tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-330391042012-02-29T20:51:10.815+01:00The diary of an Australian couple buying a house and moving to FranceSusanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.comBlogger16361100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-76031890347968043292012-02-29T09:00:00.001+01:002012-02-29T09:00:17.055+01:00

Just recently we came across a new art installation in Preuilly which tickled us. The Blog-porte in rue des Pavillons seems to be the work of the same artist who produced the rather splendid downpipe finials we noted earlier. I hope people do occasionally contribute to the blog door and that it doesn't just end up as a replica of the boulangerie window, covered in posters advertising local events

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-42569741991706308912012-02-28T09:00:00.008+01:002012-02-28T09:00:02.514+01:00

The view from the office.We've never owned a tumble dryer and one of the things we really enjoy about living in France is that for much of the year we can dry the laundry outside on a line. In London we lived in a National Trust house, so we were not allowed to hang washing outside in case the sight of our smalls flapping in the breeze caused a visitor's experience to be ruined. With no room for

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-82336500342557142472012-02-27T09:00:00.003+01:002012-02-27T09:00:01.651+01:00

Well, the new mixer has been purchased - and it turned out to be none of the brands we had discussed. It cost €99 at an outlet store called Chronostock in Chateauroux and is an H. Koenig KM-60s. It came with beater, whisk and dough hook, 5 l bowl and bowl cover. It has a power take off for a mincer attachment (I've checked online and they cost about €35 so I guess we will get one in due course).

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-87013537314347944002012-02-26T09:00:00.004+01:002012-02-26T09:00:05.683+01:00

Clicking on the image will enlarge them in a new window. If you want to know more about Broad Bodied Chasers, see my species account on Loire Valley Nature.Susan

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-34630921786984247052012-02-25T09:00:00.002+01:002012-02-25T09:00:14.040+01:00

It's always irked me that citrus peel is just chucked in the compost once the juice or flesh has been extracted, so periodically I make Roasted Lemon Zest Powder or somesuch attempt at 'nose-to-tail' cuisine. This time it's orange peel cured then preserved in a heavy syrup.I saved the peel as we consumed the fruit for a couple of weeks. Each time we peeled an orange the peel went into an plastic

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-47150303768095392212012-02-24T09:00:00.000+01:002012-02-24T09:00:07.606+01:00

Preuilly's gymnasium was the venue for the recent Foire au Safran and while I was there I took a photo of the climbing wall installed on the end wall. There is no information I can find about how you book to use it (the official council website doesn't even mention the gymnase has a climbing wall) and since I have never been any good at hauling my own weight up sheer cliffs using only my

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-26920652576157018102012-02-23T09:00:00.005+01:002012-02-23T09:00:05.900+01:00

Yesterday we went to Chateauroux for the afternoon. The route takes us through the Brenne for most of the way so the chances for lucky wildlife sightings are relatively high. I once had to stop the car in the bit that goes through the Foret de Preuilly to allow a haughty young red deer stag to stalk across the road.At this time of year we are waiting for the migrating cranes to come over and

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-24739770158304330952012-02-22T09:00:00.004+01:002012-02-22T09:00:03.356+01:00

This view across the valley formed by the ruisseau de miloneau was taken by standing in the driveway of the local nursing service (which goes by the not entirely reassuring name of Cactus!). I am looking across our friend Gérard's backyard, with its charming classical garden shed. I don't know if it was once a rather posh dunny or whether it is a vine hut - I should ask him I suppose. It is oddly

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-39429182873414554112012-02-21T09:00:00.002+01:002012-02-21T09:00:10.903+01:00

Or as it is known in our house - PANCAKE DAY!!To tell the truth, most years it's known in our house as "yesterday was pancake day" because we don't really pay much attention to dates during winter, most days being "Sunday the something" for all intents and purposes.However, as Susan bought a crêpe pan last week pancakes have being weighing heavy on my mind. We might just christen that baby

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-21438405590616427582012-02-20T09:00:00.001+01:002012-02-20T09:00:16.119+01:00

After a couple days away from the subject, more ice.In March 2010 I wrote about finding paint brushes which had been sitting in white spirit in the garage all winter, and said "It is a lesson I hope to learn though - clean up before it starts snowing!"Like most "I will know better next time" events, the only thing that taught me was to recognise I had got it wrong again when I emptied a lump of

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-57823840343146079202012-02-19T09:00:00.005+01:002012-02-19T09:00:00.979+01:00

Click on the photos to enlarge. If you want to know more about Swallowtails see my species account on Loire Valley Nature.Susan

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-87087369781007050062012-02-18T09:00:00.003+01:002012-02-18T09:00:06.590+01:00

Just out of the oven, made in one of those big paté dishes thatthe charcutiers give away once the contents have been sold.Hachis parmentier is a French family favourite, the equivalent of the anglophone Shepherds Pie. The main differences are that there are often multiples of both the mashed potato and the meat layers. In my version I've made a savoury mince filled mashed potato sandwich, with

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-18078138912226087102012-02-17T09:00:00.002+01:002012-02-17T09:00:05.469+01:00

