Julie & Cédric's wedding (Part 2)

Once again enjoy the photos - here's a selection from the evening celebration (some courtesy of Loulou - merci!) and the next day.

(1) The sisters-in-law in normal mode!!

(2) Oops, chatting again - this time Monique, Cécile and Sylvie

(3) Your faithful bloggist, Tine and Jean, glass in hand

(4) (5) & (6) Action shots of Loic's girlfriend Cécile and cousin Rémy, Cécile again with Jean 'tripping the light fantastic', and Jennifer & Rémy boogying on down

(7) Cécile R. and Loulou

(8) Loulou & Sylvie tucking into the traditional end of meal giant brioche

(9) & (10) And finally a couple from the next day when we enjoyed yet another wonderful spread. Here we have an artistic but meaty butterfly and some of the many oysters now ready for consumption

Julie & Cédric's wedding (Part 1)

I'll let the photos do the talking here:

(1) Sylvie with cousins Jean and Claude sitting on Clemenceau's bench at a pre-wedding buffet lunch that Monique organised

(2) Like me Monique doesn't like having her photo taken so I am VERY happy to include this lovely one!

(3) & (4) Julie arriving at the Mairie at Château Guibert in her beautiful medieval-style dress

(5) & (6) Very proud father Jean-Pierre walking his daughter into the Mairie for the ceremony - JP's tears came later!

(7) Still time to change their minds, the couple's witnesses to either side

(8) M & Mme Grolleau - bravo!!

(9) La Famille Feibel

(10) Charles' van with replicas of the happy couple

Walk around Moutiers

Just been on the phone to 'Er in Brittany who says the blog is like British buses: none for half an hour then they all come at once!

So, still catching up I start with evidence that the nights are growing colder and we've been lighting the log fire each evening. We took delivery of our three cubic metres of oak last month - managed woodlands I might add!

The days have been warm until this week and there are still signs of life in the garden, this yuka plant sending out two beautiful blossoms. We have continued to harvest courgettes and tomatoes but these are slowing down too.

Monique lent us a book of walks in the local area and we picked an easy 4.5 km for our first one, around Moutiers les Maufaits (great name) that you drive through on the way to La Tranche from La Roche. As you can see part of the walk was on shady tracks, past bulrushes and beautiful wild flowers. We even walked past Indian Forest where we had our adventures up in the trees at the end of August, before returning to the town centre where there is this magnificent covered market place.

Richard Harold Clegg

Dad or Grandad would have been 100 years old today and I can't let the occasion go by without celebrating with you all. So I've dug out the old albums and narrowed down so many photos to these few.

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I've no date for the first photo but he looks quite young in this selection. Always a football fan it's great to include this one, playing for a Prestwich team in 1937. Dad is third player from the left on the back row.

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As a young man he was interested in amateur dramatics and the third photo shows him back stage in 1938. Another posed shot comes next, again without a date.

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Mum & Dad were married in 1945, Mum's dress paid for with coupons. They later found out that there had been a German spy at the wedding! In the photo there's Uncle Frank with Grandma Clegg and Grandma & Grandpop Williams.

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Ann arrived almost nine months later to the day, and the rest of us within six years! So, left to right you have Mum, Kathryn (Kate), Ann, Pete, Dad and me.

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Dad became station officer for Congleton Fire Brigade and we moved there in the early 60s. We'd moved houses (and schools) several times by then as Dad was promoted, so it was good to be settled.

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As in most families Christmas is a special time and Dad was more than happy to play the fool for the grandchildren. Like me Dad was a real sun-worshipper and I bet he loved this day (especially with one of his two favourite daughters-in-law)!

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Next we have the happy couple celebrating their Golden Wedding in 1995.

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Dad and Mum have now sadly left us. I wonder what they would have made of this celebration for Philippe's 18th in 2006?

Day out with Jean & Monique (2)

The house next to the Abbey at Nieul sur l'Autise contains fascinating high tech interactive displays. As you enter the door you can hear footsteps approaching and your reflection in the glass becomes one of the characters from the house pointing out your way.

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In another room there are 3D visits of the whole abbey and cloisters, complete with monks and villagers. The four of us must have looked very funny when the next group walked in!

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Another display uses a large bookcase to project miniature characters telling the story of the monks' work over the centuries. It really has to be seen to be believed.

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Then on to Maillezais where there is another abbey, but this one more hidden away as you approach it. By now it was getting late and we didn't get chance to visit but we did walk around spotting this beautiful water lily and discovering l'embarcadère where you can hire boats to visit the waterways. I'm really proud of this photo!

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On the way back home Jean couldn't resist showing us this garden full of topiary. I bet they're used to people stopping and taking photos!

Day out with Jean & Monique

It didn't take long for us to say yes when Monique phoned last week asking if we'd like to go out for a wander around.

We started at Fontenay-le-Comte at a less than fascinating gardening fair but then walked around the town discovering some lovely spots (photos 1, 2 & 3) before eating a scrumptious Tunisian meal sat outside (and encouraging others to do the same - we should have been on a percentage)!

From there we motored on to Nieul sur l'Autise where the Abbey wonderfully shows monastic life through interactive displays, ancient and modern combined in good taste. Photo 5 shows the traditional instrument gallery, each instrument magically playing as you walk past it. More of our day out tomorrow!