I have told you earlier about the joys of Sylvie's house. It is built with a celebration of life. It is a tribute to how amazing living can be. It is a place where everything thrives: the fish in their little pond, the bees in the wild flowers of their fields, and the chickens under the dinner table picking up the bread crumbs.
These images do not do the magic of this fairytale house in the hills of the Pyrenees justice. It truly is like a child's book: and when at Sylvie's house, one has an inspiration to play.
Gil, Sylvie's husband, is an artist who has built everything from found materials: the wooden crafted kitchen with perfect nooks for storage, the bicycle-powered laundry machine, a Princess' dress for Sylvie, and most of the house itself.
Today we joined Sylvie and Gil for a stunning lunch. We had a salad of their homegrown cucumbers with the cheese from the goats on the other side of the mountain, followed by stewed turkey (which was delicious!), and a couscous ratatouille. I was blown away by the vinaigrette which accompanied their homegrown arugula, and when I asked what it was, Sylvie told me that it was their own homemade vinegar, mustard and oil! It had such a lip smacking acidity. It was the sort of taste that makes you just want to kiss. Showing off his complete fantasticalness, Gil then blew us all away with a apricot and apple tart. All accompanied, of course, by delicious wine that a friend of theirs makes.
Between the cheese and dessert courses, a white horse appeared from the birch trees and ferns, like a unicorn. So, I wandered over to it, and making better friends with its spotted companions, I decided why not hop on bareback! It was the first time I'd ever ridden without a saddle, but Peppino (as I soon learned she was called) was a fantastic ride. Hoping off Peppino I picked up a handful of gorgeous chanterelles, and walked over to eat the last bites of Tobias' piquant goat cheese and a perfectly funky roquefort.
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