in case an English version of said lovely book turns up for sale.

BLOG 8 / March 2015

1999 eclipse of the sun

This is a treasured photo of our family and friends on our beach plot in Selsey in 1999. We had gathered to see the eclipse of the sun which turned out to be a complete success and the party afterwards was one which is remembered in the family archives. When I heard that we were going to see another eclipse I looked at the weather and decided that despite the promised cloud cover I would not let the occasion pass me by.

 

So, in the damp and overcast morning of Friday 20^th March 2015 I dressed up warmly and plonked myself on the top patio so I could say ….I woz there…

 

Mike came out at the point of eclipse to see how I was fairing on my epic sit-in. He was wearing his welding helmet which just made me laugh till I cried. Mike is always there to support my wild ideas and to see the funny side of the situation is a plus and always appreciated but I am proud to say that ...I woz there

 

On the very next day we were out early to catch a very high tide which was locally billed as La Marees du siècle,  the tide of the century, so that had to be blogged and watched, so we made our way to the lock at Carentan and joined a little throng of people of all ages who had  heard it was rare and wanted to be there to say, Je  woz ici…….

There was very little left of the gate at the lock to stop the sea lapping over and the canal leading from the sea to the marina had swollen into the fields and water meadows for this two day high tide event.

There is normally a deep bank leading up to the lock so this really was an epic moment. Our Boat Beema’s recommended coef to get into Carentan Marina was 70 and this tide was 118 so there was an amazing difference and as seasoned sailors we could not let this go by without a cursory interested look of appreciation

 

 

We popped out to walk HOSS and see some friends and came across this little chapel in the middle of a field on the marais just outside Gorges not too far from Brevands.  A gravelled path leading to the door, an information panel with a bit of history tells you that this little chapel has pedigree, but nothing prepares you as the door creeks open and you walk in.

 

 

 

 

A beautiful stained glass window with statues and pews, an alter full of candles and candles sticks and nothing missing or damaged or vandalised. What a refreshing notion that buildings like this can still be left open all day with lighting and technical equipment just left there waiting for the next fete or pilgrimage. I am not the religious type but these little pockets of belief give me a warm feeling of respect and responsibility and for that I am humbled and very pleased it still exists in our little corner of France.

 

 

 

 

 

And then on the way home from our walk around la Chapelle st Anne we stopped off at the depot vends in Carentan to see what was new. We have been visiting the second hand shops ever since we came to Brevands and we have learned that you need to go every week to catch the bargains and over the years we have picked up things we need at a price we like to pay. It is fair to say that we also buy things we don’t need but quite like to own but our second hand approach to life has enriched our lives and we are well known to the owners who are always pleased to see us…che ching.

Mike had his nose in a lovely  old second hand book about vintage cars and was tempted to buy but I reminded him that a book in French is OK, but we really do not benefit from the authors extensive vocab and grammar as neither of us are that versatile with the language, so that day we came away empty handed and will go back again soon in a week or so just in case an English version of said lovely book turns up for sale.