Circuit Mélusine

Yesterday we met up with some friends in Vendeuvre-sur-Barse. They’d suggested a walk around the delightful old town of Vendeuvre, followed by dinner in a local restaurant.

The circuit Mélusine, which is a story of a local mermaid, is clearly marked by little metal plaques inserted into the pathways.

You start in the centre of town by the mediatheque, and head out towards the hotel de ville, the site where the vignerons marched in 1911 to campaign against being excluded from the Champagne AOC.

There are information boards at each of the points of interest, explaining a little bit about them. You learn about Mélusine, the Champagne riots, and how the Montgolfier brothers designed a compressor to move water from one of the many rivers up to the castle. All the boards are available as text on their website, where they have both French and English versions.

It was a really delightful walk in the early evening sunshine, finishing with dinner at the charming little Crêperie in Thieffrain.

Workaway

I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of ‘Workaway’, it’s a cultural exchange community, which offers a way to connect with people who want to experience different cultures and different parts of the world. ln exchange for providing them with a base for their cultural exploration they will help you on your work projects. That could be charitable projects, language exchanges, building, gardening, diy, care, a whole range of options. The key thing though is that they get to experience the culture.

We live in an area rich in culture and history, from the Templars to the resistance this small part of France has seen a lot. Anyone who follows my blog will also have seen the rich tapestry of arts, religion and community that frame our little department. So we thought it would be a good base for anyone keen to experience the culture of the Champagne region. In return, we have a number of building and garden projects that could do with a helping hand or two over the autumn and early spring periods.

Initially I’d thought it would be easy enough to find someone, but it seems that’s not the case. Many are already booked into trips well in advance, or maybe looking for something different. I am persevering though, and we do now have some interest as we can be pretty flexible on timings. However, as a lot of the jobs are weather permitting we can’t take anyone for the middle of winter. I’m just waiting to see if the timings work for a couple of couples that have been in touch.

One thing I do know though is that it’s going to be a great experience for whoever gets to join us.

Picnic by the pool

We both spent a couple of hours tidying up the garden. We are finding that, in the hotter weather, if we just do a couple of hours to keep the grass and weeds cut back it tends to look good for around a week before it needs cutting again.

I’ve got a bit of pruning to do, which I can do later this week.

After we’d got all hot and tired from the garden we headed to the pool for a picnic lunch and a well deserved swim.

Recharged

On Friday we needed to drop our car off for its 2 year ‘control technique’, It’s MOT or road worthiness certificate. We’d organised to borrow a car from the garage until the check over was complete later that day, but what we hadn’t thought about is what happens if our car fails, for any reason.

The loan car, with its cracked windscreen and somewhat shabby interior, was not the sort of car to be driving to the airport in on Sunday!

We didn’t mention our worries to our friend, as we didn’t want her thinking about it. Of course there was nothing wrong with the car that we were aware of, but this old loan car made us realise how much we depend on it.

We got the phone call mid afternoon on Friday telling us all was well. Micro panic averted.

So when Sunday came we were able to drive back to CDG airport in our car. A friend had suggested we leave early-ish, as it was the end of the French holidays, and there may be a lot of cars on the roads, especially later in the day. So we set off at 9am, and enjoyed clear roads all the way there. It was a quick, final cheerio at the ‘10 minute free’ drop off zone and soon we were back on the road heading home, and Robyn was comfortable in the thought she was at the airport, ready for her early afternoon flight back to Edinburgh.

It had been a fabulous week together. Time to relax, enjoy our memories together, have some fun and laughter, discover new drinks and of course make some jam. I think, by the end of the week, we all felt a little bit recharged by our time spent together.

Chutney

Having already made the Apple and plum jam, we then set about making the caramelised onion and spiced apple chutney. I took on the task of peeling and chopping the onions, whilst Robyn and Brian prepared the apples. Brian had bought us an apple corer and peeler, which proved to be invaluable. It saved us so much time. Brian peeled and cored and Robyn chopped. Before long I was caramelising the onions, adding in the apples with a bunch of spices - curry powder, cinnamon, Dijon mustard, then some cider vinegar, all really quite simple. It cooked through for about 20 minutes before we poured it into some sterilised jars.

A tasty treat to enjoy with some pork chops or mature cheese. I’m looking forward to trying this.

A little bit purple

I’m not sure my friend Robyn knew what she’d let herself in for when she volunteered to help me make some jam. I’d planned to make apple and plum jam, and a caramelised onion and spicy apple chutney. I’d also wanted to make some apple jelly, but my last attempt, although it was very tasty, did seem a lot of effort for little reward.

We first needed to pick the plums. This wasn’t too difficult as the plum tree was quite bountiful this year.

The apples we had picked at my friends were really good, and it wasn’t long before we’d prepared the plums and the apples and were boiling up some jam.

What I omitted from saying to Robyn is that plums leave your fingers and nails looking a little bit purple!

Shooting star

With the warm days, and cooler evenings, we have had some beautiful, vibrant sunsets.

The richness of the blue skies makes a perfect backdrop for the golden orange glow of the sun setting over the horizon.

