Chateaux hunting in the Charente

La Rochefoucauld Chateau

As 2026, and life in general, hurtles by at an ever-increasing pace, last weekend gave us a welcome pause and time to reconnect.

Gallerie 16, Chef Boutonne

Saturday morning saw me giving a brief talk about the history of the Château de Javarzay at a local art gallery, and while this may seem a little close to work, it actually mentally prepared me for this coming weekend’s opening of the château. My mind could retrieve the knowledge stored over winter, dust it off and make sure all was where it should be. 

Gallerie 16, Chef Boutonne

Gallerie 16, in the heart of Chef Boutonne, is a wonderful venue and so much more for the community than just an art gallery. As well as showcasing the works of local artists, the gallery, run by a dynamic woman who is as passionate as I am about promoting our area, holds regular events and talks in its delightful setting. It was an honour for me to be invited along to share my local knowledge with a welcoming and appreciative audience.

Opening weekend festivities at the Chateau de Javarzay, Chef-Boutonne

This year, the opening of the château tourist season will be vibrant as the colours and costumes of Venice and its carnival come to life. The opening weekend usually marks the start of my working year but not this year. My role at the Chef Boutonne council has evolved into a full-time position, splitting my time between the library and the château, as well as other communication tasks, including social media posts and event posters, working in a dynamic and supportive team of creative women. It really is a dream role for me.

Hedgerow blossoms in March

Sunday proved to be just as awakening. The weather was perfect for a bike ride, so we set off for a 50 km châteaux hunt, in the Charente. The frost and snow of early January, that were followed by storms and flooding in February, have given way to a lush and vibrant March. The wildflowers in the verges: cowslips, wild daffodils, aconites and snake’s head fritillaries, seem more prolific than ever this year, and the first hedgerow blossoms (that will hopefully give way to sloes in autumn) are stunning to look at and alive with bees. 

La Rochette

It was a delight to be out and about, butterflies trying to keep pace with me one minute, bird song breaking through my thoughts another. We paused in La Rochette to admire the turreted château and the Romanesque Church, with special mention going to its stone carvings and gilded altar. Our destination was La Rochefoucauld, which is home to a very impressive Renaissance château whose family have links with the Château de Javarzay. I hadn’t realised it would be open for visits, so that treat will have to wait for another day, but we did have time to explore the town and learn about its history thanks to the Terra Aventura geocaching app, and treat ourselves to a flan from a boulangerie - that was open on a Sunday afternoon, in rural France, in March. What a win!

The Romanesque church, La Rochette, Charente

While cycling has still featured to get to and from work this winter (when it’s not been stormy), our last 50 km day on the bikes was five months ago, when we were in the Creuse for a few days in October. While the weather isn’t entirely to blame for this, work and two trips back to England have played their part too, almost half a year without a cycling day trip adventure is crazy. I hadn’t appreciated how much I’d missed it, and it was a real tonic for the mind and body. Luckily, we have a few mini adventures in the pipeline this spring.

Lazy Sunday, lost in books

A selection of soul-soothing books

Lazy Sunday, Lost in Books

I will admit that since finishing at the library, I’ve been a bit lost without the routine we’d slipped easily into over the summer and I’ve found myself hiding away from reality, in the pages of books. My mood hasn’t been helped by the weather taking a seasonal change for the worse, where the wind has enhanced the colder temperatures and hampered our efforts on the bikes. 

 

Mulled wine

The heating has been fired up, the first batch of mince pies have been made (and eaten) and the mulled wine has been blended; red wine, Cognac, sloe port, cinnamon sticks, clove-studded clementines, a lemon and ginger teabag and brown sugar (to taste). We also indulged in our first tartiflette on Friday evening; an oven baked potato, onion and melted Reblochon cheese dish that is our ultimate winter comfort food treat. You can find my recipe here.

 

It’s not been any easier for Adrian to adjust to the changes in our routine, as having gone from a hectic work schedule all summer, his diary is looking almost as empty as mine. As is often the case when you are self-employed, it’s either feast or famine.

