The bagne: now after visiting the room of the wrecks we enter in this, presenting the bagne of  Toulon. It was a notorious prison. It was creating by  an ordinance of King Louis XV in 1748.  Since the 15th century, French prisoners served on the galleys, sometimes even for minor crimes. The use  of the canons made the galleys became obsolete. The bagnards were used  for digging earth and work construction in the arsenal of toulon and in the town. In 1748 there were 2000 bagnards in Toulon.

The sculpture Pierre's father

Pierre’s father was painter, sculptor. He offered several ships’ models and this bagnard to the museum Balaguier.

You can see the costum of the prisoner. the cap and the shirt had different colour depending upon the nature of the crimes. this one, you see on the picture had the green cap for a perpetuity condamnation.

The diet of the prisoners consisted of a little amount of meat and some wine for those who did hard works and for the others generaly beans and black bread.

You can imagine the poor sanitary conditions of the bagne.

one of their feet was encircled with a ring of iron attached to a short chain.

The prisoners were branded on the shoulder with a hot iron.

The bugle informed they had to wake up!

this clarion was used at the bagne of Cayenne.

In 1851 Napoléon III created the colonial bagnes. It was the begining of the deportation . The prisoners were sent in Cayenne, the french Guyane. The bagne of Toulon was the last one wich closed its doors in 1873.

The bagne of Cayenne

the bagne of Cayenne (2)

bagnards

 But the prisoners could make so marvelous things with their poor fingers.

boxes made by the bagnards

Marvelous marquetry the bagnards did.

boxes and other things made by the bagnards

beautiful box with a mirror

Do you know Jean Valjean, the bagnard,   the famous character in the roman Les Misérables wrote by Victor Hugo?

 Don’t forget the last post. We are always in the Museum Balaguier, with Anaïs and Kalle!

The exposition presents several wrecks  found near the roadstead of Toulon.

The seacoast is covered by many wrecks dating from all the times, telling how this place  is turned to the sea.

The wrecks are the memory   and show the relations between the two side of Mediteranean sea, the link between civilisations.

The wrecks presented are le Sphinx, le Ville-de-Grasse, le Magenta, and three liners built in La Seyne, le Général Paoli, le Spahis and le Tell.

 Let’s go with Anaïs in the room of the wrecks.

 Diving suit behind the gate.

subaqua bottles

Antiquities

antiquity sculptor

 The head of the empress Sabine

The model of the sphinx

The sphinx was the first steamboat the National Marine used. It is still this  wich  also towed the  boat Luxor in Egypt in 1833, bringing  the obelisk  you can admire  in Paris, Place de la Concorde.

So many treasures found under the Mediterranean sea.

Treasures of another time!

Who used them in the old time?

Kalle seems a good skipper

Wishes'well

What I love here particulary is the wishes’ well!

Pierre doing his wish

throws his coin!

So many coins in the well, so many wishes...

Eachone did his wish…

Aladin should live in Balaguier!

But the walk through  Balaguier will continue in a next post…so stay tuned!!!

On tuesday, we decided to visit the museum Balaguier with Kalle and Anaïs. It was a long time we didn’t go there with Pierre and we are particulary interested with this place since Pierre’s father offered several years ago some sculptors and ships’ models to the museum.

Kalle in front of the museum Balaguier

I found a personnal nice site where you can admire old postal cards and pictures about le fort Balaguier. Click here!

The towel of the fort balaguier

The beautiful point of view when you walk in the garden of the fort

Now I must go,  the house will soon awake!!!

But stay tuned if you want to visit the inside of the fort and the exposition about  wrecks!

wrecks stories! Pierre looks very interested in! Don't miss the next...

I am on a little cloud since Anaïs and Kalle are at home! We have such good time all together! So much to tell since they live so far from home! We are always sharing our way of life, the fresh news… I can say, if happiness exist here it is!

Anaïs and Kalle, our two lovers!

You can notice Kalle’s hair are different after the army! We really adore his new look! He has a so nice and lovely face,  it was sad to hide it with the long hair but I suspect he isn’t in the same feeling we are!

Now I will offer beautiful and delicate flowers to you!

The mimosa, my syter cut in her garden!

Mimosa on Muguette table

So delicate mimosa

I must go now for the new adventures today with my daughter and her boyfriend!

Anaïs and Kalle

 I am so glad to come back here sharing with you my best moments in life.

One of them, sunday!!! Anaïs and kalle arriving from Finland.

I didn’t see my daughter since the end of july!

The next days will full of laugh, surprises, good time!

I say no more! Don’t miss our future adventures!

Delicious King Cake the pupils cooked

As each january we respected the King Cake tradition at school and the pupils had great time cooking and eating it.

The King Cake is very popular, here in France during  january. It is associated with the Epiphany. The cake has a small trinket inside and the person who get the piece of cake where the trinket is, becomes the king  and has the obligation to offer the next King Cake during the month.

The recipe I used with the pupils is really simple and the result was great!!!!

Ingredients for the King Cake:

2 packets of  puff pastry or pâte feuilletée in french

3 eggs

a little sugar about 3 or 4 tablespoons

About 6O g of  almond powder

The recipe for the King Cake or La galette des Rois

Put  out the first  puff pastry in a pan cake you buttered before.

Mix 2 eggs with 3 table spoons of sugar and the almond powder to obtain a cream.

Spread this cream on the puff pastry, put the trinket, and put the second puff pastry above. Pinch around the cake to close it.

With a knife draw a grid on it.

And with a brush put some egg’s yellow on the cake in order to the galette des rois become golden when it will cook.

Your oven must be preheated.

