Home alone

I made a quick last minute decision to pop over to the UK to visit Dad. Brian had suggested I take the car rather than the train as he has plenty to do at the house and was happy to be left home alone without it. So I packed my stuff ready for the trip.

It was a very early start for me, which was quite a challenge when the alarm went off at around 5am, but that time of day does bring its own joys. As I drove out of the village I passed a number of deer quietly eating the fresh grass beside the road. I think they were nibbling the new young grass which had grown through where the verge had been cut, it was obviously very tasty for them. They scurried off as I drove past, bobbing into the safety of the forest undergrowth.

As I emerged from the forest up onto the plateau of fields that surround us I could see the windmills on the skyline, seemingly tying the clouds to the ground, the sun rising with a bright golden glow, that was already starting to warm the day.

I was soon on the toll road heading to Calais, a talking book and a cup of coffee my companions. They helped the journey fly by.

I arrived in Norfolk around 4pm. I think dad was very pleased to see me, and we tucked into our M&S sandwich and cup of tea.

Pottery Expo

GeGe at Poterie Bel Air was having another open evening, which I was keen to go along to. I wanted to buy another jug, as I like them for serving juice in the mornings to our guests. She had been working hard at the wheel and the kiln, and had lots of her charming pottery pieces on display in the barn.

We both really love the rustic charm of the little expo she puts on with the help of her friends, it’s the perfect way to show her work.

And it’s always nice to see their flock of sheep, that travel to and fro from the Netherlands with them, as they spend half their year in Holland and half in France.

Of course no visit to a poterie is complete without a purchase or two! And who doesn’t love a hand drawn shopping bag to take them away in?

Baguette

As we dropped down towards the lake we could see that the path traversed the lake over a rocky dam. We decided to have lunch before we crossed, so found a couple of comfy rocks to sit on and enjoy our cheese and pickle baguettes.

As we sat there enjoying our lunch we could hear lots of delicate splashing on the edge of the water. Brian went to investigate, and realised the reeds were full of little frogs, enjoying their afternoon swimming lesson.

He then started to look closer in the water, to find that it was full of little fish and skimmers, tripping over the top of the water. He then spied a little oval looking creature. ‘Come and look at this.’ I carefully toddled over to where he was standing, and the pair of us gazed inquisitively into the water. This is what we saw which was about 2-3 cms long. No idea what it is!

Lunch finished, we crossed to the other side of the dam, where we found a beautifully built hide, which we went into to explore. After a short while we could hear a crescendo of frogs and bird song, it was such a delightful experience, we will definitely be revisiting. Brian did manage to capture some of the ambiance with this short piece of video and soundtrack. Just click on the picture below.

Cheese and pickle

A quick coffee this morning as we had decided to head out for a walk. It was a little bit overcast, so not too hot. I’d packed us a little picnic, including cheese and pickle baguette, which always seems to be a favourite of ours when walking. Plenty of water and a flask of coffee, and we were ready to go.

We were heading for the Forêt du Temple, near to the lake. I hadn’t exactly mapped the walk out, it was going to be a bit free form, however we knew where we were heading for. We parked up and went to look at a couple of walks displayed on a nearby information board, we decided that we would combine the two, why not? So we set off heading through the forest, following a well defined path.

The first part had a number of information boards sharing details about the area and how it had been used at the time of the Templars. This is actually a separate walk, one which we shall do fully on another day. Our route then left the Templars walk and opened out into some beautiful, well managed woodland, where the wildflowers were looking particularly gorgeous and very vibrant in the dappled sunshine.

It was all so beautiful, but nothing compared to what awaited us…

Another flush?

Our roses looked absolutely gorgeous during the early weeks of summer, creating vibrant bursts of colour all around. Rose scent lingering in the air welcomed you into the garden.

But beauty fades, even though the plants hang on to the last vestiges. So today we needed to take some time to dead head the roses and prune out some of the old dead wood to help encourage another flush of blooms.

There are a lot of mature roses, so it was quite a task, but the climbers are already looking stronger with a little mid-season tlc.

Booking.com or Airbnb

I can’t take credit for this post as it was the post Brian put on LinkedIn today, and it has already had over 5,000 impressions, which is amazing. We’ve been getting some really great comments, as well as a few reposts. I thought I would share it with you here;

‘Why are you not on booking.com or Airbnb?’. That’s the question we get asked most often, and the answer is simple.

The booking sites have their place, but we believe our guests deserve more than just a confirmation email. We prefer to give them a richer, more personal experience.

