Easter weekend kicks off

Our Easter weekend got off to the most wonderful start this week, the youngest children on holiday from school,  the eldest son home from university, the remaining child back from Paris and  my mother here to visit.

Add to that daughter number 2 who organises a photo shoot in the garden, then the youngest son who returns from a bike ride with three friends and everyone wants to stay over ..... the solution - tents !!  This has to be the first year that tents have been out at Easter, I love it.

Added to that the amazing warm sunshine and the colours in the valley., I'm quickly typing this then I'm off for a horse ride in the forest -  we know we're lucky, we love every minute of it!

absente pour le weekend

Away from this computer screen today, I leave you with  pictures I took at the end of the  summer of one of my favourite places in the valley.

This pretty scene is two villages away from us.  What you see is the outbuildings and surroundings to a small château. 

The advantage of being in the middle of a deep valley is that there are waterways everywhere.  This certainly used to serve as the washhouse to the château.

 Wishing you a bon weekend!

a house to dream about

We have moved our horses to greener  pastures for the summer, which makes them extremely happy  ... and fat, so that's all good.   For me this means a long bike ride, or ten minutes in the car to go and check on them each day.

I drive along the valley, following the river, and always slow down at one particular village where there's a house that makes me dream.

The property looks pretty old to me, maybe older than ours, I should guess at least 180 years.  I don't know the owners, and I've never been inside but I always feel compelled to stop and gaze.  As you know, I have a secret longing to live beside water.

Somebody has planted two tall cypress trees rather too close to the corners of the house, and then forgotten to keep the virginia creeper under control, but don't you think the whole thing is so romantic?   Of an evening, the light beside the river is beautifully soft, the garden is quite big with an old outbuilding at the end.

There are signs of people coming now and again, but I don't think it's lived in full time.  I'm afraid I didn't even ask permission to show you these pictures, so I hope I don't get into trouble.

The house looks across the river to this view.  A small road with a couple of very attractive houses sheltered behind tall gates.

And at the  end of the road, leading into the village is this rather sweet house; small, neglected and .......

FOR SALE - any takers?!

visiting our valley - the rose gardens of miserey

You know how sometimes you come across a place or a person that is so totally delicious you're torn between telling everyone about it or keeping it greedily just for yourself?  Well, that's how I feel about Monsieur and Madame de Roumilly and their beautiful château and rose garden.

 

 

If it wasn't all uphill, I would cycle to their home, they live in a village just above our valley.  His family bought this sweet doll's house of a château many years ago, and have lovingly restored it , and created gardens that people come from afar to visit.

 

 

I adore their old greenhouse with it's unusual rounded roof and generous roses climbing all over.

 

When Madame was creating the gardens, she wanted an idea for planting up a field; she thought of the very catholic theme of heaven, purgatory and hell!  Not one to be easily scared, she researched plants worldwide to fit into her theme.  The result?  A fascinating walk between rose bushes displaying  fiery reds and oranges, huge thorns and fierce prickles, a walk through hell.  Cross the path of purgatory, lined with 12 yews representing the 12 apostles, and you enter Eden, pastel coloured roses, mostly thorn less, smooth stemmed.

It takes almost 2 hours to walk around the park and gardens.  I have done this walk many times  in the company of Madame de Roumilly who never seems to tire of telling people about her rose collection, or the origins of the more unusual plants.

These pictures were taken just as their fantastic rose border was coming  into flower.  Many of the unusual roses are from America, others from Italy

Back at the château I love to chat to the charming owners.  Monsieur de Roumilly has always supported his wife's plans for the château and gardens, and through the years has turned his hand to many a project.  From rebuilding stone walls to hand painting door panels.  The restoration of this lovely family sized château has been a real labour of love.

There is so much more to say, but in the end I have to let the pictures talk for me.  Maybe one day you'll come this way and we'll be able to wander around the park together.  We'll ask permission to let ourselves in  early in the morning - it might mean getting our feet wet in the grass, but it will  be worthwhile simply for the joy of seeing colours at their very best.

staying in our valley - chateau d'emalleville

If one day you greet me with the good news that you want to come visit,  I may well suggest - if we're all full here - that you stay with our friends Frédérique and Arnaud.  This young dynamic couple bought the Château d'Emalleville a few years back and have made it into a tasteful, welcoming and peaceful place to stay.

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Don't be intimidated by the imposing façade, this château is family sized, and is indeed a family home.  Fred and Arnaud live here with their two lovely children,  two naughty Labradors and too many horses for me to count.

The gardens are beautifully maintained, there's  a heated swimming pool and a hard tennis court.

When you reserve you'll be able to choose between a room in the 'communs'

the gardeners cottage by the pool,

or a room in the château itself.

Here, as you descend the stunning staircase after a sound night's rest,

you'll be reassured to notice that you have spent the sleeping hours guarded by lions,

The garden or 'parc' as we call it here,  is peaceful and Arnaud will encourage you to wander around, admiring the wide variety of mature trees.  If you ask nicely he may even show you the drawing he has of the original garden plan, laid out several hundred years ago.

I adore this old greenhouse, complete with underground heating!  Arnaud has had it lovingly restored to it's original beauty.

Amazingly, besides raising a family and maintaining a great big château, our friends still find time for hobbies.

Fred is a keen horsewoman, and recently started breeding ponies for competition.  She takes pride in her beautiful paddocks, and rarely misses the morning feed and check on every horse.

Arnaud's passion is for old cars.   He often welcomes groups of vintage Porsche or Jaguars, touring normandy on a weekend rally.

So while you're staying here I'll jump in my car and pop over to see you, maybe we'll have time to go out for lunch together.  I'm looking forward to it, just say the word!