10th October

Feeling much better today thank goodness and off to Cancale!

Cancale is a coastal town famous for it’s oysters. It is a lovely place and made all the more lovely on the day I visited because it was a beautiful sunny day. There are some many restaurants there, most of which are primarily seafood restaurants. Walking along the front I saw people eating plates of «  fruits de mer » like I’ve never seen before! I thought straight away of Will and Tom- they would love it here.

Unfortunately because of my little problem with salmon, ie I like it but it doesn’t like me, I haven’t ever had oysters or mussels- I’ve been a little scared to try them. But those platters being served up in the restaurants looked so good.

What appealed to me though was what was happening right at the far end of the front where the oyster beds are. Here there were just a few stalls selling the oysters straight to the public. They had reusable oyster plates that people took their oysters away on, ate them and took the plate back. Nearby there was a wine van that was selling bottles of wine for people to have with their oysters and again people then just returned their empties! I saw a group of people, of several generations, sitting around a picnic table enjoying this simple but delicious feast. Wonderful!

I played it safe with my lunch and had my first galette. Un galette de Gaëlle. A galette is a savoury crêpe, usually made with buckwheat I think, and filled with savoury things. Mine was filled with ham, raclette, camembert and a perfectly fried egg. It was scrummy! Yum! While I was eating I saw several tractors go by pulling trailers piled high with sacks of oysters. The trailers seemed to have outboard motors on them? Clearly a finely tuned system.

I found 2 shops in Cancale that were amazing! The first was part bricante and part handmade things « L’Armoire d’Eugénie » I was in heaven! If I had just been on holiday and I had a house I would have bought tons of things!!! Honestly I would. But as I’m not and I haven’t I restrained myself. I did buy though some old embroidery magazines from the 1930’s, a piece of lacey fabric to make a cushion from (what else?) and a set of 3 old copper jelly moulds. Quite restrained I would say.

I had a lovely chat with the lady in the shop (mainly in French) about the lovely things she was selling and particularly about a gorgeous lace dress that was displayed on a mannequin. She told me that the lace flowers were all embroidered on by hand to the basic tulle dress fabric. It was stunning and on sale for around 200 euros. I asked if I could take a photo of it for my blog and she very kindly obliged. She told me about some of the different embroidery techniques in the region and how a man called Pascal Jaouen, a French embroiderer and designer, is revitalising the art of « broderie de Calais » It is exquisite. So delicate and beautiful. I looked on google to find out more about it and a picture of Kate Middleton in her wedding dress popped up but I couldn’t find anything to say that it definitely was broderie de Calais. I’ll keep looking……..

Next door was a shop full of gorgeous things- Agnès Rohmer-Kretz- from pottery and jewellery to beautiful handmade children’s clothes, in the most stunning fabrics, unlike anything I’ve ever seen at home. My eye was caught by something I’d recently been discussing with someone- reusable sanitary towels- and again in an array of fab fabrics. They were made by the lady who was working in the shop and she said she makes them from off cuts of fabric left over from making clothes- hence the lovely colours and designs. She makes them in 3 different sizes and says she herself uses them alongside a moon cup (some of you will know what this is and some may not) She told me that shop owners are being very much encouraged/persuaded to make/stock/sell environmentally friendly products, and these being one of them. She also sells reusable wipes, shampoo in blocks like soap and many other things. She told me a funny story about earlier that day actually. A girl came in to the shop with her male partner and was looking at the sanitary pads and was asking his opinion about which she should choose! Why?! You use them- you choose! And as lovely as they are they’re not going to be seen or to stay that way are they! Sweet though- young love 🙂

Another conversation about Brexit today! I said really the same as I said to the ladies from Australia the other day. This time the conversation was with two ladies again, but one from France and one from Germany. I just keep flying the flag for those of us who didn’t want to leave. We just had a nice chat- three women from three countries, all wondering what’s happening. Crazy isn’t it?

Will rang tonight which was lovely and I completed run 3 of week 1 of Couch to 5K. I wonder what week 2 holds……………

Bonne nuit 🙂