My name is Jo, and in 2020 I moved to France with my husband, Brian. From our move to France, to running our B&B, my blog, which you can read below, is a diary of ‘Our French Adventure’. I share short stories about the Champagne region, and its people, and the life we have embraced here.
Flower power
My most favourite event of the year has to be the flower festival in the small village of Bergères. Through rain or shine, it makes for such a beautiful day out.
This year we had a few rain clouds to dodge, but it didn’t dampen our spirits, and certainly didn’t stop me from purchasing some beautiful plants.
It was made even more enjoyable as we caught up with some friends for a coffee and catch up, and compared what plants we’d bought.
I also couldn’t resist buying some locally grown strawberries and white asparagus. They are both so fresh, and I can already say the strawberries are very sweet and delicious.
Even the local ‘punk’ band showed up. Not sure they played any punk songs I could remember. They were very upbeat though, which was popular.
Breaking ground
Brian spent some time today levelling the ground under the plum tree. We’d previously dumped some of the earth there that we’d removed when Lauren and Max had helped us with the base for the shed. I’ve bought a couple of shade loving plants, which I think could work well if I plant them around the tree. Obviously mindful I need to get to it to pick the plums, but they should look good.
I was also working on my shrubbery, with help from Brian, who dug out some of the grass.
It’s definitely starting to look more considered. The new blackcurrant bush will form part of it.
Festival flowers
We headed to the flower festival in Rumilly les Vaudes on Sunday. Despite it being a bit cool, a lot of people had made it out, and were enjoying buying some new plants.
There was also a really good selection of other stalls selling all sorts of items. Brian bought me a little pottery bird that was sat on a metal stick, I think I will pop it up on the hill, with my metal flowers he got me last year.
I also came home with a nice selection of plants, some geraniums for my pots, some marigolds, which I may also put into pots, a couple of shade loving plants for under the plum tree, a blackcurrant bush, and two rose bushes.
It was an excellent little village festival.
Les Fleurs
With the sunshine, a bit of rain, and a little bit of feeding, the garden is really starting to fill out and burst into bloom.
The wisteria, is looking and smelling gorgeous. The light mauve blossoms are beautiful, like little waterfalls.
Some of the wildflowers are also coming out where I’ve left some grassy areas on the slope.
Up by the pool the irises are flourishing, I will probably need to thin them out a bit later this year.
Mauves, yellows, creams, pinks, and reds are all favourite colours of mine. The vibrancy brings real joy to me.
This rose is like velvet and every year makes me smile, the bush must have loved its pruning this year as it’s full of flowers. I think I have Sara to thank for that.
Having a garden brings me so much joy, I’ve had a lot of help in it these last months, which has been really appreciated by both me and Brian. We are both now working to stay on top of the jobs so that it can be enjoyed all summer long and well into autumn.
It’s all just delightful.
Eucalyptus
I spotted a eucalyptus tree at the garden centre last week, and thought it would work well on the slope.
It can grow to about five metres tall and a couple of metres wide, so we needed to give it some space. I do love planting trees, although I have to admit Brian does most of the heavy work. I just come along to say where to put it and ensure it’s planted well.
The beautiful silver green leaves will make a good contrast against the more lush green of the fruit trees nearby.
May brings ‘…’
May in France has four public holidays.
The first of May celebrates the workers, so you rarely find anywhere open on this day, as it’s the only official public holiday where businesses ‘have’ to give their staff a day off. It’s lucky on this day to give your friends, family, or neighbours a sprig of Lilly of the Valley, a real favourite little flower of mine.
8 May is Victory day, so another good reason for a day off. Then there’s Ascension day—this year on 14 May. I really like this one as there is a brilliant plant festival on this day every year in Bergère, a little village about 20 minutes from us.
The last one is Pentecôte, this year on 25 May. We enjoy going to a ‘marché des puces’ on this day, a rather good flea market in Sens, about an hours drive from us.
There’s lots to look forward to.
How dare they!
Whatever had been eating my dahlias had returned to have a go at the roots of my nashi pear tree. How dare they!
Brian had to jump into action to protect them. He had an old piece of wire fencing he was able to bend round 3 posts to protect the still very young tree.
He also needed to review the temporary cover Lisa and I had put in place. As when the dahlias start to grow I didn’t want them growing through it.
I’m glad to say that it looks like both lots of protection are working.
Just the beginning
Well, it’s that time of year again, when the temperatures have sufficiently lifted, and the pool can be reopened.
It’s only really the first step in the process though, because it needs a really good clean before it’s okay to swim in. It also has to be a lot warmer! I’m a bit of a fair weather swimmer.
I am so looking forward to swimming in it this year.
Adding some personality
The time had come to finish the painting of the shed. It’s taken a few days of work, and drying, but we could see the finish in sight.
As per usual, I did the big, flat areas, and Brian handled the edges and fiddly bits, which I’m glad of, as I don’t like ladders.
