Chateaux on my doorstep.

Are you in love with France and  Chateaux ?

If so, spend a little of your time with me and share some of the Chateaux I could pass by just popping to the Boulangerie to buy a baguette, or our Sunday morning croissants. and one on the way to my hairderssers.

Our lovely visitors have just left after their 17th year of staying in our holiday home. While we talking about where they had been on their many outings around our picturesque countryside, it made me think how much I take for granted the beauty of where we live and it's all on our door step. Which ever direction I take, I could pass a chateaux. My nearest neighbours are the owners of Chateaux de Brie. 

All of the Chateaux are on the route of King Richard the Lion Heart. King Richard spent many years in France where he was shot by an arrow and as a result from this injury he died in 1199  at  Chateaux de Chalus - Chabrol X1c - XV11c

This is approaching my neighbours at Chateau de Brie from our house.

Just a little inside info..

When we bought our first house in France and where with the Notaire signing the documents, we were informed that the owners of the Chateau kept their horses on some of the land that came with the property we were buying and he asked us 'did we mind' !  Only ever having lived in houses with what we thought had a large garden, we had no idea of how much land he was talking about. We were taken by the Immobilier to see the land which had been mentioned, he then  pointed to the right & the left and said 'as far as you can see in both directions is yours'. Well ! looking at the amount of land which was about to become ours and not having horses we were very pleased that the Chateau owners would be putting their horses on our land.

This is a photo of Chateau de Brie taken by my husband during a flying trip he went on.

 

I love this picture of Chateau de Montbrun
taken on a frosty morning during a really cold winter.

Chateau de Montbrun is lived in and privately owned.

Approaching  Chateau de Jumilhac.
Such a lovely view we sat here to eat our pic-nic. This is a small but very picturesque town where most of the old houses bordering the chateau have been tastefully renovated.
 Imagine this view from your kitchen window !!!

Chateau de Jumilhac 

 This is my favourite Chateau,  because it has so many towers.

 Chateau de Nexon and Parc. 

This chateaux is set in 40 hectares of landscaped park, which was created in the late 19th c.

Since the municipality acquired the sight, it became the Mairie (town hall ) 

which is now open to the public free of charge all year round.

 

I thought you might like this sign. Those who are travellers in France will be familiar to seeing these yellow signs used in France. This one directs you to use a quieter and more touristic route to Paris.

As I'm not a city girl and fortunately neither is my other half,  we usualy take these routes.

 We find we see so much more.

Chateau de Rochechouart X111c Renaissance style.
Now has a contemporary art museum on the top floor.

 

We are now at the end of the Chateau tour at Chateau de Chalus. which is now an historic monument situated at the cross roads of the 'Chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle'

The historical route of the Plantagenet's.

It was here Richard Coeur de Lion ended his life.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of some of the Chateaux near where I live.

Enjoy your week-end.

A bientot.

Barbara Lilian



Pumpkins in the autumn sunshine.

We have nice sunny days again where I live in france. After being indoors for three days because of rain, we decided to take a pic-nic & drive around taking roads we don't usually use. I'm so glad, as look what I found.

These were growing in a potager near to the roadside and I couldn't resist taking these photos.

Pumpkins.

Known as potiron in French.

 

Just think what wonderful lanterns these would make.
My grandchildren in Denmark want me to send these to them.






All shapes, colours and sizes.

This one was growing on a plant  twisted all around a wire fence.

I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon.

.This one I found at my daughters.
Lovely autumn colours, tempting me to get my paints out !

 

Hope you liked sharing my autumn sunny afternoon 'a la campagne'. 

Enjoy your weekend

A bientot.

Barbara Lilian.

Easy one pot meal for Autumn.

This is one of my other half's favourite meals.

Sausage & Lentil Simmer

 I love this because it's a meal he cooks for me.

 I'll share his recipe with you, then maybe your other half can be coaxed into
putting a chefs hat on & cook it for you.

Maybe your thoughts of lentils, is food for the health freaks or maybe not to every ones taste.
 But if you've never eaten them give them a try, I did & cooked like this they are really tasty.

These are the best lentils, French of course.

But I'm sure any other green lentil would be just as good.

I'm not sure where the recipe came from. 

It's one I cut out from a magazine & added to my recipe file.

I hope you can read it.

 Why is it, scanned things come out with a blue tint ?
Maybe some one with 'hints on blogging' can help out on that !

Simmer nicely for about 40/45 mins.

 

Nice plump sausages.

An option,  add a little bit of colour to top it off.

et voila.

 

Bon appetit.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

A bientot

Barbara Lilian

Now I know Autumn is on it's way.

How strange our weather has been today, we had 3 seasons in one day.

This morning we woke up to see ground frost, by midday the sun was warm so we ate our lunch on the deck by the pool, then enjoyed a swim, well my other half did, I'm a bit of a wimp ! when it comes to dipping in the pool, the water needs to be bath temp. for me. Even though the pool temp. was 26 deg. so he told me ! So I decided on having a snooze on a sun lounger, more my style.

Then a walk was on the cards, well more like a stroll, not too energetic only up the lane from my house, and as you can see by the photos I didn't come back empty handed. When I go walking at this time of the year I always have a plastic bag in my pocket just in case, as you never know what little treats you might find.

Look what I found.

Yes Blackberries, not many, but enough to make a dessert.

As I'm trying to get back to improving  my sketching & aquarelle painting,

 I took a few photos of the berries hoping it will inspire me.

 

Well by the time I'd worked on the photos I'd taken, trying to enhance & crop them, to feel that they were good enough to show on my blog, I feel pleased with myself as I've now started on a few sketch's. If I think they are worth showing, I might pluck up the courage to let you have a peep. If you like to see really good journal sketch's take a look at Sketchbook Wandering it's one of my favourites.

  

I've been a late learner in a lot of things that I'm now loving to do, so tackling the art of taking good photos will have to be my next challenge. I'm enjoying putting a post together for my blog, so to me that's the main thing.  

I hope you enjoyed the touch of Autumn after my stroll down our lane.

A bientot

Barbara Lilian

Almost the end of Summer

When I lived in England, and the month of September arrived, I always thought, that's it summer's over now, but here in central France where I live I've found that September is a lovely month. Fortunately we're still enjoying warm sunny days by the pool and as we had a late start to good summer weather this year, all the summer flowers are now at their best. Hopefully as we've been given a good forecast for the next 2 weeks, our summer will stretch out a little bit longer. Naturally some of the leaves have started to change colour and the early mornings & evenings are dewy & slightly chilly, so the signs of Autumn is on it's way. A new season which will be a joy for all it's colours and the fruits on the trees to enjoy, also searching in the woods for the hidden mushrooms, if I'm lucky enough to find them. I've never quite mastered the art of  'trouver les champignons'.

Today we've spent a lovely day with some of our friends who are staying in the house which we rent, called 'La Petite Maison'. I thought you might like to have a peep.

La Petite Maison terrace

with a grape vine covered pergola & the beautiful climbing Campsis,
 with it's vivid flame coloured trumpet flowers.






The grapes and Campsis growing happily together.

La Petite Maison.

A peep inside the cottage, with it's cosy lounge.

 

One of the many hanging baskets.

Still looking good.

Preparing to share aperitifs on the deck with our friends, on their last night.

 

Their last view of La Petite Maison for another year.

  

Hope you liked seeing the end of summer at La Petite Maison.

Au revoir.

A bientot.

Barbara Lilian.