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Easter Celebration

Two glorious days of Easter in France

sunny 18 °C

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EASTER SUNDAY

As you might have guessed, the French don't skimp on food when Easter comes along. In fact, it is Easter Monday rather than Good Friday that is the big national holiday, which means two serious eating days in a row. And thus, we celebrated royally!

We started the day off with an "Easter miracle" of sorts. Our juicer was on the fritz from the time we arrived in France. That is to say, the motor would run, but the juicer didn't actually turn. Eric had resigned himself to squeezing the oranges by hand to produce freshly squeezed orange juice. However, on Easter morning, the juicer suddenly started turning.

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Voila!

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I made a mushroom, leek and artichoke crostini

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Cecile ventured out in the morning for fresh bread, and also a surprise dessert for Easter - YUM!

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Mmm fresh bread

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Easter flowers blooming in the garden

We celebrated Easter Sunday at our house with Aunt Claire, along with Eric's Aunt Cecile and his cousin Marc, who were visiting from the Geneva area. We also hosted Aunt Hélène and Uncle Alain. Our menu included fennel and orange salad, roasted rabbit, spring asparagus and other vegetables, bread and cheese, and an ice cream cake and Swiss chocolates for dessert.

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Waiting for company to arrive

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Alain and Hélène arriving with our new tomato and lettuce plants

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What lovely lettuce Hélène had started for us to plant in our garden

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Cecile and Claire making mousseline for the asparagus

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Mmm fresh asparagus

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Rabbit!

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A "good" wine

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Pass the bread please!

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A little cheese for a snack

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Time for dessert

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Nothing like a little advertising on your cake

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Oooh la la, chocolate!

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What a happy group

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Easter was exhausting for Fanette

After lunch, it was time for a little ping pong, followed by Scrabble.

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Claire showing her game face

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Marc wearing cool shades and new shoes!

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Eric and Alain played next

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Cecile and Jennifer played a not so serious match

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Cecile won!

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Fanette got into the act

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Alain imitating Jennifer's style

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And finally, a game or two of Scrabble

EASTER MONDAY

The next day, the whole gang chez nous headed over to Alain and Hélène's house for an even bigger celebration.

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We stopped for bread along the way - four huge loaves, so Eric couldn't resist trying one of them

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Alain and Cecile

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Bonjour Claire! Bonjour Pierre!

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This time there was a live rabbit - as one of the guests, not one of the dishes

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Before lunch, there were motorcycle rides for the kids

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Doesn't it look like Alain is about to run away with those merguez sausages?!

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Everybody loves homemade pizza

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Carving the lamb

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Roasted leg of lamb (with zucchini and eggplant too)

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Quinoa salad

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Homemade chickpea salad, with grated beet rave and lettuce from the garden

And let's not forget dessert, for there was plenty of that to go around. Even for Fanette.

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Alain and Hélène's daughter Emmanuel - "Manu" - passes out dessert

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Tiramisu

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Vanilla bean flan

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Colombe, a traditional Italian Easter cake baked in the shape of a dove

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And chocolate eggs

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Marc received a special Easter treat from the other kids

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Time for a nap

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Seriously, Hélène spread out blankets for everyone to take la sieste or siesta

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Ahh the beautiful shade

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After la sieste, it was time for day two of competitive Scrabble playing

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Others took a serious walk in the woods

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Alain's "secret" getaway place

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We found a frog

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Cecile took a rest to contemplate the meaning of life

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While Eric collected batons - sticks to support our new garden tomato plants

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Alain showed us some bones he found in the woods… apparently he kept stacking them nicely, only to find them tossed about the next time he returned to that part of the woods

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Then it was time for a little gardening… Hélène says she becomes folle (crazy) when gardening season begins

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Hélène's garden is a little bigger than ours

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What beautiful flowers!

And what a lovely day, two days of Easter actually. Happy Easter everyone!

Posted by jlamarre 23:15 Archived in France Tagged parties holiday living_abroad

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