As one does when living in the countryside
July 22, 2023
When two giants occupy a tiny cottage with eye-catching pink shutters, surrounded by vivacious founts of enchantment, there’s bound to be some enthralling stories behind.
On this digital reflection of our French lives I write about the bewildered wonders that befell us when we chose to embrace a less demanding yet more challenging lifestyle, mainly by downsizing and keeping our choices and their ensued options as rudimentary as possible, swapping various rat-races for an everyday poetry that harks back to our past as much as to an optimistic future.
Were I to be a tree this is where my roots would be
When two giants occupy a tiny cottage with eye-catching pink shutters, surrounded by vivacious founts of enchantment, there’s bound to be some enthralling stories behind.
Gardens
A more urgent than usual gaze on food
July 6, 2023
When we first met (in the local garden centre)
April 24, 2023
Powerful And Motivating Aspects Of My Work Ethic
April 19, 2023
An isolated, stubby, stunted perspective on what’s out there waiting
December 1, 2022
A world dominated by magic and unenforceable growth
November 26, 2022
A light longing to detain its virtuousness
October 22, 2022
All that is part of my aesthetic being
October 2, 2022
Sowing the seeds of love
September 28, 2022
To guide into the now what has been long gone
September 26, 2022
I love even more that all is provided
September 25, 2022
To beautify its pale features
September 18, 2022
Two large trees in the backyard
September 17, 2022
The qualities I love and lack
September 15, 2022
At Les Pierres Beauty Will Never Take A Backseat
August 31, 2022
Their discreet expressions of love
August 17, 2022
Food hungry hearts
August 11, 2022
When food is that beautiful and blooms burst with taste
August 8, 2022
Where I need to be to feel at ease
July 11, 2022
Animatedly envisioned, my heart bleeds
June 22, 2022
More adept creators and their zeal
June 11, 2022
Recrudescence of first harvest abundances
June 8, 2022
To Surprise Unforeseen Guests With
June 7, 2022
Our peonies are doing a far better job
May 22, 2022
The marking of a new era
May 21, 2022
Enthusiastically engaged in an ongoing skirmish
May 20, 2022
The same radiant lust for life
March 31, 2022
This blossom of all things beautiful, peaches promised
March 24, 2022
A colorful calmness that speaks wordless
March 21, 2022
Antithesis of disappearing: here we are
January 10, 2022
Her Journey Into The Unrelenting Fog
November 21, 2021
A Strong Association With Bohemian Culture
November 13, 2021
Endowing wings to life, all life encountered
November 11, 2021
Accustomed To The Salience Of Overthrow
October 31, 2021
An epitome of value gained
October 26, 2021
The Expected Triumphant Reference To These Cheerful Days
October 21, 2021
Rainbows To Lead Us To The Real Gold
October 17, 2021
An uninterrupted trust in the bigger forces at work
October 15, 2021
The Ultimate Celebration Of Our Home As An Artwork
October 10, 2021
Self-restrained, simple, frugal and austere
October 5, 2021
Unveiling their secrets to us so eloquently enchanted
October 2, 2021
It truly pays to not look back in anger
September 22, 2021
Properly behold our beautiful backdrop
September 16, 2021
What needs to be on display
September 6, 2021
Old land like this breathes insurmountable magic
September 2, 2021
Balancing The Bad With The Good And The Gargantuan
August 31, 2021
The Tree I Were To Be, Roots Extending
August 13, 2021
Its Lyrical Chronicler Is Still My Preferred Choice
August 4, 2021
Never let that dirty game of dreaming fully recapture me
July 27, 2021
This Blissful Nescience I Need To Cherish
July 19, 2021
A powerful addition to this emerging euphoria
June 29, 2021
Gaining this immeasurable wealth of freedom
June 20, 2021
Inspiration Nor Motivation Fail To Find Me
May 29, 2021
Manically Maneuvering A Rich Inner World
May 23, 2021
It lavishly lifts my spirit
May 16, 2021
The Ironic Connectedness Of Good And Bad
May 10, 2021
More Private Solution To Our Own Taste And Liking
April 28, 2021
Like the glove into which evil slips its haggish hand
April 21, 2021
Last year’s attempt to do better
April 17, 2021
To try and keep Spring out is doomed to fail
April 10, 2021
Bearing witness to the bloody miracle
March 31, 2021
It’s more likely going to be a very slow dismantling
March 27, 2021