Now you can put it in the oven for 35 minutes at th. 6 (180°)

Don’t forget to prepare the crown!!!

And it is better when you share it with friends!

this tradition find its origin by the Antiqua Roma.  Louis XIV was an adept of this joke and even if the Revolution 1789 trid to prohibit,  it it will continue after a time.

The tradition is that the youngest child  stand under the table and say to the host  how he must  do the dispensation.

Nice to eat the King Cake with a fresh cider.

If you buy one, the same we cooked here, you will pay it about 20 euros in a bakery and I am sure, yours, you cook yourself will really better!!!

The King Cake is really a good thing for the economy of the land: each year 60 millions of this galette is selt. With a price about 15 euros it makes a turnover of 900 millions euros!

The Jack Pot!

La galette des rois is a such convivial family and friends moment, we can’t miss each year!

Just before ending  my post here I can’t forget the horrible event in Haïti.

Nice to hear the world doesn’t forget Haïti and I stay turned.

Last saturday, as we were, Pierre and me, walking on the port of Marseille, la Cannebière, looking for a nice restaurant, we saw that fast everywhere you could eat an Aïoli. But we didn’t ask for an Aïoli!!! As Pierre, my own chef prefers cooking it himself than eating one anywhere. So, we ate and excellent piece of beef with chips and vegetables without forget a fresh pastis 51. I notice pastis 51 is the pastis of Marseille when the pastis Ricard is this one around Toulon. (Important thing to know!!!*giggles*)

After and excellent meal, we wanted to visit the old quarter of Marseille: le Vieux Panier, but the mistral (wind) was so strong and the temperature about -3, we decided to return at the trainstation and when asking a guy our way, an adorable woman offers to drive us in her car there!!!!

Yes, she was our fairy!!! The temperature was about -3 and the wind so agressif! As I said to her she was so kind and  I didn’t think a such proposition could arrive in Toulon, she said: « In Marseille you can meet the best as the worst!» 

The day after, I heard on the radio, a poor 20 years old guy living in the street,  was dead, in Marseille under an entry  around the trainstation because the temperature. They spoke about the problem with the young guys, coming from Eastern Europe without papers and who don’t accept the help of human associations, frightened by the react of the administration wich could send them back home. But in fact those associations just offer them a place to eat and sleep for the night without any will to phone the police.

We were so sad after hearing that news.  Mélissa was without voice. She couldn’t understand a such event could arrive here in France. The all day we had the shadow of this horrible story. And me, who don’t practice my religion, I prayed for his soul. Thinking to him, to his parents, so far, who have no news of their son. Horrible.

just a flower for you, peace to your soul

When we are living in the univers, on a marvelous planet, why is our world so crazy ?

This year Mélissa asked we fest Christmas at home and receiv the family. We decided to cook l’Aïoli. Pierre worked in the kitchen from 8 am to the evening when I was cleaning  the house and decorate with Mélissa. without forget Méli and me we cooked some chocolates with nuts and I prepared a sangria. But the Chef was in the kitchen …

and the result was phenomenal!

A sauce cooking with garlic and olive oil

You can learn about l’aïoli on wikipedia, click here.

Champagne and la Bûche de Noël (traditional french Xmas cake)

But here the magical Xmas moment:

A little fairy opening the gift Xmas father put under the Xmastree.

this is the card the pupils created for their wishes!

Xmas table decorations

the little Xmas scupture

The little scuptures are at home now near the Xmas tree by the pupils.

Roses des sables

The pupils cooked les Roses des sables with chocolate and corn flakes! Delicious!

Les fondants au chocolat

And those Xmas chocolates with hazelnuts!!!

We are really  in Xmas mod  and tomorrow a special show for the pupils.

Tomorrow, after the school, we’ll be on Christmas Holiday!

And the family Xmas bath will begin!!!!!

Now we are in the real Xmas mod at school. The planning is intensive.

Tuesday, the 8 th of december, we will post the famous letter for Xmas father and buy a right Xmas tree.

Xmas chorales: three! One in front of the Ollioules’ firemen and two with parents.

On tuesday, the 15 th of december we will walk to the center of the village and decorate the Xmas trees of the town.

Xmas father visit us personnaly at school the 17th of december and there will a nice show for kids the 18, the last day.

And they’ll go back home with the nice decorations they are making now.

We are in the corridor in front of the classroom!

If you enter you’ll see the advent calendar on the blackboard.

Some Xmas fathers controle the situation.

Some curious creatures are waiting after the pupils to find a new home and will soon left the classroom, in fact the last day before the Xmas holiday.

This one found already his basket.

In a short time he will have to share  it with a decorated pine cone and some excellent Xmas sweeties, the pupils will cook: Rose des sables and truffes.

Still a big job to decorate the pine cones with jewelry.

Today the pupils planted the corn respecting the tradition in Provence for the Sainte Barbe. We expect joy and prosperity.

Those are black sculptures, the pupils did just before christmas theme; They represente black dancers in an African village. In 2010, the pupils will build African huts for the exhibition, the school will present at the end of the schoolyear in juni.

I really love the preschool, free and were pupils practice really plastic arts with a lot of possibility .

She was 89 years old, living at the residence since about one year.  She didn’t know but she was in the alzheimer line. Her only wish was now to join her darling, her husband, Pierre, waiting for her in the souls’ world. Since the 25 th of november she is with him. She left us in her sleep, early in the morning.

Pierre (my husband) , said to me, he was like a disabled man, for exemple without leg or arm. This is his feeling now.

She is in our mind. We are glad now she is near her dear husband, Pierre and grand son.

We love her.

Click here. It was in august 2008. Memories…