Summer Festivals

Summer in the Tarn

This popular area is busy with almost too much choice of interesting and fun things to do and places to visit.  

Now that Cordes sur Ciel has been officially recognised as the most favourite village in France, by the French, we have more visitors than usual. The final was televised and it was a splendid night of cheering when we were announced as the winner in all France.

One such interesting and popular event was included in the July Timeout in the Tarn holiday.  

It was the medieval Fete du Grand Fauconnier with real Falcons and amazing owls peering at all the visitors wearing their costumes and medieval finery.  

Everyone gets into the swing and  a small dedicated army of petit mains, make costumes for hire each year.  

The town “encourages” everyone to dress up by charging a small entry fee for those who are in 21^st century costumes.

There is a dungeon to explore as well - without the cobwebs!

One could also fire an original blunderbuss if one dared; and the noise is more fearsome than the shot I suspect.  

We bought meat pies made from some ancient recipe and drank ale as in 'ye olde days'.  In the medieval street we watched the procession of princesses, monks, and crusaders on horseback enter the city and make their way up to the market place which dates from the mid 13^th Century.

Modern insights into this ancient city, its history, culture old and present, fairs, markets and more can be learned in a Timeout in the Tarn short break.

Wisteria

There is a 300 year old wisteria vine in the Vieux Cordes Hotel in the old city on the top of the hill in Cordes sur Ciel.

Every year i take visitors to look and marvel at its knarled twisted trunk and imagine what it must look like in the spring. This week, for the first time, I finally went to look at it in bloom. What a sight!!

Early Bud Burst in the Gaillac Vineyards

 I must always drive from here to go shopping or fill the car or even buy a loaf of bread so I am out and about in the country side almost daily. Last week the vines were asleep and people were still out planting new vines to replace old or damaged ones.
This week in mid April which is quite early, the vines have burst into life with new shoots and leaves and the fields take on a green haze as the leaves grow by the day in this warm sunshine. It is just incredible to see such vigour and life happening before your eyes. The winemakers will be looking forward to a good season. But the weather is fickle and we will have to wait until September and October to see what the partnership of mother nature and the hard working vignerons will bring.

There are still many old vines planted here, pruned in the goblet method. The gnarled and twisted and grow low to the ground. They remind me of the old bent men who toiled and  farmed these hills since the middle ages.  The wines from these old vines are highly prized, Because they are not suitable for modern machines they must be pruned and harvested by hand and so  have a longer life than the trellised vines of to day.

Apple Blossom Time

Another gorgeous day in April. My neighbour Maddie and I set off for the Conservatoire at Puycelci. This is a living museum of old species of fruit trees and vines. It was set up by the then Mayor of the village in 1986. It has now saved hundreds of old variaties of apples, pears, cherries and vines for the future.  None of the varieties grown here are available commercially in supermarkets. One can buy directly from the orchards when the fruit is in season. From the orchards there is a wonderful view of Puycelci perched up above the orchards.
It is Apple Blossom time and the trees are entrancing,  and it makes your heart sing to see such beauty and perfection.

The old traditional French way of training trees to behave and grow as required is to put stones on rope or string and attach them to the young branches. This has been done here to save space and make the trees easier to manage. Many of the younger trees have little cement weights hanging from the branches. They are in the shape of fairy cakes or muffins and I can imagine the gardener, or the gardener's wife, pouring cement in little moulds to make these weights.

It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon and we will be back for apple juice and apples later in the year.

Golden Light

Perfect spring weather here in the Tarn. The big hill down into the village of Labarthe-Bleys where I live has a most  perfect form and looks beautiful whether fallow or planted. The farmer rotates the crop so the landscape is always changing and each year I wait to discover which crop he is planting.  Right now this field  looking sooo beautiful with golden colza (rape seed) flowers in bloom. Soon it will be harvested it will be harvested.  Last summer it was sunflowers. What will he plant next?

Tastes-of-Tarn: Early Bud Burst in the Gaillac Vineyards

Tastes-of-Tarn: Early Bud Burst in the Gaillac Vineyards: " I must always drive from here to go shopping or fill the car or even buy a loaf of bread so I am out and about in the country side almost..."

Restocking the Cellar

Summer is on the way and already we are sitting out for early evening drinks, or apero. But the cellar is empty. So it was time to visit young Damien Bonnet at Domaine De Brin. After the obligatory greeting of Bonjour and shaking of hands I said I had come to restocker la cave. Good Franglais which they understood perfectly. So I bought some more wines I know and like, plus a couple of new ones to try.

Since my last visit he has used part of the old building to make a tasting room. It looks fantastic with the beautiful local stone walls and the original bread oven in one wall which he has restored, and a bar. In an adjoining room he's created a small museum of old tools and winemaking equipment. It looks a little like a torture chamber.

These old properties have outbuildings which have been built and added to over hundreds of years . After decades of being hidden, rooms and hallways and baking rooms and ovens such these ones  are suddenly rediscovered.

In addition Damien and his wines have recently been  written up in a very prestigious glossy Wine and Food Maganzine.  So I hope he does not get to be too famous or his wine might become too expensive for me.