La Foire Internationale de Caen

Managed to get there on Friday afternoon. Expo this year was  “The India of the Maharajas”

a history of Rajasthan, that told us of the importance of the elephant in Indian society

of the importance of the tiger in the life of the maharajas 

and of the religion of hinduism in the life and culture of India

And at the end of the expo a chance to buy spices from India

and to visit the bazaar

Of course, the fair is more than just the expo. 1000 exhibits, 50 countries, 30 restaurants; and much, much more.

Well worth a visit, even if just to the websites -

www.caen-expo-congress.com

www.indedesmaharajas.com

Had to visit Friday, because last weekend was the “journees de patrimoine” and this weekend is of course, the first day of the Chasse. Our friends are involved in the Chasse, and today were doing the meal for the chasseurs! We ourselves were awakened at 0900hrs by the noise of the guns around us. Next week is the Foire de Brix (St. Denis). We will not be here, as we are setting off on conges (annual holiday). Summer’s over, but still lots of things happening locally.

Bob & Marjory

Plants and Flavours of Autumn

This coming weekend at Omonville-la-Rogue, an expo organised by the Hague tourist board

Expos in the garden and courtyard include ornamental plants, fruit trees, ancient and forgotten vegetables, garden furniture, and food and other products derived from gardens and plants.

Also in the Manoir du Tourp and its grounds are the on-going exhibition dedicated to Alexandre Trauner, cinema set designer who worked with Jacques Prevert (his house in Omonville-la-Petite well worth a visit );

the photographic works “Regard sur La Hague” of Philippe Mauger; photographs of gardens; books about gardens, and particularly in the Cotentin; and photographic books of local history and culture, such as “Paul and les Autres”.

Also a bonsai exhibition, and a chance for youngsters to create and play their own musical games.

Plenty of fun and things to do for all the family. Visit www.lahague.org or www.letourp.com for more details.

Bob

Les Journees de Patrimoine

Didn’t get to the Expo at Caen this last weekend. Instead on Sunday we went for a “walk down memory lane” with our neighbours, visiting the chateau at Briqueboscq, and then the water mill at Belle Fontaine – in process of  being restored.

Francis spent his childhood around the chateau, but had never been inside. Unfortunately this was not possible on Sunday either. But the exterior was well worth a look, and the history of the place as told by the present owner, though somewhat repetitive and dry at times, was interesting.

 More interesting was Francis’s memories of the German occupation of the chateau; and the factory in the grounds producing rocket bombs to be aimed at London. 

(On the way back through Les Pieux Francis pointed out the foundations of the Post Office, saying that in the war it had been a German block-house (the foundations still visible) with guns trained onto the road coming south from Cherbourg.)

We were allowed a look inside the gite that now takes up one section of the house. It has many of the original features – the fireplace, the doorways, the beams – plus some items of historical interest reworked as furniture, or simply for decoration, placed there by the owners. Will take up to eight people, but we didn’t get the price – probably much more expensive than ours! 

The mill at Belle Fontaine is under process of restoration – with a long way to go yet. So far, one of two water-wheels has been restored and is in working order.

 The millstones are in place, but the cog mechanisms are in need of much work, as is the whole of the interior of the buildng. An enthusiastic band of volunteers, sponsored by, amongst others, EDF – have done the research, and begun the process of restoration.

For the journee de patrimoine they were there to explain the workings of the mill, and raising money by selling craft works, and crepes cooked on the open fire of the mill. It appears to be part of a whole movement of restoration and revival of old traditions, alongside the windmill at Fierville, and groups like the Battous de Cotentin, and the folklore group St. Ergouffe at Surtainville.

EDF is involved in researching alternative, renewable energy sources. Is its sponsorship of groups such as these part of looking for these renewable sources?

Bob

La Foire de Lessay

Just had a very busy weekend – school’s back, the season’s over, but still things happening. The Fair at Lessay happens each year on the second weekend of September; and for the past few years we’ve tried unsuccessfuly to get there. Established in the 12th Century by the Benedictines of the Abbey of Lessay for the Feast of the Holy Cross, but also ‘pour favoriser le developpement du commerce’ (!), the fair has a long history, and every year has in the region of 400,000 visitors.