 

We have both been drawn to books promising adventures and challenges, using them as our escape, or maybe to find our way? I’ve been reading up on the Chemin de Saint Jacques Camino routes in France, from books I took out from the library. As I practice my French reading, I’ve been learning the history of this ancient pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain. By following any of the marked routes that wind their way to St Jean-Pied-du-Port in the Pyrenees, the possibilities for cycle adventures to explore the historic towns and churches of France, are almost endless.

 

Two Wheels and a Will by Colin Hunter

Adrian made a rather shocking discovery while reading Two Wheels and a Will by Colin Hunter, a travel memoir set around an extreme Pyrenean cycling challenge. According to the author, it turns out that the toughest climb in France isn’t in the Alps, the Hautes Pyrenees or even Le Mont Ventoux (1910m), but the pretty much unknown Col d’Arnostéguy (1239m), in the Pays Basque. This is an area we keep returning to with our bikes and home to the first mountain pass I ever attempted, the Col d’Ispeguy, that crosses from France to Spain. This is a gradual climb of 6%, over its eight kilometres, with no nasty surprises, just stunning scenery and a bar at the top. I’ve climbed it four times and it remains my favourite.

The face of pain climbing the Col d'Arnostéguy

I now know that not all cols in the Pays Basque are equal. Last year, high on the adrenaline rush that came with conquering several Haute Pyrenean cols on our Bromptons, including the Col du Soulor (1471m), Col d’Aubisque (1709m) and the Col du Tourmalet (2115m), we spent a couple of nights in the Pays Basque on our way home. With one full day to enjoy ourselves, we set off on a circuit from St Jean-Pied-du-Port, following the Camino route towards Spain. The smile on my face as I got to dip my toes once more on this pilgrimage route was almost as big as the lunch packed in Adrian’s saddle bag, but as the narrow road began to climb, my smile vanished. We climbed and climbed. My breath ragged, my body ready to give up, my mind losing all my mantras and coherent thoughts. With a maximum of gradient of 35% and a fifteen kilometre stretch that regularly hit between 25% and 30%, with little or no flat or downhill sections to rest and recover, it was brutal - it was the infamous Col d’Arnostéguy. I am in total agreement with it being the toughest climb in France and although I might need persuading to tackle it again, I’d head back to the Basque with my bike anytime. I can’t wait to read this book for myself.

 

Voyage le Long de la Charente by Serge Sanchez

Closer to home, but no less exciting is another travel memoir I’m reading, in French, borrowed from the library. Voyage Le Long de la Charente, avec un chat, un poney, et un dauphin (ou pas), by Serge Sanchez, is his journey following the Charente River from its source to the Atlantic coast. This is a local river to us and the familiarity of the places he visits makes up for the unfamiliarity of some of the new (to me) vocabulary. Serge is a journalist, and from the beginning of the book, his humour and honesty had me hooked, especially when he explained the rather unusual title: A journey along the Charente, with a cat, a pony and a dolphin (or not). Desperate to improve his fortunes by writing a best-seller (unlike his previous book that sold only twenty-eight copies), he discovered books featuring cats tended to sell well, and ponies and dolphins ranked second and third. My only disappointment with this book (so far) is that despite the river Charente having a marked cycle way (La Flow Vélo) for most of its length, Serge chose to travel by car. It has certainly given me food for thought about cycling adventures we could do following our local rivers from their sources. 

 

Under the Mistletoe by Sue Moorcroft

Not all my recent reads have been cycling or French travel related. Sue Moorcroft’s Christmas novels are one of my secret guilty pleasures at this time of year. In real life I don’t do snow or cold, and I’m not much of a Christmas fan either, but if there is one thing that will warm my winter mood and give me back a bit of my sparkle, it’s a winter escape to Sue’s fictional village, Middledip. In Under the Mistletoe, I was able to get completely wrapped up in the emotional battles Laurel and her family are trying to cope with, as the Christmas preparations in the village hit full speed. There are difficult decisions and lots of soul-searching for many of the characters, especially Laurel, as the past she has tried so hard to forget, catches up with her. Set against a snowy backdrop, this book has passion, emotion, family loyalties and community spirit that certainly warmed me up as I read it. I didn’t want this book to end.

