Our Christmas has well and truly begun!

It started Friday night with a lovely dinner with local friends Nadia and Patrick. Continued yesterday evening, with a Christmas party last night in Chinon, where we entertained each other with songs, poems, stories, games and a wine tasting. Everyone brought something for the table as well, which was all very delicious and very festive. Then at the end of the evening we had a Secret Santa. A good evening.

Today we were over at Philippe and Clothilde Pain's (father and daughter) Domaine de la Commanderie, with our neighbours Jacqueline et Norbert, for the first of the Christmas porte-ouvertes. These are the same vignerons where Mike and I went to help briefly with the vendange in October. Family and long-time helpers were out in force for what was - I think - a four-day affair.Huge amount of work and pre-preparation goes into these events. They are so well done, with a great atmosphere. We'd booked to have lunch there as well. Philippe was busy barbecuing the beef for the main dish or a special veal dish was the alternative. Home made terrine as starter, main dish, cheese and tarte au vigneron for dessert/€15p.p. The cave at Domaine de la Commanderie is just brilliant for this sort of thing. It's a good sized space, so it's easy to move around, with plenty of room for other producers and artisans. There were some white wine producers this year.  The link is to Clothilde's FB page. It has some great photos from the event and gives you a good idea. Came away with just a few bottles of wine. Quel surprise!!  There were also some photos from the vendange on display, including the one of Mike, which I love and he now uses as his FB photo.

What a brilliant idea!

I meant to write this up for a blog before.  Earlier this year the French parliament passed a law which enables workers, with the agreement of their employer,  to anonymously donate their paid leave to colleagues, with seriously ill children. 

The inspiration for the bill came from the case of Christophe Germain who, with the approval of the bosses, was given days off by his colleagues (170) to look after his eleven year old son, Matthys, who was battling with cancer. Very sadly Matthys died. The scheme which was present in some private companies was then extended to the public sector. There was some resistance to the changes, as it was thought they relieved employers of their responsibilities towards staff with seriously ill children. However in May 2014  the idea became legal.

Only last month another case hit the headlines. This time concerning a very sick wife, who was about to give birth on 17th November, but who had been hospitalised since July 2014 after a brain haemorrhage. The colleagues of the husband decided to donate time so that he could remain at home to look after his wife. Her condition was such that she would need round-the-clock supervision and would have to learn how to walk again. In total 362 paid days were donated, by individuals across the company including the managers.

That's solidarity for you. Any chance of it happening in the UK?

A delicious story - part 2

 Mastering temperature was the great advance in the twentieth century, along with the understanding of the chemical and biological elements contained within certain products. New flavours and textures were developed.

Gaston Lenôtre was extraordinarily innovative and the man of the century with regards to pâtisserie. He also created the first chain of upscale bakeries in Paris, a bakery-café bistro in the first French shopping mall, the first professional French re-training chef school, the first line of frozen desserts distributed all over France, and the first International bakery franchises - now in a dozen countries. He wrote nine recipe books and catered for Olympic teams,Kings, Presidents and celebraties all over the world. And was one of the main inspirations for the character Gusteau in the film Ratatouille. He died in 2009.

These days it is the likes of Pierre Hermé, Philippe Andrieu, Christophe Michalak and Christophe Adam, who lead the way, revisiting classic French pâtisserie and extending the flavours and textures well beyond France's borders - the Paul chain of boulangeries being an example, for which both Pierre Hermé and Philippe Andrieu have worked. Paul was founded in 1889 and now belongs to the Holder Group, which also owns the luxury bakery Ladurée. I used to visit a Paul in Convent Garden, when I was working in the theatre. These days Paul have extended into motorway services, so we time our stops to take advantage of their delicious pâtisserie, salads or sandwiches.  

A few classics and their stories: Le Saint-Honoré is typical of the 19th century in being named after a Saint. In this instance the Patron Saint of boulangers. It was created in 1850 by Chilboust a famous parisien pâtissier who had set up in rue Saint Honoré. Some of the best Saint-Honoré are made by Dalloyau in Paris, who is also responsible for L'Opéra, which was created in 1955. It takes its name from a prima ballerina and some young ballet students who would go there for tea and to taste the delicious cakes and pastries.

Le Paris-Brest was created by Louis Durand in 1910 in hommage to the Paris-Brest-Paris cycle race, which began in 1891 and was last run in 1951. The round shape was meant to represent a bicycle wheel. Choux pastry and praline cream.

Le Financier was created in the Middle Ages in an oval shape by the sisters of the Order of the Visitation. It wasn't particularly appreciated until the late 1800s when the pâtissier Lasne brought the little cake 'up-to-date'. Being based near to the Paris Stock Exchange and as his clientele were primarily money-men, Lasne had the idea of renaming the cake Le Financier and reshaping it into a rectangle, representing a gold ingot.


All these amazing ideas and technical skill, and here I am just coming to grips with the method for omelette making, using an electric hob as opposed to gas, which I'd been cooking with for years. It's electricity for us now both sides of the Channel. Ah well!!!

A delicious story - part 1

Éclairs, Saint-Honoré, Opéra, Paris-Brest, Macarons - it is such a struggle walking by such beautiful pâtisseries. Being someone who really doesn't like sweet things, I'm surprised at my level of interest. But over here a window full of delicious masterpieces, is hard to resist. So is the history of pâtisserie in France, which starts its mouth-watering journey back in the Middle Ages, although not in the form that we know these days. 

oublie

Gâteaux were extremely rare in the Middle Ages, with bakers limiting their production to large-scale celebrations. This all changed around 1270, due to growing demand and the decision by the then guild known as the oublayers (precursor to the guild of pâtissiers), to develop gâteaux from a light, but yeast-free dough. The oublayers had until then produced an oublie which was a wafer made out of grain flour and water, with other local flavourings such as honey being added. They were similar to communion wafers. More exotic ingredients from the Crusade such as orange-flower were also used. Oublies themselves weren't formally given that name until around 1200. We come full circle when the guild of oublayers was formed in 1270, who then proceed to create light pastries.

