A package

Some while ago a friend had shown me a website that had some gorgeous looking dahlia plants, and knowing that my raised bed was being built I put in an early order for some bulbs. You can’t plant them until early April, so they delay sending them out.

Today a slightly larger than normal parcel arrived in our postbox. I was very excited!

Hoorah! It was my bulbs. This is my first time growing dahlias — I want them for my cut flowers in the house. I ordered six different types, so it will be wonderful to see how they come out.

As planned, Chris our Workaway, and Brian, built my raised bed area to plant them. I’m now looking forward to finish preparing it this week, and getting my bulbs planted.

Don’t you just love springtime.

Pink glory

Today was spent in the garden, mowing and strimming the slope and walled garden. I had a few little plants I still need to plant along my new pathway, which I did at the end of the day as it started to cool. It will be interesting to see how they flourish in that part of the garden, as it’s quite a warm area, behind the wall. Time will tell.

My tree peony in the walled garden is out, in all it’s beautiful, fuscia pink glory. I just love this plant.

The irises near the wall have also started to flower. It may however, put a hold on any repointing we are doing. The blue of the flowers looks so gorgeous against the white stone wall. The work we’ve done on the wall so far has definitely improved it, so we’ll get back to it soon.

An apple tree, that had not really been very successful in previous years, has burst into flower, so I’m really hopeful we may get some apples from it this year. Especially if those bees get a wriggle on and start to pollinate it.

I’ve popped irises in all around the garden, so it’s delightful seeing them start to burst into colour. They just thrive in the sun.

I love it when we are in the garden, and we are able to use our different little seating areas. Every one gives us a unique aspect of the valley and the hillside — each a different talking point, and each a calm little spot to enjoy.

Friendly interlude

A couple of friends arrived on Tuesday, for a few days of rest and relaxation. That’s always a great excuse for us to down tools and enjoy the time catching up on each others lives, and spending some quality time together.

I’d arranged a tasting at our local Champagne house, Le Prieuré, which is always a delight. Céline introduced us to a new cuvée to taste, a rosé, which is 100% pinot noir. A much drier rosé than we are probably used to, but it is very fresh, and would work well as an aperitif. It certainly needs to be drunk with some nibbles, or leading into a meal.

We headed back home for a spot of lunch, before heading out and enjoying a delightful walk up through the forest and across the fields of Colza, which are looking stunning with their bright yellow flower heads against the blue, grey of the sky.

In the evening we planned to try a new restaurant at Riel-les-Eaux called L’Armoise. They offered two fixed price menus, or you could order à la carte from the two menus. The fixed price menus seemed such good value for money, we all chose them, and enjoyed a rather delicious meal together. We shall definitely be going back.

1.6 tonne

With the cellar wall just needing to be painted with the waterproofing cement, we decided to order the stones for the floor, so that we could put the wine racks and bottles back in. Although the outside temperature is still pretty low we didn’t want the wines left out of the cellar for too long.

So with a little bit of wheelbarrowing across the courtyard, the two of us soon had the stones moved and a new floor laid in the cellar.

To think, I used to pay for a work out like this!

The trench

Having finished the chaux work on the outside wall of the cellar it was now time for Brian to make a trench at the base. This will hopefully capture any rainwater that may still make it through after the final step of sealing the wall is completed.

The drill we had bought to knock the cement off the wall made easy work of the job, and it wasn’t long before the trench was taking shape.

One of the things Brian has learned is that keeping a tidy workspace, and cleaning up as you go along, makes the job so much easier and more rewarding.

With the little trench finished it was just a case of filling it with stones and another stage of the job was complete. Voila!

Outside inside

The far wall of the cellar had been stripped of its crumbling plaster coating by our Workaway Chris. It was now for us to fill in the gaps in the stonework with chaux. This is the outside wall, but as the other side is mostly sunk into the hill we have to seal it from the inside.

We knew it would be a long day, so we had a big, early breakfast, and got on with it. Here’s a timelapse video of the day.

Phew! After a few hours Brian went back to rub down the chaux, to remove any loose bits. We were glad when it was over, but it’s such a milestone, and it will make a huge difference when it’s finished. It already looks so much better.

Le Grand Jardin

We’d had a beautiful few days in Reims, and the weather had been gorgeous — sunny but not too hot. We’d decided to extend our little adventure and make a tiny detour via the town of Joinville. It’s about an 80 minute drive south of Reims and east of where we live. The reason for going was that I’d read about a chateau there which has a beautiful garden.

The lady at the accueil (reception) welcomed us with bright enthusiasm. She explained to us what we could expect to see, and what we wouldn’t see. Mainly that there was a large formal garden and that the chateau was built as a place for fun, relaxation and dancing, so there wasn’t any furniture.

