Written on Friday, November 11th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
autumn, garden, wood fires
I love autumn in the Drome.
The colours of the leaves changing from green to golden and deep red transforms the views across the nearby mountains. That special soft luminosity at this time of year is such a contrast to the brilliant sharp light of the summer sun. Often when you wake in the morning soft tendrils of mist are still swirling around the mountain tops like the remains of a dying bonfire.
Now is the time to tidy up the garden and winter the pool. At last it’s safe to have a bonfire to get rid of all those prunings. Don’t forget to add your dead leaves to the compost or maybe have a separate enclosure to create leaf mould which is excellent to add to your potting compost or use as mulch around your flower beds. If you don’t have room for a proper compost bin you can always make leaf mould in plastic sacks with holes punched in – just water the leaves as you fill the bag. Time too for any last minute ordering of logs and for me to collect kindling from the woods down the lane. Wintering the pool is Laurent’s domain but basically involves putting in special hivernage liquid, lowering the water level and emptying and blocking up the pipes. I think!
If hibernation is more your thing, this is the perfect time to start working your way through all that beautifully stacked wood. There’s nothing quite like an afternoon curled up in the library with a good book and a chocolat chaud (or a glass of local red, if you prefer), in front of a blazing fire. The wood basket is filled to the brim so no need to venture out. The thick walls of Colombier keep in the heat like an insulation blanket!
Do take a look at our page A year in the Drome which has some lovely photos – and, of course, read Keats’ poem to get in the mood!
Written on Saturday, April 9th, 2011 at 11:56 pm
garden, market
The weather here has been glorious and with all the sunshine everything in the garden has gone beserk. I love this time of year – not only do all the established areas of the garden miraculously burst into life once more, but it’s the perfect time to visit a ‘pepiniere’ (garden centre). When I first bought Chateau Colombier French garden centres were a scarcity but over recent years more and more have appeared, and flower gardens are becoming as common as potagers here. Of course, the local market in Nyons is another great source for all types of plants from the smallest alpines to huge olive trees. It’s one of the parts of the market that I find it most enjoyable to just wander around.
Seedlings or bulbs, flowers or vegetables I can’t resist them. Someone once told me that gardeners divide into two types: the planter and the pruner. Which are you? I’m sure you can guess which I am!
I’m also looking forward to the annual flower market, the first weekend in May. Glad that Jean will be with me to help decide on what to buy (and to help with the planting).
Written on Friday, February 25th, 2011 at 10:14 am
activities, families, garden, group holidays, space
It seems that these days we are changing our habits when it comes to taking holidays. Families are travelling en masse. Siblings with their own families are joining together, and grandparents and even great-grandparents are tagging along too. The advantages of vacationing with an extended family are numerous. Joan Bakewell recently wrote a fascinating article on the subject that is well worth a read. Apparently the correct term is intergenerational holidays. As she points out the way to be sure that this type of holiday is a great success is to choose your venue with care.
First of all you need an area with a huge variety of attractions to suit all tastes. There needs to be plenty to visit – interesting historical sites and bustling little towns: plenty to do – all manner of sports during the day and cafes and restaurants in the evenings. Secondly you need a house to rent that has plenty of space. It’s not just a question of having the requisite number of bedrooms, there must be plenty of private areas both inside the house and in the grounds to find a quiet spot to read or just hide away.
Yes – you’ve guessed what I’m going to say now! Chateau Colombier could have been designed with this sort of holiday in mind. You can see from our photos how much space there is both in the house, on the shady terraces and in the different gardens. Drome provencale is an area that has something for everyone – whether you want to spend your day walking in the mountains, cycling through scenic villages, visiting Roman ruins, tasting the local Cote du Rhone wines or just relaxing in the sun by the pool – there’s certainly something for every taste.
Written on Friday, February 18th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
garden, language
I’ve been busy updating our description on various holiday rental sites some of which require a French version. It’s always tempting to use a quick internet translation, but BEWARE! You may end up with some fascinating translations that will certainly at the very least puzzle prospective clients! I had included a description of Chateau Colombier’s beautiful walled garden, with its raised flower beds full of aromatic plants. The translation of aromatic plants came back as ‘usines aromatiques’ (aromatic factories)! Mmm – not quite the romantic picture I was trying to convey…
Unless they were making a reference to the local lavender fields and lavender distillery in Nyons?
Written on Saturday, November 29th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
garden
and we get to experience the elements. We’ve had sunshine, frost, snow and rain. Hey – at least we have variety. So I’ve managed to get the necessary gardening in during the week: planting 500+ bulbs for spring colour (and yes, the back does hurt!). Plus I’ve started digging over the veggie plot – about a tenth … better than nothing.
You have to adapt to the seasons, here. Not that I’m ever a morning person, but there is no point in trying to get out, at this time of the year, before the sun has burnt off the morning mists and ground frosts. But 13.00 – 15.00, if the sun is shining is wonderful. And if the sun isn’t there – well, do some digging and you’ll soon warm up.
But the rain is something different. That’s why you have to seize the moment when it’s there. If I hadn’t switched off the computer at lunchtime on Thursday, 250 bulbs would have lost their chance to strut their stuff in spring.
Now it’s been raining for a couple of days (and rain here = snow higher up). So though there were a couple of hours today when I did geranium cuttings (no cost – used the compost heap’s potting compost), I couldn’t have continued planting bulbs or digging the veggie plot (ground too waterlogged).
You’ll have to wait till spring for the pictures!