Over the next couple of centuries, tarts using milk, eggs and cream were developed. By the 1500s beautiful pâtisseries were very much part of the French court's culinary scene. Catherine de Médicis married Henry ll in 1533 and brought her chefs and confectioners to France. The French court was then introduced to ice cream, madeleines (sponge cakes), les biscuits à la cuiller/sponge fingers and choux pastry, invented in 1540 by the Italian pâtissier Popelini, who came to France to join the Médicis entourage.

The 17th century saw a considerable variety of biscuits being produced. Some were flavoured and others filled with jams or fruit. Puff pastry first appeared as well as coffee and chocolate, which had been imported to France by Anne of Austria, who was married to King Louis Xlll. It was during this period that cakes and pastries acquired real status,
establishing the first of the really great chefs and pâtissiers in their own right. Amongst them were François Pierre de La Varenne who created the millefeuille and François Vatel who is credited with the creation of Chantilly Cream. 

petits-fours

By the turn of the 18th century François Massialot had become the most well-known of chefs through his innovative approach to pastry cream and the crème brulée. He also produced five cookery books, albeit anonmously. Another great invention was organic yeast and yeast based puff pastry dough. It is the pâtisserie that became the focus of development throughout the 18th century, with the appearance of Rhum Babas, dragées,meringues, and petits fours, all of which could be found in abundance at the enormous buffets prepared for the court at Versailles. At the same time other regions were creating their individual culinary styles, through the use of corn, flour and walnut oil in the South West, almonds in the South East and spices in Haute-Provence.

After the revolution, many cooks found themselves without their master chefs who had fallen victim to events, either by being beheaded or exiled to England. So they opened their own restaurants and as a result there was an explosion of culinary creation. In 1806 in response to the European blocade imposed by Napoleon, the British navy prohibited the importing of sugar to France, from the Caribbean.  The need to find an alternative lead to the discovery of sugar beet, and ultimately the development of patisserie that we recognise and so appreciate today.

savarin

The 19th century saw the development of the biscuit business, but also the technical advances which introduced the whisk, pastry bag and egg beaters and enabled the  pâtissiers as craftsmen to become established. This century belongs particularly to Antonin Carême, a chef and pâtissier of extraordinary renown, whose clientele were amongst the highest at home and abroad. His book, Le Pâtissier Royal Parisien, is still used as reference today supplying for the first time, the exact details and quantities of the ingredients. There were others of course at this time who were also producing delicious concoctions. The brothers Julien and the savarin -  a baba without dried raisins. The Vacherin, saint-honoré, profiteroles, éclairs, fondant, the Yule log all date from this period. It was clearly a prolific time.

70 somethings, other Iconic Figures and newsy bits

Hadn't realised how much time had passed since my last blog. We've been running at full speed and are just catching up with ourselves.

Came across a couple of snippets of information last week. Both concern the writing world although from vastly different directions.  

Le Monde started up in 1944. One of the most well-known daily newspapers, it celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. A mere teenager compared to some, but nonetheless grasping all that modern technology has to offer. Here's me,  the new owner of a mini ipad. How long has it taken me to round to buying one!! Then there's Le Petit Prince -an iconic piece of French literature. Just love it. This 70th anniversary marks the disappearance of the author/pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

Sir Quentin Blake received France's highest accolade this year - the Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. Hadn't realised that he was such a francophile or that he has had a home in La Rochelle for at least twenty years. He is bi-lingual with a profound appreciation of French culture. A wonderful illustrator who is clearly greatly appreciated both sides of the channel.

Closer to home, we've had projects popping out from every corner. Busy coordinating a WWl evening for one of the bi-lingual groups we belong to at the end of November and a Christmas party the week after, for another.  A new association is being set up in Chinon, which focuses on the Renaissance period. The Collectif Carnaval Re-Naissance Chinon had it's inaugural meeting a week ago. The project has been master-minded by Valérie Poignonec. Obviously it's in the very early stages of development, but a committee has been formed, a team of enthusiastic and experienced individuals who can design and sew is coming together. But more people are needed  as well as materials with which to design and make authentic costumes. Mike and I have been working on the publicity and yesterday presented the logo, poster and leaflet to the group which went down extremely well. 

Another thing we're really looking forward to starts this Friday, when we have our first session of helping with English pronunciation at a local primary school in Chinon. It's on a voluntary basis. We each help in two consecutive classes, which are about twenty minutes long. Mike has the older school children, as they are closer to his height and I have the younger age group - as they are closer to mine!!  It's a regular weekly commitment of 40 minutes.  We met the Head Teacher a week or so ago whose idea this was. Seems a really nice man and very enthusiastic.  So keep your fingers crossed!!


 

Travels in the Midi-Pyrénées

We squeezed in a break last week - taking advantage of the Indian summer and enjoying some of the autumn colours which are gradually covering the landscape. We had a really great time. It's been ages since we've done something like that - the equivalent of a long weekend, which was usually all we could manage when we were working.  We chose the Lot region, which is outstandingly beautiful and dramatic. Now we've seen some of it for ourselves. It is fascinating.

We weren't sure where we wanted to stay. Visiting touristy places is one thing, but staying in the middle of them is something else. Given that it was the last week of October and also of the school holidays, we imagined there'd be quite a lot of people around. So we looked for somewhere that was a bit different but still gave us access to all the must-sees in the area. Luckily for us we found a gem. Moulin de LaTreille. Fi and Giles Stonor have been lovingly restoring the 13th century watermill, originally built by Cistercian monks, which is a family home as well as a business. The whole family including son Felix is a delight. They are exceptional hosts.

