Today is an ‘at home’ day – we are recovering from yesterday’s walk in the woods. Having completed the easier, shorter walks in the guide book, we upped our game and went for one described as ‘difficile’ with ‘une grande boucle (loop) très difficile’. It proved to be quite challenging and had us clambering over endless rocks, wobbling on unsteady terrain, going up and down relentlessly and sometimes just shuffling on our bums! Needless to say, we didn’t take many photos. The weather and scenery (along the River Vendee) were both lovely and we remained cheerful even though we took over 4 hours for the supposedly 2 hour walk.

So today we are catching up with some emails, admin and clients and starting to think about packing up and route planning for our departure on Sunday morning. We are wondering what our electricity bill will be for the month – they have three tier pricing here. When we arrived, we were on the lowest tariff, the last two weeks have been mostly medium tariff and then, yesterday, it went onto high tariff – there’s a little gadget in the kitchen which indicates the tariff for today and tomorrow.

Workmen are still replacing the road surface just in front of our driveway – they do a few hours work on it every few days. Penny warned us to ignore the ‘ROUTE BARREE’ signs when we arrived and I don’t think they’ll complete it before we leave!

This week’s food:

Sweet stuff in France is lovely – pastries, tarts and brioche with jam. The yoghurt section in the supermarket is full of goodies. As well as lovely flavours like lemon and coconut, there is creme brûlée and chocolate fondant dessert – yummy.
Lu biscuits are a favourite – raspberry are just as good as orange but the famous Madeleines we found disappointing.

We’ve had to stop buying French cheese for a while – too tempting!

Supper of the week – Derek’s fish stew was delicious – a 10 out of 10.
Lunch of the week – my salmon and broccoli tart
Culinary disaster of the week – my vegetable tart

Avoid anything ending -ettes. We tried galettes for lunch in a restaurant – v. disappointing – stodgy and tasteless! Pork rillettes likewise – more like cat food than pâté.

Finally, I’ve decided there is always a caterpillar in a French lettuce – wash the leaves well in advance to give him time to crawl out.

Out and about:

Despite the cool weather, there are still quite a few summery flowers around including fuchsias, geraniums and alstroemeria.

You rarely see a foreign made car in rural France – it’s all Citroens, Peugeots, Renaults.

Passers by don’t always say hello and car drivers don’t flash their lights and let you out.

Villages generally look closed – hardly anyone about.

Vendeen sheep ( we did a website for owners of a local flock near Shipston) we have just realised are from The Vendee.

We’ve seen huge flocks of birds wheeling around in the sky and quite a few buzzards but otherwise not much wildlife. There are a lot of hunters around – maybe they’ve shot it all.

Saturday’s weather was chilly but sunny and bright with a clear blue sky so we set off for Les Sables d’Olonne. The bikes are loaded and Barb has put together the usual picnic.

Just an hour away, Les Sables is a large seaside resort on the west coast in a large bay bordering the Atlantic.

We were pleasantly surprised when we arrived. Easy to park right on the Port du Peche with cafés lining the quay. We quickly found the cycling path and headed off. Literally just around the corner, we were stunned to see miles of open beach – golden sands, blue sky and gentle waves. There were even some nutters playing in the surf.

We headed along the coast on a clearly marked and segregated cycle path. It went on for miles – all the way to La Tranche – after about 4k we turned back and found a sheltered spot near the town. Picnic on the beach despite the aggressive gulls was yum!

More cycling – this time to the north and more cycling paths. The Vendee a velo routes are brilliant. After another session on the bikes we return to the car and go for a wander through the town. Again – a pleasant surprise. Lots of people strolling about in the winter sunshine. Lovely, independent shops, nice food and easy strolling.

Easy drive back to Saint Valerien. A really lovely day.

[Show slideshow]

Our third week and we are in the groove – the usual shopping, cooking, walking and cycling taking up most of our time. Leclerc sells everything including replacement brake pads for Derek’s bike, key rings and a Thermos amongst other stuff on our list.  We also managed to track down booklets at Fontenay Tourist Office showing detailed maps of the cycle and walking routes in the Mervent Forest so we are now setting off with rather more confidence that we won’t get lost.

Derek’s legs suffered on Monday as he did a 30 mile bike ride in the morning and then, as it was such a lovely afternoon, we set off for a 10k walk through Pouilly and L’Hermenault.  He’d recovered by Wednesday so we did cycle route 3 through the Mervent Forest.  It’s a lovely area about 20 minutes drive from here with a lake surrounded by a forest of mostly oak trees.  We went back today to do walking route 2 which was really scenic and very peaceful – I think we saw two cyclists and one fisherman all morning.  The weather this week is much cooler and crisper with lovely blue skies and even ground frost one morning – gloves and snoods were required although we haven’t been cold, even when sitting at picnic benches halfway round with our coffee and brioches (holiday motto: never go anywhere without a drink and a snack in the backpack).

[Show slideshow]

Sunday morning dawns much colder and quite grey. There’s more rugby this afternoon but we need a good walk so we search all the guide books to no avail. We decide to head back to Mervent – a nearby forest with 2 rivers flowing through it, the Mere and the Vendee.  Both have been dammed to create a huge leisure area for walking, cycling and water sports. Unfortunately we have little information so decide to wing it.  Armed with hats, gloves, snoods and walking boots we set off and find a parking area. The trail is clearly marked and march briskly through the woods very much like the New Forest.  There are joggers, cyclists and other walkers so we are encouraged to push on.

Eventually we drop down a steep path to the ‘Barrage de Mervent” and find ourselves overlooking one of the lakes.  On a better day it would be very picturesque but today it is quite grey, nonetheless we take the usual array of pictures and head back up the slope and back to the picnic area.

