Another day, another public holiday!

The sun is shining today for France's Fete National. Hopefully clear tonight for lots of fireworks.

A busy year so far and we must be doing something right ....our lovely guests have said such lovely things about us that Tripadvisor have awarded us this certificate.

Quite a lot to live up to, so no slacking this summer!

Over the last couple of months we have had some surprise additions to the hen house.

Our broody hens absolutely refused to give up their vigil, but I didn't really think they would hatch. We ended up with five chicks, none of them genetically linked to the broody hens. Four of them may be pure Lemon Cuckoo Orpingtons and one I suspect is crossed with the little brown hen - who is totally unimpressed by the chicks. They are now four weeks old and doing well. After a little hiccup with the first one, (slipped back into the nest once the others had hatched) the two Welsummer hens are perfect mums, caring for the chicks with no intervention from us. Fingers crossed that at least some of them are hens!

The flower market at Levignac was a bright and sunny day - plenty of plants to be bought and entertainment to be had.

Levignac flower market

Music and dance at Levignac

 In May we had a visit from Rob, Susie, Orla and Lucas with Susie's mum, Pauline. We had gorgeous weather and a lovely time, can't wait for the next visit.

One of our days out was to the rose garden at Boissonna. It was beautiful, we were inspired to create our own rose garden - still in the planning stage, and likely to be at that stage for quite a while longer!

We had another great evening with Dale Blade and the Roommates, this time at Domaine Gourdon.

This Friday they are at Monteton as part of a tour, fingers crossed for good weather.

We have had two clutches of Black Redstarts this year.

Four chicks in the first lot

and five in the lot that have just fledged

The latest chicks are still around the house being fed by the adults from time to time. 

A couple of weeks ago we went to The Naked Vigneron for lunch with my cousin Mary and Gary who were staying for the week.

We had the most fantastic, long, leisurely lunch accompanied by their lovely wines. Thank you Amanda and David for a lovely afternoon.

We've certainly had some 'weather' just lately. Scorching sunshine, hot and sticky one minute and cool and showery the next with amazing thunderstorms.

This is the forecast for the coming few days..

Hopefully more settled for the rest of the summer. Come and join us! The gite is full until the beginning of September, but we have some vacancies in our guest house.

See you soon

         Fiona and Hugh

Happy New Year

Happy New Year good health and great happiness to everyone.

We are enjoying some very mild weather here at the moment, a bit damp but nowhere near the torrents and wind you are suffering in the UK at the moment - long may it last, although I know that the local vignerons would like a good, sustained cold spell to send the vines to sleep.

Since the last update we have had a few days out and a trip to England to visit family before Christmas.

Back at the end of October we visited the town of Pujols, about an hour's drive from here. It was a beautiful day, and warm enough to eat outside.

Street scene, Pujols

Restaurant 'Villa Smerelda'

A long and leisurely lunch

I think we've been here before!

Church, Pujols

Window and wall painting in the Church of Sainte Foy, Pujols

 On November 1st, Toussaint (All Saints Day) there is an enormous fair in La Reole

La Reole, away from the fair

Fantastic moustache!

A specialist vehicle for hunting, I don't know if the gun is provided with it! 

The pompiers driving through the market to make a point?!

Eating again! At restaurant 'Aux Fontaines' La Reole

Just to make Hugh feel better about our shutters!

 A visit to a wet and windy Bordeaux. A little Christmas shopping at the Quai des Marques

Then to an exhibition at Cap Sciences about the brain

Building a virtual bridge

Then eating - again!

Pizza Pino, Place Gambetta, Bordeaux

Followed by 'Irish Celtic' at the Patinoire, Bordeaux - Riverdance it wasn't!

 The following day, the weather was beautiful for the St Martin's day fair in Duras. November 11th is a Jour de Fete in France. Duras has a huge antiques/flea market, and because it fell on a Monday this year it included our usual weekly market.

The beginning of December is one of the last decent Vide Grenier's of the year, at Monsegur

Bargains in hand! 

Hugh spotted the Google car driving past the house earlier in the year and in December we finally made it onto streetview!

Vue de Duras on Google maps streetview. We should be even easier to find now.

Then our favourite trip of the year to England.

My first cuddle with Lucas. 

Susie and Orla

A day out at Hobbledown Farm

Watching the meerkats being fed

Hiding from Grandad! 

 and a walk in Bushy Park

Lucas

"Push me higher" or "Stop!"?

Susie, Orla and Nana Fifi

 Followed by a trip the the Christmas market in Manchester with Alex, (Sorry Rob, Tom, Ellen and Matt, Dave, Nicole and Adam, and Sarah - why have we no photos of you all?!)

Think of your own caption for this one!

Thank you to everyone else we stayed with, ate with and visited while we were in England, especially Ellen and Matt for putting us up just a couple of days after moving into their lovely new home.

We arrived back in France in time to do a wine tasting at the Maison des Vins

Sweet white wines from all over France

 While I'm not promising to update the blog more often, we have made a resolution to walk more. This restored windmill is at Villeneuve de Duras, on our first walk of the new year...

 ...and these donkeys we saw on a walk around Duras.

Because I don't have any wildlife photos this time, a photo of a 'Blonde d'Aquitaine cow who lives on the farm below Vue de Duras!

Happy New Year!

from Vue de Duras