Moulin de LaTreille is a stunning property that we found through Alastair Sawday. It is surrounded by meadows, woodland, magnificent cliffs and has the river Ouysse running through it. LaTreille makes its own electricity from the power of the water, so as well as a unique building and location, there is also the lifestyle which weaves a truly meditative magic. Initially we went walking around the property itself as the site is quite extensive, but then went further afield to places such as Rocamadour and Saint Cirq Lapopie. We also visited the next mill up the river which is a fortified mill-house and these days a museum. It has an operational water-powered flour-mill, which still makes its own flour.

Moulin Fortifié de Cougnaguet is 14th century and classified as a historic monument since the 20s. It wasn't very far away from where we were staying and the drive treated us to some wonderful views. An amazing place. Extremely well maintained and the day we went the wife of the owner was there as our guide. Great fun and very knowledgeable. We were the only visitors so had a very personalised tour. The mill was first sold in the late 1700s and all the owners since have come from the local area.  The website is excellent and there's a super video which is definitely worth a look. In French, but nonetheless interesting to look at. And to anyone who watches it, yes, we had a drop of the hard stuff ourselves as a parting gesture. Phew. Strong but good.

As for food and wine of the region, everything we had was excellent, Fi's cooking, dinner at Le Petit Relais (which is at the top of the 2k track that leads to the Moulin de LaTreille) and  Les Vieilles Tours, about a twenty minute drive away. Both are hotel restaurants, but with very different styles. It was also interesting for us to taste a different wine grape from the Cabernet Franc that is used here in the Chinon Appellation. We were of course in the great region of Cahors. So delicious wines were not hard to find.

Hopefully we can go back next year. Late October is a good time to go. There are places nearby which we didn't get to. So plenty to explore. May be we can work out a two-centre break. All sorts of possibilities. Anyway we had a great time. And if anyone fancies a visit to the Lot and wants a recommendation for somewhere to stay, try Moulin de LaTreille.


 

Busy time

What with meeting friends for lunch, rehearsals, a concert, having friends round for lunch,  apèros, a Spanish lunch, wedding anniversary, ukulele lessons and other stuff, it has been a very busy time. Fortunately a short holiday in the Lot beckons, so we can re-charge in time for Hallowe'en. A road party is planned!

Our gig last Friday went really well. It's always a mixture of French and English songs, in different combinations of voices, different styles of song as well. There was a real challenge this time with a song called Quant on n'a que l'amour, a duet which I sang with and a French friend Christine. It's very popular in France, but also a big song to sing as it needs to be sung out and gradually builds up to a powerful finish which has to be held.  Pleased to report we nailed it. I'm a mezzo-soprano and Christine is a soprano and we've steadily discovered that our voices are just great together. We always sing a couple of songs as duets, but we both want to do more and have got some fab songs lined up for the next gig. Mike and a French friend Patrick provide most of the musical accompaniment, but also sing. They have concentrated so far on songs by George Brassens, which are stunning pieces, immensely difficult to do, but they always manage to sing them well. The fact that they enjoy playing the songs and together, makes a huge difference. Others are involved at various points throughout the evening. This time eight people in all played or sang something. Very satisfying and a great atmosphere.

Figuring it out

After a hectic summer, I'm back into book reading mode for the book club organised by one of our Anglo/French groups.Apart from two of us, all those involved are French. Fortunately most have some English, which means there is always something in that language within the monthly book selection. From my point of view it's fun to read in both languages.

On our reading list for dicussion in November three books - Le Vieux que ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire/Jonas Jonasson, Train de nuit pour Lisbonne/Pascal Mercier and Oscar Wilde's Happy Prince. Fortunately all of them are available on Kindle. It's a cracking selection, but I'm not sure if I'll managed to get through them all. I read more slowly in French. Sometimes it's the meaning of a particular phrase that is trickier to grasp and I have to re-read it. Sometimes I'll come across an expression in French, with an equivalent in English, but rather than a straight translation, the terminology is completely differently. 
Occasionally there are phrases where the context offers immediate understanding, but I stop because I want to find out more about it. I had one of these a couple of days ago. 

English has various expressions such as dressed to the nines, dressed to kill, which describe someone's appearance when they look particularly fashionable or going somewhere special. As I've just discovered, the French equivalent is Etre sur son trente-et-un or se mettre sur son trente-et-un/ to put on his thirty-one.   What's interesting is that both languages use numbers to express the same idea.

From what I can find out the French term, it comes from the word trentain which refers to a luxury fabric, but there is also a military connection with 31 representing dress uniform. We have a french neighbour who is in the military so when I can, I'll ask him.  

As to where dressed to the nines comes from, the link here offers some possibilities. 
 

Work and Play

Suddenly we're into autumn. Summer clothes have now been pulled out of the wardrobe and folded up ready for putting away. And we're back into rain mode, which isn't good timing as the vendange isn't over for some.

We were in vendange mode last Monday at Domaine de la Commanderie. Terrific day. There were about forty of us in all - a different scale of operation from the vendange we were helping with last year, where there were about fifteen of us. Arrived at 8am along with the rest of the gang, all of whom were regulars. Everyone was milling around having coffee and cake and then we piled into the vans and set off.


The vans didn't have windows so I'm not sure exactly where we were, other than somewhere in Panzoult. Having arrived, we were each given a grape picker's basket (panier), clippers and instructions as to which rows of vines were working on.

