Remembrance Day in Cortambert

My recollection of many Remembrance Sundays is of cold bitterly winds and often driving rain. The worst of all was a parade in Jersey when I was about 12 and we stood in driving snow and got soaked to the skin.


The view from the Mairie overlooking the valley

Today was my first experience of Remembrance Day here in France. As I looked out of the window I was delighted to see that the weather was dry so I didn't need the new umbrella. It was also mild so I did not need my winter woollies either.
I drove up to Cortambert and noticed that already people were gathering on the gravel outside the Mairie.

The Cortambert Mairie

Meeting the local community is a joy - shaking hands with the ones I didn't know and exchanging bisous - kisses - with those I did. There were quite a few present - a lot more than when we attended the 8th May remembrance for the liberation of France from the Germans.

It took time to speak to everyone and I didn't get around to everyone, but spoke to one of our neighbours who I had seen jogging in the hamlet - I wished her "bon courage"  and passed on to others I had met at Vannerie (basket making) last Winter and at badminton. The faces were familiar but I am dreadful at names!

Pierre-Jean our Mayor called the voluntary firemen to order and the marched at the head of the crowd who followed them the short walk up to the memorial next to the church.

The pompiers voluntaires line up

When we got to the memorial we spread out along the opposite side of the road. Pierre-Jean first asked us to observe two minutes silence in memory of one of our young voluntary pompiers who had been tragically killed on Wednesday evening whilst riding his motorbike on the Cluny road. I was shocked - we had been driving back from Geneva airport on Wednesday evening and the ambulance and rescue services had passed us en route to the accident and we had had to divert to get home again. So it was was one of our community, young too. It brought home how fragile life can be.
After the first two minutes silence the address from the government was read by Pierre-Jean and then the two minutes silence followed.

 

18 peoples' names are the war memorial from the first world war and 4 from the second.  After the silence the bugle was blown.

 



Then we meandered back to the mairie for wine, pizzas, savoury gateau and brioche. Conversation flowed as people got the chance for a catch up!

 

As I walked back to my car I couldn't help but stop and look at the memorial and give thanks for being part of a community of such delightful people who I count it a privilege to live near.

 

 



 

A trip down memory lane....

I was born in Jersey Channel Isles, the place from which New Jersey gets it's name...I don't go very often but I do try to get to see my mum when I do get there. This visit was my first from our home in France, and necessitated a drive over to Geneva airport to get a flight to Jersey. There was no-where else from which I could fly direct.

The views from the car were very different when compared with our usual drive to Lyon airport to meet our daughter or other friends. We enjoyed the woods bathed in Autumnal colour and began to spot distant peaks and traces of snow! We even went up one road that recommended having snow chains on during the Winter!

After a smooth check-in I was soon aboard the plane (it had props so it was reassuringly old fashioned to me!) - and we were speeding up from Geneva rising through misty skies to the clouds above.

The flight took over 2 hours and I was struck by just how enormous France is when we eventually crossed the French coast and began our descent into Jersey.

We were soon flying over familiar coast line for me, right over St. Catherine's breakwater (otherwise known as Palmerston's Folly by the locals) and then over the North coast and down to Jersey airport.
After picking up my hire car at the airport I drove to my cousin's flat where I was staying. She is in a lovely complex with over 50 flats, one and two bedroomed and including an indoor swimming pool. I soon settled into what has become a familiar room with a window overlooking the gardens.

 

This turned out to be one of the better days I was there! During the evening after a lovely meal we sat and caught up - my cousin last welcomed me in February just before we came to France so there was a lot to talk about - especially as she has no computer and so had not seen the ever increasing number of these blogs! I took my knitting and as the evening wore on so the knitting grew!

