Festival of Wind, a Wedding and Bric a Brac in Villefagnan

Villefagnan has been very lively during August.
On Sunday 10th there was a Fete de Vent at our windmill (Moulin de Pierre Blanches - windmill of white stone) on the outskirts of town. There were tractors and combine harvesters, so Phil felt right at home. There were machines from days gone by working in the fields. We missed the ploughing competition but saw some very handsome Shire horses.There were stalls full of local produce and we even had a tour of the windmill. We joined in with the 5 course repas which was wonderful and we sat next to the lady mayor and her husband. Charentais melon with red Pineau de Charentes to start, followed by some sort of meat crudites. Main course was a pig roast cooked by our new friend, the life and soul of the village, Jean Paul. Cheese followed with lovely bread and than a dessert of either apple or cherry tart. We had both and shared.
Such a lovely day and the rain held off before we made our way home.
A selection of photos and a video below.

Bread made from flour from the windmill being baked in outdoor oven

The repas

Interesting guests at repas

Views around the windmill

The following weekend there was a big wedding. The door to the church was dressed and there were lots of people speaking English, French and Italian. (An English girl with a french mother married an Italian) I understand the wedding lasted several days and that there were 250 guests. There was a great feeling in Villefagnan this weekend.

The door to the church - wedding day

Yesterday the 18th Annual Bric a Brac at Villefganan took place. in recent years it has been at the windmill but this year has been brought back into the streets of the village. Not a small affair either. They closed the road off just outside our house and also at the other end of the village. Stall holders were setting up by 6.30am and there were a couple of hundred in all the streets and the square and around by the church. People came from far and wide and I'm so pleased that it was held in the village as local businesses benefited. Helen at L'Etoile D'Or said they were going to open at 9am anyway but because there were so many people they opened their doors at 7am. They were fully booked for the special lunch they put on as well. Brilliant!
There were all sorts of weird and wonderful things for sale including a milking machine, local win, dried sausages, and lots of treasures that were seeking new homes. I bought a lovely Hibiscus Marais (huge flowers) from a lovely couple who are based at Champagne Mouton. Great quality and value so will definitely be visiting them in the future.

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What a great event. Some friends had stalls so I hope they were successful. Maybe next year we can clear some of our treasures.

Friends to stay - and how hard they worked!

 

Our friends Paul and Di arrived for a couple of days. Paul said he was coming to help Phil clear the roof of sedum and moss that was stopping water draining away during heavy rain and consequently pouring in to our bedroom and also the new kitchen below.

Every time it rains heavily we have to bring in the buckets, bowls and saucepans.
Well we relaxed Monday afternoon and Di and I had a dunk in the pool. Pool temperature was 30 degrees whilst outside recently the air temperature has nose dived. I understand it is connected to Hurricane Bertha that hit the US recently and has affected Northern Europe.

We had a BBQ in the evening just before the rains came.
Tuesday we got up and Paul had his overalls on before we had finished our coffee. He was up on the roof in no time and when he got up there he realised it was worse than we had thought. Not only sackloads of sedum but many tiles had crumbled.

Phil had discovered a rotting beam holding up the roof of the covered terrace on the house side so Phil and I went to our local builders merchants to get some wood to support the roof and old beam. Phil got that in fairly easily, but whilst fixing the guttering bove it the corner of the house fell down. A great big boulder fell but Paul again to the rescue managed to get it up and cement it in. 


Boy did Paul graft. He had a break for lunch and then got back up there determined to finish. 
Di and I were surplus to requirements so we went around the village and had a trip to the windmill. There was a little tour going on that a family had pre-booked so we saw the sails turning. The heavens opened whilst we were there and we cycled back in the rain, which had also stopped work on the roof.
Anyway just in time to get changed and go out to dinner the work was all done. We have sackloads of broken tiles to take to the dechetterie but the roof looks great.

Here are some before and after photos. This sedum was EVERYWHERE! 

