La Basse Meslerais

This is a link to our website - we have two lovely holiday gites here in Brittany

January sunset

We have had snow! Nothing like in the UK but enough for the school buses and my french class in Fougères to be cancelled and for us to prefer to stay at home.
I ventured, therefore, into the garden to capture this beautiful winter sun as it slipped away at the end of the day; mainly to see how my new camera would perform. I like the results

Flora

Flora, originally uploaded by Petit-Minou.

Saturday night in October and the sun is quickly falling out of the sky. So I grab my camera, on the way to put the chickens and ducks to bed' and get this lovely shot of Flora who followed me into the garden.

You can see the lovely sweet chestnuts on the tree. Yummy!

Le beffroi de Fougeres

Le beffroi de Fougeres, originally uploaded by petit-minou.

Fougeres and Dinan are the only towns in the west of France which have town belfries - 'beffroi'

The one in Fougeres is the oldest and was constructed when the craftsmen and merchants of the town were particularly active following the decline of feudal power in the middle ages therefore giving rise to the birth of a new era of civic pride

This elegant granite tower, decorated with a flamboyant gothic balustrade, houses a bell which has set the rhythm of life in the town since 1397 and watches over the busy weekly Saturday market

Art deco curves

Art deco curves, originally uploaded by petit-minou.

This is the former Morel & Gate factory shoe factory in Bonabry Fougeres

The town used to be huge in the shoe production industry in France and the Morel & Gate factory was renowned throughout the country.

It is a fabulous Art Deco building and the mosaic work was done by Italian craftsmen

It is now a residence for the elderly

L'Anse du Guesclin

The Fort du Guesclin is built on an island, accessible at low tide, in Saint-Coulomb in Ille-et-Vilaine (Brittany), between Saint-Malo and Cancale

The first building was built in 1026 by the constable of Guesclin

In 1207 John Lackland, king of England, occupied the fort until Juhel III de Mayenne drove out the British after a bloody battle

The fort was dismantled in 1500 and bought by William of Châteaubriant and resold in 1589 to the Maison de Rieux

Finally, from 1757 to 1759 the old building was demolished and a new fort was built by Vauban with barracks and canons to protect the coast from the English

Having lost its military use in 1826 the Fort was sold at private auction and then transformed into holiday residences

In 1942 during the establishment of the Atlantic Wall, it was occupied by the German army who installed anti-aircraft guns

After 'D'Day in 1944, the fort returned to civilian hands, initially it was owed by the mayor of Saint Servan who then sold it in 1959 to singer Léo Ferré who lived there until 1968

Over the next 20 years it fell into disrepair but in 1996 it was purchased by the Ferres Porcher family who restored it to it's present state

65th Anniversary of 'D' Day

I always gaze upon what remains of the Mulberry Harbour at Arromanches les Bains with complete awe.  What was acheived in those few days following 'D' Day on June 6 1944 was incredible and still unbelievable 65 years on.  I wonder, with all our modern technology, if we could acheive the same today.

'Lest we should forget' we took our young nieces and nephew to the American Military Cemitary

 at

 Colleville sur Mer.  Over 9,000 crosses and stars stand serenely overlooking the now tranquil beach at Omaha