France 2024
Welcome to 'Life in a Hammock', a capture of Gayle's daily 'real time' eBlogs of our travels. 

Shorter than our Travel Blog but more literary with somewhat of a different perspective.


June 13 / 14 - Halifax to Toulouse to Terraube (Maison Ardure)


"Thursday and Friday Melt Together"


I wish I could say Thursday blended into Friday seamlessly.  But as we all know that, at times, travel can be challenging to a peaceful state of mind.

We woke up on Thursday with a flight cancellation from Halifax to Montreal which resulted in AC assigning us a totally new route through Frankfurt and a too short of connection into Toulouse.  Of course this was a no-go choice so Norm set to work on a new possible alternative with AC.  This new route would have us catching a later flight to Toronto, then back to Montreal, to catch the overnight flight to Toulouse as originally planned.  This meant the total loss of our ‘de-stress’ lounge time in Montreal and significantly more flying time.  There were niggly, piggly other annoyances like despite paying for seat selection we had to be seated separately Halifax to Toronto.  But whatever. 

At least we did have a nice lounge experience in Halifax prior to boarding.   A delicious latte and a double chocolate chip cookie tasted extra good this time!  (Thanks again Bill and Linda for chauffeuring us to the airport despite the time-change).

Our lounge experience in Montreal was but a brief 20 minute run around after a 20 minute wait in lineup to get in.  Norm insisted I go get my coveted glass of wine at the crowded bar.  I stood and watched with slight envy as the mixed mystery cocktails were being shaken and settled on a quick pour of Pinot Grigio.  The food looked extra delicious but I settled on a small salad, artichokes, large beans … which turned out to be olives, lol, and arancini balls.  Seats were at a premium but we squished in with a nice American business guy who thoughtfully made room for us.  Also going to France but Nice instead.  20 minutes goes by way too quickly. 

Our flight over to France was uneventful and went by quickly.  No movies interested me so I watched a few fun shows on Apple TV.  I wasn’t sure if sleep would even be possible as we had a very cute baby just in front of us that was very unhappy at times.  But we were able to catch a few winks. 

I really never anticipated our luggage not arriving with us as there were no tight connections.  But that’s what happened.  As always we packed a few emergency clothes just in case.  But this time I purposely left out the bathing suit, the weather didn’t look too hot … to my eventual regret!  

We picked up our rental car and like the Goldilocks fairytale … we went through the assigned cars … like Papa Bear went through the chairs, but none were just quite right for us.

To our surprise a ‘compact’ car with Hertz is like a small SUV in France!  Way too big of a car for our liking … we may change it at some point for a car that is “just right”. 

It was not a fast drive through the French countryside to get here to our final destination, the village of Terraube.  We wound our way through several cute little towns, a few imposing chateaus and a few boulangeries before we stopping at one.  I was really having trouble staying awake … I hoped Norm who was driving felt better than my struggling self.  Perhaps a chocolate croissant would come to the wake-up rescue.  Such a disappointment it was in all ways!

But then we arrived to a beautiful bird and country garden paradise, La Maison Ardure.  All else forgotten at least temporarily.  A renovated old vine-covered farmhouse from the 1600s, the home of lovely Michel and Florence Ghys, open to a few guests.   Dinner was a French immersion course held at a long table filled with French speaking guests away for the weekend.  The charcuterie presentation, cured meat and 3 different local cheeses, with edible flowers was so attractively presented!  As I scanned the selection I had to ask “ou est mon chocolat” lol???   Bill, I know you will understand! 




Flowers everywhere.


Russian sage…. attracting bees and Norm.



On our way.


To the right one of our house cats!

Below - roadside Calla Lillies …just past their best but still beautiful! 


The long table before dinner.  Breakfast is usually held outside but too cool yet, and dinner inside at this time of year.  Mostly French visitors, occasionally Europeans and rarely North Americans. 

Part of the dinner presentation highlighting local products and a collection of various edible flowers.  Also there was an amazing red pepper gazpacho.  How do they make that accompanying French baguette so delicious?  (No photo).  It is a mystery only to be discovered in France.  Apricot Clafoutis for dessert.




June 15 - Terraube (Maison Ardure)


"Maison Ardure Delights!"


Rays of morning sunshine come early to the sleepless.  Maison Ardure was, shall we say, but short foreplay - only two nights, before moving on to the seductive delights of Condom for 3 nights.  Got to love that name! 


I think someone forgot to turn off ‘Nester’, the robotic lawnmower … I heard him roaming around in the middle of the night.  Was he looking for his partner the other robotic lawnmower?  Or was it only my imagination? 

