Our House is Certainly Not in Paris
Page 23
And then there is more fascinating news.
I put off answering you again because I was waiting for your maçon (whom I’d phoned) to come and collect your keys; this being done, I am now free to write... and thank you for your cheque which arrived yesterday – your mûrier-platanes have now lost all their leaves and stand tall on your grounds covered with white frost!
Concerning Arnal’s replacement, the Rodez grocer (in the shed not far from us), objects to a general store being added as unwanted competition. However, the citizens of Cuzance will certainly do something to offset Baladou’s own projects. By the way, concerning projects, when walking Henriette, I saw that the work on Maison de la Truffe is quite advanced and no doubt it will be finished when you arrive next year!
So across the miles, there is not only news of progress with the maçon collecting the keys to install my longed-for bathroom window, but news too of our newly planted trees. I thought too it was wonderful that when Jean-Claude emailed me previously that news of the maçon’s visit in his absence had reached him via the close watch on all comings and goings in our village. Now, there is something else to follow up on that I am intrigued by, for I am not quite sure what the Maison de la Truffe is though I think it is the très cher truffle restaurant on the outskirts of Cuzance that we have not been to. In such a small village, there certainly always seems to be a lot going on. As for the nearby village of Baladou, what mysterious events are afoot there? More investigation on my part is required. I shall probe Jean-Claude when next we are in touch.
Thank goodness too for the new addition to their family of Henriette. Her numerous walks means that Jean-Claude is out and about even more frequently, with his sleuthing cap on, ready to investigate all new developments – and by default, convey it all to me on the other side of the world as it unfolds, piece by piece. It seems to me at times like my own personal viewing platform, perched on the other side of the world, and yet, through Jean-Claude’s eyes, I never feel too far away. The daily intrigue and drama of village life could never be imagined. Who truly knew so much could ever possibly happen? The inhabitants may all verge on the side of very old and yet, they never seem to simply watch from the sidelines. well, perhaps a twitching lace curtain or two at times, to fuel the otherwise slow pace of life in a petite village.
77
Email Friendships from Afar
Across the oceans and the seasons, emails keep our friendships alive from afar. They bring joyous news; they bring fascinating news. In early December we hear from Françoise that their daughter Bénédicte is going to have a baby. This has long been Françoise’s dream, especially as Bénédicte has returned to Lyon to live with Maxim and it is where Jean-Claude and Françoise spend the long winter months. More splendidly for us, is that the baby is due when we arrive in Lyon to stay with them. It will be the first French baby I have ever known!
In his inimitable fashion, despite the fact that it is the eve of Noël, when the family gathers in Lyon from Berlin and Paris for Christmas, Jean-Claude has embarked on the ambitious project of installing a rouge cuisine in their Lyon apartment. In transcontinental links, as their news flows in, so too the weekend paper has an article featuring Lyon. I plan where I will shop and eat and the sights we will see when we stay with them the following summer. To my amazement, the very street they live on is mentioned as a feature of Lyon – rue Victor Hugo. The very name has an altogether marvellous ring to it. Shortly after reading about the delights of Lyon, I hear again from Françoise to let me know that a vintage clothes shop has just opened on rue Victor Hugo. This is my idea of heaven. To simply saunter along the actual street where we will be staying and explore a shop brimming with vintage French clothes. And while we love Cuzance, the thought too of just slipping out in the early morning to the boulangerie on their doorstep, for petite déjeuner treats, is another source of enormous excitement. More accurately in fact, it means that Stuart will be despatched to buy the freshly-baked baguette and crisp croissants. I am sure that he will take petite Henriette to trot along by his side. If I buy him a beret, he will look like the quintessential Frenchman.
In our Australian summer, I picture the Chanel family gathered in Lyon for Noël. A Christmas further than our own than I cannot possibly conceive, when we spend the day at the beach. Once again, my imagination takes flight and the vividness of it allows me to visualise them all quite clearly. I see the snow-covered streets decorated with festive lights, the snowflakes tumbling and twirling as if on cue to add to the Christmas spirit.
I see the shops brightly decorated, the piles of fresh pine trees spilling out of them on to the icy pavement, ready to be whisked away by families eager to festoon them with decorations that are generations-old. I smell the cinnamon of freshly-baked Noël treats; I see the warmly-wrapped crowds gathered for carols. And while I simply loathe cold weather, my heart longs to be there, just once; to be in the folds of a French family for the festive season. Perhaps one day soon, when there will be a petite enfant to add to the joy of a French family Christmas, we will have a French Noël.
