When I read English novels as a teenager growing up in tropical Queensland, decades before the Internet, I had no idea what most of the flowers the authors talked about even looked like. Coming across a carpet of periwinkles in the woods is always a source of amazement to me. The name comes from the …
Author Archives: avril
A Burst of Yellow – Eclat de jaune
Happy Easter! It’s suddenly got cold here but at least it’s sunny. Joyeuse Pacques! Une vague de froid est arrivée mais au moins il y a du soleil.
A Spray of Pink – Une gerbe de rose
This bush seems to get more splendid every spring. As we go into our third lockdown – this time for 4 weeks – we thank our lucky stars that we have a beautiful garden to keep us busy and entertained. This time our excursions are limited to a radius of 10 km which means we …
City Daily Photo Theme Day – April Fool
A superb Renaissance castle (1495) according to the website but if you know anything about Renaissance architecture it’s hard to believe. It looks suspiciously like a 19th century pastiche. Apparently there are more original features on the other side but it’s closed for Covid. April Fool! And by the way, my married name is Avril, …
The Boat’s Back – La gabarre est de retour
The weather was stunning today – an unbelievable 25 degrees (that’s 77 in Fahrenheit) so we cycled along the Loire to Cour-sur-Loire. On the way we saw our favourite flat-bottomed boat, Le Kairos, that takes us across the river in summer. Il a fait un temps splendide aujourd’hui – un incroyable 25 degrés- alors nous …
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The Chinese Pagoda – La pagode chinoise
This private mansion was built in the 1870s by the manufacturer and mayor of Romorantin, Anatole Aristide Normant (1835-1889). It was surrounded by an enormous garden. The pagoda built in 1879 was used to store water to maintain the grounds. After his death, It was bought by his brother Louis-Antoine, one of the owners of …
Ramsgate – La Porte des beliers
Romorantin also has an industrial past. The family business of Normant Frères specialized in the production of woollen sheets. It was founded around 1815 by three brothers, Antoine (1784-1849), Jacques Benjamin (1793-1823) and René Hippolyte Normant (1796-1867), and disappeared in 1969, after an unique industrial adventure that lasted more than 150 years. The Romorantin factory …
Royal Magnolia – Magnolia royale
This is a view of Blois Royal Castle that I love at any time but the magnolia makes it even more perfect. As I was driving and there wasn’t much traffic I was able to stop, wind down the window and take a photo! That’s why I love my iPhone. J’aime toujours cette vue du …
Hôtel Saint Pôl
These two striking 16th century buildings are just next the one in yesterday’s post. The wattle and daub Chancellery housed the royal seals. The facade of the Hôtel Saint Pôl on the right and below, is made of stone and brick. It consists of large lozenges formed by enamelled bricks whose particular shade of green …
On the outskirts – Le carroir doré
This 15th century daub and wattle house used to be on the outskirts of the town. Now it’s in the centre and has been turned into a museum. Le carroir doré (carrefour à l’orée de la ville) est une maison à pans de bois et de torchis du XVème siècle. Désormais proche du centre il …