Our aim is to make our guests comfortable, even before they arrive. We get to know a little bit about who they are and what they want from their relaxing break. Equally, we like to share with them a little bit about us. Jo’s daily blog for instance allows our guests to get to know us, and our home in the Champagne countryside.

These early contacts build trust, and that in turn helps our guests to relax more easily on arrival. They quickly begin the unwinding process that’s so important for a successful holiday.

This second year has proved our philosophy is working, as we are already enjoying the return of guests from last year.

Now what?

We had just returned from an afternoon out and about, and it was a little hot in the house, so I opened a few windows to get a breeze through. Brian decided to race up to the pool to do the checks that need doing every few days.

I turned my back for a moment, and suddenly there was a huge green thing on the drinks cabinet. I quickly took a photo and sent it to Brian on his phone, with the message ‘Now what?’.

Fortunately he was already on his way down, and was soon scooping it up on a brush and depositing it back outside where it belonged.

Serenity

So I wonder, did you manage to guess what Brian had bought me at the vide grenier last week?

It was a small statue of a nun, it stands about 20cm tall and is made of clay. We think it would have been made by the sculpture who would then have used it to make a template for a mould. We are not certain though, so if you think you may know more we would love to hear it.

I just love the serenity of her little pose.

Tractor activity

It’s that time of year when there’s a lot of tractor activity in the vineyards and the fields. Our little village is alive with the vignerons going about their business. They are all just finishing a period called palissage, which involves pinning the vines to guide wires, it’s very manual work. Everything is growing now, so there’s a lot of tidying and weeding being done.

A number of the growers near us are working towards biodynamic practices, and they don’t use chemicals for weed control, so it can be quite an intensive task keeping the vineyards clear.

Up in the fields the wheat harvest is about to start, so the cereal farmers really don’t want too much rain, if any, but the vines could do with a little bit during this growing season. Its a delicate balance between the needs of different farmers. That said, our garden could really do with some rain.

Big decision

As we drove home yesterday we were halted by three deer playing in the road. They seemed unsure as to whether they should run left or right. They had obviously got ahead of their mum, and it was becoming a battle of confidence for the three. One then doubled back, but a second kept going. The third turned tail also and ran back. Mum then appeared and took the lead, running across the road with her two little ones following, all four reunited again. They were simply adorable, I do so love having the deer living around our village.

Tin man

It must be about 6 weeks ago when Brian first started sanding down the metal table. I’d mentioned that we’d bought this old table a few years back from a small brocante in Bar-sur-Seine. It was covered in thick paint and was showing some significant rust patches.

Brian did a great job in taking it back to just the metal. However since then he has been using some car filler to fix the holes, after he had treated the rust, and where the holes were really bad he added some tin underneath to provide a base for the filler.

We are now at the point of painting it which is where I come in. The table top is looking much stronger with all the holes filled and fixed, and with a final rub down. I am now using an off white hammerite enamel paint to cover it. This will provide some good protection.

Whats for dinner

When our guests have table d’hôte dinner with us we like to produce a little menu card, so when they arrive in their room or come back from their day out, it’s there waiting for them, to let them know what they will be eating that evening.

We think it helps to know what you will be eating, but it can also present a little enigma, such as the ‘Coupé noir de coco et grains de chia’.

The coconut and chia coupe, is a new dessert favourite of ours, and full of yummy goodness. The chia seeds are grown on a local farm, la ferme des blés d’or. I mix them with a little agave syrup, vanilla and coconut milk. I then serve it topped with fruit.

Chia seeds are full of B vitamins, which help our bodies gain energy from the food we eat. They are also rich in several dietary minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

A yummy dessert that’s good for you at the same time.

Ups and downs

It was a bit of a scorcher yesterday.

We’d been and picked up a couple of sun loungers and another parasol for by the pool, which we’d ordered from Weldom the previous week. They were still in the barn, so the first task was to get them up to the pool.

In theory that should be quite easy, but we had also bought 4 rather large and heavy paving slabs to take up, which we had bought to secure the umbrella in place. We were able to strap them one at a time to the trolley and Brian pulled them up the slope. It was heavy and very hot work. A few trips up and down and we had taken everything up there, however, that was probably the easy bit, as we then needed to put them all up!

We started with the parasol, so that we could create some shade. it was in three main sections which went together quite quickly.

Brian wasted no time in getting under it, and guzzled down a bottle of water. It really was a scorcher.

I’d laid out the first of the sun beds. It wasn’t difficult to put together, it just seemed to have a lot of screws.

They must have taken us a good hour to fit them both together.

