Patricia Sands

Author

Deborah Bine

Does the word “truffle” mean chocolate to you?

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Find out the real story about truffles and enjoy a short but sweet video from Deborah Bine/Barefoot Blogger. As well as being great friends, Deborah and I co-lead a women’s tour in the south of France in September. When she’s not visiting friends and family (especially adorable grandchildren) in the States, Deborah lives in the heart-stoppingly (I’m sure that’s a word in France!) charming vieille ville of Uzès.

Read on!

Much Ado About French Truffles in Uzès
BY BAREFOOT BLOGGER ON JANUARY 10, 2019
Uzès is famous for French truffles. Black ones. Pigs and dogs sniff them out from beneath the roots of trees.
Before I moved to France I knew very little about truffles. This naive southern belle thought truffles only came in a fancy gold box from Godiva. My favorite truffle was a divine, creamy dark chocolate.

To read the rest of this post about “black gold” in France and see the video, click right here!

Bon weekend! Relax, stay warm and enjoy a good read!

Warmest wishes for the new year ~

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Greetings one and all! Are you in post-holiday relax mode? Or are you in high gear to get this new year started?

WordPress has set me back a peg or two while I learn to navigate the changes they have decided we need to create our blog pages. So this message will be a short one. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it works!

I hope your Christmas was merry and bright! May 2019 bring you and yours the best of health, happiness and an abundance of fine books to read.

Let’s also continue with our never-ending wish for peace on earth, goodwill to all. We live in hope!

I’m going to take some time this week to figure out these layout changes. With a 6:30 a.m. flight to Florida tomorrow, I’ll have a few hours to play around with the different options … unless there are some good inflight movies. Just kidding! I want to understand what I need to know here, so it doesn’t take me twice as long as it should to create a post.

Thanks goodness, Barb Drozdowich has put together a YouTube video going step by step through the changes for people like me!

You know how it is when you have all kinds of plans and not enough time? I was definitely in that category for the past few months! The most important thing to me then was to get all the daily posts up for our amazing South of France Memories Tour. That took me longer than it should have, but I did it! Did you take some time and enjoy the tour here? If you didn’t, I hope you will scroll back through the posts and see the fabulous experiences Deborah Bine (aka Barefoot Blogger) and I had with the sensational sixteen women on this tour.

As a result my blog did not get much attention after that, while I was finishing editing and then publishing The First Noël at the Villa des Violettes.

But it’s a new year, with a new approach here. I’ve got some fabulous guests lined up to visit with us. So let’s plan some great adventures together! Who knows where the path will lead?

On Amazon, B & N, Kobo, iBooks and wherever fine books are sold.h

Memories tour/18 ~ day 12

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And what a day this was! Have you dreamed of a mas in the south of France like this? Everyone in our merry band of travellers agreed they had.  This was a dream come true  … Mas de Valériole … on the edge of the Camargue. Established in 1456. Yes. The owner then was a doctor in Arles. Please click on this link to see a wonderful portrait of the three generations of the Michel family now in charge of this organic vineyard and rice farm. Read the history here.

Here’s how our memorable day played out. We were welcomed graciously by Madame Michel and then learned about the grapes grown here. A wine tasting followed. After that we were invited into the vineyard to learn how the grapes are harvested. The photos tell the story.

There’s a grape stomper in every group …

Quality control …

But that wasn’t all … next came a lovely buffet lunch in the shade of the magnificent centuries old trees …

And how could I ask for a better promotion shot for Drawing Lessons than this amazing collection of awesomeness? I’m grateful to each one of these ladies and the wonderful bond of friendship they generated during our days together.

No afternoon in France is complete without a game of pétanque.

But the day wasn’t over yet.

Nancy McGee had a surprise planned for our last evening that I didn’t even know about. Dinner in the courtyard garden at the 18th century Hotêl Particulier in Arles. Again the photos tell the story.

 

Is it any wonder no one wants to go home?

Deborah, you were in our thoughts all day and evening. We know you are recovering, but you have been missed.

p.s. Does anyone have a shot or two of the birthday “cakes and candles”?

Remember to visit Deborah’s Barefoot Blogger website for information on all of the places we have visited during our tour. When she isn’t in the hospital, that lady gets around!

Memories tour/18 – Day 11, part 2

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After our visit to breathtaking Pont du Gard and charming Saint-Quentin-la-Potèrie, our intrepid travellers continued a short distance down the road to the town of Uzès.

The elegant medieval heart of the town entices with narrow winding streets lined with 17th and 18th century private mansions, many now converted to apartments for a large ex-pat community. The castle of the Duke of Uzès, is occupied by the family of the current Duke whose family has undertaken an amazing restoration. The is the oldest Ducal peerage in France and its history is fascinating and well documented. Read about the history and castle here as well as visiting hours. 

Every one of us wished Deborah was with us here and she never was far from our thoughts. Here’s how our day unfolded without her.

Everyone was captivated by the soothing fountain in the main square. Enjoy a zen moment here yourself.

For a lot more great information about life in Uzès, pop on over to Deborah’s Barefoot Blogger website.

Now that American Thanksgiving is over, it’s inevitable that thoughts will turn to the December holidays. My new release, The First Noël at the Villa des Violettes is waiting to help you get in the mood … and only $2.99! Click right here and enjoy!

Paperback will be available in December ~ I’ll keep you posted. 🙂