Town water arrived in Preuilly in the 1960s and marked the end of outdoor pit toilets such as at the back of our graineterie (now considerably more salubrious as our coin d'apéro). It also marked the end of the public lavoirs on the rivers. The women of the town gained home laundries, but also a certain amount of isolation now that they didn't meet regularly on washdays.The commune of

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-24150397703848865812012-02-16T09:00:00.002+01:002012-02-16T09:00:06.049+01:00

On Monday I wrote about our dauphin and how the ice had split it. At that stage the downpipe was full of ice, a slightly worrying situation as the forecast was for rain and anything that fell on the roof would have to find its own way down.The downpipe on Sunday afternoonBy Monday afternoon the rain hadn't arrived, and the warmer temperatures meant that the downpipe was no longer welded to the

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-34488581087065015272012-02-15T09:00:00.005+01:002012-02-15T09:00:09.742+01:00

The weather has been on the perishing side of chilly lately, so when we were in Paris I bought some makings for Asian soups from the Paris Store. One of my favorite soups is Tom Yum, the spicy Thai soup, which I first encountered in the early 80s, when Thai food first became trendy (yes, I know, even I was a trend follower once, rather than the trendsetter I am now).I bought a jar of Tom Yum

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-75485086519818996082012-02-14T09:00:00.004+01:002012-02-14T09:00:14.806+01:00

Susan

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-80593868724942416392012-02-13T09:00:00.009+01:002012-02-13T09:00:01.026+01:00

Or not, because yesterday afternoon when I went to check the Météo de France web site it wasn't working. It continued not to work all evening and into the night.I suspect that it's a case of too much traffic, because it was sunny and almost warm yesterday afternoon (-4°C) but rain is forecast. This means that by midday today we should finally have made it above freezing point for the first time

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-32867436734065974832012-02-12T09:00:00.007+01:002012-02-12T09:00:08.943+01:00

Enough of the cold already!!Last week we were in Paris at Retromobile, where there were lots of very yummy things to look at. The three cars that really caught my eye were a couple of touring convertibles and an open Bugatti road racing car.Of those, the one that just transfixed me was the Bugatti. Of course, I took plenty of photos of it, but none that the whole car, which is why I have included

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-33533428651481118562012-02-11T09:00:00.002+01:002012-02-11T09:04:18.807+01:00

After yesterdays views, some close-ups of cold stuff:This is what's stopping our downpipes fromworking. I hope it doesn't cause problemsNot our place, another 18.A close up of yesterday's treeI went out last night at 10.00 to check the thermometer, came in and said to Susan "it's only -8°". I wasn't being ironic or anything - after this last week, -8 feels positively mild.Simon

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-42020048586342817282012-02-10T09:00:00.004+01:002012-02-10T09:00:09.890+01:00

I mentioned yesterday that we would be posting pictures of Preuilly in the snow - so here they are:The first three photos were taken on Tuesday, and the last one was taken yesterday. Although the temperature has remained steadfastly below freezing, the sun has been quite strong - lovely and warm on your back if you're well rugged up anyway, and causing the snow on slate roofs to start

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-32339005254300709072012-02-09T09:00:00.008+01:002012-02-09T10:07:23.286+01:00

I mentioned on Tuesday that we were about to go for a walk. This was a mission successfully accomplished, albeit with much putting on of layers (and me dragging my big coat out of the cupboard for the first time this year).We walked down to the plan d'eau, and were amazed to see that it has totally frozen over to the extent that even big blokes could stand on the water.What a pity it's the summer

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-19336719957339245632012-02-08T09:00:00.004+01:002012-02-08T09:00:11.155+01:00

For me, the pick of the show was this 1937 Delahaye Type 145 V12 coupe. It was built as a racing car, one of the Ecurie Bleu, but was never very successful. After it was retired (to stud?) the original ride pimper, Henri Chapron, acquired the vehicle with the idea of turning it into a luxury tourer. Sadly the war intervened and his client disappeared. The car was mothballed for a while, changing

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-59793380591273779082012-02-07T09:00:00.008+01:002012-02-07T09:53:54.586+01:00

We made it to the supermarket yesterday, which was a really pretty drive. While we were there I took some photos, taking advantage of the fact that my new camera has a "snow" setting. If it looks cold, there's a reason for that. Minus 4 reasons, in fact.While we were at the supermarket we bought a hairdryer, which I have successfully used to defrost the pipes into the downstairs toilet. Our

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-68563158135734309912012-02-06T09:00:00.005+01:002012-02-06T09:00:04.797+01:00

That's what we did yesterday - shovel snow. Quite a novelty for someone who grew up in the Australian bush, but we received about 10cm of snow on Saturday night and removing snow from the road front of their house is what good members of the community do.The snow made the whole of town look beautiful (I assume - it certainly evened out the bumps in this part of town) but as our house is right on

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-80588270809050549332012-02-05T09:00:00.004+01:002012-02-05T09:00:02.627+01:00

We have written about the hotel Laumiere before, and return here whenever we are in Paris (with one notable exception).The hotel is about 50 metres from the metro station Laumiere, which was opened in October 1942. This photo was taken not long after that date and comes from the website I mentioned ten days ago.And here it is on Thursday morning- almost 70 years later. I was well wrapped at the