This vibrant enticement is more than welcome
March 22, 2021
Outspokenness rules, in all the colors of its rainbows
March 20, 2021
A Sense Of Time Gone By Alongside Their Glimmer
March 18, 2021
Unconditional surrender to their surroundings
March 16, 2021
One Of The Biggest Leaps Into The Unknown, Yet Familiar
March 13, 2021
I know this is the language of fools speaking
March 11, 2021
There’s always something beguiling to build on
March 5, 2021
Ignorant to what happens in the outer world
March 1, 2021
The ultimate statement of reassurance and resurrection
February 28, 2021
When pink symbolizes the abundance it does right now
February 24, 2021
Cultivated to the max at the same time
February 21, 2021
All is going to be beautiful again at Les Pierres
February 20, 2021
This too big of a longing for nature’s budding way
February 18, 2021
A Profound Magic In Every Seasonal Transition
February 16, 2021
My personal connection to the abundant beauty lurking here
February 14, 2021
More than generously exposed to the elements
February 12, 2021
Melancholia Imposing itself as the new kid on the block
February 3, 2021
What a lovely new option this perambulate was
January 31, 2021
Hope and new encouragement
January 29, 2021
One of the most beautiful spots in our p’tit domaine
January 28, 2021
Obligatory Outburst Of Energy And Joy
January 27, 2021
The blanc canvas required for a new summer of delights
January 23, 2021
How much better off we are now
January 18, 2021
Whether It Was For Mockery Or Reward
January 17, 2021
Still pretending to be a Renaissance man
January 16, 2021
The Universe is trying to tell us something
January 13, 2021
The Start Of A Carefree Life
January 11, 2021
Numerating the most urgent construction work
January 9, 2021
They have internalized into new habits
January 6, 2021
A rich breeding ground for present and future life
January 5, 2021
A Return To Russia Seems Out Of The Question
January 4, 2021
Enabling the magic to reach beyond our p’tit domaine
December 29, 2020
Magic is what you create by and for yourself
December 24, 2020
Paroxysmally preaching to the already converted
December 23, 2020
For its beauty to behold and bequeath
December 22, 2020
Homage to a lust for life
December 20, 2020
The irrelevance of these splurges of my old pain
December 19, 2020
If only we lived in the perfect world
December 18, 2020
An Intrinsic Inducement To Be Roughly Ridiculed
December 15, 2020
New pathways to explore and enchantments to devour
December 14, 2020
There’s just too much to behold in life
December 13, 2020
A house build on true love
December 12, 2020
Honor Its Medicinal Values By Naming It Toute Saine
December 11, 2020
The Newest Member Of The Family
December 10, 2020
One has to be in awe of their unbreakable chirpiness
December 8, 2020
Must have endorsement of the old stones
December 7, 2020
Triggered by the colorful spectacle of these poisonous beauties
December 6, 2020
Daily Reality, With Or Without Its Magic
December 4, 2020
There’s some relief coming to the bigger world
November 30, 2020
A brave new world has been on my mind
November 28, 2020
Our new lives would be sculpted out of dreams and fantasies
November 26, 2020
Intuitively knowing it’s better to try despite all inevitability
November 25, 2020
It’s never blunting but contrast that comforts me unrivaled
November 23, 2020
Get accustomed to this stripped down life
November 22, 2020
It has lost none of its beauty or intensity
November 20, 2020
Heart for the beauty and magic that surrounds us
November 19, 2020
Benevolent neutrality keeps me safe in the middle
November 17, 2020
One of the dumbest and most dangerous frivolities imaginable
November 14, 2020
A value never to be underestimated
November 12, 2020
First impression of the gents and giants of Les Pierres
November 11, 2020
I welcome this new and already mutual obsession
November 9, 2020
There’s no other way to secure his stability of character
November 7, 2020
Instinctively Committing To The Foreverness Of The Purchase
November 5, 2020
Maybe because this snob just isn’t wired that way
November 3, 2020
All of this is wonderful news to me
November 2, 2020
No One Could Have Missed This Capital Letter Pink
November 1, 2020
Logistically Inconvenient But Proven Effective
October 30, 2020
This new fabric we can share, regardless of the distance
October 28, 2020
