16/09/2019 A day of photos that I forgot last time........ and a visit to Cognac on 1 September.

Maximum temperature today 32C, minimum 17C.  Very dry.  17km/h North-easterly winds with gusts up to 27 km/h. 

Thank you to everyone for the comments on the previous blog.

Celebrating my birthday; 19 August.

As above, our friends Michael and Mary from the USA.

Driving home - the weighbridge at Marillac-le-Franc...

The scales as above.

Same town as above, Eglise Saint Didier...

As above.

The lavoir at St Adjutory with M and M.

Resistance Memorial at Chasseneuil sur Bonnieure...

A little closer.

Old houses in Cognac 1 September...

A sundial on a wall...

Waiting for the gates to open for a tour of Chateau Royal de Cognac, the home of Baron Otard Cognac...

Waiting in the reception...

The smell in the cellars is amazing 😉 

Note: the spiders that live down here have got so used to the alcoholic fumes that they cannot live out of the building!!!!

Tasting the amazing cognac after a fabulous tour.

Highly recommended, both tour and cognac.

Finally standing on the bridge in Cognac looking down the Charente river.

As I said previously blogs are going to be very hit and miss for the remainder of this year.

11/08/2018 Out for lunch yesterday.

Maximum temperature today 27C, minimum 13C.  Dry; 10 km/h South-easterly winds with up to 22 km/h gusts. 

Le Verre y Table is a restaurant on the road to Cognac in Jarnac, so it was just under an hours drive for us, but we wanted to try a new place and enjoy a drive.

Interesting name, literally 'Glass and Table', but pronounced as 'Veritable' it means true. 

Outside.

Inside - we were early as usual so I could take photos before there were many people around...  Outside at the back was very quickly filled up, but as there was a cool wind we preferred to sit inside

All the bottles on the shelves were different types of Cognac, take your pick :-)

The bar with the owner in the background.  A very friendly person who also offered to take a photo of us, see below.

The wall on the opposite side with a collection of copper pots and pans.

We chose the menu of the day,  The starter was my favourite, beef tartare, with lovely brown bread rolls (See top corner right).

As there was a long drive home we decided to only have a glass of wine each

The main course was fish with vegetables on a bed of rice.

Dessert was chocolate mousse in a pastry case, with strawberries and sorbet.  As Strawberries do not agree with me I had the mousse with a lemon sorbet (delicious) - no photo.  This was followed by an extremely good cup of expresso.

Playing with reflections in a mirror...

which was just behind me on the wall.

Excellent meal, average price, certainly a place we will return to.

31/08/2017 A drive to La Rochelle and back

Maximum temperature 23C, minimum 13C.  5 km/h NE chilly wind with 26km/h gusts.  Yesterday's rain was not enough to measure!!!

Not often we see sunrise!!!

Under the TGV (the new high speed train line)

Road works as always!

I love the French road signs....

as above

Not sure how I managed to photograph such a quiet bit of road!  It was quite busy at times.

Vineyards of Cognac...

The vines are as far as the eye can see in every direction.

Passing the town of Cognac.

Courvoirsier -One of the big four Cognac houses

Tolls, but only one on this route.

Passing the town of Saintes in the distance.

Natural roundabouts.

A few more photos to follow tomorrow.

The last of the Cognac visit and a walk in the garden.

Maximum temperature 17C, minimum 2C. 24 km/h NE wind. Dry.

The main reason for our visit to Cognac was a tour of Otard of which I have written a post here.

The War Memorial in Cognac.

The busy streets of  Cognac.

Another road sign a bit closer to home.

Autumn crocus.

The Choisya ternata is in bud.

Holly.

Speckled Wood Butterfly.

Euonymus.