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-82790673462136669152012-02-04T09:00:00.000+01:002012-02-04T09:00:07.946+01:00

I have been posting old and new photos: this is a recent old, and an almost brand new new.We first saw this new style sign at Chillou du Feuillet about 18 months ago, but they are spreading across the Touraine. They are a lot more brown than the old explanation boards, and more informative as well. For a picture of Gargantua, go here.Simon

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-44351835310433818292012-02-03T09:00:00.000+01:002012-02-03T09:00:17.416+01:00

Another comparison:The top photo was taken sometimes between 1906 and 1910. We know this because the chateau was built in 1906, but the old old bridge was destroyed in the floods of 1910 and subsequently rebuilt. (Subsequent research dates the photo to 1908).One thing that interests me is the how much weatherboard (clapboard) cladding has been replaced with stone in the last 100 years - this is

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-65781125089332080992012-02-02T09:00:00.001+01:002012-02-02T09:00:05.923+01:00

Thanks to a comment from blog reader William I have a new source of old postcards of Preuilly, so I thought I would do some comparisons.This is the view from our old viewing place on the ramparts of the château. The new view is a composite of two photos taken in October a couple of years ago: because of tree growth it is no longer possible to get the photo from the same place. The chateau was

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-24139424563596115902012-02-01T09:00:00.002+01:002012-02-01T09:00:15.598+01:00

So...what can you see in the Claise Valley in February? This month is traditionally the coldest month of the year, but even so, spring comes early in the Touraine and Brenne, so there is a surprising amount of wildlife to see. This year it looks set to be exceptionally mild, so some things will be rather early to emerge I am sure. Look forward to a weather pattern that oscillates between some

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-62129029188328536362012-01-31T09:00:00.005+01:002012-01-31T09:00:00.690+01:00

I am pretty sure I will not be the only French blog writer talking about snow this morning.It snowed yesterday. Not heavily, but enough to settle. This is the first snow we have had this winter, and although no more snow is forecast the weather is set to get very cold, with lows of -9C predicted for later in the week.I am not complaing though, as I was getting bored after having four months of

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-64772271961291502782012-01-30T09:00:00.002+01:002012-01-30T09:00:07.684+01:00

The edition of the Michelin Green Guide to the Loire Chateaux that we own speaks of Preuilly rising on the north bank of the Claise amidst woodland, meadows and vineyards. Ahem...it appears to be quite some time since the nice man from the Michelin guide visited. The vines are long gone, but traces of the old agricultural ways are visible everywhere in the form of cabanes des vignes (workers

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-32525326008317458532012-01-29T09:00:00.001+01:002012-01-29T09:00:08.945+01:00

I strongly recommend clicking on each photo to enlarge them. They will open in a new window.Susan

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-1061322770672799212012-01-28T09:00:00.004+01:002012-01-28T09:00:07.338+01:00

You may have noticed the occasional photo on this blog - whenever we go out of the house a camera is never far away and whenever we work on the house we try to remember to document the changes we make.Over the 10 years since we bought our first digital camera we have taken quite a few photos, most of whch I can place on my own individual timeline: if I am looking for a photo I am pretty good at

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-10342484447260501122012-01-27T09:00:00.002+01:002012-01-27T09:00:06.522+01:00

For more than 12 months there has been a tree laying across the river in Preuilly, just upstream from the boat ramp. You can see it in this picture taken in 2010. Last year winter was unusually dry and the tree didn't budge. Finally, this year, with conversely generous winter rain, the tree has been pushed down stream - only to hit the barrage (weir) just downstream of the boat ramp.Debris piled

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-60368940664056392122012-01-26T09:00:00.003+01:002012-01-26T09:00:06.475+01:00

Today is Australia Day, so we like to post something that has an Australian theme, and even better if it demonstrates a link between Australia and France. Last year's post is here and the previous year can be read here.This year I thought I'd introduce you to my new rubber boots. They weren't sent to me by an unusually patriotic friend. I bought them in Chatellerault. They were in Max Plus, a

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-11857762372570577872012-01-25T09:00:00.002+01:002012-01-25T09:00:13.426+01:00

Warning. Don't click on the links unless you have a whole day to spare. Seriously...Winter in Preuilly is interesting, especially if you're fond of just sitting around in front of the fire drinking cups of tea. I haven't yet made a start on the painting I have to do, because the room I have to paint - the entry hall - is a bit too cold and not conducive for paint drying.So I thought I would

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-35786279578151019062012-01-24T09:00:00.002+01:002012-01-24T09:19:46.573+01:00

On Sunday I went down to the plan d'eau (recreation ground) to get rid of our bottles in the recycling bins (station de recyclage). They were piling up in the pantry, but it was also a good excuse to get down to the river and the ditches that flow into it from the plan d'eau. With the mild weather, things could be happening much earlier than expected.I particularly wanted to check on the caddis

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-77806824149172863812012-01-23T09:00:00.003+01:002012-01-23T22:06:50.360+01:00

Acutally, this tree isn't called the Sentinel Oak, or even le Chene sentinelle. I just called the blog post that because it's the sort of cliched, grandiose name that isolated large trees tend to get. In fact, so far as I know, this tree hasn't got a name at all, apart from its species name, which is Quercus robur (English Oak, French Oak, Peduculate Oak, le chene pédonculé - take your pick).And

