All the Fun of the 'Fer'

One of the many wonderful things about living in France is the wealth of stunningly intricate ironwork.  Whether it's wrought or cast the possibilities are seemingly endless and although iron is by nature a hard, unforgiving material it can be manipulated by a skilled artisan into a thing of true beauty.

I personally like it when the iron has a patina of age as to me it can lack a certain charm when it's painted up too perfectly.  Luckily there are products on the market you can buy to preserve the iron without loosing the authentic rusty aspect (is it just me???).

Anyway, here are just a few examples that have caught my eye over the last few years that I would love to share:-

An irresistible sneaky peek through some cast iron gates at a courtyard of an elegant Saintes townhouse.

A charming belle époque bench in our garden that we inherited from a previous home. The woodwork needs a bit of restoration (a job for Super-Spike) but the metalwork is still in perfect condition albeit a little grubby (oops!) 

I can't tell you how many houses I have rejected over the years because the windows had been replaced unsympathetically.  This intricately cast crémone (I suppose the English translation would be handle or lever) still charms me whenever I cast eyes on it (no pun intended!)

Who wouldn't want this lovely plump putto on their front door?  It would certainly serve as a constant reminder to go easy on the food!

I just had to take a photo of this wrought iron balcony adorning an elegant townhouse in Angoulême (well a girl can dream can't she?)

This sweet little wrought iron plant stand is another inherited item from our previous house. I love the rusty patina and in spite of this it is still as strong as the day it was struck in the foundry.

This is one of three wrought iron screens we bought a few years back from an architectural salvage yard.  For some reason we've always struggled to find a permanent home for them - oh well maybe the next move! 

This deliciously sinuous balustrade graces the courtyard of a house in Cognac.  I particularly love the finials although I'm not sure if they are pineapples, pine cones or artichokes (answers on a postcard please).  

These wonderful architectural works of art are truly to be treasured.  It breaks my heart when I see a lovely pair of ironwork gates being replaced by soulless PVC - and no I don't care if iron is higher maintenance... some things in life are worth the trouble.

Antiquing in the Charentais Town of Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire

Last weekend there were a multitude of flea markets and antique fairs to choose from in our area.  However we've recently been stumbling across the same old stalls with the same old stock so we decided to visit a fair a little further afield for a change.

The sun was shining so we thought we would make a day of it and visit the large brocante at Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire then wander around the town itself to see if we could find somewhere for lunch (hooray!)

We arrived at the fair at around 11 o'clock and quickly realised that it would be a shopping trip of two halves.  The sun was relentlessly scorching, the brocante was big and we immediately knew that we had stumbled across a gem.  It was so refreshing to see some real antique stalls mixed in with the more affordable stalls set up by locals clearing their attics (vide greniers).  This meant that there was an eclectic mix of trucs in all price ranges.

A hot sunny day for the brocante at Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire

After about an hour or so of schlepping around in the heat we rushed back to the car with the first haul of goodies (sugar tongs, cheese dome, among other things) and then set off for centre ville to find a restaurant. We eventually found somewhere and I chose a lovely fresh salad followed by delicious îles flottantes (for those of you unfortunate enough to have never experienced this iconic French dessert it is basically Italian meringues floating on runny custard... heaven!)

Unfortunately my dessert completely wiped out my slimming salad so it seemed a good idea to have a brisk walk around the town.  Being a Sunday it was very quiet but it's faded elegance made the experience charming all the same.  

L'église St. Mathias at Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire

A traditional French department store with lovely old writing on the exterior

After our lunchtime stroll we headed back to the brocante for some more trucs.  As usual we couldn't resist buying something for ourselves and picked up a foo dog chop seal (also known as fu dogs or fo dogs... lets call the whole thing off!) This cheeky little fella has now found a permanent home on my desk (at the moment he is guarding a lottery ticket so fingers crossed with that one!)

My lovely dog of foo chop seal - who could resist that winning smile!

Just in case my little foo dog doesn't work his magic here are some other things I picked up at the market that can now be found on my Etsy shop.

A lovely vintage cloche and plate - click to see on Etsy

An elegant absinthe spoon - click to see on Etsy

A cute little posy holder - click to see on Etsy

A stunning biscuit barrel by Christofle - click to see on Etsy

A charming little hot chocolate pot - click to see on Etsy

A lovely Art Deco trivet - click to see on Etsy

Lion paw sugar tongs - click to see on Etsy

All in all a hot, tiring day but enjoyable and very successful.  I have discovered it's definitely worth going a little further afield to find those special trucs that I will thoroughly enjoy owning - at least for a little while.  