Work

There's something really satisfying about being in the middle of vines, surrounded by gentle chatter and bursts of laughter. This team were fast, efficient and, obviously experienced. We were initially a little slower, but quickly got in the rhythm of rummaging around in amongst damp vine leaves, bending, crouching, stretching to get at the grapes, which we were cutting by hand. You get damp and sticky. 

Grapes don't always grow in a shape or position that is easy to harvest. Some of them very inconsiderately wrap themselves round the wire climbing frames and are fiddly to get off. Others  hide behind the vine leaves. A tactic which does not survive the beady-eyed. Whether a large and perfectly formed bunch or something smaller, any grapes that look in top condition end up in your basket. What you must ensure is that leaves don't get in there as well.

Pickers work on both sides of a row of vines and each side may have three or four people harvesting it. Forty people collect a lot of grapes, and quickly. A tractor with trailer and large containers was moving parallel to where we were working and edged its way along as we moved up the rows of vines. At regular intervals a call went out for everyone to push their baskets through the vines to the tractor, where the grapes were then poured into the containers. The empty grape baskets having been returned to us, we started picking again.

We worked until about 12.45, then we handed back the baskets, kept the clippers, got back into the vans and returned to the domaine for a quick bite. The weather was looking very dodgy. After about half an hour we drove back, but to another parcelle of vines and started picking straight away. We'd been going for about twenty minutes and then the rain started. It just got heavier and around 2.30pm we were told to stop. So back we went to the domaine, to have something to eat. 

Play

Not sure if you call it a late lunch or an early dinner, but it was delicious. The cave at Domaine La Commanderie had been laid up for the meal and a wonderful log fire had been started. Whatever horrible things the weather was doing outside, there was no chance it was going to spoil the mood inside the cave.

Lots of chatting, laugher, nonsense, wine and great food. It doesn't get much better than that.

Brilliant time. Here's to the next.




P.S. Chanel who took the super photo of Mike, is in the 'Play Collage' - the image immediately above the bottom thumbnail of wine bottles - Mike with Chanel.

The East Comes to Chinon Pt 3: Some Pioneers

The earliest film on show in this year's festival was the 1927 Russian film The Battleship Potemkin -  a brilliant dramatisation of the mutiny that occurred in 1905, when the crew on board the Potemkin rebelled against the officers of the Tsarist regime. It is generally regarded as one of the most influential propaganda films of all time.

The Potemkin was built for the Imperial Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet, which was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05. Political unrest throughout the Russian Empire along with the defeat at sea,  led to revolutionary activity in the army and the navy. Morale amongst Russian sailors was very low, exacerbated by harsh disciplinary measures and severe service conditions. Groups were created inside the Black Sea Fleet, who were dedicated to the revolution and planned for wide-scale mutiny.

The mutiny on the Potemkin was triggered by the behaviour of some of the senior officers.
They served the crew rotten meat and when one protested he was shot by an officer. In the resulting struggle other officers were killed. Eventually the 700 strong crew seized control and they set sail for the port of Odessa, with a red flag flying. The link is an interesting read and provides a good explanation of events.

The version shown on Sunday morning, was the most recently restored. A fabulous copy, black and white and of course silent. What an experience. The film has five acts, each individually titled. The director establishes an extraordinary rhythmn that achieves such tension as the film progresses. The ability of a 77year old film to shock a 21st century audience was totally unexpected. An amazing piece of work.

A film regarded as the centrepiece of the new wave Czech films was made in 1966.It is available with English subtitles and another version with French subtitles. Trains Étroitement Surveillés. Black and White. The story is set in 1944 with the Germans occupying Czechoslovakia. Milo's father - the best railway engineer - has retired. His son Milo is now starting working in the same station but as an inspector. Milo is overwhelmed by his shyness with women and attempts to commit suicide. His right of passage and transformation, against a backdrop of war, resistance and occupation is totally compelling. We're going to get the DVD. Such a classy piece of work.

The East comes to Chinon Pt 2: Glorious Animation

There was one piece of animation scheduled in the festival this year, with two showings. As it turned out there was a surprise addition yesterday afternoon.  Both were just superb.
As I mentioned in Part 1, the animations were shown as part of the partnership with Fontevraud Abbey, which for the last eight years has given particular support to animation projects, encouraging directors and designers, through master-classes and forums.

The participation at the Chinon film festival is for a second year. But in fact the spread of venues covers a much wider area of the Centre and Poitou-Charentes as well as the Pays-de-la-Loire. Throughout October different animateurs will have their work shown publicly in Angers, Bourgeuil, Loudun, Poitiers, Thouars, Tours, Tours Nord and Saumur. Chinon of course is the beginning of the run.

Flocon de neige - The Snowflake was quite magical. Created by Natalia Chernysheva, it tells the story of a little boy in Africa who has received a letter. You first see him running back excitedly to his home, which is quite isolated and near to the African bush. Once inside he opens it up and discovers a large snowflake - something he has never seen before.The link is to the trailer, which gives as it should a great idea of the quality of the work. Flocon de neige is close to six minutes long. Where the trailer ends is where the little boy's dream begins, with all the animals being covered in snow, and coming back to his hut to get warm by the fire. It ends with a colourful bird who the boy rescued, leaving a golden wing feather inside the hut, which the boy then puts into an envelope and sends back. Natalia Chernysheva was at Chinon on yesterday afternoon to explain a little about her work. Here's another gorgeous piece of work.

Gloria Victoria - the surprise showing, was one of the most superb animations we've ever seen. I was nervous about putting in the link as it really needs to be seen on a big screen and the opening is dark. But then it opens up.  I'm not sure if the full impact will come across on computer screens. Regardless, Gloria Victoria is a powerful anti-war animation, which was produced in Montreal through the Canadian Film Board. Huge cheers to them for supporting such talent. The link is to the full length version which runs at just under seven minutes.

