Summer Vide-greniers in the Orne

The rain held off for most of Sunday, the first day of June, and the vide-greniers at La Ferrière-aux-Etangs, with its large number of stalls, was well attended as a result.

The number of British people running stalls at vide-greniers seems to be growing. Looking at what was on offer on Sunday, it seems like a good way to get rid of books and DVDs, among other items. All these stalls attracted Brits, probably like us, looking for something ‘new’ to read, in English!

The stalls were the usual eclectic mix of old and new things, including clothing and shoes, various items of household and garden equipment (some of it looking as though it had just been picked up from where it was lying and taken along) books, CDs and DVDs. It seemed to me, that there were a greater number of ‘large’ stalls, but that may just be that this was a bigger venue than I’ve been to recently.

While we were there, admittedly around lunchtime, the food stalls were doing great business in the French equivalent of sausage in a bun, with mustard and ketchup, and chips. The restaurants and both boulangeries were being kept busy, too. We sat and had coffee, watching chefs and waitstaff dashing around, trying to keep up with the requests.

The ‘Calendrier des Brocantes 2008′, suggests that the rest of June, especially on Sundays, will be just as busy throughout the Orne. Let’s hope for the weather to keep improving. Somehow, everything looks better in the sunshine! 

Orne’s Hidden Treasures – Le Conservatoire des temps jadis

We are experiencing some lovely weather at the moment here in Basse Normandie. It makes one want to get out and about in this lovely area we call home. Here, as promised, is the latest in the series of ‘Orne’s Hidden Treasures’. Rp has been exploring somewhere interesting to take the children, or grandchildren, when they come to visit. He tells us about his latest discovery.

It has been my experience that taking small children on a visit to a large zoo is a complete waste of time and effort.

The children have seen all the animals and birds on the television and their interest wanes after no more than half an hour. Thereafter, they only have two concerns – ‘Where is the café?’ and ‘Is the gift shop open?’

It can also turn out to be very expensive when there is a large family group. What you need is something on a much smaller (and cheaper!) scale. I have found just such a place in the Orne.

‘Le Conservatoire des temps jadis’ (The Conservatory of Times Past) is a small farm which is dedicated to preserving ancient and rare breeds of poultry. There are over 30 different types of chickens, hens and cockerels, including many with wonderful names – Yokohama, Hambourg, Hollandaise and Padoue.

Perhaps the most striking of all is the Sebright. It is the only bird named after an individual, Sir John Sebright (1767-1846), the seventh baronet and MP for Hertfordshire, who bred it. What distinguishes it in the collection is that its feathers are so arranged that they appear to be covered by a spider’s web.

My particular favourite is the Orpington, developed in the late 1800s by Willam Cook, who named it after his home town in Kent. The original birds were black but I liked the ones at the farm because of their gorgeous, golden brown honey colour.

There are also peacocks and turkeys, including the oldest American turkey breed, the Narrangansett, originally from Rhode Island. And no French farm would be complete without an example of La Gauloise dorée, the oldest cockerel breed in France, and now its national emblem.

On the farm there are also lots of rabbits, ducks, geese, sheep (which escaped from their pen during our visit!) goats and pigs.

The birds and animals do not roam free but they are very accessible to all visitors, young and old.

Look out for the plaques dotted around, for the children, which ask simple questions (the answers are there, too) but beware, the questions and answers are in French!

There are also a few games for the children such as hopscotch and croquet.

After wandering around the farm, make your way down the steps and walk along by the stream. You will arrive at a small picnic area where there are tables and a couple of swings.

The farm is quite hilly and, I would suggest, is not wheel-chair accessible, though you should have no problems with a baby-buggy.

The cost is 4 Euros 80 per adult and 3 Euros 80 per child, which makes it very good value for money, in my opinion.

The farm is open weekend afternoons, until July and August, when the only day it is closed is Monday.

The farm is a quiet place – the only sounds you can hear are cockerels giving it their all and squeals of delight from the children.

There is no gift shop – but, not surprisingly, you can buy eggs! 

 

Directions (RP has given directions but if you are coming from further afield, you might want to check the farm’s website here for details of opening times, directions, and a photographic taste of what you can expect to see when you visit. The site is in French but very easy to navigate.)

Take the D908 from Carrouges towards Sees and turn right onto the D2 (signposted Chahains and Rouperoux). Turn left onto the D226 to Fontenay-Les-Louvets. In the centre of the village, turn left onto the D204. Le Pouillolet is on your right and there is a small car park on your left, opposite the entry to the farm.

For the sophisticates amongst you who have GPS – the farm is Latitude 48.53617 … Longitude 0.006463.

Bonne Anniversaire Red Hatters Everywhere

Do you remember your tenth birthday party? If you’re anything like me, you don’t, unless it was especially memorable in some way. However, the tenth birthday parties being celebrated around the world today by many thousands of women ‘of a certain age’  will be long remembered, as they continue to live their lives in the spirit of ‘fun and friendship, freedom and fulfilment’.  

Today is the 10th birthday of the Red Hat Society, which began in the United States, when a small group of women met to take tea, dressed in the now familiar purple outfits and red hats. Their intention to enjoy life to the fullest has been embraced by many thousands of women, not only in the US but around the world, even in our little corner of France.

Sue, the founder of the Normandy chapter, based in Domfront in the Orne, told me how she first became aware of the Red Hatters and why she chose to start a chapter here.  

