A little magical photo post as I sit at home on a dark rainy evening in France.
Kew Wakehurst botanic garden in West Sussex. A feast of autumn colours that honestly the photos don’t really do justice.
And the view from the Oxo Tower Brasserie, London
Fabulous!
I’m back and my poor little blog has seriously been ignored. I have do not have a good excuse! I wrote this back in August and now in November, I finally publish it! I also can’t believe we have lived in France for over four years. Of course, I’m still out and about discovering lovely places.
In July, my ‘blog buddy’ Carolyn and I spent the day in Saintes, Charente Maritime. Starting with a stroll in the morning sunshine along the Bernard Palissy Bridge to the old town with a good view of the Arch of Germanicus, a Roman arch constructed around 18-19 AD.
After a much needed coffee, we visited the cultural museum Dupuy Mestreau. This small, intimate museum featured a collection of artefacts and showed the historical significance of Saintes and the surrounding area.
There was a display of pretty ‘colliers d’esclavage’ better known as ‘slavery necklaces’. The fashion for this type of necklace emerged in the first half of the 17th century among the prosperous French peasantry, particularly in Auvergne, Normandy, Poitou, and Saintonge. This trend extended across France during the second half of the 19th century. The necklace consisted of three chains symbolising one for the past, one for the present and one for the future. Sometimes, a fourth chain was added for the eternal union of the spouses or their first child. The materials used varied according to the family’s wealth. Traditionally, a young man would give this type of necklace to his fiancée when the couple were formally introduced to their parents. A sign of love and the sincerity of their commitment. The ‘slavery’ label applied may also suggest that, at the time, marriage was perceived, metaphorically, as a form of slavery. A wedding song from Poitou proclaimed, ‘To set up house is nothing but certain death… Farewell to pleasures, farewell to happy days; I am in slavery.’
Saintes Cathedral grounds showed Gothic elements. The construction started in the 12th century and was finished in the 17th hence a mix of architectual styles.
The main tourist attraction in Saintes is the amphitheatre built around 40-50 AD, during the reign of Emperor Claudius and believed about thirty years before the Colosseum in Rome. In 1906 work started on clearing several meters of sediment. But 1982 saw serious flooding which caused landslides. So, in 2021 a three year restoration project started to preserve what was left of the amphitheatre. There is a tour you can take but on very hot day, and a lot of walking, a late lunch and cold drink beckoned!
In June, I took an organised trip to Brantôme in the north of the Dordogne. Set on the river Dronne, Brantôme is very pretty, with a backdrop of steep wooded slopes and the Benedictine Abbey. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to visit the abbey, which was founded by Charlemagne in 769 and the most historical highlight of the town.
Brantôme was really busy with tourists plus there was a Classic Car meeting on, which added a festival summer vibe!
The riverside restaurants were buzzing and plenty of cold drinks were needed in the sunny 33°C. People out in canoes, kids and dogs swimming in the river, just lovely.
After a leisurely lunch and a wander, it was time for our riverboat trip. We passed by the remains of old rounded tower of the castle attached to the Abbey in the 16th century. On the opposite side the old Millers Ford. There were also the remains of a once planned hotel in the 1930’s. The project was rejected by the historical monuments act.
Further along the river it was so peaceful, cool and picturesque. Eighty percent of the watercourse of La Dronne is classified as Natura 2000, which is a network of protected areas across the EU. The water was so clear with apparently an abundance of trout, pike, zander and more. Some migratory birds, herons, moorhens and mallards nest there.
I will definitely re visit Brantôme to enjoy more of the town and I think out of season when it will be quieter.
Early in spring, I took an afternoon tour at Château de Dampierre – sur -Boutonne, in the Charente Maritime.
The château has a very rich and long history dating back to 995 when the village church was the château chapel. (Visit the website chateaudampierre.fr) It is an interesting read especially about all the influences with the structure of the château and how it has evolved over centuries.
