Aubusson

Since arriving in France, one of places I’d been looking forward to exploring was the little town of Aubusson. I have been interested in its rich tapestry heritage for quite a while, and I have a carpet and some chairs made there, or certainly made in the style of. So when we planned our trip to the Auvergne I also planned a side trip to Aubusson.

The outskirts of the town are all modern, but as you enter the centre, and follow the river Dronne, you start to notice the older buildings, which are beautifully preserved.

We arrived just in time to pop into the tourist office before it, and almost everything else, closed for lunch at noon. Luckily we were both a bit peckish, so settled down in a very pretty courtyard restaurant for their plat de jour, or ‘plate of the day’. €19.50 for a starter and main.

Whilst we sat and ate we planned our afternoon.

I wanted to visit the At​elier-Musée des Cartons de Tapisserie, which was just over the ancient stone bridge in the centre of the old town. It’s a tiny house, that looks like once upon a time it might have featured in a fairytale. It certainly conceals a magical secret, attached to the centuries old industry of the town.

The tradition of textile creation in Aubusson dates back to the 15th century, and has been recognised as part of UNESCO's ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage’. There were two clearly defined sides to the tapestry industry; the illustrational side, who designed and painted the gorgeous ‘cartons’. They were talented artists who worked for little money in difficult conditions without any recognition for their work, and then the weavers, whose skills with the loom would bring the works to life. The industry suffered difficulties in the twentieth century, when interest for the traditional style of tapestry faded, and the weavers began producing their own designs, or commissioning from known artists. Disagreements erupted between the illustrators and the weavers, and with the addition of reducing interest from buyers the industry began to collapse. Creation of tapestries on an industrial scale in Aubusson ended in the 1980’s, leading to a mass disposal of looms and artworks.

At the delightful At​elier-Musée des Cartons de Tapisserie the owner had the foresight to buy up as many cartons (tapestry artworks) as she could when the businesses started to close down in the 80’s. We met Catherine, who now helps run the business and renovates the many cartons that were saved from being burned. Catherine has a deep knowledge of the history of the industry, and has honed her skills in renovating the cartons.

We spent over an hour chatting with her, and were delighted when she revealed that the cartons were available to buy. We spent a lovely time choosing a small group to buy from, step by step honing in on our favourite. Which was one of the flower illustrations, they also created illustrations from fables, and countryside scenes.

Finally we settled on one of the three on the table. Any ideas which one?

Puy de Dôme

With our first day of walking under our belt we were feeling confident about our second day — climbing puy de dôme, the highest extinct volcano in the region. Our confidence lasted just until we got our first glimpse of it.

Brian made lots of reassuring sounds, but things looked even more concerning as we got closer. In fairness though Brian never wavered, and that helped me commit to the climb, although it was already the hottest day of the year so far.

We’ve both learnt from past adventures that anything is possible, if you just take your time and put one foot in front of the other you will get there.

The walk began deceptively easy, with a slow rise and dappled shade.

Things soon became steeper, and the snacks started coming out.

We continued upward, and the walk got steeper. I was certainly grateful for my sticks.

With the extra height came the added bonus of better views, and they were at least some reward for all the work. However, the views appeared because the cover of the trees had disappeared, and the day was becoming very hot.

The walk is apparently achievable in an hour and a half, but we were soon that far in and still with a long climb ahead.

The shade of the forest was far behind us now, and the midday sun was beating down. I confess my mind was drifting and I was thinking about how I could get out of finishing the climb. But a little voice kept telling me “We’ll catch the funicular down”, so I knew going up had to be the best option.

As we passed people descending from the top they shared encouraging words “Les derniers mètres”, “pas loin”. It was all just enough to keep me going.

It may have eventually taken us two and a half hours, but true to our mantra we got there one step at a time, and the view from the top along the string of volcanoes was amazing.

We sat for a while to take in the landscape, and snack on the last of our lunch. And true to his word, Brian soon had us coming down again in a far more gentle manner.

One of the reasons I had wanted to come to the Auvergne was to climb puy de dôme, and I’m so glad we did it.

The eight crosses

Day one, and we set off enthusiastically on our first local walk, called ‘The eight crosses’. It was described as a moderate walk of 11km or so with eight crosses along the way. It was a beautiful bright day, so we were looking forward to a simple walk to break us in.

It began from right outside our chambre d’hôte, which meant we were instantly into charming rural surroundings, listening to the birds chirping in the trees and the cows mooing in the fields.

It wasn’t long though before the ‘ups’ began and things were a little more challenging in the heat. Although I’d rather be climbing hills on foot in summer than charging up them in snow chains at 90kph!

It has to be said that the roads here are rather narrow and very winding, but it doesn’t stop the locals from driving through them at speed. I mean look how fast this one is going!

