A Hot Week-end in June!

B&B's arrive tomorrow and I'm in the middle of making a rather scrummy chocolate carrot cake. It's very hot & I'd like to go & have a dip in the pool--but it hs another 10 minutes in the oven.

Boris the cat has come in from his sleep outside under the picnic table--and has crashed out on the kitchen floor--probably the coolest place in the house.

Boris Becker is blathering away on the telly with Andrew Castle. It is Wimbledon and Nadal is playing. Changing his shirt ( ie Raffe, not Boris!)between games causes nearly as much excitement as the actual tennis match.
After my dip in the pool I plan to clean out one of the stables. A large freezer has been stored there since we arrived in France 4 years ago. With hindsight, I realise that it should never have come. A new smaller modern one would be more economical to run...but there you go! Anyhow, I've been held in getting on with tis job,up by a pair of swallows and their brood of 4 youngsters. They'd get very angry if you went anywhere near the shed whilst they were feeding, but now they've fledged and all is clear for me to get in there and sort it all out before they lay their 2nd clutch! The garden is now so productive that I need a freezer--the little one above the fridge is too small.
Next year I shall be loosing my office/utility room as it will become part of the gite that we're constructing in the East Wing of the house! The stable with the freezer will become an extended pantry--and one of the stables at the back of the house will become a laundry room. I sometimes think we'll be at least 100 years old by the time all the work is finished.....but it all keeps us out of mischief!
3 weeks ago a brood of black redstarts fledged. They are the funniest little birds. Very like sparrows, but with red patches & black patches-- and even more recognisable by their frantic bobbing up & down whilst shouting at you (or the cats!) to GO AWAY!
Since Geoff's shed ( by the pool--ie to house the pump) was constructed with a window looking out onto the back of the garden and the field in front of the R. Charente, we have been planning to turn it into a hide!
This week we were given a boost by Marie-Laure. Geoff & I go to see her every week for a bit of French tuition!
She lives a few miles away, and rents a holiday gite with an extensive garden with a woodland/ farmland boundary. It was recently occupied by a keen bird-watcher Rose Cockle who made a list of all the birds that were seen that week.I think the 1st in June? (The list may be seen on face-book --click on my link here on the blogger--& then 'Cherry-tree guesthouse' & you must click on the green woodpecker!)
I've purloined the list and plan to use it as a crib. There are at least 40 species of bird--many , many of the everyday common birds--which I don't like to knock! They give masses of entertainment and amusement. There are one or two species that are quite exciting--notably the black kite and the booted eagle. No hoopoes were seen that week--which we regularly see here--and the most concerning lack of appearance this year--for us, and M-l-- is that no owls seem to be about. The little owl that raised its chick in the eaves of our house hasn't come back. No owl has been down the chimney this year--possibly the late cold spring meant the fires were lit until later in the year. We don't even hear the tawny owls in the dusk and dark. It's all most disturbing. I hope they return before long.

Summer barbecues!

Barbecue suppers are a favourite with B&B's--and friends--and family. This year they've been slow taking off and we thought it time to get started!

Friday 18th June-- should be a great date for a barbecue! It's nearly midsummer's day! We're in between B&B's so let's invite all those to whom we owe an evening's grub!

I understand that so far we've had the wettest June on French record. All day Friday was grey--with just a hint of blue sky now & then! We decided to risk it--and laid up the tables in the 'outside dining-room'.

Having veggie guests ( thank heavens they ate fish!) made me decide to stick with a fishy menu:-

grilled mushrooms stuffed with spinach/tomato & topped with blue cheese,

or stuffed with onions in a cream sauce/tomato & goat cheese

followed by prawns tossed in ginger butter

and then homemade salmon & crab cakes served with salad.

For pud I made kir royale cherry & strawberry jellies--- and Sheilah brought the piece de la resistance--- jam doughnuts! These were dunked & rolled in sugar ( French doughnuts are tight on the sugar!) and then cooked on the barbecue!

