In the loading queue

 

Oh the joys of IT. I can hotspot my ipad onto phone and bring you this live broadcast from the ferry port!

Must be quick before we are ushered into the bowels of Armorique.

Last night crêpes were good - we had seconds of the sweet ones. Hotel OK and comfortable. Slept well.

Then awoke to a foggy rainy morning. Sunday so bars are not  usually open before 9. Having sat it out until 7.45 we decided to make a move and investigate St Brieuc. Not very fruitful - it is sprawling and although there are some interesting and nice old bits, we weren’t in tourist mode. So I remembered dear Châtelaudrun along the road and we headed there. Bar was open, boulangerie of a thousand breads was doing good trade. Croissants procured we sat in the dry with good coffees, still unaccountably only €1,50 each.

Then a quick visit to St Michel les Grèves for a walk on the beach with its millions of worm casts.

Finally to Roscoff just in time for the last table in Surcouf…phew! nice lunch somewhat delayed by Adrian ordering 12 oysters that obviously had to be prepared by the Maître Huitrier.

Sun’s out, I can hear the bing bongs from within the vessel so better sign off. A bientôt

Slumming it in Budget

Yes it has come to this - we decided to save a paltry 13 euros and trade Ibis Ibis for Ibis Budget in Yffiniac. The logic being they are mere metres apart. It’s OK but we’ve grown used to the separate shower room and other comforts in Ibis! In Sarlat we even got a free bag of local walnuts.

Anyway no matter. We are booked into the Crèperie des Grèves at 7 and hope for a repeat of last year’s delights. 

Funny old day. Bright sun in La Rochelle at 7 am as we arose. Then it just got darker and darker the farther north we drove. Real blanket coverage of grey. No birds in the marshes, no coypus having breakfast. Where are they all? We had the usual good coffee and croissants in Luçon. Despite the promises in this window I feel this is NOT a good look! 

We made good time and had our sandwiches somewhere north west of Rennes then  as the sun broke through we detoured up to the headland and beaches on the Baie de St Brieuc for an hour or so. A group of beach cleaner volunteers were about to set out but honestly they’d have been hard pressed to find any debris. Absolutely pristine beach. 

But a strange sort of steam rising from the wet sand - quite creepy. Nothing much visible from the viewpoint either as the cloud was sitting offshore.

Sarlat to La Rochelle

 

Not as far as you think! we did leave rather early at 7.15 but it was light so why not. 

As we approached Cro Magnon country with its sculpted bisons and mammoths grazing the fields, the mists of time literally enveloped us as the damp air warmed up. 

Les Eyzies was closed once more so we continued on to La Douze, a village we have used before. 

The bar was crowded and convivial and even had a table of retired ladies! So I did my new trick with the ‘double espresso avec lait chaud’ request. So you want grand- crèmes then, the wench ripostes with a grin. Exactly says I but sometimes a grand- crème just isn’t strong enough. 

These were. So much so that Himself had a second.

I got lunch from the boulangerie next door.No baguette sandwiches so I tried the poulet wraps just to see what they are. Then we fairly whizzed along, negotiating Périgueux without difficulty and then through the lovely rolling lands of Charente to Châteauneuf sur Charente where we stopped. Because.. it was only 10.45 and at this rate we'd be in La Rochelle by midday.

The map showed a viewpoint on the river so we found the spot - behind the railway and with a sort of campsite but quite charming. Lots of green space, trees, toilet bloc (clean) and benches along the river where we sat watching kingfishers, wagtails, wrens, blackbirds, sandpipers…the air was full of song and it all had that wonderful earthy river scent. 

Hardly anyone else around apart from eventually a Carte D’Or delivery truck. We decided to linger and eat our strange sandwich substitutes there. The ‘wrap’ seems to be an almost raw thin pita or tortilla substance but the fillings were generous and tasty.

At 12.25 we departed, much relaxed. A place to remember.

We were still ahead of schedule by the time we were approaching Rochefort so another delaying tactic was deployed. At St Laurent de la Prée (the site of long past camping adventures - draw a veil over The Lost Credit Card), we deviated into the salt marshes and had a little walk along the shore opposite the Ile d’Aix, Fort Boyard under the carrelets (fishing net huts).