In 1495, François de Clermont returned from Italy and was so impressed with the art of the Renaissance he decided to abandon his old fortified château and build on the site of a former priory of the Knights Templar (south tower), a residence in the style of Italian palaces. This is the origin of the current château located on the two islands surrounded by the water of the Boutonne, the main tributary of the Charente.
There is a Renaissance poem inscribed on the façade of the castle
Si tu viens partager notre lumiere blonde, salut!
Mais si tu veux la partager longtemps,
Ne viens qu’avec ton coeur,
N’emporte rien du monde
Et ne raconte pas ce que disent les gens.
Translated…
If you come to share our blonde light, hello!
But if you want to share it for a long time,
come only with your heart,
takes nothing of the world,
and don’t tell what people say.
The rooms were decorated beautifully but with the age and fragility of some of the pieces of furniture, it was requested no photos/flash lights.
Further down in the generations of owners, Jeanne de Vivonne, who married Claude de Clermont, had the double gallery (1545-1550) added with its renowned ribbed vault of sunken panels with emblematic and alchemical emblems
The current owners are Danièle-Anne Grunhertz and Alain Pfister, since 2017. They continue the work started by the Hédelins plus huge restoration work following a devastating fire in 2002.
The Hédelins also created the labyrinth and the French-style flowerbeds, echoing the alchemical symbolism of the gallery.
Where to next?
Its been a busy summer with local brocantes, markets and aperos with friends and all in beautiful weather, and its not over yet!
I have been loving my dog walks in the countryside from July when we had weeks of the fields bursting with sunflowers. In the sunshine the fields looked almost a fluorescent yellow, just stunning. In the morning the flowering buds and young blossom face the east and then track the sun. This is distinctive to sunflowers and called ‘heliotropism’.
Did you know, France is the fifth largest producer of sunflower oil (Ukraine being no.1). And sunflowers have additional uses aside from human consumption. They are able to remove toxins from the soil and in fact where used in the remediation of contaminated areas affected by nuclear disasters in Chernobyl and Fukushima. Sunflower seeds were even grown successfully on the International Space Station back in 2012, as part of a biological experiment by astronaut Don Pettit.
Sorry, let me move on from my obsession with sunflowers!
Late July, I spent a wonderful evening at a theatrical show ‘L’exode de Ardennais’ which was performed in the grounds of the Château de Javarzay in Chef Boutonne, Deux Sévres.
The show explored the different cultures, the solidarity, fears, mistrust, friendship and love of two families in the Mellois region. As during the Second World War, May 1940, there was a government directive to around 70,000 people in Ardennes, to flee the advancing German army and take refuge in the department of Deux Sévres. How would people from the industrial East be welcomed in the agricultural West?
A very moving and funny story. It was of course all in French but I managed to follow and understood about 50% of the language which was a pleasant surprise for me!
Then it was time for my city fix and a visit to Paris and another exhibition, this time at Le Louvre.
I had never been to Le musée du Louvre and could not believe the size but then it is the largest museum in the world! A far cry from when it opened in August 1793 with 537 paintings both royal and confiscated church property.
The iconic glass Pyramid designed by the late I.M. Pei, was inaugurated 29th March 1989 after four years work. It is a mini city and took us about twenty minutes to locate ´Louvre Couture’ and that was with Carolyn knowing the museum really well!
S/S 1949 Haute Couture – Christian Dior designed this hand embroidered gown, named ‘Musée du Louvre.
It was situated in the Richelieu wing, ‘Department of Decorative Arts` home to unique collections from Byzantium to the Second Empire.
(L to R – Christian Dior by John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier and Balenciaga)
It was the first time contemporary fashion pieces and accessories have been exhibited at Le Louvre. Exploring the interplay of design, fabrics, techniques with the history of art and culture, it sounded interesting.
S/S 2006 – Yohji Yamamoto. Wedding dress, white silk crepe.
If I’m honest some of the pieces ‘vanished’ in the many vast opulent rooms which was a shame. It wasn’t always easy to see the amount of detail.
(Top L to R – Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Fendi and Vivienne Westwood)
A/W 2023/4 – Balenciaga. 3D printed armour gown lined in a black flocked fabric so the model could wear without injury!