Always busy, the fair today is a mixture of traditional elements, from the trading of animals to the reconstruction of the past, to modern farm machinery, and of course the foire forain (funfair) of modern celebrations.

There were recruitment campaigns for the armed forces, and the gendarmes; but the highlight of the fair for me was the “Battous du Cotentin”, a reconstruction of traditional flailing of the wheat – using ancient forms of wheat

from the separation of the grain from the chaff

to the grinding to make the flour

and then serving up the proceeds as crepes for lunch.  A busy, but very rewarding day. Too much to see and do, so we’ll definitely be going back, all things being equal, next year.

Sunday we spent with the “Association Attelage en Cote des Isles”, in a cariole for 4 hours between Pierreville and Le Vretot.

 

 

In company with a dozen horse riders and a similar number of  chariots, carts, and other horse-drawn vehicles, we travelled a circuit of lanes

 

and bridal paths

around Le Vretot, finishing with lunch, which in the usual Norman fashion took most of the afternoon. A busy and enjoyable weekend; and more to come next weekend with the “Journee de Patrimoine”.

More next week

Bob & Marjory

Fete des voisins (neighbour’s festival)

Today, apart from Pentecost, is the festival of neighbours. It’s a holiday weekend here – tomorrow is a jour ferie ( bank holiday)” lundi de pentecote” (what used to be in England, Whit Monday). I remember from my childhood in Yorkshire the whitmonday walks (a walking race round the West Riding, as it was then, of Yorkshire). Also, the “beating of the bounds” – traditionally a walk around the boundary of the parish to mark where these boundaries are (accompanied at times by the beating of the chorister at the four points (compass) of the parish).

Strange customs these English have!?!

Links with “John o’the green” and other May and early summer rites. But then the French are the same – for a supposedly secular society they still celebrate many religious festivals.

However – back to the fetes des voisins. In an increasingly divergent and secular society, the government here, like the English government, have decided to encourage community action and neighbourhood events.

For the neighbour’s festival we organised a barbecue with our neighbours, and invited friends both French and English. We began at 1200 and finished at 1800. Tomorrow we recover, perhaps !?!

 

Look out for news of upcoming events in and around the area.

Bob and Marjory

Local artist has new exhibition

Pierreville, by Jacqueline Klocke

We mentioned last year the exhibition by three local artists at Pierreville. One of these, Jacqueline Klocke, now has her own exhibition at Flamanville.

Her medium is for the most part water colour, and her subject has been for the main landscapes. She has added figures of family and friends, as in “the Chasse at Surtainville”,

On the Chasse

and with “Open day at Pierreville Manoir”.

She is also experimenting with still life and flowers,

and with paintings commissioned from where she has holidayed, as in “St Marco for Claude”

St Marco for Claude

We have some of her paintings on our walls; Marjory prefers the floral studies, I much prefer the landscapes. An artist well worth keeping an eye on, and a person we are proud to count as a friend.

Bob

Concourse des villages Iluminees – Christmas lights competition

Last Saturday afternoon, evening, and into the early hours of the morning, we spent time in the Department of Orne. We were part of a coachload of people from Pierreville visiting the Illuminated Villages around the town of Domfront.

This festival/competition has been running for several years now, and the villages taking part decorate for Christmas; some with a theme – animals, and a beautiful Noah’s Ark; the cultivation and use of the pear; marriage; etc.

Others just decorate, with greetings for the season and for the new year.

Most have some sort of religious theme, linked to the festival.

Disappointingly, we were on the coach for 2 of the villages – no chance to take things at our own speed, or to take photos. The others we had a chance to walk around a bit, but were so busy that it was queues all the way. Still, well worth it, even though somebody said it was  “a bit like Blackpool illuminations.”

For more pictures, and pictures of the “Christmas House” at Surtainville from last year, why not pay a visit to our “Guestbook”?