We passed through some wonderful villages, pristine in their appearance and diligently cared for. We took a moment to cool down and visit the church in Vergheas, which was delightful.

The views were also spectacular, little vistas of hot fields through the cool of the trees gave moments to just absorb and reflect.

It has to be said though that by the time we reached the end it was actually 13.5km, and we were ready for a rest.

Day one walk over, and after some stretching the legs and hips didn’t feel too bad. We sat and looked at the photos and realised we had only found seven crosses, and at least one of them was perhaps a bit of a cheat. We never were purists though, so we won’t be going back to find the others.

Le Cuisinier en Combrailles

I’d wanted to visit the Auvergne region for a little while. The region is known for good walking routes and we were both keen to stretch our legs out. I’d found a little chambre d’hôte on Google — Le Cuisinier en Combrailles — and, as they also served food in the evening, we thought it would make a good base for our trip.

What I hadn’t quite understood is what a great chef Jakob was. He had been a chef in a previous life, so brought his experience to this beautiful piece of paradise. Along with his partner Caes, who was a delightful host and sommelier, they were the perfect hosts. They both always had a smile and Cheerful “Good morning” and a warming “Have a good day”. You knew they wanted your day to go well, and for everyone staying with them to have a fabulous experience.

Breakfasts were taken on the little balcony, that wrapped around the house, shaded by the ivy and abundance of plants that Jakob nurtured. Mozart on the air completed the mood.

In the evenings we were welcomed to our table with a kir apéro, and a little amuse-bouche to get our taste buds working.

Such a wonderful little find.

An Auvergne adventure

We had decided to fit in a little holiday to the Auvergne region in-between guests. We had a week free in our calendar, so prepared the house ready for guests on our return, packed up the car, and headed south.

The journey was supposed to take about five hours, but after a delightful little picnic stop for lunch…

…and being excited by discovering four brocantes along the way…

…we finally arrived at our B&B around 6pm.

It was a delightful, idyllic paradise.

I’m sure we will be very comfortable here for the next few nights.

Delivered…maybe

Cultural differences, big and small, are one of the delights and also one of the challenges of moving to another country, and you sometimes don’t find out about them until the moment they occur has passed and potentially it’s too late to act. Here’s one example that’s worth knowing about beforehand.

Having moved to France from the UK we’re very used to having strong consumer rights. Our experience in France has been quite different. For example; if a package was delivered to us in the UK, and found to be damaged on opening, we would simply contact the seller and a replacement would be arranged or a refund agreed on return of the item. But in France it seems a bit trickier. When the delivery is made it can be necessary to open the package in front of the driver before accepting it, to ensure it isn’t visibly damaged, or that nothing is missing. This is especially important with expensive items. It’s quite alien to us, and we’ve been caught out on occasion. if you don’t check before accepting the package, and something is missing or broken, the conversation with the seller can become difficult very quickly.

The process you should follow includes photographing the package and label first, opening it and establishing all is well, or, if the driver won’t allow you to open it first, ask him for a form to state that he wouldn’t, or record the fact on any note you sign. It’s an unpleasant way to go about things, but it can save trouble later.

I’m glad to say that we haven’t had any really bad outcomes, however our experiences to date have put us off ordering large expensive items via the internet.

Private

The doors to the bibliothèque are looking lovely, and although there is still work to do to the frames, which we are delaying now until the season is over, we now have a private room we can use on the ground floor of the house. But there was just one more thing Brian had to do to make it properly ours, and that was to create a ‘Privé’ sign.

It’s a little thing, but it really finishes it off.

Bench, pool, view

It’s forecast to be a hot week, so Brian was up early at the pool opening it and cleaning it.

With my bench now oiled and fully dried, we moved it out of the pool house to decide on a position. We felt it would look best next to the pool, with a view across the vineyards.

The perfect place for a post swim sit down whilst you dry off.

In the groove

We recently had a bit of an issue with one of our dormer windows in our bedroom on the top floor. It had a rather unwanted wasp problem, the kind that needed an intervention by an expert. It was all sorted out, but it did leave us with a nasty hole in the ceiling.

So now it was down to Brian to make it look pretty again. I say that, but it started by getting a lot worse. I couldn’t believe the mess!

One thing Brian has learned in his DIY journey is that proper fixes start by first removing everything that could make the repair harder. It can look terrible, but it allows him to have a better finish.

We’d decided to use some tongue and groove we had left over from a previous job, and once painted I really like the look it gives .

The first stage was to put in a moisture barrier, then start fitting the tongue and groove.

Once the last piece was attached with pins and glue it was time for the first coat of paint to seal it.

Three proper coats of paint, and a bit of filler later, and we have a window that looks as good as new.

I’m really happy with it, and no more orange patch!

