We had a jaunt on jeudi to Niort, about 40 minutes away. We loved the market square and the covered market. The pedestrianised areas made getting around easy and so did the free bus service! We hopped on a little bus doing a circular route and got a free tour of the town.
We had a lovely lunch overlooking the ancient donjon or keep in the centre of town and, of course, I had to check out their coffee…
Talking of coffee, we had a surprise delivery this week of a brand new coffee machine for us to put in the apartment here at the château. You know how I love my java!
The week’s weather has been a bit mixed with temperatures ranging from 5ºC to 25ºC. On the hotter days we have been in the jardin, raking the leaves and tidying up the flower beds.
We’ve had some spectacular sunrises and taken advantage of the early evening sun to have a wander around the area. With the clocks going back this weekend, we should be in for some lighter mornings for a while.
This morning we tried the Saturday market in St Jean d’Angély for the first time. St Jean is about 20 minutes away and a lovely little market town next to the river. All our favourite vendors from Aulnay’s Sunday market were there with the benefit of a covered market for shelter from the colder weather.
I suppose we really should have visited Château de Javarzay (or Jalfrezi) this week as part of the J theme, but we are saving it for when we have visitors…
À bientôt, bisous.
PS I’m dedicating this blog post to all the people in my life whose names feature the letter J… you know who you are! There are about 9 of you who already subscribe to the blog – prizes for those of you who put a comment after this blog post goes live…
Ha, well I guess I’m a ‘J’, or ‘g’ en francais. Lovely pics again and it’s so good to hear about all the other markets. Not looking forward to the darker evenings, though the brighter mornings will get me up earlier I hope. Just heard some cranes going over for the first time this Autumn, but couldn’t see them.
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Dear Jon,
You win a free cup of java next time I see you! Might need your gardening advice about winter planting… I’ll email you on La Toussaint…
Lucy
x
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Ooo, oooo me me me. What do I win??
Looking forward to seeing some of those markets with you in the near future. Xx
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A jeroboam of champagne?
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Er, yes please!! What’s not to love about four bottles of champagne in one! Birthday pressie?! X
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Another great post, love from Jarah, Jartin,
Jharlotte and newly a teenagerised Jalex!
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You win a packet of jaffa cakes for an excellent effort!
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Any more prizes left?!
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Of course! You win a jelly! Lx
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J’adore le blog, mais tu ne dis pas si tu a achete quelquefois !!
Janice x x x
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Nous n’avons pas acheté le château!
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I’m always so excited to read the next adventure-always turn a shade of green whilst reading:)
We need to work out how to get the coffee delivered…the grinds are doing a fab job on our basil plant. Looking forward to our visit in Decemberxxx
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Thanks Lisa. I’m sure we can work out how to get the coffee delivered then we can start or own basil farm! Lx
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Looks Lovely!!! And I know somebody whose name starts with L. I’d like to get a prize but not sure I qualify as the Bickleys never knew me as John. My name began with G for “Get it off the drive!” C for “Cake or biscuits?” or F for… I can’t remember but I think it had something to do with the result of eating too many cakes and biscuits.
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You certainly qualify for a j prize, how about a Jerusalem artichoke?
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Beautiful pictures. Do I get half a prize because my whole name is right next to J?! X
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Double prize next week for you!
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Wow, those sunsets are breathtaking! I love that you are taking every opportunity that comes your way, exploring the area, and really getting to know your new home. Really enjoying the blog too, keep it coming! Xxxxx
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Sorry, love from Jaire, the C is too close to the J on my keyboard. 😉
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Well done. You win a jar of jam! Lx
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I am a J too and am very jealous – our French living seems like a distant memory already!
Enjoy xx
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You were pay of the inspiration for our French adventure (except that you were much braver doing it with 3 kids and a dog!). You win some juice! Lx
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A prize you say??!!1
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Yep, jewellery for you!
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Do I get a ‘j’ prize for having a last name starting with J? Your ‘French Adventure’ updates are keeping me very entertained and excited about my travels next year.
x
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Yes, that qualifies. You win a jack in the box (remember those)?
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Don’t forget to visit Jonzac, Javrezac and Jarnac to test the quality of their Java.
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Tu gagnes une jacinthe jaune!
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