France – A Few Quirkes https://afewquirkes.org A record of wanderings Tue, 13 Jan 2026 11:47:59 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 The removal beast https://afewquirkes.org/2026/01/13/the-removal-beast/ Tue, 13 Jan 2026 11:47:59 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5619
In the queue to leave Caen

We are in London in a new flat.

The journey in a high sided van was a little uncomfortable through northern France as the remnants of the storm included strong winds and lots of rain.

]]> 🥶 Well Cold https://afewquirkes.org/2026/01/06/%f0%9f%a5%b6-well-cold/ Tue, 06 Jan 2026 10:38:21 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5611 So yesterday’s snow remains and it was cold overnight- I think minus 4 Celsius. So shutter motor was frozen and water pipes too.

Fire on in the salon.

A proper winter land

Warming up now late morning so hopefully everything will be working normally soon.

]]> The Snow Returns https://afewquirkes.org/2026/01/05/the-snow-returns/ Mon, 05 Jan 2026 13:24:39 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5607 Predicted snow but more than I expected.

Luckily we were out and about this morning.

]]> Clear sky on Boxing Day https://afewquirkes.org/2025/12/26/clear-sky-on-boxing-day/ Fri, 26 Dec 2025 17:27:16 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5587 Sunset with some colours in the sky and an early phase moon.

]]> A Christmas Classic https://afewquirkes.org/2025/12/25/a-christmas-classic/ Thu, 25 Dec 2025 09:49:27 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5583

So we awoke with a snow lined vista. It is chilly and the heat pump is doing its job.

Bedroom window

Early opening of the Santa stockings for very large children and then out for a walk.

A lively chat with Joe last night. A beautiful warm sunny day for him in contrast.

]]> Mary in the niche https://afewquirkes.org/2025/12/06/mary-in-the-niche/ Sat, 06 Dec 2025 17:05:05 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5567
All the way from Marseille

]]> Travelling to Marseille https://afewquirkes.org/2025/11/21/travelling-to-marseille/ Fri, 21 Nov 2025 12:33:09 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5488 Continue reading "Travelling to Marseille"]]> We arrived at Saint Brieuc in good time but unfortunately the train did not. Due to either signaling failure or hitting an animal on the line, or both, the train was an hour late.

We missed our connection to Marseille by three minutes despite a rush through the metro. So we have spent a little more time at Gare de Lyon.

Lucy again one day
]]> It’s cold https://afewquirkes.org/2025/11/20/its-cold/ Thu, 20 Nov 2025 08:03:42 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5484

Seems a little unseasonal to me.

]]> The wall is done https://afewquirkes.org/2025/11/18/the-wall-is-done/ Tue, 18 Nov 2025 19:40:57 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5478 Continue reading "The wall is done"]]>

So now the re-pointing is finished. The mud between the stones has been replaced by beautiful lime mortar.

It took us 4 weeks each of work. So quite a substantial effort and a learning experience along the way as we learned and adapted the techniques for applying the mortar. The stones needed a good clean at the end and it was clear the applying and smoothing of the mortar improved as experience was gained.

Now will be the time to turn it into a better entertainment area and zone space. We will see.

]]> Notre Dame https://afewquirkes.org/2025/11/09/notre-dame/ Sun, 09 Nov 2025 15:08:29 +0000 https://afewquirkes.org/?p=5469 Nice walk this morning in the mist and cool weather before the rain came in.

We have driven past “La Fontaine’ many times but never stopped. Today we were up close and visited the chapel for the first time.

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