Winter, winter, winter

Bushfires and record temperatures in Australia, flooding and gales in UK, snow storms in US…and winter in south west France is mild and a little damp. Sorry everyone. Hope you are coping OK where ever you may be.

There is a very large holly bush at the entrance to the old town in Ste Foy

We had been warned that winter here is very quiet. That’s an understatement. Many have gone back to UK to stay with family, or gone en vacance to sunnier spots. There are no marchés on Sundays to tempt us out. The only social occasions are bad English quiz nights. After trying one we have decided we are not that desperate.

Moss and funghi on our garden wall

A mossy stone seat in our garden

While the trees have lost all their leaves and the ground is a little soggy we have had only a couple of frosts  and just as many foggy days as sunny ones. Funghi  and mosses are everywhere. And we are told that these ‘puffballs’ of leaf in so many otherwise leafless trees are a parasite -  it’s mistletoe !

Seasonal decoration - mistletoe on otherwise naked trees

There aren’t any Sunday brocante markets until spring but there is always the rugby Top 14 and the Six Nations competition. And for those who are interested the Winter Olympics in Sochi are providing a few laughs over the  infrastructure issues. The brits have just won their first ever Olympic medal on snow - who’d have thought it !! Good luck to the aussie team. Well done Torah Bright !!!

The Dordogne is full but no threat to us so far.

There has been some flooding on the riverside at Bordeaux and on the Dropt river a little to the south of us but the Dordogne has remained  friendly.

There are, of course, compensations – a slab of foie gras and a glass or two of french champagne can always help one through the day. Not to mention the ability to stay in bed a little longer in the mornings. We do not usually get up until 9am at least unless there is some reason....like having someone come to read our water meter. It is still a little too damp to get out and prepare the garden for the coming spring....oh well it will all happen soon.

Bon weekend et à bientôt mes amis

More acquisitions

the square in Eymet is such a pretty carpark on non market days

Found a newly opened antique shop in Eymet, a medieval village about half an hour south of us. It’s owned by a New Zealander called Leann  and her french boyfriend, Guy. They also have a chambre d’hote called Maison No.20 in the village.

http://www.maison20.com/

I discovered Leann and her blog through another favourite blog so I called her the week she opened the shop to have a chat. She is lovely and charming and when we visited the shop last week we had a long conversation about living in France. We had been on the lookout for a tapestry for a large empty wall in our front salon and Leann had just the thing. What do you think ?

Frolicking in the country ??

I thought it would look bigger but the ceilings are 3 metres

We had also been looking for dining chairs for the same room. After many months we couldn’t find exactly what we were looking for without spending a fortune,  but had seen some possibilities at a depot vente  (consignment warehouse) in Bergerac. Finally made a decision and bought this set of six chairs.  They are Louis XIV style reproductions and the tapestry covers are a little worn in parts so we will have them re-upholstered - when we can agree on a fabric.

Very traditional and very comfortable

Depot ventes are a common way of buying second hand furniture here. You can find just about any style and condition and the price can be very negotiable. When you find a good outlet it’s worth visiting regularly so you don’t miss out on something special.

At the same time we discovered a very pleasant restaurant in Eymet for lunch, Les Pieds Sur Terre, (in the name of research for our visitors, of course) so a village worth visiting.

So looking forward to spring


à bientôt mes amis
et bonne fête de saint valentin