 

If you haven’t yet discovered Middledip, you are missing a real treat, but if you are quick, Under the Mistletoe is priced at only 99p on kindle UK, until the end of November.

What all these books, and the others I’ve read recently, have done, is to help clear the doldrums from my head and for that I thank the authors, who maybe don’t realise the difference they can make.

Lazy Sunday in France with author Alison Morton

Author Alison Morton by the Loire, #LazySundayinFrance

This week saw the release of book two in the Mélisende Thriller series by local Poitou-Charentes author Alison Morton (read my review here), and I’m delighted that Alison is joining me today with a #LazySundayinFrance guest post. 

 

Not only has Alison given us an insight into a typical Sunday for her main character Mel, she has also let us see how she spends her Sundays at home in the north of the Deux-Sèvres department.

 

Double Pursuit by Alison Morton, book two in the Mélisende thriller series

Lazy Sunday, eh?

 

The heroine in my new series, Mélisende des Pittones, known as Mel to her friends, would be up at seven (a lie-in from her weekday six a.m.), go for a run in her home woods in Poitou, shower, eat a healthy breakfast of eggs, yoghurt and fruit. Next, she’d leap up from the table, then cycle or walk to see a friend for a chat over a cup of coffee, eat a salad lunch, catch up on her emails and social media, help her mother in the garden, read a book, go out with friends later, probably including dancing at some time in the evening. If she has a boyfriend/lover at the time, she’ll spend the rest of the evening/night with him, and we know what that means. This will re-energise her for the rest of the week.

 

Poitou countryside, home to Mélisende des Pittones, photo Alison Morton

I feel exhausted reading that, but she is just thirty and as a member of the French Army, pretty fit. I’m several decades older than her and my British Army days are a distant memory. A bad back and dodgy foot put me a world away from Mel’s. 

 

So, back to reality… A cup of tea in bed about eight-ish, half-wakes me up, then I read on my Kindle, check my phone, get totally diverted by some cat video or weird historical post on Facebook. After dragging myself out of my pit, I bumble through a shower and stagger to the kitchen for coffee and muesli, sometimes toast. 

Alison's geraniums

 

I look out of the window and experience guilt. The garden is a mess; burnt grass, weeds in the herb garden, shrivelled up flower heads. On with the old jeans and top. Down to the basement for the old trainers dotted with paint dribbles (euphemistically called my gardening shoes). A quick whip round with the secateurs deadheading geraniums and a few weeds pulled out between the herbs. Bash my head on a branch of the olive tree, but the autumn sun shows up how bountiful the olives are this year.

 

Oh, there’s my neighbour, son of a farmer. We chat. He’s a proper French gardener with a beautiful allotment-like vegetable garden laid out in neat rows; strawberries, beans, tomatoes, herbs, potatoes, leeks, lettuce, courgettes – the whole banana. Well, no bananas; we are in the Deux-Sèvres, not the Côte d’Azur.

 

Out comes his wife to join in the chat and we solve all the world’s problems. Easy.

 

Lunch is home-cooked accompanied by a glass of white wine; red at midday makes me fall asleep. Afterwards, we might indulge in an amble through the local fields. If it’s raining, and there really isn’t a good film on the television, I go down to our basement office and sigh at the state of it. I promptly turn round, switch off the light and go back upstairs. If it’s not too chilly or too hot, I sit on the patio and read a book. 

 

Sometimes we go out! It’s been a bit awkward for eating lunch in a restaurant during the pandemic, but a stroll along the Loire or through a château town like Montreuil-Bellay makes a pleasant afternoon. Simple things like watching the ripple of water or running your hand over stone worked five hundred years ago and warmed by sunshine have a lot going for them.

In the evening, I may type a few words of the latest book, but I tend to leave that until Monday morning. Time for another glass of wine. As we say here, c’est le weekend!

 

Lazy Sunday in France for French Village Diaries 

©alisonmorton2021

 

Double Pursuit by Alison Morton

You might also like to read:

My review of Double Pursuit

My review of Double Identity 

My ‘From the Writing Desk’ interview with Alison Morton.

