Happy days

Wednesday 16th April 

Once we worked out our dates for France it was always my intention to visit the quilt exhibition - Pour L'Amour du Fil - for the love of thread. So today was goal achieved. Rob dropped me off at the exhibition at 10am where I joined the long queue - same as we do at home. While the queue was long, we were all in quickly. 

I would say that whilst the exhibition of quilts was not as big as our AQC  and Jeff's shed in Melbourne, the number of vendors stalls was probably similar. The quilts exhibited seemed to be a small 'room' with a selection from a particular designer eg. Kim Mclean from Australia, some Japanese designers,  Brigitte Giblin, Sarah Hibbert. It didn't seem to have quilts exhibited by just any Josephine Public - not a category and judged quilt show at all.

This was one of the Japanese quilts
- they were just stunning. 

Japanese again.

And another.

This was my dog of the day. I wouldn't have thought
this was the place for a dog - but we are in France.

One of Kim McLeans designs
- this is actually the one I am working on.

Yes - the edges are all wavy
but this is a hand pieced quilt from about 1870.

This was a group of quilts from the Concours France Patchwork. The theme was flower power - it looks like everyone had the same fabrics, then had to design and make a piece. I couldn't find anyone to give me the details. 

This was a small group of quilts from lions club quilt group of Victoria.
Again I couldn't find anyone to help me with more info about these quilts.

I did not spot another Aussie, or hear another Aussie voice, though apparently there were a few there and a few Aussies teaching classes. I did a small make and take workshop while there - a real international event with 2 ladies from UK, 2 from Denmark, 1 from USA, me and the tutor was from Canada. 

Meanwhile Rob and Kerry caught the tram into Centre Ville and filled their day with a visit to the Office de Tourisme, visit to the history and abolition of slavery museum, visit to a shopping arcade with speciality shops (sort of like the Queen Elizabeth building in Sydney). Of course their day included finding a chocolate shop so we have chocolates for supper tonight.

Kerry - rugged up in Nantes. It's not real warm yet.
I was OK today as I was indoors, but it is cold with a very cool breeze.

More dogs sharing the limelight.

The cathedral in Nantes - unfortunately closed for renovations.

The shopping arcade.

Lunch with Odette (she's a cheap shout).

Tonight we have had another expedition to the supermarket - I hate shopping, even just for groceries. At home I am in and out in half an hour. Exploring the supermarkets here is a major effort - apart from having to do the translation, there's so much choice of food. It was only a five minute walk to the supermarket, but then it took us an hour to buy 5 items for dinner. 

Its cold in them there hills.

Tuesday 15th April  - continued

A quick stop this morning for a photo shoot at Le Mans circuit. Rob thought he was going to b****it his way through the front gates to have a look at what was behind the fences. No chance! He might have the gift of the gab but they weren't having any of it.

Next stop was a medieval village called Sainte Suzanne (patron saint of Fiances - at first read that as finances, but no, it is fiances). These medieval villages still grab me even after the dozens we have seen. We picked up information about this one from one of our many books of France's beautiful villages. And at this stop I figured out how to use the camera option on google translate so we were able to read the information posted around the town!! 

Views from the fortress on the hill.
You can certainly see the enemy approach.

Here you go - dog of the day - Australian collie.

Odette - not quite a home among the gum trees,
but among the irises. 

Lovely medieval streetscapes.

There was a lovely chocolate making shop in the village where we enjoyed a hot chocolate - really nice. Boy was it cold though sitting out on their terrace. Then we wandered up to the walled fortress castle in Sainte Suzanne - to resist William the Conqueror. The wind was freezing so we really did a quick tour of the fortress, then back to the car to warm up.

Headed on to Nantes via a lunch stop at a small village Villiers Charlamaine where we just had sandwiches and a lovely French espresso coffee - I can drink these in France; the coffee flavour is very different to at home and can almost do without sugar.

Now in Nantes and ready for the quilt show tomorrow - Pour L'Amour du Fil.

We are staying in a small apartment so we can do our own meals, so a visit to a supermarket for breakfast stuff  Dinner tonight we found a place called Flunch which could be said to be like sizzlers - they prepare the 'meats' then you load up your plate with side dishes. Nothing flash, but ok and quite reasonably priced.

Welcome back

 Tuesday 15th April 

It's 3am here and body clock has no idea. I feel like I've had enough sleep for now but it will be a different story at 3pm. 

Our stopover in Singapore was OK. The airport hotel was at the other end of the airport so it was a train ride and a long walk. We had the room for 21 hours (a prostitutes room I said - paid by the hour). We filled our time there with a visit to the Butterfly House and 3 meals. We found the hawker food court and were happy to eat there - cheaper and nice Asian dishes. 

The flight to Paris was OK - just long, 13 1/2hrs. We arrived at 8.15 am ready to pick up the car and hit the road. A nice Peugeot 308 - same as my old car but current model. We got an auto this time which makes for 'smoother' driving. Thankfully all our cases fit (one in the backseat) - was worried about that - the car was booked for 2 and now we are 3.

So off to Le Mans for our first night. No special reason for being here except it is about half way to Nantes - our next stop. Lunch on the way at a roadside relais where we introduced Kerry to what we call a tradies lunch. For the uninitiated - these are cafe/restaurants where at 12noon you can find lots of tradie vans and trucks stopped for lunch. Apparently the government give some sort of allowance to workers to stop and have a good lunch - and also a way to keep these smaller businesses open. Usually a set menu with 2 or 3 courses and sometimes cheese  coffee and wine. A couple of families with kids at this relais - we're not sure if it's school holiday time here because schools seem to be very quiet.

The drive around the top of Paris was on the main peripherique road - lots of traffic and quite nerve racking and we were happy when we finally left the traffic behind and hit the open road. Passed through a lot of cropping country. Everything is so lush and green here as they come out of winter. A lot of wheat and canola.  Looks very different to farms at home - they sow right to the edge of the road and there are no fences that we saw anywhere. 

We took a detour to a village called Montagne au Perche, to show Kerry a little taste of the older villages. Just a quick stop for a few photos.

Very healthy canola crops.
Such a change from the drought colours of  Shepparton.

The village of Montagne au Perche.

So here we are at Le Mans. A very basic hotel but beds are comfortable and showers hot. Dinner last night was a trip to the supermarket then heat our food in the shared kitchen. Le Mans is a big university town and lots of young people at the hotel. 

Today we will do a quick visit to le Mans racetrack before moving on. 

Flying high - again

 Sunday 13th April

France 2025.

On our way to France again - we love France: the people, the food, the countryside, the villages, the wine. So much to experience.  

We are flying Singapore Air and have a 24hr stopover in Singapore.  We have a hotel room for the duration and have had a good nights sleep, after a relatively short flight from Melbourne. 

Just quietly filling the day - so far a visit to the butterfly garden and coffee. Now it's time for another rest, then lunch and ???

We have 2 travelling with us this time - Odette, and Rob's sister, Kerry. Odette is now an experienced traveller, but Kerry is a novice. So many things for her to experience - we hope we can show her our love of France.