The first I ever heard about the Red Hat Society was while I was on the way to New York on board the QM2 in 2004. It was the evening of the Royal Ascot ball and I happened to have chosen to wear a red hat for the occasion. An American lady came up to me and asked whether I was a Red Hatter? Being London born and bred, I knew the old expression ‘red hat no drawers’, so I looked rather puzzled and said, ‘No’.

Once we arrived in the US, I began to see Red Hat merchandise in many of the shops we visited. On my return I got online and found out more about the RHS and found I could join as an online member. That was my first step. I was then invited to join a group called the Purple Princesses of Poole, near where I used to live, and I started attending their gatherings. 

I realised that setting up a chapter in France would be a great way of getting to know people. I was going to be spending much of my time here and was keen to make new friends as soon as possible. I put a message on Anglo Info just to test the water. I had a great response and heard from about 30 women within a matter of days. So I registered the Red ExpHat Society in February 2005 and let all the interested ladies know we were ‘in business’.

Sue went on to say that the women who were initially interested in joining came from all over Basse Normandie.  Many of them didn’t want to travel too far, so the half dozen or so who lived within easy reach of Domfront, became the founding members of the chapter. Sue explained some of the benefits she believes members gain from being Red Hatters here.

It can be great fun and I have certainly achieved the objective of making new friends. Many of the members have also thanked me for introducing them to people who live very close to them but they had never met. Some very close friendships have come out of this little group.

Although we are in no way a business group, I know that many people find it an ideal place to network, and we certainly all try to help each other out with untangling the French red tape. Partners of members have made friends, indirectly, through red hatting, too.

I asked Sue about the membership of the group. As founder of the group she is the Queen, a Red Hat tradition, and she has her vice-queen, known in this chapter as the Snow Queen of Vice. Six of the founding members, are now honorary queens, in recognition of their loyal support.  Sue went on to tell me:

The group is currently around twenty strong. This is an ideal number and I do not promote membership nowadays. We are still on Anglo Info in their social group listings and occasionally we get ourselves into the newspapers and I get phone calls from people who are interested in knowing more about us. A new  member found us recently on the ‘what to do in La Ferté Macé’  website, although I have never approached them – so our reputation is spreading!

All the women in the Orne chapter are expats, though some have lived here for some time. Most are now retired but going out in friendship groups is a familiar concept to them. I wondered if Sue had ever tried to interest french women in joining. I asked her if cultural differences, the french still prefer to socialise in family groups, and the language made it difficult.

I would love to have French ladies in the chapter. I was told some time ago that French women do not go out in groups of women. They prefer to go out with men! When we appeared in the ‘Publicator Libre‘, my French neighbours were very excited. One said she thought we looked like great fun, but the other said she thought we were ‘frightening’ and we would all speak English. They are both very much older than the average age in our group.

Some of the French ladies who go to the Groupe Franglais are more of our age group, and they like to practise their English, so I am working on them! I have suggested that we include an afternoon tea in the programme where everyone tries to bring along a French guest to see how it goes.

Finally, I asked Sue about what she would like to see happening in France for Red Hatters. She told me that she would like to help other chapters to get started here and she would like to see a European Red Hat Society convention held in Paris. She says:

 I think it is such an easy and inexpensive place for the UK, Dutch and German chapters to get to, the Americans and Canadians would love Paris, and I think we would look such a wow at the Moulin Rouge! 

What a picture that conjures up! Bonne Anniversaire to the Orne chapter and Red Hatters everywhere!

Orne Archeology

Are you an avid watcher of Tony Robinson and ‘Time Team’? Then, like me, you may be interested in an exhibition of archeological finds in the Orne over the last 250 years or so. I first read about it when it was in Alençon and was interested to note that it was to come to Flers in April.

The exhibition, called ‘Exposition Arché-Orne’, is being held at the museum in the château at Flers (the château itself is worth a look, if you’ve not been there) until the end of August. The exhibition, according to the accounts I’ve read, covers 50,000 years of human occupation in the Orne region. As this is where some of us now live or have second homes, it behooves (isn’t that a lovely word) us to know something about the historical past of our region.

I plan to visit soon, given the variable nature of our weather at the moment it’s nice to have somewhere to go under cover, and will update this post when I have. If anyone else has already done so, I’d love to have you comment.

‘Antiques and collectables’ – where to find them in the Orne

If you feel like a trip out at the weekend to a vides-greniers or suchlike in the Orne, look here for some information. It hasn’t been particularly pleasant for these events in recent weeks, in our part of Basse Normandie at least, but the weather looks as though it might be improving.

My friend (the one who is very fond of rummaging around at vide-greniers) and I visited Champsecret the weekend before last. We went to this event last year and had to take sunhats. The streets were full of people and there was a great buzz about the village. This year it was umbrellas, only a few hardy souls had stalls (mostly covered with large pieces of plastic sheeting) and there were few people about. Such a shame when it is a yearly event. The weather was so dismal last weekend, we didn’t even attempt to go to La Ferrière aux Etangs, which, according to our neighbours, has been great fun in previous years.

Still, the number of such events is building each week, so let’s hope the weather improves as well. Do visit, if you can.

English Breakfast at La Ferté Macé

Chris has posted a comment reminding me of the English breakfast at La Ferté Macé, with details. It’s a good event and was well supported by French and English alike last year. The Jumelage committee also run French (and English) classes held in the village of St Georges d’Annebec. All good fun!

The breakfast details are here .