Six years. A lot happened in six years. Whirlwind. Changes. Our little boys grew up. The one rowdy and bright eyed, the other rather mournful and private became men, smart and vibrant. And handsome. And have something of their uncle about them. Our young men went to college; one became an architect, the other a designer. One graduated ...
I was given a set of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in 1986 just after I had moved to France, which was, when I come to think of it, a bit like bringing coals to Newcastle or, as I did, bringing a pasta machine to Italy. Although I have always loved my copies of "Mastering," it ...
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. - Ralph Waldo ...
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be. - Kurt Vonnegut Shortly after I married, I began working as an interpreter in a large, prestigious cooking school in the center of Paris. The gentleman for whom I worked had created the Anglophone section at said cooking school ...
The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away. - Pablo Picasso It’s astonishing how quickly one can become acclimated to something new: a new life, new schedule, new job, even a new profession. I have been feeling lately that starting over in life is like being ...
We always long for the forbidden things, and desire what is denied us. - Francois Rabelais A hotel with a soul. That’s what he said. “That’s what is missing these days, hotels with a soul, une âme, warm, welcoming places where one feels at home. That’s what you have here. The hotel, your neighborhood, your region, ...
Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace. - Eugene O'Neill A stroll through the beautiful city of Chinon, and the fairytale of living in France returned and ignited my esprit. Each afternoon ramble through the narrow medieval streets of this picturesque village with its swags of roses ...
AND GOING Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real. - Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days I am surrounded by suitcases many open and half filled, the sun streaming in the windows of this apartment that we will leave in just two days. Cartons are stacked high to the ceiling, rolls of ...
Chairs Nature is by and large to be found out of doors, a location where, it cannot be argued, there are never enough comfortable chairs. - Fran Lebowitz Winter never does settle in, in this part of the world. Not really. A midnight flurry, maybe, quite possibly, hidden from prying eyes. Wake to white in the morning and ...
I'm Jamie; welcome to the new Life's a Feast!
I run a hotel in Chinon, France, and write about life, culture, modern day living and food.
My passion is to create vibrant and unique experiences.