Just too as Christmas is round the corner, Gérard and Dominique surprise us by sending photos of Cuzance adorned in snow and decorations. They again give us a glimpse into life in our village in a season that we will never know. The Marie is lit up brightly with Noël lights and they also adorn the black wrought iron street lamps. The snow blankets the fields in a pristine quilt of fresh crispness. They have also sent us photos of our petite maison. It is not bedecked with Noël lights or decorations. It looks abandoned and sad, sitting alone in its isolated wintery landscape.
Epilogue
The turmoil of such journeys does of course recede and now, once again, the future is a bright and shining road, full of French summer adventures and Cuzance delights. The arrival of Christmas and the imminence of another new year, marks our own personal calendar, for it signifies our countdown when our other life beckons on the horizon.
No matter how many times we return in future years, Cuzance will always remain in the subset of life’s surreal experiences. Having a petite maison is not something ordinary people do. And yet, we have. It is for that reason, however frequently we fly away to France, that I will never cease to marvel at the sheer wonder of it all.
The last of the summer sunlight stains the orchard in a pink-gold tinge. The last of the season’s swallows shoot like arrows across the deepening shadows on la piscine.
The bucolic cluster of outbuildings cast off the day’s heat and settle down to slumber peacefully. I think though that they miss the days when they sheltered squealing baby piglets that snuffled in the stone troughs, the only remnants now of their long-gone presence. The air in the country has a perpetual tinge of manure, farm animals and freshly mown hay. There is a palpable smell that I associate with Cuzance like nowhere else in the world. The late evening stillness is like a light summer eiderdown, thrown gently across the tapestry of the rural landscape.
When Jean-Claude and Françoise leave Cuzance each November to return to Lyon until the following March, without his stewardship, our petite maison slumbers all alone through the long, cold, lonely winter. Now, even more so than usual, our little house lies in wait behind the heavy wooden shutters. Its warm beating heart will not fully awaken until we return each summer. Our love and laughter and that of our friends and family, fills it instantly with warmth. It is only then, its sleeping state is fully awakened once again. On our return visits each year, I feel that we are no longer just simply reaching for the stars; we’re pulling them out of the sky.
To paraphrase Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, ‘We’ll always have Cuzance.’ And so, the years will continue to unfold, and so the work will continue. Each return will bring a renewed celebration of friendship and celebration of all that we love about vive la France.
Driving on the autoroute to Brive, there is a sign to Paris. Every time I see it, it never fails to thrill me. However, what I also know, whenever I see the sign, is that Paris is 50
0 kilometres away. While I adore Paris above all other cities, it’s true – our house is not in Paris. And for that, I am glad.
Fin
Acknowledgments
• My Mumma.
• Dave, who read Our House is Not in Paris, while we were in Cuzance, to ‘be with us in spirit’.
• Ros and Kerry – colleagues, friends, my trusted first readers, très merci beaucoup.
• To Georgia, and the Hughes family, très merci beaucoup for taking care of petite Henri – and loving him.
• My ‘library children’ and their parents, both now and from the past; – thank you all so much for your interest, support and encouragement with both my books.
• To our friends and family who have already shared our petite corner of France and those who will one day stay with us in Pied de la Croix.
• To all my readers, merci beaucoup for sharing our French adventure, some of you, for the second time. Thank you ever so much for your interest in our continuing journey on the other side of the world.
• Melbourne Books – for the opportunity to publish my second memoir.
• And of course most of all, Stuey, who doesn’t just dream but makes dreams come true. (And all before turning fifty!) And of course, your superb proofread, the map and glossary. Merci encore – for simply everything.
To Stuey:
‘He said. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.’ Mark Twain
And you did. And you do. And you will.
Glossary of French words
A
abricot - apricot
amie - friend
amis - friends
amuse-bouche - bite-sized hors d’œuvre
andouillette - tasty French sausage
anniversaire - anniversary/birthday
apéritif - pre-dinner drink
appétit - as in bon appetit
armoire - wardrobe
arrêtez-vous - stop
artisan - tradesman
assiettes - plates
attention - be careful
au revoir - goodbye
auberge - inn
autoroute - motorway
Avez-vous... ? - Do you have... ?