We both agreed it was still good and pleased we visited the exhibition
Walking around Paris was lovely and we could really notice the reduced traffic and with so many electric cars, positively quiet! After a late lunch, 18,000 steps, we returned back home to the countryside.
A couple of weeks ago, I drove to Aubeterre-sur-Dronne, two hours south on the border of South Charente and the Dordogne. Listed as one of France’s most beautiful villages. Of course, in August it is very touristy but well worth the visit.
Charming winding streets and passage ways with plenty of artisan shops to look around. It has welcomed pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostella in north west Spain and tourists for over 1000 years. The Place Trarieux is full of restaurants and cafes under the shade of trees with a relaxed French vibe! As it was 40C that day, it was one of two cool places to be.
The other being the underground monolithic church of Saint Jean. Carved into the cliff in the 7th century and enlarged by a community of Benedictine monks in the 12th century. The highest point is 20 meters. Tombs were discovered between 1958 and 1961 as it was believed burials were performed in the nave until 1865, this being halted for public health reasons. Up the stone carved stairs the view from the gallery really showed what a feat it had been to carve out such a structure. It is one of the most important such churches in France.
At the foot of the village the meadows lead to the River Dronne where you can find a beach, sports facilities and a campsite. But on such a hot day, I decided instead to have lunch and a huge iced coffee before walking back up a very steep hill to the car and thankfully air con!
I have wanted a day out in Paris since we moved to France, so when I saw the Dolce & Gabbana exhibition advertised, I had the perfect reason to finally book a trip. My friend, Carolyn, drove us to Poitiers station where we caught the fast train to Montparnasse, Paris. Door to door in under 3 hours! It was a really cold, bleak, grey day but I had forgotten how beautiful Paris really is and the atmosphere and architecture as we strolled through the streets. To own a Paris apartment with the obligatory balcony would be a dream!
The Grand Palais was the perfect venue for the` Du Cœur à la Main’ exhibition. We really did enter another world of opulence, magic and fantasy!
It’s 40 years ago since the first Dolce & Gabbana woman’s collection debuted at the Milan Fashion week after they met each other in 1982 while both working for an Italian fashion brand Giorgio Corregiari. Dolce & Gabbana’s iconic “Sicilian Dress” debuted in 1987. Based on a slip dress, this figure hugging timeless piece became a symbol of Dolce and Gabanna’s dedication to the female form. Different versions still feature in their collection and below is from S/S 2025.
In 2012, Dolce & Gabbana launched their Alta Moda line, a couture collection that brought their creative vision to unparalleled heights. Not just pure luxury but about celebrating Italian craftsmanship and artistry. These collections featured hand-painted fabrics, intricate embroidery, and designs that often drew from Italian history and folklore.
The Italian heritage was in abundance as we walked through the many themed rooms exhibiting over 200 couture pieces plus accessories devoted to Luchino Visconti’s The Leopard (1963), ancient Rome, opera, glassware and much more.
We entered the first room ‘Fait Main’.
To be able to view close up the couture collections of Domencio Dolce and Stefano Gabbanna was amazing and virtually impossible to capture in photos. Their exceptional inspiration, imagination and creativity and the intricate hand crafted pieces were exquisite. Their Sicilian backgrounds marrying tradition with innovation.
The ‘Architectural et Pictural’ room showcased hand painted silks. The atmosphere changed with moving images, ‘ live wallpaper’.
We felt guilty walking on the stunning hand painted ceramic tiles by the Bevilacqua brothers in the ‘traditions siciliennes’ room. Their work was dominated with bright yellow, intense blue, emerald green and deep black, representing the Sicilian sun, sea, hills and lava on Mount Etna.
How about one of a hundred exclusive Smeg fridges? And we couldn’t ignore the shoes and handbags!
We moved through to the ‘Rêve de divinités .’
The ‘Divines mosaïques’ room was incredible.
How about a mink sweater?
The ‘Baroque Blanc’ room felt calm and ethereal.