The following morning I went to see my mum. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's some time ago and she has been in a wonderful unit especially for people with it. She has settled in there very happily and seems content there although it was hard at the beginning and often she would pack her suitcase with all her clothes and demand to go home. That has long since stopped and she spends her days quietly, sometimes watching TV, attending social events and occasionally going on outings. Her world is contracting fast but the carers are wonderful at providing events including singing to help the memory. She remembered me, and as I had arrived with flowers she wanted to know why. I told her they were for her and during my visit they adorned her room. Mum has always been fond of flowers!

 

On Friday evening I went down another memory lane. I linked up with my 3 school friends. Only last November were we able to meet together for the first time after over 40 years. We left school in 1971 but truly I would recognise them anywhere they are just the same  - and I love the opportunity to catch up with them and find out what has been happening since we last met.

 

After a wonderful meal - we went to a restaurant that was part of a scheme called Tennerfest, where you can buy a meal for a tenner or thereabouts - it really encourages people to get out at what is really a quiet time for all the restaurants after the Summer and Autumn seasons - we paused for a photograph!

 

What I like about going to Jersey at this time of year is the wonderful chances to take some good photos! The light is very special in the Autumn and I was able to snatch a few shots.

 

These were taken from the car park near to where my cousin lives!

 

Then as I was driving to the airport on Tuesday morning when I saw the sea glistening as the tide was coming in. I had to stop and take some photos.

Looking across to Elizabeth Castle from West Park

 

Elizabeth Castle

 

So it was goodbye to my mum

 

Then back on the plane to France!

 

 

I left behind the cheeky seagull who sat on the grass outside my room hoping to be fed!

 

 

 

In search of the Bramley...

Autumn has really arrived in Burgundy and I love it. Each day I glance up at the hills above our home and see that gradually the leaves are donning their Autumnal hue and I remarked to Joe just yesterday that along with Spring this is a favourite time of year for me. The tourists have mostly departed and those of us with chambres d'hotes are beginning to see an end to the season - our place is open until way into November but we really don't expect many visitors at that time of year.

A real sign of Autumn arriving was the Fete de la Pomme - the apple festival - which was held in the Salle des Griottons in Cluny recently.

We had seen the signs for it over the last 2 weeks before and I was very keen to go because I have been hunting for an apple seedling to plant in the garden from which I hope to harvest apples similar to Bramleys. It seems amazing to me here, that whereas apple pie is a very popular dessert (tarte au pommes) the Bramley apple is unknown. I was really hoping that among the 300 varieties of apples on display I might just find the Bramley.

The Salle des Grittons in Cluny was a hive of activity as was part of the campsite next door which was opened up for food stalls of various kinds, an ancient tractor display and other things for sale including plants for the garden. We had a good conversation about the Bramley apple with the owner of the nursery on the edge of Cormatin. He was intrigued to hear just how acidic the Bramley is and he suggested what we could do in order to get a Bramley established in our garden. When you next go to England, was the instruction, take cuttings from some Bramley apple trees and store them in your fridge back in France in a plastic bag. Then at the beginning of March when there is a special weekend organised for grafting rootstock we can bring the cuttings to be grafted on to rootstock to plant and nurture.
I still hoped that the exhibition of apple varieties in the hall might prove that the Bramley really did feature.
Joe and I diligently searched through all 300 - yes 300 varieties of apple - but NO Bramley. We talked to the local expert - he had not heard of the Bramley so he is going to investigate! The nursey man wants us to bring a cutting for him! So who knows what will happen with the Bramley in Burgundy!
Along with the 300 varieties of apples there were opportunities to buy either fresh or pasturised apple juice - delicious!

Here the apples are being pressed for the juice!

 

Also on show were lots of potirons - squashes - and the chance to buy some to make soup with. We did this but I'm sorry to say it wasn't as tasty as I thought it would be! Perhaps it is my fault for not searching for a recipe but throwing everything in!

So watch out if you live in the Midlands as we shall be asking our friends to pass on cuttings of Bramley apples so we can introduce it to Burgundy!

the weather...