Bravo to all!

The East comes to Chinon - pt 1

We are in the middle of a superb film festival L'Est, Du Nouveau. It began last Wednesday and runs until tomorrow, Monday 29 October. All the films for Chinon's 7th festival come from the Eastern bloc meaning Russia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Rumania, Serbia and Czechoslovakia. In all there are sixteen films and an animation, which is being shown in partnership with Fontevraud Abbey, where animation is a key element of the cultural programming. So far we have seen nine films.

The film festival here, as always, is really something. It's very well organised by Cinéplus, which locally means Roselyne Chouvy and Philippe Prat, who throughout the year co-ordinate Art House films, shown in Chinon every Thursday and then in September, the six day film festival.

L'Est du Nouveau is the fourth film festival we have been to. Each year has a different theme. The films (as every Thursday) are shown in their original language with French subtitles. Last year's film festival showed films from the East - China, Korea, Cambodia etc. 2012 had an American theme. The first festival we went to in 2011 was a German celebration.

The quality of the film making in L'Est, du Nouveau, the writing and the powerful interpretations has so far proved an extraordinary experience. It was also a brave choice of films. The countries providing the focus, contain societies where political corruption and violence is endemic. This is reflected in every film, some of which met with resistance in being made and distributed. From the youngest to the oldest, man, woman or child, the police, the military, politicians, someone somewhere is going to commit an act of aggression against another individual. There's been nothing gratuitous, and frequently off-screen. Whilst the act itself may not be seen, but it is clearly implanted in the imagination. We're left with the impression that it is impossible to break the cycle.

Voyages en Guitare - a very musical weekend

Forty-three gigs this year in Chinon, over two days. It's really quite a piece of organisation, with different groups appearing at different times and in 26 different places - if I've counted them up correctly. Requires a huge amount of co-operation. All sorts of music were wafting their rythmns across town - classic, blues, jazz, world, rock, swing. Some were totally instrumental, others vocals and instrumentals. A terrific mix, alongside which were special exhibitions: a display of state-of-the-art guitars that were really minimalist in design, accompanied by photos of some of the artists from previous Voyages en Guitare. The contemporary art gallery inside at the top of Chinon town hall hosted a terrific exhibition. The subject is art and the machine across the 20th century and it is in fact a three-parter, each section being displayed in a different venue.The other two being the Art and History Museum (exhibition curation) and the St.Radegond Chapel, which is high up over-looking the town and which you walk to from Chinon. Steep path, but you get great views and the place itself is fascinating.

Saint Mexme is always the venue for the two main gigs of the festival. Saturday Piers Facciini was playing, along with a pianist and someone else on xylophones. He is Anglo/Italian, but has lived in France for quite some time, which probably accounts for him having tapped into the French love of Chanson. He has a gig coming up in Paris at the Théâtre Bouffes du Nord.  The other gig was tonight - from which we've just got back- which wound up the festival. This time it was Titi Robin, a French composer and improvisor, whose work is rooted in the Mediterranean world - the confluence of Gypsy, Oriental and European cultures. He composes all the music he performs and plays guitar, buzuq and 'oud. Tonight he was accompanied by a superb percussionist and an accordion player. His daughter who sings and dances appeared in the second half. Can't find anything on you tube for him unfortunately. 

Found it strangely uninspiring.  Part of that had to do with feeling trapped in the space.There was an over-sale on tickets to space capacity - a problem when you have a theatre/arts venue production manager's brain, as I do. Can't switch it off. Took me years to be able to go to the theatre and not notice when the lighting cues were late. 

Voyages en Guitare is a great idea which we like to support. Saint Mexme is a good space, with an outside area for refreshments. The seating is informal and unallocated. Basically it's a very steep rake of hard benches. The popularity of this year's gigs meant punters were jammed in on each bench. It was due to start at 6.30pm. Some audience with tickets didn't turn up till 7pm, some had been outside drinking till 7pm. So the gig started late. A lot of people arrived for 'doors open' at 5.45, which meant they were waiting an 1h15 before the gig started, instead of 45 minutes. Late-comers being allowed in meant people sat anywhere, no option by this time, which included right across the central and narrow staircase, which provides the only means to enter and exit the space. If anyone was taken ill, there was no way they could get out of the space, particularly if they were up at the back. Completely dark up there. It was the same last night as well. Production managers usually think about this sort of thing.   

 
Voyages en guitare coincides with European Heritage day, with buildings that are normally closed to the public offering special openings over the weekend.  Really like the two events happening at the same time. Draws more people into town. There was an excellent photographic exhibition in the Maison du Patrimoine about the timber framed house in Chinon. Made a really good subject, with some fascinating close-ups.

We were at the cinema on Thursday to see Clint Eastwood's film Jersey Boys - all about Frank Valli and the Four Seasons, which emerged from the stage production. The music is still so good. Impossible to sit still. Really pleased we went to see it. At same time we bought our passes for the Film Festival which starts this week. Eastern block films. Can't wait. Bravo Cinéplus!

Davy and the Hailstones . . .

Sounds like the perfect line-up for the Voyages en Guitare music festival which is on in Chinon all over the weekend.  It coincides with the French equivalent of 'Open House'. So as well as all sorts of music and exhibitions in all sorts of venues, particular buildings and gardens are open which we otherwise don't get to see.

Davy and the Hailstones as you might suspect don't actually exist. It's an idea that popped into my head this morning. Partly Mike's fault, who announced that, the Saint's Day in France on 20 September is for a martyred English saint - Saint Davy. Given that it was world pirate's day yesterday, I thought I was being thrown one of Mike's little wheezes. Note - I'm still suspicious after all this time!! But in fact there is a Saint Davy, no matter how unlikely it sounds. Definitely a Davy and not a David. He was martyred with eight other monks in London in 1537 for refusing to recognize Henry Vlll as the spiritual head of the English church. Saint Davy was béatified in 1886. This seems to be during the reign of Pope Leo Xlll. 

