Heading south

This morning we headed off to Burgundy for a few days. Our destination was the small village of Saint Romain, but en route we decided to stop off for a tasting at a small producer, Le Muid Montsaugeonnais. A friend had introduced us to their wines which they had served with lunch, we particularly liked their Chardonnay.

After making a purchase, we continued our journey to the beautiful old Burgundian town of Beaune. It was such a glorious day. We parked up on the ring road and wandered into town.

A pleasant little stop off at a local bar to help us rehydrate was very welcome.

We stocked up on some supplies, mainly bread, cheese (from the gorgeous little cheese shop in the centre of town) cold meats and fruit, then headed off to find a picnic spot for a late lunch. It was wonderfully idyllic, sitting in the shade overlooking the côté de Beaune, with the steeple of Mersault piercing the sky.

We arrived in the quaint little village of Saint Romain, settled ourselves into our gîte, then went for an explore on foot.

Our landlady had given us a cool bottle of their Chardonnay to enjoy as an apéro, which was a wonderful way to start our little tasting visit.

La Garde Champêtre, Gyé-sur-Seine

We always enjoy a meal at La Garde Champêtre, and a night out there last week did not let us down. We were with friends who had not been there before – it is always interesting for us to see if others enjoy it as much as we do.

Their potager, where they grow their vegetables and herbs, is planted along the side of the restaurant, where it is flourishing. How I love to see the care that goes into growing the produce they will use in their kitchen.

We were welcomed with a smile and a warm greeting from one our waiters for the evening. He asks ‘Would you like to sit inside or out?’ It was a delightfully warm evening, so eating outside was definitely the way to go.

We were seated at a comfortable table overlooking the potager.

The meal did not disappoint, we started with a cold tomato gazpacho, sweet, intense flavours of tomato tinged with basil, which was delicious. The following dishes of grilled courgette with goats cheese, whiting and asparagus, beef tartare, Guinea fowl and a strawberry dessert did not disappoint.

Our friends loved it.

Courage

We’d had a storm in the night, and the air felt fresh and cool. I woke early, drifting in an out of sleep, aware of the dawn air from the open windows. The birds were also waking up. First a light chatter, checking to see who was awake, but gradually it built to a noisy, yet sweet, birdsong. Such a delightful way to wake up.

I could hear our vigneron neighbour quietly roll his truck out, wanting to start work early before the heat of the day made the work in the vineyards difficult to manage.

The sky was clearer, and the sun was just starting to float above the horizon. One more snooze before I wake up and start my day.

The storm has left the garden looking bedraggled, I need to try and tidy the forelorn looking roses. They look bruised and weary from the rain. I have to muster the courage to start to prune and dead head them, just maybe then they will muster the courage for another bloom. I can see a few days of steady snipping ahead, to liven them all up.

Packed sunday

We woke early this morning and decided to head out to visit a few vide greniers. We both just love doing that on a Sunday morning. They were all in roughly the same area, but mainly villages we hadn’t visited before. At the second venue we were tempted by the look, and the delicious smell, of a roasting ham joint being cooked over a coal fire. It was being served with chips. I have to say, for a food stall at a vide grenier, it was absolutely delicious.

After a couple of stop offs, we arrived home around 3ish, and thought it would be good to get a coat or two of paint on the armoire. We could then let it dry overnight before we apply the final third coat in the morning.

The first coat went on easily but was quite patchy, but we soon had a second coat on it which cheered us both up as it had much better coverage.

Not far from home

The garden was a buzz of activity today. We had a couple of dragon flies flitting amongst the shrubs, and seemingly enjoying posing for a picture against my white chairs.

The bees were hard at work also, enjoying collecting their pollen from one of our rose trees. Their little legs were laden down with the bright, orange nectar, an absolute delight to see. I hope they don’t have far to fly home.

Pétanque

Every weekend there seems to be a pétanque competition taking place in one of our neighbouring villages. There are flat areas, covered in a sandy grit, set up purely to enjoy the game.