Now if you are British, you will know what a reputation we have for talking about the weather! In fact, I've noticed that here in the French countryside watching the weather is really important. In England if the weather was awful, I would put the damp washing in the tumble drier or it was on the clothes horse for several days to get it dry. Thanks to the accuracy of the internet weather I know within 5 minutes if it is going to rain. I have time to bring the washing in, or indeed calculate how much longer it can stay out if rain is forecast. www.meteo.fr  is the site I use and I can even put in my postcode and get the forecast FOR THE VILLAGE!!!!

Perhaps because we are out in the countryside we are also aware of the differences between the climate here and that in the West Midlands. Whereas we could look through the windows of our detached house in England and watch the storms, here we can stand on the gallery outside the house but under the roof and experience the weather. If we want to be inside we can watch the weather across the width of the valley below us and over to the hills opposite.

About three weeks ago we experienced some weather which was quite disturbing. On the Tuesday evening the wind blew and blew, bending the trees over and sending twigs scurrying up the lane in front of the house - the trees really seemed as if they would snap (some elsewhere did!) but here they seemed to have enough flexibility to remain rooted and bend.

The next night was for me the more frightening of the two. First thunder and lightning rumbled and crashed around us and right over us  - the electricity went off and the skies became darker and darker. The  hail began - not the small balls of ice you occasionally see in England - no - these were really big.

 

Outside you could have been in a snowstorm!

 

 

But worst of all was the damage we discovered the next day when we found that the car, parked outside our gates in the lane was pock marked from the force and size of the hailstones. There is nothing we can do about it, but that is just one of those things about the weather here. However, as Autumn now sets in I could not wish for a better sight when I get up than this one below!

 

 

an unexpected experience....

We took a week off the b and b to make our way back to Wordsley for a few days on 7th September. We knew we had no guests booked in so we thought it was about time to continue to clear more of our things from our old house. It was a smashing week, seeing old friends and also visiting my brother and sister-in-law in their new Rectory between Basingstoke and Andover.