Delicious Cherries

Last year, for my 60th birthday present, my friend Sharon bought me two beautiful fruit trees; a cherry tree and a Nashi pear. The other day, as I was wandering around my garden just checking on things, I noticed the cherries were ready to be picked.

In fact, I needed to pick them before the birds ate them! I went to get a small bowl to collect my first little harvest.

They were absolutely delicious, sweet and juicy and made for a perfect little nibble with breakfast the next morning.

A fishy little present

Our next guests were a couple that return every year, Rob and Jody. It’s such a joy entertaining guests that return, it’s lovely to hear their news, and a bit of an interesting challenge for me, thinking about new things to cook. Although we did have some other returning guests say “Jo, but we’re happy if you cook the same dishes again, we loved them the first time and will love them again the second.” I was really pleased with that comment. This time however I planned to cook a new recipe - fillet of Daurade en papillote, on a bed of young leeks, with juniper butter, and served with some lightly roasted new potatoes.

I presented it still nicely parcelled up in the baking paper, like a little gift to be unwrapped.

They thought it was delicious.

For dessert we had rhubarb with tarragon, with a shortbread crumb and a white chocolate foam.

As you can see it was very popular.

I’m glad I found my rhubarb plant, fingers crossed it will grow for a nice harvest next year.

Back in time

The nearby village of Rumilly-lès-Vaudes was having their medieval festival, which is a bi-annual event. It’s always good fun, with things to see for everyone.

It was lovely to see a stand where they were preparing crepes in a traditional way, on platters suspended over a wood fire. I was very tempted, but it felt like we’d just had breakfast, so I resisted for now.

There’s a beautiful chateau in the centre of the fayre, and just behind it there was a display area. We arrived just as a couple were showing birds of prey to the people seated around the little arena. They were explaining about their habitats, where they live and what they need to survive. It was very educational.

I remember going to see these kinds of displays as a kid, they really stuck in my memory.

In another area there were two men practicing their sword skills. It looks very real, even though they don’t go at it too hard, but it always makes me shiver when the steel of the weapons clash.

A little less adrenaline packed, but just as essential, was the lady by her tent making repairs to one of the costumes. They really embrace getting into character for these events, it’s like going back in time.

There were lots of little craft stalls, and artisans showing off their skills such as masonry, sword making, weaving and rope making. A very delightful event.

Birthday girl

Apologies for my lack of blogs recently, we have been really quite busy with our guests, which has been positively wonderful.

First we had a group of six girls choose to celebrate one of their 40th birthdays with us. It was delightful having lots of excitement and chitter chatter in the house.

On the evening they arrived we welcomed them first with a glass of Jérôme Cothias and then served them a delicious platter of local cheeses and charcuterie, with some homemade pickle and fresh bread. It set them up well for the following day, which was filled with tastings.

In the evening they came down for apéro, for which Brian had prepared a bottle to be sabred.

It was a really clean break, and made for an exciting start to their evening.

We had prepared them a four course dinner, with the star of the show being a côte de boeuf. Brian seared it first then cooked it in the oven.

we served the beef medium pink, which seemed to suit everyone.

They had a fabulous few days with us, and said they would love to return one day. It was a very special few days for us also, we love to be able to help create memories for our guests.

Pont romain

We recently visited the little village of Spoy, about 25 minutes away from us. It has a population of about 390 people, and is wonderfully sleepy; as so many of the smaller villages here are. Our own village of Viviers-sur-Artaut only has around 120 villagers.

Spoy is locally famous for its ancient ‘pont romain’, or Roman bridge.

It’s a pretty, very low, stone bridge. It was built in the first century AD and was renovated in 1971. Later, in 1973, it was registered as a national historical monument.

There is a pretty little river meandering underneath it, with delicate white flowers growing all around, and an abundance of small butterflies fluttering above the soft flow of the river. There are two wooden picnic benches overlooking it in the shade of the trees. A beautiful little spot to enjoy its serenity.

All in all well worth Brian getting his feet wet so he could capture me a good photograph.

The great jazz reunion

I’ve mentioned before in my posts that Brian has found an interest in jazz music. It started when we moved here, and he brought some old records with him that his parents used to play. Amongst them were a few jazz albums, and it surprised him because he never remembered hearing them as a child. He now looks for jazz albums wherever he goes, and occasionally he finds real bargains, like this one, which he found at a vide grenier this week for just €4.

If he’s lucky they’ve hardly been played and are in near perfect condition. It means he has both a new interest and also something to be looking out for when we’re at the flea markets and vide greniers.

I’m sure he’ll end up with quite a collection, a ‘great jazz reunion’ of his own.

Keep planting

After our few days out, I had rather a lot of little jobs that needed to be done at home. Mainly planting.

