I love seeing real windows and shutters in the troglodyte dwellings along the Loire. This one is in Turquant. J’adore voir de vrais fenêtres et volets dans les maisons troglodytiques sur la Loire. Celle-ci se trouve à Turquant.
Monthly Archives: March 2014
Red Leaves – Feuilles rouges
I’m not sure what this shrub is but it has red leaves in spring (and not flowers). Maybe red tip photinia (Photinia x fraseri). Je ne sais pas ce que c’est que cet arbuste mais il a des feuilles rouges au printemps (et non pas des fleurs). Peut-être que c’est un photinia x fraseri ? …
Clematis armandii
This stunning Clematis armandii is on the wall of the courtyard of Le Balcon Bleu, the B&B we stayed in recently in Turquant no the Loire near Montsoreau. Not only does it flower lavishly, it also has persistent leaves. For a close-up of the flowers which are very similar to jasmine, click on Amboise Daily …
Caquetoire in Fontevraud-l'Abbaye
You may remember another caquetoire in Cheverny. The parish church of Saint Michel in Fontevraud-l’Abbaye was built in the 12th century for the large contingent of labourers employed to build the nearby abbey and was financed by Henri II Plantagenet and Alienor d’Aquitaine. It was extended in the 15th and 17th centuries. Vous vous souvenez peut-être …
Post Mill – Moulin cavier
Numerous windmills of this type existed on the top of the hills overlooking the Loire between Candes Saint Martin and Saumur. The restored hucherolle seen here is in Turquant. The millstones were in cellars hollowed out in the tufa stone below. De nombreux moulins de ce type existaient sur les hauteurs des coteaux entre Candes …
Jitte de pressoir
Il ne n’agit ni d’un puits ni d’une cheminée, mais d’une jitte (du verbe jeter) également appelé botte. Il désigne un petit édifice de pierre permettant de déverser le raisin depuis les vignes situées sur le terrain du haut jusque dans les pressoirs qui se trouvaient en dessous, dans les caves. Les jittes étaient placées …
Snake’s Head Fritillaries in the Sun – Fritillaires pintades sous le soleil
Protected in numerous areas in France, the snake’s head fritillary [Frillaria meleagris], also called guinea flower and chequer lily, draws its name from the Latin fritillus, a dice tower, and various interpretations of its delicate pattern – snake’s head, guinea and chequer. It is found abundantly in March in natural wetlands such as the banks …
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The Apprentice Stone Cutters – Les tailleurs de pierre apprentis
These apprentice stone-cutters are making the most of the sun at the Maison des Compagnons in Saumur which trains the best atisans in France. Ces tailleurs de pierre apprentis profitent d’une journée ensoleillée à la Maison des Compagnons à Saumur qui forme les meilleurs ouvriers de France.
Pink Camellias – Camélias roses
As we drove past these camellias, I thought I was seeing roses but even with such an early spring I knew it was impossible – so we went back for a closer look. Aren’t they wonderful? Lorsque nous sommes passés devant ces camélias en voiture, je pensais que c’étaient des roses mais même si le …
Slate among tiles – Ardoise parmi tuiles
The little square next to Saint Pierre d’Ouchamps is very clean and tidy but the façades, with the exception of the one in the corner are somewhat delapidated. I was intrigued to see that the roof has been renovated using slate while the neighbouring roofs are tiled. La petite place à côté de l’église Saint …