We've been back in France again for the past nine days, immersing ourselves in the Crumbly Cottage, Mark II and our village here. It really is an extraordinarily lovely area, with the wooded hills of the Marne valley beckoning us everywhere we look. My favourite place is undoubtedly down at the canal side where I take Zoe for walks every day. The Canal de la Marne à la Saône, now known as the Canal entre (between) Champagne et Bourgogne (Burgundy) is not a major route and rarely used by commercial barges, but I keep hoping I'll see a boat or barge on the move. So far, I've been out of luck, but the season's still young and the utter peace of the towpath is such a joy. All I can hear is birdsong, especially the skylarks that trill and whistle high above me.
We've been spending most of our time trying to pull the little house and garden back from the decrepitude it had fallen into, but in the meantime, there've been so many other things to note about our village in the Marne valley.
The first is obviously the people. Everyone here is genuinely friendly and I, for my part, have the best ambassador in the world: Zoe. Of course, it will take time to get to know the village residents well given that we're only here for short spells, but so far, it seems almost everyone knows who we are and where we're from. One lady greeted me from her garden as I was walking past with Zoe one morning, and then rushed to her front door to come out and talk to me. We had a nice chat in so far as I'm able to chat to anyone. I do a lot of nodding and smiling and asking questions, the answers to which I don't follow so well because of the rapid fire delivery, but it's all welcoming and kind. Others have also chatted as I've passed and everyone, without exception, has been sweet to Zoe. Who needs introductions when you have an adorable spaniel?
My French is undeniably limited, but I pick up enough of what they say to prompt follow ups, which is all I need to do. They rattle on and as long as I show interest with intermittent nods, smiles and 'mais oui's' (or 'non's'), the interaction is perfect. Voilà, conversational French in a nutshell.
What else? Well, the flowers and blossom here in the Haute-Marne are glorious. Never have I seen such towering horse chestnut trees in flower. Then there's the wisteria and rhododendrons with their cascades of vivid colours. Not only that, but the greens of the trees that cloak the hillsides are stunning. They're rich, varied and positively opulent, ending as they do in valleys of velvet smooth grassland that feeds the fat, sleek, creamy cattle.
In the village itself, boxes of geraniums have suddenly appeared on windowsills and the scent of freshly mown grass lingers on the air. The villagers are busy with their gardens and the humming sound of active lawnmowers is an almost constant drone, along with that of tractors tilling the fields and the bellow of hungry cows waiting to be fed or milked. Wonderful country sounds that underscore the tranquillity.
Other details I've noticed are odd features like the uniformity of the postboxes and house numbers in the commune. In our Dutch village, there is little attention paid to conformity and most people choose their own letterbox and number, but here, they seem to be all the same. The number on our house is on a small tile with a neat border, which is replicated on pretty much every other house number in the village. Likewise, the letterboxes are almost all standard, made from yellowish steel with a door front and back. The only noticeable differences are in the way they're mounted, which can be quite creative. I've seen some mounted on standard shelf brackets; others on steel plates supported by interesting curved shapes that are clearly hand made. Then some are set into walls while others are attached to them. Regardless of the position, though, the boxes are all the same.
Then, there are the cats. Almost as if designed to send Zoe wild, there are cats everywhere. Some belong to households, some don't, but every time we go out, we see cats dashing across our path. Zoe's relationship with our feline friends is, as they say on Facebook, complicated. She adores them indoors and will sit gazing lovingly at a cat for hours, but outside, they must be chased. As a result, she's on high alert here and begins every walk with a challenging strut as if to say, "Right, you feral felines. I'm here and ready, so watch out!" I have to be extremely careful to keep the gate shut, because if she saw a cat, she'd be after it in a flash. And our little house is right next to a busy railway line. That doesn't bear thinking of, does it?
We've now come to the end of our stay here and we'll be heading back to Zeeland tomorrow morning, which is fine as I love it there too and we have our own wonderful neighbours as well as the boats. But I'll miss the quiet canal, the birds and the utter peace of the village in the mornings. Below are a few photos of the scenery and also of what we've mostly been doing.