We decided to start in the garden at the front of the chateau. A jardin of topiary trees in yew follows the line of the chateau.

It felt like we were walking through the garden in Alice in Wonderland. I imagined the white rabbit would jump out from behind one of the immaculately kept pieces at any moment.

The garden created between the moat and the topiary borders had been filled with spring bulbs, all bursting into colour. It definitely inspired me to want to plant more tulip bulbs in our garden for next year, they make such a beautiful display and a great foreground to the evergreens of the topiary.

We then entered the interior of the chateau via a beautiful horseshoe, stone staircase at the back of the building. After opening the large, heavy wooden door, we entered a vast room, where you could imagine the aristocracy of the region coming and enjoying an evening of dancing, socialising, sharing well prepared food and enjoying delicious wines — just having decadent fun.

If you follow the stairs up to the top of the chateau you can also visit the recently renovated roof, which is quite spectacular in itself.

From the coolness of the chateau we then ventured back outside to enjoy wandering around the rest of the garden and park area. Here we discovered a little maze, cool refreshing fountains, a number of beds allocated for the potager — with herbs, vegetables and cut flowers — a delightful apple orchard full of blossom, an old wooden pergola, and a wall of beautiful, handmade garden chimes. So much inspiration.

I was so glad we’d made our little detour to the chateau, such a delight to see.

Bibliothèque

Not far from the cathedral de Notre Dame is the municipal library of Reims, titled simply ‘Bibliotheque’. It’s a splendid looking building, built in the 1920’s after being funded by Andrew Carnegie from his post war recovery project. Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland, and moved to the United States in 1848. He became a very successful businessman and built a colossal empire which he sold at the age of 66, and became the richest man in the world. He used a large part of his fortune to fund philanthropic projects like the Bibliothèque. The wonderful thing is that the public library is still accessible by all today. It was an absolute joy to be able to go in and experience the architecture within the tranquility of the library.

Inside the foyer is a rather large, angular, glass ceiling light, which dominates the space. In contrast, the ceiling itself is a cascade of circles, or could they be bubbles?

Around the marble walls there are a series of small mosaics, depicting artisans at work.

At the far corner of the foyer, next to the reception desk, is the catalogue room, which is full of tiny wooden drawers of small white cards, some hand written, some typed, but all cataloguing the huge collection of books and historical papers.

On the opposite side of the foyer is the entrance to the actual library. It was full of people of all ages, studying or reading some of the many reference books and journals from the collection.

What caught my eye though was the colourful stained glass window on the ceiling of the library, created by Jacques Gruber, a celebrated Parisian artisan.

I loved just wandering around, peering at the books, and soaking up the atmosphere.

Food delights

Pavement cafés in France are such a delight. I love to be able to sit outside, enjoy the sunshine, watch the world go by and have a simple, freshly prepared lunch that’s served to you at your table.

This time a croqué monsieur (ham and cheese toastie) really hit the spot.

However we do also like to experience a gourmet meal in a beautiful restaurant. The chocolate and raspberry pre-dessert we had this time around was particularly tasty, although my favourite had to be the asparagus with Chaource foam starter. Delicious.

We found the café du Palais was a wonderful breakfast spot. It was still quite chilly in the morning, so we found a little spot in the window with an excellent view of the pavement. We enjoyed the tranquility of an early morning coffee in this eclectic, historic café.

The extremely well made light and airy breakfast omelette was also very delicious.

Food delights are a wonderful part of enjoying travel in France.

A new vision

The terrible damage that the cathedral of Reims suffered during World War One included the destruction of nearly all of its stained glass windows. In recent times artists have worked with the municipality of Reims to replace some of these with modern designs created using the ancient techniques originally used in the cathedral, and they are pretty spectacular.

In 1971 the French painter Marc Chagall was commissioned to reinvent the windows of the chapel at the rear of the cathedral. He worked closely with a master glass maker, Charles Marq, who brought back skills from the 13th century, that were originally used during the construction of the cathedral, to help create Chagall’s trademark dreamy blue backgrounds. Chagall’s devoutly religious upbringing meant he could bring a touching symbolism to the windows biblical content.

I particularly loved the wispy little angel in the bottom right. The bright blue glowed with a calming ethereal quality.

In 2011, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the cathedral, Imi Knoebel – a German artist – was commissioned to create six stained glass windows. He made them in his characteristic angular, primary coloured style. They’re quite magnificent, and give a very different glow to this part of the cathedral.

Then, in 2014, three more windows were gifted to Reims cathedral by the German foreign ministry. They had commissioned and paid Knoebel to create them as a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation, 100 years after the outbreak of the First World War.

The style is brighter, friendlier and less dramatic than the others. A truly delightful gift.

All of these modern windows sit very comfortably in the cathedral, and their point of difference helps to remind you of the building’s history.

