My name is Jo, and in 2020 I moved to France with my husband, Brian. From our move to France, to running our B&B, my blog, which you can read below, is a diary of ‘Our French Adventure’. I share short stories about the Champagne region, and its people, and the life we have embraced here.
Essoyes Wine festival
It was another scorcher of a day, with temperatures touching on 30°c. We were heading into Essoyes for their annual wine festival. It’s always a great little event, normally the third weekend in May, but this year it slipped to the public holiday weekend.
The local marching band was playing a mix of popular songs, including film tracks and musical pieces. Some of the titles on the tip of my tongue, but not quite able to name them. I love a marching band, they are always so joyful, and this one, from Bar-sur-Seine, had players of all ages.
We were focused on tasting white wines, as our cellar was looking a little depleted; or so I was told. We did try a few Chablis to start, but as it’s a region so close to us that we enjoy visiting the cellars of, we were instead tempted by some rather nice Burgundies from a little further south. We also purchased some rather nice Provence wines, which we hadn’t really tried before.
Wine festivals are great places to try something different, and not feel obliged to buy. All you do is purchase a glass for €4, and then taste your way around all the producers. That said, we always seem to find something we want to purchase.
Needing help from one of the porters, we headed back to the car with our purchases.
Top and tile
The cement ridge that Brian had created to hold the tiles had dried, so he was keen to see the first layer of tiles going up.
We both think they look great. From the front they really help to frame and finish off the wall. Now we just need to find enough tiles for the second row, to complete it off from the top as well.
Ironwork
The next little job I wanted to do was clean up and paint some iron panels I’d bought from a vide grenier. I have two different pieces of ironwork, and have asked Brian if he can fix them to the wall for me once they are painted. I would like to try and train my rose to grow up around them.
He’s currently thinking about how he is going to fix them.
I think they will definitely need a couple of coats.
Little rusty
Brian is keen to finish off the garden wall. I think it’s a job he’s been avoiding, probably as he wasn’t quite sure how to approach it.
He has a plan now though. He is building up a straight line of cement on top of the wall, which he will then lay the tiles on to, using it to hold them in place.
He was on a roll then, and decided to mix up some chaux to finish off grouting the wall.
Whilst he did this my friend Sharon & I painted the railings and iron gate.
They’d got a little chipped, so it’s good to keep them touched up before any rust sets in.
Voila!
Plantes troc
Last year I learnt about the ‘plantes troc’, and this year I’m back.
It’s a sort of ‘bring and buy’ sale, where you bring plants you’ve taken out of your garden—maybe they’ve spread and you don’t need them all—and you take some of the plants that other people have brought with them.
I hadn’t organised myself enough to bring any plants this year, because I haven’t been as active in the garden splitting them off, but they didnt mind at all, they had more than enough. The morning is all very convivial, with everyone trying to share a bit of knowledge about their gardens, and share their plants, it’s all quite lovely.
It’s such a great little event, I really need to organise myself more for next year.
Along with the plants I bought in Bergère, I now have a lot of work to do planting them all. I know Brian will be helping, I just need to tell him where they are all going.
Family time
We had some family visiting this weekend. It was so good for us to all be together, catching up on what’s been happening, reminiscing on family get togethers, playing games, sharing stories, and just enjoying some quality time.
On Saturday morning we headed off to the lake for a walk through the forest. I am loving that area at the moment, so peaceful, and the walking is good for me as it’s mainly flat.
The forest has lots of history to it, as it was once home to the knights templar, who lived there and created areas which they flooded with water to store fish as a food source. A lot of these ponds remain, although are now just wonderful habitats for frogs and tadpoles, which you can hear chirping away as you pass them by.
We then drove around to the little pebble beach where we skimmed stones and enjoyed ice creams, before heading home.
Waiting room
We woke early this morning, as Brian had a doctors appointment. Just a regular checkup, but a bit of a drive away.
It was a beautiful misty start over the village, and we could just make out the outline of the church from our bathroom window.
A 50 minute drive later the mist had lifted, and we were sat in a grey waiting room.
I strangely find comfort in these old, creaky spaces, they remind me of the village life of my childhood.
Checkup over, time for a cheery cup of coffee.
