Fledgling owls....& other residents at maureville

B&B's aren't the only visitors who stay here at Maureville. Numerous swallows and black redstarts nest in the sheds and barns ...theyare both bossy breeds who object to humans getting into their space. This is unfortunate as the swallows like to nest in the shed where I keep my freezer, which leaves me ducking in & out of the door as they angrily squawk & dive-bomb me! The black redstarts chirrup and bob up & down..obviously telling you to go away!
Sparrows nest in the leylandii hedge and in the holes & cracks in the stones of the house in vast numbers...they are cheeky and cheerful, and totally infazed by human company.
2 years ago we had a kestrel that nested on the north side of the house. Not an area that we use much. At the same time we had little owls nesting in the chimney....I'm pretty sure I posted a photo of the fledgling as he sat in the cherry tree.
This year the kestrels have nested in the eaves at the front of the house. They are very visible and noisy..but not easy to photograph...and don't understand why humans should be allowed in the garden. They've had 2 families this year and are constantly swooping back & forth with tasty morsels for the offspring ( 1 per nest!)
Haven't seen the little owls for a while, so imagine my surprise yesterday! I was alone in the house & heard a bump. My first thought was that Mavis ( pussy-cat) was trapped somewhere, so went around opening doors & calling. Eventually found her outside my bedroom window & rather forgot about the strange noises.
7 hours later & I was watching TV. Geoff had already gone to bed and Battie was curled up in her basket..when I heard a clonk...similar to the afternoon's noise!  Then I saw something move inside the wood-burning stove.
The chimney sweep had visited us over a month ago, and ...it's June, possibly not the greatest June , but we've not had a fire since long before the chimney sweep's visit. Many years ago I remember finding a bat in the woodburner. It was 3-4" long & appeared to be asleep ( I think it was late autumn). We took it to the barn & hung it up  ( or do I mean down?!)on a perch. Never saw it again!
This time I wasn't sure what it was.....so I woke Geoff. He's the naturalist of the family! Peering into the fireplace, we saw, hiding behind bits of wood a small fluffy owl. Geoff found some heavy duty gloves and pulled him out. Poor little chap was quite bewildered.
Next problem was what to do with him.
It was dark outside..but wild life was aplenty. Nocturnal birds are are noisy & we didn't like the idea of 'wol' being eaten the minute we released him. I don't think the kestrels would have thought twice about the little fledgling.
We don't really know where his nest had been, but we see owls in the barn, so that is where we left him. As we went back to the barn I'm sure I saw a little owl on the  fence post. I like to think it was his mum who went & found him.
No sign of any owls this morning!

A Tale of 3 puds!

Food and drink is about as important as it gets in France! Summertime is for al fresco eating, followed by a game of boules or just lounging around with a glass or two of wine....but summer is taking its time to get here this year!
A phonecall from friends on holiday in the south of France (it was raining there, too!) asked that we meet up and have lunch. No amount of persuasion that 'France is a huge country and the journey will take hours' would stop them from arranging that we all meet up at 'Chez Paul' in Angouleme! This meant a 11/4 hour drive for us, and nearly 3 hours for them!
Making the most of the outing we set off early in order to do some shopping. Angouleme has some beautiful stylish shops in the town centre...but we headed for that cheap & cheerful DIY extravaganza....Bricodepot! We had a list as long as your arm, and fully expected to have to move on to Castorama, Leroy Merlin or Mr. Bricolage, but  we were in luck and managed to get it all at the first stop!
I hadn't given Kim particularly good instructions to get to the restaurant...'follow city centre' signs and keep driving uphill, past the Mairie and 'Palais de Justice' and park in the 'Place'..but keep texting to keep in touch!
The first message said...running late by about 30 minutes...and so we had plenty of time to peruse the area for ourselves. We did a lap of the city centre before looking for a parking space. At 1pm there was no spare space outside the  restaurant...but plenty in the multi-story car park. We window-shopped (I love looking in 'chocolatierie') our way from the car to '8,Place Francis Louvel' and started to text the address to Kim so that she could put it in her sat-nav. It was a grey day..but no rain, and not too cold...and we sat outside for about 15 minutes, trying to work out which direction our friends would be coming from. We were looking for a green car, so were taken by surprised when we saw 3 ladies rushing up from the opposite corner of the square. Shouts & hugs and kisses and we went inside the restaurant.
1.40pm is quite late for people to arrive for lunch in France, but fortunately Chez Paul serves lunches until 2.15. Usually one orders from the 'Menu du jour', but  we decided to go 'a la carte'...Geoff went for rump steak & chips, Kim for ox cheek in red wine with mash, and  Sue, Helen & I chose the chicken escalopes  with lemon risotto.  On previous visits I've always drunk Perrier water and refused a dessert. The slimming diet is not going so well at the moment...and I had a glass of red wine and 'cafe liegeois'. This proved to be 2 balls of coffee ice-cream and 1 of vanilla, covered with squirty cream and coffee syrup, and served in a smart boat-shaped dish. The others had similar puds! In fact, a tad dissappointing!
 Two nights later Geoff & I were invited to dinner with our English neighbours at Beauregard farm. Dinner parties are a popular form of winter entertainment amongst the English and the French. The wine, and other forms of alcohol, flows and the food...often plain, but frequently quite lavish is plentiful (..and always ruins my diet!) Friday was no exception....Jacki had done us proud!
There were 7 of us around the table.We started with a 'bubbly' aperitif...the starter was a seafood dish. 'Canard aux cerises', with roast winter veg and red cabbage was the yummy main course. This was served with a Bordeaux wine... a Pomerol from....Chateau Beauregard!!...which Keith, Jacki's Dad had picked up during a trip to Bordeaux vineyards and contributed to the night's meal! Classy or what?
A rather splendid cheeseboard followed. In France the cheese is served before the pud.
And then...la piece de la resistance!
Pud was a mixture of assorted pots of strawberry and/or chocolate. On top of a large square plate was a shot-glass containing strawberry sorbet, with a dash of pineau, a small dish of chocolate mousse, a vanilla tuille, a tiny chocolate gateau and a tiny fluted dish of creme anglais. In the middle of all this was a large strawberry lightly dusted with icing sugar!
It was a work of art... and a triumph of watching umpteen rounds of ' Masterchef'... and I'm pretty sure the afore-mentionned restaurant would have been proud to have served the dish themselves!
So, this got me thinking! I am a rustic cook...certainly not a Masterchef contestant! I watch cookery programmes with interest and browse through recipe books and, as the ingredients required were already in the cupboard, decided to attempt an  apple & toffee pud.
We'd invited Alan & Sue for Sunday roast supper. They have just got back to their French holiday cottage, where they'll stay for the summer and were bringing us some English shopping. Just the 4 of us...and nothing too grand!
The only thing growing in the garden at the moment is the asparagus, so we started with  a rose wine  and smoked salmon & asparagus quiche. Roast lamb followed...with a fitou wine (under 3 euros from Lidl,or possibly Netto...but it had been awarded a goldmedal!).
We gave the cheese a miss...but then there was my 'masterpiece'!!!
2 days of research into apple and toffee recipes & the pud was thus:-
On a wide-rimmed round bowl I placed a warm  mini apple sponge. This was a fairy cake with apple slices at the base...& turned out, upside-down on the plate. I poured a toffee sauce over it. To one side of this was a fan-shaped arrangement of translucent apple cooked in dark brown sugar syrup. On the other side was a mini cinnamon panatone. all was lightly dusted with icing sugar!
How did it compare with Jacki's pud? Not as posh! All the little pots & serving dishes really make the display. They control the portion size and dictate the number of components.
My cinnamon panattone was delicious...but making it in a small teacup & turning it out onto the serving dish....it was too big & took up too much space. The toffee apple gateaux was ok,but creme anglaise might have been preferable to toffee sauce. Perhaps then a toffee syrup 'cheffy' swirl across the plate would have tied the components together.
I might attempt to refine the pud...but first must acquire the relevant crockery!
Come & B&B with with us, dine 'table d'hote' with us.....and you may be able to see how I'm getting on with it!
Meanwhile I have to face the scales at 'Slimmercise' in 2 days time! Help!

