Wow, another Christmas has come around and another year end approaches.
But turn back time to November (before our weeks of rain!) and it was garden harvest time. We may only have a handful of fruit trees and a couple of olive trees but this year was a bumper harvest. Even had to fire up a second freezer to store the stewed apple! Not sure that Chris is too impressed that I’ve also commandeered some shelves in his workshop for the bottles and bottles of olives.
The last of the crop being prepared.
Managed to strip one tree before the rains began.
Autumns end and the beginning of winter has been one of the wettest on record with the Charente river bursting it’s banks in areas and flooding alerts Department wide. The one good thing is that the water table has risen and the temperatures stayed mild.
The little road behind our hamlet was blocked and that water behind is normally a stream!
Got your boat Chris?………….
Our recently improved pétanque area now requires flippers.
This is normally a tranquil little grassy picnic area.
Just a short video link above of one of our favourite walks.
Christmas time here in France is a great excuse to have fairs, markets and social get togethers. Our nearby little town of Aigre puts on a good market featuring Santa and his helpers.
And then the local Salle de Fête has a get together for a Christmas drink and nibbles with the ‘added attraction’ this year of carols ‘sung’ by the English speaking villagers! Christmas carols are not a big thing over here although Christmas songs can be heard in every supermarket 😂 It was fun to join English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish and Dutch friends to belt out a few carols, although next time we might organise a rehearsal and perhaps some backing music 😂😂😂
Part of our song sheet take note some verses sung in French!!
And then to round off the lead up to Christmas our present from the Commune was delivered by hand yesterday. A wonderful opportunity to invite one of our neighbours in to share a glass of pineau and to learn from Bernard more of the history of our French home. Our ‘conversation ‘ was interesting but we managed to bridge the language barrier (still doing our best to understand thé Charentais accent) and learn that Bernard’s father worked in our farmyard, when the barn housed 10 cows and a draught horse to work the fields.
So all that is left is to wish friends and family near and far all the very best for Christmas and good health and happiness for the year ahead. xx
Wow, that is a lot of water, good that your property is a few meters above. I look forward to sampling some of the preserves and olives when I see you next. A Happy New Year to you both.
There will be no shortage of olives Dave, see you in the New Year.
Cheers 🍷
Love following your life in France.
Maybe it’s time you visited! 😊💕
How wonderful, we have spent Christmas and New Years in China, it has been very different to what we are used to. Christmas in winter but unfortunately no snow!
I’ve been following your Chinese adventures Karen and Warwick, good onya! 💕
just caught up with your 2023 Blog Sue & Chris. what wonderful photos and descriptions of your life in France. no wonder you moved! makes my bit of the world look really boring! Spent Christmas in Echuca and summer “seems” to have arrived. Still enjoying riding my lovely boy Harry (known in the paddock as I Am Harry). I put that on his rugs because there are 3 other “brown/black” lads in his paddock and he has often been mistaken for one of them …. mainly because he is the first to come up to you!!! Happy New Year to your both.
Hi Eils, brilliant that you’re still riding (just a bit jealous). Enjoy your summer 💕
So wonderful to read and share your delightful life. How tame ours is after reading about yours.
We spend a quiet Christmas with friends. New year was spent over in Paynesville sitting on the beach with hundreds of others, enjoying the weather and the music as band played on the floating tin shed. Fireworks were let off at 10 pm but by then we had returned to the Island, where we had an excellent view of them.
Vicki & John had another MX5 gathering for BBQ turkey on boxing day. Every one contributed t the meal, which was superb and the rain, storms and thunder did not eventuate to spoil the day, a milder version came in the evening. We have been lucky to have missed the worst of the weather that has battered and flooded many areas near us.
We wish you both a very Happy & healthy new year & look forward to reading more of your blogs.
Judy & Barry
Wonderful to hear from you Judy and Barry.
I can just see the floating tin shed and the crowds enjoying the fireworks!
Hope you have a happy, healthy 2024 and please remember us to the Zoom, Zoomers. xx
Just great to keep reading your blogs Sue. Keep them up. We had a quiet Xmas and New Year but we were very happy last week when our homebred 3yo filly won her first race at only her 2nd outing – we hope she is a stayer in the making! Jim’s main interest is now following the horses he is in! Not sure of travels this year as was hoping to do a french racing tour but possibly going to Canada instead. Will keep you posted! Will make it sometime. Seems ages since you left here. And, re harvest, we are delighted to say that our grapevines have produced a large amount of excellent grapes this year – too many for us to eat!
Congratulations Liz and Jim! Even more exciting when a homebred horse does well.
Sorry to hear you may not make it over here this year but enjoy Canada.
Enough grapes to make wine……..???
xx