Yesterday was a slow day, a day of recovery!  For us and our luggage … who we were happily reunited with shortly before dinner.  The day had been surprisingly cool.  One of the local guests told us the weather would normally be in the 30 degree range instead of 20.  The pool remained covered all day so not having a bathing suit meant nothing at all.  We thought about all the things we could do, hmmm … but settled on a walk around the garden for me and blog time for Norm.  With moving only a short distance away today we actually have a total of 5 days in this small area.  Since check-in isn’t until 5 pm at Les Bruhasses we will have some anticipated time today to tour around.

Dinner last night was amazing!  Starting with a melon, mozzarella ball, cherry tomatoes and Senegalese cashews salad in a glass.  (Michel and Florence spend time in Senegal in winter).  Pasta with pesto, baby zucchini and basil flowers for me for the main course.  Delicious crusty rustic bread too.   Presented in a beautiful individual covered bowl, hand painted by Florence.  Great way to serve pasta hot for a group, but a lot of dishes!  So very good!  Strawberry soup laced with champagne for dessert.  I thought … Bill and Linda would love this dessert as it was surprisingly not sweet and very refreshing!

We listened to all the French guests talk … they talked and laughed as if they were the best of friends yet they had just met at the dinner table.  They were truly ‘conversation artistes’ it seemed … but we barely understood a word said.  Fortunately for us one of the guests spoke English quite well, a teacher from a nearby town.  He met his wife and lived in French Guinea (Africa) for 8 years on a teaching assignment.  That must have been quite the experience! 

We were the first ones to leave 3 hours later, tired from doing nothing, lol.  Dinner is a delightfully long affair here in France!  We will miss the casual farmhouse but fancy feel here and the delicious attention to detail in Florence’s cooking. 



An artichoke ripe for the picking


This rose reminds me of Spain and how close we are!


Left:  Just outside.  So typically French!

Below:  From another viewpoint.  Lots of grass for each robotic lawnmower to devour.


The rose petalled, tea-light lit table scape!                         The hand painted pottery individual pasta bowl.



June 16 - Terraube to Condom (Les Bruhasses)


"Happy in Condom with Plaisier ..."


Waking up to sunshine, golden fields and a gentle breeze wafting through the front door.  Our new place, Les Bruhasses is lovely.   A large country property, an imposing main house mid 1700s complete with turrets.  Our cottage (gite)  is separate and they believe it goes back 100 years even earlier.  All completely modern inside, complete with a full kitchen and a few antiques in the bedroom.  Ha,ha!ha! … Do I know what you are possibly thinking?… No, we are not the antiques, lol!  Back to yesterday. 


Yesterday Florence said we could check out later than 11:00 am and stay for as long as we liked. Our new place, if we were to go directly, is only a very short drive probably 30 minutes but check-in is not until 5:00 pm!   Breakfast was filling, but being Sunday, the bakeries aren’t open and yesterday’s delicious rustic bread and baguettes do not really work well the next day.  Really tough to chew.  The homemade yoghurt is delicious though.  The conversation amongst the newly friended guests was as animated and joyous as the evening before … how do they do it???  We are all leaving today, a lot of rooms to clean.  So very grateful to have a little more extended time.

I took another walk around to see what was blooming and sat on the comfy outdoor chairs admiring the view.  How lucky are we to experience this little slice of paradise instead of sequestered in a nondescript roadside hotel. 

After a heartfelt goodbye we left around 1:30 pm and wondered how we would stretch out this short drive.   We first dropped into the nearby village, Terraube with its castle and medieval feel for a quick walkabout.  A few children were zipping around on their scooters and bikes which gave the seemingly empty tiny town feel more lived in. 

Our drive took us through countless winding, narrow country roads, not always marked on the detailed map.  Pretty countryside with its rolling hills sometimes planted with grapevines and sometimes with wheat or other crops like melons.  Later in the day on one of these deserted narrow roads in the ‘vast web of roads’ we encountered two of last nights’ guests out for a last hike before heading back to Bordeaux.   A strange coincidence that we all laughed about. 

We stretched and stretched the route passing through the large town of Condom several times.  Finally at about 4:00 pm, we said enough … let’s see if we can check in early.  We met Jean on his ride on lawn mower,  one of the owners now.  Jean originates from Quebec and married a local lady and has been on the property for 20 years.  The long, large main house is quite impressive with its gardens, blooming roses and large imposing trees.

