I am very excited to introduce you this week to some very dear French friends of ours who live in the south west of France. They have renovated not one, but two old farmhouses in succession for their family to live in. Continue reading “A Very French Renovation”
Spring officially starts today as the vernal or Spring Equinox takes place this year on March 20th in the Northern Hemisphere. Earth is spinning its yearly journey through the solar system and for earthlings in the northern hemisphere it’s definitely the topic of the day, the week, even the month; it’s almost all we can talk about at the school gates and in the boulangerie. I like winter though, of course, for winter is a necessity to enjoy spring, and as it is seen as a time of rebirth, with many cultures holding celebrations marking the equinox in March. Continue reading “A Quarter Round the Sun”
Writing a blog continually surprises me, but what I love most of all is the spontaneity of it. Just when I think I have everything in order and going to plan, with the next post happily laid out in my mind, everything changes; a few unintended photos catch me by surprise and the whole thing loses its original direction and I find myself freewheeling down a completely different road. This blog post started out about one thing and it sort of metamorphosed into something quite the opposite. Continue reading “Quintessentially French”
Oh my goodness we’ve packed a lot in so far this weekend. It began with one of those early Saturday mornings when you wake up with the sun streaming in through the bedroom windows, and even though you’d dearly love a lie-in, you just know that you have to get up; it would be a criminal offence to waste such a beautiful start to the day. And as the forecast yesterday had promised much warmer weather and plenty of sunshine, there was much to do and no time to waste after months of winter and weak sun. Suddenly everything felt so different! Continue reading “Finding brocante in the attic and an ivy update”
I thought I’d give you a little update on Evie versus the chickens! We think we’ve worked out an almost perfect solution, and it’s really thanks to all of you; for I did indeed listen, and I read all your comments, I took everything in and we built a fence. Something simple, yet splendidly fulfilling in its execution, for a variety of reasons. Continue reading “Evie Versus the Chickens”
Not too long ago I was standing in the middle of an indoor tennis-court close to midnight sipping a glass of champagne with a handful of other people; what’s more it seemed like a totally normal thing to be doing! Quite naturally we were the only English there, and unsurprisingly the conversation turned to food; this in turn led to ‘what the English eat’, which in turn led to ‘why we were living in our tiny village’? My companions wanted to know what had led us there, to a place that is really in the middle of nowhere with a population of just 600 or so people.
Those of you who follow me on Instagram and Facebook will know we spent last week skiing; we had a little escape to the mountains and the snow during the children’s winter holidays, which was in fact the last full week of winter if you follow the meteorological calendar rather than the astronomical calendar when the March equinox is taken to mark the first day of spring. Either way, it has little to do with my story which most definitely took place during the winter, except we did have very spring-like conditions! Continue reading “WINTER HOLIDAYS FRENCH STYLE”
Having started my series of articles about renovation with a 12th century château renovated by a truly dedicated Frenchman, I thought it would be fun to go to the other end of the spectrum for my second article and meet an ‘expat’ family who have completely transformed two barns into a pair of fabulously comfortable gîtes. These jewels are nestled in the tiny hamlet of Vergné in the north of the department of the Charente Maritime and an hour east of La Rochelle, they stand alongside a lovely farmhouse which is home to Simon and Sue Paine and their two teenage children. Continue reading “CREATING THE PERFECT PLACE TO STAY”
Sometimes life throws up the most unexpected surprises. On Tuesday a friend asked me if I would like to go with her to look around a house. This wasn’t a house to buy or a house to sell, but a house she was thinking of renting for a week in the summer for 25 friends. I love looking at houses and going somewhere new, so obviously I leapt at the chance. But a house that would sleep 25 people, all under one roof, now that really peaked my interest. Continue reading “Discovering an 18th Century French Manoir”
I had absolutely no intention of writing a blog post today! I had nothing in mind to write about (actually that’s not entirely true, I always have lots to write about) and just thought, “First weekend of the children holidays, I’m going to take a break.” At least that was the plan; that was until we went to an open-afternoon yesterday at a beef-farm nearby for which I had seen the signs on my journey to and from school all week;
PORTES OUVERTES – SAMEDI 13 FEVRIER 2016 14H-18H
Venez découvrir nos animaux, notre élevage, notre laboratoire de découpe. (come and discover our animals, our breeding, our butchery)
That was a bit like a red rag to a bull (excuse the pun); I cannot escape my roots and my upbringing and although I had absolutely no idea what to expect I thought it would be fun to go and have a look around. The younger girls were at a birthday party but Jack, Roddy and I went along after lunch; it was actually really interesting and of course I had my camera with me and so I took a few photos, and then after that I thought I simply had to tell you all about it!