 

You can connect with Alison, or follow her, on her thriller site, Facebook author page, Twitter, writing blog, Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon and sign up to her newsletter.        

 

 

Buying links for Double Pursuit 

Kindle 

Kobo 

Apple 

B&N Nook 

Books2Read 

Lazy Sunday Flapjacks

Flapjacks for cyclists

Lazy Sunday Flapjacks

When you wake up to yet another rainy day in May, a lazy Sunday seems the only option. My usual distraction for dull, damp days would be to bake a cake, but having already made a carrot cake this week, I decided on a batch of cycle-fuel flapjacks, that I can freeze. The recipe was inspired by the one from the Global Cycling Network, but I’ve tweaked it for our tastes and reduced the sugar a little, as the mashed banana makes it quite sweet. 

 

Ingredients for Flapjacks

150g coconut oil (I sometimes use half butter, half coconut oil)

75g Agave syrup (or golden syrup)

75g brown sugar

170g oats

75g walnuts (or mixed nuts)

75g mixed dried fruits (today I used dates, goji berries and apricots)

1 ripe banana mashed

 

Method

Melt the sugar, oil and syrup in a saucepan over a medium heat.

In a large mixing bowl add all dry ingredients, mix in the mashed banana and then coat everything in the oil/syrup and mix well.

 

Push it into a lined baking tin and cook at 170º for half an hour, or until golden brown on top.

 

Leave to cool, cut into squares and enjoy (ideally) on a bike ride.

 

Comfort food, meatballs

While the flapjacks were cooking, I focussed my efforts on tonight’s dinner and the sauce to go with my homemade meatballs. Meatballs are our go-to special meal, often served for birthdays and celebrations, but tonight we’ll have them just because they are warm and comforting and cheer us up. My little burst of kitchen activity kept me occupied and filled the house with warm, sugary aromas, but did mean that by early afternoon dinner was done and the weather still hadn’t improved enough to get out on the bikes. We braved the wind to walk the dog, but that just reinforced the belief that despite some sunny spells, today wasn’t a day to take the bikes out, so I might as well curl up with a good book and a flapjack. 

 

If this was a video it would be wild and windy!

May shouldn’t be a month when we need to resort to comfort food, but then the warm leggings and chunky knit jumper, that I thought had been packed into the drawer to be forgotten about for the coming months, have also been dug out once more. I really can’t wait for shorts and t-shirt weather, when all meals are enjoyed in the garden. The hazelnut tree in the courtyard, bowing and bouncing from side to side in the wild winds, was enough of a sign that eating outside wouldn’t be much fun today. A quick walk around the orchard also showed a disappointing sight; the damage of late frosts, cold winds and not enough sunshine this spring means there are very few cherries on our trees this year. I hope the plums, apples and pears have coped better.

 

https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-coronavirus

Covid-19 updates

This week will see many changes to life in France as the second of the four-stage plan to get back to normal comes into effect on 19^th May. The main points are that café, bar and restaurant terraces, that have been closed for over six months, will be reopening, as will museums, theatres and cinemas, and the overnight curfew will come into effect at 21h, rather than 19h. Let’s hope there is an improvement in the weather so we can at least enjoy a coffee and a spot of people-watching from a café terrace, or an evening bike ride as the sun begins to set.  

France has reached the magic twenty million mark for people who have received at least one vaccine and Adrian will soon be joining them. The opening of a four-day gap between courses for him, enabled me to book an appointment for his first vaccination this week, with the second one in the diary for later in June. As youngsters under fifty, Ed and I are only eligible to book a last-minute slot for the following twenty-four hours, and despite regular searching for the last four days, there has been nothing at all within 100km of us. Refreshing the page has become a bit of an obsession but I’ll keep checking until successful. 

May this week bring sunshine and freedom.

Lazy Sunday in France shaking off the winter blues

Migrating cranes flying over the house on their way north

Lazy Sunday in France

It has been a while since I posted a Lazy Sunday in France post, so that was my plan for today. A relaxed breakfast of coffee and croissants with homemade jam, and then maybe a book, a chair and a bit of me time.