However the week was overshadowed for me because I knew that when we got back Joe would be going into hospital. Just before we had left for England he had been diagnosed as being diabetic. He has been unwell for quite a long time but things moved rapidly when he tested his blood sugar on my machine and it registered 355 - for the uninitiated the norm is between 80 and 110. A visit to the doctor and a more extensive blood test confirmed that he was indeed diabetic. The doctor offered him 2 alternatives. He could go back and forth for tests to the hospital in Macon, or stay in for the week and have all the tests done. He chose the latter, so in the darkness at 6:30am on Monday 17th we set out for the hospital. We were (no, I was..) rather scared. We knew our French needs working on, would we understand everything? How would we be treated as foreigners? what would the tests reveal?
We got to the ward at 7:15, and were shown into a twin bedded room. Joe was shown which bed was his and then he was shown his wardrobe and then his height was measured, his weight taken, notes on his medication were taken and the doctor's letter handed over. He was then asked about breakfast and brought coffee and toasted biscuits to eat. His pulse, temperature and blood pressure were taken, and the nurse reassured me that he was not ill, only here for tests and that there was no need for him to be undressed and in bed...they were so kind to us, they understood we were struggling with the language and helped us by speaking simply.
After about three hours I left him in peace and was so at odds with myself that I managed to circumnavigate a roundabout at least 4 times from differing directions before I could find my way home.
The house felt very empty when I walked in but I made myself busy with jobs around the house and garden.
When I later returned to the hospital (free parking - please note Russells Hall and New Cross!), I found the other bed had been occupied by a really rather unwell looking Frenchman in his 30s who told us he had already had 2 heart attacks - however it did not stop him going for a cigarette outside.... He dozed and Joe got the benefit of the TV for which the Frenchman had paid! As the guy was only in overnight and the subscription to the TV finished the next morning quite early I asked Joe if he would like me to go to the TV office on the rez de chausee to pay for longer. His response really made me laugh. "I've watched both Family Fortunes and the Price is Right in French and enjoyed them no better than I did in England - so no thanks, I'd rather read!" And read he did - beginning with the hospital welcome book which proved really interesting - for example if you are in hospital - presumably as an emergency admission, you can ring a number to organise that your pets are looked after during your stay! Wow! There were nuggets of information - names of all the doctors, your rights as a patient, a leaving questionnaire - however Joe was not that impressed with the advert on the back cover for the funeral directors! Fortunately he had taken the large dictionary with him and this proved invaluable when we wanted to know what he was eating. His meals came piping hot with a list of what it was and a little "bon appetit! at the bottom - nice touch! A linen serviette came with the meal and the room had a table and chair so you could sit to the table to eat. Cutlery was metal! There was a starter, main course, cheese and dessert and the obligatory bread - 3 pieces of "flute" 3 fingers long for each piece! Coffee was served after the meal and in the evening a "tisane". Monitoring of Joe's blood sugar went on 4 hourly throughout day and night. He also had numerous other tests-cardiograph (he has the heart of an athlete - slow beating!). His stomach, kidneys and pancreas were scanned by ultra sound, His urine was tested, the back of his eyes was photographed. He was given cream to sooth his feet. In addition there were group sessions for all on the ward who were diabetic. By Tuesday Joe was asked if he would mind(!) moving into a single room as two friends were being admitted and wanted to share! He moved to the other side of the corridor and had a panoramic view over the Roche de Solutre and beyond towards the high Beaujolais hills. The ward was made up of single and double rooms and it was calm and peaceful and orderly. The patient staff ratio was high and everyone seemed to go out of their way to be helpful.
Together we went to 2 sessions on food - what was good and what was bad - and even in French I gleaned more than I had ever learnt in England when I was diagnosed almost 4 years ago. Water is you best friend - tap water. Drink loads. If you use mineral water do not stick to the same brand as they all have different minerals in them and you need a balance - change them each week! Red wine is OK - only drink it with a meal not on its own when it boosts fast acting sugar and can lead to a hypo...and so the advice went on...just so amazing. In addition the dietitian came to see Joe each day and wrote him a diet sheet which we are following at home - bread with every meal, cheese (yes cheese yippee) at lunch time and in the evening (30g each time)! Tea coffee and tisane when you like....even as a treat a vanilla eclair!!!! It was about balance, about not eating between meals and quite honestly after eating with Joe and preparing the food I can tell you that there is no space to eat between meals!!! And so the week went on...Joe is going back for an MRI scan on his kidneys to check for stones - just pop into the office on your way out and book an appointment Joe was told - and he did - how long is the wait - only 3 weeks....staggering.
What also I noticed was the level of hygiene - several times Joe's bed was changed and as to the way they cleaned well, I am astonished. The floor was mopped and swept regularly; when the patient sharing Joe's room had been discharged the bed was stripped, the mattress was washed with a disinfective on both sides as were the two pillows. The table over the bed was also wiped and not just the top, but the legs and underneath the table too. The upright chair was wiped down - back seat and legs, the table, and even the comfy chair for visitors.
When we left we were given the dietitian's mobile number at the hospital and told to call her anytime we had a question! Follow up with her is booked for November and follow up with the doctor in January!
What an experience! I have no fears about being in that hospital and being looked after so well.  Another new experience of life in France and another positive one! We are so grateful!

The sport of Queens and Princes......

I'm almost 60. I remember that my parents seemed to almost visibly slow down in their 60s, but I keep finding new experiences that have passed me by in the past. Today was another!
During the time that we have visited the nearby town of Cluny we knew that there was a national stud  - one of several in France. There are the most beautiful, graceful and attractive horses grazing in the fields around the Cluny area and today Joe and I were introduced to another aspect of the local passion with horses when our dear friends invited us to the races in Cluny. This was a first for us - and a fascinating afternoon although it was very warm sitting in the concrete grandstand overlooking the course -but the view was amazing!