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The endless trek with my new wheelbarrow to dispose of the results of the our hedge clearing project |
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Eureka! I found the septic tank buried by years of undergrowth. |
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Clearing gutters choked with ivy. Being the small one on the team, I was the obvious candidate for climbing out onto the roof. |
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Sentinals of canal. The magnificent horse chestnuts |
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I've always liked rusty remains in land being reclaimed |
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Approaching a lock. One of Zoe's favourite walks is to go from one lock to the next and back |
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Beautiful sweeping field |
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Good mooning! |
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The view is lovely whichever way we look |
Hi Val, what a lovely, interesting blog and your photos are beautiful. You weren’t kidding about the size of the Horse Chestnut tree, they are enormous! Although I can speak a few phrases in French, it seems when Guy introduces us to his friends they assume I am a fluent French speaker! 😳 I find the best thing to say, with a big smile, je suis vraiment désolé mais vous parlez trop vite pour moi, parlez lentement s’il vous plait. 😁👍
ReplyDeleteThank you, so much, Lorraine. I saw your comment on FB so I realised it was you. Yes, I do ask them to speak more slowly, but it lasts about three words before they take off again. I love it, and am sure I’ll understand more in time, but it’s a learning process. 😆
DeleteI've sent a message rather than a comment, Val. Feel free to copy and paste into the comments.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Unfortunately, I don’t see a message anywhere, so I’m afraid I can’t paste it here. Maybe you can tell me where you sent it and…ahem…who it’s from. 😆
DeleteUnless it’s Dawn? Then, I’ve seen it and replied as a message with great pleasure. 🥰
DeleteComment from Stephanie. Val, you are remarkable. Your descriptions of your French village make me want to move there! I love it that Zoe is such a good ambassador! Aren't dogs wonderful?! And I love her complicated relationship to cats. So funny. Glad you are enjoying the best of both worlds. You deserve it, talented and remarkable lady and friend. And brave! Up on the roof to clear the gutters - whew! God bless. (Steph)
ReplyDeleteThank you, dear Steph. It’s a lovely place and I do enjoy all the activities, even climbing on the roof. It was lovely and peaceful there. I’d have happily sat on those tiles for hours!
DeleteGosh, Val, it's beautiful beyond words. Any chance of an indoor tour the next time you're there?
ReplyDeleteAh, Patti, thank you, but it’s not ready to show off yet. 🥰
DeleteThe outside is where all the beauty lies!
What is the name of the village? We must have past it last year when we were on that canal. We head out tomorrow on the Canal de Bourgogne, towards Dijon.
ReplyDeleteThe above comment was mine Val. I did not manipulate the inputting of name right. I didn’t mean to be “anonymous “.
DeleteHi Janis, the village is Villiers-sur-Marne in the commune of Gudmont Villiers. There’s a ‘halte picnique’ near the lock. Have a lovely summer’s cruising!
DeleteHi Val, your wonderful use of words make your village sound so beautiful. Those Horse Chestnut trees appear huge ahead of little Zoe who, like Popcorn likes to go ahead, leading the way. The Hawthorn blossom here this year is amazing, hedgerows and trees are overloaded with the white blossom the smell's lovely.
ReplyDeleteDavid & Popcorn.
Thank you, David. I’m pleased you enjoyed it. As for the hawthorn, it’s also been fabulous here in Zeeland. It’s over now, but it was gorgeous while it lasted. Like frothy lace. I didn’t see any in France, though, so maybe it’s been and gone there too. Enjoy the sunshine with Popcorn!
DeleteVal, your time at your village in the Marne valley seemed so serene and peaceful. I also took a deep breath as I enjoyed your photos. Though you were still busy, it is nice to get away. And Zoe, as always, is adorable!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Lynn. It is, as you say, always lovely to be elsewhere. Zoe is the light of our days. She's every bit as adorable as she looks. :)
DeleteThe descriptions tug at our heartstrings, lovely. Four days and we’re back in France to experience some of what you describe, in person. Shame you’ve just left, we have friends heading your way and I would have encouraged them to drop in. Any cruising plans this year?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ian. I am very much hoping we'll get some cruising in. We never seem to know until the last minute, but my dream is to take the Hennie H there and moor up at the halte picnique which is about 600 metres from the little house. Wouldn't that be lovely?
DeleteI liked this post! France is a coutry I'd love to visit. If I can, for the French Open. This year's is starting today. And hopefully, my intermediate level of French will help me get long there without much problems. Looks like you had a good time there.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pradeep. I hope you make it to France too. It is a beautiful country with an astonishing range of scenery and much larger than I ever get my head around.
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