St Gouneo - The event of event's!

The this year ended unexpectedly in France. I was invited to join Steve to the French hill climb held at St Goueno in Brittany. This was an excellent opportunity to see how the French do hill climbs and at a national level. We ferried overnight Wednesday from Plymouth to Roscoff with Steve's car inside a trailer. The gite we were booked into was a few minutes out of St Goueno and we headed for this first arriving easily by midday having only got lost a couple of times despite two sat navs and two maps! The gite was fine and it was interesting trying to communicate with the owner who spoke less English than we spoke French!
We made our way to the hill climb paddock, just out of St Goueno to set up our base. Despite having a superb trailer compared with most other British drivers the massive trucks and tents put up by some of the large French teams made us look pretty small fry!
For the few days of the hill climb St Goueno also host a festival of music in the village with large stage, pa and lighting for various bands and performers. Also the Brits are very well catered for with meals provided each evening in the large community hall. This was fantastic as it meant we did not have to concern ourselves with either cooking for ourselves at the gite and had time to enjoy the event.
On Friday the historic cars were on the track. By 'track' I mean the local roads closed off for the event. The hill is 3.2km long and to get to the start and back to the paddock means a round trip of about 7km, so not just a few seconds up a short track! Steve's car was scrutineered on Friday also and after watching some of the historic cars later in the afternoon we were able to take a trip up the track to see what it was like. With plenty of interesting bends and some fast sections it looked a pretty good challenge.
Steve was obviously relishing the opportunity to race up the track and the first un-timed practice run for him was early Saturday morning. I spent most of Saturday watching the cars from the spectators main view point around a hair pin bend and managed to take plenty of pictures, a selection of which are posted on my Flickr account (link from blog available). Three practice runs were scheduled for Saturday. The first two went well for Steve and he was starting to get to grips with the track.
During the third practice run I heard his name over the pa after expecting to see him come into view. Unfortunately the car had let him down with a gearbox failure so he had to be towed back to the paddock and park up. Because fault was internal in the gearbox we were not able to fix the car and he had no option but to abort the rest of the runs. Very unfortunate as, up to that point the car was going really well and he had got his head round the track. That, however, is motor racing and when you push a car to it's limits sometimes things break unexpectedly.
So Sunday was relax and watching day, with a very pleasant lunch provided in a marquee. We returned to Plymouth by Monday evening having had a very interesting and fun time for a few days in France.
C'était très bon quelques jours!

Percy's Country Hotel - in the heart of the country with some hidden gems:

To celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary, Marg and I spent a couple of nights at a small country hotel, tucked away just over the Devon / Cornwall border. From the outset we were made to feel very welcome and told we had been upgraded to a very spacious suite.

The hotel was originally a farm, purchased in a delapidated state over twenty years ago. Tony and Tina Bricknell-Webb turned old barns into lovely accommodation and the farmhouse into a tasteful restaurant and bar with plenty of room to relax before or after a meal.

The food is sensational, being organically grown mostly on the farm and cooked and presented to a very high standard. Although the evening meal is a set menu the four courses are so good that you just had to eat it all!!   Flavours are wonderful partly due to the careful limiting of sugar and salt together with the high quality of all the ingredients used. Even the breakfasts were outstanding with home bred bacon and sausages and the inclusion of freshly picked seasonal fruits such a damsons with local yoghurt.

When you are there you are free (encouraged) to walk anywhere around the almost 200acres of fields and woodland that are part of the farm. One of the unusual highlights is that they have wild beavers that have made the most amazing dams in part of their woodlands. Apparently they escaped a few years ago and have now have some kittens. Although we spotted a few bubbles around the dams they are very hard to spot in the daylight. Next time we go, we will be prepared for a night in the wild and try to see the beavers.

The Bricknell-Webbs also have a racehorse (Go Amber Go) due to win at Bath this weekend apparently, so good luck to them and thanks for a weekend that, despite the rain, exceeded all our expectations.