Meilleurs voeux (best wishes) for the holiday season.

Bob and Marjory

Le Point du Jour – New art exhibition centre in Cherbourg

Last Saturday saw the opening of the Point du Jour; a new centre for the arts in Cherbourg, concentrating in particular on photography.

The building itself, situated next to the School of Fine Arts, and on the opposite corner to MacDonalds, is a work of art in itself. Designed by Eric Lapierre, the building is covered with Paxalumin, an alloy of aluminium – the picture from the website does not do it justice, there were better ones in the Presse last weekend. Next to a major road, at the edge of an urban country park, and overlooked by the military fort atop the hill, the building looks closed up from the outside, but has a very light interior – like a “glass pavillion”.

It houses two exhibition halls, plus a library (mainly of photographic works) and offices. As part of the exhibitions, there will be artists in residence and regular lectures and seminars on the subjects covered.

 Significantly the first exhibition is of images of urban renewal. Three artists-in-residence (sponsored by the city, and the Ministry of Culture) in Cherbourg since 2001, were charged with producing images of the changing city and are now giving their retrospective in photographs, a video, and paintings.

Further details about Le Point du Jour and the present and future exhibitions and events are available on its website www.lepointdujour.eu

Bob and Marjory

Le Gout du Large (Festival Of Scallops)!!

Yes, this weekend is the festival of scallops (Coquille St. Jacques) at Port en Bessin-Huppain, Calvados. A celebration of these and other fruits de mer; and also of the festival de chants de marins d’Europe.

Lots of manifestations, and degustastions, to celebrate the sea foods so much enjoyed (though not by Marjory) in this area of France. This part of Normandy, better known for the tourist attractions of the World War 2 Landing Beaches, is celebrating its more ancient heritage of sea-foods.

But what of the history of the coquille St. Jacques? What does this tell us of this area?

 

In the Middle Ages the pilgrim road from Canterbury to Compastella crossed the Channel to Cherbourg and headed south through this area, of which Les Pieux (“The Pious”) was a key resting point. On to St. Michel, then across France to Spain and to the Shrine of the Apostle St. James (St. Jacques) at Compostella.

Pilgrims wore the badge of the scallop shell, and carried one of these with them in which to receive alms from the faithful along the way. The ancient way of the pilgrims is still part of the local heritage, and notes on following the way available from local tourist offices.

Yet another reason to pay a visit to this part of Normandy??

Bob and Marjory

All Saints and the chrysanthemum (La Toussaint et le chrysantheme)

The cemeteries have been very busy places for the last few days, and are now looking splendid with the graves cleaned and decorated with masses and masses of chrysanthemums.

In a custom that goes back through time families have decorated the graves of their departed loved ones; previously this was done with candles: the flowers, and in particular chrysanthemums replacing these since the middle of the 19th century.

The chrysanthemum (from the Greek “khrousos anthemon” – flower of gold) is a symbol of pleasure and well-being in Japan – in France a symbol of immortality, as it resists the frosts and takes little looking after.

It is said that the chrysanthemum never flowers before the autumnul equinox (21st September); their petals are seen as a light of hope in the midst of the autumnal mists and fogs.

In 1789 a French sea-captain brought the first variety of chrysanthemum from China; 50 years later another sea-captain, aided by a gardener, worked to begin the production of the vast range of chrysanthemums available today. Every cemetery, every garden, every market is resplendent with the colours of these plants this weekend.

Some confusion there – 1st November is All Saints day, and the colour should be white; violet and other colours should only come in from the 2nd November – All Souls Day, the day set apart by the Church for remembrance of those who have died. But then as with all pagan festivals taken over by Christianity, the older elements and celebrations have a habit of creeping back in.

France as a secular state shows this same ambivalence in taking as a jour ferie the “Christian” festival of Toussaint.

Best wishes for your celebration of this season – Hallowe’en, Samhain, All Saints/All Souls, Day of the Dead.

Bob and Marjory.