Lots of shoreline birds - oyster catchers, shell ducks, curlew, golden plovers, etc. and fields of egrets. A stork flopped overhead and a heron. It was hot!

We left in time to hit LaRochelle before the rushhour gridlock and were in Première Classe by 4. The excitement did not stop there - oh no! Their card payment system was on go-slow and receptionist tried three times to get it to go through. In the end she said she’d do it tomorrow and just gave us the room and carpark cards. But I really didn’t want to be bothered faffing about in the morning so after we’d parked I went down to try again. No joy. She even tried a customer not present transaction. Zilch. Then I had a lightbulb moment - Let’s go to Kyriad next door and try their connection. She agreed and off we trooped. Worked instantly! Quality will out.

Sarlat

 Left Sablet at 7.15. A quick getaway as we didn’t have to shut everything down this time. It was very hard going away - at least until the countryside changes completely.But motoring through red poppy-strewn roads and fields it just seemed like a day out rather than a journey, We had breakfast in Arpaillargues outside Uzès then continued up into the Cévennes and along the Corniche road.Here the palette changed to yellow. No more poppies but instead meadows and verges full of cowslips, primroses, dandelions, hawkbits various, in shades from lemon to butter. Dandelion meadows almost seemed like a crop! 

On the other side of the motorway we got meadows of mayflower, dandelion, cowslip etc.some being chomped by suckler herds of golden cows. Stopped for the sandwich eating above a village called Gaillac where the air was full of birdsong - blackbirds, warblers and even a nightingale.

An annoying déviation right at the end put a few extra miles onto an already long day but we are now in a huge room in Ibis resting up before walking into town for sustenance.

Eating with friends

 

Yesterday our Americans took us for lunch to their favourite restaurant - La Fleur Bleue between Crestet and Malaucène. Run by an ex pat Dutch couple and in a charming informal setting. Not bad menu du jour at €17.50 but the main plat was whole roast quail which I simply could not eat! So I had stuffed encornet (squid) in small slices. We sat under a pergola through which floated wisteria and Paulownia (foxglove tree) blossom - all colour coordinated pale mauve. Had to be careful not to accidentally consume the wisteria - it just has to be toxic don’t you think!

Then at 6 it was John and Louise chez nous for the Bédoin quiches - most tasty we all agreed. A farewell chat and feedback on their amazing (and free!) trip to La Coste on Sunday. For those such as me who had never heard of the place…it is a vast vineyard near Aix with four top restaurants, art gallery, huge sculpture park with Alexander Calder, Bob Dylan and Louise Bourgeois etc exhibits in the landscape. There is a Belfast connection🤗

Today it is packing the car and cleaning the floor for house sitters. And at 4 we have an appointment with Kaisers for tea followed at 6.30 by a very kind offer of last supper with Liz and Keith.

My osteospernum (?) is colouring up again - hah - so I will miss it. Hope it survives in the shade over the hot summer…probably not.

Final lunch at Roaix.

A Roam in the Drôme

 We were fogbound first thing! Séguret shrouded. 

Undeterred we set out for Bédoin and wine. The plan was to grab two BIBs, head swiftly to market for quiches from The Lady…guests tomorrow night …have a coffee and escape. 

This was all achieved sans problème. We enjoyed our coffees, avoided most of the milling hordes and their dogs and were away into the foothills of Ventoux before 10. As you can see, the sun was out by then.

Plan A had been to drive up the mountain but we decided that a nicer trip would be to go as far as Chalet Reynard then strike off in the Sault direction. Good thinking as it happened as the notices said Col Fermé (access only as far as summit). Not much on the road except cyclists so we had an easy drive. It can sometimes be a touch hair raising as vehicles hurtle down towards you. Great views across to the Alps, trees greening up. Swathes of lavender in graphic rows

Sault was its usual scruffy quaint self. Wonderful shop fronts. And some really high class food products. There’s a famous bread shop and a prize winning traiteur/charcutier.

Strange brew! Fancy any of this?

We decided not to eat on the windy terrace despite the sun and entertained vain hopes that the café in Aurel might just be open. It never is! And Les Lavandes in Monieux closes on Monday.