After a wine, and an Armagnac cocktail on the sunny terrace with a well travelled couple from Florida we headed out for dinner.  The route to dinner was through the not-always- well-marked backroads.  Thank goodness it was light outside.  We arrived at the tiny town of Fources.  It had a very different feel with its timbered houses and the village square designed in a more circular fashion.    After 2 nights of Florence’s cooking, we were prepared for a much more ordinary culinary experience.  We were not wrong.   But it was lovely out on the patio surrounded by the pleasant sweet fragrance of jasmine.  Luckily we just finished our meal (for me … fries and a wrap) when a table of 4 smokers arrived … an abrupt end to the lovely ambience. 




Such a lovely place to sit, sometimes with the company of kitties, at Maison Ardure.


The pool was definitely inviting but as the afternoon temperatures climbed it was time to go.  Our new place has no pool unfortunately.





Les Bruhasses our new place out in the country near Condom.


Fources.                                                                               The village of Terraube near Maison Ardure.


Right:  Happy hubby at dinner surrounded by sweet jasmine.  Actually the glass of wine is just for the photo, it’s mine. 

And below:  Cascading ‘cabbage’ roses at Fources.



June 17 - Condom (Les Bruhasses)


"Vive la France"


The future weather forecast is not quite so stellar.  But right now the sun is shining, the wheat fields are glistening and the birds are singing!  What a beautiful day it is!

Yesterday was Paul and Erin’s 1st year anniversary, married amongst the June blooms at the Annapolis Royal Gardens.  Here we are one year later, counting our blessings, in another beautiful garden … but this time in France.  A speciality of this garden is that they make homemade sorbet from fresh fruit … Norm tried ‘Mure’ (blackberry) and I had ‘Poire’ (pear) … we both were happy with our choices. 

Pretty exhausted after a few hours touring about in the hot sun we decided to do one more stop before heading home.  A town with a unique legend from the past … Romieu.  It’s a cute story even non cat lovers might enjoy.  
We go back to the mid 1300s in medieval times where famine and plague were not uncommon.  In this town there was a little orphan girl, Angeline, that was adopted by another kind villager couple after both parents tragically died.  To console her the foster parents gave her two pet cats, a male and female, that she adored and gave her comfort.  Soon after, a famine hit the village and the unthinkable happened.  People were eating whatever food they could get … even pet cats.  She begged her foster parents to let her hide away her treasured pets, her companions.  They agreed.  Naturally before too long the cat family increased in their hideaway.   

Meanwhile eventually, the famine ended and normal food sources were available.  But then due to the village’s dramatic decrease in cat population, rats proliferated and started devouring the people’s food.  Soon the people were very hungry again.  The villagers realized they had made a mistake and called a town meeting whereby the little girl came up with a solution.  

As long as her cats were safe and respected she would let out the now more than 20 strong ‘cat force’.  The cats did their job killing the rats, and the villagers were very thankful.  The little girl had saved the day with her kindness!  In honour of her, stone cat figures have been carved around the town by a sculptor in much more recent times.  And just like cats themselves you never know where you might find them.

As it turned out when we returned back to our gite, our restaurant plans got unexpectedly nixed. So instead we decided to go back out and pick up a few groceries for a ‘porch picnic!  It was the perfect night for it!  

I’m sure our ‘porch picnic’ will be one of the highlights of our trip!  So simple yet so delicious … sliced tomatoes with olive oil, soft goat cheese, Camembert, Serrano ham, lentil salad, and of course a baguette.  Did I not mention wine? … mais bien sur, a Cru Beajolais.  

What we love about this area … the Vers region ... is the beautiful rolling countryside and the smaller than small, quaint villages loaded with layers of history even from the Roman days.  Here at Les Bruhasses we feel not only immersed in the history around us but enjoy the surrounding natural beauty.  Vers … a less discovered part of France.

Even as the sun set, the outdoor temperature was lovely.  The golden wheat fields darkening with the night, glimpses of an illuminated cathedral in Condom far in the distance … all was quiet, very, very quiet except for the clink of our glasses.  Vive la France!  


At the gardens.  All smiles until the bee almost landed on Norm’s head.  Too funny, as Norm was swearing and swatting, I was laughing too hard to capture the moment.




Romieu village.


Cat sculptures discreetly hidden in honour of Angeline.



Look up.


Look down … a real kitty amongst the back alley blooms.


Left:  Our ‘Porch Picnic’

Below:  As the evening sun fades away ...



