Hills over Lonlay l'Abbaye at sunset - mid-March 2023
Several friends have gently chided me, as it has been many months since I've updated the blog. As my high school Latin teacher used to like to say, "Tempus fugit." Certainly does here in France, although I don't remember it passing all that quickly in Latin class!
We have been out to Lonlay l'Abbaye over these past months for several visits, all of them a pleasure. To catch up, rather than narrate the quotidian details, I'll let the photos and their captions bring us up to speed.
We have been out to Lonlay l'Abbaye over these past months for several visits, all of them a pleasure. To catch up, rather than narrate the quotidian details, I'll let the photos and their captions bring us up to speed.
In December, we were here for only a few days, but got to enjoy seeing our friends Melanie and Sebastian at the bakery, as well as the Grimmer family from Australia who were spending their first month ever in their village cottage in Lonlay.
The abbey and the village streets were charmingly decorated.
From our old windows (soon to be replaced), the village presented a cheerful holiday attitude, despite the damp and cold weather. No doubt the children found it quite magical.
At the end of December, our custom-made windows were finally available, and our team of French builders got right to work putting them in. You may be able to tell that the wood on the old windows was really crumbling. The new windows are exact replicas of the originals, made of long-lasting hardwood oak.
New window here above our side door. The next section of the building with the closed shutters belongs to another family we have yet to meet. It is evidently a second home for them also.
We had to wait many months for the windows to be constructed, as aged hardwood is difficult to come by, with so much demand for construction materials around the world at present. The wood windows were more expensive than aluminum or PVC would have been, but with good care, these should last 100 years.
When we returned in February, we were delighted to see the new windows installed, both upstairs and down. The installation was flawless, and they look as if they have always been here. Their smooth-functioning hardware, and the added insulation the double panes provide, reduce outside sound and help to keep out the cold.
I finally found a window seat cushion in the right size (and in deep blue, of course), so this is now a pleasant spot to read or have a cup of tea, looking out from our living room.
I finally found a window seat cushion in the right size (and in deep blue, of course), so this is now a pleasant spot to read or have a cup of tea, looking out from our living room.
Sunrises on the green with frost on the ground were exhilarating.
But it was still winter, so very cold, and even Pipkin was always happy to get back to the warm house.
Our house with its new windows in February.
A hot lunch at the Relais - always much appreciated.
Pollarded trees in the main square in front of the Mairie.
Naturally, there were some of those dark and rainy days that Normandy is famous for. Contemplative days, where you might notice something previously overlooked, like this stone carving in the grass near the fountain in the square above. I can't make out the top line due to the lichen, but it looks to me as if the bottom line is in English. How so?
"CURED ° 12° OCTOB ° 1744." What do you think? Another mystery.*
*Upon closer inspection a few days later, when hard rain had washed away some of the lichen, I think the top line begins with "CY GÎT" - meaning "HERE LIES..." - so this could be a grave marker. On the second line, the first word is perhaps not "CURED" but "CURÉ," separated from the "D" by a dot ° in the stone. The final resting place of a priest then. But I still have to discover his name on the top line.
"CURED ° 12° OCTOB ° 1744." What do you think? Another mystery.*
*Upon closer inspection a few days later, when hard rain had washed away some of the lichen, I think the top line begins with "CY GÎT" - meaning "HERE LIES..." - so this could be a grave marker. On the second line, the first word is perhaps not "CURED" but "CURÉ," separated from the "D" by a dot ° in the stone. The final resting place of a priest then. But I still have to discover his name on the top line.
I also wondered about this old mansion across the square from our house that we have only ever seen locked up tight with shutters closed and rusted. So large. Was it once the town hall, or the home of a prosperous businessman? The door is so delicately rendered. It seems an apparition from the time before the Great War.
One day, I saw a UFO in the sky over the hairdressers' shop. Do you see it? Lucky I got a photo of it, eh? Will let you think about that...
...while you have a peek inside the bar/tabac where I was standing. ;-)
The Égrenne ran high and fast in the winter, alongside the abbey...
...and along the road to Beauchène, while the rest of the natural world slept.
Sunsets were spectacular in February.
We returned in March for a few days,
Just in time for the daffodils.
Photo of Tracey with Pipkin and friend by Richard Harwood, all rights reserved.
Our ulterior motive in coming back mid-March was to have our terrier, Pipkin, try out a stay at the Lonlay Kennels, run by a wonderful British couple, Rick and Tracey Harwood. They have spotless kennels with underfloor heating, spaces for the dogs to run free, and they also take the dogs for walks in the countryside surrounding their place for hours every day. We hoped Pipkin would love it, and she did.
The Lonlay Kennels are reachable by footpath from our village location, as they are just up in the hills. We thought we were on the right track with Google maps, but wound up lost and back near a main road, having followed a path that Google did not know about, I guess. Fortunately, Rick took pity on us and picked us all up in his car. We had tea in their fantastic stone house that is at least several hundred years old. A super place with super people who love their animals - and everyone else's.
The Lonlay Kennels are reachable by footpath from our village location, as they are just up in the hills. We thought we were on the right track with Google maps, but wound up lost and back near a main road, having followed a path that Google did not know about, I guess. Fortunately, Rick took pity on us and picked us all up in his car. We had tea in their fantastic stone house that is at least several hundred years old. A super place with super people who love their animals - and everyone else's.
Also during our March visit, I had the opportunity to record birthday wishes for my friend Susmita back in Los Angeles, thanks to her husband's creativity, gathering video wishes from her friends and family around the world.
This was something I was happy to do, but you would not believe the number of times I flubbed my simple lines as Joseph tried to video me. I was also so exasperated every time a car drove by and interrupted our "film shoot." I would have been hopeless as an actress!
This was something I was happy to do, but you would not believe the number of times I flubbed my simple lines as Joseph tried to video me. I was also so exasperated every time a car drove by and interrupted our "film shoot." I would have been hopeless as an actress!
Another Kodachrome sunset in March
We were back in Paris for Easter, and Easter chocolates
To check on Notre Dame's progress during the day...
...and at night
Where we saw the remarkable Eddie Izzard perform in a small theatre on a boat moored in the Seine right across from Notre Dame
We enjoyed the rebirth of flowers and gardens around Paris
The bridges along the Seine
And window-shopping while I waited for my hair appointment in the 8th arrondissement. (I don't know why I love those little purses with the cats on them from Lanvin, but I do.)
Visited some favorite cafés
Got caught up in a demonstration or two.
Folks demonstrating against Macron's new retirement law, almost anywhere we turned.
Meanwhile, on calmer days, I was cramming in two and three hour driving lessons in an automatic Mini Cooper, and studying the 300 oral questions I could be asked to try to qualify for my French driving license.
We were glad to go back to simple pleasures in Lonlay l'Abbaye at the end of April...
and into early May.
The world here is fresh with green, cool air and sunshine.
Apple blossoms...
Lilacs...
Pansies...
And all manner of other blooms.
It is always difficult to leave this mythic spot, this marvelous village.
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