Time is a funny thing

Early morning light in Melle, Deux-Sevres

Time is a funny thing

 

Before the blackbirds began their pre-dawn chorus this morning, we were both up, showered and breakfasted. I’d rummaged in the freezer for a soup for lunch and a quick peek outside revealed just how dark it is before the village streetlights flicker into life. The washing machine and dishwasher had both run before the overnight cheaper electric ended at seven o’clock and the washing was hung out, albeit in the dark. 

Fresh off the ferry in Dieppe

 

We have only been home from the UK for a few days, so we lost an hour last Friday lunchtime as our ferry crossed into French time. We then gained an hour in the early hours of Sunday morning as we said goodbye to European summertime and our early start today was because Adrian is working with clients from Abu Dhabi who are three hours ahead of us, or four hours ahead of the UK. By the time the village church bells rang the midday Angelus, his working day was almost over, even if our body clocks had no idea whether it was lunchtime, dinnertime or siesta time. 

 

One thing I do know is that I need to make time for my yoga class this evening, even if it means more juggling of mealtimes. Time spent in the UK meant time away from the yoga mat, and yesterday was an off-the-scale busy day that saw us leave the house before seven thirty in the morning (for Adrian’s annual fasting blood test in Melle), followed by my last day at the Château, and I didn’t get home until fifteen minutes before my quarter to nine (in the evening) class was due to begin. Funnily enough I opted for time with Adrian, dinner, and a glass of wine, instead of yoga.

 

Halloween

When we arrived in France eighteen years ago, Halloween was low key. Our village had a few enthusiastic mums and lots of elderly mamies keen to see the dressed-up little ones and ply them with sweets. Everyone met outside the village hall early in the afternoon and together with our little monsters we would traipse around the streets filling up on bonbons. Long before darkness had fallen, we were all safely home where the fatigue of a long afternoon walking, fought against the inevitable sugar-rush from the Carambars. Time has moved on; Ed has grown up and I’ve realised just how out of touch I am with Halloween. 

A hidden pumpkin at Château de Javarzay

 

A few months ago, Halloween at the Château de Javarzay was mentioned. Should we close the season on a high with something special on Halloween for the children? It falls during the school holidays here in France and from November, the château will be closed until next spring. The answer was a unanimous YES. We found Halloween colouring sheets, all featuring castles with turrets and towers, just like our château. Decorations were hung in the entrance, and we teamed up with the library to end the day with a fun story time for the four-to-six-year-olds. Following on from the success of our Easter egg hunt, we hid twenty numbered paper pumpkins in and around the château, and each group were given an answer sheet to fill in where they’d found the pumpkins. Sweets and colouring sheets were given to all successful hunters. 

Halloween at the Château de Javarzay

 

I was expecting a slow trickle of families throughout the afternoon, the children dressed up in simple outfits, like Ed and his friends had over fifteen years ago. I was wrong. From the moment we opened the doors at two o’clock, until we cashed up at half past six and let the librarians take over, we were inundated with families and groups. There were witches, devils, skeletons, mad scientists, super heroes and more, plus it wasn’t just the children who were dressed up, the mums and dads had 100% entered into the spirit of Halloween with outfits, face paints and accessories. It proved to be one of our busiest days of the season with the only downside being we massively underestimated the quantity of sweets needed. Some of our visitors had driven over an hour just to join in our Halloween experience and although it was an activity aimed at the children, there were plenty of triumphant parent faces too when they’d successfully found all the pumpkins, especially our golden pumpkin. We had so many positive comments on the château visit and the fun they’d had, I was blown away.

Our village cemetery on Toussaint

 

Yesterday was All Hallows’ Eve, today is a public holiday in France for Toussaint, All Saints’ Day and tomorrow is All Souls’ Day, a day to remember those we have lost. Nothing quite says Autumn to me like the carpet of flowering chrysanthemums we see outside florists and garden centres, destined to add colour to the cemeteries here in France. Family members will have made time over the last few days to tidy graves and leave their potted chrysanthemums to remember their loved ones. 

A carpet of chrysanthemums

Our UK visit was for Dad’s funeral, which despite the circumstances, was a day filled with family, friends and a lot of laughter, just as he would have wanted it to be. Ed was nothing short of awesome as he played the guitar and sang one of Dad’s favourite Irish songs during the service and we couldn’t be prouder of him. He’s certainly come a long way since the timid little pumpkin of 2004, not too keen on scary costumes and always the last one in the doorstep sweetie grab. How time flies.

