New Developments at Saint Pierre des Corps

We are occasionally at Saint Pierre des Corps (4km de Tours) Station, which has recently been refurbished to go with the opening of the new high speed train line to Bordeaux. There are many changes, some which have been finished (the new WCs, the waiting room on platform 2), some which are still in progress (the ticket office is one). It is also likely that the station name will be changed, possibly to Tours-Saint Pierre des Corps.

My favorite changes so far are the bright pink columns on platform 1 which include some services:

So now you can polish your shoes, re-charge your phone, and use the free wi-fi all whilst waiting for a brand new, 320kmh double decker train.

Ace!

This is what summer looks like there

But only if you're the roughty toughty outdoors type, of course...

This is in contrast to last Tuesday's post.

Philippe de Hautecloque

Bust of General Leclerc on the bridge at Amboise.

Philippe de Hautecloque was the fourth son of an old aristocratic French family. He trained as a cavalry and tank officer at the military school in Saumur, politically was extremely right wing, a devout Catholic and fluent in German. He fought in the Second World War, escaping twice from German captivity and joining de Gaulle in exile in England. Present during the liberation of Paris and the surrender of the Japanese, his military career took him to Indochina and later to Algeria, where he was killed at the age of 45 in a plane crash.

 The Leclerc Museum in Paris.

He is better known both to French people and to the rest of the world as General Leclerc, but this name is a nom de guerre that he used from June 1940, after the surrender of France. It allowed him to operate at a high level, leading Free French Forces in Africa, without endangering his family, who remained trapped in France.

'Captain Bronne of the Leclerc Division, in his tank Romilly
 is the first Frenchman to arrive at the Town Hall.'

Drinking in the Rain

On Sunday we held one of our monthly networking gatherings, which doubled as a birthday party for Simon. People very generously brought not just contributions to the shared table, but little presents for Simon too. We got Belgian chocolate, French, English and Belgian beer, homemade mayonnaise, Dutch caramel wafer biscuits and syrup, wild picked blackberries and a couple of very well chosen books. 

We don't have much parking near our house, and a couple of people attending commented on how there were people carrying trays of food converging from all directions on our house when they walked down from the market place or up from the park. I identified one lost soul in the street as 'one of ours' by the fact she was carrying a tray of food. We'd never met before, she had been invited by a friend.

Although the weather forecast wasn't promising, because we expected around 40 people, we decided to take the risk of holding it outdoors because that many people inside is a bit squished. In the end we welcomed around 50 people, and they all stood around nonchalantly in the rain once it started. Some had come prepared with waterproof coats and umbrellas. I handed out more umbrellas, and some people retreated to the garage, but some just ignored the drizzle and mingled determinedly.

These events just about run themselves. I send out invitations and instructions, then people just turn up and talk and drink and eat. They speak a mixture of English, French and Dutch and include English, Scottish, Irish, French, Australians, South Africans, Dutch and Americans. A lot of them read the blog, not all of them live in France full time. Some live in Belgium, the Netherlands, England or South Africa for much of the year. Long may our Eurocentric lives continue.

Christ on the Cross

The most remarkable object in the parish church at Fontevraud is this polychrome wooden sculpture of Christ on the cross. It was carved in the 15th century but discovered in the attic of the presbytery in 1952. The body is tortured, but the face peaceful. His fingers are extended in a gesture of benefaction.

I think this crucifixion is an arresting and moving work of art (although it fails to stir any strictly religious feelings in me). Compare it to this much cruder crucifix from Ligeuil, with its agonised and despairing Christ who is nonetheless in the same tradition, and was also found tucked away out of sight in an attic.

Halloween Comes Early

Simon is modelling his new black bathrobe, a gift from our friend Penelope. She bought it for herself because it was €5 at Noz, but it is much too big for her. Simon was the biggest person she could think of to give it to. It fits him perfectly.

This is What Summer Looks Like Here

In the background wheat is being harvested, in the foreground, sunflowers at their most glorious. (This photo is from last year.)

Translating Tintamarre

Emile serving Tintamarre to Joy and Jheanne.

Our friends at Chateau Gaudrelle very kindly invited us to the launch of their new wine, a natural sparkling chenin blanc that they have dubbed Tintamarre. We asked our South African friends Joy and Jheanne if they wanted to go and they were delighted, since they hadn't had a chance to visit a winery so far while they've been here. The wine is gently bubbly, fresh and fruity. We liked it a lot (I bought a case for our apéro yesterday).

Rillettes (pork paste) and Sainte Maure de Touraine goats cheese to go with the wine.

We asked Laetitia what 'tintamarre' translated as and she thought a bit and said 'hurly-burly', but acknowledged that she'd need to double check that. It is what you get when you put the word into Google, but having consulted widely (well, Christophe at l'Image and Jill, who looked in her big serious dictionary...) I don't think it's the best translation. We think it's more like 'hullabaloo', as it doesn't seem to refer to movement, but to noise, particularly a din or racket with percussive or chinking glass sounds.