 

I peered out of the window to see if sitting in the garden would be a possibility, the weather having thrown all sorts at us this week, although there is certainly a noticeable rise in the temperatures. I didn’t have to look far to see that nature has been anything but lazy.

 

The daisies, speedwell and violets are flowering in the grass (which will need its first cut soon) and one of the plum trees is about to burst into blossom. The migrating cranes have filled the sky above the house most days this week, circling high, flying in formation and calling between themselves as they make their way north. 

Wild daffodils

 

Yesterday’s twenty-two kilometre bike ride was a battle with the wind, but worth the effort to see the first cowslip flowers in ditches that only a few weeks ago were full and flooded, plus banks of purple periwinkle, tall, delicate hellebores in the woods and the tiny, pale daffodils that grow semi-wild just outside the village.

 

I know Covid-19 can make life feel like it’s on hold, but time certainly isn’t standing still. Four months have now passed since we enjoyed a sneaky autumn break in the Cahors vineyards, which was when lockdown two was announced in France. In the run up to Christmas we kept ourselves busy decorating upstairs, but dates on photos show that we put down the paintbrushes three months ago, even though it seems only a few weeks have passed. I am pleased to report the clutter hasn’t made it back to the newly decorated spaces. 

 

It will be interesting to see if France avoids a third lockdown situation, especially as it’s currently school holiday time and anyone who can, seems to have hit the motorways and headed off on holiday. We are yearning to hit the roads on our bikes, even if it is just for a few days, but we’re happy to wait for the school holiday madness to subside. Now it’s still light at almost seven o’clock in the evening, the six o’clock curfew is certainly starting to feel a lot more restrictive.

 

With the spring equinox now only one month away, two-thirds of winter are officially done and dusted. Which probably explains that feeling in my fingers, an itching to declutter. It doesn’t happen often, so I really must channel it, but at the moment I just seem to find myself wandering from room to room, horrified at the amount of stuff, and not sure where to start the sorting. I shall spend the rest of my lazy Sunday planning where to begin. This week it would be nice if we can continue to enjoy morning coffee and lunch in the garden, a motivating treat as I attempt to tackle a cupboard, drawer or shelf each day.

 

What signs of spring to you look forward to seeing to give you the motivation to shake off the winter blues?

  

Diary of Covid-19 confinement, day thirteen

Croissants from the boulangerie

Day thirteen

An unlucky number for some and sadly our luck seems to have run out in terms of sunshine, mild weather and blue sky. Today has been more grey, cold and with a frisky wind from the east. Time to forget the garden and huddle together indoors for a lazy Sunday. #lazysundayinfrance

Paris-Brest, Tarte-aux-fruits et éclair-au café

Tasty treats

It’s not been all doom and gloom though as just a peek through the boulangerie window this morning was enough to put a smile on my face, so I thought I’d share some of their deliciousness with you too.

Easter treats from the boulangerie

Hooping

Too much cake however, and not enough cycling, isn’t going to help maintain my almost 50-year-old form, but thankfully I have my hoop. Internet exercising seems to be quite the trend at the moment, so I’d like to invite you to come hoop with me. I think confinement madness my have arrived, but we all need a laugh in these tough times, so I hope this puts a smile on your face today.

Video filmed by Adrian Brown and Ed Brown.

Edited by Ed Brown

Music composed and performed by Ed Brown

Thank you for all your encouraging comments on my daily diary posts of life in lockdown, it is lovely to know you are enjoying them.

Stay indoors, stay safe.

Diary of Covid-19 confinement, day six

Lazy Sunday morning breakfast

Lazy Sunday morning

It would be easy to lose track of the days, but as Sunday has always had a special start for us with croissants for breakfast, today was no exception. The only difference being that this morning there was no chit-chat in the boulangerie as only one customer is allowed in the small shop at a time. It will be a sad day for me if boulangeries have to close their doors for a while.

 

Ice yoga!