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-8049174420852979002012-01-22T09:00:00.001+01:002012-01-22T09:00:07.123+01:00

Dorade (sometimes spelt Daurade) or Sea Bream is my favourite white fish. Bream comes in many varieties, both fresh and salt water and can be found all over the world.The prime species in France is the Dorade royale, Gilt-headed Sea Bream, but it is a Mediterranean fish with stocks diminishing at an alarming rate, or farmed with varying levels of ecological care around the Greek islands. It is

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-36086887475873092332012-01-21T09:00:00.000+01:002012-01-21T09:00:03.629+01:00

I've never really understood what the term 'fine dining' means. I guess it's one of those amorphous phrases that means what you want it to mean and everyone has a slightly different interpretation, based on personal tastes.The meal served at this simple and elegant setting was the ultimate French peasant classic, poule au pot, and the venue was a private house. J and H were relaxed and generous

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-83786104796060836372012-01-20T09:00:00.003+01:002012-01-20T09:00:00.089+01:00

Yesterday we had our second delivery of wood for this winter. Contrast this with our first year here where we were getting wood every 3 weeks or so, and you will realise how much difference insulating the house has made. Even though this winter has been almost tropical compared to the last two years these old stone houses do get cold - even on midsummer mornings it can be chilly inside.Anyway:

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-27158140924705335482012-01-19T09:00:00.003+01:002012-01-19T09:00:02.460+01:00

We visited the chateau of Azay le Rideau nine times last year. This meant that while Susan visited the chateau I had 18 hours to explore the town on my own.This is good news, because the town has plenty to offer people prepared to get off the well worn trail from the carpark to the chateau gates. The town dates to 1442, the date its current bridge across the Indre river was built. Before that

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-13271956582990377322012-01-18T09:00:00.001+01:002012-01-18T09:00:09.881+01:00

It's that time of the year again - where I look through the thousands of photos I have taken because they were interesting at the time, but which I haven't yet written about. The work we did in the window in the dining room is one such item.When we were insulating and lining the wall of the dining room in December 2010 I mentioned that it would be nice if we could introduce some curves into the

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-25162561184843712082012-01-17T09:00:00.002+01:002012-01-17T16:40:53.346+01:00

Early January is the season of the galette des rois in France. Galettes des rois come in the classic version, which is two discs of puff pastry sandwiched together with frangipane (a paste made from ground almonds, sugar, eggs and butter). Fancier ones have fruit (often pears) or more exotic nuts. Ingrid and Huub brought us a very nice pistachio one purchased at LeaderPrice recently.Galette

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-19521809991315537992012-01-16T09:00:00.003+01:002012-01-16T09:00:16.349+01:00

We had winter yesterday, and it's likely to continue for the next few days.We like winter days like thisNot nasty, dark, wet, misty, clammy, chill through to the bone winter, but hard frost followed by sunshine winter, just like I remember from growing up in Canberra. It was -5°C overnight, and the frost lasted all day even though the temperature supposedly reached +5°C. This morning we are

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-66746210254201172472012-01-15T09:00:00.005+01:002012-01-15T09:15:00.377+01:00

Twelve months ago I wrote about the soldes and our attempts to buy a cooker. That turned out rather well in the end, with us being able to purchase an Italian brand of cooker we had never heard of at a remarkably good price, and making two wonderful new friends in the process.We are now looking for a mixer/batteur/robot multifunction. Naturally, being young and trendy we looked at Kitchenaid:

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-57657125228098407932012-01-14T09:00:00.004+01:002012-01-14T09:19:45.650+01:00

Pepsi cruises by in April.As devoted viewers of QI will no doubt recall, if you put a Siamese cat in a refrigerator it goes black. That is because the hair is temperature sensitive. The fur on the face, tail and feet ie the extremities, are always cooler, so always dark. However the body fur is warmer and stays pale.Pepsi just released from a fortnight in the fridge*.It's to do with an enzyme in

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-16767524944072237692012-01-13T09:00:00.001+01:002012-01-13T09:00:08.569+01:00

Last week macaroonies, this week gingerynuts.This is a variation on a Delia recipe (which can be found here). I made it slightly more "growed up" by substituting the margarine with butter, using treacle and honey, and doubling the ginger. You need to extra ginger, because treacle has so much more taste than golden syrup.· 4oz self raising flour· 2 rounded teaspoons of ground ginger· 1 teaspoon of

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-49925724857590292902012-01-12T09:00:00.005+01:002012-01-13T08:50:09.599+01:00

Quince trees thrive in the Touraine. We don't have one in the orchard, but our neighbour does, and as quince trees produce large quantities of fruit, we benefit from periodic gifts of quinces. They are an old fashioned sort of fruit and our elderly neighbour is delighted that I like them and, perhaps more importantly, know how to cook them.Quinces on a roadside tree in September.Being large, they

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-62155518907652380842012-01-11T09:00:00.000+01:002012-01-11T09:00:13.766+01:00

Or something shorts, something a, blue jeans.I can't work out if the most visible piece survived because it was covered, or because it wasn't covered. I also can't work out if it is a "buy jeans from us" advert for a shop in town, or for a particular brand of jeans.Simon

