Friday, December 21, 2018

Chocolatine or Pain au Chocolat ?


Sophie has laid claim to her new bed. She makes it quite clear to her oaf of a brother that this is her territory. After a busy morning digging up mole hills she decides there is nothing better than a quick nap in the lap of luxury.


A bright start to the day. The Rickety Old Farmhouse catches the suns rays. Angus has been up early talking to men in dark suits about Kurdistan and resignations. ( Men in dark suits may not talk much about honour but they need it to conduct business and notice if its absent or leaving ). The mayor  stops at the gate to tell us he's got his stomach diagnosis from the hospital. Seems he has kidney stones. He'd been fretting that it was something altogether more serious. He laughs and tells me he's probably the only man in France who thinks kidney stones are a great Christmas present.


We park outside the market. Some crab for lunch. The PONs get some squid. This they love as in '' this is the best thing I've ever tasted ". Angus shudders involuntarily at the thought of eating raw squid at breakfast time.

Outside a silver metal tree has appeared by the children's carousel. Bob ' dethreats ' it. He is hurried along.


We hurry along the street towards the bakers. Outside the Ladies Exotique Lingerie store two five foot high lamp posts make a seasonal debut. They have signs on them saying 'Let it Snow'. In the glass enclosure where the lantern  should be there's a small Christmas tree and snow that is blown by a small fan . The artificial snow does a pretty good job of representing  a blizzard. This year the design staff at Chengdu Christmas Decoration Factory #21 have surpassed themselves.


No croissants this morning but the girl behind the counter brings me a freshly baked chocolatine and two slices of baguette for the PONs.

Squid and baguette. How's that for a great start to the day ?


Christmas song #18 comes from Australia :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2Bx16RV0mY

7 comments:

Lisa in Tokyo said...

I've forwarded today's post to my husband. He's Japanese and will be highly amused by the idea you find raw squid inappropriate as a breakfast item. Also, in the third photo, beyond the crab I seem to see barnacles, which were among the great discovery of our summer trip to Portugal - for some reason, notwithstanding raw squid and all of that, no one in Japan eats barnacles. (I myself am a vegetarian so I focus more on your fruit and vegetable displays.)

Very glad to hear the mayor's good (?) news.

Emm said...

"Chengdu Christmas Decoration Factory #21" had me laughing out loud. Happy noises, too, for the mayor's good news. Joyeux Noel to him.
I am wondering how your men in dark suits are receiving today's multiplicity of duplicity.

Susan said...

Our mayor had kidneys stones a few years ago. Maybe it's a mayoral thing?!

Taste of France said...

Unequivocably chocolatine in these parts.
I was expecting something racy in the lanterns. Elves in undies, perhaps.

~Kim at Golden Pines~ said...

I'm thinking that I'd take the mayors kidney stones, or even eat squid for breakfast if it would change the direction the US seems to be going.

Yamini MacLean said...

Hari OM
Kidney stones are most uncomfortable, but eminently treatable. I had pain-au-choclat this morning, yes I did. Have never heard the term choclatine, but would be happy to use it. The American School of Modern Music doesn't live in Australia. Jus' sayin'... Dan Forrest very much a New Yorker. YAM xx

Angus said...

Glad you enjoyed your chocolatine ( a south/north thing ) and well done for spotting todays deliberate typo !