April showers!

Well I've just returned from 10 days  break in the UK. 3 days in Yorkshire, where both my daughters live, followed by a week with the aged parent in his new Retirement Village home in Hertfordshire. So, 3 days fun and chaos....trips to the park and helping catch up with all their laundery ( was there ever a family in need of a full-time maid!) and a week of sedate pub and Italian restaurant lunches ( yum-yum!) and bus trips into Watford for a bit of personal shopping! After 5 years in France I now find M&S overwhelming! So much stuff...so many styles, and colours...the choice is impossible!....and the food hall is equally bad! No wonder they say everybody is getting so fat nowadays!
It is WONDERFUL to be back home! I flew into Poitiers yesterday afternoon...we then spent 2 hours in Leroy Merlin...yes, it's back to the renovations! No time for food shopping so it was back home to eggs and home-grown asparagus, with baguette and a glass of red wine! It can't be beaten!
This morning Geoff went off to do some lawn-mowing for friends with a holiday home, dropping me & Batty at the 'aire de loisir' in Asnois. We walked along the banks of the River Charente...it's very high at the moment. Although there have been constant showers and a horrible dip in the temperature, the 'Departement de Vienne' is on water shortage alert, so I can only assume that the sluices have been closed!
It made the river look good...flowing fast...( hopefully we may yet see the elusive kingfisher this year!)......with green grassy banks and wildflowers popping up everywhere.
I carried on along the pathway, past Mont Lorier and in the direction of Maureville where I  passed a large clump of snakeshead fritillary. These were the star of the morning, but now celandines, lungwort, cowslips, lord's & ladies, and ladies smock, to name but a few of the flowers,can be seen in abundance! I only wish I could identify the birdsong as easily as the flowers. The cuckoo, who was calling  a couple of weeks ago couldn't be heard today...perhaps he's sulking because of the poor weather, but everything else was singing away loudly! The hoopoes have been spotted...but not by me!...and the ever faithful swallows and black redstarts have made nests in the old pigpens in the front garden. Our noisiest 'lodger' is a young kestrel. His parents have nested in the stonework under the eaves of the farmhouse here at Maureville for the last 4 years. They regularly rear an offspring or two & complain noisily at our presence in the garden, whilst the youngster complains noisily for his next meal!

blogs and blanquette!

