Excuse me?

This morning we’d nipped into Bar-sur Seine to pick up a few groceries. As I was manoeuvring to park, a white van with a few people seated in the back, started to reverse out of a parking space in front of me. Now it has to be said that generally drivers ignore reversing lights in France and tend to drive right past you. I did the decent thing and held back to let him pull out, but he was not making a great job of it, so I started to reverse to give him a bit more room. For some reason, probably because he was making such a hash of it, he started gesticulating and shouting at me. Not to be intimidated, I simply leaned out of the car window and, in my best English accent, said, “Excuse me?”. He was stunned, and stared blankly at me. I then asked “Do you need help?”. I think this threw him into complete chaos, and he couldn’t quite recover. He looked straight ahead and quietly and calmly drove off.

Sometimes it works in your favour to just be yourself!

Stinky!

We nipped out this morning to collect some bread for our guests dinner tonight. It was nice to make time for coffee in our local cafe, and enjoy a moment to catch up on my blog and social media.

Tonight’s dinner starts with freshly made gougères. All of our chambre d’hôte dinners include local ingredients, and although I use my McDougalls flour tin as storage I have locally produced flour inside.

When serving dinners we like to place a little menu card either in each of the bedrooms or in the hallway, so there’s no surprises and our guests know what they will be eating.

The tomato and courgette tian we’re having tonight is baked in the oven for around 35 minutes, so that the tomatoes sweeten slightly and the courgettes earn themselves little crispy edges.

The cheese board is of local cheeses from Mussy, Chaource, Langres and Epoisse. Epoisse vies for the title of king of cheeses, coming up against the beautiful, salty, blue Roquefort. Epoisse however has a soft richness, that often needs a spoon to serve it. Apparently it’s bad etiquette to call it stinky, so I think strong (fort) is the appropriate term. Either way, for cheese lovers around the world, it is delicious and definitely needs to be tried.

Run piggy run

We nipped out last night for dinner at the little Crêperie in Thieffrain. It’s a delightful little restaurant that serves very tasty crêpes. You start your dinner with a savoury crêpe (or two) and then move on to a sweet crêpe, which could also be flambéed. Brian chose one with Grand Marnier, I stayed simple with lemon and sugar, oh and a little bit of banana. All super delicious.

Driving home we met lots of little creatures on and around the road, deer, hares, foxes, and one ‘particularly’ large boar. Brian got a few distant shots of it as it charged across the field. It’s hard to gauge the size of this particular chap, but we think he was well over a metre tall! I’m always so pleased to see all the little furry creatures, but with this one I was glad we were in our car.

Snug fit

Work resumed on the storage today as our guests had gone to Troyes for the day, so Brian had a few hours to be able to use his noisy power tools.

Progress was good, and I was so pleased with how it was looking. However I did ask for a slight design change, just so I could easily reach across to the garden cushions I wanted to store there.

He wanted the side panel to fit as snug as possible to the wall, so he’d cut the edge to contour with the stones. It’s coming together quickly now.

Maintenance

Brian definitely prefers creative jobs to maintenance tasks, but when a guest had a problem with a sticky door he knew it needed to make it a priority.

So out came his trusty multi-tool, and got on with the job.

The multi-tool is great, because it means that he can work in difficult places without major upset, like taking a door of its hinges for instance.

Minutes later the job was sorted, and our next guests will be able to get to their rooms without having to deal with a sticky door.

Boxed in

In my laundry room there’s a space at the back where the pipes from the boiler room go underground. Since we changed our boiler system we have never really done anything to cover this space up, or use it at all, but the time to sort it out had come.

Brian suggested we box the pipes in, and create some useable storage. He had quite a bit of wood stored, so decided to see if he could do it without buying any.

I wasn’t quite sure when this was all going to happen, so was very happy when he said he’d get started on it, working in between guests leaving and new ones arriving.

He wanted to be able to take the box apart, if at any point we needed to get to the pipes, so he decided to build it in sections, then fit them together in situ.

I am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.

Pruning

Along with the landscape gardening we’d been doing I also needed to get some pruning done. The gorgeous red rose that grows up the front of the house had already showed us its first flush of colour. If we dead head it, we will definitely get another show of beautiful red blooms, so I got on with that.

However the delicate white rose that climbs up the wall by the steps was struggling to produce any blooms, as I had yet to prune it at all this year, so I focussed on that next. I needed to be quite thorough, getting rid of all the dead wood and any spindly branches

I do love all our different roses, and I’m learning about what they like, and when they like it, more and more every year we are here.

Mildew

When we moved to Champagne we were very aware of the concept of vintage Champagne, or ‘millésimes’ as the French call it. Only made in the best years, and with grapes of only that year, a vintage Champagne represents the art of the winemaker in its purest form. But we didn’t fully understand why there are so few vintage years…until now.

