Book holidays direct to help the local environment

You may not know but as well as writing this green blog and trying to live my life in as a green as way as possible, I also run an eco-friendly gite (holiday cottage) in Normandy called Eco-Gites of Lenault.  And on the back of that I have been working hard, recently, on building up a Facebook group and page called Book Your Holiday Direct with the Owner ... and this does have a green ideology behind it as booking your holiday direct with the owner leads to benefits for the local environment.

Let me first explain why I work so hard to help owners get more direct bookings.  The alternative is to use one of the many large online booking agencies (OTAs) such as Owners Direct, Airbnb, TripAdvisor etc but when you do this the OTA charges a hefty booking or service fee to the guest and commission to the owner - sometimes up to 20%+.  This is money that the holidaymaker and owners can no longer spend locally ... and money spend locally is likely to be better for the local environment.

My Green Summer

I pretty much took a break from blogging this summer - partly I was too busy and something had to give and partly my internet connection was playing silly whatsits and was often so slow (or even dead) that it made working online almost impossible.  I am keeping everything crossed that will behave itself from now on.

So I though I would take this opportunity to share with you some of my green moments from the summer of 2017.  I'd love to hear what you have been up to too.

Family Time

The boys and Simon went camping in the UK for a while and when they were here we had some great times playing games such as Settlers of Catan and Molkky (Finnish skittles made from wood), visiting local landmarks including our favourite castle at Falaise (birthplace of William the Conqueror) and taking some lovely walks around the Normandy countryside.

Playing Molkky

The Cake Holiday - the evidence!

For reasons that are pretty obvious from the pictures below, the recent holiday the boys and I took to England was nicknamed "The Cake Holiday".  It all started with pain au raisins on the ferry and progressed from there.  

Pain au raisin on the ferry

Well you cannot visit a National Trust property and NOT eat cake, it would (as my friend and fellow cake eater, Nicky, pointed out) be quite rude ... although maybe eating TWO each on a visit to Knightshayes near Tiverton was a touch greedy. 
 

Lunchtime cakes at Knightshayes

Afternoon cakes at Knightshayes

On Saturday we visited friends and Ellie baked us a cinnamon and raisin jumble cake.  Her father is head gardener at Sidbury manor which just happened to have an National Garden Scheme Open Day - with cake - we felt it would, again, have been rude to have declined to eat the cakes they were selling.

Ellie's cinnamon and raisin jumble cake

Afternoon tea at Sidbury Manor

On Sunday we chilled at Mum's and whilst we didn't eat any cake per se we did do a nice walk down the valley and clocked the tea shop in the village ... (and had rhubarb crumble for pudding which sort of counts in my book!).

On Monday I really needed a day shopping in Taunton so enlisted the help of 2 friends - and cake - to get both me and the boys through the ordeal.  I detest shopping, although in fairness did do very well and the boys detest shopping even more than I do. So friend, Andrea, came to give me moral support and guidance whilst friend, Jo, came to take the boys off my hands.  And we felt morally obliged to bolster ourselves for the day ahead with cake!  M&S cake no less.

M&S carrot cake

M&S lemon drizzle Cake

M&S ultimate chocolate cake

Tuesday we met up with more friends and as I felt the 3 of us invading was a bit of a cheek, we took lunch.  Quiche and, yes, you guessed it - cake!  Eaten in the garden with an insanely loud wren singing in my ear from a nearby tree and swallows swooping overhead.  It was a very English of lunches with my banana and raisin cake for pudding.

Banana and raisin cake to share with friends

We spent our final day on Wednesday at Mum's and planned a longer walk than Sunday ensuring, though, that it included the tea shop we had clocked on Sunday.  However, I hadn't taken my proper walking boots and the boots I was walking in were really hurting my toes.  We therefore spent rather too long lounging by the river and none of us really fancied the extra 2 hills to get to the tea shop that could, by that time, have been shut anyway. So we headed back to Mum's house (I limped and the boys showed off by running up the hill) and once home we tucked into some sultana cookies Mum had bought.  Very nice sultana cookies actually.

On Thursday we took the ferry home, our bellies well and truly filled with cake.  Strangely for the boys, when we ate dinner, Ben (and I) decided not to have a cake for pudding and Tom only ate half of his. I really do think we were totally caked out.

Are you a cake lover?  Are you drooling at the selection above and if so which would you chose?  I think my favourite was the lemon drizzle but as I am not 100% sure we may have to do a re-taste when we next return to England!