There are numerous blogs describing life in France! Many are quite innovative and entertaining. I am now going to poach an article from 'Living the life at Saint Aignan'...with many thanks & apologies to Ken Broadhurst. In all honesty it's not complete plagiarism, rather the fact that, in googling for a 'blanquette de dinde' recipe, not only was this the best,but also bought in very similar conditions!
Early yesterday morning I popped into Netto...probably the cheapest supermarket in Savigne (give or take Leader Price and Lidl) for a few bits & pieces & found a large pack on the well-stocked meat shelf ( I really should make a habit of this early morning shop!) that was labelled .........
'8 osso bucco & 3 blanquettes'
As stated in the Saint Aignan blog, the price was low ( 3.49 euros per kilo, compared with 2.50 euros...but this is 2012, n0t 2010!)...BARGAIN....I thought...and shoved it in the trolley!
I saw Michel Roux jr. cook 'blanquette de veau' on Saturday Kitchen a couple of years ago and have fancied it ever since, but done nothing about it....as you do! 'Now's my chance' I thought.
This afternoon is the last afternoon of the 6 nations rugby competition. After a week's wonderful spring weather, all has changed. It is dull and grey and very cool without all that lovely sunshine that had me out in the vegetable patch. We've been invited out for supper tonight (which has rather upset Geoff as England don't kick-off until 5.00 pm GMT......which is 6.00pm French time & when we've been asked to turn up for 'aperitifs'!) so I thought I'd check out some recipes as our favourite B&B's come next week & will want to join us 'table d'hote'!
Meg & Harry were our first ever customers for B&B in France. They stayed with us when house-hunting. Then they came back to sign the 'acte de vente'. They've a holiday home about 20 minutes drive away and they stayed with us during the initial renovations. Nowadays they come over to France every summer & stop with us on the first and last night of their visit!
Voila! I thought.... I can cook 'blanquette' or 'osso bucco'...either of which will make a super main course!
I google recipes & started reading them. Then I went & had a look at the tray of meat in the fridge.
Quelle horreur!
How did I miss that word 'DINDE' written in red capital letters at the top of the label! No wonder it was so cheap!
Oh well..'blanquette de veau' will have to wait for another day. I've now studied all the 'blanquette de dinde' and the 'osso bucco..dinde' recipes. I'm sure it will be delicious......and I've found a lovely blog about life in the Loire.
(ps...I didn't really poach Ken's ' blanquette de dinde' article.....but I AM going to use his recipe, and I might just write it out here after I've cooked it! Having written this blog though, with a TV background of Scotland getting the wooden spoon after losing to Italy, I've abandoned all thoughts of cooking & shall now watch Wales beat France & win The Grand Slam 2012.........I hope!)

The house-hunting/buying season has arrived with a vengeance!
I've just waved good-bye to Anne & Bob...... ex-B&B's and now they are our new neighbours! They have bought an old farmhouse along the chemin, en-route to Asnois where, for the next few months, Bob has a full-time renovating job!
They stayed with us for 4 days..which meant organising dinner every night. I haven't done a lot of cooking this year, and these days I find it very easy to get out of practise.
On the whole it all went quite well. We have a lot of fruit and veg from last year's garden produce, whilst fresh produce at the moment is only leeks and parsnips.
The 7-month old sheepdog pup(not ours!) who has been running around the farmyard across the road, chased one of my 2 surviving chickens, caught....and destroyed it, leaving the old red hen, who then survived all the cold weather on her own, only to be found dead beneath her perch a couple of weeks later. I don't know whether, at 4 years old, she died of old age, loneliness or boredom....but no more homegrown, free-range eggs until we get some more!
Anyhow, back to my suppers!
The first night I made a huge tagine of pork.... a sweet (dates & apricots) and mildly spicy dish, which I love. There was sufficient to freeze the leftovers for another supper ....always handy when people ask to stay for dinner at short notice. For pudding I used up some of last year's peaches in a crumble with creme anglaise. I'm not too impressed with frozen peaches. The are a bit insipid, so I added a small amount of crystallised ginger to pep up the flavour. Freezing is a simple way of preserving excess fruit, but I think I'll try bottling some of the peaches this summer.
The following night we started with home-made parsnip soup, garnished with grated apple..as instructed by Delia! Then we had confit de canard.... and I was chuffed to find a sauce recipe..50% mustard mixed with 50% grape jelly. I made grape jelly in 2009. It is too runny, never set properly, but ideal for a sauce. It also made a great substitute for orange sauce that one usually does with duck ( & Geoff dislikes!)
Roasties cooked in duck fat are also dead yummy!
Thursday's supper started with fishcakes. I adapted the leftover grape/mustard sauce with some mayonnaise as a dressing! This was followed by chicken pie with leeks and cauliflower and dessert was elderflower jelly with some of last year's cherries..these do freeze well!
The final supper started ok with deep-fried calamari, but, after that wasn't quite so inspired as the previous nights! The main course of shepherd's pie was followed by creme caramel on a bed of meringue! It sounds ok, but the creme caramel should be turned out onto a flat plate in order to hold its shape. With hindsight, I also realise that I was too faint-hearted when making the caramel. In being afraid of burning it, I took it away from the heat too soon. Some of the sugar hadn't completely caramelised and ended up sticking to the mold! This meant that, what with fighting with the caramel & then landing on broken pieces of meringue, it rather landed on the plate with a 'splat'...not a good look!
Oh well, I shall do better next time!
More house-hunters expected next week...it's not helping the 'regime'!

Broadband by satellite!

Hooray!This is quick!

We've spent the last week fixing and installing a Tooway satellite system.

It was ordered online last week. Arrived within 3 days, constructed and erected at the week-end!

At that point things got tricky and we are.... oh so lucky... in having friends Mike ( & Jenni)...who enjoys tinkering with computers ( I'm trying...and failing...in describing him as a computer nerd!!...which sounds like an insult...but no, he's a hero!) Anyhow, Mike & Jenni came over, had a bite of lunch and sorted the parabola inline with the satellite.

I now have a phone line that is still free whilst I'm online....no more friends complaining that they can never get hold of us as somebody's always online!!

And, of course, it's so much faster!

Next step..'Skype'...and 'routers'!

February 2012...& a belated Happy New Year!

