Painting chairs for Cluny 2010
We are making preparations for the Cluny 2010 celebrations planned for the weekend of 9th, 10th and 11th September. Our village is the Porte des Prés (light blue), and we have joined up the Porte du Haras, the neighbouring villages of Donzy and Blanot (light green). We will be entertaining a contingent of German people from the Cluniac site of Calw-Hirsau. We will be singing the European anthem in different languages so we have been allotted the words for the German version.
So the committees for the two Portes are meeting regularly to discuss the arrangements for the weekend. Happily, as well as sitting round the table there are more practical tasks. We have enjoyed painting everything in sight blue and green. We started with lots of old folding chairs donated by Donzy. We moved on to fashioning a coffee kiosk from old orange boxes wired together and painted blue and green. We have artistically decorated umpteen strips of blue and green material that will be used as banners at the banquet.
After each session we are covered in so much light blue paint that we match our blue Cluny2010 teeshirts!
Uncle Claude busy on the forum
In an idle moment last week Chris and I decided we needed a forum for this part of southern Burgundy. It’s not only for the friends and neighbours who live here but for francophiles everywhere who are interested in visiting this region or just want to know what life here is like.
As it has been up and running for only a day or so I find I am mostly talking to myself. I do hope some of you folk will join in and get this forum off the ground. You never know, it might turn out to be interesting!
We would also encourage our French neighbours to join in; the default setting for the forum is in English but can easily be changed to French. Once a topic is started it must continue in the same language.
I am hoping this forum will provide a vehicle for you to publicise forthcoming events, advertise your holiday accommodation or simply just socialise. We are happy to talk about anything at all.
Please introduce yourselves and then start posting any queries, information or comments. As I said in my own introduction “We will try and steer the forum in the right direction but it is up to you to provide the pedal power”.
The punts engage
This weekend saw the annual jousting competition. It was held on a purpose built lake by the River Grosne on the outskirts of Cluny. It’s a new sport to me and I was amazed to find not only that there were so many clubs devoted to jousting but that there would be so many affectionados that the event would take most of the weekend.
There are two motorised punts, a red one and a blue one. A team piles in and the jouster stands on the platform at the back struggling with a very unwieldy ‘lance’. The two boats pass each other at full speed and the idea is to knock the opponent off and into the water. So that the participants don’t get hurt they wear padded trousers and square cushions on their chests. It still looks quite painful though as some of the boys ended up clutching themselves with tears in their eyes.
The loser is pulled out of the water
Another event this weekend was the annual brochante at Donzy-le-Pertuis. Donzy nestles on the other side of the hill from us and is as pretty as a postcard. It seemed as if the whole village took part to make it a huge success. The stalls meandered through the streets and there was an excellent buvette. There was lots of very interesting items to look at and this time the prices weren’t quite so silly. We were pleased to add a nice mountain bike to our motley collection. Well done Donzy!
A gathering for apéritifs
The apéritif is a ritual especially popular in France. Having a glass of alcohol before a meal is said to stimulate the appetite. But the main benefit is the gathering together of friends and neighbours for a good discussion at the end of the day.
This evening we held our first ever apéro for our neighbours. Earlier in the week we had been invited out twice so we were pleased to take our turn. We had been able to observe the modus operandi closely. The drinks tend to be light or sweet. The most popular is kir which is white wine with crème de cassis. Kir is named after Felix Kir, the mayor of Dijon from 1945-68. Cremant is often used instead of wine, cremant being the locally produced version of champagne, much nicer in my opinion. Another favourite is pastis which is mixed with water and drunk with ice. The water makes the pastis milky and releases the flavour.
Snacks are provided to accompany the drinks, often crackers and nuts, saucisson and dips. Chris made tapanade which is a mixture of olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil. Tapanade originated in the South of France and had been introduced to us by our neighbour from Narbonne. Chris also made hummus with chick peas, tahini and garlic. His homemade cheesestraws were very popular although you are not supposed to eat cheese before a meal.
We find have not quite adapted to life in France. On days when we are invited out for apéritifs we try to have a good lunch à la française as we know that after a couple of hours of drinking and talking we will not be wanting any dinner!
 "The chateau at Pierreclos")