B
baba au rhum - rum baba (tasty dessert)
baguette - French stick
bain - bath
bal - honey
beaucoup - lots of/many
beurre - butter
blanche - white
bon courage - good luck
bon/bonne - good
bonhomie - good naturedness
bonjour - hello
bonne nuit - goodnight
bonne soirée - have a good evening
bonsoir - good evening
bouche - mouth
bougie - candle/spark plug
boulangerie - bakery
boules - bowls
bourg - town
bricolage - hardware shop
brioche - brioche, sweet bun
brocante - antique shop
bureau - office or desk
C
café - coffee or cafe
campagne - the countryside
canard - duck
canicule - scorching heat
caramélisé caramelised
caravane - procession
Carrefour - a supermarket chain
carte - card/map
castine - fine gravel
cave - cellar
cèpe - tasty wild mushroom
cerise - cherry
chaise - chair
chalet - chalet
chambre d’hôte - bed and breakfast
chapeau - hat
château - castle
chaud - hot
chic - stylish
chien - dog
chocolat - chocolate
chocolatier - chocolate maker
chou - cabbage or sweetheart
citron - lemon
civilisation civilisation
clafoutis - clafouti, baked fruit dessert
coiffure - hairdresser
colon - settler
combien - How much... ?
commune - commune, district
confit - food preserved in fat
confiture - jam
connards - idiot
coucou - colloquial hello
couleur - colour
couper - to cut
couple - couple
couture - dress making
crème brûlée - custard dessert
crème glacée - ice cream
crêpe - crepe
croissant - tasty French pastry
croix - religious cross
cuisine - kitchen
D
dégustation - tasting menu
déjeuner - lunch
demi - half
département - French regional department
derrière - behind
désolé - sorry
deux - two
digestif - after dinner drink/liqueur
dîner - dinner
dinette - informal meal
droit - right
E
école - school
enchante - delighted
encore - again
encroyable - incredible
enfant - child
escargot - snail
espadrilles - rope-soled sandal
espresso - short black coffee
Etam - department store
euro - European currency
excusez-moi - excuse me
F
famille - family
farine - flour
fatigue - tired
ferme - shut/closed
fermier - farmer
fête - celebration
ficelle - string
fin - the end
fleurs - flowers
flûte - long loaf
foie gras - duck or goose liver
forge - blacksmith’s forge
fosse septique - septic tank
fraise - strawberry
frange - fringe (hair)
frites - chips
fromage - cheese
G
gâteau - cake
gauche - left
gendarme - local police
girouette - weather vane
gîte - B&B
glace - ice
grand(e) - big/large
grange - barn
gratuite - free
H
halles - covered market
herbes - weeds
hibou - owl
I
île flottante - meringue and custard dessert
Intermarché - a supermarket chain
J
j’aime - I like/I love
jambon - ham
jardin - garden
je - I
Je m’appelle... - My name is...
je t’aime - I love you
joli - pretty
jour - day
journal - newspaper
journée - day
jours - day (when counting)
jus - juice
L
l’addition - the bill at a café/restaurant
l’année - year
l’histoire - history
l’omelette - popular breakfast
la - the (feminine)
la chaud - hot
la coiffure - hairdresser
La Dépêche - Regional newspaper
la grange - barn
lapin - rabbit
le - the (masculine)
le cave - cellar
les - the (plural)
les herbes - weeds
les mouches - flies
lettre - letter
liqueur - liqueur
lycée - high school
M
macarons - macarons
maçon
- builder or stonemason
madame - Mrs
mademoiselle - Miss
magnifique - magnificent
Maire - Mayor
mairie - town hall
maison - house
maitre - ruler, master
maman - mum
maquis - French resistance
marchands - shopkeeper, stallholder
marche - walk, march
marché - market
matériaux - materials (building)
méchoui - spit roast lamb
melon - tasty French fruit
menu du jour - today’s menu
merci - thanks
merde - vulgar as exclamation
mère - mother
moi - me
monsieu - Mister
mouches - flies
mousse - mousse
musée - museum
N
noir - black
noix - walnut
non - no
nous - we
nouveau - new
nuit - night
O
objets - objects
oui - yes
outil - tool
P
pain - bread
pantalons - trousers
pastis - an alcoholic aniseed beverage
pâté - pate
pâtisserie - cake shop
pêche - peach or fishing
Périgord - an area in south-west France