A New Adventure in France

So we have now been formally welcomed into (very) local society. A few hundred metres up the road at the brow of the hill is the Chateau de Lamothe d’Anthé, the chateau of the hamlet on whose very outer edges we live. The chateau, officially classed as a manoir, but a very grand one at that, dates back to the 13th century and has been extended and updated over the years. The entrance gate has crenellated towers that look a little out of keeping with the rest of the building. For the last 20 or so years the Chateau has been in the private ownership of a Dutch family and each year they invite the local inhabitants (peasants?!) to a gathering, usually held in the summer months but this year it was held at the end of November on a night when the first frost of the year was forecast.

Most of the locals in the hamlet are in fact the mayor and his family so they made up the majority of about 20 invited guests (French and anglophone) from the local houses and a few from a little further away. Pre-dinner aperitifs gave us the chance to have a look at a little of the interior of the chateau. Dinner was served in the original courtyard which has now been enclosed with a roof and doors, but the fact they had recently had delivered an 8-metre high Christmas tree, decorated with the aid of scaffolding, gives an indication of high the ceiling was. No wonder some of the locals kept their coats on! The courtyard walls and a private chapel, located just off the courtyard, were decorated with murals that were apparently painted by an Italian Jew who took refuge at the chateau during WWII and who was unfortunately killed during the war. One of the locals we spoke to is a 4th generation farmer (now retired) from the hamlet and he and his wife, also originally from the hamlet, told us of their memories of attending Midnight Mass in the small chapel at Christmas when they were children and of being given hot chocolate afterwards. It was a very enjoyable, if slightly nippy, evening in wonderful surroundings and we were formally welcomed into the neighbourhood by the lord and lady of the manor.

We met the only other neighbours we hadn’t spoken to previously in rather different circumstances a week later. We’ve already mentioned the paperwork and admin required to import and register ouri various vehicles in France and it seems that we’re being asked every day for another document or piece of evidence for our files. The Jeep, which is a historic vehicle in the UK and doesn’t need an MOT there, will need one for its first registration in France. Joe has been doing some adjustments and testing in preparation for the MOT. Returning from a local exercise class, I was a few hundred yards from the house when I came across Joe standing in the lane and the Jeep in the ditch. Apparently a few minutes previously, whilst testing the brakes, the Jeep veered violently to the left without warning and into the ditch. Joe was trapped on his side briefly but able to get out with no injury other than some bruising.

Relieved to see him OK we then had to deal with getting the Jeep retrieved from the ditch. It needed a tractor so we headed up the road to our neighbours at the plum farm. We’ve previously met the retired farmer, Jean-Louis, but we had the good fortune on this day to meet his daughter Sonia and her partner Charlotte, who now run the farm. On explaining our predicament, without any hesitation they immediately came down the road with their tractor and chains and with the minimum of fuss they pulled the Jeep out of the ditch and back up the road to the barn. How lucky we were that they were around – they really were the heroines that day. Fortunately the Jeep came to rest on soft earth, so any cosmetic damage is all easily fixable and will keep Joe busy over the winter.

The French love a demonstration or protest and we’ve noticed when we’ve been out and about that many village name signs at the entrances of villages have been turned upside down. Apparently the signs are being upended by young farmers, aggrieved by the number of EU laws and standards they are forced to comply with by the French government, as well as being upset that foreign imports do not have to comply with same the strict rules imposed on French farmers. There have been more disruptive demonstrations including blocking roads so turning signs upside down is probably a more humorous way of showing what they feel about the situation.