Our little pumpkin 2006

I'd rather lockdown than limbo

Sunrise over the garden at the beginning of the week

I’d rather lockdown than limbo

I could hear the wind and rain this morning before I’d opened my eyes, and just like that, the spectacular sunrises we’d woken to a few days ago were gone and all was dark, damp and gloomy. The grey skies mirror my mood as we find ourselves in a whirl of media speculation, stuck in limbo, awaiting news of lockdown. 

 

Last Sunday, the French media suggested President Macron would be speaking this week, with a high possibility of confinement mark three being imminent. By Tuesday we were told there would be no announcement just yet, he was doing all he could to avoid another lockdown and would wait until the impact of the nationwide 18h curfew had been analysed. 

 

Tuesday’s local news taught me a new French word with the headline “Hécatombe” which means to massacre a large number of people (or animals) and was used to report the sixty-four Covid-19 deaths in the Deux-Sèvres last week. It may not seem that high a number, but it brings the total deaths in our rural department to three hundred and is up from thirty-three in the previous week. I found this increase in numbers shocking and even allowing for the fact that two care homes in the department have been devastated by the virus, if a similar picture is mirrored across France, I can’t help feeling Macron is just delaying the inevitable and in doing so, extending the limbo. 

 

This week in the UK, the news is no less grim as it has now recorded over 100,000 Covid-19 deaths and is the first country in Europe to reach this level. I’m not even reassured by the vaccine programme any more as the current shortage in supplies seems to be creating the perfect storm (in the media at least) for a vaccine war between the UK and the EU. I’m struggling to understand the hostility at a time when working together should be the priority.

 

In other news reports there were riots in Holland as people protested about the measures put into place to protect them and in Nice a restaurant opened its doors and served around fifty people. I appreciate restaurants, cafés and bars have been hit hard, having been closed since the end of October, but I still can’t understand this behaviour. 

 

I think I’ve reached that point when I need to stop reading the news, but as I write this the French health minister is holding a press conference. It is apparent that the curfew hasn’t achieved what they wanted and stricter measures will be necessary. Will there be a full lockdown, like we had last March, or a softer one, like in November? Will the schools all close for an extended winter holiday in February? All these have been suggested in the media, but still we are in limbo as we await the official announcement.

 

It is difficult to stay positive with the uncertainty of this and other things going on at the moment, but thankfully I’ve got yoga and cycling, plus the last of the Christmas brownies that I found in the freezer. A combination of all three, taken daily, seems to be helping. We have now managed to get out on the bikes every day since 29^th December, for at least ten kilometres per day, even on wet days like today. That is almost five hundred kilometres of fresh air, exercise and therapy, and that is priceless.  

France Trivia Advent Calendar, day sixteen, the Minitel

Advent day sixteen, Sparkling Rosé Ice Edition and Biere de Noel

Advent day sixteen, Wednesday 16^th December 2020

I think my advent calendar got its dates mixed up as surely the sparkling rosé Ice Edition I pulled out today, should have been in yesterday’s window to celebrate the end of lockdown. Oh well, never mind, Ed is a day late too as he forgot he didn’t need an attestation to walk the dog when he went out yesterday.

 

As I carried my laptop along the newly decorated landing this morning, on my way to my yoga nook, keen and eager to log into Zoom for my yoga class, I passed the office. Drifting through the door was Adrian’s voice as he began the introductions to the course he was running via Webex today, with delegates signing in from the UK. The next room along is Ed’s bedroom, where his online guitar lesson was just coming to an end, his conversations with his teacher in rapid French just audible above the music. I am so grateful that although we live in a small rural village, we are lucky to have a pretty decent internet service that allows all three of us to be logged in, on different platforms, taking part in video conferences, at the same time. Things have changed quite a bit from when we moved here in 2004 and we had to choose between having the phone line active or dialling in via the modem to check our emails or go online.

