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    • French Frolics
      2
      Day 4

      20.09 - Day 04. First Little Explore

      September 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

      We needed to get up this morning as the chimney sweep was visiting to clean and service the burner.
      We also decided we needed to do a ‘Big Shop’ as we couldn’t survive on crisps and snacks any longer.
      So having given Hannah a bottle of fizz for being so helpful when we needed it, we headed out in Roxvanne. We decided to head to Lezay, about 15 minutes away to visit the market.
      Lezay was busy and the market full of stalls, which took over a fair part of the village - there seemed to be more stalls around every corner. We bought a few bits and pieces, Tre making a very quick impulse buy of a jumper, probably made that quick to avoid me giving her any reason to doubt the purchase. We haggled with a basket seller and now have our ‘Market Day’ basket, fit for all purchase eventualities, including jumpers!
      After a couple of coffees in the sunshine we made tracks, me suggesting Tre could have another practice drive which she took up without hesitation. Thinking back, getting Roxvanne out of a heavily populated, road closured village was possibly not the best idea for a second stint, to be then followed by the Gendarmerie for a few roads also didn’t help matters. I think Tre was more than happy to pull up and hand brake on in the SuperU supermarket ten minutes further down the road. I only surmised this as we parked about 10 metres into the car park and about 200 metres from the front doors of the supermarket.
      We wandered around supposedly working to a list we (Tre) had devised, but actually just grabbed what we fancied, headed to the tills and then trundled home again in Roxvanne.
      Bread and cheese for lunch obviously and then the afternoon by the pool finished the day off nicely.
      A relaxed evening in the gite and a relatively early night finished off our first full day here - not so bad really 😎      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 14

      30.09 - Day 14 . . . Gournay House

      September 30, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

      We had today arranged to meet an estate agent at 10am in Chef Boutonne to view a house. I had woken at about 6.30am and started to read my daily quantity of rubbish on the phone and also write up the Penguins for the day before. When Tre eventually woke and asked what the time was I obediently checked and replied ‘9.30am - it bloody can’t be!!’. Duvet thrown back with force and a whirlwind of two people from bedroom to bathroom to downstairs and finally to Roxvanne then ensued. Sticking strictly to the speed limits we arrived outside the Mairies office with three minutes to spare and waited for the estate agent. Charlotta (whose name I failed to remember during the entire time I was with her - who puts an A at the end of Charlotte?) finally arrived about 10.10am so no need to rush then!
      After a quick chat we followed her to a property outside of Chef Boutonne - Gournay, which we had visited last Sunday for the Brocante.
      I think both Tre and I initially upon arrival thought - not for us, village/hamlet house with neighbours each side and close to the road. We have a sort of idea of semi rural if we are honest.
      However we entered and were pleasantly surprised, although as we were aware the property would need quite a bit of work. Bad points - needs a re-wire and quite a bit of work, plus a bit of a box as it was a longere effectively. Good points - the work required was not excessive and it was a blank canvas. Able to be re configured room wise and extend into a large loft area. Attached barn which was large, side access from front of the property to the rear . . . . and a large garden with out buildings to die for!!
      So, a bit of a mixed bag - but we came away definitely more positive than negative. Lots to think about.
      After our goodbyes to Charlotta we drove around the area a little, we found the bread machine in the village, the church and nearby school - for little ones thankfully and some of the area we had seen on Sunday.
      Then back into Chef Boutonne to grab a coffee or two and some food for our last night before heading to the UK tomorrow.
      Then back to the gite where we sat in the very hot sunshine for the entire afternoon.
      A quick sort of Roxvanne for her trip tomorrow and then we settled in for the evening.
      Tomorrow we drive part way back to Calais as I’ve got some work still to complete. We will stay in Roxvanne somewhere tomorrow evening and then to Calais and the tunnel on Sunday.
      Really not wanting to return tomorrow - really really not wanting to.
      Hey Ho - it’s only for a short spell and then we will be back . . . We’ve left wine in the fridge chilling!! 😎      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 34