June 18 - Condom (Les Bruhasses)


"The Last (of) Condom"


Waking up to the bird songs of the black and white Magpies, it was a late start to the day.  No possibility of completing the eblog for me until we arrive at our next destination Chevalier Noir, in Cordes-sur-Ciel about a 4 plus hour drive.  For breakfast … mais bien sur … French toast with you guessed it, Canadian Maple syrup! 

But now back to yesterday’s news and a few more photos of this picturesque place.

It was a lazy morning yesterday.  A pancake breakfast with real Canadian maple syrup to start.  Jean’s pancakes were particularly thick and fluffy.  What is his secret?  Turns out he lets the batter sit for at least 20 minutes before cooking.  

There were other couples there but as we were on the late side of breakfast everyone had basically finished. Don’t think there were any English speakers among them.  Helene gave us a list of all things we should see and then even more!  There is so very much to see if we wished to be ‘busy bees’.  

We settled on a visit to Larressingle, the smallest fortified village in France … complete with a surrounding moat!  We were very fortunate not to be there when the bus tours stopped!  We stopped for a homemade ice cream and enjoyed it in the secluded garden.  It was a hot day and the ice-cream stop was delightful.  I had cherry ice-cream, and Norm indulged in cherry and ultra dark chocolate.  

In the Middle Ages 300 or so people would have lived here, but now only 10.  

Then off to see the Roman mosaics in Seviac which boasts to have the largest collection of Roman mosaics in France.  Norm was left to imagine the hot private thermal baths and the lovely attending Roman ladies.  Apparently they even had not only heated floors but walls too!  And this is back in the 4th century or so!  

By now it was getting late and time to pack up the Roman fantasy and head home for a quick shower before heading out to dinner.  Luckily dinner was not too far down the road, but far enough.

I enjoyed my warm chèvre salad with beets, pomegranates, cranberries and tomatoes.  Norm was happy to have a big portion of lamb.  Creme Brulee followed for dessert.  On the way home up the country road to Les Bruhasses we watched for any rabbits or deer which might cross our path. This time there were none.

Last night at Bruhasses before we head in a more easterly direction.  

A rose from the many in Helene’s garden.  Notice the water drops.  Is the rose sorry to see us go?    The garden was truly beautiful although Helene was needlessly embarrassed as she likes a more manicured look.  Jean, her husband, had been very ill and required much care until recently.  Now he is happily scooting around whenever he can, as much as he can, on his lawn tractor and enjoying making pancakes and French toast!  






June 19 - Condom to Cordes-Sur-Ciel (Chevalier Noir)


"Onwards through the Sunflower Fields to our new Home, Chevalier Noir"


Thursday morning and the sky is looking grumpy.  Last night there was rain that beat down the lavender blooms so that they are flattened.  We are all waiting for the sunshine which probably won’t happen today.  But if the hopeful, cheerful songbirds have their way … just maybe.  A wonderful relaxing breakfast this morning, swapping stories with Tina.

Returning to yesterday ...

Our drive took us through the rolling hill countryside, like a roller coaster ... often dramatic ups and downs.   Past freshly green fields, fields of gold or brown, and often fields of soon-to be blooming sunflowers but just not quite yet.  It rained and rained here this Spring so the farmers were late planting the seeds.  What a spectacular sight that would be if they were in bloom!  

A difficult drive it seemed, requiring unwavering attention on these twisty narrow roads.  The backroads not always well marked either.  But we managed, and got to our destination by late afternoon noon.  Chevalier Noir,  Cordes-Sur-Ciel. 

Paul met us at the entrance gate to Chevalier Noir and offered us tea … yes, he is from Britain.  He had made early a dinner reservation for us at a local hotel.  When we arrived there was no one else there.  No one.  It felt rather strange being alone in a large formal dining room in the restaurant.  Though the informal staff were very casual in dress and approach.  However by the time we finished dinner most of the tables in the restaurant were full.  As it turned out there was only one thing on the menu that appealed to Norm, rabbit and only one for me, a vegetable dish.  

Norm - Ballotine de de lapin farci et confit, écrasé de pomme de terre à l'huile d'olive et vinaigre, jus réduit à la marjolaine et ail confit

Gayle - Petit épeautre crémeux, légumes de printemps, tuile Parmesan

Followed by a lemon meringue dessert.  All very good.  

We headed home in the gentle rain.  Stuffed.  There we met the other guest Tina, from California.  Tina actually is a resident of the town now having lived in the area for 3 years but moving to a new rental house very soon. Living her dream.   Before long it was Bon Nuit and a brief thunder and lightening storm with lots of rain.