Keeping the gas bottle warm

 

Whilst we may have a pretty good internet service, we don’t have a mains gas supply in the village and just before morning coffee today, the gas bottle ran out. Back in pre-Covid-19 days, this would invariably happen the day after Adrian had left for the UK, meaning it was down to me to disconnect the old bottle, struggle in with the heavy new one, prise off the plastic seal (the most difficult part of the process) and connect it up using the special little red spanner. Thankfully, now my man is home, all I need to do is shout, although I did bring in the new bottle this morning as he was taking out the old one. It wasn’t quite the straightforward switch it normally is, as even with the new bottle connected, the hobs were struggling to keep alight. I have to admit it did cause a bit of a panic, as morning coffee is a necessity, and time was running out to get it brewed before the start of Adrian’s course, but the camping stove we use on bike trips came to the rescue. It might be quite a mild winter so far, but the outside temperature of 5º was obviously too cold for the gas to flow properly and the new bottle needed a bit of extra love and attention. Leaving the door off the cupboard, to ensure an ambient room temperature, and not rushing it to perform, seemed to work and this afternoon I successfully made another batch of leek and cauliflower soup. Phew, I did wonder if it would be microwaved lasagne for dinner this evening as this bottle was the last spare we had.

 

France Trivia advent calendar, day sixteen, Minitel

Keeping on a technology theme, the star of today’s trivia is the Minitel. This was a French invention from the 1970’s, that was rolled out throughout France in the early 1980’s and allowed French households and business to connect and interact online, through the telephone network. Using a terminal in your home, you could access an online telephone directory, have a mailbox, read online news and make purchases and travel reservations. It was the world’s most successful online service prior to the internet we know and love today, and although we never used it, I do remember the terminals at the post office when we arrived here in 2004. According to France Télécom, in 2009 there were still ten million monthly connections, but by 2012 they had retired the service as the world wide web had taken hold.

French Trivia Advent calendar, day fifteen, Simone Veil

Advent day fifteen, Bordeaux Merlot and Biere Ambrée

Advent day fifteen

A quick calculation informs me that here in France we have spent 101 days in confinement this year, living life under strict rules where every time we left the house, we had to complete an official document to prove the validity of our journey. Going out today with no paperwork, twice, just because we could, felt great. Our bike ride wasn’t subject to a specific time, or distance from home, the only constraints being the time we had to fit the ride in. The rain even held off for us and the temperature was mild too, which was nice, even if the main reason for the ride was to road test the extra warm socks and waterproof boots we’d bought yesterday. There is no such thing as the wrong weather for cycling, just having the wrong clothing. Mum and Dad have sent us some money to buy our Christmas gifts, so we treated ourselves yesterday.

 

For the first time my advent calendar has given me a duplicate wine today, a Bordeaux Merlot (same as day eleven, if you remember). I’ll be looking forward to opening it later, to go with my post-yoga lasagne. By the time my yoga class is over this evening, I will have done four classes in the last twenty-four hours, which is a bit of a yoga marathon, even by my standards, but it makes me happy.

Square Simone Veil, our village park

 

France Trivia advent calendar, day fifteen, Simone Veil

There are a few names that crop up a lot when you look at any town centre map in France. Général de Gaulle, Marechal Leclerc, Léon Gambetta and Jean Moulin, to name just the ones that spring to mind. The things they all have in common is that they are all dead (you can’t have a place or road named after you until you are dead), they were all important political figures and they are were all male. What you don’t see too often in France is roads or places named after females, although our village has done its best to redress the balance. The pretty little park behind the church has either been known as ‘le square’ (by the French) or ‘the park’ (by the Brits), until last year when it became known as Square Simone Veil. While many people have heard of Charles de Gaulle, Simone Veil is maybe a little less well known. Simone was born in 1927 to a Jewish family, who were all sent to Auschwitz during the Occupation. Simone and her sister were the only two of the family to survive and on her return, she studied law and became a magistrate. In 1974 she became the French minister for health and successfully campaigned for greater access to contraception and the legalising of abortions in 1975. She died in 2017, her coffin lies in the Panthéon and a small village in south west France remembers her forever.

Lockdown diaries, day twenty-six a new challenge

Another day, another batch of soup

Day twenty-six, Tuesday 24^th November 2020

 

Tuesday rolls around once more bringing with it my favourite yoga class of the week; Rise and Shine Yoga for Conditioning. Not being one to enjoy rushing my morning routine, the alarm goes off before the sun has risen, to ensure I’m relaxed and happy on my mat by 9 o’clock. There is just something about this class and its extra focus on the breathing and the body, that leaves me feeling strong and energised to face the day. 