Well, goodness gracious me! What a game I've had trying to re-connect with my blog! I'm not 100% sure how I've now managed to find the right page in order to compose new articles, but here I am with a quick update of events since Christmas. ( & apologies to everybody who thought I'd dissappeared off the face of the earth!)
The maire of Asnois gave his annual address in January. Nothing terribly exciting...except news that the white elephant of a doctor's surgery...built for a Romanian doctor to come & start up his medical practice 2 years ago...& which fell through after the gentleman in question did a runner, now has a new use! Our commune sponsored him (the doctor) and entertained him for 18 months whilst he upped his French language skills in hospitals in Poitiers. By the time the Vienne medical boards considered him satisfactory to start a GP unit here in Asnois, he & his wife decided to head for more exotic parts of France...leaving a lot of unhappy councillors here. Anyhow..the new surgery is now to be for a dentist!
The winter weather didn't arrive until last week. After 2 weeks of snow & ice the thaw has arrived. I can't really say we were badly affected, but many local folk still have frozen or burst pipes.
Geoff has been building all this winter in a bid to break the back of the gite renovations. We stopped for a couple of days partying over the Christmas break...and for a couple of days last week when it was just too cold. Otherwise he has worked steadily onwards. Progress seems slow..deadlines to finish this, that & the next job, come...&....go!...but I suppose we are getting there! When you are not a professional, some jobs take an agonisingly long time!
The latest digression is the arrival ( this morning!) of the 'Tooway' satellite dish. This will take a day or 3 to erect, but we have decided that we can no longer carry on without 'broadband'. Friends & clients complain because they can't get us on the phone...and we spend a long time online, which is VERY slow! So, all I can say, is...watch this space!

Autumn fairs and picnics

We thought the summer jaunts and outings had come to an end. Very few B&B bookings, so back to the 'renovations'...but no...... suddenly we found all sorts of entertainment on our doorstep.

The grandchildren came for their autumn visit..and the weather stayed warm enough for a couple of dips in the pool!

We also took them to the wonderful 'Mediaeval fete' at Chateau Larcher...entrance free.... apple donuts and mead and knights in armour! The whole village participates, dressing up as peasants, knights, orcs (?--obviously around in France in mediaeval times!) and nobles. The highlight of the afternoon was the rescuing of the maidens from the wicked ( English!) knight's castle. First they were bombarded by umpteen schoolchildren... but then the siege warfare started...a great piece of wooden machinery...firing water-filled balloons at the baddies. 43 shots & they hit their target...but we'd all got soaked too in the process!

Our next outing was in our own village of Asnois. A picnic was being organised at the old mill at Roussille to show us the renovations being carried out there.

This time we were asked to dress up in nineteenth century peasant costume! A 'randonnee' was the morning's task...followed by the picnic at the mill... a guided tour of the mill and then songs, dancing and poems, and plenty of chat going on into the evening when omelettes were cooked for all! Of course, the alcohol flowed...we were surprised how much home-made wine and liqueur was present. Pierre came around with a bottle of clear liquid...many said......no-no-non....& covered their glasses with a hand! I said 'oui, merci!' ...one has to be daring occasionally...and was thrilled to taste a smoothe mellow drink. I was told that he'd taken sacks of windfall plums to the distillery in Availles Limousine and came back with 16 bottles of spirit! So that's how you do it!

It was lovely warm day...Geoff & I were the only English who turned up...which was quite a strain on our language skills!!...fortunately we were saved by American Dan, who, previously unknown to us, lives in the commune, works at Poitiers university.. and speaks perfect French and took a lot of stress out of our day!

Since then we've had house-hunters staying, and a little holiday ourselves..but more of that later!

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

As September arrives so the B&B numbers go into decline. The rush of August seems like an age away!

We've had a long hot summer with plenty of visitors...some just visiting the area..some passing through (invariably on bicycles) and some house-hunters.

The pool has been a great success and we are pleased with the paving and landscaping that now finishes it off nicely! The gazebo has been fixed within an inch of its life as it is necessary for those wishing to avoid the sun's rays during the heat of the day...but also has to stay standing during winds and storms, which we get quite regularly in the peak of the summer. Of course the snag is the grass inside.........I think I'm going to have to invest in a small electric mower with grass collection box!

The hot spring and early summer has meant tons of watering...and even though we have had rain since the beginning of August...some of the vegetables have not gone according to plan.

The colorado beetle on the potatoes was the biggest disaster..but the raspberries and the sweetcorn haven't been good, the tomatoes, although prolific have not been as tasty as usual and the onions were small .....or non-existant!

On the other hand, the rain arrived in time for us to have the best crop of runner beans since arriving in France, the French beans were superb and the brassicas--savoy cabbage & cauliflowers are enormous!

So, harvest time has arrived and its jamming and bottling...pickles and chutneys... and soups & juices... and thank heavens for the freezer, where everything is dumped if I run out of time.

So far I have made.......apricot jam, mirabelle jam, blackcurrant jelly and redcurrant jelly, pear & ginger jam, bramble jelly and bramble cheese. In the store cupboard I've 'Maureville'chutney..made from the mirabelle plums in the garden, green tomato chutney and...a first for me...piccalili! This proved to be a bit traumatic..I needed more cider vinegar than I had in the cupboard, so substituted red wine vinegar..big mistake...the piccalili has lost it's wonderful vibrant yellow colour and the sauce is a sludgy brown. Nice & tasty, but a bit disappointing!

And I've bottled pears.This year I've reverted back to the 'Belgian' pear recipe. Bottling pears in a light sugar proved to be rather dull............easier to buy a tin of pears from the supermarket! The Belgian pears have been simmered for 6 hours in white wine vinegar and sugar & the luxurious thick syrup gives a very superior pud, served with a dollop of creme fraiche!

