CABARET comes to a french village

Apparently this local company has been together for 12 years and every year they ‘tour’ their show with performances at local village halls throughout the region.

there's always some guy showing off his butt

There is so much talent in the countryside. A couple of them had beautiful voices, others excelled at comedie, and the costumier must be amazing. I’m sure there’s not a sequin, diamante or feather left for sale in southwest France.

how many birds gave their lives for this headpiece ??

The obvious hard work and dedication by all involved certainly paid off in the performances. Three hours of music and dance and quick costume changes kept us all enthralled as the show rolled along.

'Hello Dolly"

I'm sure this guy has dreamt of playing "Sally Bowles"  all his life

"Diamonds are a girl's best friend "

The audience clapped along to well loved french songs mixed with more current numbers and , of course, a few of the classics from Hollywood musicals like “Hello Dolly” , “Cabaret” and “New York, New York”. 

a little audience participation - made his day

sequins and smoke and a great voice

another wonderful voice - and a comedien too

Venice mardi gras

Can-Can

with energy, of course

and then the finale

and thank yous to absolutely everyone

fini

We'll be back next year for more....

Bonne semaine à tous nos amis

Mouleydier and the brocante dealer…..

un cerf ( a deer) - a little something to greet your guests

A short drive east along the Dordogne river brings us to the Perigord region. This is where you find duck and goose farms, black truffles , foie gras, walnuts and plums…..all those things for which the Perigord is famous and the basis of all the local cuisine.

Sarlat la Canéda  is famous for it’s 14^th century buildings, Lascaux  for prehistoric cave paintings, La Roque St Christophe for trogolodyte caves and Beynac and Castelnaud for their castles built during the hundred year’s war between France and England.

many of the gates are much bigger than this, but some dealers are a
 little 'precious'  about having their stock photographed

a jumble of everything

chandeliers

But one of my favourite places to visit is the brocante dealer who specialises in pieces for the garden, particularly iron work. If you’re looking for a gazebo (tonnelle), a rose arbor, a set of gates, a railing for your balcony, or your staircase, or a conversation piece for the garden, then this is the place for you. Many of the pieces, especially the gates, obviously started life at a chateau, so they may be a little oversized for your average garden. But you can spend a wonderful time just browsing and dreaming.

no matter where you go there is always a stuffed animal
 - this was less imposing than the boar's heads

Graham has been searching for a small rack for drying wine bottles and left a happy man when he finally found one here. It holds 52 bottles….just enough for a little home bottling project later in the year.

what every home needs -  a bottle dryer

Nearby is the Chateau les Merles, a golf course with holiday villas attached and an attractive restaurant. The complex is surrounded by vineyards and plum orchards in bloom. We’re looking forward to returning here when the weather improves… Graham for a round with his friends and me for lunch with the other golf wives.

Chateau les Merles

Golf anyone ?

perfect spot for lunch and we wouldn't have to watch the golfers

storm approaching

The village of Mouleydier is well known here for the battles between La Résistance and the german army in June 1944 as the german armoured divisions were ordered from the south up to Normandie following the allied landings. After days of fighting to keep the germans from crossing the bridge over the Dordogne, eventually the germans broke through and the town was totally destroyed along with other surrounding  villages. It was rebuilt over the past sixty years, but the memories are still here. A young American girl called Betty Jane Holder ( only 19 at the time) read of the destruction and  collected food, clothing, household goods, etc and found a way to have it shipped to Mouleydier to  help those left behind. She is still remembered today with a plaque in the town square.

the story of Mouleydier

the old market square has been restored

the train line runs over the centre of town

 And for those who read the "Bruno" books by Martin Walker, here is the Chateau de Tiregand just outside Bergerac where  one of Bruno's favourite wines is produced.

the chateau on the hill

such a pretty 'folly'

amicalement

St Méard de Gurçon

the trees in bud at last

    It’s early spring so we never know what to expect with the weather each day.

so clever to think of combining  a vide grenier with a fishing day
- something for everyone in the family

you never know what you'll find

St Méard is a hilltop village with a 12th century church

The sun was shining this morning so off we went to the nearby village of St Méard de Gurçon for their combined vide grenier and fishing day  ( and why not ??).

can't chat while you fish if you sit too far apart

perfect spot for the bar

St Méard de Gurçon has a population of around 800 and these events , like the annual flower market, the summer night markets and the annual ‘Spectacular’ are popular.

Many french villages have made artificial lakes and stocked them with fish so the locals can enjoy a day by the water on the pretext of catching something. Whole families, with their picnic baskets, sit around these little ‘lacs’ enjoying a chat with the neighbours .

there's always someone interested in your 'preloved' items

catching up

On this particular day there was also a refreshment tent with croissants for the early arrivals and a barbecue for lunch. Where else would you get a glass of wine at 8.00am on a Sunday ? 

This is a typical french village with a church, town hall, a boulangerie, an old wash house ( le lavoir) where once upon a time the women used to get together to do the family wash and exchange gossip, and naturally, a good restaurant.

the church is 12th century, of course

wonderful old entrance

in summer, there is even a cafe under the trees by the church

la mairie

le lavoir

the original post office

the excellent restaurant "Le Pressoir" 

And in the surrounding countryside there are vineyards, fields of canola and sunflowers and open fields.

canola fields

For many this is rural bliss.

Bonne semaine mes amis