We’ve needed a shawl or cardigan to sit out finishing the last of our wine, but we’ve had some perfect ends to our days.

As we arrived home last night the sky was so clear and the stars were glimmering from the heavens, it makes such a beautiful sight. If you look carefully on the far right you can see a shooting star that Brian captured when he took this shot on his iPhone.

Whose wish was that.

Delightful dinners

With the warm weather and lazy days we decided we’d enjoy some laid back dinners this week. The first a simple cheese board with some rather delicious French cheeses, accompanied by fresh figs, locally grown tomatoes and a fresh baguette.

The wine was a local Chardonnay, produced about an hours drive away. It’s a bit of a favourite for us at the moment.

Robyn obviously couldn’t visit us without enjoying a bottle from our local producer, Robert Grandpierre. Their Blanc de Blanc is a light, floral wine, perfect for a summers evening.

And why not enjoy it with a homemade burger, flavoured with herbes de Provence, topped with deliciously fresh salad, and a melted slice of Brie de Mieux.

On Thursday we enjoyed a dinner out with friends, a simply delightful evening catching up and sharing stories of our summertime adventures.

Last night we went to L’Union, which is our favourite restaurant in the area. It never disappoints, and we have never eaten the same meal twice there. Their commitment to flavour and seasonal food is aspirational.

Pool days

The week has been a delight of hot summery days relaxing by the pool.

The valley is still and quiet, with just the birds chattering away in the background. I spot a house martin flying off to visit his mate a few houses along. I wonder what stories they’ll be sharing.

Our neighbours are mainly away on holiday, hence the extreme stillness. An absolute delight for us, just wanting some time to rest and float dreamily into a summertime snooze.

After a light lunch of smoked ham, freshly cut melon and a delicate Tomme de Savoie cheese, we delight in a dip in the pool. I’d completed my 30 lengths earlier, but now we were going to try out the new meshed, floating bed Robyn had brought for us.

Idyllic.

The Robyn

The other evening I left Robyn and Brian for just ten minutes while they organised a pre dinner drink. I had my wash, got changed and came down to put together a simple cheese board for supper, when they presented me with a gorgeous looking cocktail, now fondly known as ‘The Robyn’.

The idea had come from the evening before, during a little pre dinner tipple of Martini blanc, a drink Brian and I had grown to enjoy of an early evening. Robyn had suggested we try Noilly Prat, a French vermouth, as opposed to the Italian brand. She bought us a bottle at the supermarket to try that evening. When Brian served us all a glass, with one piece of ice, we decided it needed something more in it. Hence the development of;

The Robyn

2 parts Bombay Sapphire

1 part Noilly Prat

1 part Cointreau

Shake well with 4 pieces of ice, and serve with a twist of lime. Voila!

Chasse & Campagne

On Sunday we visited the ‘Chasse & Campagne’ event at Château de Vaux. The birds of prey who were going to perform later in the day were sitting quietly on their perches as we arrived. They looked so stately.

As we approached the château we could clearly see how well the renovations are progressing. The roof and facade, which were far from finished last year, are looking spectacular.

It was a cool day, with the threat of rain, but it wasn’t affecting what was another very enjoyable event.

We arrived around lunchtime, so took the opportunity to wander around the stalls whilst they were not too busy, before getting some Merguez and chips, always a guilty pleasure and very delicious.

After lunch were the horse and dog displays in the main ring. Such a spectacular sight, watching the packs of dogs chasing around the ring in an organised fashion. They are just delightful.

We watched three teams of horse riders and dogs, before we left for home. It was another lovely day.

EDI - CDG

My friend was coming to stay this week, she was flying over from Scotland. We’d arranged to collect her from Charles de Gaulle airport, just outside of Paris. It’s just over two hours drive from us. The weather had turned very wet, so I was glad we’d left plenty of time to make the trip.

Brian was tracking the flight, as we didn’t want to arrive in the airport too early. With some time on our hands, we headed out to a nearby village to have a coffee and pain aux raisin. Fortified after the initial drive, we headed over to the airport parking area, which was super simple to find, and very well sign posted.

All parked up, and a note of our parking bay made in our phone, we headed up to arrivals. It was so good to welcome her back in France, and we are all looking forward to such a wonderful week together.

What an entrance

Before the barbecue, Suzanne had asked me if I’d wanted to pick some apples. They had two gorgeous apple trees in their garden, which were laden with apples. I really couldn’t resist.

Just as we were finishing filling two large cool bags with the apples, Phil asked if we wanted to join him for a swim in the river at the back of the house. Fortunately I hadn’t brought my costume, as the river was quite chilly!

I also think the entrance was a tad too exciting for me, although great fun to watch!

15 Août – Dienville

In the afternoon we were heading out to some friends for a barbecue. I had taken them a few of the first plums from our trees, although I wasn’t too happy with them, they were a bit damaged by the rain, and a little underripe, but she was pleased with them and said she’d ripen them off before using them.

Each year at the lake in Dienville they have a little regatta, where the local boat owners decorate their boats, and enter into a judged competition. So we took a stroll down to the port to take a look.

