Old Postcard of Bridge Over Cher in Montrichard

We bought these lovely old postcards at the Montrichard brocante a few years back.  The postcards show the old bridge over the Cher along Rue du Pont, with the castle ruins in the background.

We thought it would be interesting to try and match the views in the postcards to modern Montrichard. As you can see we were not able to get the same angle as the postcard photographer, who we think stood to the right of the bridge on the left bank, as today there is a private garden preventing us from standing on the same spot.

However you can see there are a number of building that help match the images from over 100 years ago with the images from today.

A couple of interesting differences stand out.  Firstly there are a lot more trees in the modern images. Have a look at the ridge on the left of the of the castle .... quite a difference!  And the postcard photos weren't taken in the middle of a drought so don't show so much of the river bed and bridge supports.

More old postcards from Montrichard can be found in this blog about Postcards of Rue du Pont and Bridge over Cher.

Postcard of Montrichard posted 1908 with view of river, bridge and castle

Photograph of Montrichard with view of river, bridge and castle

Postcard of Montrichard with view of river, bridge and castle

Postcard of Montrichard posted 1915 with view of river, bridge and castle

Photograph of Montrichard with view of river, bridge and castle

Postcard of Montrichard posted 1909 with view of river, bridge and castle

Photograph of Montrichard with view of river, bridge and castle

Blackberries 2011 - In June!

Blackberries June 2011

Incredible as it may seem, quite a few of the blackberry bushes are fruiting. The first couple that we tried were not very nice, but then we came across this larger patch in a south facing field.  Let's just say that it was just as well that we took the photo before we started eating them as there weren't any left afterwards. 

We'll be keeping a close eye on this patch as there were lots of unripe fruit, so with a bit of rain (please) and sun we may get a good crop.

Nonetheless, it is strange to have fruit on some plants when the majority are yet to flower. I presume that this has been caused by the weather, with some plants taking advantage of the hot and dry conditions to fruit while others have been held back by the lack of water and the intense heat.

Blackberries June 2011

Rabbit Chasing Hare

We were amazed yesterday evening to look out to see a small rabbit pouncing on a hare as if to shoo him away. 

Strangely, the hare didn't seem all that bothered, he just moved off a couple of metres and started eating until the rabbit moved him on again.  This was repeated three or four times before they both settled down quite happily to munching on our grass.

Walking Through Old Doorway

Standing in old doorway discovered behind partition wall
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The doorway that we discovered behind the plaster walls and kitchen units is now fully opened and we can walk through it.

Taking down the plaster walls to show off the tuffeau walls is giving the house back its old-fashioned look and feel.  Having the old doorway with the rebates for the door carved out of the stone and a wooden lintel is a fantastic bonus.

We have also taken off the very old green plaster that was directly on the wall behind the modern plaster blocks and generally tidied up the wall.  We will now lime mortar the joints in the tuffeau and also render the lower 2 courses of stones with lime mortar render to stop the tuffeau deteriorating any more.

Mixing Concrete

It is amazing how something mundane and monotonous can suddenly become interesting.  When I was mixing concrete the other day to repair the bathroom floor I was mesmerised by the movement of the concrete as it was picked up and dropped by the blades.

More Tuffeau Walls Revealed

Tuffeau wall of old farmhouse being uncovered

A few weeks ago we found an old doorway between the bathroom and kitchen that had been bricked up and then plastered over.

We have been itching to open it up on both sides so that we can get a really good look at it and, silly as it may seem, we wanted to walk through it. The plaster walls have been in place for something like 20 years so we know that no one has walked through it in that time.

We have knocked down a 'breakfast bar' across the kitchen made from house bricks and cleared part of the wall that hides the secret doorway. The next job is to clear the kitchen units and the rest of the plaster from the wall so that we can see what state the tuffeau walls are in.  At first look, it is the same as the other walls that we have uncovered with the first couple of courses eaten away and then the rest are solid.