 

We are now three and a half weeks into lockdown and President Macron will speak tonight about what to expect next. Adrian was working online all day and then set off on the turbo trainer to virtually cycle up Mont Ventoux (again) on Zwift. Ed (who conveniently has no lectures on Tuesdays) took himself off to Ruffec to do the weekly shop for us and returned home delighted he had done most of his Christmas shopping too. I think a DNA test might be necessary as I am never that organised or in control when it comes to Christmas. A good skill he is picking up from me during lockdown though, is learning to compare the prices per kilo when doing the shopping. 

 

I might not have had the most exciting of days, but I was happy in the kitchen. A batch of soup, another cake and a lasagne for dinner this evening, plus all the clearing up that goes with it, certainly kept me out of trouble. The soup might not look much, but I can assure you my frugal cauliflower soup, made from the leaves and stalk of a cauliflower, with lots of garlic, a green chilli and some crème fraiche, is delicious and creamy, with just a hint of heat.

 

With December getting closer, I need something to look forward to, and I’m not talking about Christmas. I realise I am becoming quite comfortable with life in lockdown, enjoying us all being at home together and things slipping into an easy routine. Since moving to France 16 years ago, I've often found myself out of my comfort zone and knowing how good this is for me, I always try to say yes to things, no matter how scary they may at first seem. Running an English language club at the local secondary school was one big gulp moment, as was agreeing to stand for election on the village council and accepting a part time job at a local library. This year, there have been very few opportunities to push myself or try something different, although I did set myself some cycling challenges and even climbed a mountain or two. 

 

A small selection of my recipe books

Inspired by author Sophie Claire and her new Christmas book A Winter’s Dream (see my review here), I have decided I need a December challenge. Something to focus on, that gives me the opportunity try new things and break from routine. We are a little restricted with lockdown, but I think I’ve come up with a great idea; the December recipe challenge. It’s time to dig out a cookery book, or two, and do more than just flick through looking at the pictures. I am notoriously bad at following a recipe, always tweaking it to add or substitute something, so my weekly challenge will be to choose a dish I’ve never cooked before and stick to it, ingredient for ingredient. I might even let Adrian and Ed do the choosing. If nothing else, it should make mealtimes a little less routine. 

Lockdown day four, the internet saves the day

Adrian's home office

Day four, Monday 2^nd November 2020 

It was so wet yesterday that only Ed and Mini braved it out to make use of the 'one hour of permitted exercise, no more than one kilometre from home', rule. Thankfully today the sun and blue skies returned and although Adrian was working online for most of the day, we did make it out on the bikes first thing to buy eggs from the local organic egg farm, like we do most weeks. As the morning wore on, it wasn’t just bright and sunny, it was warm too, so it was back to attempting to clear the mountain of washing for me, although I would have preferred a few more hours of drying weather before the rain arrived.

 

It might be day four of lockdown, but today marked the start of our new routine. Adrian delivering a course, Ed logging in to his lectures and me working my way down a to-do list. While their days seemed high-tech, mine felt decidedly old-fashioned. I’d used the bike to buy eggs from a local farm, swept the floors, baked a cake and worked my way through a small pile of clothes to be mended, as well as ensuring a healthy home cooked meal was awaiting my man at lunchtime. I did, however, draw the line at doing the two wash loads in the cold water of the village lavoir. 

 

The sewing jobs, in life pre-covid, would have been taken down to our village sewing club that used to meet every Friday morning. There, over a coffee and most likely a piece of homemade cake, I would have enjoyed mending the pocket in Ed’s jeans, or redoing a hem or darning a hole, half concentrating on the job in hand, half listening to the chit-chat in French and English going on around me. If I didn’t have the exact colour cotton, someone there would have, and those with more experience were always happy to offer help or advice. There might be the whir of a sewing machine or two, or the clatter of knitting needles in the background and always there was lots of laughter. It is the simple exchanges like this that I miss the most in our new anti-social covid world.