‘Ateliers, ornements et volumes’ room showed where art becomes fashion and a selection of black dresses currently being developed. For Dolce & Gabbana black is a key colour, the essence of purity for a woman and a traditional colour worn by working class women in Italy. One hundred and twenty people work on the creations at the Milan headquarters. Working with new technology but also reviving time honoured tradition such as cross stich embroidery.
‘The room ‘Dévotion’, was true and dramatic Dolce and Gabbana full of black lace and gold pieces.
Through ‘Le Guépard’ inspired room,
and then the world of ‘Opéra’
I have to say, my personal favourite was ‘l’art et savoir faire du verre’. Simply wow! Ornate crystal pieces embellished with flowers and mosaics in a room full of crystal chandeliers (I would think Murano), mirrors and background sound effects of breaking glass! Unapologetic excess.
Congratulations to the curator of the exhibition historian Florence Müller, as the attention to detail not just with the presentation of the pieces but to the atmosphere of each room was stunning. In a recent interview about the exhibition she said ‘What fascinated me was examining the clothes up close, observing all the intricate tailoring work and their sophisticated structure. Then, delving into the research on fabrics, colours, and embellishments that draw upon various crafts, from appliqué embroidery to glass embroidery.’
Refreshingly, Dolce and Gabbana have not sold their brand to the luxury conglomerates LVMH, Richemont etc. They own 40% each and the remaining 20% owned by the Dolce family. This ensures the brand stays true to its Italian roots.
Back outside and to the reality of the world, we wandered back to the station stopping for coffee and discussing our next fabulous trip to Paris.
My blog buddy, Carolyn, had planned our day at Talmont-sur-Gironde and we set off early. We arrived 2 hours later at this picturesque village situated 15km south of Royan in Charente Maritime.
As we walk from the carpark, there are beautiful views of the coastline and the traditional wood fishing huts ‘carrelets’ (even with grey skies!). The port peaked in the first half of the 20th century with fishing for sturgeon and its caviar production.
The fortified village was built in this strategic location, overlooking the Gironde estuary, on the orders of King Edward I in the 13th century.
After a coffee, we took a windy walk around the ramparts to the imposing church Sainte Radegonde. The Romanesque church was built between the 11th and 14th century. At one time the church became a resting place for the pilgrims en- route to Santiago de Compostela.
Inside the church, the atmosphere was very peaceful and I took a moment to light a candle for mum, who would have loved the position of the church by the coast.
Talmont is also known for all the abundance of hollyhocks that pop up everywhere and add to its charm. The village is a member of Plus Beaux Villages de France which as of 2024, has almost 180 member ‘beautiful villages’ across France. It was very easy to see why as we strolled through the narrow cobbled streets full of white washed artisan shops and houses.
We stopped for lunch at La Petite Cour crêperie. I tried a galette for the first time which is a savoury crèpe made with buckwheat flour. It has a slightly stronger flavour and is also gluten free. However, we did laugh ordering the ‘galette Italienne’ in France. ‘Lunch was well timed as the heavens opened but afterwards, it was back to the shops to treat ourselves to some goodies. Well, it would be rude not to!
In the summer months, Tuesday evenings the shops stay open until 21.00 and the village is all lit up and I can imagine just magical.
Anyway, armed with our bags, we walked back in the sunshine to the carpark and it was time to go home.
Simply, a fabulous day and thoroughly recommend a visit.
And here is my garden decoration from Oh Pardi! and my dishes for nibbles, with apéros of course, from Terre D’ Argile.
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If I was having a coffee right now, I’d be melting in the 32c July heat. Yes, summer has finally arrived in South West France! It seems to have been an eight month rainy season in a lot of countries but I still managed some lovely sunny French’ days out and about.
Last month I visited ‘La Fête des Plantes et du Jardin du Domaine de Péré at Prissé la Charrière, just 30 minutes drive from home. This charming estate holds this event in June and October with over 100 exhibitors from France, Belgium and England. Horticulturalists, botanists, garden designers plus a selection of arts and crafts (respecting our planet). Also a fab range of food carts catering for everyone’s taste.