Flower power
My most favourite event of the year has to be the flower festival in the small village of Bergères. Through rain or shine, it makes for such a beautiful day out.
This year we had a few rain clouds to dodge, but it didn’t dampen our spirits, and certainly didn’t stop me from purchasing some beautiful plants.
It was made even more enjoyable as we caught up with some friends for a coffee and catch up, and compared what plants we’d bought.
I also couldn’t resist buying some locally grown strawberries and white asparagus. They are both so fresh, and I can already say the strawberries are very sweet and delicious.
Even the local ‘punk’ band showed up. Not sure they played any punk songs I could remember. They were very upbeat though, which was popular.
Breaking ground
Brian spent some time today levelling the ground under the plum tree. We’d previously dumped some of the earth there that we’d removed when Lauren and Max had helped us with the base for the shed. I’ve bought a couple of shade loving plants, which I think could work well if I plant them around the tree. Obviously mindful I need to get to it to pick the plums, but they should look good.
I was also working on my shrubbery, with help from Brian, who dug out some of the grass.
It’s definitely starting to look more considered. The new blackcurrant bush will form part of it.
Festival flowers
We headed to the flower festival in Rumilly les Vaudes on Sunday. Despite it being a bit cool, a lot of people had made it out, and were enjoying buying some new plants.
There was also a really good selection of other stalls selling all sorts of items. Brian bought me a little pottery bird that was sat on a metal stick, I think I will pop it up on the hill, with my metal flowers he got me last year.
I also came home with a nice selection of plants, some geraniums for my pots, some marigolds, which I may also put into pots, a couple of shade loving plants for under the plum tree, a blackcurrant bush, and two rose bushes.
It was an excellent little village festival.
Les Fleurs
With the sunshine, a bit of rain, and a little bit of feeding, the garden is really starting to fill out and burst into bloom.
The wisteria, is looking and smelling gorgeous. The light mauve blossoms are beautiful, like little waterfalls.
Some of the wildflowers are also coming out where I’ve left some grassy areas on the slope.
Up by the pool the irises are flourishing, I will probably need to thin them out a bit later this year.
Mauves, yellows, creams, pinks, and reds are all favourite colours of mine. The vibrancy brings real joy to me.
This rose is like velvet and every year makes me smile, the bush must have loved its pruning this year as it’s full of flowers. I think I have Sara to thank for that.
Having a garden brings me so much joy, I’ve had a lot of help in it these last months, which has been really appreciated by both me and Brian. We are both now working to stay on top of the jobs so that it can be enjoyed all summer long and well into autumn.
It’s all just delightful.
Eucalyptus
I spotted a eucalyptus tree at the garden centre last week, and thought it would work well on the slope.
It can grow to about five metres tall and a couple of metres wide, so we needed to give it some space. I do love planting trees, although I have to admit Brian does most of the heavy work. I just come along to say where to put it and ensure it’s planted well.
The beautiful silver green leaves will make a good contrast against the more lush green of the fruit trees nearby.
May brings ‘…’
May in France has four public holidays.
The first of May celebrates the workers, so you rarely find anywhere open on this day, as it’s the only official public holiday where businesses ‘have’ to give their staff a day off. It’s lucky on this day to give your friends, family, or neighbours a sprig of Lilly of the Valley, a real favourite little flower of mine.
8 May is Victory day, so another good reason for a day off. Then there’s Ascension day—this year on 14 May. I really like this one as there is a brilliant plant festival on this day every year in Bergère, a little village about 20 minutes from us.
The last one is Pentecôte, this year on 25 May. We enjoy going to a ‘marché des puces’ on this day, a rather good flea market in Sens, about an hours drive from us.
There’s lots to look forward to.
How dare they!
Whatever had been eating my dahlias had returned to have a go at the roots of my nashi pear tree. How dare they!
Brian had to jump into action to protect them. He had an old piece of wire fencing he was able to bend round 3 posts to protect the still very young tree.
He also needed to review the temporary cover Lisa and I had put in place. As when the dahlias start to grow I didn’t want them growing through it.
I’m glad to say that it looks like both lots of protection are working.
Just the beginning
Well, it’s that time of year again, when the temperatures have sufficiently lifted, and the pool can be reopened.