 

Today was also back to school day here in France, following the October mid-term break. Sadly, things looked a bit different for most children this morning as France comes to terms with not just another wave of Covid-19 cases and a new lockdown, but an increase in terrorist attacks too. Most schools would have seen a Gendarme presence at their gates this morning and a minute’s silence was held before class for Samuel Paty, the teacher killed at work just before the holidays in the outskirts of Paris. Since then, three people have been killed in another attack by extremists in Nice, meaning France is on high alert once more. It can’t be easy for the kids and it’s certainly a crap time for parents having to send their children off to school. I am once again thankful that Ed is home, safe, and able to continue his studies online.

 

Yoga has helped me a lot this year, both mentally and physically, and although my day might have seemed stuck in an Edwardian time warp, this evening it is my turn to go high-tech as I log in to my first online yoga class of the week. Having missed classes whilst away last week, I’m keen to get back to my mat tonight and breathe away the anxieties of this crazy world.

Diary of Covid-19 confinement, day nineteen

In my new yoga nook

My yoga space

I now have a new yoga nook in a corner of our bedroom. Many years ago I added a desk here, somewhere I hoped I would sit and write or use my sewing machine. However, the bedroom is a long way from the heart of the house and even when home alone, I tend to write and sew on the dining room table and the desk, chair and area around it have become a dumping ground, dust trap and general no-go area. 

Online yoga needs a space in the house. Space we have a-plenty, but this week I have been using the lounge where Mini wanders in and out, joins me on the mat, snores on the floor or snoozes on the sofa. If Ed is up, he often walks through to get to his shower room, and I can always tell what Adrian is doing in the kitchen. The smell of fresh coffee in the morning, the hiss of a beer can and rustle of a peanut bag in the evening. Somewhere a little more remote seemed a good idea.

Today’s task of lockdown was a big tidy and clean of the bedroom. We moved out the desk, the sewing machine, the bags of fabric, and attacked the dust and created a calm and tranquil space for the yoga mat. In much the same way that time has crept up on us in the garden and orchard, with nettles, brambles and ivy taking over planting areas and the stone walls that surround the potager, stuff and dust have taken over many corners of the house. This enforced time together, with the need to plan our days wisely and fill them constructively, has given us the opportunity to see into the corners and to start a long overdue sort out, clear out and clean.

Adrian's pain cave

Pain cave

As I had my girly retreat space it seemed only fair the boys had a more manly pain cave, so the ‘dining room’ was next on the attack list. I say dining room, but it has been almost three years since the table lived in there and more recently it has been a bike storage area, a home for the bike touring gear, a cemetery for many a dead bit of computerware and again, dust, lots of dust. 

If my Dyson could speak it would probably be screaming “enough”, however it has only really just begun. All we have so far achieved is to rearrange years of hoarding in order better utilise the space we have for our current needs. What we now need to do is be ruthless and go through the many bags, boxes, shelves and cupboards, and part with belongings we’ve cherished in the past, but have neglected, forgotten or no longer need now.

Returning summer visitors

In other news, the Swallows are back! Whilst enjoying our morning coffee in the garden a pair of swallows circled and swooped overhead, the first two I have seen returning this spring. It is always a turning point in the calendar and promises warm, summer days to come.

Stay indoors, stay safe.

Diary of Covid-19 confinement, day eighteen

#KTTinyTourer bike yoga covid-19 confinement madness

Losing our minds

There are certain things that used to be routine, that I’m now finding myself forgetting on a regular basis. Take breakfast for example. I’m not one for faffing in the morning, making up hot porridge that even on the iciest of days leaves me too hot inside, but I do believe in the benefits of oats. My preference is for Tom Kerridge’s Overnight Oats. As I prepare dinner, I put the oats into a bowl, add a little cold water, some fruit compote, walnuts and a few spoons of natural yoghurt. Left in the fridge overnight to work its magic, my breakfast is ready to serve as soon as the coffee has brewed the following morning. However, I’ve woken up three times in the last week realising I’ve forgotten to make my breakfast. You know it will be a tough day to get through when there is no breakfast ready and waiting for you.

#KTTinyTourer bike yoga covid-19 confinement madness

Katie bike isn’t happy either. She appreciates that she is a folding bike, but she’s just not used to being kept folded and two and a half weeks spent tucked away in her storage area is beginning to get her down. She persuaded me that she really needed to stretch her frame and give her wheels a turn or two, so it seemed only natural that she should join me in the garden for a spot of sunshine. 

