Saint Pompon

Saint Pompon is a small village in the heart of the Perigord Noir which is situated about ten minutes drive from Daglan and gets its name from from “Pomponius” who was a bishop in Naples in the 6^th Century.

It has one main road, the D60, through the centre of the village with a few shops and restaurants, a bar and small supermarket. However, we have found like in so many of the local villages there are ‘hidden gems’ that you can discover tucked away in the maze of alleyways that you can stroll around at the side and around the back of the church. Houses rich in great architectural diversity which lead you back in time to the 13^th and 14th centuries.

Gorgeous stone work bathed in sunshine.

.

I love this building dating from the 13thC

.

Look out for the hidden cherub carved in the wall of a building near to the church.

.

The Romanesque church of St Pompon

.

Events:-

• Soiree du 13^th July Daglan.
• 14^th July Fete National throughout France.
• Domme – escape game, 3^rd to the 28^th July.
• Bouzic, Marche Nocturne, every Tuesday eve from the 12^th July at 7 o’clock
• St Pompon, Marche Nocturne, 9^th July to 20^th August every Saturday eve at 7 o’clock,
• St Pompon weekly market, Every Friday morning
• Cinema de plein air, Thor, Love and Thunder 17^th July Sarlat.

Strawberry Ice Cream.

Strawberries picked the day before to sell at markets all over France make a cooling ice cream desert which is perfect for warm Summer evenings.

.

Ingredients

450 to 500g (about one punnet) strawberries.
170g icing sugar.
1/4 lit double cream
1/4 lit single cream

Method

1. Hull and wash the strawberries in a colander, drain them and pat dry with kitchen paper. Cut them into small pieces.
2. Put them into a liquidiser with the icing sugar for a few minutes.
3. Whisk the two creams until thick but not stiff; blend this well into the strawberry puree.
4. Spoon this mixture into plastic containers and freeze for about twelve hours.

Take the ice cream out of the freezer about an hour before serving and place into the refrigerator so that it thaws slightly.
I found that it was better to use small silicone cake molds for freezing the ice cream, it is a lot easier to extract and are the right portion size per serving.

.

Events:-

Exhibition of sculptures and volumes, La Rogue-Gageac 18^th to 23^rd June.
Musical Festival, at Belves 24^th June.
Tennis Festival, St Cyprian 25^th June.
Vintage Vehicles, Sarlat 26^th June.
Exhibition-what did the Romans eat!, Belves.18^th June to 2^nd July.
Chamber Music/Mozart, Hautefort. 7^th July

.

……….

Belves Revisited.

Every Saturday in Belves is market day where you can buy fresh produce, clothes and craft wares. Belves is one of our favourite medieval towns to visit, on this particular day we headed first to the tourist office and secondly to the wine and beer store which is run by our two friends Graham and Damon.

13^th Century Belves on Market Day.

.

At the Tourist Office.we were looking for information about the Medieval Festival which reopened once more last year after an absence because of Covid. It was a brilliant fun day last year, you are transported back in time to the Medieval Period to enjoy the costumes, musicians, dance and more, follow the parade through the streets of Belves and drink in the atmosphere. That is not all, there is also a Medieval Market where local and ancient crafts can be seen and bought.

This year the Medieval Festival will take place on Sunday 7^th August. Watch this pace for further information, but we can highly recommend a visit.

Our second call of the day was to Plonk and Plus which is owned by two friends of ours Graham and Damon who know everything that you will ever need to know about the wines and beers from the local area, it is always well worth a visit.

.

And here we see a little Hobbit (me) standing along side Graham, who gave us a glimpse into his extensive knowledge of wines.

.

On the left a Rosé and on the right is a dry White Wine We have not tasted these before but both are highly recommended so I shall let you know in a future blog.

.

