughter.  He  shows enormous patience and understanding while supporting our various artistic endeavours.  

This building houses the Summer Kitchen where most of the meals are served. The studio is upstairs.

 In between cooking, eating and the art,  visits to local gardens, brocantes and villages are on the agenda.

Hardy teaching us about French cheeses

A magnificent garden nearby - Priory d' Orsan

Sunday is Brocante day!

 

There are also excursions to the nearby town of Aubusson where the "Aubusson" rugs originate from.  We were taken into the workshops where antique rugs are repaired.

The town of Aubusson

I know this has been a very long post but I honestly had to stop myself from writing more and adding more and more photos.  It is a trip of a lifetime and Louis and Hardy also offer tailor-made trips for special birthdays - from a couple of days to as long as one would like.  I believe there have been substantial decor and garden face lifts to La Creuzette of late and I cannot wait to see it all.  Happily I will be visiting Boussac in May and will most definitely pop in for a 'hello'  and a look!   Visit their website here

The move off the farm, a birthday party and a christening

THIS WEEK - THE MOVE, A BIRTHDAY PARTY AND A CHRISTENING!

Monday & Tuesday

Well,  it finally happened - the move that is - and I can put everyone, including myself out of their misery!  It all went rather well I suppose and I posted all day on Instagram as I tried to extricate myself emotionally from this wonderful place.   The move took two days and on Monday night,  our friends Judy and Ozzie had us down to their home for dinner.  Thoughtful friends at a time like this are so appreciated! 

The last drive out!

On Tuesday night, our neighbours Bob and Ruth put us up for the night once we'd seen the last of the trucks.  After an exhausting day,  it was a soft landing arriving at their home and enjoying a hot bath!  Dinner was Mr R-I's favourite - Irish Stew!  Tired, but happy we shared a lovely evening with good friends... 


      




Wednesday

Mr R-I and I drove to Sydney with our cars packed to the roof!  It happened to be the day of my birthday and a lovely surprise of beautiful flowers greeted me when we arrived back in Sydney.   I really had to muster up all of my energy to meet the family at Bistro Moncur in Woollahra for dinner! Most of us ordered a firm favourite there - Sirloin with Cafe d'Paris sauce.  

These beautiful flowers were waiting for me in Sydney - sent by a very good friend in the UK.  

                     

Thursday

My daughter Claire moved house and we went over in the afternoon to help her!!... 

This says it all!

Saturday

Kitty's 2nd birthday party was a going to be in a park, but unfortunately, due to torrential rains,  we moved it to the local scout hall!  

Kitty in awe of her RaRa cake!

Sunday

Last, but not least, was Arabella's christening.  The weather was a dramatic improvement from yesterday,  and Arabella was as good as gold during the service.  The same cannot be said for the other little two year olds!!  Running races around the church was the best fun!

Very comfy in David West's arms!

Baby Arabella and her Mum

 This was an eventful week - exhausting and emotional on many fronts.  I look forward to a more peaceful time next week!

A get-away and progress on the new build

PROGRESS!

Taken early one morning with the first rays of the sun just catching the petals of the lilly.

Since the last posting, I've had a wee break up at the Gold Coast.  It turned out to be just what we needed.  My oldest daughter who has two little girls under the age of two and my youngest daughter who recently sat the Gamsat Examinations (to qualify for Med. post grad) were my companions.  Our destination was the Cabarita Ocean Retreat  We landed at Coolangatta airport where a driver met us and drove us to the retreat -  just 20 mins away.  The complex is literally meters from the ocean and there is the most beautiful beach.  We enjoyed three days of gluten free, sugar free eating but never felt hungry.   

Our welcome lunch

The food was delicious and we have come away inspired and are cooking all sorts of new meals, using new ingredients.  

Quinoa, lots of raw veg and my current favourite - hemp seeds - cooked this week!

Early wake-up calls had us down on the beach, breathing beautiful seaside air while doing tai chi and then walking briskly.

  

Dawn

There is a tremendous amount of physical activity  each morning and the afternoons are set aside for spa treatments.  My girls who are both fit,  found it all quite challenging.  Needless to say,  I did not join them for everything!!

our first stroll to the beach after our arrival

Back on the farm again things have been moving apace.  We had our first official site meeting in Bowral.   We received some bad news.   The soil base had been compromised by the demolition.  The engineer insisted that 163 holes would need to be drilled and  concreted which would result in a solid base upon which the house will be built.  This has incurred extra costs which we had not bargained for unfortunately - not the best way to begin a project.