The last few years that we have been here have seen one difficulty or another for the growers. Be it ice, hail, insects, disease, or just plain unruly weather, it seems that a perfect year for the crop is difficult to come by. This year is no exception, with low temperatures and plenty of rain, this years annoyance is mildew, as well as a lack of sun and heat. The tractors have been out almost every week spraying against mildew, and it still keeps raining, so we won’t be holding our breath for a vintage this year.

Sitting comfortably?

One of the other little projects we kind of got sidetracked on is a seating area in the shade of our ash tree by the swimming pool.

Brian had told me there were some stone slabs that had got covered over by grass and weeds near the ash, and he wanted to dig them out. It got me thinking, and I suggested to him that we move one of our benches from the pool to under the tree. He couldn’t quite see the connection between the two jobs, but agreed anyway.

First though he wanted to uncover the slabs.

We soon had the majority lifted, and decided to use a couple to steady the bench, which also needed a few repairs to make it structurally sound.

I have to say I think this is going to be a favourite of ours during those hot summer days.

Great combination

I just don’t know where the days have gone this week. I’ve just seen I haven’t blogged since 12th June, nearly a week ago.

The weather has been very mixed here in Champagne, sunshine and rain, a great combination for the growing garden, but not when I want to cut the grass!

We’ve kind of been making the most of the dry sunny spells, tidying up the borders in the walled garden, and laying some cocoa shells as a mulch. It’s great, as it smells of chocolate, as well as helping retain the moisture in the hotter days.

I’ve also been planting up some of my pots. I’ve tried to chose more drought tolerant plants this year, which is a bit ironic with all the rain.

I know I’ll be glad of the choice in a week or two though.

Metropolitan

After finding our Paris map books at the vide grenier, I thought I’d share some of the pics we took of the Paris metro. Although we never got to use it whilst we were in Paris we never seemed to be far from a station. I couldn’t help but share some of the beautiful art nouveau designs, used across the city for the underground it truly evokes the period of when it was first opened in 1900.

Life before the iPhone

This morning the sky was blue, the sun was warming the air and we couldn’t resist a little trip out to a few local vide greniers. The second one we went to at Vaude was excellent, with a real mixture of stalls.

I was very pleased with our finds; a couple of ‘Lorraine’ storage jars, a brightly coloured scarf (that will cheer up a winters day), a ‘Crystal’ decanter and glasses (for our Martini Bianco), a metal wood scraper (no I’m not sure either), a wooden barrel tap, a pretty checked tablecloth, and 2 map books of Paris.

The one Paris map book opens out with a beautifully detailed map of the transport network. I adore maps, and Brian loves books, so a great little momento to remind us of our trip to Paris, and a memory of life before the iPhone.

Notre dame

We couldn’t finish our series of blogs in Paris without showing an update on how the rebuilding of Notre Dame is progressing. Our hotel was only about an 8 minute walk from it, which I’m not sure we realised when we booked our stay. As we strolled around the neighbourhood, It was quite wonderful glimpsing a different vista of the statuesque cathedral being carefully and skilfully reconstructed. its external skeleton of scaffolding still very much in place and in use.

The view of it from behind clearly shows the extent of the work that still needs to be completed, but what an amazing job they have done with rebuilding the steeple. We cannot wait to return next year and visit the cathedral in all its glory. It’s going to be a magnificent achievement.

It’s looking blue

Back home and we’re preparing the garden and pool for our guests who are arriving this week. It’s all looking very tempting, although the water is still a bit chilly. The sun is heating things up now though and will soon start to warm it up.

We do have lots of little jobs we want to do in the garden, which we will enjoy getting done over the coming days and weeks. One was taking the old fridge down the hill. It was actually not as tricky as we thought it might be, it was great to get that done! I can see a decheterie run is needed soon.

Musée Carnavalet

When we moved to France, back in 2020, Brian bought me a book on the little museums of Paris. One of the museums in it is the Musée Carnavalet. Not one I’d ever heard about before, however it did interest us, as it tells the history of the city of Paris. Since moving to France we have loved learning about its history.

The museum was opened to the public in 1880, and has since then been continuing to add exhibits. By the end of the 20th century, the museum was full to capacity. Apparently it is actually one of the largest museums, I think by number of exhibits, in France. Strange therefore that it’s considered a little museum. Maybe more so because it’s not that well known.

So before we left Paris we decided to make a visit. We found it fascinating, the first room you enter displays old shop, restaurant, and artisan signs. Something we love about France is their use of unique signage. So much so that we had our own one made for our B&B from Brian’s design.

They have a whole floor dedicated to Parisian rooms through the ages, showing off the sometimes gauche and flamboyant styles of their furnishings.

My favourite has to be their art nouveau period display, and the amazing, unique exhibits they have collected. This period is just so elegant.

What a wonderful museum and a fabulous trip it’s been.

An evening in Paris

Our last evening in Paris we decided to eat locally to us, and we found a delightful little bar in the square, just near to our hotel.