We obviously needed to try them out before our guests arrived. So a nice little cup of tea, before we tidied up and went back down the slope to prepare for dinner.

Now what to wear?

I had hoped to finish off the armoire before we went away, but time ran away with us. So this morning we were up keen and ready to get it finished. We needed to buff up the surfaces after applying the Annie Sloan wax, this helps it have a soft sheen. If you leave it, it will remain with a matt finish.

After carrying all the bits upstairs, we then had to remember how it slotted together. They’re pretty straight forward, but it’s easy to put something in the wrong way around if you’re not concentrating. It wasn’t long before we were putting each piece in place and securing them into position.

I am loving the finished look, and it gives me so much more hanging space. I’m discovering clothes I’d forgotten I had!

Route des grands crus

We couldn’t resist a little drive along la route des grands crus, to visit the small village of Puligny Montrachet, which produces probably my favourite white wine in the world, and in such a beautiful setting.

We then stopped off in the town of Mersault, for a little wander and a coffee in the square outside the rather impressive town hall, with a typically Burgundian tiled roof.

We then headed north up to Nuit-Saint-Georges for a little lunch stop. Brian couldn’t resist ‘les escargots’ in the typical buttery, garlic sauce. I’m satisfied with just a bit of bread dipped in the sauce. He does love to have them when we make a visit to Burgundy, where it’s one of their regional dishes.

There’s a good degustation to be had at Moillard in Nuit-Saint-Georges, which gives you the opportunity to try wines from across the region. Brian and Nigel decided they would go for the 8 bottle tasting which included one grand cru (not shown). They thoroughly enjoyed the selection and, of course, couldn’t resist but buy a bottle or two.

Dinner in Saint Romain

There’s a small but delightful bistro in Saint Romain. When I was looking for a restaurant for us on the internet before we arrived, I could only find reviews for this little bistro on Facebook. We had telephoned them to make a booking, which they confirmed and advised that they opened at 19.15. We always like to enjoy a drink before dinner, so arrived just as they were opening and settled down at a nice table outside on the verandah.

It was lovely to be outside, but I have to say the interior had a pleasant, quirky style about it, and felt just as comfortable.

The waiter explained a couple of items on the menu for us, such as freshly fried whitebait, which was a sharing plate, and the confit of beef, which I chose, and was delicious. It was served with a pea mousse and herb crumb. I then had the hake, which was so well cooked. It was served with cauliflower and a veal jus, ‘de-licious’.

The stroll back to our gite was just 5 minutes, and all down hill, thankfully.

It was a beautiful tranquil little get away, which we have very fond memories of and will definitely return to one day.

Saint Romain village

Saint Romain is one of the oldest villages in Burgundy. It definitely has a feel of days gone by, with it’s ancient streets and isolated position in a deep ravine of the Côte d’Or.

We drove up to a view point at the back of the village, which displayed a stunning sweeping view across the valley.

As we explored the quaint little village we discovered hints of its history; old buildings, some left crumbling others either renovated or being renovated, inscriptions in the stone walls over mysterious monuments, and carvings depicting the artisans that lived, or live, in this tiny village. The cross high up on the cliff stands stately and strong against the skyline.

The sleepy little village feels untouched by time.

Saint Romain degustation

We tried to book a few tastings before we’d arrived in Saint Romain, but we’d learnt that most of the producers are very low in stocks. The frosts of recent years have left a number of them with limited bottles, certainly not enough to be able to offer tastings. We had managed though to book a couple for the afternoon, so decided to just take a wander around the village in the morning to see if we could knock on some doors and chance being able to take a degustation.

It was a very hot day, so nothing was happening very fast, but we did manage to get a tasting at a place not on our list. We also had a very enjoyable conversation, happily practicing our french.

Saint Romain produces white (Chardonnay) and red wines (Pinot Noir), and over the course of the day we got to try both from a number of years, and some pretty exceptional wines at that.

The two tastings we had booked in the afternoon did not disappoint us, first of all we visited Rapet, who are a husband and wife team. They make some superb wines together and have a beautiful setting looking down over the valley. We then went to Domaine Germain, which was a bit of a walk back into the village, then up a pretty steep hill. It was quite a trek in the early afternoon heat, and being invited into the coolness of their cellar when we finally got there was a welcome relief. It was a delightful tasting, but again they had very limited stocks.

Having the opportunity to taste wines at the producers is always a valued experience, it really gives a sense of place, and allows us to chose what we would like to buy. We are definitely looking forward to enjoying our purchases with some delicious meals in the months and years to come.

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.