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-70390092235997907412012-01-10T09:00:00.001+01:002012-01-10T09:00:16.454+01:00

On Christmas day last year our coffee maker died. It hadn't been doing really well for a while but the switch packed it in and as it was a sealed unit - even though I was able to take the coffee maker apart - I was unable to fix the switch. This meant that getting a coffee machine made it on to our list of "fairly urgent things to do".On Tuesday, Huub, Ingrid and Anne-Loes visited for lunch

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-68677485932013299592012-01-09T09:00:00.000+01:002012-01-09T09:00:07.424+01:00

... a couple of years make.Not the house this time, but the weather.31 December 20084 January 2011These photos are taken from almost the same place and looking in the same direction, the difference being I was on opposite sides of the road. The difference in weather is alarming: on 31st December 2008 the maximum (maximum!!) temperature was 0°, with a minimum of -3°, on 4 January 2012 the maximum

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-38129327702749206852012-01-08T09:00:00.001+01:002012-01-08T09:00:02.663+01:00

Being served a Pineau pre-lunch* at the Abbé Proust's the other day reminded me that I have meaning to write about this less well known aperitif for some time.Pineau is associated with the Charente, the area to our south-west, and is a fortified wine, somewhat similar to sherry. I first encountered it in its heartland, 9 years ago, when we stayed with a friend who has a house in the Charente,

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-49733914098618191772012-01-07T09:00:00.001+01:002012-01-07T09:00:03.175+01:00

At the beginning of last month we started the final phase of the dining room by lining the walls with lambris. There are all sorts of different materials you can get for this, from really cheap pine tongue and groove to pre-formed panels. We went for the not quite cheapest tongue and groove.There are two reasons for putting bits of pine on walls, the first of which is the reason the whole kitchen

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-90905752587242280742012-01-06T09:00:00.002+01:002012-01-06T09:00:10.478+01:00

I don't think this 2cv was on its way to a concourse. Not unless there is a category for "totally original condition, towing a trailerload of cabbages".Simon

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-71200599482830864642012-01-05T09:00:00.000+01:002012-01-05T09:00:00.612+01:00

Male Fern Dryopteris filix-masWith the mild wet weather we are having, the wild ferns are still looking spectacularly lush and tropical in the woods. They haven't yet been burnt by cold winds and frost and they don't look tatty at all.Harts Tongue Phyllitis scolopendriumA fern lined stream behind Fontbaudry,on the outskirts of Preuilly-sur-Claise.Susan

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-40988770994199588152012-01-04T09:00:00.001+01:002012-01-04T09:00:05.523+01:00

Now that we have a kitchen we have started unpacking items like mixing bowls, cake tins, oven trays and wire racks. We haven't unpacked everything, but are treating ourselves occasionally to the contents of another box.To celebrate, I have made a couple of batches of the simplest biscuits I know. The recipe I started with was for coconut macaroons, but I have modified it to make them slightly

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-11232665304620405792012-01-03T09:00:00.006+01:002012-01-03T09:00:13.236+01:00

Those nice blokes from Saint-Aignan (aka Ken and Walt) came down to visit Nick and Jean the other day. On their way home they stopped off briefly at our place and gave us a large pizza stone for the oven. They said it was too big for their oven and had been in storage ever since they moved to France.The pizza stone in Big Berta's oven.It measures 41 cm in diameter and only just fits even in Big

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-61394555926951622822012-01-02T09:00:00.000+01:002012-01-02T09:00:00.889+01:00

A quiet day in Preuilly today, and although this photo was taken in November I can guarantee a similar scene is visible all over France this morning.Simon

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-50061295702017406832012-01-01T09:00:00.003+01:002012-01-01T09:00:09.517+01:00

Nos voeux plus chaleureux et vous souhaiter à tous une belle année 2012, avec bonheur et santé à la pelle!I lifted this New Year greeting from a French woman's blog I used to read at the beginning of 2011, intending to use it for our blog today because I liked the sentiment and the way she has expressed it. However, since it turned out that she had a particularly stressful year, I now wonder if

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-61245118563980906762011-12-31T09:00:00.002+01:002011-12-31T09:00:13.595+01:00

For those who either have poor memory, or just weren't paying attention!JanuaryWe were given medals by the town, had a party to raise funds for flood relief in Australia, blogged for a whole week about Australia because it was Australia Day on the 26th and I wrote about my family emigrating to Australia in 1966. In the house we were insulating and plasterboarding the kitchen.FebruaryWe went to

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-2185147863282939072011-12-30T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-30T09:00:03.012+01:00

This is a somewhat random natural history post because we are struggling to find things to blog about without getting really repetative at the moment. I am engaged in cataloguing my natural history photos for the year and updating Loire Valley Nature, and this nice little frog came up in April's photos.Amphibians are not my principle interest, although I did do a university module on Reptiles and

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-70010820136515140122011-12-29T09:00:00.001+01:002011-12-29T09:00:00.113+01:00

