10 of the best foodie retreats in rural France

These charming B&Bs, guesthouses and gîtes offer comfortable pitstops on a French adventure, but with their mouth-watering regional food and wine they may prove hard to leave

Le Mas des Grès, Provence

Ideally placed for a visit to the antiques markets of L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and the “perched villages” of the Luberon, Nina and Thierry Crovara’s Provencal mas is the epitome of rural Provence. The couple met at hotel school in Switzerland and Thierry later trained under Anton Mosimann at the Dorchester in London. The meals Thierry cooks depend on what catches his eye at the market each day. Often appearing in pink braces over a pink shirt, he chats to guests before disappearing into the kitchen to prepare dishes such as red snapper and basil, Mediterranean meatballs, fried courgette flowers, rabbit with garlic and thyme or sea bass with ratatouille. Their cat, Rokey, spends most of the day sunning himself on the terrace, where two huge trees acts as giant parasols for outdoor meals. The mas is in the heart of peach, melon and honey country, so buffet breakfasts are delicious and there is always a fridge full of drinks beside the pool. The couple also run cooking courses in March and October.

• Doubles from €120, +33 4 90 20 32 85, masdesgres.com

READ ALL 10 at SOURCE: 10 of the best foodie retreats in rural France | Travel | The Guardian

Paris climate deal is in effect. Now comes the other hard part

Emission cuts that countries have pledged so far aren’t expected to hit the goal of holding Earth’s temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius. This leaves a lot of work for a Morocco conference this week.

The United Nations climate conference that opens here this week is all about finding the right balance between slow and fast.

At least that’s how many climate experts see it. They anticipate the conference will feature both a push for faster global action on emissions and an underlying practical reality: On some fronts, patience will be vital asset in building needed consensus.

READ FULL STORY AT the Source: Paris climate deal is in effect. Now comes the other hard part. – CSMonitor.com

Jean-Jacques Perrey, 1929–2016

Jean-Jacques Perrey, French composer and electronic music pioneer, died Friday at his home in Switzerland. He had been ill with lung cancer.

Perrey first started recording electronic music in 1952, long before the Moog synthesizer was first made for sale in 1967. His synthesizer music was featured on The Simpsons, and South Park. Perrey was also featured prominently at Disneyland and Disney World, where his “Baroque Hoedown” played over the Main Street Electrical Parade.

I have never been to either Disneyland or Disney World, but I have been to Paris, where Perrey was born, and to New York, where he lived during the 1960s, and produced 1966’s The In Sound From the Way Out. 

Below is a clip from the American TV show I’ve Got a Secret, with the great Steve Allen hosting. You may also recognize panelists Betsy Palmer, Bill Cullen, Bess Myerson, and of course, Henry Morgan. Check out the incredible song at 07:40. If they would play this song at Mass, I would have never stopped going to church.

Rest in Peace, Jean-Jacques.

Jean-Jacques Perrey featured on  I’ve Got A Secret TV Show

REVIEW: The Ardennes – A Biblical showdown to a Belgian Christmas 

The name of director Robin Pront film for non French speakers can trick them into imagining a gang film of two brothers whose last names is Ardennes. Fortunately it is not.

Two brothers plan and execute the robbery. Kenny (Kevin Janssens) takes the fall for it, and spends years in jail, while , Dave (Jeroen Perceval) makes a run for it, begins a fresh start, and falls in love with his brother’s ex-girlfriend Sylvie (Veerle Baetens). The camera forwards four years later, sober and clean, Dave and Sylive are having a child, while vowing to live a 9-5 “dull” life, away from their past.

READ THE FULL FILM REVIEW AT source: REVIEW: The Ardennes – A Biblical showdown to a Belgian Christmas – 9th Euro Film Panorama – Arts & Culture – Ahram Online