The cold weather is continuing and it was minus 1 degree when we got to the market this morning despite the sun. What amazes me is the number of people without anything on their head and some without gloves. At least wearing masks keeps our noses warm. I even wore long Johns today under woolen …
Category Archives: Blois
The Red Deer – Le cerf rouge
It was minus 4 degrees when I took this photo at 10 am this morning. That’s Joan of Arc you can see in the distance is by the American sculptress Anna Hyatt Huntington. The Salon de Paris exhibition in 1910 refused to award first prize for one of her monumental statues when they learnt who …
Happy New Year – Bonne année 2021
I could say all sorts of things about 2020 but one thing we were never deprived of was natural beauty. We are lucky to live close to the Loire River and its famous châteaux that we can admire from afar even when they are closed to the public: Chaumont, Chambord, Chenonceau, Blois and Amboise are …
The Sad Santa Story – L’histoire triste du père Noël
You may remember my post last week showing a sad-looking Santa at Blois market. This week there was a new very jovial Santa but there is a sad story behind the change. Since the first Santa started the job early December for the third year running he has been the victim of so many insults …
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Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate
Max Vauché artisan chocolates are the most famous in Loir-et-Cher, where we live. There is a store in Blois but the original facility in Bracieux is a treat for the eyes as well as the palate. The second photo shows Mendiant Trees. A mendiant is a traditional French confection from Provence composed of a chocolate …
Blois at Night – Blois la nuit
We were coming home from mushroom picking in the forest tonight when we saw these beautiful blue lights under Pont Gabriel in Blois. And I discovered that my iPhone 11 has this neat nighttime feature! Nous étions sur le retour de la forêt ce soir après une cueillette de champignons lorsque nous avons vu ces …
Lockdown #2 Phase 2 – Day 17 – Reconfinement Phase 2 – Jour 17
I mentioned a while ago that we had put up a new fence at the bottom of the garden to keep the deer out of my Christmas roses and tender plant shoots so we were somewhat dismayed to see these two yesterday morning near the medlars. We watched them disappear so we know where they …
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Lockdown #2 Phase 2 – Day 16 – Reconfinement Phase 2 – Jour 16
One of the things we enjoy about the Saturday market is our coffee and cake stop. Jean-François still has his coffee stall but no tables of course. Fortunately we have found this little corner away from the madding crowd. L’une des choses que nous aimons bien au marché de samedi est notre pause-café et viennoiserie. …
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Lockdown #2 Phase 2 – Day 15 – Reconfinement Phase 2 – Jour 15
Unfortunately I didn’t see Santa from the front at the market today to check he was wearing a face mask but I thought he looked a little sad from the back. Malheureusement je n’ai pas vu le père Noël de face au marché aujourd’hui pour voir s’il portait son masque mais je trouvais qu’il faisait …
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Lockdown #2 Phase 2 – Day 14 – Reconfinement Phase 2 – Jour 14
The signpost indicates three walking trails: the blue and yellow ones are local but the red and white one is part of an extensive nationwide network called GR for Grande Randonnée (Major Hike). Jean Michel and I have a joke that if there is mud it’s a GR. Le panneau indique trois sentiers de randonnée …
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