Yesterday afternoon we were treated to a storm of cherry tomato sized hailstones-just what every wine producer needs as the harvest period begins. Fortunately it didn't last too long. The noise was unbelievable. The white stuff is the hail. Had more thunder and lighting with some rain early evening. Inevitably there's been some damage. This is due to be a vintage year, so hoping desperately, that this is the last of it.

Indian Summer

Someone is being kind to the wine producers this year. We've had a glorious few weeks. No rain. Normally a lack of the wet stuff causes consternation, but until the vendange is completed it would be good if the weather could stay like it is now. Perhaps with very very light showers, but nothing more that that.

We watched a very depressing documentary on Channel 3 last night, Vino Business, about wine production in France. Particularly the impact that attitudes in and around Bordeaux are having. Foreign investors are spending big in France and buying up estates. An increasing pattern in that region and probably elsewhere. Wine is purely a commodity, enabling extraordinary prices per bottle. The snobbism and greed and indifference being perpetuated is equally extraordinary. Smaller estates within the same region, who up until last year were Premier Cru, the most important of the wine classifications for red wine, suddenly find they've lost that accreditation and with it, the value of their wine and the land has been demolished. 

Two particular wine connoisseurs/advisors have positioned themselves as the most knowledgeable so that now, unless red wine meets their brief and therefore their approval, it's out. Accreditation isn't just about the wine, it's now also about adequate car parking and all the peripheral stuff, which these days is part of the marketing mix. Not everyone has the means, as last night for example, to spend another extraordinary sum on a huge, elaborately decorated electric bell, that can play the national anthem of most countries. So when a particular group of guests arrive, a number is punched in on the key pad for the appropriate anthem. The only ap-peal that I'm  interested in is the effect on my tastebuds. Begs the question what % costs of a bottle from this producer is actually for the wine.

The period the programme covered was the season leading up to the harvest in 2013, which was a very bad year weather-wise. Vino Business showed a particular producer visiting his vines after a dreadful hailstorm. We know of some in Vouvray, who last year lost their entire harvest after a horrendous hail storm. In last night's programme, the producer lost 70% of his crop.

Vino Business interviewed/followed a range of producers. A few independents are hanging on to their estates for the family and don't want to sell out. But as was asked the end of the programme -  for how long? 

We took our Dutch friends Annemiek and Thjis for a couple of wine tastings in Cravant last Friday. They were making a quick visit and then going home. We know both producers well - one of them particularly - so were able to phone up at the last minute and fix a time to go round. It was a really good afternoon. Lots of tastings and discussions, of white and red particularly. Terrific experience and an interesting one for our friends, with a few cases sold to take back to Holland.  Wine production is undoubtedly a tough and demanding business. How lucky are we then to be surrounded by such superb producers.

A blogging catch-up: Pt 2 - Celebrating the fruits and the land

The day after we got back from St. Clémentin, our friends Martin and Julia arrived for a couple of days, which was lovely. Squeezed in a wine tasting, a visit to Château d'Islette and dinner at La Part des Anges in Chinon. We all went to the market Thursday morning, for croissants and coffee and it was from there that they took off for their next stop in France. Saturday afternoon we were in Chinon, helping for a couple of hours on the stand for one of our Anglo-French groups, at the Forum des Associations in L'Espace Rabelais, for which Mike had done the posters. The Forum is an annual event and shop window for all the local groups and associations in Chinon, of which there are quite a few. We belong to several now, most of which were there. So there were quite a few people around who we knew.

Early evening we went with our neighbour Monique to Jacqueline and Norbert's house,  just round the corner for an apéro. Other neighbours came as well, then we all went down to the sports field, for the annual Sanglier à la Broche, where we met up with some other friends. Must have been about 300 people there. As usual superbly organised. Tickets had been bought in advance. This for us is the real village party. It's such fun. Lots of work for the two committees who organise it, but it is so good. Not sure how many marquees, but they'd been fixed together to create two covered sides as a seated eating area with a good sized dance floor in the middle. We were leaping about all over the place. Fab dinner as well. The wine flowed. Think we left about 2am, with sore feet.

Sunday morning we were up at 7am as we were going for an 8k walk round Saint Louand which is just the other side of Chinon, as part of the Vignes Vins and Randonées event,  held every year across the Indre et Loire region. Jacqueline and Norbert came with us. We picked them up at 8am and then headed off. 

Himself heading towards a tasting!

It was an easy walk which took about 3 hours, with various stops at various places for wine tastings. Eight wine producers in all, on four sites and fifty people in our walking group. A particular wine that was really very good was from Pascal and Isabelle Sourdais - Chino Boisé. Gorgeous day for a walk, although by mid morning it was getting pretty warm. V.V.R. is a two-day event - Saturday and Sunday. There are different trails available for bikes, horses as well as walkers. The daughter of our neighbour opposite took her horse on the 30k ride on Saturday and loved it. A completely different perspective, which I wouldn't mind trying one time. It was all thoroughly enjoyable, with occasional chats with fellow walkers along the way.

By the time we got back in around 12.30, we were both shattered. We'd wanted to go to
a concert over in Richlieu which began around 5pm. But we fell asleep and didn't wake up in time! 

We're now expecting Dutch friends for a couple of days, who we haven't seen for about six years or so. So lots to catch up on in a short space of time.