#KTTinyTourer photo yearbook 2019 3285kms of fun

We both enjoyed looking through the photo book Adrian bought me for Christmas and remembering all the great adventures we had together last year, and we hope to be planning some new touring holidays for as soon as we can escape.

#KTTinyTourer bike yoga covid-19 confinement madness

We then decided a bit of stretching, bending and meditation would help us both at this difficult time. Yoga with your bike, I’m sure it will catch on soon.

#KTTinyTourer bike yoga covid-19 confinement madness

I’m not the only one experiencing strange behaviour either. Ed has now been seen well before midday, two days running, and today he even ate his lunch before we did. 

This is a worrying situation, but thankfully Adrian seems to be bearing up well, although I did find him in the laundry room earlier today handwashing and spinning his cycle clothing.

Stay indoors, stay safe.

Lockdown library

Today’s reading suggestion is any of the brilliant and funny travel memoirs by Susie Kelly, but especially Travels with Tinkerbelle that she is currently offering for FREE on kindle UK. This is the hilarious adventures of Susie, her husband, two large dogs and a campervan called Tinkerbelle as they make and epic 6000 mile road trip around France. 

Diary of Covid-19 confinement, day fifteen

The Masked Man at Lidl

Day fifteen

Yesterday seemed to be a good day to achieve things, today not so. The sun has returned, but it’s still a bit too cold for me to resume my gardening chores and the wind today was wicked. It was the sort of wind that made the house creak and rattle and drove me mad as it messed with my head. I don’t like windy days at the best of times, and it seemed even worse with the added weirdness of life in lockdown. There was no way I was spending time outside in it. The forecast does show warmer temperatures should return later in the week, so that at least is something we have to look forward to.

Adrian’s escape

I am not much of a shopper, for either clothes or food, and as I’ve already ventured out twice for fresh veggies and basics, I was in no hurry to leave the safety of home again just yet. Adrian, on the other hand, hasn’t left the village in two weeks, which I think might be a record in the fifteen years that we have lived here. As you can imagine, he was feeling the need to break free, and under the excuse of topping up the other essentials I hadn’t deemed essential enough to buy; wine and beer, he took a brave leap this morning. The shop was empty of customers, full of stock and no queues at the checkout, so it was deemed such a success he has now been promoted to head of purchasing, even if the beers he bought outnumbered the courgettes by 9:1. 

Double yoga day

The best thing about today for me was being able to do my normal morning yoga for fitness class as well as an extra class this evening. It is the last week of our six-week term and Marc and Kate at Phoenix Yoga have generously allowed us to take as many online classes as we want this week. Two down today and I’m hoping for another two or three before Thursday evening. I am in heaven. I am also quite enjoying being able to watch the birds in our garden as I’m breathing and bending, and this morning I saw my first hoopoe of the year. I’m still waiting for the swallows, but they can’t be far away now, maybe they too want the easterly winds to die down before making an appearance.

Stay indoors and stay safe

Lockdown library

Today’s suggestion is the lovely Villa des Violettes trilogy, by Patricia Sands, set in Provence. I have been a big fan of Patricia's novels for many years and through these books you will find yourself in the lovely south of France.

Update on my 2019km cycling challenge

#KTTinyTourer Ile de Ré

2019 Cycling Challenge

This year, with my new bike Katie the Tiny Tourer, I have challenged myself to cycle 2019km, which is a significant jump from the 700km I managed in 2018. As the end of the first three months draws near, I thought it would be a nice idea to update you on how I am doing.

I’ve never really been keen on cold winter rides and even less keen on wet and windy ones, so I was expecting to complete the majority of my kilometres during the summer months. However, a new bike, a challenge and the need to have something positive to focus on (Brexit still pops into my headspace all too often and with negative effects), combined with mild weather, and I have done better than I thought. Splitting the kilometres over the months equally, I should have cycled 505km by now, whereas I’ve actually managed 611km.

Ile de Ré

So far it has been a case of little and often that has accumulated my kilometres, but we have also had a couple of proper days out with café stops, picnics and fun in the sun on the Ile de Ré. On our last visit I couldn’t resist treating Kate the Tiny Tourer to a mascot, something small and fun that can travel with us as we make our pedal-powered way along the back roads of France. 