It didn’t take much to get my beautiful wooden bucket planted up with some pretty little annuals. I love the simplicity of just the one type of flower in it. Now I just need to decide where to put it.

Brian helped me plant my rhubarb plant, which on reflection I’m thinking will outgrow that spot in a couple of years. I will see how it goes.

I’d also bought some beautiful little yellow potentilla’s for the slope. They add such a brilliant pop of colour, and should once established flower most of the summer.

This little blue ceanothus is a plant Brian has admired for many years, but we never bought one. This one will have plenty of room to grow up on the slope in full sun.

Lastly I had 6 or so ‘vivace’ (perennials), which I wanted to add to help start to fill the borders in the walled garden.

We shall see how they all fair with our climate of hot summers and cold winters.

Céramique

Fontette is a very pretty village about 15 minutes drive away. A great number of the old buildings have been tastefully renovated; the stonework gleaming in the summer sunshine.

We had driven here to see an exhibition by a renowned ceramics artist from Fontainebleau – Marie-Odile Gand-Limal – who was displaying her ceramics in the ‘salle de fête’, which was a complete contrast to the old buildings of the village.

We had no idea what to expect, as the advertising was quite scant, but we do enjoy seeing new things, and like to grasp any opportunity.

What we found was a fascinating mix of techniques, with ancient forms and patterns alongside the strikingly modern.

It really was quite an eclectic exhibition, with each piece able to stand alone, yet be part of the collection.

We had the chance to talk to the sculptor about her works, of which she was obviously extremely passionate. She’s very experimental, and employs many techniques, including raku, which I find fascinating.

It was a stunning exhibition, and a real feast for the eyes and soul, well worth the visit.

Sunday hat

We headed to the quaint village of Avirey-Lingey on Sunday morning as they had advertised a vide grenier. Although we were not tempted by anything on the stalls, it was interesting looking around, getting ideas. If it had been a little later we would have stayed for lunch, but we were keen to head over to the local producers market at the medieval site at Avalleur.

Avalleur is a beautiful venue, surrounding an ancient Templar chapel. There were around 40 or 50 stalls, all selling some wonderful handmade items, from beautiful Lino prints to scrummy delicacies.

We bumped into some friends as we made our way around, which was a nice and timely moment to sit and enjoy a coffee together.

After chatting, we bought some Turkish savoury delights to take home for our lunch.

But before we left something caught my eye. I do love a hat, and these were handmade from raffia. I couldn’t resist buying one, any ideas which one?

Bench

If you follow my blog you probably remember that we bought a really nice bench from a private sale some time back, when a friend’s neighbour was selling some items from their garage. I’ve been thinking where to put it, and I have decided I’d like it up at the pool.

I really wanted to preserve its period charm, so I’d explained to Brian that I was keen to keep as much of the original paintwork as possible, and then treat it with Danish oil, a wood preserver we’ve used frequently in the past. Bits of it were peeling quite badly though, so to start Brian gave it a very light rub down to remove just the flaky parts.

Once he had removed the worst bits of loose paint we took it up to the pool house, where I set about coating it in Danish oil.

It’s a blend of oils that goes quite tough when dry, and will hopefully prevent any more paint flaking off, and protect the bare wood.

It needs a few days to soak in properly, then I can look to put it outside. Can’t wait to see how it looks.

Champagne party

Thursday was a public holiday in France, which often means people will take the Friday off as well (a bridge day). Some of our local Champagne houses took advantage of this and opened their doors for a ‘Champagne party’.

There were 14 houses who had joined in, all within a 30 minute radius of each other. We’d chosen three we wanted to go and try, and headed out to the furthest one away in Arcancon — a pretty little village about 25 minutes drive from us. We were heading to see ‘Farfelan’, a small family run business. For 10€ we could try 3 glasses of their Champagnes, from the six or so they had on offer. They also had a pizza oven fired up, so we ordered a pizza to enjoy with our Champagne tasting. All very pleasant and rather delicious.

Our next stop-off was in another pretty little village called Spoy, just five minutes down the road. I’d read previously about Spoy, and had noticed the producer Jacky Tapprest from some local reviews, so this was a great opportunity to try his Champagnes.

Each of the producers we had stopped at had organised stalls with local artisans, and food stops. After our glasses of Champagne we would wander around and see what they had to offer, which included jewellery, knitted ware, confitures and all kinds of wonderful handmade things. It was tiring work though, so we treated ourselves to a couple of ice-creams. On a boiling hot day they were very welcome.

Our last stop was in Urville, the home of one of the areas most famous producers, Drappier Champagne — once the preferred Champagne of Charles De Gaulle. We were heading to Daniel Billette, on the outskirts of the village. It was a very pleasant set-up, with music, comfy chairs and, of course, Champagne. We sat with our glasses enjoying a view of the vines. What’s not to enjoy!