Painting done, it was time to add a bit of personality.
We’ve picked up a few little signs on our travels over the years, and we were in need of a good place to put them.
Looking much better now.
Bird spotting
I’d planned for us to do a short walk to an observatory near to the Lac ‘d’Orient. It’s a beautiful spot with a well built hide. Unfortunately though, as we turned off into the forest to park up in the car park, we were stopped by some serious looking soldiers. They had a 4wd hidden in the trees with two soldiers in it, and a motorcyclist standing next to his bike on the road leading to the car park. A fourth soldier approached us, and explained there was a wide scale military operation happening in the area, and we would not be able to access this part of the forest today.
‘Oh well’, we thought, that’s scuppered that. But not wanting to be defeated, Brian and I both looked at the maps on our phones, and could see another ‘hide’ over looking the lake. We hadn’t been there before, but today seemed like a good one to try it. I looked at our ‘outdoor active’ map and could see a circular walk near it, so we headed off in the car to the direction of where the walk started.
It was a delightful and well marked trail, with unusual large, oak doors along the way to make you aware you were entering an area of natural beauty, and not to leave the track.
It felt good enjoying the spring air, and the stillness of the forest, and was at least as pleasant as the walk we originally wanted to do.
It wasn’t long before we arrived at the observation hide; a wooden building built on the edge of the lake.
We settled in, sitting on the wooden benches. We poured ourselves some coffee, which Lis’ had carried for us, shared out the banana bread I’d made, and spent a good 30–40 minutes just seeing what birds we could spot.
We were rewarded with sightings of Eurasian coots, cormorants, two kingfishers, and common terns. We also identified on our ‘Merlin’ bird identifying app a common fire crest, a dunnock, and an Eurasian Wren.
The walk back was just as pretty, and at a total of 7.2km was quite an achievement for me.
View on the vines
It was such a gorgeous morning that we headed up to the point de vue with a flask of coffee to enjoy the view. It makes for such a beautiful little walk.
From the track on the other side of the valley you can see the house and the swimming pool at the top of the hill. The white stone is all looking stunning against the vivid greens of spring. And oh look, I spy a new shed!
The vineyards are starting to flourish again. Some vignerons have chosen to replace some vines that they had either lost over winter, or were just not performing so well. It will be at least three years before they produce useable fruit.
I love to see the tiny little bunches of grapes starting to form. Fingers crossed for a strong year.
Dimanche à la campagne
Sunday in the country is a fabulous event held at the end of April. This year marked their 30th anniversary, quite an achievement. They had 41 exhibitors, or creators, across 40 sites within our region.
I’d chosen to visit a couple of new sites this year, and a couple we’d visited before. The first one was the renovated wooden windmill at Dosches. It was pretty spectacular. First we went into the windmill via the very rickety wooden staircase, then we visited a little exhibition in one of the barns on the story of the local windmills, and the story of this renovation.
There were a number of stalls selling local produce: jams, honey, brioche and bread. All rather tasty, and I couldn’t resist going home with some elderflower jelly and recently baked brioche.
In the grounds of the windmill they had planted a rather beautiful little garden. I love looking at their planting schemes and the little creative ways in which they create interest in the garden. I always gain a little bit of inspiration.
We then headed to the pick-your-own farm ‘Esperance’. We had visited here before, but they have a much improved farm shop now, so I’d certainly look to go back. It’s not that far outside of Troyes, so quite easy to visit.
I was very happy with the tulips I’d picked.
Our next visit was to the fromagerie at Champs-sur-Barse. A favourite of mine, and a timely stop off for lunch; merguez & frites.
Our last stop for the day was Jérôme Cothias, for a glass of champagne and a bit of country dancing.
All-in-all a fabulous day.
Gardening together
My friend Lisa, arrived this week; it’s been lovely catching up, chatting about what we’ve both been up to, reminiscing, and just sharing some time being busy in the garden.
Brian was doing some strimming, but by my peonies, and my shrubbery I’m creating, we needed to be a little more careful, so we did this area by hand.
It was good though that Brian was addressing the pathways and steps with the strimmer, as the grass was extremely long there.
Before we headed back down to the house to prepare some dinner, we needed to look at how to protect my dahlias. Something had dug up the bulbs and chewed them. Our thoughts were that it was possibly a rabbit, so Brian sorted us out some chicken wire and a staple gun, and we put down a temporary dahlia protector!
Painting the shed
I really wanted to get the rest of the shed painted. It would help protect the wood against the sun, which we are currently enjoying a lot of.
I am loving the ‘vert Provence’ colour we have chosen, but so far we’ve only painted the doors and the back wall.
So we set about it, with new energy. Although it’s a tricky thing to paint, as it’s perched between two slopes, we soon had a good system going, with me doing the large, flat areas, and Brian doing all the fiddly bits and cutting in. Between us we finished two further walls.
Nearly there!