A blogging catch up: Pt 1 - Celebrating the word

We have had and are having an incredibly busy time. At the end of August, we stayed for a long weekend in a village called St. Clémentin in the Deux-Sèvres département, for a three day bi-lingual (and bi-annual) Literature Festival.

What a fabulous event. It was memorable for many reasons. We were so lucky to find out about it. A short while ago through a mutual contact, we met Sally and David Pearson, who told us all about the festival. They are both very involved and are part of the team who help organise and run it. Being book lovers and literature festival enthusiasts, the idea of going to such an event in France was for us, irresistible.

We stayed at a chambre d'hôte - a family run farm - just outside St. Clémentin, arriving on the Thursday evening and leaving Monday morning. The village is only about 1hr 30 by car, but with some of the events we were wanting to go to, startingat 9.30am, it was easier to stay over. Two other couples who were helping with the festival, were staying as well.   

The overall coordinaters are Gordon and Jocelyn Simms  who plan the whole festival with a committee and team of helpers. Lovely people, dedicated and enthusiastic. Both are published writers and teachers, who have fostered creative writing for over twenty years. 

The festival launch was on the Thursday evening at the salle de fête, which we went to, listened to the speeches in French and English, had a glass of something, and then wandered into a super photographic exhibition by Howard Needs. He doesn't have a website. Not sure if architecture is his speciality, but what he was showing was a series of religious frescoes, from various churches and chapels, including Chinon. Excellent work and quite fascinating.

We had dinner Thursday night and every night at Chez Didier, a bar and restaurant in the centre of town. Simple food, but very well done and the family were so welcoming. Chez Didier supplied all the lunches and dinners during the festival. Lunches and our first meal there were a choice of various salades composite. Effectively a starter, main and cheese course on the same plate. A great idea, and for the numbers they were feeding, made the catering totally manageable. Friday and Saturday evening, there were themed evenings, with a special dinner to go with. Chez Didier excelled themselves.Terrific.

The three days were very individual, in content as well as presentation. Quite remarkable. We've both been involved with festivals over many years, of varying shapes and sizes, and know full well what's involved. The St. Clémentin LitFest 2014 was the second to take place, the first being in 2012. Because of the contacts and reputation of the organisers, they manage to attract highly regarded writers, who along with the spectators, really enter into the spirit of the event.

Friday - everything was in English, Saturday - events were half in French and half in English and Sunday, everything was in French. Friday morning at 9.30am, we'd booked to hear Beatrice Colin, reading from her latest novel set in Paris, and from The Luminous Life of Lilly Aphrodite. 10.30am we listened to Ian Mathie drawing on his notebooks spanning thirty years of living and working in the African bush. 11.15 we were with John Eliot, whose idea for a LitFest kick-started the festival  in 2012. Individually they were quite superb. Friday afternoon at 3pm, we were treated to readings by Michèle Roberts from a selection of her novels and short-stories, followed at 4.15 by Leigh Russell who introduced her best-selling psychological crime series. At 6.30pm we went to the launch of a new anthology compiled by the festival's organiser, Gordon and Jocelyn, with readings generously given by other writers at the festival. It was a wonderful day.

Saturday kicked off for us with the incredibly dynamic John Hudson. Just a joy, followed by Blake Morrison, former literary editor of The Observer and the Independent on Sunday, who gave an interview with readings. Superb. A change of programme next, after someone was taken ill. So at very short notice, the Mayor of the next village who like the original speaker, is an historian, amazed all of us with a riveting hour long presentation - note free - on births, deaths and marriages in the area. Fascinating stuff. Totally compelling. Next came  a double interview with authors Bertrand Gilet and François-Xavier Cerniac. Straight after we listened to Katherine Gallagher present an anthology of poetry reflecting childhood experiences in the Second Word War. Nine poems in English and French, read by a range of voices. At 5.30pm there was a wine tasting, sampling Chenin Blanc. Great way to ease into the soirée dinner at Chez Didier, which included a presentation of poems and stories from the Segora Writing competitions of 2014. 

Sunday. Our morning began with the wonderfully amusing Terry and Monica Darlington - Narrow Dog to Carcasson - along with their whippets Jim and Jessie. Then went to an intimate one woman show, a presentation of songs and stories in English, French and Spanish, performed by the superb Chloé Martinez. Mesmerising. That afternoon there was a superb interview with writer, poet and prix Goncourt 2013 recipient, Charles Juliet. A real highlight. The last event we went to, was a workshop about Shakespeare with readings. Very well done.

After that there was a glass or two with nibbles and speeches to bring the festival to a close, during which an announcement was made that a grant application had been successful. A superb weekend. We loved every minute of it. Huge congratulations to all concerned. Here's to 2016.

How ridiculously unobservant

We were with friends at L'Auberge - our local - for lunch the other day, which was good as always. Not sure how this cropped up in the conversation, but Chinon is the only town of its size in France, without traffic lights. Without traffic lights? Yes, it is true. There are no traffic lights in Chinon. We've only been driving around the town for the last six years, and not noticed! Traffic flow is controlled by a mix of mini roundabouts, speed bumps, varying speed limits and a partial one-way system. The more we've thought about it, the more impressed we are. What's more it works.



 

Getting About pt 3

Went to the cinema Thursday to see a series of short films, the earliest of which was made in 1902 and the 'newest' in 1925. French and American productions, which were mainly 20 minutes long, although one was around 14 minutes. Fabulous evening, organised by Cineplus in partnership with Le Carroi-Musée in Chinon. Met up with a friend of ours for a drink at the Café Français which is virtually next door to the cinema, then we wandered in for this special screening. They were all silent films, with the usual live music accompaniment having been recorded on top. Fascinating to watch. So pleased the screening was put together - a tribute really to exceptional creativity. Buster Keaton featured in one and was quite spell-binding. As was Charley Bowers, who  I hadn't come across before. Great evening.