The big problem this summer has been the plague of flies that we've had to tolerate. We've put mesh on the back door & windows, but it's been impossible to eat outside without them invading every glass or plate, so barbecues have been fewer than usual this year. It's been quite frustrating but I understand we're not alone. A long chat with our maire at the Asnois picnic this year, & he said it was the worst he'd ever experienced...even worse than 2004. I just hope we don't have another bad year for the next 7 years!

So the busy season is over...last year we had 3 or 4 lots of cyclists en-route to Santiago de Compostela in September. This year they seem to have passed through earlier in the summer. I imagine some must have suffered during the hottest days.

Never mind, it's only a matter of time before we hear from the serious house-hunters. Our friends Gill & Mike have started up a house-hunting service .....www.poitou.charentes.kerizac.com.............. and send a lot of their clients our way!

Meanwhile Geoff is back upstairs...the plasterboarding is finished and the plastering will start as soon as the family...next week's un-paying visitors...have been & come & gone!

So, tomorrow we're having a day off for a trip up to the Loire on a wine tasting/buying trip... then the grandchildren arrive!

Extraordinary visitors

I've just waved goodbye to an elderly ( aged 81) Frenchman and his lovely wife. They stayed here at Maureville for 2 days and ate 'table d'hote' each evening at the kitchen table with us. Madame spoke superb English, whilst Monsieur wasn't bad. They preferred me to speak French though, so it was quite a challenge, but not impossible as they helped out when I got stuck.
So, why were they extraordinary?
Monsieur de Fleury was a descendant of the de Fleury family who were 'seigneurs' of Maureville and Beauregard for centuries...selling the estate & moving to a chateau in the Charente in approximately 1850.
He has done extensive research into the family history and, indeed spent most of his 2 days 'chez nous' in the Mairie in Asnois, searching through records. There he was quite successful, although he could find no de Fleury headstones in the cemetry.
The de Fleury's kept hold of the chateau at Beauregard during the Revolution due to a fearless lady. I would guess she was the 'Chatelaine'. Her 2 sons fled to Germany along with many other young rich men of the time, where they joined an army to fight back against the rebels. When rebels from Civray arrived at the chateau, she said she was a woman alone & persuaded them to leave her alone. 10 years later her sons returned & took over the place.
I believe the last family member living in Beauregard was the great-grandfather of my guest...Dr. Maurice de Fleury. He was the local 'medecin' and travelled around the countryside in an old horse & cart. We were told the story of Dr Maurice's courtship with a young lady that was rudely interrupted, and also ruined by his horse,bored with waiting outside, barging into the lady's cottage & wrecking the windows!
M. de Fleury also told us a bit about Maureville. We'd always assumed that some of the stonework around the doors and windows, and the enormous stone fireplace were the result of receiving stolen goods during the sacking of the nearby Abbaye at Charroux. They are quite outrageously ostentatious for an ordinary farmhouse. ..............But, said Monsieur, it wasn't an ordinary farmhouse...it was much grander than that, it was part of the 'Seigneurie'....?? ( Not too sure what that involves!-- a manager, or Dowager's house perhaps?!)
The last little anecdote that we were told was of M. 's childhood. He was brought up in a chateau in the Charente. He called his mother 'La comtesse'... obviously an upper class family. The upper classes throughout Europe were more happy with each others company, than associating with the lower classes. One afternoon in 1940 a high-ranking German officer, whose troups had encamped in the nearby village, arrived at the chateau to be greeted by 10 year old Philippe (our Monsieur). 'I'd like to speak with your father' he said to Philippe. 'No, it's impossible,' he was told. 'Isn't he here?' said the Officer. 'Yes, but he is taking his siesta and I dare not wake him' said Philippe.
The Officer departed saying he'd come back at a more convenient time. Such was the power of the upper classes, at least early on in the war!
M.et Mme de Fleury were fascinating guests. Of course, now that they've gone I've a dozen queries for them. They've promised to stay again and I hope his research will carry on...I must make a list before the next visit!

Ps. As well as his ancestral interests, until retirement at 75 M. was a serious yachtsman. Six years ago he was crossing the Atlantic with a crew of 6, when the rudder fell off the boat. SOS calls went out (I believe it was a bit of a storm) and a British 'Tall Ship'-- umpteen metres of 'voile' (sails), manned by a disabled crew of youngsters, came to their rescue.
It was impossible to save their yacht and so it had to be scuttled. The French crew then spent a week aboard the British ship.
M. de Fleury said, whilst recounting this story, 'it was then I understood how the British won the war. The discipline and tenaciousness of the disabled crew was phenominal. A French crew wouldn't be the same at all.'
Interesting little anecdote!

The randonnee--beautiful countryside scenery

Saturday May 28th saw us joining about 150 folk from nearby Charroux on their annual evening 'randonnee'.

Organised walks & rambles are a strong form of village entertainment round these parts. Asnois has 2 or 3 randonnee every year. We missed the last as I was catching a plane to the UK that day, so yesterday's outing in Charroux seemed a good time to find out what all the excitement is about.

We got tickets (12 euros per person) from the tourist office in Charroux & were told to meet up in the big house by the car park at 6.30pm on Saturday. There we would be entertained by a band, & be given 'aperitifs' before we set off on our way. The destination was to be Richmeau chateau.