My formal position in the whole head versus heart debate
October 27, 2020
If money can buy you similar or superior
October 26, 2020
What in this wonderful world to write about
October 25, 2020
Always applauding the efforts of the only one capable
October 24, 2020
In the eyes, heart and mind of a romantic fanatic
October 23, 2020
It dawned on me to better start laughing generously
October 22, 2020
I treasure the beneficent luxury of having my mother close
October 21, 2020
True evil can be seductively beautiful
October 19, 2020
A mighty beautiful savior that is
October 18, 2020
Ruptured, not unexpected, but entirely badly timed
October 17, 2020
Guiding Today’s Research Into Its Idiom
October 15, 2020
One of the ludicrous fabrications of our time
October 14, 2020
Being the symbol of truth and justice
October 13, 2020
Colorful Natural Details That Had Me Absorbed All Summer
October 12, 2020
An always indisputable truth before but befalling more imperative
October 11, 2020
I’m not exactly grateful for the time wasted
October 8, 2020
As an answer just now starting to bloom
October 7, 2020
The exposed wealth also entails an intrinsic encouragement
October 6, 2020
Up until now all tolerable to an extend
October 5, 2020
The Prospect Of Its Cognated Gin Around Christmas Secured
October 4, 2020
Now would be the exact time of year harvest would start
October 3, 2020
The World Premiere Of A Gay Marriage Equal Under Law
October 2, 2020
The game changer it finally turned out to be
October 1, 2020
It is remarkable how little effort nature needs
September 30, 2020
Linking work ethics and effort to its monetary value
September 29, 2020
Bringing forth a gentle duress to focus on the details
September 28, 2020
Being ignored truly is the worst punishment imaginable
September 27, 2020
To Find Out Secrets That Nature Kept
September 26, 2020
Which in essence turned out to be true
September 25, 2020
How To Get Drunk Twice In A Day
September 23, 2020
A Widespread But Easy To Refute Myth
September 21, 2020
The devising of new bewildering wonders in seclusion
September 20, 2020
Previously proven effective way to avoid all fuss
September 19, 2020
An exercise in how to comfortably get away with murder
September 18, 2020
The Most Outrageous Illustration Of This Hubris
September 17, 2020
Having a disciplined focus on our creative work
September 16, 2020
It Really Wasn’t All Just Blissful Ignorance
September 15, 2020
Now that I find myself in search of lost time
September 13, 2020
We are guaranteed not to starve
September 12, 2020
The stuff that will potentially bring out nightmares
September 11, 2020
In a house with little privacy and only shared rooms
September 10, 2020
The spectacular move from quantity to quality
September 9, 2020
To go on with this quest for love
September 8, 2020
It’s all reassuring me this is where I should be
September 7, 2020
Some of the many intertwined themes that create its story
September 6, 2020
Faking a faint every now and then
September 5, 2020
Never to be talked about again
September 4, 2020
An Important Secret Communication System
September 3, 2020
Stunningly similar to the world of humans
September 2, 2020
I’m inclined to pray to whatever’s out there
September 1, 2020
This new dogless world of ours
August 31, 2020
We Prove To Be More Convincingly Prone Towards Corny Wisdom
August 30, 2020
In a world that has completely gone mad
August 29, 2020
All kinds of new creative avenues are opening up
August 27, 2020
An unexpected but by all means pleasing surprise
August 26, 2020
Meeting someone taller for the first time
August 24, 2020
On a foray for an easy way out of confinement
August 22, 2020
Becoming even more tragic in the aftermath
August 21, 2020
This is the miracle of plant miracles
August 19, 2020
This deviant love that makes me biased
August 16, 2020
In awe with the complexity of keeping things simple
August 15, 2020
Maybe It’s Just Because They Are Peppy Pink
August 14, 2020
It became famous for its bouncebackability
August 13, 2020
Knowing How To Construct Drama
August 12, 2020
If asked we would probably both classify it as beautiful
August 11, 2020
Hidden In Lightheartedness To Perfectly Mimic The Chitchat
August 10, 2020
Now is the time the fear kicks in
August 9, 2020
When something is meant to be, it inevitably will be
August 8, 2020
Impressing his diner guests with new plant foods
August 6, 2020