The current château was built in the early 19th century, although the estate has been in ten successive generations of the Bastard de Crisney family since the 18th century. It has a 20 hectare wooded park and 100 hectares of farmland.
I start my visit inside the château where ceramics, jewellery, paintings, leather goods etc were very tempting.
Then stepping outside I felt a real festival vibe! Also felt I should have worn a floral maxi dress and huge floppy hat!
I strolled around the stalls in the stunning grounds several times and of course bought a wisteria to plant outside our house. So French. I wish I’d bought one of the plaited willow trees above but next visit!
The rose stalls were very busy, so not easy to capture in the photos just how beautiful the selection of roses were on sale.
I have lots more ideas for our garden now and it was one of the best sort of Sunday mornings in my book. Roll on October.
Last week the sun was shining and it felt like spring was in the air, so my ‘blog buddy’ Carolyn suggested visiting Château de La Roche Courbon, at Saint – Porchaire. Only an hour and twenty minutes drive away and as we pulled up in the carpark, the grandeur, charm and size of the château was a real ‘wow’!
The château dates back in the 15th century and was built by Jehan de Latour. After living there for more than two centuries, the Courbon family started to refurbish the château in the 17th century, making it a more elegant and comfortable residence which was eventually sold in 1817. The château was then mainly abandoned until Pierre Loti discovered and bought the château and then using his fame as a novelist, he launched a public appeal to save the château and forest by taking out a page in La Figaro in 1908. Paul Chénereau purchased in 1920 and set about fully restoring the château and its gardens to its former glory. It is still privately owned by the family.
The French gardens have the expected formality, topiary, fountains and statues and even on a February day, still looked stunning surrounding the ‘mirror pond’. Will need to revisit when the gardens are in full bloom!
The river Bruant flows through the grounds and there are ornamental steps leading to higher ground and giving you the best view of the château.
At this time of the year, only one of the walking routes was open and it took us through pretty woodlands to the sandstone cliffs and caves dating to prehistoric times. Neanderthal man lived in these caves approximately 50,000 years ago. The first prehistoric art works were probably made by Neanderthal. And here is the geology bit – the caves have been carved out by running rainwater through the limestone layer and the backwash of the river’s flow which follows the whole length of the caves.
The maintenance of the château and the grounds is on going, of course. Sadly, during a terrible storm in December 1999, 60% of the forest was destroyed. The project of replanting rows of oaks, lindons and field maples alongside the natural regeneration of the forest continues to this day.
So, a beautiful morning with the added plus of notching up 8000 plus steps! Oh! and in case you are wondering, there are about 45,000 châteaux in France.
We celebrated one year in our house at the end of November. Life in France is good and we have made some lovely friends. Charlie has also made some doggy friends!
Since the summer, we have been working hard on the house, well I say ‘we’, I mean Steve! I can only assist with the odd bit of painting where I can be trusted and keep the cups of tea coming. Our first priority was to be warm this winter, so we had a ‘pompe à chaleur’ (heat pump) installed and some insulation on the walls and floor. We discovered that our exterior walls are one metre thick after one of the mega drills got stuck!
So, I am typing this in the warm! Our second priority being to have our lounge cosy and finally order some sofas. Our wood flooring is a lot warmer than the tiles. Here are a few ‘before’ and ‘nearly there’ photos!
Almost finished …..
We’ve moved upstairs to one of the bedrooms and added an en-suite shower room.
So, still some finishing bits, window to be painted white and these lovely tiles for the en-suite.
Next project will be the guest room as we have now bought the bed. Can’t wait to have friends and family over to visit. However, we bought the paint for the kitchen so maybe there will be two projects on the go!
We bought some garden furniture including sunbeds which took a while (days!) to put together and a well deserved beer was needed afterwards.
Finally, it’s been interesting to see what has flowered in our garden during our first full year and there are some fantastic plants that we can add to.
But next year will be about pots, pots and more pots!
I hope to be back motivated with a lot of blogging on our French adventures in 2024.
We say ‘goodbye’ to a very tough and sad 2023 with mum unexpectedly leaving us in May and life just isn’t the same, we all miss her so much. Especially at this time of year as mum loved Christmas!