We were pleasantly surprised at how much effort and creativity had gone into them. They all had their own theme.

There were two categories, cruisers and motor boats, and jet skis. The cruisers were all very colourful, and floated slowly by with music playing on each of the boats.

The jet skis were a bit more active, and with limited space to tell their story were a bit more creative.

The young lad playing 007 loved doing tricks in front of the crowds

The D-day anniversary boat preferred to cool us all down with his water cannon.

It was all great fun.

15 Août

15 Août (August) is Assumption day, and it’s a public holiday in France. It fell on a Thursday this year, so effectively it’s the start of a long weekend. Some will even start by taking the Wednesday off.

Our guests were taking a long weekend themselves, and wanted to leave early to start their journey south. They had about a 7–8 hour journey ahead of them, so by 8.30am they had eaten breakfast, packed up their car and were on their way.

This left us with some unexpected time on our hands, so we headed out to a vide grenier in Les Riceys.

It’s a fabulous venue, behind the hôtel de ville (Mayors office) in the shade of some large spreading trees. There was a good mixture of stalls, and a very interesting stall selling old French coffee pots. Now although I didn’t want a coffee pot, I did buy one without a lid, for just 2€, as I thought it would make a pretty flower vase. I also got some plants, and a little enamel pot holder for the wall. I’d like Brian to fix a nice piece of not-too-thick oak to it, so I can use it as a shelf in the kitchen. The other enamel utensil holder may get used in the pool room for cloths; I shall see. My green storage jar was 5€, an absolute bargain.

The little pharmacy bottles were a Brian purchase. He wants to clean them up for displaying somewhere.

It was a beautiful start to our day.

“Aargh…”

It had been a very hot and sunny day, but as the evening arrived it changed, and it became clear a storm was threatening. When we went to bed we could see the clouds were building, and the air became stifling. The rising moon glowed creepily over the horizon. All in all it was an ominous kind of night.

Then it happened!

The windows were wide open, but the air was thick and still. There was a sudden movement in the darkness, a presence in the room with us. “Aargh…it’s a…a…bat!” I screamed. I immediately hid under the sheets, and waited for Brian to jump into action. To my dismay he did absolutely nothing, except sit and watch it flap around the room, giving me a running commentary as it circled again and again. Some moments later he spoke, “It’s gone”. That was it, nothing more. I emerged from under the sheets, to find peace again in the room. It unsettled me slightly, however I did still manage to get to sleep soon after.

Thankfully I didn’t have any nightmares.

Farewell Robby

We’d known him for only nine years, but in that time he’d proved himself a faithful and hardworking buddy, but this week we lost him, he was just worn out!

Yes, our pool robot has come to an end, and finished his last lap of the pool. This left us in a bit of a quandary, could he possibly ever be replaced? There was really only one answer to that, of course he could, but only with the new model of the same brand, which now has two cleaning cycles; a quick programme and a more thorough one.

It’s lovely to see the little fella out and about again, looking a little bit more blue, and working a tad quicker. Hopefully we will once again enjoy many more years together.

Vezien

A frequent guest to our chambre d’hôte often talks to us about Marcel Vezien, a Champagne producer in the nearby village of Celles-sur-Ource. This week, in between looking after our current guests, we managed to pay them a visit. We were met by Marie Vezien who delighted in showing us into their newly refurbished tasting room, which can take up to 50 people at a time. It’s a beautiful space carefully lit and stylishly decorated.

We settled in and enjoyed Marie’s stories and descriptions of the Champagnes we were tasting. Marie began with a demonstration of the way to properly taste Champagne, which began with analysis of the colour. We used their illuminated tables, designed for that purpose, to examine the difference in the colour of each of the paired glasses, before moving on to taste the subtly different assemblages.

The tasting was embellished with the passion she shared of the history and tales of her family, which served to give a background for the differently crafted Champagnes.

It was a wonderful time, and one that we hope our future guests will also enjoy.

Sunday in Viviers

It’s Sunday morning, the village is particularly quiet today, our guests have enjoyed their breakfast in the garden, and are now heading out to visit the delightful Renoir museum in Essoyes, before heading off for lunch at the Val Moret.

We are just finishing our mid morning breakfast, with the familiar church bells ringing in the background telling us it’s 11am. It’s going to be a hot one today, so the plan is to do as little as possible. With the French holidays in full swing, there’s no vide greniers or marché des puces to visit, so a few hours by the pool before our guests return and we leave them to enjoy the peace of the afternoon and a refreshing dip.

Little glow

We were sitting and chatting with two of our guests as the sun fell below the forest on the horizon, when one of them pointed to the ground and said “What’s that little glow?”. I followed their gaze and just there, between the gravel of the drive, was a single spot of bright, green light. “That’s a glow worm”, Brian announced. We had only seen one before, and that was around the same time last year. Then Brian noticed another. They’re like little, stretched out woodlice, with the glow emanating from under the tail tip. This is the female, and she’s trying to attract a mate.

What male glow worm could resist that bright green tail