Springtime is really here in South West France

(NB email readers - remember you can click on this link or the one below to visit the blog that this email comes from)
We have made a number of car journeys to Marsilly with the car packed tight with stuff. On more than one occasion we have observed that we had packed "everything but the kitchen sink". Well this time we packed the kitchen sink! We are recycling the sink that was in the kitchen in The Knoll to the house in France as part of our plan for the next small upgrade to the kitchen fittings. Whether we actually do an upgrade is anybody's guess but at least we are now prepared.

We also brought a new table for the backyard - another eBay bargain. It is light weight and in a black mesh so it matches the chairs. [picture shows]

The journey here was very good, truly like a start to the holiday. We left Beckenham "early" and called in to see Alison & David on Hayling Island before transferring to the ferry port. The new terminal at Portsmouth is now open and is a big improvement on its shed-like predecessor.

The ferry was busy but we secured an early table in the restaurant and enjoyed a very good meal before ending the evening watching a magician giving his show to the huge delight of all the children (of whatever age).
We had a glorious day for the 200 mile drive down and we landed at the front door about 12.45pm. Just starting to get the feel of the place, everything in good order. The house has got through the winter without any problems even thought the saga of the water stop cock continues.
No we will turn to thinking of what we will do to while way the next couple of weeks.

Monday was Il De Re - for a quick wintery visit

M&A left late morning to travel up to the ferry port for their return. Part of the leisurely preparation for their departure was to source some engine oil for their Mini. As luck would have it the local (Marsilly) Renualt dealer was open and able to supply, althoug it was a hefty 30euro for a 2 litre bottle.Once they were on the road we tootled off to Il De Re with our cheif stopping point being St Martin

Even in the cold of winter, but with a little bit of sunshine, it presents a delightful picture. 
 A couple of the dock side bars and cafes were open and indeed the one we thought we might get a snack in, was absolutely packed with people enjoying their lunches that filled the place with a tantalising aroma. However we did not fancy the idea of sitting outside.

  This little spot provided for a warm seat inside and a very strong coffee and a sandwich that found the spot, as one might say.

We heard later that M&As journey to the port was "eventful" in that they needed to get a new tyre - two in fact. They needed one new tyre to replace one that had shown a bit of a fault earlier in the week. But this model of Mini has run-flat tyres and you have to replace them two at a time it seems. Sounds like a wease developed by the tyre industry boyos.

On Sunday we went to a rugby match

A scrum very close to us

The local team Stade La Rochelle were hosting Stade Francais and we bought a couple of tickets online so as to add a new expereince to our french sojourn. SOR has been to many a rugby match but Peter had never (ever) been to one. Indeed he has only (ever) watched rugby on the telly when SOR was so engaged an he couldn't be bothered leaving the room!

Lots of standing around!

 

The only tickets we could get were "ground" tickets that basically meant we were standing on the level ground behind one of the goal posts. The match did not start until 4.30pm and so it was getting  bit gloomy for the very old digtal camera we keep here in Nantilly to take any sort of a photo.

As best as we could see it was quite an exciting game and there was a great atmosphere with very vocal local supporters chanting "Ici, ici, c'est La Rochelle" but quite why I just don't know. The final score was 26- 26 so a bit of a disappointment for La Rochelle as they were the only team to have the lead at anytime in the match, but then again La Rochelle are bottom of the league so I suppose some points would have been very welcome to them.

There is every sign that the new shops for Marsilly will become a reality..

Les sapeurs-pompiers

So the fire brigade story goes like this....
M&A arrive back at 8 Rue de Nantilly to discover a very strong smell of smoke and quickly locate it as coming from the garage. Bravely Michael dons the guise of un pompier and opens the rear door to the garage to be met by billowing dense smoke with the heavy characterisitc of kippers. Driven back by the smoke, tears already streaming down his face he has to retire to the backyard. After a fwe minutes the smoke has settles and Michael once more makes a foray and this time returns with a smoldering bucket. The bucket that contained the ash and embers cleared form the fireplace that morning by the fire-lackey!
Depositing the bucket in the backyard they duse it with water and leave it to damp down. The garage smells like a kipper factory and they leave the door open to help reduce the odour. A couple of days on and their is still a disitinct aroma of kippers about the garage and everyhting in it!
The fire lackey has been sent on a retraining programme.

 On our trip out to Marans we also had a short stroll in a pleasnat village called Courcon that had a striking church; worth a closer look on a warmer day.

And we all joined in....Happy 2011 from the Nantilly blog

Michael gets o grip with the chicken and duck

The three sous chefs pause for a photo call

Ann volunteers for the toughest jobs

A pavlova in the making - vinegar?

Someone has to test the wines

The pavlova comes together....

And is soon demolished

Marans - a nearby town that is 10km from the coast and yet carries a name that means "sea place" hmmmm...

 And yet when you stroll along the river you can see every sign of how this could have been a prosperous port that lost its right to trade in 1598 with the Edict of Nantes. At least that is what we figured out reading an orientation board in the town.

There is also an attractice looking market hall that hold markets on  a couple of mornings a week. Along with a fair selection of cafes and bars it looks a real propspect for a more thorough visit in the spring and summer.

M&A were not at the house when we got back but they have left a mysterious note about a visit from the fire brigade that we will have to learn more about on their return!

It is New Year's Eve and we are preparing for a long weekend

 There is a Friday morning market in the car park by the Marie in Marsilly so we thought we'd try to ssource all our needs from the local producers. The market was a bit short of stalls, no greengrocer for example and the fish stall had nothing od interets to us.
However we got two very nice local free range chickens, some good looking duck breats and a decent beef fillet joint so we should be OK once we have some vegetables.

We also popped to the boulangerie for the essential breakfast pastries!

We need to have the log fire burning in the late afternoon and evenings....

 .....so we have moved the desk upstairs to the small bedroom and so we can move the sofa further away from the fire.

 We seem to be getting through the logs at a pace

But now we won't have to fight about who sits and roasts directly in front of the fire.

Nous arrivons

Hello from Nantilly.
We were the third car on to the ferry and the third car off the ferry, pretty much to schedule at 8.00am this morning. We split the 4 hours and 55 minutes of driving from the ferry port at Le harve to Marsilly between us and with a couple of pit stops made the journey in five and a half hours. We pulled up outside the front door at 13.30.
Trouble free journey; the temperature never got lower than -1c and peaked at +4c. Roads all clear and there was no sign that there had ever been any snow once we got about half way to La Rochelle.We had packed a "picnic" to make a lunch during the journey but everything went so smoothly we ended up having the "picnic" on the kitchen table in number huit.
It was around 2.5c when we got here but the newly installed electric heaters had done their job and the ambient temperature in the downstairs was 14c. One slightly negative side effect of the radiator installation is that the place is covered in a fine dust from the work - so a nice bit of dusting to do.
On another topic altogether I learned a new acronym today CRAFT - it is a bit like a "senior moment" - Can't Remember A Fecking Thing.