It's been quite hectic this week, what with the latest cold bug, taking advantage of dry days to do laundry and strimming, capturing feral cats, winning a Quiz Night and then to round it all off, European Heritage Weekend. Perhaps starting with Heritage Weekend is the best way to go, as the pictures are the best.
After some four or five years under wraps and being worked on through all weathers, a few months ago the last covers and temporary blocks were removed and the Tribunal in the centre of Bauge was revealed in all its splendour. It had benefitted from a grant of the French equivalent of the Heritage Lottery Fund, as well as grants from Europe and donations from private citizens to come up with the several million euros required to do the work and turn a handsome but dilapidated white elephant into a gleaming and useful space.
We were lucky as we got there before the afternoon hoards really got going so could do a self-guided tour without elbowing our way through a major throng. We had been inside before, when it used to have offices, when we needed to get our medical cards - not the best memory as the functionary concerned was singularly unhelpful and surly. It was also cold, rather bedraggled and unfriendly. Now there are offices, work spaces, the Micro-Follie virtual museum and the municipal archives housed in rather excellent facilities. There are two major meeting rooms - the old judges' withdrawing room, and the main court room itself. I couldn't get a good photo of the court as an elderly couple had thrown themselves down the stairs and were being looked after, but the Withdrawing Room was lovely.
From there, it was a few steps to the Chateau to get a bit of the presentation on the exterior of the building and how it was set up in Good King Rene's day - there was clearly going to be a long tour around, but we weren't feeling up for it.
Instead we walked around the town hall and over to France Services - the help desk for all things bureaucratic if you can speak a bit of French - housed in the old Chapel Saint Joseph. There had been mutterings about it being too old and too horrible to do anything with, when the rest of the old school site was renovated. Fortunately money and ideas were found and it was restored and given a new lease of life as the antechamber of French departmental and national bureaucracy.
It is really rather beautiful, and as on a Sunday, it wasn't functioning as a gateway, music was playing and we could admire the stained glass windows, the stone carvings and the ceiling bosses. I particularly liked this one, with a glowing bee at its centre.
There is a local association that will get stray and feral cats identified and neutered for free, if only you can catch the little darlings. They do have a cat trap too. I borrowed that during the week as we have 5 feral cats in the zone, and really needed to do something about it. The first time I put the trap out, I was lucky and caught one - just four to go now I guess. Anyway, Wimsey (yes, we get to make up names for them too!) was stupid enough or greedy enough to be caught and has had his balls removed. The following day we released him again and didn't see him for 24 hours, but now he is back demanding food - it appears he learned how to squeak when he was at the vets!
As a cat gets one bit of him removed, the bantam has decided to show solidarity and is shedding feathers - not slowly or elegantly, as would seem sensible at this time of year, but dramatically and all at once. I introduce Bridie the Oven Ready Bantam in all her shame.
Well, now there is nothing for it, but to go downstairs and make a large quantity of crumble mix, so I can freeze away the 12 hour poached quince in useful form for the winter. Then I need to batch cook 5 portions of pork and quince tagine, again for the freezer, before doing yet another pot of tomato sauce. There is mellow fruitfulness and then there is batshit crazy squirreling away of good things against the hard times that will surely come!
Have a good week!
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