It’s only really the first step in the process though, because it needs a really good clean before it’s okay to swim in. It also has to be a lot warmer! I’m a bit of a fair weather swimmer.
I am so looking forward to swimming in it this year.
Adding some personality
The time had come to finish the painting of the shed. It’s taken a few days of work, and drying, but we could see the finish in sight.
As per usual, I did the big, flat areas, and Brian handled the edges and fiddly bits, which I’m glad of, as I don’t like ladders.
Painting done, it was time to add a bit of personality.
We’ve picked up a few little signs on our travels over the years, and we were in need of a good place to put them.
Looking much better now.
Bird spotting
I’d planned for us to do a short walk to an observatory near to the Lac ‘d’Orient. It’s a beautiful spot with a well built hide. Unfortunately though, as we turned off into the forest to park up in the car park, we were stopped by some serious looking soldiers. They had a 4wd hidden in the trees with two soldiers in it, and a motorcyclist standing next to his bike on the road leading to the car park. A fourth soldier approached us, and explained there was a wide scale military operation happening in the area, and we would not be able to access this part of the forest today.
‘Oh well’, we thought, that’s scuppered that. But not wanting to be defeated, Brian and I both looked at the maps on our phones, and could see another ‘hide’ over looking the lake. We hadn’t been there before, but today seemed like a good one to try it. I looked at our ‘outdoor active’ map and could see a circular walk near it, so we headed off in the car to the direction of where the walk started.
It was a delightful and well marked trail, with unusual large, oak doors along the way to make you aware you were entering an area of natural beauty, and not to leave the track.
It felt good enjoying the spring air, and the stillness of the forest, and was at least as pleasant as the walk we originally wanted to do.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at the observation hide; a wooden building built on the edge of the lake.
We settled in, sitting on the wooden benches. We poured ourselves some coffee, which Lis’ had carried for us, shared out the banana bread I’d made, and spent a good 30–40 minutes just seeing what birds we could spot.
We were rewarded with sightings of Eurasian coots, cormorants, two kingfishers, and common terns. We also identified on our ‘Merlin’ bird identifying app a common fire crest, a dunnock, and an Eurasian Wren.
The walk back was just as pretty, and at a total of 7.2km was quite an achievement for me.
View on the vines
It was such a gorgeous morning that we headed up to the point de vue with a flask of coffee to enjoy the view. It makes for such a beautiful little walk.
From the track on the other side of the valley you can see the house and the swimming pool at the top of the hill. The white stone is all looking stunning against the vivid greens of spring. And oh look, I spy a new shed!
The vineyards are starting to flourish again. Some vignerons have chosen to replace some vines that they had either lost over winter, or were just not performing so well. It will be at least three years before they produce useable fruit.
I love to see the tiny little bunches of grapes starting to form. Fingers crossed for a strong year.
Dimanche à la campagne
Sunday in the country is a fabulous event held at the end of April. This year marked their 30th anniversary, quite an achievement. They had 41 exhibitors, or creators, across 40 sites within our region.
I’d chosen to visit a couple of new sites this year, and a couple we’d visited before. The first one was the renovated wooden windmill at Dosches. It was pretty spectacular. First we went into the windmill via the very rickety wooden staircase, then we visited a little exhibition in one of the barns on the story of the local windmills, and the story of this renovation.
There were a number of stalls selling local produce: jams, honey, brioche and bread. All rather tasty, and I couldn’t resist going home with some elderflower jelly and recently baked brioche.
In the grounds of the windmill they had planted a rather beautiful little garden. I love looking at their planting schemes and the little creative ways in which they create interest in the garden. I always gain a little bit of inspiration.
We then headed to the pick-your-own farm ‘Esperance’. We had visited here before, but they have a much improved farm shop now, so I’d certainly look to go back. It’s not that far outside of Troyes, so quite easy to visit.
I was very happy with the tulips I’d picked.
Our next visit was to the fromagerie at Champs-sur-Barse. A favourite of mine, and a timely stop off for lunch; merguez & frites.
Our last stop for the day was Jérôme Cothias, for a glass of champagne and a bit of country dancing.
All-in-all a fabulous day.