On Bastille Day the fire was lit  and bread  was baked just as  it had been for hundreds of years. Villagers brought picnics  to share with their neighbours and the loaves of traditional fresh baked ‘Pain de campagne’ were brought steaming to the tables. This bread is too delicious to resist and  now this celebration happens  on Bastille day every year.It  seems appropriate  to remember one  cause of the revolution was no bread for the people.There has been a public holiday on Bastille day ever since.

Pain de Campagne

working in the bread oven

picnickers shelter from the summer sun under the farmers polly tunnel

Here is some Bastille Day information from the web;

Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris in 1789. The prison stood as an ancient symbol of royal tyranny and oppression; as such, it made for a perfect target for French citizens fed up with royal extravagance, secrecy, and despotism. An armed mob of about 600 people stormed the prison on July 14th of 1789 and wrested it from the control of the monarchy, sparking the French Revolution. The day has been celebrated officially as the French national holiday since the 1880′s.

The Mayor of the village greets everyone personally- here he has a friendly chat with Bill

Voila! crisp on the outside, soft and spongy inside, a slight taste of the wood smoke -delicious.

After lunch we persuaded one another exercise might be called for. The pictures tell the story, ending with a swim and the last glimpse of my oh so special glasses. There is a handsome reward  waiting for anyone clever enough to fish them from the bottom of the river in Saint Germain.

last sighting of my glasses

Thank you John and Leslie for a brilliant day .

Leslie made us a fabulous lunch

this is called ‘Summer Pudding’

Johns home-grown veg, carrots

and delicious new potatoes

chilled Rose , good conversation and laughter, what more could anyone ask for?.

made with plums apples and red currants,yum, watch out for the plum stones.

'Tinker tailor Soldier Spy, this year next year sometime never, this year....' Bill says he has never heard of these children's rhymes ,chanted with plum stones or cherry pits , he thinks that this picture is very confusing. British women who grew up when I did will understand this relic from our childhoods. There is also another ' rich man ,poor man, beggar man, thief.' they are recited by girls as they count the stones left on the plate,predicting who they will marry, and when!It all depends on where you end up!

Follow on with a late afternoon cut throat  game of progressive Boulles ending with a swim in the river of course.

Before nightfall,in preparation for the fall of plums I   secured sheets under our heavily ripened plum crop . This morning , with the help of a homegrown bamboo pole the bounty was easily gathered in. I had a perfect excuse to watch Wimbledon,the mens quarterfinals, as I sorted  through  bowl upon bowl of fruit. Now  all ready for jam and chutney, ice-cream and even plums soaked in eau de vie.

And as promised , here’s the Hedgehog Update:

One of last years hoglets, a new mother with her brood of three are living in the courtyard.

looking for a few fresh 'escargot' for dinner.

Maya doesn't understand the prickly nature of the situation and just wants to play.

first look at the great outdoors

Here is Maya, our new addition to the staff at Le Vieux Couvent.

helping with the laundry

Maya is a tiny fearless joy, un phased by towering Coco.After a week of jostling ,hissing growling and posturing, there is a new atmosphere of mutual respect.Coco  now

Maya anxiously holds her ground

stands guard against intruding local Tomcats.

Her main duties are catching flies and entertainment .She has been seen sitting with solemn concentration beside a paw sized hole in the ancient Salon floorboards, hoping for a rabbit ?

Cocos food seems more inviting

Coco has assumed the role of grandfather,only occasionally batting Maya for biting his tail.

She is reckless hoping to play with the young hedgehogs who cruise the courtyard in the evening.

spot the hoglet,beside the roses.

So, after 15 years living here, I finally visited the caves and underground river at Padirac.

First you must descend deep into the hole in the ground. You may use the lift {elevator!] but of course we decided to walk.down and down and…..I forgot until it was too late,I’m afraid of heights. This was like climbing  the Iffle Tower in reverse, don’t look down .

half way down,half way down,best to look up

hundreds of steps down and finally at the bottom, walking on spaghetti legs to the caves and down yet more steps,underneath dripping water  ,constant all year round ,day and night, Finally we are  in the cavernous underground  cave .

We boarded a 11 seater flat bottom  boat;our  pole pushing  guide spoke rapid french with a strong local dialect He explained that Mr Martel discovered the caves in the 18th century, that the  calcium formations  constantly  grow, drip by drip.

and then,from nowhere,  another unsmiling guide appeared . Her job was to inform us photos are not allowed.

“This is a privately owned  cave site, you can buy pictures on the web.”All in French to David who didn’t understand a word but  knew exactly what she meant. So this is it …. If you want to see more you’ll just have to come  and visit the caves yourself.

