I hadn’t been out since our walk on Sunday but we got a small window of sun early afternoon and went to get some building materials and buy a few things at Biocoop. It rained for a bit then the sun came out again. It’s probably going to rain all day tomorrow. Sigh. Je n’étais …
Category Archives: Châteaux de la Loire
The Other Sides of Chambord – Les autres faces de Chambord
We’ve been having absolutely ghastly weather and I haven’t been outside since Sunday. Covid lockdown has been replaced with weather lockdown. However today it wasn’t raining even though it was only 2 degrees so we went back to Chambord, collecting a lost glove on the way from a pharmacy I called into last Saturday. Some …
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Chambord at Road’s End – Chambord au bout de la route
I always love this view of Château de Chambord seen from the road. We had intended to walk along the canal on the side but there were so many people that went to Bracieux instead. As the grounds of Chambord are always open to the public it’s always a favourite with locals but I didn’t …
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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 …
Lockdown #2 Phase 2 – Day 2 – Reconfinement Phase 2 – Jour 2
As we drove past the entrance to Château de Chaumont today, we saw these wonderful flowers that Jean Michel was convinced were a floral arrangement but I was not so sure so we stopped on the way back to get a closer look. The second photo shows the secret. What a clever idea! En passant …
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Lockdown #2 Day 12 – Reconfinement Jour 12
The last time we went to Chateau de Chaumont gardens just before lockdown we bought two Salvia Amistads that I had seen on previous occasions. It’s the plant with the dark purple flowers at the top of the slope. The smaller plant with purple flowers in the foreground is shrubby Veronica or hebe but it …
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Lockdown #2 Day 4 – Reconfinement Jour 4
This is in the dog cemetery at Chateau de Chaumont. As Covid19 figures rise in France – 46,290 new positive cases in 24 hours with a positivity rate of 20% and 231 hospital deaths – local non-essential businesses are pushing for re-opening on the grounds that they are safer than busy supermarkets. I would say …
Lockdown #2 Day 3 – Reconfinement Jour 3
Today was so dismal we decided to treat it like a workday and take tomorrow off to garden instead. It rained non-stop all day. This is another photo from our last walk at Chaumont. Aujourd’hui était tellement maussade que nous avons décidé de le traiter comme un jour ouvré et travailler dans le jardin demain …
Last Long Walk – Dernière longue promenade
Today was our last chance to take a long walk at Château de Chaumont before lockdown tonight at midnight (and to buy some Anistead sage plants before the garden festival section closes until next April). The Prime Minister announced the details of the lockdown this evening. As far as we are concerned it’s better than …
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Roll-up Flower Beds – Parterres enroulés
At Château de Chaumont the gardeners were busy removing the ready-planted summer garden beds. I had no idea that such a system existed. It was fascinating. Au château de Chaumont les jardiniers étaient en train d’enlever les parterres d’été qu’ils achètent déjà plantés. Je n’avais aucune idée que ce système existait. C’était fascinant.