Rainy Weather, Memories and Wonderful Galettes

Rain, rain go away! With SSW winds at 38 mph today...and so much rain...

This is still Winter of course but I long for better weather! There is just something about being able to open windows throughout our little island house and let fresh air in! So despite all the humidity, I turned off the heat in our bedroom this morning and opened the window for a blissful 2 hours! Heavenly!
Not being a warm weather person I prefer not to think of the hot summer season just yet but hung the laundry on the line and sitting on the porch would be lovely!

Each year for her Spring cleaning Granny would go through her entire third floor apartment. She would open and clean her windows - her final rinse include white vinegar to add sparkle - and she would finish with rubbing crumbled newspaper on all the panels.
To date her windows remain in my memory as the cleanest I ever saw!

Next came the removal of all sheer curtains to be soaked in warm soapy water, rinsed and hanged to dry on her veranda.
She would then pull all the rugs out and beating them through fully - yes, with an old fashion rug beater - and let them aerate in the sun.
Following this all rattan chairs and table would be scrubbed within an inch of their life with water, soap and rinsed with salted water - I am not sure about the latter but then you never questioned Granny - and left to dry in the warm sun.

Winter clothes and heavy linen would be stored away with lavender tucked here and there and sandals would materialize by the hall tree... We knew the good weather was there!

But the surest sign of Spring in her home always came through the post...A letter to confirm her deposit for either a bungalow or an apartment on the coast!
Born at the seaside she could never live long away from it! The salted air was as necessary to her as water to a fish.

My brother and I would holiday with her on the Coast near her hometown and be free of all the constrains of school rules and city living!
No matter the weather, we would walk through the dunes and reach the beach for long walks betwixt each brise lames, the wind in our hair and a light heart!
I recall walks that would make a GI cringe...
The weather mattered not and even if it rained, we would bundle up and just go. Sometimes it would be warm enough to wear a swimsuit but very often we would need to cover up with a thick sweater and rubber boots!

Ours was a world of discovery while we listened to tales of her mischievous childhood as we would inspect little puddles of water for crabs and seashells...The best time for beach combing of course was after a storm....We would be then on the lookout for treasures...

We never did find anything that could be truly called a treasure but we still had some wonderful times... We made sand castles whilst she rested near us after a particular long walk.
Somehow she always produced an apple she would slice for us or a candy or even a beignet or galettes...

So I thought today I would share a special recipe...Galettes!

Gather 500 gr Self rising flour, 350 gr of Butter (melted), 350 gr Caster sugar, 5 Vanilla sugar packets or 50 gr (I prefer Oetker), 4 large eggs and 1 pinch of salt.

In a large bowl, sift flour with sugar, vanilla sugar and salt. Whip eggs well together, add cooled melted butter and blend in flour mixture.

These are baked in a waffle maker and once cooled, stored in a hermetic tin (and yes, eaten cold!)

Enjoy!