The first one is an unusual dovecote because the pigeonholes, of which there are 962, start at the base of the construction, showing the importance of its owner. It is first mentioned in 1661. The second one, which has 60 pigeonholes, is built into one of the towers of the fortified walls of the Grand’Maison, …
Author Archives: avril
An Outdoor Treat – Une gourmandise en terrasse
Today we planned to return to the Garden Festival at Château de Chaumont but when we saw the number of cars in the parking lot we decided to go for a walk in the village of Thenay instead. After our walk, We had our first outdoor table experience since October – house-made ice-cream and cider …
Continue reading “An Outdoor Treat – Une gourmandise en terrasse”
Mimetic Mosaic – Mosaïque mimétique
I really like this garden at the Château de Chaumont Garden Festival but I find the explanation somewhat pretentious. “This garden celebrates the extraordinary artistic perfection of plant fractals.” For those who are not familiar with the term fractal, it means any of various extremely irregular curves or shapes for which any suitably chosen part …
Blue Desire – Désir blue
This is one of the entries in the Garden Festival at Chateau de Chaumont and is inspired by the Australian bower bird, a very sleek satiny blue bird known for their unique courtship behaviour, where males build a structure and decorate it with sticks and brightly coloured objects in an attempt to attract a mate. …
Outdoor Cafés are Open – Les terrasses sont ouvertes
The cafés and restaurants in France opened again today after being closed for six months – but with outdoor seating only. Unfortunately in most places the weather was not on their side. We made the most of it by having our morning coffee break in our wood shed using our Turkish platter. Jean Michel is …
Continue reading “Outdoor Cafés are Open – Les terrasses sont ouvertes”
Then the sun came out – Puis le soleil a brillé
Our yearly passes to Château de Chaumont have been waiting for us since New Year! But at last the grounds are open. The rhododendrons did not disappoint. Nos passes pour le château de Chaumont nous attendaient depuis le 1er janvier mais le parc est enfin ouvert. Les rhododendrons ne nous ont pas déçus.
And then there was hail – Et puis la grêle est arrivée
Our unseasonable weather continues. Our gardening was brought to a halt by the rain and as soon as we got inside it started hailing. Fortunately it was only very small and didn’t last long. All my baby plants seem to have survived. Notre météo étrange continue. La pluie a mis fin à notre jardinage et …
Continue reading “And then there was hail – Et puis la grêle est arrivée”
Arum Envy – Les arums de la voisine
My neighbour’s arum lilies are always earlier and more spectacular than mine but this year, with most vegetation more than two weeks behind, hers are even more impressive. Mine have only just come out of the ground. Les arum de ma voisine sont toujours plus précoce et plus beaux que les miens mais cette année …
Our Covid Table – Notre table Covid
Little did we imagine when we bought this table a couple of years ago that it would be perfect for distancing with friends! Now that we have had our second Pfizer vaccine we will be able to invite friends without having to worry about getting sick. On était loin de penser en achetant cette table …
Tall & Purple – Grand & Violet
This iris is growing in the little wood at the back of our property. It’s exceptionally tall, no doubt because it needs to compete with all the trees around it. Today is the last of the ice saints and it’s been raining most of the day. Rain is sadly predicted for the next 8 days …