 

Annie the Ile de Ré donkey

I’m delighted to introduce you to Annie, the Ile de Ré donkey. Fascinating fact time: the Ile de Ré is probably the only place in the world where donkeys traditionally wore pyjamas and I think you’ll agree Annie looks particularly fetching in hers. Donkeys were used on the island for agricultural work, kelp harvesting on the coast and working on the salt beds, as well as the main form of transport between the villages. The salt marshes on the island attract flies and mosquitos that attacked the donkeys, so to protect them they were dressed in trousers made out of recycled shirts. 

 

Ile de Ré donkeys

In the summer you still see dressed-up donkeys, as the tourists like it (possibly more than the donkeys), but at our out of season visit the donkeys were happily munching the grass and wandering around naked.

 

Cycling the Canal de la Garonne Cicerone guide book

Canal de la Garonne

Next month, if all goes to plan, I should get even further ahead of my target as we make our way from Bordeaux to Toulouse along the Canal de la Garonne, on a six-day, 350km tour. Adrian has the route and accommodation all sorted, has ensured we have enough spares and luggage to carry everything, and has even planned for emergency coffee stops. As we will be early in the season and following the towpath, rather than back roads from village to village, this time we will be taking our new lightweight trekking stove and Bialetti coffee pot with us. We just need to create ourselves a Bialetti bracket to hang the coffee pot from a bike, photos to follow, I promise.

Yoga

We still have a few weeks left to get as bike fit as possible before we set off and thanks to Marc, my new yoga teacher, I’m feeling in good shape. I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed a regular yoga class until Phoenix Yoga set up a couple of weekly classes in a nearby village, but I’m loving it and even hoping Adrian will join me.

New Year, New Experiences 2, Yoga and Zumba

The French Yoga Garden Café who serve a delicious brunch

Following on from part one of my New Year, New Experiences (see here), once back in France, continuing my active start to 2018 was still on my mind and I was keen to get back to our weekly village gym class, even if my legs always ache for a few days afterwards. 

I also discovered The French Yoga Garden run a monthly Yoga Brunch session at the Moulin de Chantegrolle in Charroux, which although not that local, the opportunity to do a Sunday morning yoga class, followed by a delicious home cooked brunch, wasn’t to be missed. When I arrived I discovered the yoga studio was in fact a yurt in the garden, where the sound of running water from the millstream drowned out all modern world noises as we cocooned ourselves in a warm and cosy yoga bubble. It was bliss. I was so in the yoga zone that my inner blogger disappeared and I forgot to take any photos. Thankfully you can see lots on the Retreat in France website here, of the yurt, the café and the accommodation in a converted water mill.

Lucy is my fifth yoga teacher and the fourth I’ve discovered in the last six months, the other three being travelling yogis who come and go, but I’ve noticed a similarity; they all have an aura of calm about them. I’ve decided you can sense a good yoga teacher before the class begins; they are relaxed, happy in the here and now and radiate peace and tranquillity. 

Yoga with Lucy didn't disappoint and yoga in a yurt was another first for me, I know I will be back. Having sampled the poached eggs and fresh pancakes of brunch, I’m also looking forward to the official opening of their café, The French Yoga Garden Café, which I’m sure Ade and I will also make good use of when out on our bikes.

ZumbaPoitou

They say things go in threes and my third new sporty experience has surprisingly turned out to be Zumba. I have quite a few friends who go to a local weekly Zumba class and they have all tried to persuade me to go, one has been trying for about five years. Despite my reservations, I finally gave in and gave it a go. Coordination isn’t my strong point and neither is my sense of rhythm. Give me a yoga pose to hold and I hold it, get me to dance to music and I’m all over the place. I also have a fear of communal sweating, so when I was advised to bring a towel, in case of ‘drips’ (shudder), I nearly didn’t turn up. But, turn up and try my best I did, and good fun it was too. I know it will take me quite a while to learn the dance routines, but I’ve bought a ten-session ticket to prove my commitment and I’ve even coped (so far) with the public sweating.

ZumbaPoitou Why am I the only one with my arms in the air?

With the weather so far this year being wet, day after day after day, I haven’t been out on my bike since getting back from the UK, dog walks have been hit and miss and the garden is a soggy, muddy mess that I’m avoiding for fear of getting sucked into the mud. It is just as well that I’m keeping active in other ways, but I’m still looking forward to spring and more time spent outdoors. 

My next blog will contain more news, but book related rather than sporty.