A Scrap Book of Life in Limousin, South West France

There are so many reasons to Love Limousin. It's like stepping back in time here, to a time when communities were tight-knitted, when there was little crime, before the car took over, when the air was clean, when wild flowers thrived, when you could swim in the lakes and rivers teamed with fish. I love Limousin because it's beautiful, wild but comfortable. I love the sparkling winters, the flowery springs, the warm, sunny summers and the mellow, fruitful autumns. I love my animals, I love the food and I love the wine and love the French lifestyle. If you can't come and enjoy the delights of Limousin at first hand, why not join me in a walk through this lovely region by means of this scrap book? I know you'll love Limousin too! Have a look at our web site Les Trois Chenes)

Read more about our life in my blog (New Year's Resolution: To contribute to my blog frequently and to write one good quality article every month). Failed! Why I Love Limousin

This is Les Trois Chenes, (The Tree Oaks), a farm house built from the stone of the meteorite that fell on the site of Rochechouart - well, quite a long time ago. This stone gives the region a very distinctive character. If you drive for twenty minutes in any direction, you will find buildings that look very different.

Find out more about the meteorite at the Meteorite Museum
Have a look at my article Rochechouart and the land of the Meteorite

Limousin calves are being born in the fields, the spring lambs skip in the sunshine and trees in gardens, hedgerows and woods are covered in white and pink blossom. What could be more cheering after the winter?

Brantôme has been called 'The Venice of the Dordogne' and it's about one hour from Les Trois Chenes along quiet, country, tree lined roads. In the opposite direction, about forty minutes away, is Mortemart, another village listed among the most beautiful in France. It has spectacular caves that were occupied in neolithic times, a fabulous church that rises up from the rocks and a quaint, pretty old town that is surrounded by water. Lovely.

Read more about Brantôme illustrated with lots of lovely photos: (My article, the Ilustrated Guide was Hub of the Day on HubPages 25th December 2011. Yes, Christmas Day!)

An Illustrated Guide to the Town of Brantome, in the Dordogne, South West France

Brantome - The Story of Stone

There are so many castles and chateau in this area that it is taking me a long time to get around them all. Some are in ruins, some are shells, in some the interiors have been preserved and yet others have been restored.

Chateau de Montbrun

Chateau de Rochechouart

The Route of Richard the Lion Heart

This impressive Dolmen is situated between Videix and Cognac-la-foret and is a neolithic burial mound. In the past the stones would have been covered with earth to form a grassy mound. This ancient monument is just at the side of the main road, entirely unprotected. But then this is Limousin and we don't have vandalism here!

I'm experimenting with images for my articles, and at the same time I'm getting going with the vegetable garden. Managed to clear the head-high weeds and put them on a bonfire, and now it's digging and weeding. I'm a fair-weather gardener though and wait until the sun starts to shine before I go forth. I'll take some more pics and post them here. Have a look at some of my other gardening articles:

How to Grow Pumpkins for Halloween
Everything you Need to Know about Composting
The Autumn Fruit and Vegetable Garden

We have had a wonderful Christmas. We had lovely guests, lots of great food, a little snow (just enough for a White Christmas) and lots of sunshine. More on next page

We had a wonderfully sunny Christmas!