We where invited to see our friends Jan and Loren’s new garden yesterday. We arrived to glorious late afternoon sunshine. They have transformed what was an over grown plot into an oasis of peace and tranquillity which is ideal for relaxing and enjoying the company of friends.
Thank you for the invitation and hospitality, congratulations we love your garden, you will enjoy it for many years to come
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Les Jardins de Picami just outside Daglan on the D60 road to Saint Pompon have the most fresh and delicious produce that you can buy. All organic, harvested the day of sale and at a low price. The farm shop is now open every Thursday from 16.30 to 18.30. They may not sell the same things every week because they rely on what is ready to pick and eat. Which I think adds to the buying experience. You buy the produce then decide what to make.
Romuald and Laetitia offer their produce for sale in a variety of places locally:
At Cénac market on Tuesday morning.
At the farm shop on Thursday from 16.30 p.m. to 18.30 p.m, with or without pre-order (same form as for the lockers, link below)
At the market in St Cybranet on Friday morning.
By order and collection from the lockers seven days a week, twenty four hours a day with a pre-order the day before at the latest, instructions for the use of the lockers are at the end of this post.
Reminder of how “Picami Lockers” work:
Step 1: You place your order by clicking on the order link, you can see what produce is ready to buy. Orders must be placed the day before your pick up at the latest. When ordering, you will have to choose a day and a two hour time slot on which you want to collect your order.
Step 2: You will receive confirmation informing you that they have taken your order into account. Usually they confirm orders at the end of the day.
Step 3: You receive the information for collection of your order the morning of the day you have chosen for pick up (they always harvest the morning of your order for absolute freshness), by email with:
* the allocation of your locker and the padlock code (which will change after each passage
* the amount of your order to be paid in cash or by check (payable to R. Jousselin)
or by text message if you have chosen this option in the order form
If you are a regular customer, they can also agree to a end of month settlement.
Step 4: you collect your order. The lockers are at the entrance to the farm by the road.
Because of the freshness of the vegetables it is advised to pick up the produce on the day and time on the order form. They will place your order in the locker just before the pick up time so that the vegetables are preserved as much as possible. Please do not leave it until after your selected time since it is possible that someone else’s order has to be placed there.
You place your payment in the locker in cash or by check and close the padlock.
Enjoy your produce.
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The Medieval village of Monflanquin is one of the thirty one Plus Beaux villages located within the boundaries of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the region with the second highest number after Occitanie. Perched on a high hilltop in Lot-et Garonne, 25km South East of Bergerac.
Monflanquin was built in 1256 by Alphonse de Poitiers as a military bastide and it has been classified as a Plus Beau village since 1989. It also holds an impressive environmental credentials having been awarded the Station Verte Label, Frances highest level eco-tourism accreditation. The central squire, Place des Arcades, is bordered by beautifully preserved arcades and historic buildings, such as the St-Andre church with its eye catching bell tower.
We visited the Museum which give information about the bastides and why they were created.
Bastides were laid out with a square in the middle which is surrounded by a grid of small streets. Around the square the buildings are often fronted with arched arcades which extend the living area upstairs and provide shelter for trades and shoppers below. Usually perched on a hill they have become symbols of the South West of France. Mainly fortified with a stone wall which surrounds the bastide for safety. They date from the 12th to the 14th century.
In August the town returns to the Medieval Period for Les Medieval de Monflanquin, an annual festival with parades, entertainment and period costume. You can also hire a Janouille (jester) for a guided tour which is both informative and funny as he tells the history of Monflanquin.
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A wonderful surprise greeted Paul and I when we went shopping this morning in Sarlat. A canopy of flowers and butterfly’s decorated the main street overhead and on the pavement.
Gorgeous Colours
These flowers and butterfly’s are to be seen on the pavement of both sides of the Rue de la République
If you are feeling energetic there is a hop scotch game.
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From the Rue de la République walk down to the cathedral and you will see these realistic sculptures at the front of the cathedral
Turn around with your back to the church for more artistic work by the same artist.
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Events
The 14th July is Bastille Day which is celebrated all over France with parades and fireworks and is a National holiday.
Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789.
Here are just two of the local events for the 14th July,
Beynac
Saint Cyprien
La Belle Brocante, Rue Gambetta, will take place this year on July 14th
Open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m
Disabled access
Free entrance
From 50 to 100 exhibitors
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This is just a short blog to inform everyone that the sheep have arrived in Daglan. Eight sheep in total arrived a few days ago to be part of the eco-grazing program in the village. Eco-grazing means the maintaining of a grassy area by letting animals graze there.
We have been waiting in anticipation for their arrival for a few weeks and now here they are enjoying the grass and wild flowers in their enclosed area.
They have a few trees scattered around which will be good shelter during the rising Summer temperatures.
Natures little mower hard at work.
Wonderful for the children of the village to see farm animals in their natural habitat.
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Our French Dream 