This coincided with a heavy downpour of rain, but the barbie was pulled under the roof of the shed & nobody noticed!

Copious quantities of red and white wine were consumed throughout the meal and soon after midnight all was wrapped up with coffee and fruit & nut chocolate (French!)-- at which point I remembered the camera & all the photos that I'd planned to take throughout the meal.I rushed around taking pictures at all angles! It was too late and we all look bleary eyed & terrible! They are not good--or flattering--and Janice says she'll pay me not to publish!!--which is why there are only 'before' photos!

--after which everybody wandered off home--or to bed!

ps. In spite of threats from the non-veggies, Boris the cat was not barbecued. He just supervised all the proceedings.

L'abbaye de Saint-Savin sur Gartempe

Last Friday we went with a group of, mostly English, people from 'Romagne International' to L'abbaye de St Savin sur Gartempe.
We'd joined the group at the beginning of the year, but, due to B&B--- or other committments, had been unable to get to any of their events. Most of the 2010 Calendar of Events was composed of socials-- food, drink, dance,music, petanque and quizes. All good fun, but not the end of the world if you can't get there!
A couple of weeks ago, though, Claudette-- an 80year old French lady from Romagne gave a guided walk around the village with particular emphasis on wild flowers and their uses. Sadly we couldn't make it--but nor could many others & it's hoped that she'll give a repeat performance next year!
The outing to St Savin did not coincide with any other event for us, so we set off-- an hour's drive to the north-west! It was market day, but plenty of parking space in the Abbaye car park that adjoined the town square!
We had a group photo taken-- paid 5.50 euros each at the Reception in the book shop, & set off with our English speaking French guide. It was her first time in English--and she was very good! It was just a little unfortunate that the vastness of the building meant her voice got lost from time to time. With hindsight a bit of historical research on the building would have made it easier to understand. Doing it when you get back rather makes you want to return for another look!
As it was, looking at all the magnificent paintings--mostly done in the 10th & 11th century--- and hearing all about them, was a bit of a mini-history of France.
The abbaye was built in the 9th century--and dedicated to St Savin. Savin & his brother Cyprian were Christians in Macedonia in the 5th century. They escaped persecutions and ended up on the banks of the River Gartempe. There they didn't do much better--and were beheaded--and then buried by local Christan priests. 3 centuries later their bodies were found and a church was built on the site.
In the 10th century it was considerably upgraded and was quite prosperous for the next few centuries, with 16 Benedictine monks living there.
Hiccups included the 100 years war--against England! The Black Prince sacked the abbaye in the 13th century. Next were the Religious Wars--Catholics & Huguenots--and later came the French revolution. In between all this were dishonourable Abbots who stole from the place-- and fire and destruction of many parts of the buildings leading to considerable dessicration of the place.
By the late 18th & on into the 19th century, at last it was realised that the Abbaye was a building that should be saved. Restoration continued throughout the 20th century and in 1986 it was added to the UNESCO world heritage list for its exceptional wealth of wall & ceiling paintings.
We were shown the crypts of the saints Savin and Cyprian and then the amazing pictures that ahd been painted on the wals and ceilings. These told the stories of the books of Genesis and Exodus--ie, Adam & Eve and Cain & Abel. There is a wonderful picture of what looks like a Viking ship-- actually Noah's Ark-- and another, much to my surprise, a Robin, returning to the Ark after going out to find dry land. I suppose different countries have different Bible interpretations!
Red & yellow ochre paints were much used, along with balck & white. Blue colourings are much rarer--as the blue pigments were very expensive in the 12th & 13 th centuries-- & imported from Afghanistan!
We spent the best part of an hour going around the abbaye--then a quick trip around the gardens which ran down to the River Gartempe.
In true French fashion the morning was finished by being turfed out of the place --it was lunch time!
So we all trooped across the market square to the local hotel and devoured the 'plat du jour', with a 'verre de vin rouge' before heading off home!

