Chris Sally appears in the Charroux tableau--'Lise a l'ombrelle' by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. We've had a busy month in Asnois--well it's August, the month of B&B's on holiday and summertime events.
We kicked off with the Asnois picnic! Everybody takes their own food down to the 'aire de loisir' where long trestle tables are set up under the trees. After all the handshakes & kissing--and the photo where we are all lined up for a picture that eventually is seen in 'La Presse'--'aperitifs' are served. The fashionable drink of the moment is rose wine with pamplemousse. It's very sweet. I'm not so very sure that I like it!--but it's a good topic for conversation! It's amazing how many people who turn up who you've never seen before...including an English couple who live in the Asnois hamlet of Vieille Metive, where they own a holiday home & I've not seen in 5 years.
We sat down & shared out grub-- and booze! Many of the older French brew their own....and very interesting that is too!
Geoff disappeared with Tom & Ellie (son & daughter) as they had to get the plane back to Leeds, whilst Ginnie and I escaped to Charroux where it was the annual 'Painting in the Street' week-end--culminating in the living tableaux! This is where local inhabitants are dressed up and re-enact scenes from famous paintings! ( see picture above!)
This year there were a dozen scenes and at least 30 people took part-- with dozens more involved in dressmaking and general setting up of the paintings. Half a dozen houses and gardens are used to set the scenes --and it is a wonderful excuse to see places that are not usually on show!
After enjoying the hustle and bustle--and heat! of the town for an hour or so we returned to the boules match in Asnois. This is the culmination of every picnic in France! This year it was Angleterre v. France. It was a jolly affair-- the rose & pamplemousse had been flowing copiously since our departure and the match was a good-humoured, raucus affair which the French won with ease!
The second week of August saw much action in the skies at night. Shooting stars and planets not normally visible were discussed on the BBC--and here in France. Asnois had a star-gazing night! We trolled down to the salle de fete at 21.30 hours, carrying binoculars, garden seats and woolly jumpers. After a short lecture from an a lecturer from University d'Orsee in Paris we went out into the car park & looked at Venus, Saturn and Mars. Back to the salle & another 5 minute lecture before heading up the road to a field opposite Mont Lorier. It was getting quite dark now. The lecturer had a powerful torch that he shone at various constellations as he explained what was what! The kids shone their torches at all and sundry--& didn't really help at all! We sat in our garden chairs--staring up at the stars for the next hour or so! At least 3 shooting stars were seen along with the great Bear and Cassieopia ( to name but 2 constellations!) before we returning for refreshments & home to bed!
3 days later we all met up again at 'Chateauneuf'. The Charroux tourist board has been putting on a series of events called 'La Vie du Chateau'. For the last year or 2, chateaux in private occupation throughout the Charroux area have had open evenings where the public have been invited to have a look around & study the buildings and history.
Chateauneuf, in Asnois, but on the other side of the River Charente ( ie from Maureville!) has recently been bought by a family from Paris. 50 or 60 people turned up ( & again, an English family that we'd heard of, but never met before!) to be given a guided tour of the gardens, the water-mill & vivier ( fish holding tanks!) and eventually refreshments in the chateau followed by a trip up to the attics where we looked at the extraordinary roof which comprised a roof within a roof due to extensions done in the last century. The woodwork was stunning and the owner was keen to insulate, whilst still leaving the beams exposed. It provided a lot of discussion--insulation & loft work being the work of all homeowners in these old properties--regardless of the size of one's home!
We also saw the dark damp back of the attics known as the 'prison'. The chateau was requisitioned by the Germans during the war & the back part of the attic was used as a prison.
Chateauneuf is a beautiful place. Since taking it over in June the new owners have done a huge amount of work, but there is still a lot of damp -- much TLC & money will be required to make it habitable! La Vie in a chateau may be very rewarding..but not easy!
