The River Charente

 
I've always felt our greatest asset--ie for B&B's wanting to visit Maureville, is the River Charente, where we have access to our own private all the year round naturewatch!
We have right of way across the field at the bottom of our garden, and can walk down to the river in a couple of minutes.
Every season offers a variety of interests.All last summer the level was very low, and the feed stream from the lake at Rochemeneau, which causes a small ford across the chemin, was dry for months.One hot afternoon my 'grown-up' offspring paddled across the river to the opposite bank one afternoon ( and played and splashed like small children!). They were in search of the yellow water lilies that grow in large clumps up & downstream. I now have a small clump on my frog pond!
More recently,the autumn rains have meant the water level has been running quite high, although not to the extent that it broke the banks and flooded the surrounding field for 50-60 metres , as happened a couple of years ago.
The day before yesterday, much to our surprise, all changed again. I think the sluice gates, down at the leisure area in Asnois have been opened. The river is flowing very fast with a great gushing noise. The levels are lower than ever-- there are sandy 'beaches' along the river shores-- mysteriously with shells lying in great clumps, and new exposed islands in the middle. There is a lot of mud-- and no sign of coypu! Time will tell, I don't suppose they are far away.
With this new fast flowing river I am hoping we will see more kingfisher--my favourite bird! We had a few sightings last year, but usually the river is a bit too slow & sluggish.
Meanwhile there are the usual-- sparrows, blackbirds, robins and great tits--and a lot of buzzards about-- and the green woodpecker ( or it may be the greater spotted) can be heard going 'ratatatat'!
More excitingly, last week, we saw a flock of black storks arising from their nightly roost in the trees alongside the river and migrating south-- much the same as last year, but then their migration was during Christmas week. I hope it will only be a short time before they come back to start nesting!
It's late January, the days are getting longer............... the snowdrops are peeping up through the soil........ there's so much more to come!

Maureville in the snow--January 2010

From the fall of the first snowflakes on the afternoon of Sunday 3rd January 2010 until the downfall of rain during the night of Tuesday the 10th, we've been unable to get the car out.

This hasn't stopped us walking the 'block' ( up the road, right at the crossroads,along the Chatain road to the chemin & then back along it to the house) every day with the dogs. I've even cadged a lift to the supermarket with neighbour Keith in his 4x4.

Mostly though it's been chop up wood and build up the fires, make some nice warm soup( although I left the last of the pumpkin out & they all froze solid!)--and then hunker down in front of the telly!

Happy New Year!

Monday January 4th 2010--and it's back to work after all the partying! My first B&B booking of the season arrived this morning! House-hunters, hoping to make a new life in this idyllic part of France! I look forward to meeting them in a couple of weeks.

Christmas partying started at the beginning of December with the annual Asnois Christmas lunch. Nearly everybody turns up to this event. We start eating at 12.30 and munch our way through about 8 different courses (one year it was 13, but there's a recession on now!) and drink different wines accordingly--ie, a sweet white wine with the foie gras, a chardonnay with the fish, and at least 2 different reds with the main course and the cheese. Of course, one also has an 'aperitif' (usually a pineau) before the meal starts. Between the fish & main course we are served an iced 'trou' (doused in eau de vie!) and a 'digestif' ( usually a cognac, or cassis, or 50/50 mix of the two!) is served after the coffee.

This year's entertainment was a comedian/singer with his accordian-playing partner. He was okay, but nobody got up to dance , he was exceedingly LOUD--and finished his act by 5.30pm. In a way this was quite a relief-- at last we could chat with friends and neighbours, and move around the room to see people we'd barely seen since last year's do! In an act of extreme generosity the Asnois council brought out chocolates and champagne--which kept the party going for another couple of hours!

I really don't know how, or where they( the French) put it!

The next seasonal 'do' was the end of term ballroom dancing party. We meet on Tuesday evenings at La Chappelle Baton salle de fete, and normally dance in jeans & trainers, but for the last class of term we dressed up in all our finery--and pretended we were on 'Strictly.........'!

Then we finished the evening in true French tradition--food & wine!

I then popped over to England for a week where the highlight was meeting up with all the family to celebrate my Dad's 90th birthday. Lunch at the 'Durham Ox' near Warwick-- 20 people in 4 generations came-- me from France, and others from Scotland, Cumbria, Yorkshire and London. Not bad considering how awful the weather was that week!

Back in France, Christmas Day celebrations were, like last year, of the 'ex-pat' variety. We tend to continue in English tradition and get together in groups of 8 or 10, providing different courses and eating a lunch of turkey with all the trimmings and Christmas pud. Of course we all have access to British TV these days, but rarely get to see the Queen's speech. We have all developed the French knack of extended meals--so a 2.00pm start means we are still eating at 4.30pm, and, even though we are an hour behind, tend to miss it!

This year we were introduced to a game called Uno Extreme. No brains required & fun for all. We then watched Dr Who and 'Strictly...' with Christmas cake and pineau before heading home.

After Christmas saw us at a clay-pigeon shoot on Boxing day, a long & lingering meal on New Year's Eve (we didn't get home until 3.30!) and yesterday, following my birthday earlier in the week, we threw a small luncheon party ourselves!

Today, Monday 4th January 2010, as I said before, it should be back to work. The annual 'regime' should be underway and I promised I'd get out the old 'Michel Thomas' French CD's............but... it snowed last night. We can't get out as the road's so slippery. I've a fridgeful of left-overs that need eating................so, I think, this year, we'll start the New Year 'properly' on 12th night. That gives us 2 more days to clear everything up!