The Cake Holiday

This feels rather weird.  For the first time in over a year I am not sitting here on a Wednesday evening writing a gardening post to link up to How Does Your Garden Grow. Not that I have abandoned the garden this week, quite the opposite in fact and I have been working in there like a complete maniac. The reason is the boys and I are off the the UK on Thursday with a week. So over the last few days I have been trying to get ahead with things and it was only as night fell that I realised I still had loads to do and writing a gardening blog post wasn't going to be one of them ... oh and I hadn't taken any photos anyway.  So you will just have to believe me when I say how many spuds I planted, seedlings I planted out, seeds I sowed and weeds I pulled. LOTS!!

So why the Cake Holiday you may well be asking?

Bribery mostly.

I do have a few things planned that I know the boys will not be over keen on doing, namely shopping and visiting at least one national Trust property.  However the promise of cake has made these appear slightly less unappealing. We are also catching up with friends who will be manning the cake stall at an Open Garden Day and going to a Boot Fair where there is a fabulous café next door.  Oh and catching up with another friend where I have said I will take lunch and I have promised her ... yes, you guessed it - CAKE.   We will also be starting the cake holiday as we mean to go on and buying pain au raisins at the bakery for our breakfast on the ferry.

Just as well I have been back on the 5:2 diet before this holiday then, as with all this cake eating planned I may well put back on every pound I have lost!  Who cares - roll on tomorrow and those pain au raisins!

As for further blogs this week I have one almost finished and I will do my best to finish at least one other.  I wonder if it will involve pictures of cake?!  Normal (ish) service will be resumed from Friday 24th April.

Let the cake eating begin!

Holidays in Normandy and beyond.

Posted by Rosie

France is a wonderful country full of huge variations which can make choosing where to holiday quite difficult.  Of course I may be a little bit biased but I do think Normandy is a great place to visit.  It's not too far from the ferries if you are travelling from the UK, it has beautiful countryside and loads of tourist/heritage places to visit (Bayeux, Mont St Michel etc) as well as all the sites associated with the D-Day Landings.

Maybe you want more though, so I have a suggestion you might like?  How about a 2 stop holiday with one week here at Eco-Gites of Lenault in Normandy and a second in another region?  If you don't want to travel too far, what about Brittany or if distance is not a problem why not fly or train in down to Provence in the south of France?  And we just happen to have 2 friends with lovely gites in both these regions.

In the western region of Finistère in Brittany our friend Maria has 2 gites called Ty Hir.  The Grand Longère sleeps 5-7 and Le Petit Longère sleeps 2-4.  They are in a wonderfully quiet location and like Normandy there is still loads to do locally.  Have a look at the website for more details.   Remember, too, that if you are travelling by ferry you could sail into Caen or Cherbourg to visit us and then sail out of St Malo or Roscoff after visiting Ty Hir.

Ty Hir in Brittany

If you would like to see both the north and the south of France then I recommend Provence as a second stop and our friend Phoebe has a wonderful gite called Lou Messugo where you could stay.  It sleeps 2-4 and boasts a 10m swimming pool for when you need to cool off.  To get to Lou Messugo, Nice International Airport is only 25 minutes away and Antibes train station for TGV connections to the rest of France is 30 minutes away.

Lou Messugo in Provence

Tempted?  To contact us at Eco-Gites of Lenault click here to access our website or email us here.  You can also telephone 0033 2310 99 27 51 (up to 8pm UK/9pm French time please).  How to contact Ty Hir and Lou Messugo can be found on their website links above.

Eco-Gites of Lenault, Normandy, France

My "Home alone for a week" List

Posted by Rosie

list

lɪst/

noun

a number of connected items or names written or printed consecutively, typically one below the other.

Simon and the boys are off skiing for the week and I am home alone ... something I actually quite look forward to.  You know, no need to fight over the remote or the duvet, eat what you want, when you want and have the chance to get caught up on lots of things.  And for that end I need a list.  Whilst they are risking life and limb on the ski slopes I shall be a busy bee back in Normandy:

1. Grand spring clean of the house

All rooms are to get a proper clean and maybe even some de-cluttering on the way.  I know then that for a few days at least, the house will stay tidier than normal.

2.  Sort the dreaded food cupboard

It's one of those awful corner cupboards where you can't really reach the back and I am sure there is stuff in there from when we moved to France over 7 years ago.  This week I will finally tackle it and then aim to eat up all those obscure things I find lurking there-in.

