Feeling Festive
05/12/2010 by PigletinFrance
All house hunting has been pretty much on standby this week as Lyon and most of Europe got a major dumping of snow and roads and motorways became best avoided if possible.
So I’ve been able to enjoy a nice relaxing week of home and work and what better way to start the month of December than with a blanket of snow? Even my blog has snow on it although I’m not quite sure how that happened but I’m not complaining!
Major snow dump in my back garden
I’d been feeling pretty down in the dumps because we’ve decided to have a stay at home for Christmas this year and I hadn’t been feeling at all Christmassy. But snow in December is not something I can remember ever having seen before and it has really got me in the mood for Christmas. Poor Mr Piglet however is getting rather fed up of me constantly singing out of tune Christmas tunes and I’m sure he’ll soon be ready to pay me to stop.
Prize from Littlewoods Europe
We’re off to get our Christmas tree today, but in the meantime I’ve been enjoying setting up an advent calendar. I was lucky enough to win this hand crafted, wooden advent calendar on the
Littlewoods Europe Wordless Wednesday competition. I’m really glad I did, so a big THANK YOU the LW team! There’s nothing more magical for me than the opening of an advent calendar each day and I’m sure little Piglet will enjoy it for years to come also when she arrives!
Better not eat too many of these... Delish!
I wouldn’t be me if I hadn’t been having a moan about something though. This time it was the lack of British Christmas products in France that set me off as I had yet another craving for a Mince Pie. In the good old days when M&S were still here, I needn’t go without anything, however, not many expats live around here and there aren’t any Brit food stores (the closest one I know of is
Jim’s near Geneva). So imagine my surprise when I was in Monoprix yesterday and came across Mince Pies?! I yelped with excitement causing a stir amongst fellow shoppers who all turned round to investigate what was causing my excitement. I stuffed four boxes of them into my trolley, vowing to go back and get more if they were nice. At 3.50 Euros for 4 they weren’t cheap but they made my day and sometimes happiness doesn’t have a price.
Whilst I was out and about in the city, I was full of admiration for how beautiful Lyon looked under the snow and managed to brave the ice like temperatures outside of my car to take some pictures:
Have you had snow this week and has it made you feel festive?
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Hi PiF,
Yummy Mince Pies…hmmm
PiP is now on a mission
I thought I would try and make my own mincemeat this year – but I can’t seem to buy the pigging suet!
PS
I would love some snow on my blog for Christmas. We just have torrential rain and thunderstorms at the mo…
Perhaps, we can order some sunshine thru’ wordpress as well…
Feliz Natal!
PiP
I got sent this link for mincemeat on twitter: http://www.aspoonfulofsugar.net/wp/2007/12/hettie-potters-suet-free-mincemeat/ Maybe it would be useful for you? If it is, do you fancy making some mincemeat slices or sharing the recipe?
I don’t know how I got snow on the blog, it arrived at about the same time as the snow in the garden – strange coincidence hey?
Don’t complain about the rain, in a few months you’ll be saying you need it!
Hi PiF
Seems like suet is like hens teeth in Portugal this year.
Will check out the recipe without suet!
Good idea re mincemeat slices, will have to dig out the recipe as I have not made them for years!!
PiP
do hens not have teeth?
duh of course not! You had me there for a moment though – really had to think! Stupid pregnant brain!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Expat Focus, pigletinfrance. pigletinfrance said: New blog post: Feeling Festive & Lyon under the snow: http://t.co/IkfGMNd [...]
Lovely pictures! Snow does have that ability to put us immediately into the Christmas spirit.
The advent calendar is just gorgeous. It will become an heirloom for your little piglet through many holiday seasons.
HO HO HO!
Thanks Dedene! Those are exactly my thoughts concerning the advent calendar, it’s such a fun thing and it’s lovely to have something which isn’t throwaway
I’ll have to get inventive for little gifts to go in it, at the moment it’s just chocolates 
Hi Piglet! Glad to hear you are doing well. Here in the Nord we got a fair deal of snow, but the temperatures were what was most shocking — -7°C, but windchills more like -15°C! I chose a good week to spend at the hospital, that’s for sure
brrrr chilly temperatures indeed! I hope you and little Victor are keeping warm and well?
I used to like waking up to that particular snow light in the morning….and then have the horrors at having to skate down to the hen house and ice pick my way back up again!