The 1-day event.

I couldn't persuade my B&B's to join me at the Beauregard 1- day event today. They preferred to follow the final days attractions with the 3- day Ferarri event at Val de Vienne, Le Vigeant! each to their own! Either way the change was phenominal after yesterday's heatwave. Thunder and lightening and then heavy rain for a couple of hours.
I was doing my monthly stint on 'Mrs T's teas' and should have been safely tucked away in the caravan, but the whole set-up had been re-organised as Mrs T, and Mr T who runs the barbecue, had dashed off to the UK for a funeral. Andria and a friend had taken over the teas and I'd been promoted--with Geoff to cooking on the barbecue. (We'd had a rather splendid practice run on Wednesday night!)
The barbecue is to the side of the caravan & its only shelter was a sun brolly! This dripped all over the table and the breakfast service was very uncomfortable--although there were no complaints about the bacon & egg butties!
The dressage started promptly at 9.30. Most people attempted to stay undercover of some sort. The girl on the horse doing the dressage seemed oblivious of the weather, whilst her so-supportive mother got soaked to the skin whilst watching alongside the arena! The judges faired little better. The rain fell onto their roof/sunhood and promptly dripped down their backs.
In fact, after yesterday's hot weather many folk were just not prepared for the change and could still be seen in shorts & tee-shirts--and even sandals!
But the day moved on. The rain stopped--we served tea, and bacon butties and the dressage changed for the jumping--and the bacon changed to the cheeseburgers. More people came and sat in the slowly appearing sunshine. Cans of coke & orange were suddenly required!
The final event , the cross-country was what we were all waiting for. In the past the caravan has been situated in front of the first jump-- so 1 jump--2 jumps--& then they were out of site. Now the caravan has been moved, and the course has been altered ( the reasons will be explained at a later date!!). Now the final jump is right in front of the caravan & picnic area--but you can actually see them come up to jump 11 and work their way back & forth to this spot, with all but the 2 jumps in the wood being visible. Quite exciting!
Next event at Beauregard.................. a FUN Day-- fun & games, show-jumping & dressage, & the 2nd annual Beauregard DOG show!.........on July25th.
And the Ferarri fans?-- they came back soaking--but happy too!

Early June!

It's a very hot Saturday afternoon in June.
My B&B's have gone to the Ferrari event at Val de Vienne, Le Vigeant. It will be wonderful--but they are going to cook.
I am in the office-- famous for freezing us all to death in winter, but very pleasant during the heat of the summer sun, and I'm listening to the cricket on Radio 4 longwave, whilst playing on the computer.
Geoff is taking a siesta. He got up at 5 am, walked the dogs and then got on with his latest building project, whilst it was still relatively cool. He is building a shed for the pool pump. He was told to make sure he built it big enough--and now is being mocked by all and sundry as to how big it is!
Never mind. There's a window on the bottom side, which overlooks te fields leading down to the R Charente . It is going to make a wonderful place for a bird-watching hide.
The near side will make a very smart changing room.
The slabs have been delivered to make a patio area-- and we need some proper steps down the bank. When finished it will be marvellous. At the present it is a bit of a building site!
Having said all that, the sun is shining, the temperature is HOT HOT HOT & the pool is delicious!

BLATANT ADVERTISING!!!

--or , The things we do for family!

This morning I received an e-mail from my brother who lives in Scotland. He owns a holiday cottage near St Andrews which he would like to let during the Open Golf Championships --July10th-19th.
It is the ground floor of a large villa with 3 bedrooms and within walking distance of a superb pub!
Anybody looking for such a place should e-mail:- maureenrees@msn.com
or phone 07763 473 369 ( UK number!)


Golf fans looking for somewhere to play in France?
St Junien is lovely--although it's a number of years since I've played. Exciting course--great facilities--particularly the restaurant!