All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Wishing I was still on holidays.
Author Archives: avril
Water lilies – Nénuphars
We cycled to Château de Chaumont this morning and I took this photo of my favourite pond. By the time we left at midday, the crowds had started to arrive. The gardens at Chaumont are one of my main sources of inspiration but they don’t seem to have slugs. Our main after-dinner activity at the …
End of the Roses – La fin des roses
It’s not really the end of their roses – just the end of their peak. Nearly all our roses (and these are just four of them) are repeat-blooming and last until the beginning of winter. From left to right: pink cloud, unknown, orchid smile and the peace rose (Madame A. Meilland). Ce n’est pas vraiment …
Beaulieu les Loches
I’ve gone back to work with a vengeance but we took today off to go cycling. We started in Beaulieu les Loches, a village of 1700 inhabitants with a surprising number of interesting buildings. This is the remains of the 11th century abbey with its Romanesque steeple. J’ai replongé dans le travail depuis lundi mais …
Postcard from Brantôme
This will be the last postcard for a while as we are now home to stay for the rest of the summer. We stopped off on the way back in Brantôme, famous for its Benedictine abbey church and one of the oldest bell-towers in France. The second photo is the restaurant where we would like …
Postcards from Gallo-Roman Périgueux
In addition to its mediaeval old town, Périgueux has a Gallo-Roman quarter including the Vesunna archeological museum which unfortunately was closed by the time we got there. En plus de sa vieille ville médiévale, Périgueux possède un quartier gallo-romain et le musée archéologique de Vesunna qui malheureusement était fermé à l’heure de notre arrivée.
Postcards from Mediaeval Périgueux
When we finally got to visit Périgueux without having to solve logistical problems, we loved it! It’s full of tiny streets and historical buildings from Renaissance times. There are also lots of shady squares to relax in and a surprising number of small speciality shops. And to end our holiday in style, we had an …
Postcard from Périgueux
We arrived in Périgueux yesterday at 3 pm. Our first rental apartment had no hot water and we learnt at 5 pm that it couldn’t be fixed for at least 24 hours. We found another apartment. Availability was confirmed and payment made but we couldn’t get in touch with the owners. We finally learnt at …
Postcard from Monpazier
Monpazier is considered to be the best example of a bastide in Dordogne. A bastide is a fortified town built on a grid. In normal times it would be swarming with overseas visitors. I loved the different doors and windows. Monpazier est le meilleur exemple de bastide en Dordogne. Une bastide est une ville fortifiée …
Postcard from Penne d’Agenais
I can’t believe we didn’t visit this charming mediaeval village when we stayed nearby twenty years ago but I’m sure we would have remembered! Je n’arrive pas à croie que nous n’avons pas visité ce charmant village médiéval lorsque nous avons séjourné a côté il y a vingt ans mais ce n’est pas le genre …