Once the visit was over , the big decision: take the lift or climb the stairs?

We managed to persuade each other the lift was more practical . It was lunch time after all and in France lunch is only served  between twelve and two. As we were leaving I understood the  guides remark that this cave would eventually fall into itself, ‘but not today ‘ he added with a wry smile- as he waited for his tip.

aperitif ,first set up the table

the music director meets appreciative villagers over a glass of wine .

                                       Evening sunlight  at the end of a day to remember.

early morning ,the best light to paint the Pidgeonier

Just around the corner , or in the garden at Le Vieux Couvent, there was plenty to paint on the first day .

Excitement in the evening too-  finding a visitor – a tame hedgehog which must be one of Joel’s, returned from last year, looking for a free dinner. It ate the offered cat food crunchies before scuttling off into the night.

Margaret works with pastels. She showed her works on the final night.

After the final dinner Margaret wrote this answer to my question:

“What do you like about Frayssinet that brings you back here again and again?”

Pastels by Margaret Ferraro

Margaret’s reply:

“Sunlit gardens, blossoming roses,deep blue sky,fabulous food,open airy studio,fabulous food,goldfish,Lotus blossoms, private ruins,history,music,culture,art,poetry,fabulous food,sweet Joel always accomodating,Corinne the visionary,Bill the witty,fabulous food,swimming,poppies,flowers of all sorts,and colours,amazing art book collection,art and curios everywhere,sumptuous salon,great stories,singing,much laughter, all for the sake of sharing our love of art.

Thank you so much,

Margaret Ferraro.”

Wow, that definitely made my day .

Margaret just made my day!

a few more works by Margaret.

pastels by Margaret Ferraro

A sad farewell to such a happy group ; almost all Canadians and one American from Maine,{ isn’t that almost Canada?} .

Although they arrived as strangers,  this morning they all left as friends.

a la prochaine.

Abbey Nouvelle , how to choose from 50 varieties of Peony

right day for my favourite preoccupation.A trip to the best   collection of  species offered for sale by plant growers of  the region .  My good friend Coral  agrees that buying interesting new plants is one of the most satisfying ways to spend our hard-earned money. The sun was shining ..We  arranged to meet at Abbaye Nouvelle at noon.

The trick is to ask the right questions”will this plant survive a frost?. or like our calcium rich ground,how about the sun, ..

many perennials, shrubs and trees, even waterlillies.It's so difficult to choose .

We found we needed the use of the wheelbarrow taxi service,

a wheelbarrow taxi for Corals choices.

Bill was there briefly, he  said he trusted my judgement……………

Bill looks for the perfect spot.......

and then he headed back to the car for his paints.

Bill spent the afternoon painting

We headed home with a car filled with my  exciting new collection of plants.

Straight away I decided to plant my new water-lily in the pond. I filled a pot with soil and a few rocks, leaned over the edge to carefully place the container where I wanted it, and ooops, my sandal slipped and suddenly there I was among the goldfish and lily pads, up to my chin in pond water. !

Sh*t….No-one witnessed my ungainly struggle , emerging muddy and bedraggled .Surely rather a comical sight removing sodden clothing outside ,then dripping my way  upstairs to a hot bath.Hah hah!

p.s. Joel has just informed me that altho mothers day  was actually last Sunday in Canada , in France it is on Sunday 29th May .

The new kitchen

There was hardly time to take a picture before the new Kitchen was in use. It is confusing everyone to have space at last and a place for everything . How did we manage without a linen cupboard ? There is now a Laundry , a Pantry , a shiny new Staff Toilet – spider free especially for Lee, and a staff lunch area too. Above all there is space. Joel has created this masterpiece, one step at a time, from a standing start; all the  trades: plumbing, electrical genius, tiling and carpentry, not to mention the exacting standards he set for plastering and finishing. No way was he ready to accept my help unless his criterion for  sanding and painting excellence was adhered to!

The result is staggering. Everyone says so. I must get my camera ready for some designer shots soon.Meanwhile  the trial run during Andy’s group was a real pleasure. Thank You Joel!

Initiation of our brand- new space Staff breakfast on the 1st of May 2011.

There are still a few details to finish. before the official opening,sometime  in June…perhaps! Where are the cupboard door handles ? Meanwhile we are preparing forMargaret’s group  from Canada  who will arrive next Tuesday.

A great space to work in. Dessert , anyone ?

We all agree ,

Joel’s New Kitchen  at Le Vieux Couvent is a great space to work in.