We have almost finished the downstairs toilet. I have to sort out some baguette (door trim baguette this time) and the little niches where we have the stopcock for the outside tap, but that's it.May 2006Dec 2011I am surprised (and maybe a little alarmed) to recall that the hand basin was a last minute decision, but this was mainly because space is at a real premium in there. We chose the absolute

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-1254080324802480652011-12-28T09:00:00.001+01:002011-12-28T09:00:10.801+01:00

Red tops mean full fat in France.And other mysteries explained. Hopefully. It's a tricky subject and even French people seem confused when you put them on the spot.This cream contains a seaweed based stabilising gel.As any anglophone expat or immigrant knows, cream is not just cream in France. In Australia there was just cream. When I moved to the UK I graduated to whipping, single and double

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-79262692893935094182011-12-27T09:00:00.001+01:002011-12-27T09:00:10.304+01:00

Socks for Christmas are supposed to be the last resort of those who need to buy a man a present and have no idea what to get him. I, on the other hand, like socks, especially thick woolly ones that I can wear inside sturdy boots, and frequently request socks for Christmas.This year it is my friend Margaret who has obliged. Not only has she sent me socks, but she knitted them herself. Since she is

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-13509553513212452011-12-26T09:00:00.002+01:002011-12-26T09:00:00.522+01:00

Yesterday we used our newly finished dining room for the first time.MenuOysters au naturalRoast Pork & BeansCoffee and Walnut SpongeFor a scrolly-rolly thing of the dining room, go here, then click the red button.Simon

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-88931065784585242652011-12-25T00:01:00.002+01:002011-12-25T00:01:00.568+01:00

A Merry Christmas to all of our readers.Thank you for visiting our blog throughout the year and being interestedin what we are doing. Your comments encourage us in our endeavoursin both blog writing and house restoring.Simon & Susan

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-49026082977269960392011-12-24T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-24T09:00:05.095+01:00

I said on Thursday that I was once again surrendering on the painting front and getting the man in to paint.This is not the cheapest of options, but it means that my temper has not been strained at what is for many people a difficult time of years for tempers. It also means that the job is finished, in a fraction of the time it would have taken me, and at much better quality.After installing the

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-8496359179559175882011-12-23T09:00:00.005+01:002011-12-23T09:00:08.771+01:00

Here in Preuilly the storm named Joachim that came across from the Atlantic on 16 December was mostly a good thing. Following in its wake was more rain than we've had all year. Up to the end of November we had only had 80% of our average rainfall for the 11 months to that date. The advent of Joachim has probably sorted out the rainfall totals for the year to something close to normal. I can't

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-35252962968304756832011-12-22T09:00:00.007+01:002011-12-22T09:00:05.231+01:00

I hate painting.There it is - I have said it. I REALLY hate painting. I don't understand how it is done, or how it works. What makes two cans of paint from the same manufacturer work differently? Why is it that the blue paint goes on nicely, doesn't run, covers perfectly, but the red paint is splotchy even after two coats, leaves brushmarks, and is totally frustrating.Both paints went on over two

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-45327621353020558342011-12-21T09:00:00.008+01:002011-12-22T10:45:12.774+01:00

During the winter tropical fruit becomes affordable in France. Mangoes appear on the shelves (although they are almost always stringy and disappointing) and pineapples drop below 2€ a piece. Bananas, which are usually affordable but not good quality, improve so they are worth buying. The one fruit that I would quite like that I have only ever seen once in the supermarket here is pawpaw. I don't

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-58769118967567091342011-12-20T09:00:00.000+01:002011-12-20T09:00:13.570+01:00

Spotted on the streets of Preuilly last week. I think there must usually be a car parked in front of the house, because I have never noticed these before.Simon

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-75398776405870598672011-12-19T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-19T09:00:12.237+01:00

Yesterday was my birthday and we went to the Relais de la Mothe in Yzeures-sur-Creuse for lunch to celebrate. This is the first time we've been since the change of ownership and name. It used to be La Promenade and we were curious to see the results of the refurb and new chef.The changes start from the street - the very entrance is different. Instead of going in the front door you enter through

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-36158419096941026022011-12-18T09:00:00.001+01:002011-12-18T09:00:05.619+01:00

This has been repainted on a wall in Loches. The business is now a cafe, but it's nice to see history being paid its dues.Simon

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-35968360980128075792011-12-17T09:00:00.005+01:002011-12-17T09:31:39.711+01:00

Wall tiles are called faience in French. We chose really standard kitchen classic tiles - white 15 cm square, laid in a plain fully aligned pattern.Patrick laying tiles.Patrick did the work for us and they gave him a bit of trouble. The tiles are only 4 mm thick and rather prone to cracking if they needed cutting to shape. A number of times I heard 'Putain ! C'est pas possible !' which meant

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-31897369279349660692011-12-16T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-16T09:00:05.685+01:00

Simon has recently painted our downstairs toilet. He removed the toilet itself and the door to make it easier, but it was still a bit awkward. Nevertheless, he's done a really good job and the colour is very pretty.When it came to treating the newly laid terracotta tiles with Sarpasol there was an added problem. The tiles could not be walked on as Patrick had only laid them in the morning. We had

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-65143199113408786642011-12-15T09:00:00.001+01:002011-12-15T09:00:12.604+01:00