Although it appears to be a wonderful family affair, I’m sure the teams are all very competitive.

Some seem to take it more competitively than others, with matching team shirts, whilst others appear to just turn up for the fun. You know it’s actually serious though when the tape measure comes out!

Canicule

We’ve been enjoying a rather pleasant heatwave or ‘canicule’ this last couple of weeks, as daily blue skies with temperatures of around 28°c–30°c flow one after another.

But yesterday the weather broke, and we had a very welcome storm. I say welcome, I think it was for some, but I’m not so sure the cereal farmers would have liked it, as their fields are very close to harvest.

The rain was actually quite localised, and as we drove home I was wondering if our garden had received a good soaking. Luckily it had.

Fledgling

We were sitting having our breakfast outside, overlooking the vineyards. We could hear this scurrying around by the gate. Over the past few weeks we have been watching Mr and Mrs Blackbird busily taking food into the barn for their chicks. Then we saw Mrs Blackbird arrive on the top of the gate with a beak-full of worms, before dropping down into the corner, before flying away again. We realised the chicks had now fledged.

As we sat there, one little one came scurrying out, not yet able to fly. Mum was on the gate, keeping an eye on it. The little chick was looking a bit disheveled, and soon went to safety behind the lavender. It was gorgeous, we just need to keep it safe in the bushes until it can fly.

**UPDATE** That was actually a few days ago, we believe it soon moved to the laurel tree, and has since flown off. It all happens very quickly, in a few days.

Gone potty!

In a nearby village, whilst visiting a ‘vide grenier’, or car boot sale, we spotted a ‘vide maison’, which is more like a garage sale. Brian drove slowly past so that I could get a look inside. “I think we should stop” I said. We found a parking space just down the road and walked back. It was actually a wine producer who was retiring, and had no one to pass the business to, so he was selling up.

We wandered around the inside of the barn, looking at the things they had arranged for sale. There were wine racks of all shapes and sizes, as well as ordinary household items. I spotted four large concrete pots, that I was really interested in. I showed them to Brian, at which point he started immediately to worry about how we would get them home. He looked them over and pointed out the wear on the top from years of service. “If they’re cheap enough, I think they are worth the struggle” I said. I knew what was going through his mind, ‘how are we ever going to get them home?’

I asked the lady how much. She said twenty euros…for the four. I think I must have looked a little startled, and Brian could see my pleasure, and I could see his dismay. “Shall we get them?”

Moments later Brian backed the car into the driveway. The lady’s husband helped Brian put them in the car. It was a bit of a struggle. All the time I think we were both thinking ‘How the heck are we going to get these out?’ Things never seem that big to me, until you start trying to fit them into a car!

Brian drove us home, very steadily. We approached getting the smaller two out first, which was surprisingly easy, and popped them on the lawn near the steps.

I don’t think they will stay there, but they are good for now. I’d like to probably take them up the slope more, but they are good there for a while.

We then mustered all our courage to move the bigger two. We used the weight of the pots to roll them to the back of the car, and carefully manoeuvred them on to the trolley, which we could then pull over the gravel to a position either side of the bench.

They look rather magnificent where they are for now, but they may be moved at a later date. We shall see after we have lived with them for a bit before we make any rash decisions.

Some weeks ago

We had a few errands to do in Chatillon-sur-Seine this morning. It was another gorgeous day, so we couldn’t resist visiting the patisserie for a coffee and pastry. They’ve built a new little verandah outside on the pavement with tables and chairs, so a perfect spot for a mid morning break.

Errands complete, and shopping done, we headed home. In-between guests I wanted to make a start on the armoire we’d bought, some weeks ago now. We decided we would both do it, to try and get the messy sanding job done as quick as possible. It wasn’t long before we were cleaning it down, and just wiping it over with a bit of white spirit to remove any grease or dust we may have left.

Next, the painting.

