*The front garden has been improved and extended by Daniel and James this spring*

Here in Moulins, spring is ending before it has had a chance to really get going. Apparently this has been one of the rainiest in decades. We wait for the moments of sun, but they have been fleeting and far too infrequent for my taste. Although the rain has kept the grass green, it seems high time for a little sun.

*Daniel and his mother looking very sweet on the streets of Noyers, photo by James*

The Hoffmanns spent most of the week staying next door. They left yesterday for Munich and a week-long cruise down the Danube. Daniel and James took them on adventures, visiting our favorite local spots. Rick and I mostly stayed home to work on our own projects. In the evenings we came together, played cards and other games, drank a disturbing number of bottles of wine and ate meals together. We got to hear the daily report, so I share some photos here. On the day they went to Vezelay, they took the same route we had with Andy and Marsha, my brother-in-law and his wife. But they saw it from a different angle. In the very small village of Saint-Père there is a church we had noticed on our way past last time. This time they stopped and took a visit. This grand edifice in a very tiny village stuck us all as incongruous. It turns out that construction of the church began in 1240, a time when the area was very important in Catholic history. Two of the crusades began from the basilica at Vezelay. Now Saint-Père is a bit of a backwater with this enormous remnant of a glorious past.

*Église Notre-Dame de Saint-Père, photo by James*

Past the village of Saint Père is a little park we had glimpsed from the tall bridge above. This time the group explored it. A picnic by the River Cure was a highlight. The little bridge was built by Vauban, the engineer of Louis XIV. I had wondered aloud last time I wrote about it, what he might have been doing this far from Paris, building little bridges. It turns out he was a local resident. His castle is not far from here.

*Picnic on Vauban’s stone bridge, photo by James*

When we saw La Roche-Percée, it was from above. This time the group scrambled down to view it at ground level. It makes a lovely frame for the landscape beyond.

*La Roche-Percée from the base, photo by James*

One other exciting event of the week was the appearance of our mason after many months, to install the long awaited stone sill for James and Daniel’s big new kitchen window. He did such a lovely job, which we all admired. A small thing can make a big difference. There will be tiles below, but they have only just been delivered, so their installation will be left until July, as James and Daniel are off to Paris now for the five weeks that Daniel is teaching his UC Berkeley students in the summer abroad program.

*The stone window ledge adds a lot of class, photo by James*

Meanwhile, there are still project to complete in order to finish the little house, but it is definitely coming along. The furniture they are choosing seems to fit right into the French cottage aesthetic.

I was very impressed with the work James did on the upstairs bedroom. He sanded and completely resurfaced the wallboard by hand. He then painted it in a very beautiful gray which glows violet when you approach it. I don’t think I’ve captured that in this photo, but you can easily see what a fine job was done.

*The wall surface is expertly done and the color is simply perfect*

The new bathroom upstairs is finished and functional and quite elegant. The plumber was skeptical of embedding the sink into the cupboard they had chosen, but he needn’t have been. It turned out very nicely.

*Antique cabinet chosen for the sink, green tile and a new floor*

Before leaving, Susan and Dan presented us with this beautiful handmade vase that they purchased from our local potter in Noyers. What a lovely gesture! It makes a happy home for our pretty little pink wild rose flowers, which volunteered in the fish pond garden this year. Thank you so much!

One thing we will certainly miss in June is seeing a friendly little face at our kitchen door each day. Louÿs has been in the habit of coming to wish us a good morning every day. We will also, of course, miss the rest of Louÿs’ family, who have been such a nice addition to our daily lives. Three months (of James’ sabbatical) have flown past.

*Louÿs waits patiently at the door between our kitchen and the sun room for us to notice him and let him in.*

The plants in the garden don’t seem to be nearly as annoyed with all the rain as we have been. They just keep growing and blooming.

The End of Spring

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