Garden chairs
The tree peony is looking beautiful. I need to enjoy it as it doesn’t last too long, especially through hot days.
Up at the hill, Brian wanted to get my new garden chairs assembled. I plan to have them on my new deck, outside the ‘almost painted’ shed.
I can happily confirm they are very comfortable.
Market day
We had arrived home from Paris, and needed to stock up on a few supplies, so we headed into Bar-sur-Seine. It was a glorious day and the market was bustling.
I’m loving seeing all the new seasonal veg coming in. Artichokes are abundant, but not a favourite of mine. But I do love asparagus, white and green.
I bought some white asparagus, which we will have lightly poached, simply with some buttered bread. Very delicious.
Dior La Galerie
Christian Dior (1905-1957)
Our plan for the day was to visit the Dior Galerie, just off the Champs Élysée, and close to 30 Avenue Montaigne; the building Dior first bought to start his fashion house.
We hadn’t booked tickets, but the queue for non-ticket holders wasn’t too long, and took about 20 minutes for us. I’d probably advise booking tickets though, just in case we got lucky.
The entrance way is very dramatic, and leads to the lift. The third floor is where the exhibition starts.
The exhibitions timeline begins just after the war. The first Christian Dior collection was launched in the Spring–Summer of 1947, from the salons of 30 Avenue Montaigne. Now two years after the end of WW2, he named the new lines ‘Corolle’, and they were pretty striking, with their feminine lines, fuller skirts and luxurious fabrics. He was leaving the restrictions of war fashion behind, and designing clothes with fuller skirts and longer lines, using more yardage of material. it instantly drew a response;
the exhibition follows a chronology of his styles, and you get to view up close numerous examples of his stylish work…
…imagining the time when these dresses, coats, and suits were worn, and seeing the styles change as the world changed.
The styles became softer, and more dreamlike. I loved the very feminine approach he had with his ‘Fête au village’ collection.
Haute Couture Spring-Summer, 1955
A-line Evening gown in embroidered organza.
But he also knew how to bring elegance and formality to a suit. this exhibit, compressing how the designs had changed from 1948–1955, demonstrates key elements of his style: tighter waists, softer hips, shawl collars.
Up to now the exhibition had been quite muted, and I love a bright colour, so I found the next room really exciting. The most beautiful red dresses, and the designs behind them. It was fascinating to see his inspiration coming together on paper, with his briefing notes for his teams. He would make a sketch of the dress, attach a sample of the materials he wanted used, and give it a small description. It was enough for his team to understand what he wanted, he must have been an excellent communicator.
The evolution of the brand is chronicled throughout the gallery, highlighting the continuous development from that first "New Look" in 1947 to the modern designs we see now, and their impact on the fashion world.
You travel through the years, and see the designers, who took on the legacy of Dior when he died so suddenly of a heart attack in 1957, including: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, and Raf Simons. They all helped shape the iconic feminine DIOR look over nearly 80 years. Now their designs can be seen on Hollywood actresses, still looking as graceful, feminine and stylish as ever.
There was so much to see across the three floors, such a worthwhile visit if you have even a glimmer of interest in fashion.
Bacha coffee
As we were intending to go to the Dior exhibition today we decided we’d try the Bacha coffee house nearby for breakfast. You should book in advance to be sure of a table.
We know we both like Brazilian coffee, and we found two that interested us in the menu, which was surprising, as they have over 200 coffees! But to be sure, we asked the waitress for her suggestion based on what we liked—smooth, round, and full flavoured. Remarkably she pointed out the two we had looked at, I guess we do know our coffee after all.
Not only are the surroundings pleasant, but they take great care serving you as well.
And not everywhere offers chocolate sprinkled chantilly cream with your coffee.
We enjoyed our cuppas while we waited for our breakfasts.
They were worth waiting for; three fried eggs with bacon and mushrooms, followed by a choice of two croissants each from their menu. Yummy.
I mentioned before that we don’t normally take breakfast in the hotel, because we prefer to find different little places to eat, and this was a wonderful spot. But we also find that the hotels are not the best value, and this breakfast proved that, as it was only €9 more each to take breakfast at Bacha than at the hotel. Well worth the effort of going out.
Having said that, we did visit the shop afterwards!
Le Metro Paris
We’d decided to take the metro today, to head down to the champs Elysee. It was going to be too far for me to walk.
A friend had recommended we set ourselves up with an Île-de-France mobility card, this can be used on buses or trains. We uploaded it onto our phones, and set up a payment card. We bought a ticket to Franklin D.Roosevelt station. It all seemed very simple.
We entered the metro and passed our phone over the reader. It did the rest.
No need to open your phone, it identifies your ticket without having to do anything. I popped my phone away and we were soon on the platform.
All very clean, not crowded, and simple to use.
The Champs Élysée was looking beautiful with the fresh new leaves appearing on the trees, and the Arc de Triomphe looking majestic. Another beautiful part of Paris
