Things We Miss and Things We Don't...

So we have been here a month now, and certain things are starting to feel normale and there are other things we really miss.  Here's a run down - in no particular order - and any suggestions / donations gratefully received!

Miss - Tim Tams.  No further explanation needed.

Miss - Crackers for cheese!  Love, love baguettes but sometimes would just really like a cracker.  My favourites in Australia were Premiums but, really, any cracker would do, and I don't dare dream of oat cakes or Carr's Water Biscuits...

Don't Miss - Colorbond Fencing.  Suffice to say this form of utilitarian, ugly perimeter containment was originally designed for detention centres and industrial estates.  And that is where it should stay. No one in France would ever consider surrounding their personal living space with such an affronting material, and I can only applaud their sound judgement.  If I never see Colorbond again I will die happy. 

Don't Miss - Humidity.  Always my bete noire, I am naturally delighted that there is no humidity here whatsoever (not even when it rains, it seems, although I know that's not possible!) and EVERY SINGLE DAY IS A GOOD HAIR DAY.  Without any effort on my part.  A good enough reason to be here, no matter what. Why did I wait so long..???

Don't Miss - Coles / Woolworths.  The supermarkets here are stunning displays of abundance with bewildering choice.  A recent visit to Géant Casino, a hypermarket the size of Heathrow Terminal 1, required a map, walkie talkies, supplementary fluids, four hours and a fully loaded credit card.  But the cheese we bought!! And the charcuterie!! The choice, the range, the selection!  All this and weekly markets, too.  Coles and Woolworths would sink without a trace.  No crackers, though..... 

Don't Miss - Utes.  Have not seen a single ute since arrival, and that's just fine.  Especially don't miss flamboyantly coloured, souped up V6 Utes secretly aspiring to be fancy sports cars but masquerading as work vehicles. However, am learning to be wary of white Renault vans and the drivers thereof, usually in possession of ruddy faces, loud music, aggressive attitudes and scant regard for pedestrians &/or their dogs.

Miss - Cattle dogs.  I just like their sturdy shape, blue coats and die-hard attitudes. Wonder if they could be happy here?  Probably not, as they are happiest in the back of a ute!

Miss - NZ Marlborough Whites.  Cloudy Bay.  No further explanation needed.  Oh, maybe there is for my legion of French followers (!). The flinty, fruity flavours, the prickly acidity combined with the rounded body of the palette = superlative and I have yet to find an equivalent here.  I do plan to keep searching, though...

Miss - homes with gardens.  Not at all the norm here and something we have come to realise we can't do without.  To have a garden one almost has to live in the country, and we can't make do with a balcony or terrasse it seems.  Nor can Roly, Pepper and Oscar.  Hereby hangs a very long tale, and a whole other blog. Watch this space.

Miss - Friends!  Irreplaceable, unforgettable, worth finding, worth keeping and the real reason a place on the map becomes a home.  Look forward to seeing y'all here soon and our new place will feel all the more like home!