Up hill and down hill!

I've been thinking - yes, dangerous is the word that comes to mind - I know! But it has come to my attention how seriously many people seem to take exercise in the countryside here.
I suppose it is a combination of observing middle aged and older (mainly) men cycling up our local hills  - which are long and sometimes steep, not on mountain bikes, but racing bikes like you see in professional road races,lycra and padded shorts as well as helmets much in evidence but also because my lovely husband Joe, has recently joined the Randonees Clunysoises - the local area ramblers. They go out in all sorts and conditions - for example on Monday last week it was heavy rain and plain miserable, but 15 of them met at the local disused railway station for a 3 hour "ramble" around the countryside.
Joe says that he finds out new things each time he goes, and he loves to walk and is happy that someone is leading so that he doesn't get lost - and there are other bonuses too. He hears French constantly for 3 hours so he is really exposed to the language; he does not need to take a map as someone leading the walk has planned it all out; he is getting exercise and seeing more of the area. He does walk more stiffly for 24 hours afterwards but he is really enjoying this opportunity!
When the weather is lovely there are over 50 ramblers of various ages - but mainly retired people, although meeting on a Monday means that people who have Monday as a day off can join in too. At the end there are sometimes refreshments, or a little degustation en route!
I've mentioned the voie verte before, this is the dedicated route for roller bladers, cyclists and walkers that is mainly flat and vehicle free and gives the great feeling of being in the countryside. So often when we cross it there are couples and families using it - a sense of getting out into the fresh air and being together. In fact this is where I've taken my bike for a ride in the past and it is so safe (and mainly flat!)
Now to be honest I started this blog because the attitude to exercise interested me, but then we had an information sheet through our letter box asking us to move our car between 1pm and 6pm on Sunday because an important bike race was taking place. The points gained by the riders went towards the championship of Saone et Loire. It began at Bray, the next commune to ours, and the route took the racers through Toury and on a circuit of the area.


Here they come - the Bray road race begins!



Now it was a hot day on Sunday and I had not realised that the route was in fact a circular route so after watching bikes whizzing past at speed for quite some time, my interest began to wane. But through the open windows throughout the afternoon we could hear groups of bikes continuing to speed past and I realised the commitment of those taking part.

On they went, and obviously placings were very important!

Each race, and I think there were three - with youngsters, veterans and the very athletic and younger men, was preceded by a race car announcing their imminent arrival through the village.

What I did not realise  - and it was only afterwards that Joe told me, that at the rear of the race was a van with a brush attached to the back of it - literally the sweeper up! When you are busy doing work in the garden a neighbour will offer the expression - "bonne courage!" - it means all the best, well done, take courage - well I wish that too all those courageous people who peddle the hills of the Clunysois!



our first potager....or grow your own!

We had promised ourselves that when we were finally settled here in France we would, in common with our neighbours, begin to grow fruit and vegetables. It is all part of the way of life we have come to value so deeply. It means we know when we eat our own home grown plants where they have come from and that they have not been sprayed with insecticide or any other chemicals and so we are eating the best that we can.
We started to buy plants in the market in Cluny in April. But, being warned by neighbours and friends that we should wait until mid May before planting out, we kept the plants sheltering on the verandah/gallery, and when it went very cold we brought in the 2 cherry tomato plants, the 3 pepper plants and the 2 courgettes so they could enjoy the warmth of the house at night. It has been wonderful to watch them grow - and indeed to watch the development of the vine outside the house,

The vine has begun it's annual growth spurt!

 and the cherry tree and plum trees in the garden. I don't think I have ever been this close to growing nature and it is amazing how fast plants develop.

The plums are growing well! - and it looks as if we will have a big crop!

The cherry tomatoes are developing well in their tub!

When we noticed that it was less cold at night, we begin to "harden" off the plants ready to put into the garden. We had been given a cheque by dear friends who are keen and skilled gardeners with the proviso that it was to begin our French garden and we did as asked and bought a wooden cold frame with a liner. We bought soil to go in it mixing it with compost that is formed from our plant waste in the house such as potato and carrot scrapings and tea bags, onion skins etc. The amount of soil needed was quite a lot but we will try to recycle it and add compost to it as we re-use it. We did plant some things earlier that mid May, and put them in the cold frame and covered it at night with a plastic sheet.  We had bought some lettuce plants and beetroot in to begin with and we have watered them and cared for them with an attentiveness born of a new experience!

The cold frame is full now with lettuces, tomatoes and beetroots!

In England we have grown bulbs and had annuals in pots in the garden and occasionally grown tomatoes in grow bags, but never actually bought vegetables and nurtured them. Here we are surrounded by neighbours who grow fruit and vegetables to supplement their diet and save money buying from market and supermarket.
The plastic sheet seems to have worked well as does the nurturing of the plants in their early stages as now planted out they are growing almost visibly!
After the first plants had gone into the cold frame we waited a couple of weeks then bought another lot of lettuces, thinking they would develop later than the first batch so we will have a supply through the summer. We also planted the beetroots and then more lettuces. Then last week we bought more lettuces, salad onions, leeks, strawberries, cucumbers and a raspberry cane and began to prepare a patch of land at the top of the garden. It is a bit of a pain really as water and tools have to be carried up the steps to the lofty heights!

The veg patch or "potager" is taking shape!

