Back in Barrou...

A lovely evening was had by all last night at the first soirée hosted by the new proprietors of the restaurant in Barrou. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and they did an impressive job serving up a barbecue meal to everyone, no small feat considering the turnout! Our table alone had 24 people! A good start even though the bar was a little overwhelmed,sure there will be lessons learned from the evening. 

Another great soiree...

 

Great night last night with friends where our host not only gave us great tuna steaks from the bbq but also provided the evenings entertainment...his talents are many! Big shout out to A&D super evening!

Another good night in the grotto...

 

Pauline's fairy grotto has a new addition,which was saved from a trip to the dechetterie.

Another lovely night...another lovely soiree.

 

Another lovely evening last night in Pauline's fairy grotto that is the courtyard of the Old Walnut Mill.

Inside out...

Just before going out to dinner last night we had an almighty downpour which saw our hosts Tina and Tony having to reset their table indoors but by the time we arrived the sky had cleared and it was all hands to the pump and back outside...glad we did - lovely evening in a pretty setting. 

Soiree theatrale au chateau...a very French experience!

Last night we popped over to our neighbour's place for a little theatre...Chateau de la Guerche, for the third night, put on two plays within their courtyard. It was good to see a good turnout plus the rain that spoiled Friday nights event fortunately stayed away.

The setting was fabulous with the chateau being used to full effect. Although our French,or lack of it in my case, made it difficult to follow the dialogue we were lucky enough to have Cally with us to at least give us the basic plot.

Not something you do every day but a real pleasure...special shout-out to 'the harlequin' and Emmanuel (son of the chateau owner) for their performances.

A little sugar on top...

Celebrating my birthday continued with dear friends providing more fizz to accompany a good night of entertainment by the delightful 'Sugar Hearts' over in nearby Maire

From the moment they paraded down Place de l'Eglise they entertained us with their own 50's take on an eclectic mix of songs that included 'Should I stay or should I go now?' 'Walk like an Egyptian' and 'Valerie' among others.

A favourite moment was when the ladies replaced the musicians at their instruments and they finished of the vocals...good fun!

Une autre belle soirée...

Another good night,last night, with friends in a the lovely setting of Mo & John's, our hosts for the evening. 

Impromptu soirees and the ring of fire...

Our latest guests arrived late (8.00pm) last night at the Old Walnut Mill and had been booked in to take part in the *Fete de St Jean celebrations in the village. We spoke to Catherine in the restaurant who said it was ok for them to get there when they could. As we were still in Barrou we decided to pop along for a drink before heading home after a long day.

We had asked if there was going to be music on the night and had been told no,so were surprised and delighted to see there was indeed some entertainment. We gatecrashed a table of some of our neighbours and enjoyed a good night - I even got a chance to sing a few songs and Pauline joined other locals dancing around the fire that is lit to welcome in the summer solstice (although a week early, so as not to clash with the 'Fete de la Music' perhaps). It was the first major event for Catherine & Pascal at the restaurant and it went very well which must be satisfying for them after all their hard work.

*Fete de St Jean  on Wiki

Une belle soiree and Russian honey cake...

Last night Miki, the owner of *Le Bourg had Pauline and I along with some of her French neighbours for a little soiree. Also invited were the couple,Jim & Marina who are currently staying at the Old Walnut Mill whom Pauline and Miki had bumped into in Loches on Saturday.

This made for a very cosmopolitan gathering as Jim is from Wyoming and Marina was born in East Germany adding to the French,Canadian and Scottish presence. Marina had offered to make a Russian cake for dessert and it tuned out to be a delicious layered honey cake...very 'moreish'. 

* You could be having your own Loire Valley experiences as Le Bourg is currently for sale.

Soiree - something for the weekend....

Illuminating evening.

Last week some French friends were kind enough to invite us to their Pendaison de crémaillère (house warming) party which was an excellent evening with a great mix of people in very pleasant surroundings. Can you guess which company our host used to work for?

First musical soiree of 2018

Last night we were at our first musical outing of 2018. Dave and Patience laid on an evening of diverse musical entertainment with Dave joining David and Cally for their set of tunes that always go down well plus members of the local choral did their bit...oh and they were kind enough to let me have a go - fun night!

Soirée cabaret avec repas...

We spent last night with fellow villagers at the 'salle des fétes' being entertained by 'Léa Crevon'

Well fed and watered in good company - good night was had by all.