Chateau Gaudrelle Tintamarre.

Sadly, Joy and Jheanne returned to South Africa today. The town of Preuilly had adopted them for the duration of their stay, and they received considerable encouragement to buy a house here and move here permanently. I reckon they'd easily win a vote of 'most popular new resident' if such a thing was held. We will truly miss Joy and Jheanne a lot. Thank goodness we've got a ready supply of Tintamarre available, to raise a glass to them on a regular basis.

King for a Day

Today is Simon's birthday. 

This is how he celebrated last year.

Don't Panic!

Yesterday was the first day in ages (probably 6 or 7 years) where we didn't have a blog post. This was because we went out for a pre-lunch apero at 11.00am on Thursday, and didn't get home until 8.30pm, and then had to do office stuff before going to bed early in order to leave home at 6.45am yesterday to work.

Then I was going to do an "on the road" blog post from Chenonceaux using our "smart" (it isn't) phone, but I couldn't remember my password,

But here's a photo of Claudette in Amboise from yesterday afternoon instead...

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Tomorrow is our monthly apero evening. If you're in the area (Preuilly sur Claise) and haven't received an invitation drop us a line using the links on the right (click on Susan's name)

Windows of le Mans

After Tuesday's doors, it's windows for Thursday

Le Gros Chillou

One day a couple of years ago I was driving to Chinon and I happened to take the route which runs parallel to the north bank of the river from l'Ile Bouchard. On reaching the tiny hamlet of Briançon, in the commune of Cravant-les-Coteau, I saw to my astonishment an enormous prehistoric ruin on my left. I didn't have time to stop but vowed to look it up on the internet to find out exactly what it was and to return with Simon.

Last week when he came up to Chinon to pick me up after I had spent a few days there working with Walking Adventures we took the opportunity to stop off at Briançon and check out the monument.

The dolmen, made of Turonien sandstone probably sourced 2-3 kilometres away on the Vienne valley slopes, is at least 15 metres long and 3 metres high. The name 'gros chillou' means 'big rocks' and it would have taken considerable effort to move them from the valley sides to their site near the river. It is the biggest dolmen in the Touraine.

It is right on the roadside, on the D8, on the left if you are heading for Chinon, tucked up against a house. Unable to move the stones, the 19th century owners simply partially incorporated it into their house. Nowadays, tipped up and ruined, it was uncovered in August 1956 by a group of amateur enthusiasts. A local archaeologist said at the end of the 20th century, 'like all those on the right bank of the Vienne, it was constructed in the valley, and not much above the level of the water. It must have been submerged more than once by floods. The opening is oriented towards the east.'

The two front supports remain in place, about 3 metres apart. The slab which they supported was broken into two parts, one of which, almost vertical, rests on the right-hand support, the other, which exceeds 6 meters in its largest dimension, remains raised obliquely on the left-hand support. Beyond that, we can identify 3 other slabs, a support on the right and the bottom, in two parts, joined on each side by buildings 4 meters apart. 

Archaeological investigations were undertaken in the 19th century, but found nothing of interest.

Further reading: The Touraine Insolite page on the monument, in French, but with maps and diagrams.

Doors of le Mans

Last week Susan had a couple of days work starting in Mont St Michel, so we drove up and took the opportunity to spend a day in le Mans on our way.

Here are 1% of the photos we took that day:

Le Mans is excellent, and we will be returning with experts to tell us what we are looking at (hi Niall and Antoinette!)

Style

I photographed this woman outside Saint Pierre des Corps railway station. I thought she was extraordinarily stylish (and apparently impervious to hot weather...) The shoes in particular caught my eye.

Corkwood

These unassuming leaves belong to a Corkwood Duboisia myoporoides tree that I photographed in Ravensborne National Park, close to where I grew up in Australia. The tree was used in traditional Aboriginal medicine, but the knowledge of what it treated was almost lost. Luckily, modern science picked up on the qualities of the plant and now it is grown for the commercial extraction of hyosine, a muscle relaxant used to treat stomach problems, the side effects of cancer treatments and eye trauma. It is also effective against travel sickness. Beware though, hyosine is produced by the plant to protect itself, and in the quantities present in the leaves and berries make them toxic if ingested.

What Happens When You Open Windows

The wildlife comes in -- pigeons, swallows, bats, the neighbour's cats, all sorts of insects...

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As regular readers would be aware, we are involved in the scheme to have the Chapelle De Tous Les Saints in Preuilly (and in particular its Danse Macabre) restored. We have reached our first target for public donations, but there will always be a need for more money to push the project on.

