Summer time in Poitou Charentes

Well, summertime has arrived at last! The weather is wonderful and life is nothing but parties, picnics and barbecues!

Of course this makes life so much easier when entertaining B&B’s or family and friends who have come over for a holiday from the UK & further afield!—ie my son Tom actually got to see us this year. It is the first time that he has been here as he lives in Taiwan! Living in the high- rise city of Taipei is very different from rural France, but I think he was quite impressed!

We were surprised by his skin pallor, considering that he comes from an area where the  all- year- round annual average temperature is well over 25C—but a couple of days in the garden & in & out of the pool saw the start of a healthy tan. I’m not sure that it developed much more when he returned to his older sister’s house in the UK though!

He came over here with his other sister (who has been many times before) and we decided that we’d really push the boat out to show him what a great place the Poitou-Charentes is to live and to visit!

Arriving at Limoges airport from Leeds on a Sunday afternoon is not advisable—with hindsight I’d have advised that they travel Wednesday to Wednesday ( which is the only alternative when travelling from Leeds to Limoges).

Here we find that Sundays are the busiest and most entertaining day of the week—brocantes, village picnics and randonnees all take place on a Sunday. Tom & Ellie arrived at the end of the Beauregard dog & Pony Fun day—and left a week later in the middle of the Asnois annual picnic—also missing the Charroux Tableaux! Unfortunate, but they enjoyed themselves sufficiently to be less upset than I wasnot to mention their father who ran the taxi service!

So…what did we do?

It was 27^th of the month—and very tempting to take them to Rouiallac market—but quite a drive for us, and oh, so hot!

We took them to Civray market. Ellie & I had a fun time searching through jewelry. Tomnot a renown church-goer, was more impressed by the church. I must say, the internal decorations are nearly as spectacular as those we saw at St Savin cathedral a couple of months ago.

For lunch we headed to the Dixieland café at Verteuil where we’d heard that a live jazz singer would be performing. We discovered Dixieland last month when we went to the Verteuil music festival—a wonderful Sunday afternoon, spent picnicking in the grounds of the historical chateau at Verteuil-en-Charente and listening to an assortment of bands—French, English and International—and headlined by Dr Feelgood! ( No—I’m not particularly up in rock music either—and I hadn’t heard of him/them—but they were very good!)

Lunch was delicious (‘ best chips I’ve eaten since coming to France 4 years ago’ said my husband!)—the music great, and we didn’t get home until nearly 3.30! This didn’t leave long for a dip in the pool and quick preparations for a picnic. We’d all been invited to a 61^st(!!) birthday barn party—bring your own picnic! That evening!
Tom was mightily impressed. ‘I was so worried that you’d be lonely –moving to France—all on your own’ he said!

The next day we went to Chauvigny. Geoff and I wanted to see ‘Les Geants du Ciel’. We’d had guests a month ago who came back from the ‘spectacle’, singing its praises. We’d also been to ‘Puy de Fou’ in 2008 where we’d been wowed by the ‘Bal des Oiseaux’—and we were hoping this would be as good.

It was lovely!

The setting is in the castle buildings in the old part of the town of Chauvigny. We had lunch and then went to the afternoon performance. We sat on tiered benches in bright sunshine ( it really was VERY hot!)—to the front and to the side of a wooden stage. The performance was conducted and commentated throughout by a girl who sent different breeds of bird winging in all directions—to the 4 or 5 male bird- handlers who set up stations throughout the audience and around the castle walls.

Like Puy de Fou, the vultures were the stars of the show—but we also saw eagles-and other birds of prey, cranes, owls, kookaburras and parrots (to name but a few species) perform high in the sky and then come down to their lures.

It was a splendid outing and I’d recommend to anybody—except, possibly those who get nervous when close to birds!
We then had a lazy day at home and then Tom went off to Paris to see a friend.

Just as well as I needed his room for some B&B’s! ( Some things never change—this used to happen when we lived in Wales!) They were 1-nighters, so the following day we took Ellie to an outing in Poitiers—where we picked Tom up from the  railway station.
We came back through Charroux. It was their ‘BIG’ week-end of the year. ‘Les Halles’ were full of painters and paintings—the town was heaving with ‘Painters in the Street’ and a girl was singing in front of a large crowd outside ‘Le bar de l’Abbaye’. All good fun!

As said before, they both had to catch the return flight from Limoges the following afternoon, so they didn’t see the tableaux—where villagers ( English & French—and American!) dress up and stage living settings of famous paintings in different houses and gardens of Charroux. Again it was done under the direction of Mme. Claudie Esnault. I didn’t really understand this year’s theme—or know many of the paintings which ranged from Renoir to Whistler, but the attention to detail in the costumes, poses and settings was as good as ever!

Then I rushed back to the boules match at Asnois picnic—French v English! The French massacred us!

About me

I am Heather Squires we bought our house in 2002, moved over to France to live here full time in 2006 and now run Maureville Chambre D'hotes in Asnois - 5 miles south of Charroux in the Vienne department.

 


 
Posted by: heather squires on 12 August 2010