Brittany 2014

Brittany 2014

 June 7^th – 21^st

Gite Leign Gourley – 3km SCAER  Finistere

June 7^th

We had sailed from Plymouth on the overnight ferry to Roscoff and after a smooth passage and a breakfast of bacon and toast were driving into Brittany by 8.00am French time. We headed for Quimper arriving by about 10,00am and parked near the centre. Making our way into the old centre where the Cathedral is we just wanted to get a taste of this town again, having been here a couple of times in the past on Brittany  holidays and school exchanges. The centre has many buildings dating to 17^th century and older that are extremely well preserved. This part of the town is car free which made it easy and pleasant to wander or sit and enjoy the old buildings. There are a wide range of primarily small shops and cafes, which combined with a sunny morning and the fact that Quimper’s main market day is Saturday meant we captured the atmosphere very quickly. 

Before leaving Quimper we found the tourist information centre where we were able to collect some useful information about the area and places we should visit during this holiday. 

We drove on to Concarneau, again with the idea of a brief visit to remind ourselves of the old walled town and also to get some lunch. The medieval city of Concarneau juts out into the river with the ramparts running around the island for 400 yards. The combination of lots of small shops trying to sell touristy wares, all operating within medieval buildings is quite unusual. It is necessary to look up at the buildings to appreciate the ancient architecture or look down if you want to spend lots of money! Concarneau is a very pleasant town and like Quimper one we will want spend several more hours in during our stay in Brittany. 

Since the sat nav in the car only wanted to guide us in digitised routes we were navigating using our old map book, not too bad until the last few kilometres where we missed a few turnings and got a bit lost. We did make the gite by about 4.30pm where we met the owners and were shown around.

The gite, probably a converted barn, was set in very quiet and secluded wooded area with a large lawn in front and plenty of shady places to sit. We were a bit surprised to discover that there a fairly basic level of equipment but no wi-fi, no television, radio or music system! Having also forgotten to pack any games of even a pack of cards we began to wonder what we were going to do for two weeks.

The owner, an artist who specialises in etching and using wood to create sculptures, invited us round for a drink and a chat which was very interesting. He showed us his etching studio and some of his work, much of which was based on designs and shapes from trees, branches, roots etc but developed in a very creative and quite abstract way. He is obviously a very accomplished artist and very skilful as an etcher. We had an interesting discussion about aspects of art and our families at the same time as enjoying a couple of glasses of kir.

 June 8^th

Had a late breakfast in the morning sunshine and recovered from our travelling here and getting the place organised. Although we thought that no television for two weeks would probably do us some good, we were a bit disappointed to find no way of playing or listening to music in the gite. However we had some books, I had my sketch book and Marg found a 1000 piece jigsaw that looked like a bit of a challenge so we had a few things to relax with. Later in the afternoon we decided to take a drive down to Pont Aven, about twenty minutes’ drive away. This was the home of Paul Gaugin and there is a museum with some of his work in the town. Today, we subsequently found out, was Whit Sunday and a day when the French like to visit places like Pont Aven. It is a very small place and consequently very crowded with nowhere to park at all, so we decided to come back on a quieter day and took a leisurely drive along the coast and around the local area before returning to the gite for an evening meal.

June 9th

We woke to another beautiful day with sunshine and a light breeze and warm enough to have breakfast outside. We decided on another local day and took a walk to see what was around the gite. A small and quite old chapel just up the road was the nearest together with a house which looked like it was possibly a holiday home and not used recently. We took photos of the chapel and the interesting bell tower before continuing to the local hamlet. Here we found a diverse range of properties, very old and typically French cottages in-filled with some almost new timber framed boxes and some more established and more attractive houses. There were a couple of houses that were derelict one of which, close to the road, had been a large property and had once obviously been a lovely house. We were very taken with one house that was somewhat overgrown but had obviously had a lot of work done recently that was ‘A Vendre’. The roof, windows, doors and stonework looked in very good order and the curved iron double gates gave an impressive appearance to the place. It was difficult to see quite how big it was but looked to be L shaped with a reasonable sized plot going into some woods at the back. As always, we were keen to know just how much a property like this would be in this area. The community of St Guenolé seemed to be just a group of houses with no businesses particularly evident at first sight, all very pleasant but extremely quiet. We returned to the gite and needed a couple of things from the local supermarket in Scaër. Surprisingly, the L’Eclerc was closed due to it being Whitsun bank holiday Monday, so we found a Huit à Huit open, so that’s why it was so quiet everywhere!