The rest of today has been very productive, especially for a Sunday, although I have found myself questioning why I’m now so keen to complete jobs I could and should have done weeks ago. I have no answer, but it is making me happy. In fact, I am ridiculously happy now all the freezers have been defrosted, cleaned out and I now know what I’ve got and where it is. 

 

Adrian on the road to nowhere

To keep our spirits and energy levels up I’ve baked another cake and Adrian has set up his turbo trainer, enabling his legs to feel the benefit of cycling, even if the rest of him was going nowhere. I’ve also made more soup, using up some of the more dubious items found in the freezers, but also packed full of chilli, ginger, turmeric and today’s special ingredient, nettles. I’m planning on ensuring we are all kept fully topped up with as much vitamins and minerals as is possible over the coming weeks.

Council

In other news Covid-19 has managed to overrule Brexit, even if it is only for a short time. Last Sunday France went ahead and held the first round of the local elections, but for many communes, including ours, a second round of voting to obtain the required number of councilors was required. This should have been happening today, but sensibly, this time, President Macron decided to delay voting. I felt so strongly at his decision last week, I refused to do my two-hour slot at the polling station, out of protest, so I am glad that common sense has prevailed today. What this means for all communes in France who have yet to vote in a Maire and deputies, is that until at least 15^th May the previous Maire and councilors are still in office. I’m still on the council – yippee! I know we won’t be sitting around the table making any decisions, but we are all in regular contact and I will do all I can to help those in the commune get through this. 

With my Mum in the 1970's. Can you tell I was a bit of a handful?

Mother’s Day

As the UK is celebrating Mother’s Day today, we had a good catch up on Facetime with both our Mums and although celebrations were probably more subdued for many this year, I hope if you too were celebrating, you had a lovely day.

Lazy Sunday in France by author Marie Laval

A Paris Fairy Tale Marie Laval

Welcome to another Lazy Sunday in France where author Marie Laval is taking us to the Auvergne for the day. Originally from Lyon in France, Marie now lives in Lancashire with her family. She works full-time as a modern languages teacher and in her spare time she loves writing romance and dreaming about romantic heroes. 

She writes both historical and contemporary romance. Her historical romance The Lion’s Embrace won the Gold Medal at the Global Ebook Awards 2015 (category Historical Romance), and best-selling Little Pink Taxi was her debut romantic comedy novel with Choc Lit. 

She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors. Her native France, as well as her passion for history and research, very much influences her writing, and all her novels have what she likes to call ‘a French twist’!

Her latest romantic novel  A PARIS FAIRY TALE will be released on July 23^rd and available as a ebook and audiobook on Amazon and various other platforms. 

You can read my review of her novel A Spell in Provence here and her France et Moi interview here.

You can find out more about Marie on Facebook or Twitter.You can also find on Pinterest the many beautiful photos of Paris and illuminated manuscripts which inspired the writing of A Paris Fairy Tale.

A Lazy Sunday in Auvergne By Marie Laval

Two years ago I spent a wonderful holiday in La Crotte, a tiny hamlet in the Auvergne region, where my middle sister bought a ramshackle, rundown house which used to be a sheep fold. Whilst slowly doing the house up, she has learnt to live with the local wildlife (a family of dormouses  - of should it be dormice?) and insects (a bee colony in her loft one summer). She frequently sees boars and foxes around, and last winter, the police warned everybody not to leave their dogs or little children unsupervised outside as wolves have been sighted in the vicinity – yes, wolves!

I was won over by the beautiful countryside, picturesque villages and lovely chateaux (the region counts over 450, most of them private). If I could spend a lazy Sunday there again, this is what I would do…

Souvigny ©Marie Laval

         I would start with a stroll in Souvigny, a quiet and unspoilt little town with winding streets lined with medieval and Renaissance houses, including the ruined former palace of the Bourbons. After a spot of shopping in the ‘Herboristerie’, I would visit the impressive Priory Church of Saint-Peter and Saint-Paul. According to a local legend, the church was built by fairies in just one night, and when a local milkmaid saw it emerge from the morning mist, she was so shocked she was instantly changed into stone. 

