April it's April?!?

When did that actually happen - well on the First I suppose but really? Who stole the time - again? We left March to beautiful weather, Saturday saw 5 of us pounding up and down the pool in Ruffec taking part in a Sponsored Swim (Nagerthon) we wanted to achieve 100 lengths in the hour, and we did! A nice way of fundraising for the Rotary Club to donate the money raised for a Garden for Disabled people in the town! We then completed a  bike ride of 15.5kms (that .5 is really important!) on Sunday which for us was a good ride as it was the first back out this year! And we found every hill imaginable in our area, as well as the D9 which who knew was so hilly?

I was commissioned to take photos of a very lovely Chambre d'hote La Belle Epoque in March, but have been waiting to share some of the photographs, we were there last year for a Vintage shoot so it was lovely to go back and take photos of the house now ready for the busy Season ahead! Good luck to Olly & Baz :)

The garden is coming along beautifully - I think all the rain in February helped - Spring has Sprung!

The thing is I am definitely one of those people that say "Oh Fritillaria they are my favourite flowers", I shouldn't say that as really I love all plants and flowers, but the three above are amongst my Top Ten or should that be twenty!

Of course the other thing about Spring is the blossoms from Apple, to Almond and now the Pear and Peach there is nothing quite like this time of year is there?

Peach Blossom on my sapling!

Pear reaching high!

I was quite surprised to see the Lilac coming out in bud but maybe that's about the right time - it just seems too early!

As the sun started to go down I played around with settings on the camera (as you do!) and took the blossoms with the sun behind - I was not expecting to see a little flying fly though!

We are lucky to have lanes to the back of us - as you may have seen previously, the farmers have been very busy readying the fields for planting - well they were a week ago (or so it seems) now we have an avenue of Colza (rape) which is so pretty - I know it's evil and nasty as it makes everyone cough and sneeze - me included, well until this year!! 

I have to share this as it's Scooby - totally oblivious to the fact there is a great big Hare not so very far away from him! Even when he did look up, there was no obvious sign he would give chase! Good Old Scoobs!

I am guessing the yellow flowers in the photograph below are some kind of wild Geranium, I rather like them and thinking they would look nice in my "wild garden"

Bumble Bee out in the evening enjoy the last of the sun and the colza!

And so's not to be left out - here is our Lily - growing rapidly and enjoying the joys the Spring Garden is bringing her! I am so hoping she doesn't find a Daddy Long Legs as I have heard bad things about them! Mind you I don't want her going for Bees, Wasps or anything else with a sting really! 

I thought I would partake in the "100 days of Happy" basically taking a photo every day of something that makes you Happy! That can be hard as somethings that make me happy - are going to be hard to photograph! 

My first 4 days go like this .......

Our youngest in her final concert of all the Music classes at Lycée made her sad but made me happy as she proved her talent once again!

Everyone loves surprises? this was mine in my plant tub!

Day 3 eldest sang in this church with the Fac de Musico (Poitiers) it was a beautiful setting and the music was pretty lovely as well!

Now Day 4 is a bit harder as I went Swimming and that makes me really happy so rather than subject you to a photo of me looking ridiculously happy (!) here are the essentials in my kit bag!
I now have to keep this up for another 96 days - wish me luck ;)

 It rained and rained yesterday, not April showers but full on all day stuff! And it did give me a chance to play - under my Umbrella, ella, ella.....  Hope it cheers up next week though for the German exchange students, no-one likes going to the coast in the rain do they? Anyway I have just realised it's Happy Friday!





 Have a great weekend!

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Life Through the Lens - Melle partie deux - March '14

I had the opportunity to go back to my exploring of Melle last week, I spent far too much time dallying however as only ended up with twenty minutes to cram in all the places I wanted to get to! No chance.....Melle is actually a little bigger than I anticipated and I still haven't made it to the Market Place as yet! Just reaching the church my place of destination when DD rang to say her rdv had finished and now ready and waiting for me...ahhhh I was now in "rush mode" which meant I wasn't going to get nearer l'eglise Saint Hilaire.

L’eglise Saint Savinien with the Blue skies making a wonderful backdrop!	Managed to miss this last time!
Loving the daffodils, so many more out this week…	looking through….
Shuttered this week and loving the afternoon light on the shutters.
That’s what I call a clean window! took me a moment to realise I was seeing the blue skies through the roof!	Lovely area to sit and contemplate!

I started off from the Old hospital gardens again as I knew I would be able to get to the Eglise Saint Hilaire via the winding roads down. Of course on the way there was so many more things to see this week. Flowers coming out, buzzing Bees and many Butterflies flitting around me, part of me things there was just one and I was being accompanied on my walk!

Honey Bee enjoying the flora!	Another gateway to explore – another day!
The ramparts continue round the back – I have walked down from the gardens.
Flowering Current bush I believe!	Love the colour of the Japonica against the sky.
My destination for this walk – Eglise Sainte Hilare…
Back to our meeting place via yet another route through the old hospital I discovered this really “happy” building! Dating back to the XIXeme ciecle stands the Dêpot Lapidiare which would have been the store room for the Pompiers hand pumps	Another part of the Old hospital -  would have loved to have seen this before it became so dilapidated.
And back full circle!	Last flower photo of the day as well!

