My Week in Review to the 13th May

Insect hotels in Ruffec 

I'm linking this post up with The Sunday Post at The Caffeinated Reviewer.

I deleted my Stephanie Jane Facebook page this week because I am trying to streamline my blogging and social media stuff. Having a Page and a personal profile just seemed like duplication and most of my FB interaction happens on my personal profile anyway - other than regular messages from Chinese sellers wanting me to buy and review their stuff on Amazon! I've got a two week grace period to reinstate the page if there's a massive outcry, but I kinda doubt that! You can see all my FB stuff by friending me.

This week we drove to Ruffec, a nearby town about half an hour away, primarily to visit a couple of wonderful shops Dave had discovered and also for a wander about. I loved Ruffec! It's a vibrant place with lots going on and a great variety of independent businesses. First stop for us was Emmaus, a rehoming warehouse for homewares, clothing, records and tons of books! We dropped off a chair we no longer need and had a good look around. I'm pretty sure we'll be back before long! I was amazed by the cheap prices on gorgeous antique wooden furniture. Beautiful craftsmanship and carved decoration, but one would need a certain type of house to suit these pieces which, I guess, is why they are less popular these days.

Also on our list, and a ten-fifteen minute walk from the town centre, is Les Papilles Fermiers which stocks products from local farmers and producers. There's fruit and veg, meats and cheeses, wines, jams, oils, flours, ... We bought a litre of rapeseed oil from Gaec Des Epardeaux, dried chickpeas from La Ferme de Chassagne, chocolate spread from La Ferme de la Vacherie, and Pear-Chocolate jam from Les Perles Rouges. Like with many of these types of shops, some items seem incredibly good value with others ridiculously overpriced. We've only tried the pear-chocolate so far - which is excellent - and I am looking forward to homemade hummous with the oil and chickpeas.

Insect hotels (and Dave) at Ruffec 

The insect hotel photos were taken outside Ruffec Mairie (town hall) where there are a dozen or so on display, most brightly painted with images of the insects they might atteact. I don't know if this is a temporary or permanent installation, but it caught out attention particularly because Dave got me my very own insect hotel for my birthday. It's now hanging under the lean-to and we've already seen a few bugs investigating.

My insect hotel! 

A special RedBubble offer for Today Only! Get 20% off sitewide with the checkout code RAIN20 The code is only valid during the 14th of May so hurry!

Around the blogosphere:

Aj at Read All The Things asked How Accurate Are Amazon Recommendations?

I made delicious Pita Breads from a super easy recipe at My Greek Dish. It took a couple of goes to get these just right. Both times I made half the recipe quantity. Second time I increased the yeast amount slightly, left the dough for an hour so it really did rise, and rolled out the breads to a 1/2cm thick before cooking them. Delicious - so much nicer than shop bought!

And today's the start of National Vegetarian Week. I've got some vegetarian recipes on my blog and Jacqueline at Tinned Tomatoes has put together this great Recipes And Ideas for Beginners post.

Here's what you might have missed Across My Blogs this week. Click the images to visit the pages ... and don't forget to enter all the Giveaways!

	Artisan Rainbow	Literary Flits	Stephanie Jane
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