Pain au raisin and coffee slip down a treat and we head back to the car.

The forest is a network of footpaths, cycle tracks and bridle paths and we vow to find the nearest tourist office that might be open at this time of year to pick up some better maps.

Back at La Grange Barb puts together a well deserved lunch and we ‘FaceTime’ with Danny for an hour.  Oh the wonders of the internet.

A crisp, sunny day – no heating on in the house but a cool breeze outside in the shade.  Off for a bike ride first thing – 10k via Saint Martin and L’Hermenault.  There is hardly any traffic on these French rural roads and the tarmac is all lovely and smooth – none of the fearsome potholes along the lanes near Wedge Meadow!

After cleaning the bikes, Derek decided to take some more photos against the clear, blue sky so there is a selection including our neighbours’ cats and two lovely Lurcher/Collie cross dogs, Charlie and Lola.  He also made a video of the inside of La Grange but is having trouble loading it up – maybe later.  We will be watching the rugby Wales v Argentina and England highlights later on tv.  Yesterday we booked (hopefully) some tickets online  to go to see Montpellier v Leicester Tigers on Dec 15th so looking forward to that – it will give Derek a chance to wear one of his Tigers polo shirts haha!

The big tree in the photo is the fig tree which provides the name for Fig Trees Farm.

[Show slideshow]

Friday is a lovely, bright sunny morning – crisp with clear blue sky. We drove into nearby Saint Hermine to stock up on food for the weekend. The market was small but had the usual lovely displays and friendly stallholders. We got really tempted in the boulangerie and then wandered around Casino supermarket picking out some typically French items in a bid not to buy the same old familiar things.

There is sweet stuff galore and we chose some madeleines, a brioche tressee, some speculoos biscuits, creme brûlée and some stripy sweets called Arlequins. On the savoury side, we are trying Coulommiers cheese and one of those gnarled dry sausages (saucisson sec) that always look rather scary. Someone also recommended Apericubes (little cubes of various cheeses to have as aperitifs)! We haven’t tried any restaurants yet so I’ve been doing a lot of cooking which I really enjoy.

Derek has been for a long, lycra-clad (i.e.fast and without me) bike ride, had a cup of tea and is now washing the car. Probably just curl up on the sofa tonight and watch the Friday night telly.

Bon week-end tout le monde!

After a quiet Remembrance Day bank holiday weekend, we drove out to the coast on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The weather forecast was better though it proved very changeable.  We set off on a very misty morning to La Tranche sur Mer on Tuesday but by mid afternoon the temperature was up to 20!  On Wednesday we drove to Ile de Re – cold and windy when we got there but lovely and sunny in the afternoon.  Anyway, we always enjoy seeing the sea and were really pleased with both trips.

At La Tranche sur Mer we had a ‘tailgate’ lunch from the back of the Volvo and then a long walk along the beach; on Ile de Re we cycled along lots of tailor-made cycle paths, having a rest at lunchtime for a picnic on a bench at Saint Martin.  Both resorts had the familiar look of the seaside in winter, but there’s something really enjoyable about having the beach to yourself.

[Show slideshow]

Photographic note:  all photos taken on Derek’s mobile, apologies for thumbs in the way (idiot photographers!) and enjoy Derek’s first attempt at a video, shot on his phone – don’t think it will be a YouTube sensation!  I am particularly pleased with the photo of my bike with a baguette sticking out of a pannier – tres francais!

Today (Thursday) we are having a catch-up day consisting of various housekeeping chores both digital and domestic – managed to eat lunch outside in the sun though as I write, it is cool, wet and windy.  Very autumnal!  Tomorrow we plan to go to the market at Saint Hermine.

In general, nearly two weeks into our stay, we feel really relaxed here.  There are always a few frustrations – unsettled weather, Derek losing and eventually finding his keys, the fridge being way too cold and freezing the salad – but overall, it’s working out well.  Hate to think how many baguettes, camemberts, tartes aux pommes and pains aux raisins we’ve got through!

It looks like being a really wet day here though it seems to be the case everywhere.  There’s plenty of rugby on the telly for me and Strictly tonight for Barb – in the meantime, Barb is cooking and I’m researching future travel arrangements.
We had a good day yesterday. A bit of work in the morning and then the sun came out so we abandoned the clients and went off on our bikes. Barb seems to be getting on well with her new velo – we were out for about an hour and a half and did 16K.
After lunch it was off to LeClerc in Fontenay to stock up as it is yet another holiday weekend here in France. Everything closed until Tuesday. Do they ever do any work?  The village where we are staying is in the middle of road repairs. They seem to come for a couple of days – do a bit – then disappear. They won’t be back now till Tuesday.

Just plan to chill over the weekend – maybe get to the coast if the sun comes out again. The weather is set to improve next week so I think the clients might get a bit neglected.
Danny went to the Spurs game on Thursday at White Hart Lane and I watched it on the tele here. It seemed a bit weird to think we were in France and he was somewhere in the crowd.
The photos show me working hard (haha) and if you enlarge it and look carefully, you can see a weird seasonal mixture of a rose, grapes and autumn Virginia Creeper growing on the wall behind me.

The hibiscus and bougainvillea were in Fontenay La Chapelle – always pleased to see them ‘cos they remind us of Bermuda.

Sunshine this morning – we drove to nearby Lucon, had a coffee sitting outside, a walk in the park and then a bike ride along the canal.  Not bad for November!  It clouded over by late afternoon so we went to the supermarket in Saint Hermine on the way back.  They are digging up the road here in Saint Valerien right at the top of the drive so we had to park at our neighbours – got to meet their two dogs.