      20.10 Day 34 . . . Recovery

      October 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Well after yesterdays mega day of early start, work and then the crossing and drive down - today was always going to be a slow day.
      After getting in just before 2am a lay in was always going to be on the cards, but weirdly we were both awake by about 9am. I thought we would be sleeping late into the morning.
      Tea and reading in bed took up a couple of hours before we took advantage of the sunshine and lazed by the pool for a while.
      A few spots of rain heralded the end of the sunshine, before the light shower that had been forecast started.
      We dodged a couple of showers to unload some bits from Roxvanne and then settled in for the evening.
      Having found on our first few weeks out here that the tiled floor was a little on the chilly side in the evenings, we had ordered up some defence options for our return . . . so, out came the newly purchased, cosy as you like, fluffy and padded old gits slippers. The evening passed in newly found warmth, followed by an early night - still catching up from the journey down.
      Tomorrow we house view again!      Read more

    • French Frolics
      1
      Day 40

      26.10 Day 40 . . . Bordeaux Bound

      October 26, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

      I hate getting up early but once I’m up I’m fine - it’s a pity the same can’t be said for teenagers. Getting up at 2.00am was always going to be a gutter and so it proved, but as duty driver to the airport I hopped out of bed and dragged some clothes on - as did Tre. However the person that actually needed to be at the airport for her flight was less than eager to do the same and when they did open their eyes thought it best to have a ten minute muse over the content of their phone whilst still in bed.
      Anyhow - that quickly rectified, Munch was packed into Roxvanne with myself and Tre and off we set. The sky was stunning and absolutely massed with stars due to their being no ambiant light.
      Just before 5am we pulled into Bordeaux Airport and walked to the main terminal to check in. Checking the boards - yep, we had to go to the other terminal, the one we had gone to first on Saturday before being re-directed. Think Bordeaux has it in for us!
      At Billi, Munch was soon on her way through security and out of sight - after a fairly long hug from mum of course!
      We now had other plans - we had arranged as we were going to be in Bordeaux to meet with someone re taxes/enrôlement etc into French systems . . . At 9.00am. So we found a very dark corner near the airport and tried to grab an hours shut eye in Roxvanne. The later having failed we decided at about 7.00am to drive into and across Bordeaux City to the location we were to meet.
      We parked up at about 7.45am and found ourselves a pre meet cafe for a needed cup of coffee. Just before 9.00am we had changed location and found ourselves sat in the very lovely Cafe des Arts 138 Cr Victor Hugo, 33000 . . . awaiting our meeting.
      The meeting with Deo went well and lasted about an hour or so - we said our goodbyes and wandered back to Roxvanne.
      We decided to take a different route home so that we could drive a little of Bordeaux. We intend to be back here in a couple of weeks for a longer visit.
      Back on the main roads we headed home with one aim in mind - sleep!
      At about 2pm having grabbed more bread and cheese we flopped by the pool. The pool area is a real sun trap as enclosed all around - so was the perfect place to catch up on a little sleep.
      We were again visited in the evening by the neighbours pet - who now goes by the name of Pussy Chat and I am reliably informed is female!      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 68

