Spending time with family

Our home in Les Ombrage, Marly-le-Roi with the 'summerhouse' we used for visitors.

Living in Europe during 1987 we had the opportunity to meet and spend more time with Fred's Dutch family.

Their first visit to our home in Marly-le-Roi got Fred and I into a spin to complete the outside room or 'summerhouse' as I called it and to make it liveable and warm. The building was about 400 years old and when we went back to Paris a few years back I was disappointed to see the building had been pulled down.

We had gone to IKEA, a favourite store we frequented to the north of Paris, bought many meters of dark blue fabric and I 'spent the rest of the weekend sewing 12 curtains'.

I am impressed. Fred wove the tiebacks, hung the curtains, finished the skirting, we moved the beds in and I decorated with 'odds and ends'.

Our first visitors from the Netherlands were Fred's Uncle Piet and Tante Grada Kersten, and his Tanta Lies and Uncle Wim. I write to Mom that 'all of them very nice people'.

They had a special zest for life and we enjoyed our times with them. 'They are really so full of fun and very easy to please.'

I love that I seem surprised that they praised my cooking and said it was very French.

I have been inspired by these letters to get back to some of my favourite french recipes that I cooked during those years.

So last night I made french onion soup for Ian and Julie here in Cape Town, with its topping of melted gruyere on ciabatta.

Still good so many years later.

I have a couple of photos of the family during their visit, not good photos but everyone looks well and content.

Fred with his family in 1987.

Post script:
I was going through photos and cards and found this birthday card to Barry from Tante Grada thanking us for their few days with us in Paris.

Fred's aunt writing to us from Holland