A Special Treat for the Birthday Boy

What can you give a beagle that has everything?  Well apart from a lifetime pass to the nearest fridge the next best thing is a lovely woodland walk.  Last Sunday Oscar turned 8 - of all of our menagerie that's the only birthday we know for sure because our little pedigree chum has a birth certificate.  On this wonderful little document it states that he is from a line of French champions but sadly, in his case, unless this honour is directly related to eating, our little porky mutt will not be following in their footsteps.

Little Oskie came to us with problems to overcome.  From puppyhood he was a nervous little fellow and if caught off guard to this day an unexpected gas explosion emanating from his rear end is enough to make him jump.  It doesn't really take a genius to figure out that he wouldn't have lasted long if he had been purchased for his bred purpose of hunting.   With the addition of a heart murmur and an expensive operation to fix two slipped discs he was very lucky to have ended up with a soppy English couple!

Baby Oscar  when we first brought him home... ahhhh! 

In the window box of our old house - I'd like to see him try that now!

So last Sunday instead of setting up the market stall to sell my trucs or going on a buying expedition we took a weekend off from all of that in favour of the ultimate doggy treat. Finding some woods was our next challenge.  Being surrounded by Cognac vines is truly wonderful but there are very few trees around our home to challenge Oscar's highly tuned nose.  It was while pondering this problem that I remembered reading about an old hunting park that was used by King François 1st and situated in the heart of Cognac. This 500 hectare wooded parkland can be found just a short distance from town along the right bank of the River Charente.  

Having bundled the dogs into the car Oscar's highly strung younger brother Jake (pointer/Tigger mix) began making very annoying squeaky noises -  no doubt a direct result of his recent trip to the vets for his yearly vaccination. Luckily for the rest of us he gradually calmed down and eventually contented himself with sticking his head out of the window and letting his tongue wave luxuriously in the breeze.

On arrival the weather turned a bit drizzly but there was no going back as we were dragged off down one of the paths. It's a wonderful feeling to be strolling through some woods knowing that you are within easy walking distance of a town and having explored a labyrinth of pathways four half and hour or so we decided we'd had more than enough fresh air and exercise and it was time to go in search of a chocolat chaud!

Jake and Oscar in clover!

Me (cold and tired) with the boys (raring to go)

On the way into town we found a lovely little tree lined strip of land called the Promenade du Parc where Belle Epoque ladies with parasols would have paraded up and down the grassy central strip whilst carriages drove along the tree lined avenues on either side.  It was all the more charming for its faded elegance and led to a striking war memorial.  We took a slight detour and wandered up a couple of back streets to Cognac's formal park the Jardin Public which houses the elegant Hôtel de Ville.  

The Hôtel de Ville in the Jardin Public

The Place François 1er in the heart of Cognac

From there it was just a few minutes to Place François 1er where we sat outside a pavement café and enjoyed a warming hot chocolate complete with whipped cream on the top (well we'd earned it!)   When it was time to go home we reversed the remarkable walk through town, park and woodland and all bundled back into the car - tired, happy and dreaming of the big squidgy sofa waiting for us back home (bliss).

Dreams of walkies

A Visit to the Hennessey Factory in Cognac

Last weekend Spike had some family over for a visit so we decided it was high time that we booked a tour of the famous Cognac House of Hennessey.

We decided that we would go on the 'XO Symbole' tour which included at the end a tasting of their celebrated Extra Old Cognac accompanied by some chocolate (how could we resist?)  This tour cost 22€ per person and was double the price of their standard tour but we thought that being a rare family visit it would be worth going for the more expensive option.  

The Hennessey building from the warehouses across the River Charente

An example of the alambics used traditionally for distilling Cognac

The coopered barrels made by skilled artisans

The warehouses where the Cognac is made and stored is on the other side of the river Charente to the main Hennessey building so a charming little boat trip across the river was the first part of the experience. 

The Hennessey Warehouses

We were then expertly guided around the warehouses and all the processes behind the making of this wonderful drink were explained by our guide.  If I have any criticism at all it would only be that the tour felt a little corporate (especially when we were led into a screening room to watch a corporate style presentation complete with "aritistic" images outlining the various stages of making Cognac).  This particular kind of experience is not really my truc but apart from that the visit was very informative.        

