Le restaurant les Bougnettes

I went out with my Pilates ladies the other night to Mountain restaurant.  That means that you eat at someones house who has turned a part of their dining room into a restaurant and temps you with local fare.  I was not tempted or impressed let me tell you.  All the others loved it I thought it was such an excuse of a restaurant.  It's run by a lone bachelor with not much of a sense of humour (probably why he is still ALONE).  So our menu.  Soupe de Chevre (Goats Soup), followed by an assortment of cold meats and Bougnettes and Mataflan and a Dessert buffet for after.  What that means is a Soup with Smoked Goats meat, followed by lots of lovely local smoked meats (which are superb in this area) and Mataflan which is a potato type pancake and Bougnettes which are potato rostis basically but with cheese.  What we got - a vegetable soup because the host was saving the last of the goat for someone who really wanted it (no really that's what he said), 8 slices of dried sausage and 8 slices of dried port, one potato pancake each and a few rostis, O and a beautiful pate (must say it was excellent) but the portion size for eight people left a lot to be desired. So no seriously not impressed, but we walked there in the snow and moonlight passing deer and a hare on the way, and had a lovely evening anyway. 

  

The famous Mataflan.

CARNIVAL

Carnival is a day in France marked on the calender and all the kids in school dress up.  It's too cute.  I found these photos on the school blog.

Ben the doctor in the front row far left

 

Samuel the cowboy front row second from the left

BARABELLES

Well Barabelles is open, we have the February holidays, 4 weeks in total as France splits all the school holidays into three regions which overlap so as my kids are only on holiday for two weeks we are open for the full four.  And it's cold and snowing today so may close which would be a relief.  Nice to be back at a job again but a bit different working with a business partner who isn't my husband.  And doesn't work as hard as my husband I might add which is making things difficult for me and I'm fast becoming bitter. I do all the cooking (and the cleaning, shopping, setting up, closing down, and everything else it seems). But experience tells me hang in there, so I'm hanging in there.

We have a smallish menu offering soup, galettes and crepes.  On Fridays we do a takeaway meal and last Friday I sold 15 portions of Bobotie.  Who knew, the French like Bobotie.  The Mayor visited last weekend and wrote such a nice piece on his web site praising my Lentil and Diot (a traditional sausage from here) Soup.  I've posted the script but as it's translated c/o bing translator it's a bit funny to read but you'll get the idea.

Barabelles: the new formula snack and relaxation

Updated on Tuesday

Since Saturday, the club-house of the beautiful resumed service. Around the games, ideal space for children, you can enjoy some excellent snacks (soups, pancakes, cakes...) forms and even benefit from a catering service on Friday. You are looking for somewhere nice to enjoy the Sun, close to the village centre, but away from the crowds of the ski area? And if you were doing a stop at Barabelles... This is the new name of the club-house of the base's recreation of the beautiful, owned by the municipality. The municipality has, indeed, chosen places to new managers (1), Caroline Llorca-Borel and Jude Guillet. If their main activity will really start from the spring, they have decided to open during the winter holidays to enjoy this beautiful place, ideal for children fun. They will find games and extensive space sled and let off steam under the gaze of their parents. During these four weeks, Carolina and Judith offer every day a snack service with of delicious crepes and galettes (including the legendary "sausage patty" our friends Bretons). Among other offerings of the card, we recommend organic soups of Jude. She prepares everything 'House' and it is excellent. may be even the best soups we've ever eaten (if so, dare say). These two Dynamics Pralines have also imagined a very convenient service for vacationers that Friday evening, eve of departure, do not necessarily want to do the cooking. Barabelles offers a catering service with a choice of dishes to take away (including a South African specialty, nod to the homeland of Jude). Attention however, think to order the day before. We can therefore only urge you to visit Caroline and Judith during these next few weeks. They will re-open later in the spring, weekdays from 4: 30 p.m. and all day on weekends, to offer snacks with homemade pastries (Judith worked in large gastronomic institutions), minigolf and other activities of the base de loisirs, birthdays formulas for children, etc. We wish them great success in their beautiful business! (1) through a delegation of public service assigned in December 2012

SNOWING AS USUAL

 Well the winter is dragging on and a new week with fresh snow.  It just keeps coming down and it's been really cold -15C some days.  We were watching hot air balloons crashing to the ground last week.  One minute there were 9 in the sky and the next minute they all started descending rapidly.  We think the density in the air must have changed because they just couldn't gain any height.  Anyway nobody was hurt - we think.

 

You wouldn't catch me going up in one.

I went and did my first ski de fond of the year.  I haven't yet been this year so decided on probably the worst day to hit the piste.  You ski in a track made by the piste basher machines and it was so white I could hardly make out the tracks.  It was a good run though and managed to do 4kms.  These are the views. So peaceful.