I don't think there are many race tracks with such a lovely backdrop!

We sat in the grandstand and began to study the programme of races!

It wasn't that busy so it was possible to relax(as much as one can sitting on warm concrete) and work out what was going on!
There was a mix of races this afternoon, a flat race, trotting races and steeplechase. We were so near the track that we felt very connected with each race.
The first race was a flat race and the horses started to our left, each horse and rider being put into the starting stalls.

And they're off!
They really galloped past us at full tilt!

It was all quite exciting and as the horses had ridden past us en route to the start we were able to see them and comment on them.

Next I was very surprised to realise that there was a trotting race. The driver sat on a small two wheeled carriage which looked very light-weight but when at full trot they really moved! It was easy to identify the drivers and horses not only by the numbers on the horses but by the colours of the drivers. This was the same with the flat racing.
I really enjoyed the trotting - it requires such control for horse and rider because if the horse begins to gallop then it is disqualified. That happened to some today.

After the trotting race we had a steeplechase to watch. There were only 3 riders and horses in this race and it was very interesting to watch the race officials putting one of the jumps in place.

Then the 3 horses appeared.

It did not take them long to get to the other side of the course! And it was there that the horse in third place did not make it over the jump and the first aid officials rushed across to see if the rider was injured whilst the horse continued to gallop along. I must admit that my regard for the riders went up - it can be a dangerous sport... But I am pleased to report that about 10 minutes after the end of the race the rider walked back from the First Aid post back in front of the grandstand looking unhurt! A stable hand had the task of catching the horse and bringing him back.

What an interesting experience this afternoon has been - thanks to Chris and Mary!

the joy of sharing...

I wrote in a blog a while ago about the wide variety of people who cross our threshold and come and stay in our Burgundy home. For the most part they are expected, and we have blocked the availability calendar and are prepared for their arrival...But sometimes we have surprises!

Last week our beloved and beautiful daughter came to stay and celebrated her birthday with us. We had not seen her since the beginning of May and although we have been very busy the week before we were able to give her a great birthday clothes shopping with lunch by the river Soane in Macon

It was followed by a meal at our favourite brasserie in Cluny. We had forewarned the patron Nicholas that it was a special meal and we were greeted with wishes for Hannah and a complimentary aperitif of the restaurant. This was followed by a wonderful meal and when it came to dessert:

the waiters appeared and we all sang to her! She was suitably embarrassed!!!
However, when she left for England on Saturday evening we realised that we had no further guests due. That gave us mixed feelings - we love having guests  but we also love being alone and we knew that the plums needed harvesting! Last night we were invited to our friend Ton's bed and breakfast which is a stunning Burgundy stone coaching inn to share a meal with him and his guests - what a blessing - no cooking to do, no washing up. It was a delight to share the table with a family from Antwerp and a family from the Paris area. We talked about all sorts of things but before we sat down to eat, Ton introduced us to an English couple staying overnight with him. It turned out they live in Bridgnorth near to where our daughter lives and where we lived before moving here. We chatted easily with each other, and to cut a long story short they decided that since they could only have one night at Ton's they would come to us. At lunchtime today they arrived - and settled in the top garden with a cup of tea and digestive biscuits. They have been travelling up from Spain over the last three days and were longing to rest - what better place than our house which is called Le Havre - the haven or the sanctuary...
We  had planned to pick the bountiful crop of plums and our guests were delighted to help us, pruning the branches as we went along. Then the haricot beans were picked and the cherry tomatoes.
With the help we have received I have got on with making some more plum jam - 12 pots this afternoon. I now cook the fruit and then add the sugar, boiling it until setting point is reached. After that I sieve the mixture so that there are no lumps no stones and no skin. It is a long job but worthwhile. I am going to give our guests a pot of jam to take back to Bridgnorth since they so kindly gave us so much help.
Unexpected guests bring us joy and this time a lot of help!!!! Thank you Mary and John.