Where do we go in France

We seemed to have become the Melbourne source of "where to go in France" with our many friends in our area of "Our Home on the Bay". It all started last month when we were invited for dinner to tell our Irish/New Zealand friends what to see in the Dordogne. They are currently sending us photos by email of them eating and drinking - do you think this is a method of saying thank you or making us jealous?

Only last week my cycling friend Cookie asked for some ideas on accommodation in Paris and what to see - where do you start? Sue put together a list of contacts and "thing to see".

Friday night, Sue had a visit from a fellow teacher up the other end of our street who is off to the Lot and Paris and again same thing. We sat with maps, books and of course a glass of wine.

Its now Sunday as I write and this afternoon when she arrived back home after shopping - toot, toot, toot - that's the signal for me to carry in the shopping, she who must be obeyed was across the road talking to  our neighbours who are off to France this year.

Question - where should we go while in the Dordogne and the Loire? - what can I say, we seem to be the street's authority on France.

The Bicycle Swap Meet

Other than these weekend experiences I did get out on the bike to a swap meet. I've been to car swap meets and of course many Brocantes in our travels. A bike swap meet is full of colourful characters and some that become friends - one such person is "Col". We've discovered we have similiar interests despite the several years gap in our ages. But then we have many friends of various age groups which makes our life interesting.

Col and I found that we have the same acquaintances without having ever met each other through these mutual friends. Our interests lay in both bikes and cars of a vintage theme.



"Col" with his very early post-war bike.

Not long after arriving back from Col's place, I thought I should get this weekend's post happening and found that after going to the Bike Swap Meet, coming home and mowing lawns, going out to dinner Saturday night, waking up Sunday morning to continue painting my son's bedroom, visiting Col. I hadn't really anything to tell our readers!!!!!!

So when I'm lost for blogging material, I ask Sue what's she cooking for dinner. Sunday nights as a child, I remember it was usually toasted cheese sandwiches and soup. Lunch was the big meal when I was a child and usually a big roast with people would popping in impromptu with Mum adding a few more veggies to make the meal go further.

Times have change since then. I have to earn dinner these days by catching up on all the odd jobs around the house before I'm given the evening's meal - it's not even toasted sandwiches for lunch.

He does go on, doesn't he? I love that he has a vivid imagination.

Yep, it was tasty. At Castlemaine farmers' market last Sunday I bought beetroot as small as the last knuckle on my little finger. They cooked in a heartbeat and I put them with little chat potatoes and dressed them with olive oil and vin cotto and added a little parsley. I love beetroot, and these tiny ones were yum! That was the salad. I browned the pork cutlets, then added chicken stock and cooked a few minutes until they were pink. Then rested them while I boiled the cooking juices and added seeded mustard and a spoonful of cream and let it all blend. Nice. A few sugar snap peas cooked for 40 seconds and we're done. All good.

Tiny meringues with a little home made lemon curd to go with coffee and we're done.

The Lone Lemon

Oh yes, there was another thing this weekend - the LONE LEMON was picked. I bought Sue a lemon tree in a pot a few years back for a birthday present or was it Christmas - not important.. The poor thing was barren, that is until this year when it sprouted its first born.

Well this solitary lemon just kept getting fatter, even obese but refused to leave the nest, if in fact it was a bird. But no, it was a lemon and had no right to still cling to the branch at its size. Today was the day for it to leave its branch (by force). I decided to take things into my own hands, the lemon that is. I think we might keep it for next Sunday nights meal. Sue, how does fish sound next weekend?

Remember Sue talks in green. It was really sad. We had heaps of lemons from this tiny tree last year.(22 who says I'm obsessed?) But this year we had two storms with big winds about 2 weeks apart and it took every blossom from the tree but one! I have nurture this one lone lemon for months!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have a good week everyone.

Saturday Song - Jessica Paige - Melbourne Street Busker

I'm sitting here with a glass of port and thinking while listening to James Taylor - what will I do for  a Saturday song? I heard this young lady being interviewed on our National Broadcasting Station and thought maybe she might be it!!!
Jessica Paige is not well known, she should be - she busks in the Melbourne CBD, honing her skills, meeting the street night life - friendly, happy and sometimes scary. She writes nice songs, has a great voice. I watched her you tubes and can I say it brought a little moisture to my eyes, as does James Taylor when I listen to him.
I hope she makes it one day and if she doesn't, then I'm sure she will continue with what she does.
What do you think of her?



Everybody has a Teddy tucked away somewhere - ours is BRUCE, well he is Aussie afterall.

He's maybe 26 years old now but even though our boys are as old as he is, he's stayed part of the family and always will be.



It seems that from a couple of comments on our Confolens post, we may have put some people off the town.

You can find a silver lining in every cloud if you look hard enough and Confolens has one every August.

At this very moment, Confolens is hosting its annual folk dance and music from world nations.

The poster from 2007 - I understand that the Festival is in its 5th decade.

Nations from all over the world participate.