      23.11 Day 68 . . . House Hunt Pt 2

      November 23, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

      Waking up feeling rough with ‘Man Flu’ was not how I wanted to feel on the day of the mega viewing session. What had been six viewings lined up had happily dropped to five before we set off, as one house was now under offer.
      We met Kate (who we had met back in April when we did some house hunting with the Hollywoods) at the church in Genouillé. Off we went to a property at Les Mauvoisins which on arrival was situated on a small lane next to what looked like a travellers camp.
      The house was ok but on entering, immediately due to the rain again today, we found water dropping from the ceiling in the lounge. The house was small but had access to an adjoining barn which had extension possibilities - but fairly quickly Tre and I had decided it was certainly not for us.
      We left Kate and drove to Civray to grab some food, stopping in a small boulangerie pâtisserie on the outskirts of the town. We had the best quiche I think I personally have ever had. Everything was baked on site and we will defo be going back. We stayed a little longer than expected as the rain hammered it down for a short period, Teresa and I laughing at customers running in looking like drowned rats, most of them cursing - in French, but I got the idea of what they were saying.
      We grabbed some fuel across the road and then set off to Chaunay to meet another Nathalie - the one who had shown us the Hank house a couple of weeks ago.
      The house at Chaunay was in a small hamlet just outside called Les Fants (initially given to us on an email spelt Les Farts, which made Teresa comment that we were never living there!). A very rural location and very quiet despite the N10 across some fields out of sight. The house oozed being looked after and loved, with a barn half way down the lovely lawned garden, which you could walk through to the second lawned section. The house was immaculate with lovely heavyweight oak furniture and heavy wooden doors. Teresa and I only had one real issue - it was too finished, to well maintained a finished house - nothing for Tre and I to actually do which was never our plan for coming here. It seemed the strangest reason to not want somewhere. So after a shortish viewing we departed in convoy with Nathalie to the second house she was showing us. We had also at this point decided to cut four viewings to three for the afternoon.
      We drove back basically from the north of Deux Sèvres to the southern most part to a house in Souvigné - again!
      This house in comparison the the last, needed a whole host of work and had multiple rooms, so the work was to be honest daunting. Not only that it came with a smaller accompanying house which actually was a wreck. At one point Nathalie looked towards me and I simply said ‘No’. It didn’t take long to close the house up and we were off again to the last one for the day.
      Travelling east we crossed over the N10 yet again to a distance east of it roughly the same that Souvigné was to the west of it. We stopped in a hamlet not far from Nanteuil-en-Vallée at a property that felt distinctly Mediterranean. The property currently has no kitchen but a room suitable for one. Two large ish bedrooms and one smaller. An attached barn and about an acre of land on a slope. I immediately sensed Teresa was in excited happy mode and to be fair I felt the same. The views from the top of the field were spectacular as the sun began to set. There was quite a lot of work to get on with but not so much that it made the project seem impossible. Weirdly I didn’t take as many photos as normal which probably meant I was concentrating on the property more this time. We said our goodbyes to Nathalie and then drove and stopped at the top of the land around the property, this is when we saw the views - jaw dropping.
      Both of us were quite quiet on the drive home, both thinking over all the houses we had seen today but primarily the last one.
      Home an hour ish later we had some of the chilli from the other evening with loads of bread - we were both starving. Then it was straight to bed as we are getting up early for the airport in the morning - Munch is back!      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 73

      28.11 Day 73 . . . Second Visit

      November 28, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

      Today was the day to have a second visit to the house we saw last Wednesday - just outside Nanteuil-en-Vallée.
      We left at about 10am and we’re pulling up outside just before 11am where we met with Nathalie again.
      We spent the best part of two hours subsequently crawling over this house, checking everything we could think of and asking so so many questions.
      On driving away we drove to Champagne Mouton one of the closest villages to the house, just to see what was there. As is Tre and my luck (ignorance of France) we found Champagne Mouton to be shut. Literally nothing was open in this relatively small village.
      So we spun around and drove to Nanteuil-en-Vallée which was the opposite direction from the house. We parked up to have a look around what we had been told was a lovely village. Again everything was shut including the church, Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste - much to Tre’s annoyance. We spent about half an hour before deciding to move on.
      Next we drove to Verteuil-sur-Charente - again somewhere Nathalie had recommended. As we crested a hill on the approach to the town we saw the Chateau which holds primacy high above the town - it looked truly stunning in the sunshine.
      We drove I to the centre and parked up. Again we were now not surprised to find everything shut. When I say everything is shut - it is everything, not a bank or cafe or shop - nothing!
      We did spend quite a bit of time marvelling at the chateau and river that passes below it. It was a beautiful sight - especially as no-one else was about . . . Everything being shut has its benefits.
      The Château de Verteuil is a historic building in Charente, France. It dates back to 1080 and has since been extensively rebuilt, although 12th-century walls remain. The château has always been in the property of the La Rochefoucauld family.
      During the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) the château was occupied several times by the English. It was demolished in 1442, but was soon rebuilt using the original stones. In the religious wars of 16th and 17th centuries the château was a base for Huguenot forces, and in 1650 it was partly demolished by royal troops. Another château was erected but it received extensive damage in a fire in 1793 during the French Revolution. The château was renovated in the romantic style after the Bourbon Restoration of 1815, and has been extensively modified since then. During World War II (1939–45) the château housed French troops and refugees from Alsace-Lorraine in 1940 and for several months it was partially occupied by some German units. In 1944 some members of the maquis were hidden there. The château was listed as a monument historique on 31 March 1966, and obtained full protection on 19 November 2010.
      The present château, designed on a triangular plan, has five conical towers and a watchtower capped by slate roofs. Archaeologists have uncovered traces of the older buildings on the site dating back to the 11th century. The architect Frantz Jourdain renovated the interior of the 14th-century tower as a library for the Rochefoucault family in 1893. The Hunt of the Unicorn tapestries of the building, which hung in the master bedroom, were rediscovered in 1850; they were later sold to John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1923.
      We drove home from Verteuil-sur-Charente stopping briefly at a patisserie to grab a light lunch and then some other food stuffs from SuperU next door.
      Home - we stoked up the pellet burner and settled I. For the afternoon and evening. The sun is still shining but there is a cold chill in the air. Think I am past wearing shorts now.      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 78