Take care and I wish you a peaceful, healthy and happy 2024.
Where has the time gone, my last blog post was October 2022 and now we are in March 2023!
So, just a short update. From the photo above, you can see we finally moved into our own house, just over five months after arriving in France. back in June 2022. A hectic time and moving in at the end of November meant it was best to unpack the Christmas decorations first! That helped take the pain away of yet more French admin, setting up utility accounts etc…. As I type this, we have just had our health cards come through (Carte Vitale). All that is left on the French admin list is to change our driving licences and then start the application for the residency visa.
But back to Loubillé, where we now live. Unlike our house in Spain, we have quite a few houses around us and we are a less than a mile away from the the centre of the village. Our nearest town is Chef-Boutonne, a ten minute drive and where the supermarkets, vets, banks etc are located. We have beautiful countryside everywhere, even in the winter months, so lots of lovely walks for Charlie.
We have started French language lessons but Loubillé life has been some what ‘on hold’ as sadly my mum has been very poorly and I’ve had to travel back to the UK a few times. I’m very pleased to say that she is now recovering very well.
At the moment, we are waiting on a start date from our builder to get some works done on our home. Mainly cosmetic as the house is in good order. But we do need more insulation as it is a cold house despite the huge wood burner. Plus we are getting a quote for a heat pump, ‘pompe à chaleur’.
We have a large south facing garden that needs tidying and then we will wait a year to see what plants appear. I have so many ideas for a typical French garden! I already know we have many roses, honeysuckle, lavender and peonies plus right now a few daffodils. Also, plans for a kitchen garden at the side of the house. Steve is waiting to play with his ride on lawnmower!
A few jobs started in the garden including clearing tons of ivy!
Slowly we are getting a social life, meeting some lovely people. Everyone is so helpful. And with spring almost here, I cannot wait to be out and about discovering the area we now call home. And writing more interesting blogs, I promise!!
Au revoir et à bientôt!
Every year, on the first weekend of October, the town of Chabanais celebrates La Quintinie.
Why? Well, here’s the history bit in brief!
Jean-Baptisite de La Quintinie was born in 1626 here in Chabanais, Charente. Initially, he went to Paris as a lawyer at the Parliament, as he was known for his exceptional writing skills. The president of the general accounting office requested that La Quintinie teach his son whilst on a trip to Italy. During the trip La Quintinie was impressed with the Italian gardens and became fascinated with horticulture. On their return from Italy, La Quintinie decided to give up his legal career and started studying and practicing in the gardens at an hotel. He visited England twice and King James II offered him a job managing his gardens, but La Quintinie declined preferring to be in France.
La Quintinie’s excellent reputation as a soil expert and gardener saw him work for many dignitaries. Then in 1661, Louis XIV gave him a job in the vegetable garden at Versailles. In 1670 the King created the role of ‘director of the royal fruit and vegetable gardens’ for La Quintinie who went on to design the ‘potager du roi’, the King’s vegetable garden between 1678 and 1683. This was a nine-hectare area. The objective being to provide fresh produce for the royal court and also becoming a horticultural experimental garden to cultivate out of season fruits and vegetables. When La Quintinie died in 1688 at Versailles, Louis XIV said to his wife ‘madame, we have suffered a great loss that we can never repair’.
So here in Chabanais they are very proud of this history. Many exhibitors participate selling their local produce of fruits, vegetables plants and flowers over the weekend, plus their arts and crafts, wine, cheese, honey, nougat, fresh bread and freshly prepared crepes. Indoors, there is a selection of handmade jewellery, soft toys and more.
The theme for the celebrations this year is ‘l’eau au jardin’ and unfortunately Saturday saw continual heavy rain all day, so quite apt! However, Sunday was better and the market nice and busy.
The event was organised in association with the Friends of Quintinie who also ran gardening workshops on the two days.
I just love the charm of these local events. I was so tempted to buy a plant or two, but we are still about seven weeks away to moving into our house in Loubillé.
