The Loire Valley and especially Blois
This is another of the magnificent painted fireplaces in Blois Castle in the King’s Room, with François I’s salamander on the left and the ermine of his wife, Claude de France, on the right. Voici une autre cheminées peinte magnifique qui se trouve au château de Blois dans la Salle du roi avec le salamandre …
Continue reading “Salamander and Ermine – Salamandre et ermine”
Looking rather doubtful on the façade of Hôtel d’Alluye in Blois. Belle expression dubitative sculptée sur la façade de l’hôtel d’Alluye à Blois.
This royal frieze with its scallop shells finish off the façade of the François I wing of Blois castle. Cette frise royale termine la façade de l’aile François 1er du château de Blois.
This is the bell in the tower next to the private chapel at Château de Montpoupon. It is not a criticism. We constantly battle with cobwebs in Closerie Falaiseau – and this one is pretty hard to get at. Voici la cloche dans la tour à côté de la chapelle privée au château de Montpoupon. …
Continue reading “The Cobwebby Bell – Cloche aux toiles d'araignées”
We may not have had snow during the winter, but our beautiful Viburnum opulus Roseum makes up for it. I understand why it’s also called snowball and Whitsuntide boss, but why red snowball tree and rose elder? Nous n’avons pas eu de neige cet hiver mais notre beau viorne ou Viburnum opulus Roseum est une …
Continue reading “Spring Snowball – Boule de neige du printemps”
Unforgettable sculpture on the side of a finely carved dresser (photo below) in Château de Cheverny. Impressionnante sculpture sur le coté du meuble très ouvragé (photo ci-dessous) dans le château de Cheverny.
The dazzling white of the southern façade of Château de Cheverny is due to the use of Bourré tufa stone which comes from the village of Bourrée in Loire et Cher, and has the particularity of getting white and harder as it gets older. La blancheur éclatante de la façade sud du château de Cheverny est …
This monument to tufa, the iconic stone of the Loire Valley, was erected by the owner of a stone quarry in Turquant on the Loire River and shows the tools used by the workers, or perreyeux, to quarry and work the stone. Until the beginning of the 20th century, using picks, wedges and mallets, they worked …
This lovely plant with its glorious colours is an ornamental broom that appears to be called Cytisus x praecox Zeelandia. Cette belle plante aux couleurs magnifiques est un genêt ornemental que je pense est un Cytisus x praecox Zeelandia.
This is the beautiful royal gate on the purple and turquoise house on the Loire. Ce beau portail bleu roi est celui de la maison violette et turquoise en face de la Loire.