However it is not a problem for one of next door's cats who was sunning himself when I went up to take the photos!

 Perhaps we will extend it again and plant more but it is early days in our "gardening world" and we want to go slowly and make sure we are doing it right. Each time we have planted things in the garden, I have thought about my own late beloved dad. He loved to grow things and I loved his company so much that I was often in the garden with him. He would grow all sorts of things and had a big garden. I'm hoping some of his skills have been inherited by me. Joe has never had the opportunity of growing vegetables before because he was brought up in a town centre so for us both this is a new adventure!
We are pleased to see that the plums are forming on the trees around the garden and also the cherries too. That means we can make jam for our guests - and we know exactly how it's made and where the fruit comes from.
We are blessed to live in such a fertile place!

8th May 1945

I wonder if the date above means anything to my readers?
Last week, we were chatting over the garden wall with our delightful neighbour Pierre-Jean who is the mayor of our community, and he invited us to join the other members of the community at the war memorial in Cortambert. It was 67 years ago that France was liberated from German occupation and it is commemorated by the whole country with a holiday from work and ceremonies across the country, most notably at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, where this morning the wreath was laid jointly by President Sarkozy and President elect Hollande.



The flags fly proudly outside the Mairie





We gathered together outside the Mairie - there was a lot of hand shaking and kissing in greeting- something we have come to expect now that we have been here a while. You always shake hands with people you have not met before, but those whom you have got to know - for example the people who go to badminton, our English friends and the mayor and his wife - you kiss on each cheek.

The local volunteer fire personnel were in attendance including a bugler. Also the man who is employed by the parish in a multitude of different ways was there in the uniform of the police rurale. They formed up in a rough line to walk the few metres to the memorial.

     Soon we were following the line and we stood opposite the memorial whilst Pierre-     Jean laid an arrangement of flowers.



Then he read a statement sent by the French Minister of Defence which had been written for today.

Then we were asked to observe a minute's silence.

Finally the bugle was blown to signify the end of the ceremony

We followed everyone back to the Mairie where Martine, Pierre-Jean's wife, had prepared pizza and brioche which was passed around and wine and orange juice. Again we were able to catch up with friends and we have promised Pascal that we will start playing badminton again - that's tonight sorted then!



Le Hameau du Vin

If you've logged on and found the blog short of updates it is for two reasons - the first and truly the most important, is that our lovely daughter came to stay for the week and in fact only left by plane into Gatwick airport late this afternoon; the second reason was that I wanted to wait until I had something new to write about regarding an attraction in the area. Hence this blog!
When someone comes to stay it is always a great chance to introduce them to something in the area and we had promised ourselves and Hannah, that when she came, we would have a day out at the Hameau du Vin.

On Tuesday we set out towards Macon and then drove south for a few kilometres until we found signs for Romanche-Thorens.  In this village is a large attraction - it's advertised as a museum of wine, but honestly it is a lot more than that. We entered into a massive hall - reminiscent of an old fashioned railway station booking office. It was beautifully elegant, shiny and and well kept. We went to buy our ticket- and I have to say that I always explain (in French!) that we are English so that hopefully the official will 1)either speak in English or 2)speak slowly enough in French that we can make an attempt at understanding! The man who sold the tickets explained in English - and slowly that the ticket was in three parts - and that were we not able to do the whole tour at one visit our tickets would continue to be valid for at least a year so we could go back! Armed with headsets which did simultaneous translation into English, the first part was the museum itself with a succession of rooms explaining in many different ways the production of wine, corks, glass and wine seals. When I write it like that it does sound boring but it wasn't at all! We saw a collection of wonderful old tools used in vine production over 100 years ago. Then when you might think this was getting a bit boring we went into a room that informed us that Noah was the first wine grower. A very clever animation introduced us to Noah, the familiar story told but with a twist - Noah took on board the ark a vine and looked after it, planting it after the ark came to land on Mount Ararat.
We then learned about the different terroirs - soils - of the Beaujolais region, which is where the museum is situated. We met a automaton winemaker and his chatty vine, and went on a visit with 2 bees over the Beaujolais countryside in a pod, which moved in harmony with the film.We were introduced to the 10 crus of the Beaujolais and were able to pinpoint them on a 3D map.

I can never understand how anyone might need wine  in bottles this size!
After we had completed the whole tour of the museum, we went into a beautiful dining area where we were offered a glass of wine. We heard the organ playing too!

After we had toured the shop which was well stocked with wine

and lots of other stuff we had time to visit the second part of the museum.

Across the road was the old railway station building. Unlike many railway stations in England that have been converted because the main line is no longer in use, the line continues busy, but the station building is on the other side of the free car park!

In the old station, there were several things of interest - the first being the Imperial railway carriage of Napoleon III. Apparently when Napoleon and his empress toured the country they stood in the picture window and waved to people on the railway station platforms as they went by!

It was very beautifully furnished, although I wouldn't have felt very safe without chairs fixed to the floor!
We then saw some wonderful train layouts - and examples of trains that perhaps my brother had as a child!

Hannah and Joe puzzle out which trains are on which tracks!

The third part of the visit is to the winery and the gardens and there's a tourist train that gives you a free ride to that. We decided that we had run out of time for this so that is for another day!

After the visit, I am completely in awe of the hard-working wine producers who are at the mercy of the climate and the weather - the wine produced is tasty and amazing!