The Vine Cross is known in heraldry as a Foliated Cross or erroneously, an Ivy Cross. Curiously, it is not a common Christian symbol. I was not able to find any information on this cross in front of the church at Rilly-sur-Loire (below). La Croix feuilles de vigne n’est pas semble-t-il un symbole chrétien répandu. …
Category Archives: Blogging
Snowdrops but no snow – Perce-neige sans neige
When the ground is covered in snowdrops, you know that spring is a possibility! I’m getting ready to sow my first seeds of the year particularly since another lockdown is perhaps on the cards. Lorsque le sol est couvert de perce-neige, vous savez que le printemps est possible! Je prépare à semer mes premières graines …
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Blue Sky after Hail – Ciel bleu après grêle
By the time we were ready to go to the market this morning it was pelting with hail. We waited until it was finished to leave home. In the centre of Blois, only 5 km away, there had been no hail at all. But then it started raining. After about 10 minutes it stopped and …
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Younger than it looks – Plus jeune qu’il ne paraît
When we first saw this château, we thought it was Renaissance but in fact it was built in the 19th century. Previous owners included Annette de la Rochejaquelein and the Chauvelin family but today it belongs to the regional authorities and is used as a residential medical centre. The second photo shows a circular dovecote …
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Barn Repairs – Réparations de grange
One of our barns is in serious need of repairs. The roof needs retiling and unfortunately some of the beams are rotten after years covered in creeper. It’s going to be a long job. Une de nos granges est en bien mauvais état. Il faut refaire les tuiles du toit et malheureusement une partie de …
Cat & Moss – Chat sur mousse
Every time I turned the radio on today they were talking about Covid vaccinations for the over 70s which began today. With everyone complaining about the slow rollout, the process was bumped up. Now they are running out of Pfizer vaccines. Chaque fois que j’ai écouté la radio aujourd’hui on parlait des vaccinations contre le …
Bears at the Market – Des ours au marché
We have a new curfew across the country from 6 pm to 6 am. With 21271 new cases today and 76 in our immediate area (Loir-et-Cher), we need to be very careful. We found little respect of social distancing at the market today but everyone was wearing a mask, although not always on their nose, …
A Cold Market – Un marché froid
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 …
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 …