So as you can see Melle is really a very pretty town, with many places to discover, I am still quite ashamed that it has taken me this long to take the time to explore but now I have and know that I have a few more places to re-visit which does excite me, back to the church Saint Hilaire at some stage for internal photos!
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Life Through the Lens - MELLE

Melle is a lovely historic town in the Deux-Sèvres region of the Poituou Charentes. Now, we have lived here 10 years this year and I thought we had pretty much covered all that Melle had to offer! Well I found out that's not quite true and a very unfair assumption on my part!  And this year is probably the best year to discover the hidden delights of this town as it is celebrating 10 years since being given the designation of "Petite Cite de Caractere".  

Not only is Melle very popular on market day, selling all types of home grown vegetables and fruit, to sea food, flowers and cheese,  one in particular is the cheese of the area a type of goat's cheese named 'chabichou', driving around the routes to Melle you will see the brown sign and "Route de Chabichou" we have had it once, I shall leave it at that!

"The town was founded in the reign of Charlemagne as a mining centre and was, for a time, the home of the French mint: the Aachen penny of Charlemagne, the first coin of Charlemagne to be found at his capital of Aachen/Aix, was minted at Metullo. The silver mines which supplied the mint continued to function off and on before being forgotten altogether in the 18th century, not to be discovered again until the 20th century. The mine is now a tourist attraction and can be visited most days of the year.

In the Middle Ages, Melle flourished as a town, as can be seen from its surviving medieval houses and the three churches, built in the Romanesque style during the 11th and 12th centuries."

(thank you Wiki!) 

We have also travelled the paths of the Silver Mines many years ago (well 9 and a bit to be precise!) and it was very enjoyable and quite amazing to think that something so incredible is on our very own doorstep! The Problem with living so near to somewhere sometimes leads us to think we know that place and we have "done" the tourist attractions etc...but yesterday I went off piste! I had a whole hour to meander through the little lanes and around the old Church of St. Savinien... I was quite surprised when the door not only opened but to walk in and discover - nothing - no chairs, benches, altar or even stained glass windows! The church is now used mainly for concerts especially for the Fête de Musique which runs through the month of June. Another Church we have visited is Eglise St. Hilaire, a church that is  listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France. The church of Saint-Hilaire has an "ecclesiastical juke-box" which plays hymns and chants, which annoyingly wasn't working when we popped in - so that means we can go back - yes? This photos was taken from the 'Arboretum, Chemin de la Découverte'. Which has been having much work to the area over the last few years, and has about  1,000 different species of trees and shrubs, and 100 different species of Roses...now these are more established another walk in the Spring will be undertaken :)

So back to discovering the delights of this little town full of history and for me surprises! Most people probably know about Melle, but somehow we never have the time just to wander, and especially with the camera at the ready!

The church of Saint Savinien....exterior and then another door into the interior - this was to my surprise, completely empty! 

The writing is on the door!

I love the ceiling! 

As the sun was coming out by this stage I had to take a walk around the ramparts...

With cars and barriers in the way it was hard to get a full photo - might be going back again then!

With still plenty of time to spare and that wandering will I chose a road and walked it -- to find myself again somewhere we hadn't been for a few years! So many roads to choose, and really they all go around the outside of the Town square - but I have been to those shops and the Place du Marché many times so another road for me today!

The back of the Office de Tourisme

Medieval quarter

I then happened upon a garden area with the Bread oven so beautifully kept! Although the steps down should come with a warning as they were very slippery - which shook me up just a little! I knew I should have take the steps next to where the cat was sitting!

Lovely but slippery steps are a hazard!

Such a cutie!

Walking under this overhead bridge made me think of times gone by, who walked over it? Who lived in the houses that shared the bridge? So many questions! 

I also love all the colours that you can see where the paint is peeling off - how many layers are there I wonder?

And then a left at the end and another road we have walked before but then the decision to take the road or follow the pathway that went uphill? The latter would make sense as that would lead me back to the Church and to my rdv point with dearest daughter - so the hilly path (and slippery in places) won out....

leading my back to the l'eglise Saint Savinien

Looking back


I didn't really know where I was going at this point, don't you just love that? The wonder of what you will find and the possibilities in France are endless really!

Looking down and I could be somewhere far more Mediterranean, with the Olive tree! 

and Palm trees to the left

Rooftops and Chimney pots

So I am not at the top of the path and find myself in company of two Gendarmes also making the rounds, the Mr. Gendarme had nearly slipped over coming up the path and was leading off about that, so me being me, pointed out that the steps in front of the Bread Oven are also very slippery and that I nearly went down but luckily didn't (my camera! and backside unscathed!) and maybe a notice placed to warn people in the area! Hmmmm this is possible I think was the response! Oh well, I did my bit!

So I then spotted a gateway in the wall and found myself following the Gendarmes into the "Hospital Gardens" the hospital is no longer situated in this part of Melle but has been moved to brand new facilities. So it's very quiet and desolate around me.

I can only assume that works will be undertaken at some stage - but for me I found the buildings so interesting and only until recently would have been used as the Old People's home also.

On walking around a little more I saw this gateway and doorway, that would have to wait a while longer I had some great scenes in front of me that needed attention! Those will be shared later - they are another blog!

Eventually I finished my photos of the "other" things that I love taking, and found the Chapel. The ornate doorway detailed and beautiful....fingers crossed the door would be unlocked!

And yes it was, not quite what I was expecting, but very peaceful! And that ended my little promenade around just one part of Melle, I am hoping to get back over the next few weeks, weather permitting of course!