Chasing the sunshine on Ile de Re 2 comments

Sunday morning was a dull grey affair, with the sun only just breaking through at lunchtime. We were resigned to an afternoon in the cinema (“17 Again” with Zac Effron – in French!…Whoopee!) until we got the call from Kevin -  “We’re on Ile de Re and it’s sunny!”

So, never ones to pass up the opportunity for an afternoon on the beach, we threw some things in a bag and scooted off to our favourite island.

The closer we got to La Rochelle, the cloudier it became.

By the time we reached the bridge to the island, it was pouring down. Pedestrians and cyclists alike were taking shelter under trees and cafe parasols.

A call to Kevin established that where they were, in St Martin de Re, was indeed sunny and dry – obviously a small patch of sunshine in the midst of a sky full of  black clouds. So we headed for the town with the beautiful harbour, where we would find the fabled ice cream shop, subject of many a “you have to try this…” conversation with the Dixies.

And for a while, once united with the folks from La Rochelle, we were indeed in a little bubble of sunshine. We ordered huge ice creams from the famous shop, which were delicious as promised. Some said I obviously have a big mouth, as mine was the only ice cream to not melt and run all down my hand. I prefer to think that it was my superior ice-cream-licking skills that prevented me from losing any of my white chocolate and “crumble” flavoured heaven from my italian-style cornet.

I allowed myself a little smugness

Sadly, our ice-cream-fuelled frivolity was not to last much longer as the wind whipped up and the clouds surrounded us. So, we jumped in the cars and headed off in the direction of the last remaining patch of blue sky towards Les Portes en Re.

Once there we took a stroll along the beach, a stone/shingle combination with lots of seaweed, that Sylvie had great fun popping underfoot. Kevin, ever the hunter-gatherer, decided he was going to attempt to catch some fish, so we split up with Molly and I laughing at accompanying Kevin, and the others exploring the beach-side forest.

Unsurprisingly the fish were outwitting Kevin once again, though it wasn’t his fault, or course   But it was a very pleasant day, with the small patch of blue sky having expanded into a vast cloudless swathe of blue as far as the eye could see.

As the sun started to dip we headed back to the cars, not taking with us anything vaguely resembling a fish (unless you count the rubber “bait” in Kevin’s fishing box-of-tricks….), but certainly taking some happy memories of another great day out.

With the summer setting in, we look forward to many more such days. This is why we love it here and why we will always will.

Great weather, beautiful places, special friends and happy times.

Who could want anything more?

Summer’s here – and we’ve been hitting the beaches 5 comments

Yes I know, it’s been a while… here’s a quick visual catch-up of what we’ve been doing since last time

Fouras

March saw the start of the summer, as we shared a beautifully hot day with the Dixies on the beach at Fouras, just south of La Rochelle. We had hoped to cross on the boat to Ille d’Aix, but, in our usual fashion, arrived too late to catch the morning boat. Given the usual two-and-a-half hours for lunch, the next boat was going to be too late to give us any time on the island.

So, we stayed on the beach and enjoyed the hottest day of the year.

A healthy school breakfast

We had a special breakfast at Joe’s school one Saturday morning (yeah, I know, school on a Saturday…Yuk!). It was all part of a “healthy-eating” project. The children all went to school for a “healthy” breakfast, and then they prepared plates for the parents.

All good fun! Not quite so fun was the next hour, where I had to sit on a low wooden bench with the other parents taking part in a healthy-eating discussion with two nutritionalists. Confusing french for an hour and a very numb bum made for a very uncomfortable hour!

Carnaval time

Easter time meant Carnaval time.

St. Antoine had their usual fancy-dress parade round the village. This year Joe went as a magician, thanks to some talented paper-craft by Lisa and a very old cloak that my mum made for me about 15 years ago!

Good fun was had by all again.

Another April Carnaval took place in La Rochelle while we were there for the weekend with the Dixies. It was a big parade through the streets, culminating in a performance by the dancers, drummers and bands that had entertained us on the parade.

It was a great day with some impressive inflatable creatures and some really good bands. The local drummers were particularly good.

Fun and games with with the Baudouins

We spent a day with Nathalie, Thierry and the boys. Another beautiful day, we went for a long walk from their house and qround the countryside near their farm. It really is a lovely area and, although I resisted at first, I ended up taking lots of photos.

We finished the day with games in the garden and a wonderful meal. A very special day with very good friends.

Royan and La Palmyre

When my parents came to visit, we spent a day at Royan and La Palmyre, where we have shared many great holidays together.

When we arrived, the weather was a little grim…

…but it soon turned around and we ended up having another fabulous time on the beach.

La Terriere

And on Rosie’s 14th birthday we made the most of the great weather and went to one of our favouite “local” beaches at La Terriere. Another lovely relaxing day on the beach, and Molly & Joe even sampled the sea for the first time this year.

All in all it had been a lovely easter break, rounded off in the best way possible, sharing the Vendee sunshine together.

Into the West 1 comment