All was going well until having crossed back over the river to the main Hennessey building we were led into the tasting room.  Before we had a chance to explain a group of other tourists who had only paid for the standard 11€ tour had swigged our very expensive XO Cognac.  Of course the staff were apologetic and rectified the problem by quickly pouring us some more accompanied by a lovely, if a little lonely, square of chocolate for each of us.

The tasting/buying area where the unfortunate faux pas took place!

Unfortunately by this time it would be fair to say we were a bit miffed, not only because the sole difference between the two tours was the tasting at the end but due to the tasting itself being so disorganised we had just paid double for the privilege of watching another group swig our exclusive drinks for half the price! Needless to say we decided not to buy especially having found it is cheaper in the local supermarkets.

So in short it was a good experience but we left with the feeling that the company had been pitched to us as if we were potential shareholders.  So unless you are a fan of Hennessey Cognac in particular and if you love history as I do I would personally recommend the Otard Cognac tour as my clear favourite not only because it explains just as well how the Cognac is made but you are also treated to the beautiful historic surroundings of the Chateau where King François 1st was born (the king who brought the Rennaissance to France).  

I felt that the Otard tour was an altogether more intimate experience and there is a little more interaction with the actual drink itself like smelling different glasses of Cognac to see if you can pick up on the different fragrances.

The ancient Chateau - Birthplace of King Francois 1st

The vaulted ceilings inside the Chateau of Baron Otard

I suppose what it comes down to is a matter of taste.  Being an Irish whiskey drinker myself I'm no expert but Spike, like Napoleon, prefers Courvoisier - a Cognac made in the neighbouring town of Jarnac - so that's definitely a tour to try in the future.    

Ring, Telephone Ring

Some things in life you do tend to take for granted.  Dogs go "woof-woof", cockerels go "cockadoodledoo" and telephones go "ring ring".  However, sometimes you are faced with a situation that makes you reassess everything you thought you knew.

Last Sunday at a brocante in a lovely little village called Celles sur Né, just south of Cognac, we found an old fashioned black desk telephone from the early 1960s.  I've been looking out for a vintage phone for ages but when I have come across these little gems in the past the dealers generally want about 50€ for them. This price is then, more often than not, followed by a nonchalant Gallic shrug when they are quizzed as to whether the phone is in fact working.

With this in mind you can only imagine my delight when I found a cute little black vintage phone with an asking price of only 2€.  I looked across at Spike to confirm that I had in fact heard correctly (I have been known to get into a bit of a muddle between my twos and twelves) and having been given the nod I happily proceeded to snap her arm off (metaphorically speaking of course).

Ahhh.... aint' it sweet!  The ideal telephone for silent films  

For the diminutive price of 2€ I naturally understood that it was highly unlikely that the telephone would be functional but thought that it would make a lovely decorative piece all the same and if, by some small miracle, it did work then that would be a bonus. What we discovered next, however, I hadn't predicted.

Having spent a good half an hour cleaning it up (it was what can only be described as très très ooky!) we plugged it into the phone socket and Spike announced triumphantly that he had a dialing tone.  With excitement building I phoned our new purchase from my mobile.... nothing.  Spike picked up the phone receiver anyway and joy of joy we had a very silly if a little muffled telephone conversation (not surprising considering we were sitting next to each other at the time).

'Property of the State'... foiled again by French bureaucracy!

The next obvious step was to dial out and...can you believe it...success! (followed by yet another incredibly silly and muffled conversation).  So it seemed it was just a case of opening it up and fixing the connection to the bell.   A few minutes later we could both be found staring at the inner workings of the phone with dumbstruck expressions as the realisation dawned on us that there was no bell to fix.

Having 'googled' various vintage phone related forums it became apparent that this situation is not as unusual as you might imagine as many office desk phones had an external ringer back then... well who'd have thought it?
  

So I have learned never to take anything for granted as apparently over here dogs go "ouah! ouah!", cockerels go "cocorico" and phones are sometimes known to be mute.

In short the situation at present is that we have a lovely vintage phone that works perfectly as long as you have the gift of telepathy or only need to dial out.  We are now on the lookout for an external bell and have earmarked a couple of examples online that might do the trick and then it's just the simple matter of figuring out how to connect it!

Wish us bonne chance with that one!