Aujourdhui..........

Today was one of "those" days that happen from time to time, when the shutters come down and the day ahead looms long. So we decided to drive south for the day and, after removing ice from the windscreen of the car, we set off for Albi in the Lot et Garonne, a drive of about two hours.


By the time we arrived the temperature had risen to a very pleasant 15 degrees and we were able to walk around the old town with some warm sun on our back. Cathedral Sainte-Cecile is massive and sits at the top of an incline surrounded by the beautiful warm, pink toned buildings of the old town.

The one downside of the cathedral has nothing to do with the building itself but the fact that it appears to be in the middle of a roundabout, moreover one that is heavily disguised as a pedestrian precinct, which makes negotiating Place Sainte-Cecile a little difficult and dangerous at times.

The pink bricked buildings of the old town are now home to numerous bars, restaurants and shops and also the famous Henry de Toulouse Lautrec Museum displaying his iconic lithographs and paintings of the brothels of Paris.

Dans le jardin.....

I've been working "dans le jardin" over the past week, Lindsay says I'm recreating the Somme at the back of the house, digging trenches for drainage and cables and making a bit of a mess. "where will I hang my washing?" mmm.
We had another Birthday last week, this time our son, Matthew. We returned to Bergerac and bought a plant for Matt------he is now a tree, an Acacia dealbata Le gaulois! very grand--------looks like this..................


or so we have been led to believe! We have decided that from now on we will mark every birthday with a new plant, shrub or tree, so that every plant in the garden will have a special memory. It maybe Erin or Matt or Adam, Lindsay or even moi!.....and from now Bethan.

5th February............revised post

It was Erin's Birthday on the 5th-she would have been 23.............. It was a beautiful sunny day so we decided to drive to Bergerac, which is about 100km north west of us. There is a huge garden centre just outside of the town and we wanted to look for a nice plant to mark Erin's day. We chose a lovely lavender coloured rose and have picked out a place for it on the new terrace by the side of the house. We also bought a wind chime to hang in the same area and when there is a breeze and they chime we will say "Hi Erin".

Bergerac is the largest town in the Dordogne Valley and owes its prosperity and importance to the river. As early as the twelfth century it was a thriving port and crossing point on the river. gabarres carried, wood, stone, wine and other locally produced goods between Perigord and Bordeaux. Today the gabarres carry tourists up and down the river on sightseeing trips as the photograph above shows. The centre of the newer part the town is dominated by the church of Notre-Dame, with its neogothic belltower.

Bergerac is now known for its wine making and numerous vineyards surround the town. There are thirteen appellations in all. Perhaps the most famous is Chatau Monbazilliac, to the south of the town, which is famous for its sweet, white wine.

The vieille ville is a very picturesque and peaceful area to stroll around, with lots small shops and cafes, where you can relax with a coffee or something stronger! There are also many beautifully restored medieval houses and museums to look out for.

In the centre of Vieille Ville there is a statue of a man with a big nose called Cyrano de Bergerac, even though this poetic caveliar never set foot in the town, why? This will have to be researched and if anyone knows why he is there let me know.

Time to relax again....

After a week embroiled in fiscal matters, including preparing a dossier for entry into the French health care system, it is good to be able to relax again. Having returned to desrevesinfrance I find that I have been tagged by Jude of cariadincrete. I have to find the sixth photograph in the sixth folder of My Pictures, publish it and write a story around it----could be embarassing! Here goes.....
hmmmm, well it could have been worse. Although Frederik ( he is the one standing up) must have been waving his hands when I took the photo! In the summer our French neighbours invited us to a mechui. This, we found out, was the roasting of a whole lamb on a spit- it was delicious, but not for the squeamish I think. There must have been forty people there. All but six of us were family members ranging from children to parents and grandparents and boyfriends and girlfriends. This is one of the wonderful things about this part of France, family is still all important and the love and respect shown is obvious for us to see, and more importantly, they are not afraid to show it openly----even the teenagers!