June 10^th

After waking early, I decided to make a start on some drawing work. Jean-Pierre Le Goff had an upturned tree root mounted as a large sculpture in the garden that would be quite a challenge to draw and turned out to be just that! As I hadn’t done very much observational drawing for a few years, I was reminded of some of the basics I used to teach my students. This was certainly an object I would need to return to a few times during the time here so I spent a couple of hours making a start and realising that I would definitely need to return a few times to get some useful drawing out of this subject. I took several photos for reference also so I can hopefully develop the drawings later. After lunch we decided to give Pont Aven another go and drove down to the little port. There were still plenty of people there but we were able to park and take a walk through the place. The riverside quay had a few boats moored and an old single masted sailing ketch which looked as if it needed some restoration. The river was quite fast flowing and several mill wheels had been powered along the riverbank over the past couple of hundred years and the remains of one was still evident along the quayside. Paul Gaugin had spent many years in Pont Aven and we had hoped to visit the Gaugin   museum but unfortunately it was being restored or rebuilt and not currently open. There were lots of artist’s studios and small shops displaying a range of images, some obviously trying to imitate the Gaugin style and failing miserably! As we were passing one studio there was a guitar playing and it sounded live, so we went to investigate. A bearded old man in his 70’s was playing the Spanish guitar to a basic bass and rhythm backing track in a jazz like style. He turned out to be the artist of some very competent works on display. Much of his work was figurative and there were some strikingly good pieces. There were prints of the originals too and we purchased a print which he signed for us. After stopping for a drink in a ‘Salon De Thé ‘, we took a drive down to Port Manec’h at the estuary of the Aven and watched the boats for a while before returning to our gite.

June 11^th

Lazy mornings and late breakfasts seem to have become the norm this week and we once again spent most of the morning reading and relaxing. After an early lunch took a drive down to the coast through Pont Abbé where we stopped briefly and on to St Guénolé where we walked and took photos of the amazing rock formations created by the Atlantic waves. It was very warm and with a clear blue sky, the water along this coastline was very blue and transparent and the scene was enhanced by the sound of waves crashing on the rocks below creating an alien like landscape. We found a little café open for a drink before driving up the coast further to Audierne which was an estuary port with a fair number of small boats moored and then across to Douarnenez. Here we were amazed to see the extent of the marina and the number of boats moored. There was row after row of various sized boats, hundreds in total. I subsequently read that Douarnenez is one of France’s foremost fishing ports and has become the European capital of maritime heritage with a major boat museum, so probably worth another visit. From Douarnenez we headed to Locronan, noted as one of the most beautiful villages in France. It was very old and original and would probably make an excellent film set. It had the ‘original’ look of Broadway in the Cotswolds and although it was pleasant to walk around and obviously a heritage site but had a rather cold feel to it to me. We wandered around for an hour and took some photos but it has obviously become a bit of a tourist attraction. We headed back to Scaër and the local Creperie to eat. Breton crepes and cider are wonderful especially when we discovered the apple flambé on which a cupful of ‘Fine de Bretagne’ alcohol is poured over the crepe and set alight, not to be missed!

June 12^th

Mornings have definitely developed into chill out times with breakfasts of croissant, pain au chocolat and coffee usually around 10.30am, followed by a bit more reading and, for Marg, inserting a few more pieces in her jigsaw. We went into Quimper for the afternoon and visited the Picasso exhibition being held at the Museé des Beaux-Arts. The exhibition focused on Picasso’s work based on the women he lived with and the female form. There were several series depicting various faces in different media. It was interesting to see how prolific Picasso was as an artist and some of the influences that had obviously inspired him earlier in his life. Enjoyed a cocktail in the square afterwards before heading back to Scaër where we had a meal at the Pizzerie (definitely not nouvelle cuisine!).

