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 …
Category Archives: Châteaux de la Loire
The Bower Bird – L’oiseau jardinier
You may remember a blue garden exhibit at Château de Chaumont inspired by the bower bird’s nest that I posted a few days ago. Chad Addison, an amateur photographer living in Canberra just happens to have a bower bird in his garden. Since retiring he has conducted various workshops as part of a U3A photography …
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 …
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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. …
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.
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 …
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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Royal Magnolia – Magnolia royale
This is a view of Blois Royal Castle that I love at any time but the magnolia makes it even more perfect. As I was driving and there wasn’t much traffic I was able to stop, wind down the window and take a photo! That’s why I love my iPhone. J’aime toujours cette vue du …
High Waters – Hautes Eaux
It’s miraculously stopped raining. Today was warm (13 degrees) and sunny. I’ve now pruned the roses (all 14, but not the ramblers) and the hydrangeas. I feel like I’m coming alive despite the steady 20,000 to 25,000 new cases and 300 to 400 deaths a day due to Covid. Par miracle la pluie s’est arrêtée. …