      03.12 Day 78 . . . Pineau & Cognac

      December 3, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌧 4 °C

      Another one of those lazy mornings that we are getting so good at. We were asked yesterday if we could help Hannah with a wood delivery she was expecting - to which we had said yes. So when we got a message early in the morning to say the wood man had cancelled it was all we needed to pull the duvet back up and have tea in bed.
      We kicked around for the remainder of the morning, before walking down the lane to the Relais car park to meet with Lou and Vince who were picking us up. As soon as they arrived, we drove generally south through stunning scenery and vineyard loaded fields. The vines like many of the trees have a yellow hint to them now, and in the glorious sunshine they were truly beautiful to see.
      After just short of an hour I guess, we arrived at Neuvicq-Le-Château and pulled into the most nondescript building belonging to Ballet Jean.
      Lou and Vince had been here before - more than once and from the welcome they received it was more like family visiting than customers 😂
      The building - and many others surrounding owned by the family, is a Cognac and Pineau producer. The lovely lady looking after the place when we arrived, quickly started to show us around. However when booked customers then arrived she left Lou to do the tour with us . . . I think that shows Lou has been too many times 🤔Lou mentioned a fact that she had been told - that the buildings that store the barrels all have black roofs, a form of mould and that during the war, bombers avoided buildings with black roofs because they knew what was being made within. Fact or old wives tail makes no difference - the roofs are definitely black!!
      We had a fab time walking around the various parts to the building and wondering how a premises like this makes such well regarded products. To double up on my feeling that Lou had been here too many times, it was reinforced when the lady running the place asked Lou to show further French customers around, while she greeted new ones at the door.
      Finally the time had arrived for the tasting. Firstly the Pineau, which was lovely - much better than the shop bought Tre and I had previously tasted. Then the Cognac - the initial bottle we were informed was for cooking!! Never would you put this in anything other than a glass to drink. Then the next bottle on, that had been aged in oak barrels for 20 years . . . Got to say it was blooming lovely, with a very nice warm feeling in your throat. Finally the top bottle that had been aged again in oak for 40 years . . . bloody lovely, nothing else to say. The glasses of each we had been given (apart from poor Vince who was driving) were quite heavily poured, so Lou Tre and I were all quite rosy cheeked by the finish. Lou took Teresa’s side in the purchase game and so we walked out with three 20 year old cognacs and six Pineau . . . I think the tasting had warped my thinking!
      Pineau des Charentes is a “liqueur wine produced in a specific region” at European level and a “liqueur wine with a registered designation of origin” in France. It is obtained by mixing grape must and cognac.
      This liqueur wine is produced in a region that extends over a large part of the two Charentes, that is to say the whole department of Charente except the north and north-east, and all of Charente-Maritime: on the wine estates of Borderies, Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Fins Bois, Bois Ordinaires, and finally Bons Bois.
      Pineau is an AOC (controlled designation of origin). Its production area extends over 1,500 hectares in the same geographical area as cognac. The maximum yield of Pineau des Charentes per hectare of vines required for its production is 45 hectolitres. The two elements making up Pineau des Charentes (cognac and must) must come from the same estate, in compliance with local customs.
      75% of Pineau des Charentes production is consumed in France; Belgium is the leading importer, followed by Canada.
      After the tasting and the purchases were made, we wound our way home, with a brief stop at the Château just a couple of streets from the distillery.
      Back at Chef Boutonne we popped into the small SuperU for a couple of bits and then stumbled into one of the bars for a coffee . . . . and beer. Lou and Vince kindly then dropped us off back at our - A really brilliant day!!
      Merguez sausages and chips for dinner was what was required in an attempt to soak up a slightly boozy body - and then an early night.      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 5

