An expensive weekend, or was it Deer?

Saturday saw Chris hit the target once again, he had been invited to shoot in St Sylvain, a commune next to ours, he went with Phillipe, Fabien, Frederic, Alexandre & Gregorie, a small but highly skilled and experienced team of hunters. The weather was cold, windy and snowy but when required, Chris's aim was true, he shot two Deer, the first from about 80 meters and the second from close range, 20 meters. A great mornings shoot, finished off with some hot mulled wine back at the Lodge, does it get any better than that?

Bonanza Hunting Weekend !

Thursday 11th November is a bank holiday in France, Armistice day, and another excuse for the Chasseurs to do what they do best, Hunt!

Chris set off early that morning not having a clue what was about to happen, he and the other trackers found the wild boar on the limits of our commune, St Avit de Tardes and the commune of Neoux, an invitation was given in the form of a 'carte journee' from Hugo, the president of Neoux.

Chris waited at his post deep in the woods for the horn to sound to signal the battue had started, 5 minutes after, all hell broke loose, a wild boar of 56kgs came charging down on Chris, he took aim and PAF!! one single slug saw the boar drop, a direct shot to the heart at about 50 metres.

The pan on the head is what happens when you and your mates drink 31/2 litres of Pastis to celebrate ha ha.

Saturday saw Chris nail his second Chevreuil, 19.5 kgs, and if that wasn't enough, he shot his second wild boar of 46kgs on the Sunday, what a weekend. The other chasseurs explained that for Chris only having his permit for 6 weeks, this truly was exceptional, they nicknamed him the 'destructeur' (destroyer)

Chris shoots his first deer

Chris was delighted to shoot his first Chevreuil of 16kgs (Roe Deer) on the 24th October. Despatched with respect, it made a fine meal after being butchered at the hunting lodge, another new skill for Chris.

Lac de Vassiviere

Lac de Vassiviere with a circumference of 35kms is a great place to spend the day and only 40 minutes from La Petite Maison, today we walked 15km, a warm up for next week when we will attempt to complete the full tour of the lake. Low with water, spectacular views can be seen which are normally covered in the murky depths. All seasons find superb views, walks & watersports available, obviously the summer months find more activity around the place when campers, day trippers and locals alike enjoy the lake and its surroundings. If you find yourself lagging a little on one of your choice of walks, just wait at a water taxi staging and take a boat back to your origin (not much chance today ha ha) however, this service stops in September as the holidaymakers decline.

Autumn from the Blue Room

Mild temperatures and no wind have made for a perfect Autumn here at La Petite Maison, such magnificent views across the valley from the Blue Room window find Chris & Joanne drinking in the scenery as well as their morning cup of tea. We often refer to the Creuse being very similar to the Lake District in the UK when chatting with friends and neighbours.

Now where's that oven ?

The Turkeys are living it up ! they are in great form and getting fatter by the week !

It's great to know that your food has a real quality of life, we learn more about how it should be everyday here at La Petite Maison, a real education !!

Chutney Chutney Everywhere!!

Tomatoes ripening mid October? yes, it's true, we have had a fantastic crop this year and nothing has been wasted, thanks to Hugh Fearnleys recipe, Joanne has made an abundance of green tomato chutney which dare we say, is as good if not better than the red tomato chutney. Chris has made his famous tomato ketchup and we are all passatad out ha ha !.

The delightful aromas drift through the house, we chat about tasting summer from the bottles and jars of the many conserves we have produced, nothing nicer when winter sets in and summer bursts from a newly opened bottle or jar, yum yum !!