June 13^th

Today was a day at the gite, to draw, read and work on the jigsaw. I managed to produce a drawing I was quite pleased with, again based on the root. After lunch we took a walk in the forest that is adjacent to St Génolé. It was a beautiful place, quite unspoilt and with the sun coming through the canopy of trees. There were lots of butterflies and dragonflies to be seen, particularly near a stream which ran through the lower part of the forest. I took a few photos to try to capture the feeling of the place but it is hard to depict an ambience or atmosphere in a photo. We decided to try the Creperie for a second time and once again we were not disappointed.

June 14^th

We wanted to do some present shopping at a market so went back to Quimper, today, knowing it was market day. We didn’t, however, reckon on the demonstration that was taking place. On our way to Quimper we had passed a long convey of mainly lorries and a few tractors on a section of dual carriageway and wondered what they were doing. By the time we were almost into Quimper there was total chaos and gridlock. The Gendarme were trying to direct the traffic away from a main car park which also cut off other parking areas. After sitting in the traffic for ages edging forward very slowly we could here horns and large explosions coming from behind. The convoy was coming and wasn’t intending to stop for a few cars! The traffic had to simply get out of the way whilst the long convey of about thirty large vehicles proceeded to the empty car park, sounding air horns for minutes at a time and letting off loud bangers and smoke flares.  There were lots of Breton flags flying and some large banners attached to the vehicles about Eurotax or similar. We were fortunate to spot a parking space and managed to park the car and walk a little way into the town centre and the market away from the main demonstration. We found some clothes for Robyn, Lola and Iona at the market which we hope they will be pleased with. After a bite to eat we took a look in the Cathedral, which is very large and built on a slight curve so you can’t see the main alter from the far end. There was an exhibition of a charted history of Christianity that was quite unique and very interesting as a visual record of how the Christian church developed and was influenced by other movements taking place at the same times. We were able to purchase the chart in English in book format which will make very interesting reading when we get home. After being recommended to a restaurant in Scaer, L’Assiette Scaëroise, we returned there and had an excellent meal (again almost too much!) where the service and surroundings were superb. Needless to say we booked again for our last evening meal on Friday.

June 15^th

We had picked up some provisions on our way home from Quimper and decided to spend the day at the gite doing some drawing and reading. It is quite surprising just how tiring being on holiday actually is! Turned out to be a very relaxing time during which we had a few beers, and glasses of wine and enjoyed mergeiux sausages with a wonderful salad.

June 16^th

We wanted to explore the landscape north of Scaër and headed to a small church in a village called Kernasclédin. From outside the church is a flamboyant Gothic monument, said to be a masterpiece of Breton architecture but there is a gem inside where you find some unique paintings covering the roof and chancel that are an outstanding example of 15^th century French art. The paintings depict the lives of Mary and Jesus and the Ascension. There are also fragments of a Dance Macabre uncovered in 1912. We continued on a scenic tour up to Rostrenen where there was another large church with some huge carved screens and close by the church what appeared to be a Romanesque fountain or sacred pool quite unobtrusive but obviously an ancient monument as it was protected by video cameras. We followed the ‘scenic’ route back to the gite, the one without quite so many hedges! We ate at the gite this evening and as it was a bit chilly lit a log fire in the large granite fireplace which burned superbly with the dry wood available to us.

June 17^th

After a relaxing breakfast we travelled across to Brest to visit Oceanopolis where it is possible to understand some of the mysteries of the oceans across the world. There are three main exhibition pavilions covering arctic, tropical and temperate climates and within these the opportunity to view hundreds of different fish and mammals and watch them underwater. It is a fascinating place with highlights such as seeing the agility of penguins and seals in their natural underwater habitat, jellyfish highlighted in ultra violet, highly decorated venomous fish and various fish displaying amazing fluorescent colours. Oceanopolis is not only an exceptional aquarium, it is also a reflection on the way the world’s climate is changing and how marine life across the planet is being affected. We spent almost four hours here before returning to the gite. During the evening we were shown John Pierre’s sculpture studio and barn and had the opportunity to find out more about his work and ideas. He has so many different pieces of work in progress and is trying lots of different techniques but seems to keep it all in his head! He is very creative and continually looking for ways to develop ideas based mainly on found materials e.g. wood, solder waste, zinc from roof of a chateau etc. He uses natural materials to carve dance like figures from where branches split using various chisels and knives, some of which belonged to his father who also carved wooden cabinets etc., in the traditional Breton style.