We drank chilled vermouth from Martini glasses and listened to buskers playing their versions of various jazz songs before eating.

After dinner we just strolled around the streets, absorbing the atmosphere and chatting about our day, and planning for tomorrow.

The streets were clear, just a little chatter from people sitting enjoying the evening, occasional music from those practicing together, maybe they’ll be busking tomorrow.

Café culture

One of the things we simply love about Paris is its café culture. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is you can often find somewhere to sit down, relax and enjoy a drink or two in an unhurried environment. I find it delightful to be served at your table, rather than struggling carrying an overladen tray to a spot that someone else has just beaten you to. The waiters and waitresses work tirelessly, mostly with a smile, keeping the tables cleared and allowing you to take your time to enjoy your moment.

As you know, we also love observing the little things about a place, and in Paris it’s hard not to look up. There is so much to see, including the beautiful lighting that stands proud against its backdrop. Simply gorgeous designs.

Les Invalides

After we’d soaked in the atmosphere around the Eiffel Tower, we decided we were up for a little stroll back to our hotel. We were under no illusion that it wasn’t really a little walk, however it started by taking us through a very beautiful area, the avenue de la Bourdonnais, with wide streets, beautifully decorated boutiques and stunning apartments with views toward the Eiffel Tower. All glorious in the sunshine.

It was getting a little warm, so I suggested we stop for a drink. We chose a little bar, and realised it was at the back of Les Invalides, which is a war museum.

After a refreshing break we decided to take a closer look. We entered through the main gate, and walked around the main courtyard to the entrance of the museum. It is quite spectacular.

Not quite in the mood for a museum of war though, Brian exclaimed ‘let’s do it another time, and we can come back and see more of the museum’. We always say ‘You should leave something to come back for’.

Napoleon can wait.

Tuk Tuk to the Eiffel Tower

When we had finished at the exhibition, we decided we wanted to head over to the Eiffel Tower. The plan was then to walk back to the hotel via Les Invalides. This was quite a distance, so we were discussing our options on getting to the Eiffel Tower when my gaze went to the group of Tuk Tuks that were waiting outside the musée d’Orsay. Let’s just say my negotiation skills left me, as I was keen to have the ride, and the driver or pedaler knew it. I’m not sure Brian really knew what he’d committed to, but we were soon sitting comfortably, being whizzed along the side of the Seine, with the wind in my hair.

It was a great way to travel, I remembered how much I used to love them in Asia when we’d traveled there.

He didn’t exactly drop us at the Eiffel Tower, but in actual fact it turned out to be a good distance at which to capture some excellent photos as we approached it.

There’s a lot of work happening all around the base of the tower and the area around the trocadero for the forthcoming Olympics. I think that it’s going to be amazing for spectators viewing the games amongst the historic monuments of Paris.

Musée d’Orsay

The main reason for our little trip to Paris was next on the list. We visited the wonderful Musée d’Orsay for their current exhibition on the birth of the impressionist movement. Today the movement is possibly one of the most recognised in art history, but at the time it was a shocking change from the norm, and anything but a ‘movement’. I don’t think I’d ever really considered before how it came about, so it was fascinating to learn about it.

In 1874 a group of like-minded artists, (including Monet, Sisley, Renoir, Degas, Pissarro and Bazille) keen to advertise and sell their works, were brought together for a self-curated exhibition in an empty photographers studio in the centre of Paris. Their exhibition, under the group name ‘the Anonymous Society’ ran simultaneously to the famous annual ‘Salon’ exhibition, a well established, critically supported event that epitomised the staid, academic work favoured by the establishment. Their works were realistic in their approach, and depicted the mood of the time, which was really quite gloomy. Both of these exhibitions followed a period of uncertainty in France, with the end of the Franco-German war of 1870 and a recent, and bloody, civil war. The official Salon was awash with works dominated by these troubles, and the angst that followed with them, but the Anonymous Society had rejected the prevailing mood completely, preferring instead to make studies of ordinary people and landscapes. They were dismayed by the control the official curators had over what was being displayed, and they felt their passions were elsewhere, effectively saying ‘We’ve had enough of the grim subjects chosen by these so called officials, we want to lighten the mood, and bring something fresh and new’, and that is exactly what they did.

These artists had a lighter, more immediate style, one that was so loose that some of the works seemed little more than studio sketches. The response to these works was predictable, with critics mostly horrified by them, and dismissive of the qualities that have since proved their place in history and their lasting appeal. They had a new, fresh approach, which saw them become part of a movement soon dubbed ‘Impressionism’, that would eventually spell the end of academic teaching as the mainstay of Western art.

It was a very interesting exhibition, if maybe a tad busy. However, we have read that some original Renoirs are being loaned to the Renoir museum in Essoyes later this year, so a good chance for us to see them in quieter surroundings only 15 minutes from us.