Graham and Damon also own Planches and Plonk which is a cheese and wine bar that can be found at 34 Rue Jacques Manchotte. All produce is made by local, independent producers. Again well worth a visit to enjoy a glass or two of excellent wine and a selection of their gorgeous cheeses. Or you can stay longer in their bed and breakfast accommodation where you can explore more of Belves and the Perigord region.

.

Terre Sauvage.

This is the recently opened Terre Sauvage shop which is also situated on the main shopping street in Belves.

.

It is where a local artist displays his work. I particularly like the skill which is evident in the animal and bird creations on display, made from recycled metal and you can buy at a reasonable price.

The artist has captured the birds brilliantly in these two works of art.

.

.

……….

Vintage Daglan.

We love France and of course our home in the village of Daglan. Steeped in history, nothing really major has changed in the village since our home was built. Due in part to the National System of Heritage Protection which means that any restoration work to the structure of an ancient property needs to pass through a variety of systems before approval.

To Paul and I this was not a problem we did not want to change anything but rather preserve the property in keeping with the period in which it was built, the 1820’s.

I love finding information from books and various people about the history of Daglan village and of course our home, here is a brief history of what I have discovered.

A postcard of Daglan in the early 1900’s.

The name Daglan has its origins in the Celtic for “Good Valley”. In the early 1300s the village became the seat of an Archpriest and continued until the Revolution. The church of Saint Martin dates from the 14th century although the apse and the choir date from the Romanesque period.

In the 18th and 19th centuries the economy of Daglan was based on wine production and thanks to the several local water mills along the river Ceou the village grew in prosperity. During that period there was an increase in properties being built in the village and surrounding hamlets.

An epidemic of phylloxera in the late nineteenth century caused a great exodus leaving the valley all but deserted.

In the last 100 years Daglan has again become a bustling and beautiful village.

In living memory our home has been a tax office for quite a long time, then it was the home of the Maire, followed by a family home which was inherited by the previous owner.

Across from our home are three properties which where originally one large property and a large stable with land. The stable was then turned into a fourth property at a later stage.

Two of the properties are truly fascinating with concealed connecting doors. These connecting doors were put to good use during the Second World War when resistance fighters would hide in one house and make their escape through the other.

Hopefully in the future we will find more information about the history and the former inhabitants of Daglan which we will document.

.

Event– Daglan Truffle market open every Sunday from 11 o’clock.

……….

.

France Honour’s Josephine Baker.

“She wanted to show that everyone, at their own level, should make the world we live in tend towards a better understanding and a total acceptance of difference”. Akio Bouillon, the eldest son of Josephine Bakers twelve adopted children.

Courtesy France 24

The American born singer, dancer, actress, resistance fighter and equal rights accompanier is to have the high honour and privilege to enter the Parthenon in Paris, the resting place for great National figures, on 30^th November 2021. Among those entombed there are Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Alexander Dumas, Germaine Tillion and Genevieve de Gaulle-Anthonioz.

Château Milandes

Fleeing discrimination and prejudice in American she fled to Paris becoming the best paid artist of the music hall era. Using her money to restore the splendour of Château Milandes and the surrounding area.

One of her many headdress which was designed and made for her cabaret performances.

A great collection of her life through costume, photographs and audio presentation are on display for everyone to enjoy at Milandes. What makes myself proud of her achievements was her fright against discrimination showing the world through her “rainbow tribe” children and through her own actions that not everyone has the same colour or same language but that people are all humans who all want the same thing.

One prominent action of Josephine Baker’s was to join the French Resistance, during World War 2 she concealed micro film in her underwear and forwarded information through her song sheets. She became Second Lieutenant of the auxiliary troops of the French air Force, later to be honoured with the Legion of Honour, the Croix de Guerre and the Medal of the Resistance.

“Our native Perigord is our region of heart”. Akio Bouillon.

Each day at the rear of the Château is the very entertaining and informative display of rescued raptors.

At the front and side of the Château are the ornate gardens and water features.

Well worth a visit or two.

………………..

.