June 18^th

We had enjoyed our previous visit to Concarneau and decide to spend another few hours exploring this quite unique walled town. As usual it was not until after lunch that we drove there but it was pleasantly warm to walk around the battlements and get some different views. We came across what looked to be a local dance school using the public arena stage which is at the far end of the town. A group of primary aged students were obviously rehearsing a dance routine with the benefit of a free audience to boost their confidence. After stopping for an iced tea we bought a few gifts before taking a brief walk around the local part of Concarneau where most places were closing up or the day. Not being able to resist one more apple flambé and much to the delight of the owner we enjoyed our third evening meal at the local creperie in Scaër.

June 19^th

One thing we have enjoyed for these two weeks is being able to relax and take our time in the mornings, which have been quite cool this week. The sun has been breaking through the cloud by about midday and from then on it has been very warm. Late morning today we went over to Rosporden to a fairly large supermarket to buy some wine and goodies to take back to friends and work colleagues. After a long and lazy lunch back at the gite we drove down for a second look at Port Menech. The view from sitting on the quay incorporates the boats moored in the small harbour and beyond that a beach with coloured beach huts and behind that a small chateau. Although it is a relatively small area it somehow combines several different aspects of Brittany in one frame. We decided to pay a return visit to the Pizzarie in Scaër and enjoyed an excellent meal, particularly the superb profiteroles. 

June 20^th

For our last full day at the gite we decided to visit the Château de Keríolet close to Concarneau. When  we arrived at the Château a young French guide took us and another girl for a very informative tour. Although most of what she said was in French, we understood the story of the commoner Charles de Chauveau who married the Russian Imperial princess who, because she wanted him so much, endowed upon him her wealth and status and bought him the two titles including Conte De Chauveau. His family background was then fabricated to back up the title and he, of course, just had a wonderful time enjoying his new found position. The Château was a very interesting, if slightly mixed up, building which is under long term restoration. The story brought the whole place into perspective and made the visit extremely good. We had lunch in Concarneau and picked up a couple of last minute gifts before driving back to the gite. After a couple of hours relaxing reading etc we went into Scaër to L’Assiette Scaëroise restaurant for a superb evening meal. 

The longest test drive ever....

After waving goodbye to my gorgeous looking but back aching BMW 5 series M Sport last June, I signed up to the company car scheme. opportunity struck and I was soon into my new car. Having sat in the car on the forecourt, I was impressed by the supportive seat with lumbar adjustment and the overall layout of the interior which was not too unfamiliar, in fact it looked to have been inspired by the layout on the BMW I had recently sold. Yes, the quality and feel wasn't quite as good but the seat was much better. So I started what was probably the longest test drive ever. My first trip was about 600 miles on holiday to the Lake District. I drove the whole way without any backache, sitting in the car for many hours and always feeling proper support. As for performance, I was very impressed by the way this car could cruise effortlessly at 80mph in 6th gear. The engine was quiet and responsive and the steering and brakes gave a secure and stable drive. The intelligent sat nav warned me of traffic build up ahead on the motorways and where the nearest fuel station was when I was low on fuel (not very often as over this holiday we averaged over 50mpg). On this journey the car was very comfortable, spacious, quiet (for a diesel), economic, felt very stable and safe at all times and had a very good quality audio system. Apart from the slightly notchy gearbox needing a gentle rather than forceful change, and the time it takes to warm up compared with a petrol car, the car represents a really good all round package.

Having now driven a further 4000 miles over the last few months, I am still impressed with the way the car performs over various, often country, roads and in all sorts of conditions. Now, after my 4600 miles test drive, I have decided to keep it for the longer term and have purchased it from the company. I like a car that rewards the driver in more than one way, that is ergonomically well designed, structurally strong and safe to drive, and well done to the designers in Luton (or possibly Germany) for producing such an excellent all round product in the Insignia SRI 160 Nav hatch.

As for the Starlet project, the photo below shows there's no going back now as they have already welded up my sunroof and are beginning to re-finish the roof....looking forward to the next stage......