As predicted the umbrellas at Aurel were resolutely furled and there was no sign of life. 

We drove on to Montbrun les Bains and looked at a rather uninspiring pizza restaurant then a café that might have been OK except for what looked like members of the Hole in the Wall Gang ranged across its frontage. Crèperie closed. I’d semi spotted the Hôtel des Voyageurs at the end of the main street but before we got to it we rounded a corner and found this! Menu du Jour 17.50, lots of Routard Stickers - up to date as well!

And an elegant interior to boot. Copious Oeufs Mimosa with a salad including pickled red pepper buds, Succulent slice of roast pork (shoulder?) in cider with a delicious cauliflower gratin in cream, dessert, coffee, 25 cl of Puyméras for €43.70. Only low point was my poor choice of pud - praline tarte which turned out to be a toothrottingly sweet topping that looked like melted dolly mixtures. Adrian helped me out and seemed to like it!

On our way back to the car we realised that the café was in fact. part of the afore-mentioned Hôtel des Voyageurs, so we probably would have gone there anyway!

Today was a motoring excursion. Adrian not up to walking far, so he pointed us at the hills to the north and we came back via a very long route through Séderon, and eventually Buis, passing through gorges and severe hillsides. Total 98 miles for the day! But he loved it so that’s OK.

Americana

 

Final Saturday, last trip to Ste Cécile and last chance to get garlic. It is really far too early but there was some fresh that man said would dry so we bought three heads. That will stink the car out nicely!

On our way across the plain we saw one hoopoe and a great convoy of US military jeeps with French and American flags…more later.

Deb and Gary joined us for coffee at the bar. Tomorrow is their Vide Maison - house clearance. Sad to see them go and awful for them to have belongings picked over. They are taking over our house until 31 May so we had to show them how it all works. So many little things that you just take for granted in your own home.

We did a truncated Rasteau walk today - just the lanes. No nightingales really - possibly in the distance. Lovely iris.

. But the reason for yesterday’s convoy was revealed. A commemoration of the US airmen killed on Le Plan de Dieu in 1944. One of them died in Rasteau.

The war memorial was bedecked with wreaths and flags

One last drink in the square under milky skies and that’s it until September.

That’s entertainment

I have totally omitted to document our various social gatherings! How remiss.

Last night Gérard and Jennifer came round - umbrellas deployed for the first time this stay. We had a very pleasant evening. Adrian gave Jen her long promised G and T under Gérard’s reproachful eye.

On Wednesday we went with the newly returned Americans to the bar for pizzas in the warm evening. Rather expensive and not very good…hmm.

And last Saturday we had a houseful - Barbara, Pascal, Liz and Keith! We managed to get the kitchen to a reasonable temperature by putting on the heating and the calor gas and sat round the table for probably a bit too long - almost 10 pm. I’d said ‘come for apéro’ and that usually is just a couple of hours but we were all chatting and wine was being consumed so…The excuse for the choice of guests was that Liz’s great friend Edmée’s brother was a colleague/supervisor of B and P’s son Guillaume. Both are intensive care anaesthetists and Guillaume studied under René, who is now retired. And amazingly they now both live in the same village near St Etienne! I made the connection a while back but this is the first time all four had met.

Last but not least - Minouchette. Her people are visiting Guillaume and family so we are on cat duty. Minouchette just decamps to our house as and when she needs company, either via the terrace or front door, depending on where she thinks we are. I do go round every morning to feed her but honestly I think she dines elsewhere! 

The odd rumble of thunder

The expression so beloved of weather presenters. Along with spits and spots of rain. Well,  that’s what we got at 4pm. The day had up to that point been balmy and sunny. Lunch (such as it was) on the terrace. Admittedly a bank of billowy white cloud over the hills but nothing obviously stormy. Ah well, they certainly need some precipitation hereabouts. I was at the time, paint roller in hand, touching up my kitchen door - one was a bit patchy!

Yesterday we were astounded by the sight of men in an airborne skip hovering above a rooftop. Sablet is full of surprises.

The peonies continue to unfold.

