Moulin du Pont Blog

Pete Coffill has kindly given me a list of all the birds he saw during his week in one of our holiday cottages. Most of these he saw in the first two days.
Robin, Great Tit, Blue Tit, House Sparrow, Wood Pidgeon,
Collared Dove, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Blackcap,
House Martins, Swallows, Swifts, Magpie, Crow, Rooks,
Black Redstart, Goldfinch, Buzzard, Chaffinch, Green Woodpecker, Sparrowhawk, Grey Heron, Mallard,
Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Jay, Greenfinch ,Willow warbler.
Highlights from The Brenne Natural Park included
Montagus Harrier, Black Kite. Hoopoe,
Bee Eater, Purple Heron ,Red Backed Shrike,
Cattle Egret, Black Winged Stilt,
Whiskered Tern, Cirl Bunting
Other visitors have seen other things but this was for the week 30 July to 6 August.

It would be nice to report that Sunday dawned sunny and warm for the horse fair at Le Pont Chretien but the icy east wind put paid to that and brought with it showers and hail. The brocanteurs set up their stalls in the hope that the rain would hold off but then had to dash for cover each time the skies opened up. This year the usual collection of nags were absent as tighter controls and police presence meant only vaccinated animals could be shown. So less animals but better quality.
We escaped the village and headed off to the restaurant Au Berry in Malicornay. A tiny cafe transformed into eccentric restaurant where customers are at the mercy of the whims of the owner. Good value for money but no choice is offered so you need to make your dislikes known when ordering – not that he always pays attention. It’s something a bit different to usual. Sunday’s menu included duck breast with quince, chicken quenelles with mushrooms gathered that morning and a delicious chocolate dessert with crepe cut into strips and mixed with bitter orange. It’s a place to go with good company as Maurice is chef, waiter and barman so meals can take a while. He also likes to plonk himself down at the table and discuss everything from politics to the weather.
Last weekend was also the Salon de Chocolate at Argenton sur Creuse. Held every year at this time it attracts chocolatiers from all over France. The standard of chocolate is very high but be warned so are the prices!! The unwary can suddenly find themselves handing over more money than they anticipated – I should have learnt that by now!
The autumn clouds continue to thrill even if the sun remains reticent. The trees rich in copper, amber and yellow stand out against the steely grey skies. The dog’s favourite game is running through the leaves or burying her nose in them in search of passing mouse or mole.

The French never really got Halloween – they tried and for a while shops were decorated in orange and black, children dressed up and went from door to door ( sometimes well into November ) but they were never quite sure what it was all about and have now given up on it. Well there’ s no interesting food involved.
Toussaint ( 1 Nov ) is something they all understand. Around this time cemeteries all over France sprout mounds of yellow, burgundy and orange as families make the annual trek to remember their departed friends and family. Graves are cleaned and chrysanthemums carefully placed, tears are shed and if we’re lucky the frost won’t kill the flowers the next day.
This time of year is full of autumn festivals with the pumpkin festival in Tranzault on the second Saturday of October. The sun usually shines and everyone gathers to watch the weigh in. This year’s record giant at over 500kg needed men on the back of the fork lift to balance it out. Every weekend after is a celebration of autumn with chestnuts at Eguzon and apples at Neuvy St Sepulchre given their turn. In le Pont Chretien the horse fair on the first Sunday in November is a shadow of former times. Once horses of all shapes and sizes were bought and sold alongside donkeys. Now there are a few horses and sad looking Shetland ponies. The brocante draws in the crowds and people dodge the traffic as they browse stalls spread out along the main road. Sadly like the horses the quality of items offered is not like it used to be. After, a stroll along the Bouzanne river to look at the autumn colours lifts the spirits

Waking up to a sunny autumn day banished all thoughts of yesterday’s gloom. The only problem – how to spend the day. Gardening beckoned but a rendevous to spend one hour chatting in English in exchange for a frozen duck fell bang smack in the morning. Sadly neither conversationalist nor duck materialised so only time to harvest the pumpkins and a bit of pottering over by the chickens. Started pruning roses and sorting out flowerbeds in the afternoon. There seems to be so much to do and not enough manpower to do it. Should anyone read this and fancy a week’s board in exchange for hard labour – maybe a deal could be struck!!
The afternoon walk was made magical by the sun on the autumn canopy. Impromptu games with fallen walnuts or crab apples stopped only when the dog ate the “ball”. Wildlife glimpsed – a solitary butterfly in its autumn camouflage of yellow and green, a family of jays and just before home a red squirrel, chattering in annoyance, dashed up the tree to escape the ever hopeful Breagha.

Yesterday’s blustery gold and red celebration of autumn was quickly forgotten this morning as -1c meant scraping the windscreen. Frost rose and fell back down as fog which dampened any enthusiasm for outdoor jobs ( or indoor ones for that matter). Walking the dog became a duty not a pleasure, lifted only by the sight of a red squirrel searching for any remaining walnuts on the trees. All morning the grey layer look settled and had as much chance of lifting as my neighbour had of his train not being on strike or I had of finding diesel. Now the sun has broken through, autumn is fighting back, no news from my neighbour means he’s on his way south so maybe I’ll find diesel too.

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