Work!!

I haven't been working recently, but Susan has. This past week she has worked five days, four of them walking tours, and one a chauffeured tour using Claudette.

Because I am still undergoing treatment we're unable to commit to any work where I need to drive Claudette. This means that for the meantime we're not taking any bookings for chauffeured tours. However, we already had some bookings that were made before the current 'crisis'. 

This left us in a bit of a quandary. We really didn't want to cancel longstanding bookings, especially as one was from people who had taken a tour with us in 2013 and were returning to the Loire Valley. Luckily, many years ago our friend Olivier had offered his services if we needed a second (or third) driver. Olivier knows Traction Avants - not only does he own a stable full of them, he wrote one of the definitive books about them.

Olivier and Claudette (with clients)

So when we needed someone to drive on our long booked tours, Olivier immediately sprang to mind. Luckily he jumped at the chance to spend quality time driving for us. 

What a relief (driver)!

Back Before it Rained

I wrote two weeks ago that the river level was down. It has rained quite a bit since then, but the last time I checked, the river was still low.

These are some more photos of the Claise at the lowest we have ever seen it.

Fishing is forbidden while work is being done on the weir.

The riverbed was visible from the bridge

Look Out For Angle Shades in the Touraine Loire Valley

The Angle Shades moth Phlogophora meticulosa (Fr. Méticuleuse) is nocturnal, with red-brown and olive wings. The caterpillars are not very fussy and will eat a variety of low growing plants, from grass to dead nettles. The adult moths are migratory, and the species is found especially in vineyards.