 

On Tuesday night we went to La Marmite restaurant in Mansle. Sadly it rained so we couldn't sit in their lovely courtyard but we had a great meal. Will definitely be going back again.

We got a look at the beautiful Charente river which runs through this small market town.

Bridge at Mansle

Huge thanks to you both and we look forward to seeing you again in. September.

Xx

The last 2 weeks

Since Rich left we have been busy again.
After dropping him off at the airport we explored the DIY stores in Angouleme. Many people have recommended we go to them but we have been happy to get building materials in the village and Plisson give us a good deal. However there are some things we can't get locally and/or the selection is not so large. We don't need the tiles for the kitchen floor yet but we wanted to check out what is available and the prices. I am hoping we will find some nice large tiles that are light enough to make the room look larger but mottled enough not to show the dirt for around €9 per square metre.

We have done so much in the last couple of weeks that it is easier to list.
I have put Ton Pierre (literally 'your stone') paint to cover the nasty grey concrete that has been used to 'mend' parts of the outside.
Work has begun in the kitchen. the day after Rich left the electrics and plumbing in for the washing machine were done. This was placed in situ and was working by that evening.

I have painted shutters to Bedroom2 - which Rich helped take off and bring in through the window when he was here.
Outside the door to what will be Gite 1 and the front door have also been painted in the blue-grey that is permitted here. I have undercoated the huge door to the new kitchen. After that only two windows to do on house number 1.

Since plumbing in the washing machine  in we have the stud partition up for the utility room and it is plasterboarded and the door is hung.
we have chipped concrete out of the long kitchen wall. Someone went mad with it at one point i the past and it is hard work to get rid of. This wall is going to stay au natural and I have started pointing it using the same chaux and sand mix as when we did our bedroom all those months ago. This is yet to be finished as Phil wanted to get into the kitchen to install plumbing and electrics.
Of course this was easier said than done. Phil started to lay the electric cabling and came across stone under the floor. it was too big to go round and had to come up. the stone soon became a boulder and this is what we had to remove and take out of the house. Phil's words were - 'I only wanted to lay a bit of cable'.

I only wanted to lay a bit of cable

Boulder leaving the house

The first night we had a kettle sitting on some worktop.

The start of the kitchen

We now have a working sink - with hot water, after boiling kettles for 3 weeks. There is a plumbed in and working dishwasher and the cooker that Maria and Mike donated to us which Phil converted to LPG gas is in and working. We have to replace a couple of parts. The timer knob has come off and also a part that holds a small splashback at the rear of it is missing. Also the diagrams for the cooker knob showing cooker, grill and temperatures has worn away so we need to come up with a cunning plan so we know where to set the dial. We're managing well so far and it is a joy to be able to cook again. There have been some leaks and parts that haven't fit properly. The disadvantages of using English pipes. If we embarked on this again we would definitely use French plumbing. Poor Phil was solving one leak and another would appear but finally he has cracked it.

It's going to be a long haul but it's great to have it starting to look like a real kitchen.

Coming together

Meanwhile outside we have been trying to keep on top of the garden and courtyard. Our honeysuckle is having a second burst even after Phil cut it back and the roses just keep on blooming. I guess dead heading works! Phil has put a new washing line and post up for me as the old post was rotten and invariably washing would end up on the ground when it collapsed. I have painted the legs of a table that we are rejuvenating for the kitchen and I have bought a colourful tablecloth and cushions for when we have guests. Phil has added more of the fairy lights to the covered terrace and it looks so pretty at night.


I have taken a few photos below which I will probably use for our website and Facebook page when I start work on that this winter. What do you think?

Outside Gite 2

Outside Gite 2 looking towards Gite 1 and our bench under the honeysuckle

Hope to post more very soon. Thanks to my loyal followers - I hope you like what we are doing and get to see for yourselves very soon.
Much love xx

james alexander paintings: Baptism of fire

Whilst this has nothing to do with our French project this is well worth while a read from a very special friend of mine.
james alexander paintings: Baptism of fire: My father died in February. Going through his papers, I found photographs, documents and articles about a largely ignored, but extraordinar...

