Back in Touraine after 1500+ km road-trip.

 

Returned last night to Barrou after our adventures (always an adventure with us!) down south... more details to follow! Good friends kind enough to have us to dinner after our long trip back.   

Mormoirion

Carcassonne

Albi

Cordes-sur-Ciel

Vendredi à vélo - popular Provence

As we  harvesting the grapes on Saturday there were many cyclists and walkers who passed us on the popular track alongside the vines.Some were even encouraged,by me, to sample the experience but sadly only wanted a photo shoot!

Could there be a better place of work...

Although Saturday was hard work I doubt if we could have had a better backdrop than Mont Ventoux or a better place to lunch than in Francoise's olive grove.

Have a good weekend everyone - this is our home for the next few days...

 

We are at my brother's in Provence to help with 'la vendange'...it's ok!😉🍇

Vendredi à vélo - blast from the past

 

Captured these this time last year in Villes-sur-Auzon down in Provence. 

This time last year...

This time last year we were just about to head back to Touraine after a visit to Provence.

Life before lockdown...

To think that this time last year we were sitting in Provence by the river in the pretty Isle sur la Sorgue unaware of what was ahead of us.

 

A brocante fix...

While we were down in Provence we managed to get an opportunity to do a walk through this pretty brocante display just outside Le Barroux. The one below, in Villes-sur-Auzon, was closed when we walked by but they had their own unique way of displaying their 'treasure'.

More images from Provence

 

Back in Barrou...

 

Arrived back in Barrou last night after our near 8 hour trip from Provence. Last pic from the house yesterday morning - Richard and Francoise were as ever very generous to us in all aspects of our stay,though will have to seriously get back on a regime afterthe amount of great food and wine we managed to consume during our stay. 

 

Glad I was able to help push on the village house project and Pauline and I really enjoyed helping out the 'la vendange'. 

We have again taken away great memories of this beautiful part of France.

Jobs done am - tourists again pm

Yesterday was our last day down in Provence and I managed to finish the little projects that needed done in the morning so the afternoon was spent doing more village visiting with the benefit of great local knowledge courtesy of Francoise. She took us past her first family home and school then on to the hilltop village of Blauvac

The village offers great 360 degree views

 

The second hilltop village we visited was  the nearby Methamis which again offers superb views.

There was one view we have to admit that we would never have found without Francoise - she took us along a rocky track behind the church that gave us views along the gorges. 

Well, well, well....

After our photo op by the well at Le Barroux  thought I'd feature a few more as most villages (Flassan above) around here seem to have them - some like Villes-sur-Auzon (below) have two!

Taking in our surroundings in Provence...

 

Another village we visited on Sunday was the pretty Crillon-le-Brave  which offers beautiful views over the surrounding countryside.

 

Petit foire aux vins and coals to Newcastle.

Mormoiron  had it's 'foire aux vins' yesterday,it was a quiet affair made even more so with rain in the morning. But the sun came out in the afternoon which allowed us to check out Richard's competition.

 

 This is him talking 'viticulteur vigneron' with the new owner of the small estate that was Francoise's former family home. They have changed the name to 'Domaine Les Chancel'  and are investing heavily in promoting their new wines - which are, as we found out. very palatable. We bought some of the first rosé produced on the estate, aptly named 'Le Rosé No1' which we had to accompany our evening meal last night - very nice! We sampled and bought from a few other growers - as if we need any more wine?

A change is as good as a rest...and walking backwards.

 

Pauline and I are down in Provence helping Richard and Francoise move on their own little project. Francoise has been working hard on it since our last visit. Life is never dull - yesterday was spent in the company of the man who is in the 'Guinness Book Records' for walking backwards the fastest.

Hard nut to crack...

We returned from Provence with a large bag of hazelnuts courtesy of Richard and Francoise's garden. They are very tasty but so hard to break into - so much so that they broke our walnut cracker!

The other thing about them is there is a lot of shell for not a lot of nut...btw the nut cracker above was hopeless for this as well,above was the reward for using the 'hitting with a hammer' method!

PS Growing up I knew a family of 'Nutts' who cruelly named their daughter 'Hazel'(true). Fortunately she was thick skinned.