Forty in France Feeling Fabulous!!!!

fields of red poppies, glorious!!!!

                                                                                                                                          16/05/2011

Had a great day celebrating my 40th. We went out for lunch with Pierre and Mona, the grandparents of Lara who owns the house we are staying in. They are extremely kind, friendly and helpful, and what's more they speak English!!!!

Pierre and Mona on my 40th

After a feast of food and wine they showed us around several chateaus which are  abundant in the area,they are all unique and amazing!!!                                                                                                          

cruising the French countryside in STYLE

                                                                                                                                         17/05/2011

Visited a small village called Richelieu. In 1625 Cardinal Richelieu built himself a great mansion and a walled town with a moat. He was the most powerful person in France next to the king Louis III. The mansion was destroyed in the French Revolution but the gardens remain.

The centre square Richelieu

GORGEOUS

Where they have hold the weekend market, Richelieu

gardens Richelieu

Back to Fabulous France

                                                                                                                                   03/05/2011

The White Cliffs of Dover

Off on the ferry back to France. We have been lucky to secure a fantastic house sit for about 7 weeks in a restored train station house 7miles from a town called Lencloitre in the Vienne Country. It was the train station for the area which is called Savigny sous Faye.

There are no pets just a bit of painting and tidying up that the owners want done, ready for holiday makers. Nothing I can't handle.

Well Google Earth told us it would take about 6 ½ hours make that about 10!!!! After the ferry being delayed and a bit of a traffic jam we got to the house about midnight. Being so dark and with a flashlight made in Vietnam I couldn't find the key so it was time to try out the car for sleeping. It wasn't so bad we were warm and dry what more could you ask for!!!

                                                                                                                                   04/05/2011

Wow what a house!!!! I must admit when we pulled up at midnight it was rather daunting and haunting!!! It would do well in a horror movie.

Cellar stairway

The house was built in the early 1880's and served as the train station ("la gare") for the small village of Savigny sous Faye from 1880 until the 1950's. The design is typical of a "5th class station", a smaller version of the train stations in the area with the three main windows in the front and back and the main salon downstairs where people would purchase their tickets. The Railway, just off the back terrace was converted to a walking/biking track (now called "La ligne verte" or 'green line") sometime after the trains were discontinued and runs 40km from Chatellerault to Loudin.

The stairwell

The house is fabulous we love it!!!! Ahhhh so French!!!!

So for the next wee while I'll be painting.

Lencloitre Saturday Market

Relations, furry friends and a house boat..........

Sandwich

                                                                                                                                 26^th April 2011

Headed off to Ramsgate in Kent today to house sit a couple of Burmese pussy cats called Brown and Meishka.

Brown

Meishka

As the owners weren't leaving till the next day they kindly offered their house boat for us to stay in for the night. Oh how dreadful!!! The boat was used in Dunkirk during the war as a hospital boat. Wow it was so cool!!!! It was moored in the beautiful historic town of Sandwich.

The cabin

The captain

                                                                                                                                  27^th - 2^nd May 2011

After a relaxing night on the boat we headed to our house sit.

We spent the next 5 days exploring, relaxing,looking after two mischeivious cats and visiting relations.

On the Sunday we went to meet my Dad's cousin's wife Jenny in a small town called Herne Bay. 

We went out to lunch and had a really lovely afternoon with her. We also met two of her sons Steve and Peter and their families. It was really good to meet some distant relations. Thank you Jenny for taking out for lunch and your warm hospitality.

Monday being our last day we went to have a look at the seaside town of Margate. Really pretty, lovely beach but dam cold and so so windy brrrrrrr. We were fortunate to be given another night on the house boat YAY!!!!!

Margate