The Maison de Pays (also known as our tourist office) in the Grande Rue is holding an exhibition and sale of patchwork items for the next couple of weeks, with the proceeds going towards the restoration funds. Get down there, buy something, because every little helps.

Last Night

We had this

followed by this

followed by this

and then the sensible ones amongst us were in bed by 1.30am.

It's awful quiet around town this morning!

Floral Extravagance

As most readers probably know, the chateau of Chenonceau has huge and magnificent floral arrangements in every room. It is one of their USPs. No other chateau wants the expense or dares take such a curatorial risk (flowers stain, vases get knocked over...) I rarely photograph the arrangements, mainly because I am concentrating on my clients when I see them, but also because in museum level light with no flash allowed they are impossible to photograph well with a point and shoot. This arrangement, which particularly appealed to me, was photographed on a very hot day when all the windows were open, so although it's not sharp by any means, you get the idea. I am always amused when they use duckweed to float orchids in.

Two Stage Grapes

Chenin blanc grapes photographed in Vouvray on 19 June, 

showing developing grapes left and flowers on the right.

This year, because of the frosts in April that occurred after an initial warm spell, the grapes didn't know whether they were coming or going. Many vines have grapes that are pea sized from flowers in late May along side tiny newly formed berries that have developed from a second flowering in mid June. This is potentially a problem at harvest time, as they could still be at different stages of development.

Where is the Ant Spray?

Every spring ants troop into our house and are impossible to discourage for a couple of weeks until the weather changes. Obviously Cheverny has the same problem. These appeared in June and are part of the second annual exhibition of Lego at the chateau, which illustrates the fables of La Fontaine.

Sanctuary at the Abbey

The large House Martin Delichon urbica (Fr. Hirondelle de fenêtre) colony which is nesting between the corbels at the Abbey in Preuilly seems to be doing well. There were little faces peeking out of every nest in late June.

Tracks on the Track

A rural track on the Darling Downs in south-east Queensland.

A close up of the wallaby tracks that can be seen in the photo above.

Goanna tracks just around the bend.

Through a Glass

An arty shot of the chapel at the Chateau of Cingé, taken from the attic of the main chateau building.

The chateau of Cingé is the private home of my friend Hélène, and is not open to the public.

Nothing to be Feared

I don't think there is much to be feared from this reaper these days.

The Bucolic Side of Chateau Life

The geese, the old limestone barn, the blue shutters, the terracotta tile roof -- what more could the image want? This is the basse cour (farmyard) at a friend's place. It may be a chateau, but it's also a working farm.

Summer Bat Survey

The local summer bat survey took place on 23 June and we didn't see very many species, but it was an enjoyable day out in the field (with convivial lunch provided by Jean-Claude once again).

 Virginie's notes.

 The note says:
Count with the local history association
Friday 23 June 2017

1. Cingé -- the Lesser Horseshoes are in the latrines and the cellar.
21 adults
3 juveniles (still nursing)

Natacha, Valentin, Axelle -- League for the Protection of Birds (LPO)
Virginie -- representing two bat groups and the LPO
Melanie and Coline -- Claise Living Heritage in the Touraine.
Dominique, Jean-Claude, Susan -- local history association.

No Barbastelles.
1 Greater Mouse-eared in the stairwell.

2. The Doucet's cave in Preuilly
-- nothing -- wet.

2a. LPO La Guerche
1 Geoffroy's.

Water flows down the cave walls.

Despite how hot and dry it was outside, inside the Doucet's cave (a former limestone quarry) it was positively dripping. Water is percolating through the ceiling and forming stalactites and staining (the yellow colour will be iron brought by the water). I assume all this water is still working its way through the geology after the floods twelve months ago.

Local vermouth maturing.

We were reminded in a jokey way not to touch Monsieur Doucet's private stash of homemade vin d'épine, a local vermouth flavoured with blackthorn sprigs. My friend Paul has given me his family recipe, which makes 30 litres. Probably more than I really need...

Horses Eat Walnuts

I bet you didn't know that! I didn't until I witnessed my friend Hélène's horse doing so.

He's a lovely animal, and he wasn't just having an idle nibble. He reached up several times and pulled some leafy twigs off to munch on.

European Walnut Juglans regia leaves are used in herbal medicine. They are aromatic, astringent and bitter tasting, from the tannins and a substance called juglone that they contain. It is the juglone which gives the brown stain to everything walnut leaves touch, and it is used in the food and cosmetics industry as a natural brown colourant. The substance is similar to the colour contained in henna. Juglone is toxic in high quantities, but very unstable once exposed to the air (as evidenced by the staining changing colour from yellow to black). It may turn out to be effective against cancer -- research is ongoing.

(The American species Black Walnut J. nigra contains much higher levels of juglone and can cause nasty problems for horses, most notably if walnut sawdust is used in their bedding.)