Nearly Autumn

There was a new moon during the week.  That often means a change in the weather - I'm sure it makes sense given the influence the moon has on tides.  Where last weekend, it was warm, if not hot, and brilliant sunshine, we are now getting a foretaste of autumn, despite the fact we are still firmly in a summer month (well until midnight anyway).

Friday had some spectacular storms - I was caught with a chum at the big mairie in Bauge, and once our business was concluded, we were stuck in the foyer, waiting for a break in the rain to make a dash for the car.  It was a serious downpour, some 15mm in the space of a quarter of an hour, backing up the storm drains in town and washing away thoughts of summer.

There have been other harbingers of autumn, with the clumps of cyclamen popping up in the lawn and among the trees in the Orchard.  Tomorrow we will make a pilgrimage to the One Acre Wood to see whether those are up as well.  It makes mowing and strimming a bit more complicated!

The summer vegetables keep giving - today I picked a couple of tomatoes that were looking vulnerable to further rain, each weighing in at a pound.  I've added them to the bowl of tomatoes sitting around waiting to be turned into batch 4 of tomato sauce for the freezer.  I know we will be glad of them through the winter, but I'm getting a bit bored of standing over chopping boards and giant pans!

The bunch of gladioli that a friend had on the Char last weekend is still going strong here - we were given the vase as a wedding present, 35 years ago tomorrow.  How fitting it is full of flowers this year!

The autumn crops are also coming ripe, so this last week we have been eating sweetcorn.  So far we have had 7 cobs between us, with perhaps another 25 still to be harvested.  The recent rain has made the plants smell a bit musty, but nothing to the reek that is coming off the maize fields still waiting to be harvested.

The rain has also meant that finally, after nearly 3 weeks on the outdoor dining table, I have been able to plant out the winter cauliflower and white cabbage plants I bought at the market.  They have done fine on the table, but weren't going to last much longer.  They are planted through weed suppressant mat as the area is infested with perennial weeds, into soil that is intensely clay.  This is ideal for brassicas, but only if you can actually get a trowel or fork into the ground to plant the things in the first place!  After 3 days of rain, it was finally possible today - I just hope the cabbage white butterflies don't spot them!

So there we have it - a week of recovery, rain and cooking things.  I hope you enjoy this new format, and come back next week for the next riveting instalment of our lives in rural France!

Comice 2025 part 2

The Comice is not just about a procession of decorated floats and bands, it is also the shop window for the rural world, a chance for farmers and local businesses to show what they do and how they do it over a summer weekend.  This year there were few animals and no competition for best cow or similar as there are too many animal bugs and viruses out there this year to make bringing different herds together a good idea.  There were a few ponies dotted around, but that was it.  Even with a field this big, you have to be really careful where livestock is concerned.

 However there is always space for tools, both for the small scale amateur or professional, such as John (although he does not need nor can he afford any of this lot).

Other marques are available!  There are also lots of toys to interest the serious farmers at the show, and these machines are huge and gleaming (apart from where dust has settled) and expensive, and therefore generally leased or owned by farming co-operatives.

The Saturday morning is devoted to serious ploughing matches, while the afternoon sees the Intervillage Games - a sort of It's a Knockout event for teams from each village.  I know there were four games that had to be done, and that one had to do with moving things on a barrow and another with using a Solex possibly attached to a small generator or lightbulb, but other than that, I was at a loss to know what was going on.  People had fun.

The Sunday evening can be the crowning glory of the whole event, with a feast laid on for over 1,000 paying diners, with entertainment included.  This year it was stilt walkers passing among us, defying gravity.

There are also bands, drinking, fast food and to round things off, some final display.  This year, and serendipitously given the drought, the final display wasn't fireworks but a water and laser show that we did not stay to watch, but I did take a final photo of the field before we left.

So there we have it, the full story of the 2025 Comice.

On a more personal note, Blogger seems to work for my Rural Life musings, so I will stick with it.  If you bookmark these things, please bookmark this and delete the old Typepad one, as Typepad will die on the 30th September.  I will try to archive the old blog, but can't transfer the old musings to here, so there will be no history.  Actually that makes things a bit easier for me as I can repeat myself and no-one can prove it!  However if you liked certain animal videos, sign up to my YouTube channel - Rural Life Plantagenet - YouTube in order to be able to browse those.

Comice 2025

This first post here is about the Comice 2025 held in Fougere using a new blogging platform.

 If I just try to get the procession of floats in, that will likely be enough for me today!

It kicked off with the Cadets de Baugeois as always - our local brass combo for all occasions.

Then Bauge (it would appear accents are not possible with this platform) kicked off the floats, as is their right as next year's hosts.  Sadly the photo doesn't show the old crone that came with the float, she was rather special!

Following them was Vaulandry, as last year's hosts, who, in line with the theme of retro, recycled their rather fabulous float with a model of the Chateau of the Marquis of Turbilly, who founded the Comice movement in the area over 150 years ago.

After that, we had the first of the Fougere floats, this one celebrating the Solex endurance races they used to have in the village.  I haven't included the batch of Solex riders that came in front.

Cuon was the first of the kitchen/living room combos with a very fine stone fireplace and activities of yesteryear.

Boce celebrated their Viking roots (while also promoting their music festival in two weeks time).

Pontigne had a rather splendid old style classroom, complete with unruly children and a strict schoolmaster with a pipe.

Then we had the next Fougere float, provided by the local gardening group, the Grenadiers.  They had convicts to pull the float, a couple of soldiers to keep them in line, and some ladies in very fine Empire style frocks.

We were next - le Vieil Bauge had the most magnificent tractor in the parade, driven by its owner and old tractor enthusiast.  We were also an old style kitchen with fireplace and a bunch of old biddies drinking rose wine and playing silly games.

Following on from us was St Martin d'Arce who took bits of old floats and dragged an old racing car behind the main float.

Chevire le Rouge reprised a number of their old float ideas including drummers and the rather disturbing Bois de Boulogne cops and prostitutes from last year.

Le Guedenieu celebrated their baking traditions with an old style bakers - they are the hosts each year of a Giant Croissant festival and have a new baker in the village, so it is all appropriate.

Echimire turned in the final kitchen with chimney scene, complete with a major game of cards going on.  More cheekily, in the fireplace, there is a part burned cheque for 28,000 euros signifying the donation of the profits of their Comice in 2021 to a national charity, rather than being used to support local groups and clubs, as is the norm.

The final float was the main Fougere one, as hosts, and it was magnificent.  In four stages, it had a magnificent metal horse, a reminder that this was the 150th Comice, a replica Eiffel Tower, as the one in Fougere had to be dismantled a couple of years ago, and a final section passing the flame to Bauge for 2026.

So there you have the full set.

This was my first go using Blogger, and the photos load swiftly and easily - a key issue for a weekly blog.  But what is it like for the reader?  Let me know!