Reims cathedral

Our first proper view of Notre Dame in Reims came from our hotel bedroom, and even from here it looked spectacular.

Out in the square you really get a sense of its size.

It’s actually larger than Notre Dame in Paris, and for 900 years it was where the kings of France were crowned — 33 in total.

It has not always been the same building. The current gothic structure was built on the foundations of the previous cathedral, that burned down in 1210. The cathedral we see now was begun in 1211, and completed just 60 years later. Now 60 years may seem a long time, but it is truly massive.

During the First World War the German army fired almost 300 shells at the cathedral, and on September 19 1914, following eight hours of constant bombardment, the cathedral roof caught fire, and 400 tonnes of lead plunged into the building and the streets.

© DR / Centre des monuments nationaux

In 1924 John D. Rockfeller made a large donation to help repair the roof and stonework. By 1938 the cathedral had a finished roof again, and in 1991 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage site.

It is a wonderful centrepiece to the city of Reims, and certainly makes for a stunning sight, day or night.

The cathedral is still being renovated today, and it’s only when you enter it, and start to walk around inside, that you really feel the mammoth task.

Rebuilding Reims

We’ve just spent a few days in Reims, the capital of Champagne, which is situated in the north of the region, about a 90 minute drive from us.

We had been here previously, tasting Champagnes from the many large, prestigious houses. We’re both probably a bit biased now, but after discovering southern Champagne, and the beautiful boutique Champagnes that are produced there, we don’t feel the need to do that again. So the purpose of our trip was simply to explore the city, understand the lie of the land, and enjoy a little city living for a few days.

After settling into our hotel, not far from the cathédrale de Notre Dame, we headed off to find somewhere to sit, unwind, and plan our time away.

What I’d read about Reims was that during the First World War 70% of the buildings had been destroyed. With so much devastation, the government put in place a number of laws and schemes to help rebuild the city. The rebirth of Reims happened during an era of exciting changes in architecture, with young architects keen to try new building techniques and styles. As we wandered around the city we discovered a broad mix of the various styles of architecture that were being explored and could see how the city must have come to life with the new constructions.

They stand tall in the city of Reims, some very angular and stern, others with the softer feminine lines that the new era was starting to allow, but all remarkable examples of a growing boldness in architectural construction and style.

If you have time to visit Reims, and enjoy exploring the city streets like we do, make sure you also look up, otherwise you may just miss all of this beauty.

Garden wildlife

Working in the garden certainly seems to have attracted the birds. They search away around in the newly turned soil, nuzzling the ground looking for grubs. Seeing them in the garden encouraged me to want to try and attract more birds, so when we were at the brico the other day I bought a feeder, made of fat and seed.

The chaffinches, blue tits and great tits absolutely loved it, so I then bought a whole bucket full when we went to the garden centre. Brian hung a few up for me all around the garden. It’s lovely sitting having a coffee and watching them nibbling away. Quite delightful.

The little lizards are also spending much more time out and about soaking up the sun. Although this one looks quite large and Jurassic-like amongst the moss, he isn’t, he’s just about 5” long.

Cracks appeared

After I’d painted the doors in the hallway I realised that the hallway itself needed some work, so I asked Brian to fill some cracks that had opened up in the panelling. We just hadn’t quite realised how many there were! I now need to get them painted.

I also noticed that the Magnum bathroom needed a few touch ups around by the window. So I found some suitable paint to do the job, and decided to paint the window and skirting aswell. It’s freshened it up and I’m much happier now it’s done.

A thorough clean of all the rooms and we’re ready to start our season.

Reshaping

Anyone who has been reading my blog for a while will know about our battle with the mighty box tree caterpillars 🐛. Little chaps who munch their way through our beautiful topiaried box bushes every year. Well, they’ve arrived. I think a little earlier this year, and they’ve already started on their feeding frenzy. We decided last year that we were no longer going to battle with them, and what we needed to do is look for an alternative solution.

The challenge is that our garden is very much structured around some beautiful box tree shapes. So what happens when they’ve all been eaten by the caterpillar?

We have already removed five bushes, up by the pool. Two of them we replaced with a couple of small fir trees, which seem to be settling in well, and a third one we replaced with a small olive tree, again it looks like it’s doing well.

We also bought two more olive trees to plant by the pool – these are much bigger than the one we bought last year.

For the walled garden we’ve made a different choice, we’ve bought some Ilex which we are going to start off in pots and begin to shape them.

With the box bushes, we will cut away any eaten foliage and try and keep them as much as possible as they are. When the Ilex are bigger, and the box starts losing the battle, we will replace them, but let’s see first how much damage those little caterpillars do when left to their own devices.

Vine not

Whilst visiting a Champagne producer last year we were shown some vines, prior to being planted. They looked quite odd with their red wax protective coating. It was the first time we had seen them like that, and were so interested to learn about the care and planting of new vines.