Do have a great time with your Christmas preparations and Mr. Piglet can just thank his lucky stars that you’re singing and not grizzling.
I loved the photographs.
I used to travel through Lyon years ago and always made a stop to explore…I thought it was a super city but never had the chance to see it under snow.
Thank you for doing the chilly hand and feet bit for me!
Fly, for all my moaning about the city Lyon is beautiful and I will forever be in love with it. It’s just not the right place for me to live however I will enjoy it more by being able to come back on a regular basis (I’m only moving about 40 mins away). This week I’m looking forward to the start of the Lyon light festival so hopefully I’ll be able to share some more photos with you.
I know exactly what you mean about the snow light in the morning – it is very special and something that I love waking up to. I also like the stillness and sense of absolute quiet that you get in the city when it snows. All the city noises are muffled and it’s fab.
I can’t imagine having to go outside in the cold and battle my way to a hen house though, I much prefer staying tucked up inside! But I bet fresh eggs were totally worth it!
Ah, there’s nothing like snow at this time of year to get you in the spirit. We haven’t had any, just rain and freezing temperatures, although today we have a heady 16°C!
How lucky to find mince pies!!! I hope they’re tasty. You’ve put me in mind to make some for me too, plus the mulled wine. Perhaps that would soothe my weekend blues.
Lovely piccies!
Next time it snows I’ll send you some snowy thoughts!
We had an especially warm day yesterday also – it must have been about 14 degrees but it rained all day and was miserable. I bet you had sun didn’t you?
I’m so missing mulled wine right now! I hope you enjoy some soon! As for the mince pies, enjoy!
Sun? Nah, it was dull and damp, and today it’s been misty all day. Quite like UK weather except not as bitingly chilly.
It’s a bugger being pregnant for alcohol. You can have a little though. For number 2 I couldn’t give up tea and you’re not supposed to have that either.
I’ve never had a mince pie. Am I missing out? The snow has yet to fall in Toulouse. (I was wondering why your blog had snow…) Love the picture of your backyard! A real winter wonderland!
Ah so mince pies are a British thing then? I would say yes you’re missing out but then none of my French friends or family like them so maybe you’re not…??? You can buy them in Brit stores if you have any around where you live or I just found some in Monoprix – you get them in the aisle with all the cookies and goodies.
I was laughing at the Mince Pie story .. Yes the Mince Pies are a British thing , but I am not sure if you are missing out .. I don’t like them , nor do my sons .. but my hubby adores them , so does my brother .. !!
I would rather have a Pannetone … Lighter to taste.
My hubby and Brother love Christmas cake too ,but not me or my sons .. !!
I was fortunate to experience some snowfall on my visit to England over the past couple of weeks, which did make me feel quite Christmassy. Now I’m back to warmer weather and a country that doesn’t celebrate Christmas..that feeling has gone.
I did bring some goodies back to keep in case we decided to celebrate Christmas, but I’m afraid we’ve eaten them all (greedy us!).
I love your pics…beautiful.
Hi Ayak, I’m glad you are back safely and that it appears your internet is working!
It must be strange to be in a country that doesn’t celebrate Christmas, I already find it strange that it is less commercial in France than in the UK and cannot imagine no celebrations at all. Having said that, we went abroad last year to a warm destination and even though they celebrated Christmas we found it strange that it was so hot!
Christmas goodies never last long in this household either!
Piglet,
I love the snow in your photos and also the cute little snowflakes on your blog. I left the computer to put on some cheese toast and when I came back it was falling…sweet.
And I am so craving mince pies. We don’t have a monoprix and now I’m sad.
You think the hubs will bring me some from london this week?
happy day,
a
Thanks for your kind comments. I love cheese on toast and fancy some right now!
I hope your Hubby brings you back some mince pies, fingers crossed.
We had snow in Montreal yesterday and yes, it certainly puts us all in the Christmas spirit (no matter how much we complain)! Lyon looks beautiful! Thanks for posting the photos.
Thanks for stopping by Susan. Snow has a lovely way of making things feel more magical and is great for feeling Christmassy. Ironically, yesterday it was 16 degrees c here, what a difference!
We only had about five minutes of snow, but we did get very excited.
I’m sure you’ll get some at some point this winter! We seem to get more and more each year!
It is very exciting though isn’t it? Mr Piglet reckons I act like a toddler when it snows!