Patricia Sands

Author

Love In Provence

Sweet or savory … or both? And a happy Groundhog day!

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Now that we’ve finished celebrating January in France by eating les galettes des rois, the kings’ cake, it’s time to sweep away those crumbs and haul out the crêpes pan!

French-Candlemas-La-Chandeleur-Crêpe-Day
February 2nd, is La Chandeleur, Fête des Lumières, Jour des Crêpes. You might know it as Candlemas.

Churches will celebrate the tradition of the lighting of candles.

Then it will be all about … what else, this IS France … food!

Crêpes and cidre. Unlike our apple cider, this drink has a touch of alcohol.

The day is often accompanied by fortune telling and in many kitchens, crêpes are flipped in the air with the pan in one hand and a coin in the other. If the crêpe lands back in the pan, the year will be a prosperous one. Children hold their breath in anticipation!

Similar to our North American Groundhog Day, there’s a prediction about winter at this time of year. “Rosée à la Chandeleur, hiver à sa dernière heure.” If there is dew at dawn, winter will soon be over.

As the French do so well, the day is a fun-filled, family time. If you’re tempted to celebrate your own Jour des Crêpes, they are delicious and light and easy to make. Click right here for a recipe.


There are crêpe stands or crêperies everywhere in France and today, as well as through the weekend, there will be few people not enjoying this simple and delicious food with a filling of choice ~ sweet or savoury. Crêpes have a history that goes back to Biblical times and in France, Britanny is said to have established the true crêpe recipe.

Get in line right here! Bon appétit!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Gypy4R2hj00%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Have you ever made crêpes? Which do you prefer, the French crêpe or it’s slightly heavier English cousin, the pancake? Are you a fan of sweet or savoury?

Here’s what The Good Life France has to say about French traditions on February 2nd.

And here’s a chuckle in honour of Groundhog Day. I hope your groundhog’s prediction was what you wanted to hear … but as Phyllis says below …

Happy February everyone ~ stay warm, safe and read some great stories!

Thanksgiving giveaway

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Happy Thanksgiving to all celebrating in the USA! 

Even though we have already celebrated Thanksgiving in Canada, my philosophy is that every day is one of thanksgiving, a gift, and an opportunity to feel grateful for so many things … as well as a chance to do something for others, no matter how big or small the gesture.

Pop on over to my Facebook Author page and join in this giveaway. Leave a comment there about your Thanksgiving thought and have your name entered for a random draw for one signed copy of whatever your choice from the Love in Provence series. Click right here.

Bonne chance! Good luck!

And while I’m here, my husband just forwarded this story to me and I hope you will share it with others. What a wonderful story to celebrate! There is goodness in this world. Click right here to see what happens to a man who was giving free haircuts to homeless people. 

It will make your day, as it did mine!

 

 

Reading suggestions for our 2017 France tour

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

 

 

Our 2017 women’s tour of Provence is just weeks away! I know the time will fly by and can’t wait to greet the sixteen women when they arrive in Nice on June 6. Our beautiful Hotel Beau Rivage, is just out of this photo to the left. The vieille ville (old town) and colourful daily market are located there as well, footsteps away. So this will be our ‘neighbourhood’ for six days before we move on to Avignon for another six days of exploring the countryside of pastoral Provence. Lavender will be in bloom!

One of the great features of this tour is that we only move once. From our base hotels, we have wonderful day trips with well-trained guides and bus drivers. My friend, author Susan Sommers, and I are along to ensure that everyone is happy and organized every day. We have the best time!

I recently sent some reading suggestions to the group in advance of their arrival in France and I thought I would share the books with you too. You may well be familiar with the titles as they are favourites of mine that I frequently recommend. Enjoy!

 

Click here for Kristi’s book.

Click here for Ted’s book.

Click here for Anne-Marie’s book.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you love the south of France like I do, you would enjoy reading all of these books too.

Of course, #PeterMayle is the writer who began it all … back in 1991! Click here for A Year In Provence.

Whether you are preparing to visit France or not, you will find hours of reading pleasure in these books!

 

 

Of course we’ll be visiting many of the beautiful locations written about in the Love in Provence series. Most of the women on our tours have read the stories of Katherine’s adventure in France and it’s great fun to experience their enthusiasm as we visit the special places they have discovered in the books. Antibes is a highlight!

 

 

Where have you taken vacations in books? And did you actually visit those places at another time? 

 

 

 

Joyeuses Pâques~Happy Easter~Chag Sameach~Passover Wishes ~ et bon weekend to all???

Last day to enter!

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As you all know, I’m a huge fan of The Good Life France website and emagazine that are the extraordinary creations of Janine Marsh. Here’s a post from my blog when Janine visited a while ago.

Honestly … she is living my dream! And she makes dreams a reality for tens of thousands of subscribers with the fabulous photography, articles and information published on her sites. If you have never checked before, do it now. You won’t be disappointed.

It’s a pleasure to write articles for TGLF from time to time and it’s been very exciting to have this giveaway in the winter emagazine! The deadline to enter for this prize is tonight! This is a different giveaway than the one that was here on my blog, so it means you have another crack at it! If you haven’t entered, now is your chance.

Good luck! Bonne chance!

Click right here for the giveaway link …

Win Three Great Books by Patricia Sands – The Good Life France
Win signed copies of all three of Patricia Sands’ best-selling Love in Provence Series books. Provence, romance and starting over… It all starts on the eve of her…
THEGOODLIFEFRANCE.COM