Another cup...?

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It's a bright but chilly day today & I'm glad I have a hot cup of coffee to warm me up.

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The many French start the morning warming their hands around a café au lait bowl.

Children often have hot chocolate in theirs,
just like the famous Delespaul-Havez chocolate publicity.
I just love the expressions on the children's faces...

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We have some lovely café au lait bowls in the shop...

We're love these, they look so pretty sitting next to each other on the shelf...

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So you're out & about, you stop at a café, what should you order?

un café
a small espresso
♥
un grand café
a double espresso
♥
un café crème
a white coffee made with frothy hot milk
sometimes called un café au lait but crème seems to be more commonly used
♥
un grand crème
a large white coffee
♥
un allongé
an espresso with the same amount of water
♥
une noisette
an espresso with a dash of cream
♥

Remember these so next time you visit a café here in France,
you can order your coffee like a true monsieur or mademoiselle!

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We also have a perfect set of coffee cups in the shop for your for café, café crème or noisette.
These are rather special as they are decorated with the logo of the Wagon-Lits company.

Wagon-Lits is a French travel company,
famous for running great train routes like Le Train Bleu or Le Nord Express..

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...but the most famous was, of course, Orient Express...

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...such luxury...

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..sip your café crème from these cups
& imagine being transported back to the golden age of luxury travel...

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A misty view this morning from the Petit Pica atelier...

Café du matin...

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I don't know about you but I can't function without a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.
Strong & black with a wonderful aroma; it sets me up for the day.

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The French love their coffee.
In the cafés, it's made by an espresso machine.

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Many cafés have a zinc-lined drawer under the counter into which the old coffee grounds are tipped before a fresh cup is made. I love the gentle thud sound made when the used grounds are knocked out, together with the chinking of cups and the lovely aroma of the coffee, this sums up French cafés for me.

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At home, they may use a machine, stove-top pot, cafétiere (French coffee press) or even instant,

(my French friends would be horrified I'd mentioned the last one as it is classed as the lowest of the low!).

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Moka pots, as stove-top espresso makers are often called, are such an iconic design.

Not only do they look good but make a decent cup of coffee too.

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First made by Alfonso Bialetti in 1933 to provide both an affordable espresso maker & a beautiful object to make it in. The inventor came up with the idea while watching his wife boiling up water to wash the laundry.

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The design is simple, the bottom chamber holds water which is brought to the boil, steam is then forced through the coffee grounds in the middle chamber & the coffee is brewed in the top.

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 We have our own little beauty in the Petit PIca shop. An unusual design with a 70's style orange & white flower print. It would look great in any kitchen.

 

Our café du matin at the market this morning...

...un grand café and une café crème...

...with a wickedly delicious croissant aux amandes...

...sitting in the Autumn sun...

...bliss...

Brushing away the cobwebs...

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 We've been busy this week. We started by having a bit of spring clean, or should that be autumn clean, of the blog. We wanted to make things clearer and easier to access. We have a new header & you can now go easily to the shop by clicking on the "shop" tab or on any of the photos in the side bar. There is also a "contact us" tab, if you wish to send us a direct email.

We have some pretty buttons to take you to Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest. There are also new buttons to subscribe to our blog. Make sure you never miss another post by signing up via your reader or by email.

That done, we then turned our attention to the growing pile of stock we've been collecting over the last few months. We've had a lovely time sorting through & photographing them. In the next couple of weeks there will be lots of lovely items will be coming up for sale in the shop, from gorgeous ceramics to kitchen storage jars & coffee pots. Here is a little taster...

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The weather here has been very changeable recently & there have been some spectacular storms. It is fascinating to watch the wonders of Mother Nature...

The last of the lavender....

© petit pica

The weather is definitely getting more autumnal now, chilly early mornings and evenings. So this weekend I decided it was high time I harvested that last of the lavender. To me, this signals summer is finally over; time to tidy up the garden ready for winter. I have to admit, I have put it off this year as I’m not particularly looking forward to the cold weather. We had an unusually cold winter last year so I’m hoping that this year will be milder.

Today is a very overcast, rainy day, ideal for keeping cosy in the house and stripping the lavender. Collecting the lavender is a job I really enjoy; it’s like an aromatherapy session. The perfume that comes from the basket is heavenly, and when I strip the steams, it can be quite heady. The oil seeps into hands so I can smell it for ages afterwards. It is time consuming and, as Kelly is away at the moment, I had to tackle the task alone. Not that I'm complaining, it's quite therapeutic.

© petit pica

The vintage lavender tin was a present from my daughter M, found at a vide grenier. For those that don’t know, these are a bit like car boot or yard sales. I love it’s design and kaleidoscope of colours. The Pip Studio plate was a present from Kelly. It’s normally on display in the Petit Pica attic but it proved ideal for pouring the lavender buds into the tin.

Of course, after all that “hard” work, a reward is needed - a cup of tea and macaroons. There were three of each but I couldn't resist eating one on the way back form the shop!  I LOVE these but I did limit myself to only two. As Kelly wasn't here to help me eat them, M finished them off when she came home from school.

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We are very fortunate to have a patisserie/ chocolaterie shop in our local village. They make amazing cakes and chocolates. These macaroons are so crumbly on the outside and gooey inside. Really yummy! They have so many interesting flavours to choose from. Today I chose framboise/rose (raspberry/rose) and cassis/violet (blackcurrant/violet), my current favourites.

And what is this lavender for? It will be used in some items for the shop but you will have to wait a little while for the reveal.

À bientôt,