Building work has just about stopped for the year - Patrick arrives this morning to lay some tiles in the downstairs toilet, but that's it. This means that I can paint the parts that have been built during the past 12 months without too much dust being deposited on wet paint.There is a problem though: at this time of year daylight hours are short, and even when it's daytime it doesn't

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-80825684316873305872011-12-14T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-14T09:00:06.908+01:00

Boudin blanc is available all year round in markets and supermarkets and we've written about these tasty white sausages before, but since they are also considered a bit of a seasonal treat over the winter holidays, I thought I would post again about them.Boudin blanc to the right, boudin noir (blood sausage) to the left.According to serious boudin blanc afficionados, they should still be

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-55411351017913730122011-12-13T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-13T09:00:12.911+01:00

Wooohoooo!And Dennis and Angela will be happy to read this. They very kindly brought our range hood over from the UK in their van back in April and have been teasing us about how long it has taken to get it on the wall and working.Originally we had hoped to get an extracting type that vented out through the old chimney. However that proved too difficult to achieve and we opted for the recycling

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-39635882317826174752011-12-12T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-12T09:00:12.306+01:00

Sending Christmas cards is not really part of the francophone world, but it has been the practice in the anglophone world since the mid-19th century.One of the most common motifs on Christmas cards was, and is, the European Robin and until recently, I didn't know why. I just assumed it was because it was a nice chirpy little bird, popular with gardeners because they can be quite confiding and

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-29493475120152758542011-12-11T09:00:00.004+01:002011-12-11T09:00:03.715+01:00

Last weekend there was an exhibition of sculpture in the arboretum opposite the médiathèque in Preuilly. The work was by a Breton artist called Mich Mao. In French he is an artiste plasticien, which is a term used to cover the visual arts in general. He works in metal, mostly using old motorbike parts for the big pieces and quite a lot of cutlery in the smaller tabletop pieces. They range in

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-48955404365479970652011-12-10T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-10T09:00:12.620+01:00

A Traction for Jean Moulin is the name of a project to restore a pre-war Citroen Traction Avant.The restoration work is being carried out by a group of 11-12 year olds at the College Jean Moulin in Montceau-les-Mines. Helping them with technical advice and donations of parts are Traction clubs, including the club we belong to, and enthusiasts from all over France. The Traction itself has been

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-57536599332290427662011-12-09T09:00:00.001+01:002011-12-09T09:00:09.885+01:00

It's been a while, so here we go:The walls of the staircase are almost but not quite finished. All we have left to do is the little bit under the stairs on the ground floor.In the kitchen the wall tiles have been laid (do you lay tiles on a wall? If not, what do you call it? Glueing sounds haphazard, and "putting" even more so). Today Patrick returns to grout them, then we can put the range hood

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-67625842602383848912011-12-08T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-08T09:00:04.585+01:00

Mistletoe in a tree by the River Claise.Mistletoe Viscum album is a parasitic woody shrub with leathery blunt tipped leaves. The flowers, such as they are, appear in the early spring, and are followed eventually by sticky white berries early in the wintertime.An individual Mistletoe plant.In a completely natural habitat, Mistletoe only grows along riverbanks or in open woodland, but the main

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-63165799711473036402011-12-07T09:00:00.003+01:002011-12-07T09:00:17.219+01:00

Liver paté is one of the French classic dishes, so when I found 1kg packs of turkey livers on sale for €2.95 I resolved to make a batch. The recipe makes about 2 litres of paté, but you can easily halve the quantities if you don't want to freeze half a dozen pots of paté.The mixture is very liquid, but run it through a sieve toprevent weird chewy bits in the paté.Ingredients:3 leaves of

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-55691297512534939202011-12-06T09:00:00.001+01:002011-12-06T09:00:04.176+01:00

These blocks of oak are 500 years old according to Stéphane, and were reclaimed from a floor in a grand old house in Loches that he worked on. They are quarter sawn and show a lovely grain known in French as maille ('chain stitch'). At 40mm, they are twice as thick as modern floorboards. Now, with their age, they are also extraordinarily hard. Stéphane broke several good tools working with this

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-40837795001980242842011-12-05T09:00:00.001+01:002011-12-05T09:00:11.002+01:00

I photographed this advertisement at Saint Pierre des Corps, the big interchange railway station for Tours where we collect most of our clients, and since then I've seen it on bus shelters and billboards all over - even in Preuilly.Tours has recently won protected geographical status for one of its local dishes, rillettes de Tours, a type of coarse paté made from shredded pork. The IGP

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-8833464063983115992011-12-04T09:00:00.011+01:002011-12-04T09:00:09.768+01:00

Grandpa's plane, displayed in the staircase niche.Just recently my parents sent me a family heirloom. Dad told me it is a plough plane that was owned and used by my mother's father and his father. It was made in England, from Boxwood with a handmade steel blade and nicker blade, brass screws and fittings and dates from sometime in the second half of the 19th century. The nicker blade precedes

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-67999204350419673672011-12-03T09:00:00.005+01:002011-12-03T09:00:15.044+01:00

The new chaux-chanvre (hemp straw lime render) walls on the staircase will take months to fully dry. They are no longer disconcertingly damp to the touch, but they are still soft enough to damage. This makes life a bit difficult when you need to install light fittings and stand on a ladder.Stéphane decided that padding the top of the ladder would spread the load and prevent any gouging or denting

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-40216416769314401612011-12-02T09:00:00.006+01:002011-12-02T09:00:04.773+01:00

A couple of weeks ago we finished work for the year, and the intention was to use the winter layoff to do some decoration at home and some little repair and updating work on Célestine. I even said at the time that "Today I will be sitting in the car park at Chenonceau for the 21st time this year."What I thought would be happeningUnfortunately, Célestine decided to take matters into her own hands.