Preparing for Rich's arrival and his stay with us

Whilst the walls were coming down downstairs we were locked away in the first guest bedroom's en suite.

The shower and basin were connected. mirror was fixed along with an over mirror light and then came the tiling and grouting of the walls and the floor.

We finished the evening before Rich's arrival, just in time.

Whilst the room itself isn't totally finished we reached a point where we could happily have a guest stay.

I made up the bed with the Dunelm Mill Hotel range sheets and duvet set. A lovely 300 thread cotton set which feels silky smooth to the touch. The curtain rail went up with green curtains so it was starting to look fresh and comfy.

We made up 2 bedside cabinets but the chest of drawers had to wait as we were out of time.

During this week we also erected our 3 metre diameter pool. It's about 30 inches deep and only took 20 minutes to put up. A lot longer to fill with water. Being so busy we had only managed to get in once or twice.

On the Saturday morning we got up to drive to Limoges Bellegarde airport to pick Rich up. We had to leave before his flight had even left Bristol! Due to thunderstorms he was delayed, but only by 20 minutes.

It was wonderful watching his Ryan Air flight land. 

The airport at Limoges is very modern and small but very well organised. We could sit outside in the cafe and have coffee and pain au raisins whilst watching the planes land. We watched as around 180 people disembarked. I was by the fence watching out for him and Phil was sitting in the cafe mouthing the words 'Wrong flight' at me.

However last to come off was my boy. I was so excited and waved crazily. As always it is my job to embarrass him but I did get a wave back. Inside the airport we could see him at passport control every time the door opened to release more arrivals. There he was just sauntering at the back of the queue. He does make me suffer sometimes.

I was quite emotional and it was great to see him. By this time the sun was coming out and the temperature was on the rise. After a drive back via Le Clerc our favourite supermarket we came back to chill for the afternoon. Rich has an interest in supermarkets because of his role in Stock Control at Tesco so it wasn't the purgatory supermarkets can be for young men.

We spent the afternoon chilling and in the pool which was great before going down to L'Etoile d'Or in the evening to show him off. Everyone knew he was coming and the landlord, John – introduced himself saying 'you must be My Rich then'.

The week flew by. We visited the Plan d'Eau at Les Gourds and Rich helped put the chest of drawers together in his room.

We visited La Rochelle on Tuesday and stayed over. Sadly Rich only saw the inside of the hotel room as he wasn't very well for 24 hours.

Phil and I left himto it – there was nothing we could do to make him feel any better and after a couple of fab cocktails we wandered along the front by the harbour where we had a bit to eat and watched some of the street acts.

One in oparticular was excellent. 2 acrobats who were very talented and very funny. Rich would really have loved them. It was such a shame.

In the morning he was feeling better so we had breakfast by the harbour and then wandered around town for a while before driving back. I think Rich just wanted to get back here and chill, which is exactly what we did.

On the Thursday evening Phil took us to Le Rejallant where we had an amazing meal by the Charente. A beautiful evening.

Outside Le Rejallant, Condac

Phil and I outside Le Rejallant on teh banks of the Charente River

Dining with a view - looks happy!

Me and my 'baby'

On the Friday we had arranged to meet friends at our own Plan d'Eau in Villefagnan for a bite to eat. I had booked a table (for 11 of us) and there was a band due to come on about 8pm. We got caught in torrential rain on the way down and were all very wet in spite of having borrowed an umbrella from the good folks at L'Etoile d'Or.

After our friends arrived it dried up and the band came on. I can honestly say they are the worst group I have ever see. The girls who were supposed to be backing singers were far too loud. In fact later in the evening when they disappeared for a few minutes and the men in the band played on their own it was much better.

They were called 'Never Too Old to Rock' and whilst they weren't old they also lacked any talent. In spite of this we had a great evening and our new friend Dee gave us a lift back so we could get some shut eye before heading back to Limoges very early for Rich's homeward flight.

The time had flown by and I hope he enjoyed his stay and that he comes again very soon.