Board

Yesterday we had some friends over for a simple supper of bread and cheese. The easy pleasure of sharing a cheese board with friends is a delight. Learning what people like or don’t quite like - ‘ooh you must try this one first!’ ‘I prefer this one’, ‘I love this one’, ‘the Brie is nice and runny’ .

Brian chose us a nice bottle of Sancerre to enjoy with it, which was a good choice to cut through the cheese.

France has some wonderful cheeses and we have some excellent ones produced locally. Chaource is a deliciously creamy, soft, white cheese, which is not too strong. Langres is similar but has an orange coloured rind and a slightly stronger taste. The strongest local cheese though has to be Époisses, which we both love. Again it has an orange coloured rind and is soft in texture, ideal on a cheese board or after dinner.

All three of them are produced around an hours drive from here.

Jardin de la fausse rivière

The second garden we visited was ‘Le jardin de la fausse rivière’. It was tucked away at the back of Essoyes next to a little canal. The owner, an 82 year old gentleman, had created a little oasis of calm and colour, which was approached by a metal and wooden bridge.

He had divided the garden into blocks, planting each one fully with either flowers or vegetables. All looking very healthy.

He had built a couple of green houses, which were full of tomato plants. He had also added some unusual little decorative installations. One was a collection of blue glass bottles on a bottle drier, another was a bed head used to support some rambling roses. He also had some very unusual plants, of which I hadn’t seen before. A garden to be justifiably proud of.

La Roseraie

I’d seen in the ‘Agenda’ (our new local guide to what’s on) that there was an open garden event happening in Essoyes. It was the first year they had run it, and it had been organised by the Renoir Association to help reveal some of the hidden beauty of the village where Renoir had made his home. It was completely free, as they wanted to use the opportunity to raise awareness of a competition they are running for artists. The prize is a three month stay in Essoyes, to be inspired to paint a picture to be displayed in the manoir of Devaux, a local Champagne house. Devaux are one of the sponsors of the event.

I was excited about the open garden event, as in the centre of Essoyes there is a beautiful old house called La Roseraie, which looks so lovely from the outside, and and I’d always wondered what was behind the big iron gates, and it just so happened that it was one of the gardens open to the public. We tentatively walked in, not really knowing what to expect, but we were immediately welcomed by one of the owners, who invited us to wander around freely.

The garden was split into three areas, which subtly blended into one another. The first featured very modern square, brick, raised beds, which were quite out of character for the building. So to help soften the edges they had filled them with plants which were lush and naturally overflowing around the edges. To add additional interest they had crafted a little stream, cascading over a bed of slates, with an old, rusty water pump adding a touch of contrast. This theme continued through the flower beds as they were bordered with rusting iron work, that brought height and structure to the overflowing groupings of plants.

As we ventured through this area, we also followed the edge of the river that runs through Essoyes. Such a beautiful setting, dappled with little seating areas to enjoy your morning coffee or evening apéro, a real area of calm. Renoir loved to paint along this river.

At the end of this area of the garden was a rather large, metal pergola, about 6 metres in height and about 10 metres wide. It looked very elegant, reaching to the sky and twisting itself up out of the plants.

We then wandered into the third area behind the main house. There are actually two houses, which I’d never really noticed before, and they framed this part of the garden. Music was playing lightly in the background, which we heard first as we walked through the second area of the garden, a slim walkway filled with an array of potted succulents.

I loved all the old, salvaged ironwork they had used to pot the succulents in, something I’d like to recreate in our garden.

As the garden opened out again, you gained a beautiful vista of the main house, and it’s smaller twin, with their soft green paintwork and roses around the doors and windows.

We spent a while just enjoying the space and admiring all the little details, from the beautifully planted shade beneath a tree to a lily pad covered pond. You can tell it had been created with lots of thought and hard work. Simply beautiful.

The only way

What happens when things break?

