Spring Special Offer
March and April
Cottage, inclusive of electricity, and ferry travel
for up to 4 passengers in a standard car travelling Poole to Cherbourg.
Normal price from £490.00 – £510.00
NOW £440.00 travelling Saturday-Saturday
£400.00 travelling mid-week
Book and pay in full by 28 February 2009
Email enquiries to marjory@hirondelleholidays.com
For those who’ve visited, or are thinking about visiting, we’d like to keep you up to date with what’s happening to us, and in our little part of Normandy.
Check us out from time to time to discover what’s happening here – news and views, festivals and fete days, special holiday offers in our cottages and chambre d’hote; all things interesting and exciting, we hope.
Contact us for further information, or visit our website www.hirondelleholidays.com
Bob and Marjory
Well, not quite yet. But the shops are already full of fancy dress for the kids, and foods and drinks specially for the day. France seems to be following America in making this festival a huge family affair, with all the paraphernalia for the occasion. And remember the Christmas House ?
Well, at the moment it is being decorated with ghosts and witches and pumpkins, ready for the holiday season rapidly approaching. For a secular society France still clings to a many religious festivals, and the festival of “Toussaint” is a public holiday, and the centre of a week’s school holiday.
In the ancient pagan religions this festival was celebrated as Samhain, a harvest festival, hence the pumpkin, but also part of the ancestor worship and looking to the spirits for protection, hence the ghosts, witches, etc.
In England we don’t seem to make so much of it; even less after the puritans put their spoke in on the non-biblical basis of many religious festivals. But then of course we do have Bonfire Night coming up, and its celebration of the failed Roman Catholic coup in England!
How about celebrating Halowe’en in France? Brittany Ferries have a special 24hr offer – see their website www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/offers/ferry/half-term-day-trips-france – with children up to 16 travelling free. If you arrive through Caen and leave through Cherbourg you can have a day and night in France. We can offer accomodation (B&B) at €42,00 for a double room; or perhaps an overnight stay in a gite – contact us for details and advice on ways to make best use of this offer.
Or why not have a longer break ? -
October Half Term
Saturday 25 October-Saturday 1 November
£430.00
OR
5 days
Saturday 25 October – Thursday 30 October
OR
Sunday 26 October – Friday 31 October
£315.00
This includes cottage, inclusive of electricity, and ferry travel for up to 5 passengers in a standard car travelling Poole to Cherbourg. More details or other dates available on request.
Wishing you all the best for the festival, however you celebrate it.
Bob and Marjory
The sun’s shining, the birds are singing; the flowers blooming and the trees blossoming.
Forget the storms of a few weeks ago; now’s the time to think about that early summer holiday we mentioned at Easter. Gite, plus ferry crossing from Poole or Portsmouth for just £445. Bookable now for May or June.
Just quote WP1 when you contact Hirondelle Holidays.
Bob and Marjory
Happy Easter. 
The Spring Festival of the goddess Eostre is upon us; or is it the christian celebration of the paschal lamb sacrificed?? The French name reminds us of the Christian Story, whereas the English name takes us back to the pre-christian religions of Northern Europe. Long before Christianity this time of the year was a celebration of new life and new hope; symbolised in the eggs painted and offered to the god Saturn asking for his blessing on the newly-sown crops, in the cakes quartered (hotcross buns?) for the seasons of the year, and the antics of the March hare – symbol of Eostre, goddess of Spring. (for an interesting side-swipe at all these ideas, have a look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpurrin1/298691559/ )
Whichever approach to this festival you prefer, the emphasis on life renewed is strong. It’s a time to look forwards to the coming seasons.
Why not use this time to think ahead to holidays in the spring. We’re offering a special for May/June – gite plus ferry crossing from Poole or Portsmouth for just £445. for a week. If this offer is what you need, please contact us quoting WP1. If this isn’t just what you’re looking for keep an eye out for future offers.
In the meantime, have a very good Easter, plenty of (chocolate) eggs, and time to relax and to recharge your batteries. Locally there are many Easter egg hunts today – the Easter bunny (hare) has left the eggs hidden; and also some Easter egg races; traditional ways to celebrate this time of year.
Bob and Marjory
Easter might be the earliest it can possibly be this year; but is Spring going to be early too?
We’ve just had an absolutely glorious weekend; in fact last week wasn’t bad. Clear blue skies, hour upon hour of sunshine, and warm with it. Daytime temperatures are around 12 or 13. Glorious sunsets – We’re basking in the red glow of tonights as I write this – giving way to clear night skies with the stars shining brightly – no light pollution here; the moon and stars are bright and clear in the sky. Payback is in the nightly temperatures dipping to just above freezing, but that again gives clear frosty mornings.
Everything is bursting in to life with this unaccustomed warmth. The primulas cover the banks at the roadside, the grass is growing, catkins have appeared, and white blossom. Yesterday afternoon doing a little work in the garden we were surprised by bees buzzing round the heather, and midges dancing in the sunshine.
If you want to enjoy this early Easter and warm spring in Manche, why not contact us for details of Spring special offers?
In the meantime we’re off to enjoy a glass of kir as we watch the sunset.
Bob and Marjory
Happy New Year 2008. Hello to our first trial at Blogging.
We want to keep you up to date with what’s happening with us, and in our little part of Normandy.
Check us out from time to time to discover what’s happening here – festivals and fete days, special holiday offers in our gites and chambre d’hotes, all things interesting and exciting, we hope.
At the moment we’re working on a special offer for school holidays for this year – Easter is the earliest it can possibly be – check out astral projections and golden numbers – so interesting school holidays with those on six-term years especially.
Do you really get a long weekend, and then a fortnight’s holiday just two weeks later??
Contact us for further information, or visit our website. www.hirondelleholidays.com
In France New Year greetings can be sent anytime in January, so “Meilleurs Voeux”
Bob and Marjory