It was a hot day--like every day this month. What an amazing May we've had! We arrived to see Sandra, with her cardy tied around her waist & walking stick in hand. Geoff had a small rucksack...and was prepared for a cooler temperature later that evening. I was more concerned about being too hot and decided a body warmer was all I needed over a tee shirt. More people arrived...mostly French, but quite a few English & we set off round to the garden behind the 'Big House' ( This is a commune house used in Charroux for events, displays and meetings. The garden is an extension of the 'aire de loisir')

We received a map of the route, & tickets...'aperitifs'...'tagine+ fromage'..'dessert+tee ou cafe'...and, within a few minutes had handed over the torn-off 'aperitif' ticket in exchange for a glass of the ubiquitous rose wine with pamplemousse and a slice of quiche alongside a slice of pizza! This we ate on long benches that had been dotted around the garden, but mostly in front of the 'oompah' band which started up with 'Winchester cathedral' and continued in that vein for the next hour.

Eventually ( about 8pm!) there was a stirring & we all set off..but it didn't equate to the route on the map, as we headed up the road towards the church, along some of the back lanes and onto a track. A couple of friends were convinced they were on their way back to Vieille Metive!

It was a long straggly crocodile..groups of 3 & 4 in a row, all striding out and chatting with their neighbours. The first section was slightly uphill, and we were going at quite a lick. Many youngsters over took us and gradually the group of walkers spread out...some marching out ahead, whilst others pottered behind more sedately.

As we walked along the 'chemins'..fields to either side of us...not a dwelling in site, we realised that we were 'doing' the route on the map backwards! The walkers were really thinning out now & we arrived at a set of arrows--those pointing left said---11kms, those pointing straight on said 8kms. We, and the 3 elderly French ladies in front of us headed straight on!

The countryside was beautiful. The River Charente was on our left, with a field of horses behind it and on our left was afield of Friesian heiffers. The French ladies were getting well ahead as we arrived at a clearing...not too sure where this was, but there were loos.....hooray!..and 3 lads in yellow jackets waiting to guide us over the little footbridge. We'd lost our ladies by then & asked the guides how much further...... the first said 5kms.............ohhhh dear we said............. peut-etre 2 ou 3 he said!

So we crossed the river, went through the field & up into the woods where we followed the track round to the right ( white arrows showed us the way) & were promptly overtaken by a group of teenagers who'd taken the long route! We knew the chateau was on the other side of the river--and the otherside of the main road and, on coming out fromthe wood, were pleasantly surprised to find that we knew where we were!

Over the road bridge, across the main road...& there were our 3 lads again. 'DEUX KILOMETRES' John said to them...'je pense c'etait 5'!!! It was a steep climb up to the chateau, but, on coming around the side, we were greeted with torches all around the edge of the lawns which we followed as far as the stripy tent. The second ticket was handed over & we were given tagine of chicken with cous-cous--a hunk of brie and a hunk of chevre-- and a glass of red wine. Trestle tables had been set out in the tent and loaves of bread ceremoniously dumped along them--about a metre apart! Much to our surprise, more people were arriving for food long after we had started eating..so we weren't the last after all..by a long way!

The entertainment this time was a quartet of 2 girls--one playing a clarinet, the other playing the accordion and 2 boys, playing bassoon and violin. An odd assortment of intruments, but they came up with some wonderfully haunting gypsy style folk music. We were told they were a Balkan group..but they spoke to the audience in French!

It was getting darker...and cooler.

We set off through the back entrance of the chateau & into the woods. It wasn't cold, but I was quite grateful to the 2 ladies in front of us, and the 3 teenagers behind, who waved their torches aound!

It was a lot faster on the way back & we arrived in a small lane just above the Mairie. We followed back lanes down to the main road, and were promptly hered staright across, round the back again & up the steps ( the final killer of the night!)--past the allotments into the church car park.............. where we were serenaded again by the jazz band! We stayed with them for about 20minutes by which time nearly everybody had arrived & we were taken back into the village where we had pudding in Les Halles!

It was 11.45pm when we left... we just about got into bed at midnight! It was a super evening!

May 2011--HOT HOT HOT!!!

The landscaping is finished but the tidying up is difficult when the ground is so hard.

But you can see that it is going to be very smart soon!

Mieke's willow sculpture..... at present here at Maureville... Geoff has been watering her garden at La Grange d'Amelie...but it was burning up, so he brought it back home where it had recovered well. We're going to have to return it soon!!!

Oh dear!

I've really rather neglected this blog this year...so now is the time to get going again.

We are having an extraordinary May. No rain for at least 6 weeks. The odd grey-ish day, but on the whole we've had temperatures over 24 for over a month and it doesn't look as though it is going to change for a while.

Geoff abandoned his indoor building project in April whilst I was away in England. I got back to find him doing mammoth works round the pool. We bought slabs to do a bit of landscaping last year, but the job has been on hold until the ground was suitable for work. Many friends with above-ground pools put decking around. It looks good, but we decided against this for 2 reasons. Firstly, the safety ladder we'd bought is ideal for keeping youngsters out. If we surrounded the pool with decking, we'd then have to put extra safety fencing around. The second reason for not having decking was because we discovered last summer, that, compared with that of friends with pools of similar size, our pool was 3 or 4 degrees warmer due to the sun shining on the surrounding walls. Today...May 21st.. the temperature of the pool is 26, yesterday it was even warmer!

The bizarre thing of such high temperatures for such a prolonged time so early in the season is that, not only is nature confused, but so am I! Somehow it feels like July...and I don't understand why there are no tomatoes ready to eat in the garden! ( well, of course, I understand...but it feels as though there should be!)

Well, the landscaping is nearly finished--just as well as the ground is as hard as concrete now. I have to finish building the dry stone wall around the top of the new paved area.... and the 'flowerbeds' above need weeding and planting now.

Of course--we really need some rain!!....but I do love the sunshine & don't want it to end!