Whilst opening the pool this year, one of the skimmer doors – the flappy things that help filter the water and trap leaves etc. – lost the pin that held one side of it in place. We looked online for a replacement thinking they would be a standard size, but it seems not, and getting the right size doors is really quite tricky. “I’ll fix it instead” Brian exclaimed. ‘How is he going to do that?’ I thought? Off he went to his workshop and found a plastic ‘bit or thing’ he’d obviously kept for just such a moment. He cut the plastic pin off it, shaved it down to size, drilled a tiny hole in it, then drilled a similar tiny hole in the piece in the skimmer door. Using a blob of resin and a tiny nail he soon had a working door again. Incredible!

Now it’s fitted and flapping away as it should be.

It’s nice to be able to replace things that break, which is probably the most obvious way, but sometimes a fix is not just satisfying, it’s the only way.

Simple Picnic

It’s Thursday already and I really don’t know where our week has gone. Our guests left on Sunday morning, they were having such a wonderful relaxed time they actually stayed for four nights instead of the two they originally had planned for. It’s so gratifying when we know people are enjoying themselves.

After we’d had a bit of a tidy up, we headed off to Meurville to enjoy a picnic lunch overlooking the vines. Such a beautiful spot.

Sitting under the shade of the tree is idyllic, what more can you want, some salty crisps and yoghurt dip, followed by a couple of pain au chocolate, and some coffee. Simply delicious.

Shady spot

We have found a lovely little spot for my new white chairs. In the morning it catches the early sun, just before things are starting to hot up. Then after lunch it becomes the perfect shady spot to enjoy a quiet read and a cup of tea before starting again. Absolutely delightful, I knew they would soon become a firm favourite.

I found some pretty pink cushions to use on them, which look good as they are surrounded by pink and purple roses. The wisteria along the wall has just finished flowering, it looked beautiful and I just loved the scent when it was out. Now there is a mock orange flowering just behind the chairs, which also has a gorgeous sweet scent.

Fresh from the pot

I was running short on lemon marmalade, so I decided I’d get some made this week.

At the Intermarché they were selling unwaxed, loose lemons, however they didn’t have any weighing scales, so I couldn’t weigh them. I told Brian we need 2kg. “Hmmm”, he exclaimed, and then looked around and found a 2kg bag of apples. He started to fill a seperate bag with the lemons, and when he thought he had just enough he held the bag of lemons in one hand and the apples in the other. “A couple more” he said. Two more were added and he asked what I thought. “I reckon you are pretty spot on” I replied.

When we got home and weighed them, we were both pleasantly surprised with his accuracy.

I just love making homemade marmalades, jams and chutneys, and I know our guests enjoy them.

This week our guests were able to try it fresh from the pot, a nice sharp, tangy taste, with a sweet, sticky texture. They loved it.

Whats on

Our newsletter went out this week, which included in it the agenda, produced by our local tourist office, of what’s on in the region from now through till the end of October. There’s lots going on, such as cultural events with music, food and champagne, vide greniers and festivals.

There is also an interesting little article on palissage, the activity that is happening in the vineyards right now. The link for the newsletter is here if you’d like to have a read. https://mailchi.mp/81654a2ce351/coming-to-champagne-newsletter-feb-13858371

Red red rose

The red rose in front of the house is looking particularly gorgeous this year. We pruned it quite heavily – I think it was around March time – which it must have liked, as it’s flourishing. It does have a little bit of black spot, which I will treat, but it’s looking stunning.

It’s such a deep red.

This is the smaller rose, to the right of the door, which we had to dig up when we were laying the hot water system pipes a couple of years ago. I was always concerned as to whether or not it would survive, but again it’s doing wonders. It looks so velvety.

Strawberry Tart

I was making some strawberry tarts for dinner. They have a sable pastry base, which I blind baked then, once cooled, added a crème patisserie filling.

It’s then a careful placing of the strawberries which I leave to Brian, he makes a much better job of it than me. I then add a glaze on top of the strawberries with a little apricot jam. It is such a delicious dessert.