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It seems like a long time since we put “pen to paper” digitally speaking. Maybe as long ago as October / November. There’s a reason for that as the area around us is very quiet during the winter and, frankly, the weather has been awful. Wet, damp and cold – which is not a great way to advertise our Gites which, as many of you know, are warm and dry and the surrounding countryside rich and beautiful in the summer months. We occasionally have to look at our pictures to remind ourselves of the beauty of La Richardière and of the countryside around us. Having told you how quiet it is here in the Southern Loire during the winter, we can now contradict ourselves by telling you about some of the winter developments which have taken place whilst our Gites have been closed. Brody’s Pizzeria: We were delighted to be involved in the rejuvenation of the Restaurant and Bar in the centre of Le Grand Pressigny (10 minutes from us.) Just before Christmas, our friends, Charlotte and Doug Hatfield took over the management of the old Comptoir Bar and re-branded it as “Brody’s Pizzeria”. We helped with the complete cleaning of the property; painting everything that moved, and one of our friends polished the bar from top to bottom. The re-opening has been welcomed by the village and Brody’s is doing a roaring trade. You can follow Brody’s fortunes by visiting their FaceBook Page. La Cabane: You could be forgiven for walking right on by La Cabane as it is a new, and very small, Bar in Le Grand Pressigny situated next door to the PreHisto Bar. Nevertheless , it’s very cosy and popular. Well worth a visit for an early evening apero.All these new facilities have been added to our Digital Guidebook. Guests who have booked a holiday with us receive a link to a personalised copy of this guide book. After the Storm:
Those who have followed us on Facebook will remember the photos we posted of the storm damage and fallen trees just before Christmas. The repairs are well underway, see before and after pictures below, and we will, hopefully, be looking smart again for the start of the season. Even now we are able to undertake the first grass cutting of the season which makes an amazing difference.
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This is just a few words to test the look of the blog posts on this website. A drone photo of La Richardiere surrounded by Colza plants.   From time to time big events pass through our little villages and La Roue Tourangelle arrived in our closest village, La Celle-Geunand, at the weekend (24th March 2024). It's a major, professional cycling race and covers 200 kms in just 4 hours. Cycling is a big and popular sport in France. Each village on the route makes a special effort to decorate, with cycling themes, and to mark the safest routes through the streets with signs and barriers all of which are erected in the days preceding the event. The day before the big race, the route is open to the public, so hundreds of would-be cycling champions take to the roads. On the day of the big race, the route is for professionals only. Prior to the riders passing through, all sorts of official vehicles pass through the villages clearing the route and warning everyone that the cyclists are on the way. Then, suddenly, the circus arrives. The leaders pass through the quiet village streets (normal max speed 30kms/hr) at 40+ Kms/hr. There are just a few riders out in front, but they are, judging by the crowd's response, the favorites. They are followed by vehicles with spare cycles and tires on the roof. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, the main body of riders burst into the expecting village. As many as 90 riders, all closely grouped together, riding at, what seems like a huge speed, straight through the center of the village. Everyone cheers and everyone is surprised by the strong movement of air in front of the group. A bit like a metro train arriving in the station.  To see a more annimated version of this presentation click on the play button, or visit our YouTube Channel.Then, just as suddenly, they are gone! Just another wave of small vans and cars with more spare bikes and tires. Followed by a couple of Gendarmes on motor bikes. That's all folks – but not quite.
The last vehicles to appear are white vans which collect the hand-held signs and the Gillet Juanes used by the local officials. One man jumps from the van with a pair of pliers and cuts the plastic ties from the sign on a lamp-post just outside the village bar, and off they go too. All is quiet again and people drfit away. All finished for our village in 15 minutes, but the next village, the next town, the final city are all waiting patiently and expentantly, whilst the villages left behind quietly clear the decorations and normal life returns as if nothing had happened. |
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Dave and Patience Brown Welcome to the Gites de La Richardiere Blog. Regular information about the Gites, the local area and places to go whilst visiting the Southern Touraine area of Central France.
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