1-5 July 2026

Life at LPR follows a predictable pattern now that Emma Louise and Johnny have arrived from Kent.  We breakfast under the umbrella on the terrace. Pots of coffee, fresh orange juice, warmed baguette and butter, croissants some days, jam and a platter of fresh seasonal fruit.

EL&J are working remotely, so we head off to the market and Intermarche for daily baguettes and Flashy is easily amused getting the automatic orange squeezing machine to squeeze 18 juicy oranges into a litre bottle. Checkout is slow French style. Have a chat, find your cheque book, slowly pack the sac and waddle off. That’s the oldies on a Thursday. Must be pension day.

We take our lunch around 2 pm, under the shade of the cherry tree. A beer and Aperol Spritz is common with our salad, baguette and cheeses. Dips in the pool are needed, although the temperatures are now in the 30’s. Somehow it’s dinner time. 8 pm mostly as it is still not dark until  well after 10.30 pm. Rose and red wines with bouillabaisse or a salad Nicoise. More bread and cheese and we almost make it to 10.30 most nights.

We are heading to Barbizon for six days so EL&J can entertain their friends from the UK. We have a cute BnB in the Grand Rue, overlooking the street. Barbizon is about 45 mins south of Paris, near Fontainebleau and clearly a short break for the les petits bourgeois of Paris.

It was taken over in the mid to late 1800’s by the “colourists”, artists such as Corot, Millet and Dias de la Pena, who came for the colour, light and natural forests. It remains today a village of painters. Galleries sit side by side with restaurants, a patisserie, butcherie, artisanal glaceire and the odd wine bar. Beautiful stone and ivy homes and lots of trees.

About seven metres away from our maison, is the house across the street. Their bedroom windows overlook our lounge window, as is the case throughout Europe. Yesterday, the elderly (we think owner) rose from his slumber, threw open the window and, stark naked, stood in the window and surveyed the street below. We were too stunned to get a photo but are on alert today in case it’s a daily practice.

Saturday night we drove with ever increasing stress, looking for a petrol station. Finally got fuel. Then off to Chateau Vaux le Vicomte for a little picnic and joining a small crowd of others to enjoy the 2,000 candles lining the chateau and garden paths and an 11 pm fireworks display.

The top window of le flasher.
Two young chaps visiting a wine cave.
Some of the 2,000 candles lining the Chateau's garden.
A 6" White Chrysanthemum
Lady P's clever photo  of  the chateau and the moat.
A Morgan Sports parked in le Flasher's garden.
Looking down our street.


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