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-28227900025009581602011-12-01T09:00:00.015+01:002011-12-01T09:00:08.212+01:00

This time last year we were demolishingthe last of the horrible old kitchen.It now looks like this.Friday 2 - Saturday 3 - Téléthon, raising money for muscular dystrophy throughout France.December last year Jean-Pierre gave me some little ferns.It was to be the last time I saw him.Saturday 10 - Café Franco-anglais, 16.00 - 18.00 au Panier d'Alice, la Celle-Guenand.A 3kg box of oysters at

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-81701488862370600852011-11-30T09:00:00.001+01:002011-11-30T09:00:07.148+01:00

The other day Stéphane brought a trailer load of sand up and parked in our backyard. He spent the morning making concrete. At lunchtime he found he had some concrete left over, so he decided to use it up by filling in some potholes in our driveway.Good idea, but...he had forgotten that his car and trailer were trapped on the wrong side of the newly filled potholes. Oops...Fortunately, his lunch

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-6196706830634135872011-11-29T09:00:00.006+01:002011-11-29T09:00:01.723+01:00

The 2011 XYZ Festival of New Words is held in Le Havre every year. It's a celebration of neologism and is intended to provoke debate on the French language and bring it into the 21st Century (I typed 20th century first time around, but that may be unfair...)This weekend the festival announced its word of the year:attachiant(e) – someone you cannot live with but cannot live without. A combination

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-72320886266647785822011-11-28T09:00:00.002+01:002011-11-28T10:04:43.120+01:00

We were surprised and delighted; we had not suspected that Loches was so good. I hardly know what is best there: the strange and impressive little collegial church, with its romanesque atrium or narthex, its doorways covered with primitive sculpture of the richest kind, its treasure of a so-called pagan altar, embossed with fighting warriors, its three pyramidal domes, so unexpected, so sinister,

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-64328241689130908532011-11-27T09:00:00.002+01:002011-11-27T09:00:02.867+01:00

When I was in London last week I took quite a few photos. These are three of my favorites, and all of them are photos of the River Thames.The first gives a very small idea of what the Thames must have looked like 50 years ago. In those days large boats were still travelling up river to disgorge cargo from around the world, some of them travelling as far as the Pool of London, between Tower Bridge

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-789016229400550132011-11-26T09:00:00.006+01:002011-11-26T09:00:04.044+01:00

I wrote about a month ago that we were making a niche in the wall of the staircase. This is to allow us to display some of the stuff we have accumulated over the years.Now that the walls of the staircase are finished we have installed the lighting, which makes the stairs a bright and attractive place (and safe!), and put the first item in the niche.This is a late 19th century plough plane - a

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-10362949799997847292011-11-25T09:00:00.001+01:002011-11-25T09:00:12.825+01:00

On Tuesday I was in Chatellerault enjoying the sun in shirtsleeves, yesterday I was sitting by the fire avoiding the grey skies. Winter seems to have arrived in a real hurry, although not in as much of a hurry as on Google Maps...Start here, then click on the arrow to advance one stepFor those who don't do interactivity,here is what you're missing.This time last year it started snowing, so I

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-41514655879104421032011-11-24T09:00:00.002+01:002011-11-24T09:03:11.012+01:00

“ …En ceste mesmes saison, Fayoles, quart roy de Numidie, envoya du pays de Africque à Grandgousier une jument la plus énorme et la plus monstreuse […], car elle estoit grande comme six oriflans, et avoit les pieds fenduz en doigtz comme le cheval de Jules Cesear, […]. Mais sus tout avoit la queue horrible, car elle estoit, poy plus poy moins, grosse comme la pile Sainct Mars, auprès de Langès,

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-37815048223678519612011-11-23T09:00:00.005+01:002011-11-23T21:24:16.127+01:00

When I left my parents standing in a queue at Charles de Gaulle airport on the 10th of July 2011, I didn't expect that I would be seeing either of them any time soon.Sometimes fate takes a hand in matters, and in this case it was not good news. My father's brother had become seriously ill, and on Saturday 5th November he died. Dad immediately said he wanted to attend the funeral (naturally) and

Simonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06203768991989701121noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33039104.post-42542932045858098332011-11-22T09:00:00.003+01:002011-11-22T09:46:06.797+01:00

Over the past year I have been surveying the butterflies of the area as part of a scheme administered by the MNHN (National Natural History Museum). I have two 2km squares randomly allocated and I walk 5 short routes in each once a month between April and September, counting numbers and species of butterflies.Violet Fritillary, on a violet.It has proved to be a fascinating exercise and a great

Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06472449597146519943noreply@blogger.com4