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When I first started my website, I titled a theme week “Biking and Cooking” because a brand-new 85Km bicycle path had just opened from Bordeaux to the heart of Entre Deux Mers. What I didn’t realize was that I had opened my door to the amazing community of motor bikes! However, it was only this past week that they arrived: a delightful American couple who’d been biking though France and Spain for 6 weeks, followed by three young English couples who’d biked over from London for the weekend on their vintage bikes.

Over pancakes and eggs for the English and a traditional French breakfast for the Americans, I heard about their biking adventures. Even though Carol and Art had to bike through Spanish sleet on their way up here, I was a little envious of their ability to pack up everything into three little bags and just take off. What freedom! Fortunately for them, this weekend was perfect for wandering the little backroads….and although I’ve often thought of bikers as fast  and crazy drivers, this week’s four couples reminded me that biking can offer quite a different story. Also, the fact that all the women looked very chic in their helmets and biking outfits reminded me that we often have a lot of preconceptions – and misconceptions — about “les motards” ! 

When I met Janine yesterday at her antique store to pick up a beautifully monogramed sheet to mail off to one of my american guests …with her initals… Janine showed me the other linens she’d found for this summer’s guests. She suggested that  if you can let me know in advance what monogram you’re looking for she will put aside the linens (sheets, table cloths and napkins as well as dish and bath towels) with your intials or, if you don’t plan to come to La Forge this summer, you can buy them though my web site. Cick on my “BROCANTE” page then ” antique French linens”  and you’ll see her latest finds this time monogramed with an M…as you can see, this one is gorgeous !!

There’s a second sheet that is just as lovely with the intials MD.

It didn’t freeze last night so the tulips, fruit blossoms and clementis are as wonderful as ever…and the Viburnum’s heavy fragrance is as overpowering as always and reminds me of our garden in Indiana…but never the less the temperature this morning made it hot chocolate time again ! My son gave me a milk frother and though I don’t drink coffee it makes the perfect way to top off my hot chocolate. When Bruno commented that our guests must enjoy that and I realised that it’s rare that guests ask for hot chocolate. Now that we’ve had several dégustations of chocolate with Serge Michaud, owner and chocolatier of one of the two oldest chocolate shops in Bordeaux: Cadiot Badie, I’ve been enjoyed my hot chocolate even more.

The “Coq en Pâte” in the photo has nothing to do with chocolate but I picked it up at a little store in Créon that I’ll point you to when you’re at La Forge…and I enjoy it on my breakfast table as a hotplate.

Now I’m off to visit my antique linen expert, Janine, and see her stand at a new collective antique shop on the road to St Foy la Grande. She wants to show me the linens she has set aside for my guests…

Our mild winter seemed to carry on forever until suddenly all my fruit trees seemed to blossom all at once …we’re going to have lots of cherries, plums, pears and apples !

Even my new grandson waited to arrive on that first day of blooms…we all said he was waiting for the sun and blue sky before leaving his mother’s snug little home.

Guests and reservations have started to arrive as well…and we’re looking forward to yours.

During the months of April and May we have many French guests as school vacation starts next week and then a series of the famous “long May weekends” were everyone heads to the countryside.  That’s when coming to  a family home like La Forge, with only a small number of guests even on busy weekends, you feel as though “spring has sprung” just for you and it’s another perfect way to meet the French: over a hot croissant at breakfast !