Market

Covid Containment Day 11

Date: March 27, 2020

Author: avril

As the Saturday fresh produce market in Blois has been suspended until further notice, we went to La Ferme de la Touche in Chitenay yesterday which is open to the public from 5 to 7 pm on Thursdays. It was taken by storm so we weren’t able to buy enough fruit and vegetables for the week. As a result Jean Michel went to the new Biocoop in Blois this morning.

A two week extension to the lockdown period was announced this afternoon, until 15th April at least. Figures in France keep climbing but still no deaths in Loir-et-Cher. I don’t have the number of cases because the website I’ve been using has changed it’s format.

As of today, we are no longer allowed to walk in private and public woods and forests in Loir-et-Cher so we will have to change our walking itinerary.

Le marché de samedi à Blois étant suspendu, nous sommes allés faire nos courses à la Ferme de la Touche à Chitenay qui est ouverte au public de 17 à 19 h le jeudi. Il y avait foule alors on n’a pas pu acheter suffisamment de fruits et légumes pour la semaine. Jean Michel est donc allé au nouveau Biocoop à Blois ce matin.

Cet après-midi on a annoncé un prolongement de la période de confinement de deux semaines au moins, jusqu’au 15 avril. La propagation du covid 19 continue à s’accélérer en France, toujours sans décès dans le Loir-et-Cher mais je ne connais le nombre de cas dans le département parce qu’on a changer le format du site ARS que j’utilisais.

Nous n’avons plus le droit de nous promener dans les forêts ou bois en Loir-et-Cher jusqu’à nouvel ordre. Il va falloir modifier notre circuit.

Covid Confinement Day 5 – The Market

Date: March 21, 2020

Author: avril

Categories: Blois, covid, Market

Comments: 7 Replies

The fresh produce market in Blois was still on today. Our organic vegetable farmer was present and had carefully organized things to respect social distancing. Two people were selling while a third looked after the till. The stalls were also spaced out. Our usual vendors were there – cheese, bread, eggs, Italian produce, coffee, fruit and vegetables but no oysters or fish. Jean Michel went alone (wearing his mask), to respect the one-person-per-household-shopping rule while I stayed home and made Anzac biscuits.

He was stopped on the way by motocycle police to have his self-declaration checked. This is a government form that you print out, date and sign, indicating the reason for your presence outside the home. He had actually left without it and came back to get it before the police stopped him. There is a fine of 135 euros if you don’t have it!

He then went to the supermarket and was able to buy vegetable and flower seeds that we were not able to buy from the gardening store yesterday as they are only allowed to sell pet food for some unknown reason.

Wattle at the market – Mimosa au marché

Date: January 18, 2020

Author: avril

Categories: Blois, Flowers and gardens, Market

Comments: 2 Replies

What the French call mimosa is a type of wattle indigenous to southeastern Australia that has been widely introduced in the Mediterranean. It certainly brightens up winter.

Le mimosa est peut-être le symbole de la Côte d’Azur il est originaire du sud-est d’Australie. Ses belles fleurs jaune réchauffe bien l’hiver.

Sunny Market – Marché au soleil

Date: January 11, 2020

Author: avril

Categories: Blois, Market

Comments: 1 Reply

The Blue Mobylette – La mobylette bleu

Date: January 7, 2019

Author: avril

Categories: Blois, Market, Objects

Comments: 4 Replies

We saw this at the market on Saturday and it brought back memories of the Vespa Ciao Bravo I bought when I first moved to France in 1975. Moby, is a model of moped by the French manufacturer Motobécane made during the second half of the 20th century. The Mobylette was launched in 1949 and was manufactured until 1997, with production numbers exceeding 14 million with peak production in the 1970s, averaging around 750,000 annually. The word “Mobylette” has since become something of a genericized trademark in the French language, referring to mopeds in general. (Thank you Wikipedia).

Nous avons vu cette belle mobylette bleue au marché samedi. Elle me rappelait ma première acquisition d’une Vespa Ciao Bravo en 1975 lorsque je suis arrivée en France.

A Beret, an Acubra and a Lovely Lady – Un béret, un chapeau Acubra et une femme sympathique

Date: October 20, 2018

Author: avril

Categories: Blois, Market

Comments: 4 Replies

At the market this morning I heard an Australian accent very similar to my own. And it was. This lovely couple from Brisbane have been staying in nearby Chouzy-sur-cisse for the last six weeks. We found it very amusing that the Australian is wearing the beret and the French man is wearing the Acubra, made in Australia. And I had the pleasure to meet a French blog reader at the market this morning as well.

Au marché ce matin j’ai entendu un accent australien très semblable au mien. Et je ne me suis pas trompée. Ce couple très sympathique séjourne au village de Chouzy-sur-cisse tout à côté de chez nous depuis six semaines. Nous avons trouvé très amusant de voir que c’est l’Australien qui porte le béret et le Français qui porte le chapeau Acubra, la marque australienne par excellence. Et j’ai eu le grand plaisir le rencontrer un lecteur français de ce blog au marché ce matin également!

All Rugged Up – Tout emmitouflé

Date: February 12, 2018

Author: avril

Categories: Art, Blois, Blois castle, Market

Comments: 2 Replies

We weren’t sure, considering the snow and temperatures over the last few days, whether there would be many people at the monthly second-hand/antiques market, but there was a surprising turnout – and enough to pick up the very good etching below of the François I staircase in Blois Castle for 15 euros.

Etant données la neige et les températures ces derniers jours, nous n’étions pas surs de trouver beaucoup de monde à la fois à la brocante mensuelle de Blois mais finalement on était agréablement surpris par le nombre de marchands qui étaient suffisants pour que je trouve la jolie gravure ci-dessous de l’escalier François I au château de Blois pour 15 euros.