More here - follow the link.

http://www.discover-poitou-charentes.com/what-to-do/confolens-festival.htm

CONFOLENS in the Charente

Two nights in Confolens were just a rest before getting to Chinon. Confolens sits on the confluence of the Vienne and Goire rivers with a 14th century spanning the river in the department of Charente.

The hotel we stayed at was forgettable but had its memorable moments for what now seem humorous when recounting our travels. We had a flashing sign outside our window making us feel as if we were in some mid-western American town. The hotel was situated on a junction where cars and trucks had to change down in gears coming down or up the incline. Aaaah! so what, we're in France, enjoy!

Saint Germaine with its ruined castle further up the road was certainly the highlight of our two night stay. Seeing the path of Richard the Lionheart's travels through the district was another but there was one more highlight for me.

During our stay, there was a car rally through Confolens. Classic and Historic cars were passing back and forth all day, two of which I photographed because they brought back memories of my past motoring memories.

My first two cars were French. A Citroen Traction Avant and then a Renault Dauphine both of which sat in my parent's garage during my teenage years. Many Citroens over the years kept returning to the driveway and out last Citroen, the Xantia was passed on to No 2 son to be replaced by the Peugeot 307. A Renault 16 came my way in the mid 70s, a truly versatile car.

We walked the old streets of Confolens where the houses contrast were between restored and derelict buildings. It seemed that the town was on hard times and after two nights we were looking forward to travelling on. Our next two stops before Chinon were most memorable. They included both a coffee and then a lunch time stop. That's how we travel. Can't wait to tell you next Wednesday.



Oh my God - are we in LA?



We had a junction outside our window - Poitiers was to be our coffee stop next day.



A nicer view from our window.



The Traction Avant has to be my favorite and most owned car over my years to date.



I want of these back in my garage to join the Traction Avant.



Just an arty farty foto in Confolens.



Sue looks down the lane to the building and wonders what might be behind the door.



Isn't this something to "a door"



Is this a renovator's opportunity?????



See you all next Wednesday.

CASTLEMAINE AND CHEWTON

We packed the car to leave Bendigo but not before having a big breakfast of eggs and bacon at "Barzurk"on Pall Mall which is on the main drag in Bendigo. Matt the host was happy which is good on a wet miserable  Sunday morning. We were off to the market before leaving for Castlemaine and home. The market was as miserable as the weather so we set off to Castlemaine.

Castlemaine is also one of the gold mining townsbeing a day's walk between it and Bendigo. The Miners only choice of transport was by "shanks pony" (to walk). Castlemaine was also having a market day and although smaller it was more interesting with many boutique foodie items. Castlemaine was a Farmer's Market, where the Bendigo one had very little fresh produce and a great deal of  'junk'. We purchased a mandarin cordial, and three jams, two savoury and one sweet - aubergine & mango chilli, raspberry & balsamic jam  and aubergine & orange. Later on down the road we came across a roadside market where Sue bought a big bag of Dutch Cream potatoes and jars of mango & passion fruit jam and home made green tomato pickles.

You may remember from yesterday that I lost a heap of photographs from out time in Bendigo (sob, sob) but I purchased a new card and will take advice from fellow blogger Diane to copy my photos from now on. While on the subject of fellow bloggers, Dianne from South Australia did in fact send us her crappy weather with much rain today as you will see from our photos.



We arrived at the Castlemaine market to be welcomed by the Brolly Brigade.



Emu Oil - a cure for all ailments.



The latest fashion in Castlemaine Market wear.



Beside the garden market place is the Castlemaine gallery and information centre.



This clock was decommissioned from the Castlemaine Railway station and put into storage somewhere in Melbourne. The locals lobbied for its return and has been on display here since.



Inside the Castlemaine Gallery.

I really liked this painting - it may have been a statement from our young folk with large mortgages being hung out to dry by the banks.

There's that clock again but these two photos were amazing.

Would you believe this diving bell was built in Castlemaine by the company of Thompson's and commissioned for the salvage of over 5 million dollars of gold ingots. A ship with the gold ingots was hit by a German mine off the  coast of New Zealand in June1940. By October 1941, the first ingots were recovered by the use of the Diving Bell.

After the market we were in need of coffee so we wandered up the street to a cafe that we were familiar with called Saffs and across the road is a huge renovators warehouse that we had never previously entered - it was an Aladdin's Cave.



Which way will I look first - too much to absorb.



How Aussie - a chandelier of Kero Lamps.



What could a weekend be for me without a bike?

Supposedly the first motor mower in Castlemaine - cute.

 After Castlemaine we decided that we would head off down the freeway to home, that is until we came across Chewton which could be described as a suburb of Castlemaine. That's if you could describe an outer village as a suburb in a rural district. Chewton is like a hobbit town in a way. It's a real 1850's gold mining town where people were building small miners' cottages that have survived to today. Well in some cases only just!!!



A Town Hall for Hobbits





Almost forgot to say that we bought a lamp to remember our weekend in Bendigo. Isn't she divine?



A great weekend but gee-whizz, its nice to be home.