This was taken from the hilltop troglodyte village of Trôo last Sunday when it was bright and sunny. It has rained most of the week which is somewhat depressing – like our Covid situation at the moment. Fortunately there is no curfew in our area as yet which means we are reasonably safe but it …
Author Archives: avril
Roll-up Flower Beds – Parterres enroulés
At Château de Chaumont the gardeners were busy removing the ready-planted summer garden beds. I had no idea that such a system existed. It was fascinating. Au château de Chaumont les jardiniers étaient en train d’enlever les parterres d’été qu’ils achètent déjà plantés. Je n’avais aucune idée que ce système existait. C’était fascinant.
Hidden Troglodyte House – Maison troglodyte cachée
The chimney of this troglodyte house in Trôo makes me think of Peter Pan, my very favourite book as a child. La cheminée de cette maison troglodytique à Trôo me fait penser à Peter Pan, le livre préféré de mon enfance.
Catkins – Chatons
I had never seen pine tree catkins like these at Chateau de Chaumont before although I’m sure they must be everywhere. Je n’avais jamais vu des chatons de pin comme ceux-ci au château de Chaumont. Pourtant il doit en avoir partout.
Inside a Troglodyte Home – A l’intérieur d’une maison troglodyte
Modern cave dwelling was totally unknown to me until I arrived in France and visited the Loire Valley over forty years ago. It was not until later that I understood what the word troglodyte means today. The soft tufa cliffs are ideal for hollowing out whole houses! For more information on troglodytes, click here. These …
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Autumn Offerings – Offrandes d’automne
We went to Chateau de Chaumont today and almost turned back when we saw the crowded parking lot. I’m glad we didn’t. We don’t know where all the people were – maybe inside the castle – but we were able to walk around and enjoy the beautiful sunny weather. En arrivant au parking bien rempli …
The Lavender 2 CV – Deudeuche mauve
My first encounter with a 2CV was when I first arrived in France and saw two young men pull up in front of a terrace café on the Boulevard des Pyrénées in Pau. They tried to parallel park but the space was very tight so they got out of the car and manually lifted it …
Fancy Necks – Cous insolites
This is some sort of squash at our Saturday market in Blois but I haven’t seen it before. C’est un espèce de courge au marché de Blois mais c’est la première fois que je la vois.
Brick & Slate – Briques et ardoises
This unusual brick and slate-cladded building is at no 1 rue Joyeuse in Amboise. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find further information. Cette maison insolite en briques et ardoises se trouve au numéro 1 rue Joyeuse à Amboise. Malheureusement je ne trouve pas d’autres renseignements.
Colourful Shopping – Courses en couleur
Every household has a shopping caddy in France to take to the market or neighbourhood supermarket but not all are this colourful. Ours is boringly black. The first one says “I cultivate gentle living” but it is a play on words because “douceur” also means “sweet”. The second one says “detox shopping” and down the …