Newsletter: Cherry Picking
Monday 19th June 2009
Yes, you may have guessed by the title of this month's newlsetter that the cherries have arrived – and boy is there a lot of them. We have made them into Jam and ice cream, put them in Kirsch and Brandy, frozen them and dried them, in fact if anyone knows what else I can do with them I'd be grateful for any suggestions. This year has been a fantastic year for cherries and it looks like all soft fruit will do well, our raspberries are positively blooming.
As I write this now, Steve is currently picking some more for jam making, so far I've made over 10 kg of jam alone and there's plenty more still to do.
Our first set of guests have been and gone and an enjoyable time was had by all. The weather was fantastic for them, which allowed them plenty of opportunity to get out on their motorbikes. With six of them leaving the house it certainly caused a stir with the neighbours but everyone agreed what a wonderful sight it was.
The weather recently has been very good to us, up to 32C during the day. Apparently, this is unusual for the time of year but with the good comes the bad and there have been some almighty thunderstorms to go with the heat.
The good news is that the rain refills the water butts and saves us about an hour every evening watering the tubs and the veggie patch. The bad news is that the weeds love the conditions so we face a constant battle with them most weeks. Poor Austin(dog) finds the storms quite traumatic but with the amount we are having I expect he will learn how to get used to them!!
This weekend sees the national event of the Fete de la Musique. All over France villages, towns and cities will be holding lots of music events for the residents and Azé is no exception. Last year, we had two bands playing and with a lovely evening- weather wise – plenty of local Chardonnay flowing a great time was had by all. I think we may have been the first to leave at Midnight, even leaving behind children still enjoying the local music. A few sore heads the next day in Azé. So we are looking forward to seeing what local music is being played this year.
We are starting to get bookings for the next few months, which is great so if you are tempted to pop over and see us and discover southern Burgundy and all it has to offer, then get booking!
Local Events
If you are thinking of a visit, why not take a look at the events section and find out what is going on in this area - at the time of your proposed trip. There is something for everyone in this area - so it wouldn't be too hard to find that something that interests you.
Local customs
We've been made to feel so welcome by the locals in Azé, it takes twice as long to get down to the village as everyone here stops to say hello, with either a kiss or a shake of the hands. It's part of everyday life to be so polite and friendly and we are looking forward to the annual May feast for our commune, where meeting and greeting everybody takes so long but is so pleasant you don't mind. The food is great and conversation is a challenge, you take your own plate, cutlery and glasses but our friends and neighbours have helped us fit in so we don't feel too uneasy at this unusual event.