Arriving at the farm the first thing we saw was the sheepdog. He was watching everyone come and go; he lay there virtually motionless the whole time, observing everything quietly; waiting for the next command, such intelligence in those eyes.
This is a farm where they only raise Limousin cattle, a French breed that originates from the Limousin region, about three hours inland from us. The farm has 85 breeding cows from which they derive the stock they raise and sell as beef; this means at any one time there are several hundred head of cattle on the farm. Their traditional breeding methods meet exceedingly high standards and the farm has an incredible reputation for the well-being of their animals, its respect for the environment, and the transparency and traceability of its stock.
The first Limousins arrived at the farm in 1984. This race was chosen for its ease of breeding and its excellent quality meat. In 2000, due to high demand from the consumers for local and quality products, the family set up the direct sale of beef from the farm, and it has become highly successful amongst a small but very knowledgeable local clientele. To answer the increasing demand a butchery was created in 2002, which meant the beef could be prepared on site; this offers customers further guarantees about the meat they are buying. This is beef at its very best, naturally raised as nature intended, with no antibiotics, no hormones and no GMO feed.
We wandered through the open barns where at this time of year the cattle are of course inside. Within another few weeks they will be out in open pasture for the next eight months of the year, and they will enjoy those amazing views and the benefits of fresh air from a maritime location right on the edge of the Marais de Brouage. The natural meadows are immensely rich in minerals from the salt marshes. On the higher land the farm grows its own crops and makes its own lucerne hay and sileage for the winter feed. Lucerne, known more commonly as alfalfa in the USA, produces the highest quality, nutrient rich hay possible. This is augmented during the winter months with a ‘cake’ which is rich in omega 3; it’s made from a mixture of maize, beetroot and the pulp from the lucerne.
As we reached the end of the long barn building we were offered hot mulled wine, and Jack was given afternoon goûter. I was pleased to see so many other people had taken the time to visit; it was an excellent way to introduce a wonderful product to those who wished to know more, a chance for the customer to see exactly where their beef comes from, how the cattle are kept, with time to ask questions, read about breeding and methods, and appreciate farming as it should be. All of the animals are guaranteed to have been born and raised naturally on the farm as the owners do not import any cattle and are only allowed sell their own meat.
The wind was absolutely howling with gusts of 100 kph and it was hard to walk in a straight line between the farmyard and the farmhouse which also houses the thoroughly modern butchery, this is where the meat is cut and then hung to age in the cold room. Inside we were shown around by the farmer’s wife, an incredibly friendly and knowledgeable lady. She was immensely proud of the business they have created and quite rightly so; everything was spotlessly clean and hygienic. Such is the popularity of their beef, one cannot find their meat anywhere else and you have to buy it in situ! Furthermore, orders have to be placed two months in advance! Collection times are firmly set; Friday evenings between 6 and 8pm and Saturday mornings.
We have placed our order, we shall make sure there is plenty of space in the freezer, and we shall be returning mid-April. The farmer’s wife suggested we collect it on the Friday evening, so we could enjoy a glass of wine at the same time she added with a wink. How very civilized, we thought.
When we got home I searched through my old photos from walks last year and found some of the cattle when they were out in the fields during the warmer months, just so you can see. This is farming at it’s best.
WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY X
Our French Oasis 