2011-- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Since October Geoff has built 2 new windows-- the pictures above show the progress--albeit in the wrong order (one day I'll master downloading and displaying of pictures on the blog!) of the construction of the bedroom window to the front of the house. This is to be the 3rd bedroom upstairs. It will be a double room with a small mezzanine above which will have 2 single beds. There will be a large bathroom--with bath & shower along the landing-- and we're hoping all this will be ready for use this summer. Ultimately it will all be part of the self-catering appartment-- which will not be ready this summer--short of a miracle!

More of the 'racing round the ramparts'!

Well----- great day out for petrol heads! Huge English following! Crowds everywhere!

But not my thing!

Motor-racing at Angouleme

Although we've had a couple of mid-week visitors, the last two week-ends have been very quiet. Marvellous for us to get out & about and enjoy the end of summer entertainment!

Last week-end had so much on that it was hard to choose where to go or what to do! In the end I plumped for a girlie Saturday at the Slimmercise Health & Body Beautiful event at the salle de fete in Lessac ( not far from Confolens) where we inspected make-up, clothes, jewelry,--had morning coffee with slimline cakes!--but couldn't get an appointment with the tarot reading lady as she was already so booked up!--bought some Christmas cards and then enjoyed the wonderful ( and very modestly priced!)slimline lunch that had been prepared by Lynn's chef husband and helpers from some of the slimming classes.

I then spent the afternoon in the pool. The water temperature has been on the decline for some time now--it was 24*C then, but now is down to 20! Whether we'll get another dip this year seems doubtful.

I should have gone to Charroux in the evening to see the 'Spectacle'-- a series of historical plays, renacted by local villagers--French & English, and which I'm told was most entertaining. But I didn't-- mainly because we had an early start the next day ( well, Geoff did!)

He was off on a boy's outing with the lads from Beauregard. The 4 of them were off to see the 'Racing round the Ramparts'-- the street racing event held every September in Angouleme.

I am told the place was heaving so they parked at the bottom of town by the in the railway staion car park --and then walked up to the top--for the action!

More pictures, and the rest of the story of the day out at Angouleme with the next posting!

Le Conge Annuel!

We've had a few B&B's since I last wrote in the blog.

The 'most interesting'-- were a Dutch couple who phoned to see if we'd a vacancy on the day before their arrival.

They arrived on pushbikes and were on a 5 week holiday during which they planned to cycle from Holland along the ancient historical pilgrim route of St James Way, along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

I knew that Charroux was along the route-- it is frequently a subject of discussion in the village--and cyclists frequently stop to see the tower in Charroux-- all that is now left of the Abbaye which was once one of the biggest in France.

On chatting with my B&B's--who planned to cycle between 50 & 100kms per day--depending on the weather, the terrain etcetc--& then fly home at the end!-- I realised I knew very little about it. So ..........I googled it...........& discovered:-

1985 there were 2,491 pilgrims--who completed the route & claimed a 'compostela' afterwards!

( no--I've no idea either!)

1995 19,821 pilgrims claimed their compostelas!

2005 93,921 pilgrims walked or cycled the route.

Of course, many more go---& are unrecorded if they do not claim their compostela, but it would seem that ever more people, religious & non-religious, from all over Europe are heading through France, across the Pyrenees and along the north coast of Spain ( apparently there's a coastal path & an inland path through the mountains) to Santiago de Compostela on the far west point of Spain.

Quite exciting--n'est ce pas?

We have just returned from our 'conge annuel'-- as the summer break is known in this part of the world!

We headed off to John & Chris's holiday home near Charlieu in La Loire. This isn't the departement all around the River Loire, or Loir, to the north of Poitou-Charentes. It is the departement in the Rhone-Alpes where you find the source of the Loire-- about 5 hours drive due east from here!

We last went there about 3 years ago, so it was great to see all there home improvements. The sad little cottage that had those dark damp rooms which backed onto the mountain had all been opened up and dry-lined. A new bathroom had been installed upstairs--and a new kitchen downstairs-- but the ' piece de resistance' was the new outside doors and windows throughout. Very much food for thought!

Our 2 days there wasn't marred by the continuous rain--good food, good wine (they live by the Beaujolais vineyards and are friends with the owners of Les Bulliats, who produce Regnie wines)and good company--who cares about the weather!

On leaving John & Chris we headed through the 'Montagnes de Madeleine' towards Vichy--with a view to spending the day there --and possibly finding a city B&B where we could spend the night.

We picnicked in the beautiful arboretum parks alongside the River Allier. We went to the old part of the city & had a coffee....but... we are not city folk, and we quickly decided that we couldn't bear the noise and the hustle & bustle...........so we moved on!

A quick study of the map & we discovered we were in that oh,so romantic sounding Auvergne! ( The haunting strains of Joseph Canteloube's 'Songs of the Auvergne' evokes this thought!)

We headed for the town of Riom-- just outside Clermont Ferrand. Not being able to find a B&b we plumped for one of the cheapy hotels that you find on the ring roads of nearly all the big cities in France-- and went to the burger bar across the road for supper! ( French beefburgers are 100% beef--and not to be sneered at!)

The next morning was grey and cloudy as we headed for Puy de Dome. It was well sign-posted & we reached the car park well before 10am. It was also covered by cloud.

I hadn't actually considered mountain climbing. The map looked as though you could drive to the top--but the car park was actually about 3/4 of the way to the summit! It was also busy with hikers, caravanners and builders who were erecting posters and signs. The cafe said it didn't open before 11am--but did advertise a large menu for later in the day.