      21.09 - Day 05. . . . And Rest

      September 21, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌙 15 °C

      Both woke up early - Tre managed to nod off again, however I spent the next couple hours reading and watching rubbish on my phone until a sensible time to get up was reached.
      After a light breakfast we planted ourselves at the poolside, which is where we stayed for most of the day, apart from a brief visit back to the gite for nibbles at lunchtime.
      Not a lot achieved today apart from books being read, phone rubbish being checked and I even cracked on with more +Babbel French lessons, which went sort of ok.
      Hannah checked in with us at 5pm to show the workings of the pellet burner, which had been serviced yesterday, after which we had our first BBQ since being here - we remembered how much stronger the garlic is here than in the UK . . . a little too late, but I can never have too much garlic! We also agreed we needed more food in the fridge as when we open the door we probably look like alcoholics!
      That was it - our first foot of the gas day, done!!      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 6

      22.09 - Day 06 . . . . And Repeat

      September 22, 2022 in France ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Shortest write up of a day today - we did nothing but laze about, snooze and eat & drink.
      We did however manage another BBQ in the evening - we couldn’t not, when we had a couple of pieces of duck sitting waiting for us.
      Tomorrow we explore a little more and out out tomorrow evening.      Read more

    • French Frolics
      Day 9

      25.09 - Day 09 . . . Sunday Sights

      September 25, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

      As it was Sunday we needed to get up and crack on as normally on our previous trips we have found France closes at midday on a Sunday. Not a bad thing as it seems to be like old time UK where family time is important and the need for shopping 7 days a week isn’t that necessary.
      So off we toddled to Sauzé-Vaussais which is about 10 minutes west from us. After collecting a few top up provisions, Tre suggested we go to the small bar across the street for coffee. As we entered Tre going first, I noted a pause in her step and a slight reluctance to push further forward. It was at that point I noticed an all male filled bar, who had all stopped talking to watch us enter.
      After a slight shove from me we entered, ordered coffee and sat. We really didn’t think 1015am was unreasonable to ask for coffee, but we quickly noticed the guys were already on the beer and small chasers and so we obviously seemed a bit boring! Wasn’t long before a few acknowledged smiles and nods were given to us together with words of welcome. So not so bad after all.
      We left Sauzé and decided to take a scenic drive home to take in a few villages we’d not visited before.
      It wasn’t long until we entered Montjean where we stopped at a local boulangerie and bought a couple of cakes. One particular cake has been noted a couple of times by both of us in literally every boulangerie we have been in - still not got to the bottom of the reason for the design! Anyhow every time we spot one we immediately think of Mr Hollywood - not the real intelligent one, but our nutcase of a friend lookalikey! So Mr H the photo is for you to titter at 😂. The lady in the boulangerie needed up giving us an impromptu French lesson which was welcome, so we have booked once a week visits with her.
      We then drove on through the never ending fields and countryside through to Chef-Boutonne where we have visited before. We stopped in the market square and had a walk around the (closed) shops. The Boutonne is a 98.8 km (61.4 mi) long river in the Deux-Sèvres and Charente-Maritime departments in western France. Its source is in the village of Chef-Boutonne which translated means Head of the Boutonne.
      We departed Chef-Boutonne and drove finally to Gournay where we saw signs for a Brocante (Tre calls it a Vide-Grenier), I call a jumble sale. The brocante was actually quite large compared to a lot we have seen but as usual had a large marquee to sit with friends and family to eat, with associated food and drink stalls. Tre and I always feel that these events bring out the whole community it seems and are a real social gathering, just to catch up and enjoy time together. This one was no exception, really well attended and not a single person sitting twiddling on a mobile phone to be seen.
      We wandered the stalls and for once actually didn’t buy anything - not sure how that happened. Tre even prevented me buying a candy floss 🙁
      We drove back to our gite and exuded to unpack a few more bags from Roxvanne - so another job ticked off the list at least.
      Food was a new one for us which we have named
      ‘Poirier Smashed Pots’ with lardons - with a home made tomato, cornichons, olive and garlic salad. Was bloody scrummy.
      Bit of TV before bedtime and another day was wrapped up nicely . . . Oh forgot about the rose wine 😋      Read more

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    Chaignepain

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