Went into Chinon early this morning - Saturday - to find a spot to see the parade for the Marché à l'Ancienne.  The parade started about 10.30am. What an atmosphere. Loads of people about lining the route. Different communities within Chinon take part.

All sorts of modes of transport from times gone by. Horse drawn carriages, ancient tractors, old bicycles and a wonderful array of older cars.

Everyone in the parade dresses up in traditional costumes. There was a marching band, people demonstrating traditional dances.

All sorts of different stalls had been set up and extra eating places had been set up. Our regular vegetable stall who we see every week on the Thursday market as well as Saturday and Sunday mornings, was also there, in their usual spot. But for today they had decorated their stand and dressed up. It all looked great.







Le Marché à l'Ancienne is without doubt one of our favourite events. Chinon was buzzing. Met up with a load  of friends and stopped off for a coffee together. Really lovely start to the weekend.  

Photos - new camera.

Getting About pt2

Had a really good birthday party last Sunday. About 35 people. There were about a dozen who were away on holiday - always the way when you have birthday in August. Anyway this time a great mix of French, British and some American friends. Started at around 6 and finished about 11. We organised an apéro party. Mike and I made all the dishes, except for the birthday cake and extra dishes which some of our friends very kindly made. Went to the boulangerie in Place Mirabeau for my cake. Just felt the need for one. The first time since I was about 12. It was delicious - a gorgeous sponge cake, rectangular in shape with apricot and a little dark chocolate. Was soooo good. The two flavours went so well together. Fizzy from Château de l'Aulée, red from Pointeau, rosé from Couly. Very lucky with weather, so even though it wasn't the hottest evening, everyone was happy to be outside. Ended up with an impromptu singing session. Really pleased with it all.

Getting my head round the new camera (G16). Been getting some practise shots in over the last few days to try and discovering the best settings. Very odd to be working again with something that small and light, although it's by no means the smallest or the lightest compact. Interesting research to find a replacement for the one that was stolen. There were a couple of possibles that had marginally better reviews but didn't for me justify the "twice the price" tag. The G16 is an amazing piece of kit. Really delighted with it. 

Mike in the vegetable garden

Been accepted as a volunteer 'greeter' at the Chinon Tourism Office. Survived an interview in French. First time I've done something like that, so a bit nerve-wracking. It's a good idea which offers a personal perspective to someone who is visiting the town. You take them round over a two hour period. The scheme has just gone live on the website. It's not on a regular basis, just as and when someone books you. Will be interesting to see how it works.

The vegetable patch by the way isn't ours. Some local friends are on holiday and very kindly invited us go picking while they're away. So lots of tomatoes and beans. Lovely.

Getting About part 1

Went into Saumur this morning to visit the château. Only been there once before, which was ages ago. It's an odd place certainly on the inside, most unprepossessing. From the outside it is incredibly imposing as all châteaux were designed to be.  We decided to park down by the river and then walk up, which takes you up to panorama. It doesn't take that long, although in parts in quite steep. But the walk take you close alongside the buttresses and if you look up, the château really looms over you.

It was a lovely day today so the view over the town was very clear. I assume that Napoleon's decision to convert the château into a prison was what kept it from being destroyed but also guaranteed there was a lot of tinkering with the structure. It's very noticeable when you get inside. While a lot of money is being spent on the building there's unfortunately no cohesion inside the building and it's totally lacking in atmosphere. Still glad we went though.

On the way back we stopped off on the spur of the moment at Candes Saint Martin. Incredibly picturesque place that we often taken first-time visitors to see, sitting as it does at the confluence of the Loire and Vienne. This time we stopped for a rekkie at the  Enfin du Vin, a cave/bar which stocks fine wines in the Loire and also serves a small menu of regional gastronomic specialities. We'd heard of it a while ago, but as yet hadn't visited. We came into C.S.M around lunch time - couldn't have been better timing. Wine can be bought in quantity, by the bottle or like us, a glass of wine and a plate of . . . we chose a trilogy of superb rillettes, duck, rabbit and beef, but there's also fish and cheese options, individually or plates to share.  Enfin du Vin is perfectly positioned just off the centre of the village, with decent parking opposite and easy access by pathway down to the entrance which leads directly into the cave/bar, passing by a Barnum covered eating area. Outside and behind the building there's additional seating, with a proper track that locals, visitors, walkers, cyclists use. On the other side of the track is the river. A perfect stopping-off place - which was exactly what happened while we were there. Others arrived for a picnic, dropping into the cave for their wine and a few extra bits. For us it was the selection of white wines that was particularly interesting. We go to a few excellent local wine producers with white wine on their list. But our village is predominantly a red/rosé area. Jean-Louis Loup in Cravant always has a white wine producer at his porte-ouverte. She's wonderful, so we always buy there as she is quite a way off. So to have such a good selection close by at C.S.M. -  20 minutes - is ideal. Also gives us a chance to pick up a few names and visit the domaines.

On the way back stopped for a short walk. The road/route we were one isn't one we take very often, so don't know it well, and can't be precise about where we were. Hadn't realised there was a lake within a forest glade and a walk round.  Light was lovely. It's used as a picnic spot and there also wooden seats scattered round the edge of the lake. No one else there at the time though.

Some traditional boats were moored. But from the look of them and the algae that had set up home on the bows, they'd been abandoned to rot in the water. Great reflections.

The sunlight through the trees was gorgeous as well. We'd almost finished the 'circuit' when we spotted a fallen and now dead bit of branch and leaves. Nothing special about it, other than the sunlight had formed a natural spotlight, with the trees all around creating natural vignetting and a perfectly framed shot for me.