Project Starlet 2014...

The Starlet project for this year has officially started now the car has gone to the bodyshop to have the sunroof taken out. This involves stripping out the head lining, removing the sunroof and replacing it with a metal panel welded into place then re finishing the roof to look good and primer coating the interior - no more luxuries like roof headlining! Once the roof is sorted the roll cage can be fitted for safety and the new seat fixed into place on the new seat brackets - all FIA approved! Rough guide pics below...

Almost Spring....

Already we're heading towards the end of January. A walk on an almost spring-like morning, last weekend, made it start to feel that winter was on the retreat. However, I doubt that will be the case and expect we will quite a few frosts and possibly snow before the spring actually arrives. But it was good to feel the warmth of the sun again. We were surprised at the amount of flooding on the Culm near Killerton, extending right down the valley just like a huge lake. The trees still in their bare winter state against the clear blue sky created stark, imposing images and intricate patterns. 

2013 into 2014...

 Just a few words to update you on our 2013. We started the year with a rather unnerving close shave with flood waters in the local fields, roads and into our garden! Apparently the worst locally by far for 60 years, so we hope it was a one off! Our aim was to do as much work on the house in the first year and we pretty well achieved that by the Summer. We took a well earned break in the Lake District in early August, which was lovely and returned to hold a 60-1 party to celebrate Marguerite's 60th and our 1st year at Willow House. It was great to see some of our old friends and we even managed a re-union of our old band Exordium and performed a few songs together. Emma's band 'Blu Funk All Stars' performed a full set and Steve & Anna supported. All together a mini music festival the like of which had not been seen in our little hamlet before! Pleased to say most neighbours joined us, which was excellent. Iona-Beau was born early October and after a bit of a roller coaster start both Emma and Iona now doing very well. Iona has even started baby massage where she was registered as Iona-Bean! Emma and Nick got officially engaged in November and are settled in an old cottage in Halberton. Robyn and Lola share their time between Emma and Adam (her ex husband). The are both lovely girls and growing up fast. Steve and Sarah's children are also doing very well. Anna has begun 6th form at Wells Cathedral School doing A levels, having gained a two year music scholarship. Abbie is busy doing her GCSE's and Josiah is in his final year as a Chorister at Exeter Cathedral School having recently taking part in production of Noyes Flodde. Having six grandchildren has meant, particularly for Marguerite, her time is often spent doing school runs, baby-sitting or taking the girls (Emma's that is) to their swimming lessons each week. We are both still working, too, so no peace for the wicked I guess! Sometimes, however, it is refreshing to experience a different view on a regular event. This Christmas was a bit like that for us. We made it to the Catherdral in time to enjoy the Christmas morning service in close proximity to the choir, feeling very much part of the proceedings and able to hear and see clearly. After the service we joined the rest of Steve's family at the Catherdral school for a pre-lunch drink before enjoying the Christmas lunch with the choristers and their families. It was great food and a lovely atmosphere topped off by a performance of a few carols by a group of old choristers. After leaving the Cathedral we joined Marg's sister and brother, Jacky & Mike for a relaxing evening before returning home. It was very pleasant to spend a Christmas day with various family and friends, enjoying some good food and without the focus being on the presents. Boxing day was a family day at Willow House where we enjoyed some more good food, wine and exchanged a few presents. All in all, a very good Christmas with everyone enjoying a remarkably relaxed and stress free time.....

So now we look forward to 2014. Unusually, I will add a few resolutions or aims for the year. There are a few people who I need to make contact with, old friends and colleagues, so will endeavour to do that in 2014 - try to squeeze out a bit of the old creativity - it's too easy to revert to the tv - so will attempt to make better and more creative use of spare time - maybe try to write something - improve the hillclimb car and hopefully see some improved times - spend some time in France - finish a bit more on the house - change the focus of my business and maybe make some money from it - look after my wife and try to work out what are the important things we should be doing to make the most of the next however many years we have together - keeping fit and losing weight have to be included because they do! - and of course looking after the various strands of our family including the latest edition destined to be a tree decoration pictured above!!           Happy New Year 2014