Magic is the mortar
August 5, 2020
Secure a smooth integration into our new surroundings
August 3, 2020
Safe-keeping The Magic Beans Somewhere
August 2, 2020
Getting the balance right seems more important than ever
August 1, 2020
Put in the time it takes to perfect their striving
July 31, 2020
Create Something Beautiful Out Of Anything
July 30, 2020
Our love for pink and purple
July 28, 2020
On one’s hasty way to the alluring South
July 27, 2020
It doesn’t necessarily come down to last minute planning
July 26, 2020
There Is Something Compelling In The Question Itself
July 24, 2020
Stress is such a violent uncontrollable killer
July 23, 2020
My new friends and their constant need for maintenance
July 22, 2020
All my love goes into the creation process
July 21, 2020
A pointless message probably, but beautiful nevertheless
July 20, 2020
Part Of The Compass With Which I Sailed Through Life
July 19, 2020
People who need to be on the same page
July 15, 2020
Because of its attractive appearance
July 14, 2020
Putting a spectacular spotlight on that single moment
July 13, 2020
Something Is Magnifying These Insects Unnaturally
July 11, 2020
Living a fairytale life in a fairytale house
July 10, 2020
One of the first seeds going into the ground
July 7, 2020
A Strong Yearning To Reconnect With Her Chronicle
July 5, 2020
Being A Firm Believer In The Power Of Fermentation
July 4, 2020
Love them most for their bright and cheerful colors
July 3, 2020
Practical matters have come to dominate our thoughts
July 2, 2020
Explore Alternative Choices For The Great Wide Open
July 1, 2020
Personal desire to focus on the good
June 30, 2020
Strong Is Good These Days
June 28, 2020
Getting Rid Of The Disease
June 26, 2020
We grabbed on to everything that new life had to offer
June 25, 2020
Feast Day Of Saint Us
June 24, 2020
This beautiful catchphrase that spoke to me
June 23, 2020
Picking them green now that they are still in abundance
June 21, 2020
Life Turned Pink. Pink Is Beautiful.
June 20, 2020
An important role in our sustenance
June 17, 2020
It’s no surprise that the harvest sizes accordingly
June 15, 2020
We’re hoping that will change
June 11, 2020
Eternal hunting grounds can never be that far away
June 10, 2020
It’s been a wonderful experience all along
June 9, 2020
Equally beautiful with striking white flowers
June 8, 2020
Protect the heart and keep one happy
June 3, 2020
There’s so much beauty in the world
May 31, 2020
Last year when it was still tiny
May 29, 2020
To dry out in the fields under a warming sun
May 28, 2020
Doesn’t get noticed the rest of the year
May 27, 2020
Slightly sweet, tangy, earthy & salty
May 24, 2020
Snow Queen: it makes a lovely, soothing tea too
May 23, 2020
Temporary new neighbors moved in
May 20, 2020
First year of Artichoke abundance
May 19, 2020
Quiet and pristine in the veggie garden
May 17, 2020
In awe of Sunset’s golden touch
May 23, 2019
On this digital reflection of our French lives I write about the bewildered wonders that befell us when we chose to embrace a less demanding yet more challenging lifestyle, mainly by downsizing and keeping our choices and their ensued options as rudimentary as possible, swapping various rat-races for an everyday poetry that harks back to our past as much as to an optimistic future.
Attempting to make our lives sustainable is more than a personal choice and has gradually lead to a multitude of decisions we have never even thought of before.
On this website we share what works for us, or woefully no longer works, obviously without claiming the same for you.
We hope that our journey towards a supplementary comprehensive celebration of nature’s beauty might just clear a pathway forward for you too, perhaps challenges a revealing reconsideration, or simply provides for an equally indispensable diversion.
Can we change the world through food? We believe we can and we support Slow Food, a global movement of local communities and activists across more than 160 countries. Together we defend cultural and biological diversity, promote food education and the transfer of traditional knowledge and skills.
The Ark of Taste is an international catalogue of endangered heritage foods which is maintained by the global Slow Food movement.
The Ark of Taste is designed to preserve at-risk foods that are sustainably produced, unique in taste, and part of a distinct ecoregion.