Bustling about the Vendee

Jeanne's sister-in-law Chantal invited us all -- all six of us -- for lunch, so we set off through the countryside for about an hour's drive north and west. Chantall's surname through her husband is a very big noise in that part of the world, having sided with the royalists in a sort of insurrection way back when. Her house is large, and just across the way from the village church. The front is somewhat unassuming, but beyond are acres and acres of land. After a lovely lunch of various first courses (deviled eggs, ratatouille, tomatoes, beets, potatoes, tuna salad, prosciutto and melon) followed by ham quiche and green salad, and then a lemon tart supplied by Marie, we took about a twenty minute walk through the property -- and we could have gone farther. They have a sizable pond filled with ducks and geese, meadows with sheep and two horses, and cages of doves and other birds. Happily, as one of Jeanne's sisters noted, the family property included many buildings, so that each of the children has his or her own, and all can share the land.

One wing of the house with the church beyond.

The other wing of the house.
Chantall beckoning us in for lunch.

A spectacular spread.
A view of the pond above, a part of the walk through the forest below.


And consider sheep as lawn mowers, their only purpose on this property.

That night Bertrand's brother Herve and wife Beatrice joined us for dinner, and we had lively conversation on all manner of topics -- Tom and Herve discovering that they are -- or were -- mountain climbers with stories to tell.



The following day, our last, Jeanne hosted a lunch for friends visiting from the north. We had a lovely garden party with roast pork with all the trimmings, the usual cheese course and fruit for dessert. We made a mad dash for the local depot vente (consignment shop), the site of previous happy bargains, but found nothing that was both enchanting and could fit in the overhead compartment. Dinner was a quiche with just "the family", the six of us, ending with a teary goodnight, since were were due to leave long before dawn.








A bientot, Vendee!