"That" food cupboard

3.  Gardening

The weather isn't looking too bad for the week so I need to get on with things that I have not been able to do earlier in the year.  This includes coming up with a way to stop those pesky mice stealing the beans I keep sowing.  Any ideas?

4.  Make some pickle and jam

I have some green tomatoes ready chopped in the freezer waiting to be made into chutney and plenty of fruit for jam.  On a recent rummage I also found some old rhubarb that will be perfect to make into cordial ready for the warmer weather.  I feel a morning of making preserves and listening to Radio 4 is called for.

Jam making

5.  Investigate using Hootsuite or Tweetdeck

I need to get more organised and using one of these might help.  Do use use either or which would you recommend?

6.  Sort the gite toys and games

Some are looking a bit tired but as a pre-requisite of the boys going skiing was to sort through their rooms and take out unwanted toys and games, I now have some new (second-hand) things that can go to the gite.

7.  Get some extra blogs written

It would be nice to get down in print some of the ideas that are swirling round my head.  

8. De-clutter my bookmarks

There are far too many and I reckon I don't need most of them.  They will go!

9.  Make a date and walnut cake

The boys and Simon aren't keen and this is one of my favourites.  It'll be mine, all mine ... although I may take some with me when I:

10.  Catch up with friends

It's not all work though and I intend catching up with lots of friends for gossip over a cuppa and maybe a slice of date and walnut cake.

I am also dog-sitting a couple of dogs, have promised Saari and Harry some extra long walks and have all the animals to do as normal.  Hmm, I reckon I might be busy this week.  

 

It's a French Saturday Bank Holiday - Toussaint (All Saints)

Posted by Rosie

Being November 1st, it is a Bank Holiday (Jour Férié) here in France today.  In the UK, if a date specific Bank Holiday falls on a week-end the actual Bank Holiday will get switched to the nearest in Monday, where-as in France it stays on it's given date, even if that is a Saturday or Sunday.

November 1st is Toussaint (All Saints’ Day), the day to celebrate all the Catholic Saints.  November 2nd is All Soul's day when families traditionally commemorated the dead.  Now most families use the Bank Holiday of Toussaint on November 1st to gather together and remember their deceased relatives.  Many people will attend special church services after which time gravestones will be visited, cleaned and chrysanthemums placed on or near the graves.  All garden centres, flower shops and supermarkets will sell vast numbers of chrysanthemums on the run up to Toussaint and it is worth remembering that if you are in France or have French friends you should never give chrysanthemums to your friends or dinner host because of their association with the dead.   

Chrysanthemums for sale at our local supermarket

Toussaint  is probably the most respected of all the national public holidays in France.   It falls in the Autumn half term break so schools are shut anyway but many shops, restaurants and companies will also close. This year though, with it falling on a Saturday I have noticed more shops are saying that they will be open, a sign perhaps that commercialisation is gradually taking over from both religious and cultural tradition.  Next year Toussaint will be on a Sunday when shops are traditionally shut anyway, but it will be interesting to see what is open in 2 years time when it falls on a Monday.  Are shops open this year simply because it is a Saturday this year or is there a shift towards opening on public holidays regardless of what day they fall on?  We shall have to wait and see.

Do you think shops should open on Bank Holidays?  Are you one of those people who dash to the sales on Boxing Day or do you think we need a break from spending our heard eared cash?

BMX Boy

Posted by Rosie

In the UK we met up with friends on the Bank Holiday Monday.  Now I am not saying their children were excited about seeing Tom and Ben but when we arrived Sam was up the apple tree looking out for our arrival and had been there an hour apparently!  There followed an afternoon where we hardly saw the children as they spent their time just totally enjoying each others' company and doing what children do best - climbing trees, trampolining, messing about in the stream and hurtling around on bikes.  That hurtling included jumping over some home-made BMX ramps that Sam's Dad had made him.

So, what was the first thing Ben asked Simon to make once we got back to France ....  a BMX jump, "just like Sam's", of course!  Luckily Simon had the necessary wood to hand and the two of them were quickly able to make the required jump.

Said jump has kept Ben very happy all week.

Ready

Steady

Go!!

It has also kept Simon very happy as it has detracted Ben's attention from the fact that he wants Simon to make him a Go-Cart which is a slightly bigger job than a BMX jump!

