CHARROUX OSTENSIONS

Sunday June 17th saw the streets of Charroux decked with flowers ready for the 'Ostensions' parade of relics.

This happens every seven years and 2009 has seen similar events in Confolons and other towns and cities in Poitou-Charente.

Ministers and officials and congregations from the church dress in all their finery and parade around the town exhibiting all the relics stored in the Abbaie vaults.

My thanks go to Jane & Peter who took all the photos for me as I couldn't get there and man the tea-stand for Mrs T's teas at Jacki's 'concours de cross'--which she'd thoughtlessly organised on the same day!

It looked a super day and they took so many pictures that it was hard to decide the best to display here on my blog. I feel -- although having fun at Beau Regard, that we rather missed out on some serious French culture.

Hopefully I'll manage to get there to see it again in 2016!

Brocantes and marches des fleurs!

May 31st saw Genouille's big annual event. It started at 7.30am, in brilliant sunshine, with a brocante. Geoff and I headed off there at about 9.00am, by which time it was heaving!
There were stalls on either side of the main street, all the way around the sides and the middle of the paddock going to the 'aire de loisir 'car park,--and then back again along the footpath! I think the whole of Poitou-Charente turned up!
Geoff & I have been suffering from a nasty snuffle that has been doing the rounds (swine fever? peut-etre!)-- and we abandonned the brocante after a couple of hours. I bought a pair of red wellies for Joe for 1 euro! Whether they'll fit the next time he comes to see us remains to be seen!
The day at Genouille continued without us----with a petanque competition, a chou-croute feast, a folk-bal and finshed off with a firework display! We were tucked up in bed by then! Next year................!

The warm sunny weather has seen everybody out in the garden. Already we are eating strawberries, broad beans, peas, lettuce, spring onions, radish & spinach from the garden! The early cherry trees have yielded loads--but the later ones are only just beginning to ripen.

The 'Halles' in Charroux saw its annual 'Marche des fleurs', when all the locals were seen leaving with armfuls of geraniums, exotics and bedding plants. One wonderful stall was selling metallic giraffes ( and metallic sunflowers, owls and wild boar!)-- whilst another was selling chocolates and cognac! Well, this is France!

Flaming June!

Little Owl sitting on a post in the garden!

We've actually had hot weather for the last few weeks--until Saturday--when we said, OK, the garden needs the rain desperately!

Today is Monday, the frog pond is overflowing, the flowerpots are sodden and the lettuces and strawberries are splattered with mud!

Enough is enough!

or do I mean--an oeuf is an oeuf!

Geoff has actually given up gardening and gone upstairs to start the renovations on the RHS of the staircase.

The original plans had this as a mirror image of what we've already done---ie 2 large en-suite bedrooms--- but this time with mezzanines above.We have decided to amend this idea and make a gite. This would have to incorporate an extra staircase to the downstairs bathroom & utility room--which would be turned into a kitchen /diner, with a new outside door leading to the garden at the back of the house--giving it a private entrance away from the B&B's.

I can't believe we'll ever fill 4 en-suite bedrooms--- but I can see that families may like to come & stay for a week's self-catering holiday.

This has had every friend who has been in the house to redesign/rethink and generally tell us what should be done. I am quite happy with my new plan. Geoff is a little more wary ( but then, it is he who does the building work!)

And , of course, people coming for longer stays means we might yet get a swimming pool!

Since I last wrote in the blog the wild life has been busy. We have our own private 'Springwatch' here at Maureville.

There are swallows nesting in the shed next to the dogs, black redstarts have young in the next shed . Sparrows are nesting in the leylandii hedge. Blue tits have a nest in the cracks of the house wall. The kestral is back again with her nest in the eaves at the back of the house--whilst the little owl-- who is quite the rowdiest bird in the garden-- has a nest in the eaves at the front of the house. This is an improvement on last year when the owls nested in the chimney--which led to all sorts of problems!

The little owl can be seen every morning from my bedroom window, taking food to his young, or squawking loudly at Boris!

The photo above is the best I've been able to manage--(he is sitting on the post in the middle of the picture)--but birds never stay still enough for a really good photo!

I'm now trying to take one of the hoopoe. I don't know where the nest is, but he can be seen every morning digging for worms in the short tufted grass next to where the cars are parked.