When we returned recently he gave me one as a present. I was so surprised, and thought it terribly kind of him to give me something so valued. I was really excited to get it planted and see how well my vine could grow — we decided that we’d like it to look like a proper Champagne vine would, and not to have it growing up a wall.

He explained to me how I needed to plant it — that it needed to be buried up to the graft, which is the lumpy, red part. He cut the roots ready for planting, just leaving about 5 cm.

We decided to put it in a part of the garden where our guests could see it clearly, and it would have a similar exposure to the vines in our local vineyards. We chose a little spot just at the side of the pool area.

Brian cleared a rough patch to plant it.

He then used a metal rod to clear a hole deep enough to drop it in. Our soils are clay with a limestone bedrock, so it takes some effort to dig a hole deep enough.

Once the hole was big enough to take the vine we popped it in and covered it over. Oh my gosh, I wonder if it will grow.

We put a few stones around it, to protect it from clumsy feet or the mower, and now it’s just a waiting game to see if our own little Pinot Noir vine will take off. If it starts to grow then we will need to put up a support for it, let’s see what happens.

Le jardin

We have woken to another gorgeous day, not a cloud in the sky. The garden is getting its second mow of the year, which will be a bit shorter than the first one. It’s so delightful being out in the garden. As I mow, with no real plan — I just go where the mower takes me — I’m greeted at every turn by a different spring bloom. It’s such a beautiful time of year.

The fruit trees we planted last year, that my friend Sharon bought me for my birthday, are flourishing, with gorgeous creamy white fruit blossom.

The little yellow cowslips punctuating the grass. I dodge them as best I can, I’d like them to last a little bit longer.

I can see the first of my bluebell bulbs, that Valerie gave me, just popping their heads up. I point them out to Brian “Don’t strim there please, the bluebells are coming through”. Good job I’d remembered where I’d planted them. I’m hoping they will multiply and fill underneath the plum tree.

There’s little primroses coming out of nowhere. I’ve seen them growing all across the village; pink, white, blue and yellow, they are simply spring.

The mahonia, that was hidden behind the decaying elder, has burst into flower, and given acidic yellow flowers, sparkling against the bright blue sky.

In the walled garden some tulips have made their entrance amongst the primroses I’d planted out. Ones I’d had in pots last year, but didn’t want to discard them when they were not looking their best. Now look at them.

Fabulous, don’t you just love spring.

Returning

We’d spent the last two weeks getting some major jobs done with our Workaway guests, and now it was time to complete the work we had volunteered for at our friends house.

The last job on their list was to seal the gaps in the delivery door of the barn. This required us to create some batons that would cover the holes, and then seal them to prevent the rain from getting in.

Brian measured and cut the batons, then I helped out by sanding them so they were smooth and shed water easily.

It was then just a case of Brian fixing them in place solidly and then filling the sides. I took over that role for a while to give Brian a rest, but for some reason it took three of us!

We had a wonderful day together finishing off, Valerie will paint the batons once the filler has dried in the next couple of days. We are looking forward to returning and seeing the finished doors, for now though we were happy to enjoy a little apéro together admiring all our hard work, before tucking into a delicious dinner cooked by Val & JM.

Slow start

We were having a slow start to our day, collecting our thoughts, catching up on some admin and planning our week ahead. We’ve got our first guests arriving next week, so there’s a few things I need to prepare, and ensure the house is ready.

Brian had wanted to finish filling the garden door, and to get it sanded so it was ready for me to paint. I’d like to try and get this done this week, but we shall have to see.

Sunday walk

We had planned a walk for our last day with Chris and Louise. They had joined us as Workaways, but over the 2 weeks they had spent with us we had got to know each other, and will definitely be staying in contact, hopefully one day they will return. We share a love of walking, and enjoying our environment, so before they left us we wanted to show them another favourite walk of ours.

It starts off in Landreville and follows the river as far as a ford crossing. You don’t cross the river, but turn left up through a pretty forest.

This is such a gorgeous time of year, with all the little spring flowers coming into bloom. We saw lots of delicate white anenomes, pretty little violets, and a beautiful mauve and yellow flower that we learnt was called the pasqueflower, which is a member of the buttercup family.

The last part of the walk, after dropping down through vineyards, and just before reaching Essoyes, you follow the river back to Landreville. Along here is a beautiful, little, old stone chapel.

They have definitely done some work to it since the last time we passed here, and it’s stopped it from decaying further. It actually looks like they may be renovating it. We were able to peer in and see some of the old stones they had found. The inside of the roof was simple stunning, all made from local stone.

We’d enjoyed a good walk together, totalling nearly 13 km, which was enough for us for one day. We’ve put the link to the walk on our website if you are interested when visiting us to do it yourself.