Sunday walk...

Richard and Francoise flew up from Marseilles to Prestwick on Sunday to join us or a small family gettogether here in Ayr. The lovely weather of the previous couple of days continued so we took them on what is our favourite walk along the coast and over to the the Auld Brig o' Doon.

Richard took a few 'moments' to remind himself of just how pretty it is here in Ayrshire.

Auld Brig o' Doon

Red Arrows flyby...

 

Second day of the Air Show proved to be very busy with the obvious attraction of the Red Arrows, we went down to the seafront again but decided that we would be better off in the comfort of Eileen's garden. 

Ayr, airshow...

We arrived in Ayr yesterday to the start of the Airshow - walking along the shorefront to Eileen's house the crowds were already gathering for the evening's show.

We had booked a table at Ayr India for 8.00pm but joined the crowd for the first hour of the show...which was a little underwhelming before taking our seats.

Things improved a bit and we witnessed some aerial acrobatics from the restaurant windows, We also had a noisy fly-pass by a jet which was too quick (obviously)to capture!

Enjoyed our meal although the service was a little hectic with all that was going on. Tomorrow its Spitfires and Red arrows!

At least some things are enjoying the very hot weather...

 

The geraniums in our courtyard here in La Guerche.

La Guerche brocante...

 

On Sunday the village held its annual brocante, so we gathered up loads of  'stuff' and offered it for sale to the treasure hunters, John (his pics) and Maureen tagged on a table as well to add to the mix for the day. On such a very hot day we were pleased to see we had been allocated an excellent spot which offered us shade for most of our time under the sun.

  

Setting the scenes...at Chateau de La Guerche

We joined friends to attend this year's play, Shakespeare's  'Henry IV', across the road at the chateau on Friday night - we were again treated to some excellent acting skills in a great setting. For us the stand-out performances were the characters of Falstaff and Hotspur but everyone contributed to a great performance. 

Seeking sanctuary...

 

After lunching at a very hot 'Le Saint Mandé' in Ferrière-Larçon yesterday, we headed straight for the church for a little respite from the current unbearably high temperatures. Then it was a quick dash back to the air-con in the car.

A detour to Villeloin-Coulangé

 

Last week we made a return visit to Montresor with Eileen but took a different route from normal so I could check out the former Benedictine abbey complex of Saint-Sauveur de Villeloin, in the village of Villeloin-Coulangé  only 3km southeast of the town. 

We had stopped here in the past to visit the church but I was unaware of this little treasure nestling along the banks of the river Indre. I think it was an old post on Susan's 'Days on the Claise' blog that that brought it to my attention but we had never gotten round to making a visit, glad we did!

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The abbey complex, which was extensive (see pic.below), suffered considerably from the Hundred Years War, then from the Wars of religion and not surprisingly the Revolution. What remains is however worth the detour if visiting Montresor.

Image from National Library of France

Quinze août festivities...2023 part II

For the evening part of our Quinze août festivities we headed over to David and Jane's place just outside Le Grand Pressigny for a musical picnic.

'I Don't Know' started the evening off with a fine set then Dominique and I did a short set.

Dominique was joined by Patience and then Aline before Celtiqua brought the evening to a close with an excellent set.

We all joined in for the final song of the evening and to bring the festivities to an end - there was many a toast throughout the evening to 'absent friends' to those who could not make it along. 

**Photo 3 courtesy of Dave Brown

Vid 1 Eileen

Vid 2 Norman

Shakespeare - Henry IV (part 1) at Château de la Guerche

This year, the Théâtre du Perron invites you to discover Shakespeare at Château de la Guerche with 'Henry IV', a play that traces the tumultuous youth of Prince Hal (Henry), as the revolt against his father King Henry rumbles. From the tavern at Eastcheap to the battlefield at Shrewsbury, scenes of comedy, intrigue, poetry, await you!

If you haven't been to one of the plays put on by 'Théâtre du Perron' you should perhaps give it a try as the back drop of the chateau is almost worth it alone. In the past we have to admit that the 'French' has gone completely over our heads but the ambiance and the quality of the performances makes for a lovely evening out.