Have your children been inspired by some friends? Do let us know.

Holidays!

Posted by Rosie

Myself, Tom and Ben are currently on holiday in the UK catching up with friends and family.  We have a lot planned but hopefully there may well also be a bit of time for quietly just watching the world pass by and enjoying doing nothing much at all.  Time to stand and stare for a while I hope :)

Click to enlarge the image

I have scheduled this post as I will have limited Internet access - I will try and catch up with your comments and follow linkies when I get back.

Finally ...

Posted by Rosie

... the boys are on their Easter (?) holidays!

In France, both the Spring half term and Easter holidays are spread out over 4 weeks.  At both February/March and Easter schools get 2 weeks off but 1/3 of the country get weeks 1 and 2, the next third gets weeks 2 and 3 and the final third gets weeks 3 and 4.  They rotate round and this year Normandy is on the late one.  We think the logic behind it is to extend the time school children can go skiing which is a large part of the French economy in mountainous areas. 

So whilst most of the UK is, I suspect, back at school Tom and Ben are finally enjoying their well earned freedom!  And as a result, I have hardly seen them.  

Tom the athlete

On Saturday Ben and a friend were enjoying the car rally that came down our road whilst Tom was busy coming fourth in at athletics triathlon event.  On Sunday they had a friend over and today they have been at a birthday party.  In between it has been dodging the rain to go on the trampoline and playing with another friend who I took and brought back from the party they all went to.

The countryside is their playground

It is one of the great things about living here at Eco-Gites of Lenault in rural Normandy that they can head off and the countryside is their playground.  Although we live pretty much in the middle of nowhere they have plenty of friends locally resulting in a steady stream of children heading through the door and helping to keep away those dreaded words "I'm bored".

There is some computer and TV time when tiredness hits or the rain turns from showery to persistent but there are also puzzles to be done (Tom is bravely tackling a 3000 piece old world map), books to be read, games to be played (we may just be addicted to Carcassonne!) and helping the kitchen (thank you for our pancakes this morning Ben!).  There are adventures to be planned and parents to be avoided when those dreaded words of tidy up, homework and bedtime are heard.

Add in to this a trip to England to look forward to and a rugby tour for Ben and I think the boys might well need a holiday to get over the holidays! 

This week then, with no long school hours there is plenty of time for the boys just to be themselves.  For more kid-related fun why not head on over to the Letkidsbekids website and see what other youngsters have been up to recently.

A different view of Paris

Posted by Rosie

We went to Paris this weekend - a rare family trip away.  Here are some of the photos we took which I hope gives you a very different view of Paris.

From our apartment we could see the Eiffel Tower - terrible focus as I didn't have a camera stand but you get the idea.  This 125 year old edifice still knows how to strut her stuff!

Isn't she pretty in Spring?

We chose not to go up The Eiffel Tower - unless you pre-book you have to queue for ages so we decided on another vantage point - the Montparnasse Tower.  No queue here and it has the fastest lift in Europe which in 38 seconds takes you to a height of 196 meters (over 640 ft).  A final flight of stairs and you are on the outdoor viewing platform where you get the most fantastic panoramic view of Paris.  And of course if you go up the Eiffel Tower you don't get to see her do you?!

 A couple of shop/bars names caught my eye:

Mold Bat:

and Chicken Clothes (sadly not for our feathered friends which was a pity!)

and I got to see a Hippopotamus!

We have no idea what these cyclists were demonstrating about but they were very colourful, very loud and upset a few car drivers!

We managed to book our week-end to coincide with the Paris Marathon - it was a fabulous atmosphere and we cheered on the brave runners.

Near La Place de la Concorde are several sculptures of hands - this tiny one looked so lonely on it's large granite plinth that Ben felt it needed a comforting touch.

We went to Montmartre and yes - we really did see a man hanging off a lamppost by one hand spinning a football.  He had been doing the most amazing "keepy uppy" on the plinth below which in itself was incredible but his talent appeared to have no  limits.  He climbed this lamppost whilst spinning the ball on a pen held in his mouth before doing more mind boggling ball control.  A truly talented man. (Montmartre and the Basilica of Sacre Coeur were wonderful too but this is somethihg you don't see every day in Paris!)

Finally, we were made to feel at home.  There was a cow just down the road from our apartment!  Now who would have expected that!

Have you been to Paris and seen some unusual things? Please do let us know.