In the middle of the 19th century, the Mayor of Blois decided to levy a tax on goods entering Blois, a commun practice at the time. A total of sixteen customs houses were built on the roads leading into Blois, two near the train station. The tax was abolished in 1920 and all but three …
Author Archives: avril
Fontaine Saint Hilaire
Here we have a wash-house, a humpback bridge and a pilgrim’s fountain all in the one spot. But nary a picnic table in sight. Saint Hilaire cured the blind and looked after eye problems in general. Ici nous avons un lavoir, un pont à dos d’âne et une fontaine de pèlerin au même endroit. Mais …
Armistice in Fougères
As we cycled through different villages on Sunday, we saw many war monuments still decorated with flags and flowers for Armistice Day. En faisant du vélo dimanche nous sommes passés dans plusieurs villages dont le monument de guerre était encore décoré de drapeaux et de fleurs pour commémorer l’Armistice.
Montpoupon Tower – La tour de Montpoupon
This 13th century tower is the oldest part of Château de Montpoupon, initially a mediaeval castle built by a Germanic clan at the time of Charlemagne which has been converted over the centuries into a château. The main entrance is under scaffolding which explains why I didn’t photograph the castle itself as I did last …
Gardening In Comfort – Jardiner debout
This is the first year I’ve had raised beds in the vegetable garden and I love them! So comfortable to be able to plant standing up. So far no slugs either. The neighbours on the left have planted laurel hedges which will steal a lot of the light and sun on the beds we have …
Chenonceau from the Bike Path – Chenonceau depuis la piste cyclable
Not everyone knows that there is a walking/bike path behind Château de Chenonceau, open to the public even when the grounds are closed. This was taken on Monday, our first day out of lockdown. Tout le monde ne sait pas qu’il y a un chemin qu’on peut emprunter à pied ou à vélo derrière le …
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Irises are out – Les iris sont sortis
Our irises have just come into bloom. Last year I took the same photo nearly three weeks earlier. Nos iris viennent tout juste de fleurir. L’année dernière j’ai pris la même photo trois semaines plus tôt.
Happy May Day – Bonne fête du 1er mai
I know this is a little late but I thought it was a good way to celebrate the end of our current lockdown. We are told the number of deaths will soon diminish and its true that there are fewer hospital admissions. We can now go anywhere we like in France though there is still …
CDP Theme Day: Earth – La terre
Despite the fact that I have both a flower garden and a vegetable garden it was surprisingly hard to find an interesting photo because the season is just beginning. In the background are onions and garlic, in the foreground, tomatoes and bell peppers. For other takes on the City Daily Photo theme day of Earth, …
Late Clematis – Clématite tardive
After the black frost many of our spring flowers are blooming late. I thought this clematis would never open. Last weekend in lockdown. New rules will apply on Monday starting with no restriction on travelling within France. Après la gelée noire beaucoup de nos fleurs de printemps sont en retard. J’ai pensé que cette clématite …