We read posters-- noting one that said '45 minutes to the top' (less than we walk daily with the dogs!)-- and then decided to meander along the path to see what was around the first corner! At this stage the mountain was still in cloud--in fact visibility in the car park was fairly limited. i didn't think we'd be going very far--which is why I was still carrying my handbag which had a thumping great paperback and a large hardbacked address book as we set off!

The path meandered back & forth up the hillside. There were stopping places with seats and maps and viewing points--all of which we used as we pottered on!

The path crossed a road ( it does go to the top--but not for the likes of tourists!) and the mist started to clear. It was getting a bit steeper as we came across a post with a yellow notice on it--which said ( in 3 languages)-- 'you have covered a third of the journey since leaving the car park. Another 250 metres to climb to the summit!' I reckon we'd already taken 45 minutes at this stage, but it was all quite enjoyable, so we carried on!

The sun came out & the views across the countryside were stunning. The Auvergne consists of umpteen extinct volcanoes, leaving the countryside a series of green craters in all directions. The last part of the climb was a hard slog. We were overtaken by cyclists ( the 'tour de France' has been to the summit of Puy de Dome many times), by joggers and ordinary walkers ( who were younger & fitter!)--but we got there-- hot, and breathless, and very red in the face!

At the summit there were cafes ( all closed, in spite of the number of people--it was September, so the season was over!) --there was the 'Temple of Mercury'-- a series of standing stones!!?!-- and a French television station! A large concrete path went all around the summit , with telescopes and binoculars and posters describing the views in all directions. We carried on ( it was nearly the final straw which broke the camel's back trudging up the last few steps!) taking photos to the north, south, east and west!

We headed back down the path--noting the sign that said '45 minutes back to the car park'! I asked somebody the time--'12.26' he said.

More & more people were trudging to the top as we strode back down with a glowing feeling of superiority!! If we'd stepped out any faster we'd have tumbled. On reaching the car park I was told the time was 1.13pm...... 47 minutes!!

We ate the remains of the Vichy picnic lunch--just as well we had it as the cafe with all the promising signs proved to be selling coffee and kitkats--or so a very disgruntled Englishman informed me!

We'd planned to spend the last part of our holiday in Aubusson. We'd been told it was the tapestry capitol of France--if not the world, and well worth a visit, particularly since it was en-route on our return homewards.

We got there, did a couple of laps and parked in the car park next to the museum ( of tapestry).

Still on a high from the morning's exertions, we found it difficult to get very enthusiastic, but we went round the museum and stared in awe at the enormous wall hangings--dating from the 15th century onwards--before calling it a day and heading home.

The countryside got less green as we got further west. We'd left the place looking a bit like the Sahara-- fields and hedgerows were yellow, or even brown. Lawns were bare after the long hot summer-- and, although I think there'd been a drop of rain, it was nothing compared with what we'd seen over the last few days! Oh good-- it's still summertime-- not yet ready for autumn we thought!

Star gazing and other local events in Asnois!

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!

Summer Party season!

This month has been one long 'fete'!

It all started in La Chappelle Baton salle de fete with the 50th birthday celebrations of Ghislaine-- the sole remaining French person attending weekly ballroom dance classes. French friends and family had all been invited--as had all the regulars who turn up every Tuesday night.

It was the start of the heat wave--and, sadly for me, my first week at 'Slimmercise'. ( 'But I'm off to 2 parties this week' I said to Lynne after she'd weighed me & handed me my brand new diet!--'Stick with water, protein and salad'--was the reply!)

So, we danced, and we ate--it's hard on vegetarians in France! but there was tons of different meats-- and I said I was doing the driving, so I toasted the birthday girl with champagne, and then drank water for the rest of the evening! We left well after midnight-- and after such an abstemious do, can only think that it is the late night that made me feel delicate the next day!

Two days later we were back in LCB for Alan & Sue's non-wedding, but 20-years- anniversary party. This was a luncheon and tables had been laid under parasols and awnings along the side of their house for about 20 people. This is the 3rd year that they've thrown a party --last year was Sue's 60th birthday, and the year before was their 10th anniversary since buying a house in France. Sue excelled herself this year--we had an British menu this year:- nibbles and aperitifs , followed by Scotch salmon and prawns, roast beef and ham with Jersey Royals and salad. The cheese comprised blue Shropshire, Stilton, Cheshire and Cheddar--- and so lovely to taste all of these again!--- and then numerous puds!( from which I partook of a small fruit salad--but was led to believe that the banoffi pie was the best-favoured!)

It was unbearably hot--but the company was fun--and the quiz was every bit as difficult as last year! Eugenie and I have declared we're going to do some swatting before next year!

Amazingly I met Mark there--- who reads this blog from time to time-- and is responsible for the above photo! Thankyou Mark!

Alan & Sue took their annual French holiday the next day-- walking in the Tarn. I'vwe not seen them since they got back--but the temperatures were in the late 30's all week--I think they must have melted!

We had friend staying for 5 days. They'd come from a week in Berlin where they'd been very busy--and were happy to relax in the pool in the garden--have a barbecue in the evening, followed by a game of boules!

The following Sunday saw the annual picnic at La Chappelle Baton--of which the highlight is the boules match. You'd think, after all our practice that we'd be quite good--but the natives beat us hollow! Not so terrible as winners buy the celebratory drink of 'miget' after each round! This is an aquired taste ( well, I like it!) of bread, served in red wine & sweetened with sugar --served in a pudding bowl & eaten/drunk with a spoon !

Geoff and his partner came 13th--and won a bottle of red wine and a'LCB 30th Anniversary du comite de la salle de Fete' tee shirt--each! I came 15 th--same prizes, but a bottle of cider each! There were 18 couples taking part. The last 6 places were taken by BRITS! Better luck next year!

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.