Souvigny gardens ©Marie Laval

         What I loved the most when I visited Souvigny were the priory gardens, designed according to the capitulary De Villis, edited by Charlemagne in the beginning of the 9th century, which recommended the plantation of 90 plants known for their medicinal properties in monastic and laymen's gardens. 

         The gardens are a riot of scents and colours. We found garlic, roses, tansy, common sage, mustard, marigolds, leek, carrots, parsley, muskmelon, cardoon, coriander, cucumber, tarragon, rocket, parsnip, radishes, sage, burdock, flax, mallow, chicory, lettuce, to name but a few! I would love to send time there on my lazy Sunday. You can find more information about Souvigny here.

  

Montaigu-le-Blin ©Marie Laval

       The second place where I would stop on my lazy Sunday would be Montaigu-le-Blin, a delightful village boasting a medieval castle, several bourgeois houses (‘maisons de maître’), a tiny Roman church, and a ancient wood with two ‘magic’ stones, named God’s Font and the Devil’s Font. The village square is a listed site with over 143 chestnut, oak, lime trees, many of them dating from the early nineteenth century. 

The village also has two renowned auberges on opposite ends of the square, but as they are very expensive, I would leave Montaigu and have lunch in one of the many small restaurants which offer cheap but delicious ‘menus ouvriers’ (workmen’s menus). 

    

Charlie-Cintrat ©Marie Laval

     There are so many other places worth visiting in the area, especially if, like me, you like chateaux – for example, the chateau of La Palice with its fascinating history (more information about it here) and the charming Renaissance chateau de Chareil-Cintrat, set amongst ancient vineyards which boasts unique wall paintings (more information about it here). This chateau was the inspiration for the fictional Chavigny, which features in my latest romantic novel A PARIS FAIRY TALE. 

        

Market shopping ©Marie Laval

 I would definitely stop at a local outdoor market to buy fruit, pastries and crusty bread for the evening meal before returning to La Crotte and enjoying an ‘apéritif’ and the tranquillity of my sister’s garden. Although all is not always so peaceful in La Crotte… and this is why.

         The first evening of my last visit, we were having a drink in the garden when there a cacophony of honking erupted in the quiet evening.    ‘What on earth is that?’ I asked. 

My sister smiled and answered that it was the gaggle of geese who lived on her (eccentric) neighbour’s small holding nearby. ‘It’s the same every evening, you’ll get used to it,’ she said. ‘However, there’s something else you must get used to…’

‘What do you mean?’

         I didn’t have to wait long to find out. The chugging sounds of a steam train soon echoed all around us and I almost dropped my glass of rosé in shock. 

‘But you said that the train line wasn’t in use any longer,’ I said to my sister, who laughed and explained that it wasn’t a real train but a CD another neighbour played most nights to retaliate for the honking of the geese.

         ‘It’s like war,’ my sister said. ‘The neighbour puts her CD player in the garden and pushes the volume to the maximum. You’ll get used to it…’

         My sister informed me recently that the feud between her two neighbours had not yet been resolved. It is therefore safe to assume that on my lazy Sunday at her place I would be treated once again to the sounds of steam train – unless the angry neighbour picked another CD from her collection of annoying noises, such as rutting stags or Formule One racing cars (yes, she has them too). 

         However, whilst there is still daylight, I would end my lazy Sunday with a stroll down the lane to say goodnight to the donkeys who live in the nearby field, before probably enjoying another glass of rosé wine before bedtime.  

         I hope you enjoyed my lazy Sunday in the Auvergne. I cannot recommend this beautiful and unspoilt area too much.

A PARIS FAIRY TALE

Released on 23rd July.

Is Paris the city of happily ever afters?
Workaholic art historian Aurora Black doesn’t have time for fairy tales or Prince Charmings, even in the most romantic city in the world. She has recently been hired by a Parisian auction house for a job that could make or break her career. Unfortunately, daredevil journalist Cédric Castel seems intent on disrupting Aurora’s routine.
As Aurora and Cédric embark on a journey across France, they get more than they bargained for as they find themselves battling rogue antiques dealers and personal demons, not to mention a growing attraction to each other.
But with the help of a fairy godmother or two, could they both find their happily ever afters?