Spécialités de la région

 

At last we can cast off the jeans and jumpers with confidence. No wind, warm morning. Off to Malaucène with a spring in our step before 9 and sitting in the café by 9.30. Then what? Well we returned via Gravillas for a box to bring back, came home and unpacked by which time unaccountably it was 11.30. Such a lovely day and we fancied our ridge over in the Drôme. Fortuitously taking us past the newfound St Maurice Coop. Yikes! It was 2 seconds to midday when we pulled in, causing me to sprint like a mad thing to the doors. They parted and we were in.Phew. A quick shot into the bidon from petrol pump 1 (Côtes du Rhône) and we left relieved, followed closely by Monsieur anxious to be away for his repas.

Next we went up into the hills from where there are views in all directions - even glimpsed an alpine peak with snow way over to the east. Here it is vines, olives, lavender. And Truffles. 

This presents an existential dilemma for your Frenchman - truffles or hunting? Can’t have both and here the truffle wins!

Snails are also on the menu - dead or alive!

Lots of butterflies and big black bees and these ant lions.

Somehow we managed to get all the way to Valréas on our return - bit of a detour. But now safely home on the sunny terrace until the next excitement - our American house-sitters are sharing pizza with us this evening. Nice to have them back.

Homes and Gardens

 

Well first…gardens sort of. Those along the canal near Beaumes. We went to stretch the legs by walking into town from Notre Dame d’Aubune - the usual stroll. The verges are packed with wild flowers and grasses, butterflies including swallowtail and small blue, birds, even a mallard fast-peddling downstream. Hawthorn trees alive with blossom and buzzing insects. The big house with swimming pool on the edge of the path had rows and rows of tasteful white iris. We greeted a lady tending her small patch of vines - carefully pruning and tying in the shoots.

The cannes de Provence are huge, many bent over the path to clobber the unwary walker!

It was Tuesday market but we didn’t want anything - just a flaky croissant and double expresso hot milk in the Café du Siècle. Wish granted, coats and jumpers stripped off and we sat watching the darling starlings in the plane trees. One in particular was on top form. He’d got a nest site in a cleft of the tree and was busying himself plucking the fresh new leaves and taking them to it. Then dancing and cavorting from branch to branch whistling, singing and flapping his wings - all presumably to attract a female. Tik Tok/Tinder for birds! Like an exotic jewel he was, iridescent feathers shimmering in the sun.

Back home and lunch on the sunny terrace before the rains…promised for 4, which seemed unlikely. But by golly, spot on! Just after 4.15 the first drops fell. They might also have been the last ones!

Adrian went a’visiting and I for my part painted the interior kitchen doors a tasteful grey to match the rest of the house.

Baronnies

The wind has dropped, the sun is out,  so we risked an outing. First to Vaison for a duplicate key and then to Beauvoisin above Jonchiers for a walk through the groves of olive, apricot, lime, vines. 

Much excavating and construction going on on the hillsides with new terracing, new farmsteads etc. There were frogs, butterflies, and bees taking a drink in the stream, lots of flowers and so many beautiful wild quince bushes with their ethereal delicate flowers. How on earth do these produce such clunking great heavy fruit!

Overdressed of course! We are so used to having to wrap up in fleeces against the wind that we forget how hot it gets once in the lee of the hills. Fabulous views.

Not a vast walk but a good hour or so and midday was chiming as we entered Beauvoisin - chiming twice as they still do in Drôme!

Trouble with it being midday before we finish the walk is that by the time we hit civilisation again the window of eating opportunity has diminished! All we really wanted was a sandwich but it is Monday - fermé. Even the café in Puyméras closes on Mondays.The sandwich emporia in Vaison similarly shuttered - one was even being gutted! Que faire? 

Of course, Villedieu. They serve later than most. So off we zoomed. Got there at 1.30. Is it too late I enquire of the serving person. If you are quick she replies, I’ll go and ask Chef. Shades of Fawlty Towers…will it be too late? Has he already opened the tin? Good news, we can have the daily special - Bavette with Roquefort sauce, and chips and salad. Plus a demi of much needed rouge. Delicious. Ah! Bliss. And so we sat in the sun enjoying a tasty meal. Quite a few other late diners too.

Fun snake in a garden in Jonchiers