Mr R-I talking to Richard the foreman

Steven - our driller who seemed very happy to have his photo taken!!!

The "boardroom" where we have our site meetings!

On the home front.  I move in two days.  The  farmhouse looks like a bazaar .... piles of stuff all over the place as I try to make sense of it all.  The washing machine has been going non-stop as I  want  all of the linen/towels etc.,   fresh and clean before going into storage.

In between all of this,  I am still making decisions regarding the new house.  At the site meeting on Tuesday,  decisions   regarding final choice of bathroom fittings had to be made .... eeeeek.... as I get older I seem to be more and more indecisive.  I have struggled endlessly with a final decision regarding the flooring through the house.  Entry - wooden floors.  Kitchen/breakfast - tiles or wood .... Gallery which is a wide passage connecting one side of the house to the other .... tiles.  On the one hand,  I rather love the black & white tile look in a kitchen but not in the breakfast/TV room area - where I would prefer wooden floors.  These two areas flow into each other so there would be a join.  Anyway... I wont bore you with these endless choices,  but suffice to say that I am boring everyone else within my orbit!!  I am also rather obsessed with fabrics and my current fave is William Morris ... don't ask me why ... I think his designs are wonderful.

So.. tonight is my second last night on this wonderful farm.  I am about to make scrambled eggs for supper -   
Tomorrow the packers arrive.

I'm not sure when next I'll be posting.  I have to figure out a way of changing over to the new blog!! - any suggestions will be most welcome! 

THE LIME WALK
thelimewalk.blogspot.com

Patience, visiting Sydney and HAPPY EASTER

Patience, visiting Sydney and 

HAPPY EASTER!

Taken very early in the morning

I have had to exercise enormous patience waiting for the demolition of the old house to be completed.  A drive-by every two days has not managed to hurry things up at all!.  As a consequence,  we have visited Sydney quite a bit in the past two weeks.   Last week,  a friend and I went to see War Horse - the theatre production.  We were spellbound throughout the performance,  after which there was a standing ovation.  Hand fulls of tissues were essential as the magnificent puppetry conveyed the emotions of the horses  - quite extraordinary. The war scenes depicted were incredibly real as a result of fantastic lighting, sound and puppetry.

It's a bit exciting visiting Sydney and having the chance to window shop and walk the streets,  in between a coffee or two.  I've grown to love this city, but not quite as much as the Southern Highlands!  I was given a couple of very beautiful scarves for my 60th birthday last year and I wore one of them last week - something I never seem to do on the farm!

Bunny and Penny were extremely naughty in Sydney.  While we were out one day,  Penny (and perhaps Bunny) spent considerable time trying to get a tennis ball out from beneath the sofa.  The evidence in the photo below might explain why I was extremely cross with both of them.  They hate Sydney,  and I am really worried about the coming months we will be spending there while our new house is being built.  They both fall into a decline and mope about as if their lives are about to end!!!

They really are much happier on the farm... This era of their little lives is sadly soon to end ....

I did a little tidying up of the garden in Sydney,  and also enjoyed a visit from Miss Kitty one afternoon!

Sydney courtyard garden

Miss Kitty in her ballet outfit!!

We have also had a couple of "last supper's"

 here on South Acres Farm which have been fun - perhaps bitter/sweet...I have since been emptying out drawers, clearing out cupboards, throwing out and making piles and piles of stuff to be packed when the move happens on 15 April.

The Autumn garden has been lovely  - we have had unusually hot, dry weather which promises good autumn colour as the month of April progresses.

Taken this morning - mist in the distance, with early rays just catching the petals of the Naked Lady

The wind-flowers are always so welcome in the Autumn and make a glorious sight!

The Cimicifuga are flowering now - their feathery tales swaying in the breeze!
Flower arranging in Autumn is always a pleasure as arrangements seem to last much longer.  The Hydrangeas go on for days and days!

We are spending Easter in Mollymook which I am looking forward to enormously.  Long walks on the beach,  healthy eating and fun with the family... what more could anyone wish for...

Wishing everyone a very happy Easter!