This is the sad aspect of taking the plaster off, seeing how the tuffeau walls behind have deteriorated because the plaster has not allowed the stone to breathe. Tuffeau is incredibly light and porous, but that means that it can absorb its own weight in water, and if it cannot wick this away then the tuffeau simply crumbles.

Balloons

Balloon over hay meadow in France

Settling down for a restful evening after a hectic day of renovation we looked out of the window and saw this brightly coloured balloon appearing from behind the barn and drifting across the end of orchard. As it was so close and looking like it was about to land we shot out to watch. 

As soon as we went out the front door we could hear the roar from the balloons as their pilots fired their jets to lift the balloons over the house.  Walking round the end of the barn we were rewarded with a most wonderful sight; the setting sun reflecting off 6 brightly coloured balloons as they flew towards the foreboding rain clouds.

We often see balloons in the sky of an evening, but not normally as late as these and seldom as close.  Normally they fly along the Cher valley to take in the chateau of Chenonceau and the pretty little towns and villages that lie along the river.

It was exciting to see and hear them, as they are a riot of noise and colour.  When we see them up close like this we can understand why balloon festivals are such a popular outing.

Balloon over hay meadow in France

Balloons landing in hay meadow in France

Luckily the balloons cannot land here due to obstructions on the land, as they are collected by big four wheel drives with trailers. When we are encouraging birds and animals to nest on our land we do not want them disturbed by a great basket landing on top of them or a 4x4 driving over them!

Balloon over farm in France

Sizing a Vegetable Patch

There have been some problems this year with the vegetable patches, with the deer eating the strawberries (I know, not strictly vegetables) in one of them, and the drought, rabbits and moles doing their best to kill off everything else.

Nonetheless, we are very happy with what has grown so far, particularly the spicy leaf, rocket and peas.  So, especially in light of the problems with food safety in Germany at the moment, we are planning a new, larger mole- and rabbit- and deer-proof vegetable patch.

Our ethos for the vegetable patch is that we don't use any chemicals for killing weeds or insects, the only fertiliser is our own nettle tea, and we recuperate from the roofs all of the water that is needed.

Plan for parterre vegetable patch

The overall design is based on the idea of a parterre garden, with its centrepiece a pond of about 30,000 litres which will provide us water near to the vegetables and will allow us to get through another drought like this year's.  

We will then put 5 beds around the pond, each about 10m x 15m.  Having 5 beds will enable us to rotate the crops each year and, if we choose, leave one bed fallow each year to give it time to recover naturally.  This will give us a large growing area, but it means that we can grow less intensively and try out different vegetables that we couldn't if we were restricted for space.

Our next task, other than preparing the vegetable patch, is to work out what and how much we plant in each section.

As we build the new vegetable patch we will provide updates on how it is going, and we will definitely give some details on the yield that we obtain next year.

Bee on Lavender

Bee on lavender

The warm sunny weather has brought the lavender on a treat. The flowers are just starting to open so that we now have a wonderfully fragrant bank of purple and green bordering the front of the garage.

We have been concerned this year as there have not been many flowers for the bees, so we are chuffed that they have found it so quickly.  

When the sun is out there must be 40 or 50 bees busily collecting nectar from the tiny purple flowers. Sitting in the sun, with the smell and sight of lavender and the buzz of the bees, you'd almost think it was summer.  Getting a picture of them is difficult though as they don't hang around on each plant for long. 

Lavender is a wonderful plant for here as it tolerates extremes of hot, cold, wet and drought, and grows well on the clay and chalk.

Also the deer, rabbits and hares do not like it so it remains intact for us and the bees to enjoy.

Rain at Last

Last night we were teased with a fantastic show of lightning flashing across the horizon but no thunder or rain. Then, this afternoon we got the thunder without lightning or rain. All very strange, we always thought they arrived together.

Finally, this evening the rain started, a nice gentle drizzle that will hopefully bring everything back to life. It will be superb to see green and not yellow grass.

We are lucky here as down in the South West of France near Avignon there has been terrible flooding today as a result of the rainstorms.