More baby Kestrels learning to be free from the nest

 

Kestrels flying the nest

 

Thanks to Chris our guest who took these great photo's of the Kestrels on there first days of leaving the nest.

Pigeonnier

 

 Geneviève who has left today after just over a week staying in the Pigeonnier has kindly gave us permission to show her painting of the Pigeonnier.

Thank you.

Musée automobile de l’Aunis (6.3Km)

 Musée automobile de l’Aunis,

A great collection of 126 cars, 36 different makes dating from 1903 to 1994 

Fouras 29 km

 Center Beach Fouras

St Martin de Ré, Ile De Ré (49 KM)

 

Deer visiting our garden at the Gites

 

Deer brazenly walking around our garden outside the back door

Poitier's 124 km

 In the footsteps of one of the most remarkable of all medieval women, Eleanor of Aquitaine . Poitiers was the hometown of this Queen of legend.  once Queen of France, then Queen of England, mother of Richard the Lion-Heart. 

Alienor married first in 1137 to France’s  King Louis VII; she even accompanied Louis to the Holy Land on the Second Crusade. After 15 years of marriage the Queen had produced two daughters, but no sons.  The marriage was annulled in 1152.

Shortly after Alienor re-married, this time to Henry Plantagenet, Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy. in 1154 Henry became King Henry II of England, and the ex-Queen of France became Queen of England.  The marriage and the reign were tumultuous, with fights and rebellions, but Alienor and Henry created a lasting dynasty. 

In 1162, Eleanor and Henry started building a new cathedral. St Pierre Cathedral in Poitiers is the outcome, which took more than two centuries to finish.

Palace of the Counts of Poitiers is worth a visit its free to enter.

Surgeres (13km)

 

Surgeres 

The closest small town to our gites, Ideal for a shopping and nice for strolling around in the center.

Entering La Rochelle from the sea

Busy springtime for the birds this year

 Every year Birds nest and have chicks in our old buildings and barns, this year we have our usual sparrows and house martins but missing are the little owls but instead for the first time we have Kestrels! One of our guests has kindly sent me some photo's of when they were very small and he managed to catch the mother in the nest too.

 and 

Happy New Year

 

Wishing all our Guest's past and future a Happy & Healthy New Year in 2025

Francofolies, La Rochelle, 25 km.

 Live music fills the air in La Rochelle. Sting was on the first night.

Old tall sailing ships in La Rochelle harbour

 

Local food

 

Pont, Ile de Ré (36 km)

 St-Martin de Ré