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!
Preparing the Cortambert buvette
For three evenings this weekend you could see the Illuminations in the Abbey gardens. The spectacle was called “Cluny, dreams of light”, devised by Patrice Warrener. Of course this did not start until dark so entertainment was provided in the early evenings. On Saturday there was Batucada Pulse, a group of 66 percussionists of all ages playing to an audience of 2,000 people. On the Sunday there was What the Folk!,a couple of American Rock singers who kept everyone clapping and jiggling to the music until a heavy shower of rain brought them to a premature finish.
The catering for this weekend was also a class act. It was performed by the Foyer Rural of Cortambert, a willing team under the leadership of Pascale who is noted for her tasty quiches. She makes them on demand so they are piping hot. On the busy Saturday night she made 18. Other ladies produced praline tarts, custard tarts, tarts with nuts (my favourite) and chocolate pies. Jean Louis was kept busy all night making huge batches of gaufres. Chris and I helped to make ham sandwiches with Marie Antoinette.
This event will be held again on the Cluny 2010 weekend of the 10th, 11th and 12th September. Meanwhile you can get a taste of Patrice Warrener’s work if you wander into Cluny marketplace any evening after dark.
The Potters' Market at Cluny
There was an excellent potters’ market this weekend in Cluny. There were fifty stands with artists from all over France exhibiting wonderful pieces that were useful or quirky but always beautifully made.
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!
 "The chateau at Pierreclos")