13 September 2010

OF GIFTS OF FOOD AND POST BOXES

This is some of the food we received as gifts whilst we were chez nous in August.
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The big green pumpkin came from Mme André. She said it was a "courgette". The patty pan squashes came from Walt and Ken. The tomatoes were from Barrie.
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There were other gifts that I forgot to photograph. Simon and Susan left a large jar of home-made plum jam on top of our post box for us. Mme André also gave us a bag of windfall apples from the trees near the château, and some haricot verts from her brother's allotment. Except that they were not verts, they were jaunes and ready-trimmed. And very nice, too. Nicole brought a home-made cheese and tomato tart to our little cupcake party. (Did I hear her say it was made with some of Barrie's tomatoes?)
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Here's an interesting fact about post boxes. Apparently the reason why we were required to get one of the regulation post boxes when we first got the house is that the post-ladies (and gentlemen, I assume, although I have only ever seen ladies), have a master key that can open every post box. This means that larger items can be delivered even if they don't fit through the opening, so long as they are small enough to fit in the box.
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What a good idea. I received a book in our post box earlier this year and it wasn't until I had taken all the wrapping off that I wondered how it got into the box. Now I know. 

6 comments:

  1. You have wonderful friends. Interesting about the Post Box I did not know that either! Diane

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  2. We were advised we needed one of those big square mailboxes when we moved into our house seven years ago. And we now have a postman, who recenlty took over from the ladies who had delivered our mail for all the years since 2003.

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  3. Such delightful, and personal, gifts.

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  4. Jean, the 'pumpkin' definately looks like a 'Rond de Nice' that was missed for a couple of days... if your neighbour was watering her plants regularly [rather than awaiting the 'promised' rain] it is easy to get one that large. Still very good eating though... and really great stuffed with leftover rice, fresh tomato and some chopped up dried sausage or quickly fried 'chair' fron the Poupeaus just down from you.... then wrapped in foil and given an hour in a lowish oven! Bovver, now I'll have to go in search of a biscuit.

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  5. Hi Jean
    It's good to have friends.
    Our postman is a lady too. What an interesting fact about the boxes. I need to find out if our box is regulation.
    I hope you enjoyed your holiday this time round. Looking forward to hearing more about it.

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  6. Jean you said about your blackberry jam. Have you tried the special sugar for jam? It makes life so easy. I buy it all the time in France and I have seen it on the shelves in the UK. Each sugar has different cooking times so you would need to read the instructions, but the one I use in France I only cook for 5 minutes, it is amazing. Diane

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