Our hearts go out towards the Hayes family following the tragic deaths of Andy Hayes and his father in their light aircraft in the Haute Vienne over Pierre Buffieres on Friday 29 June. Andy and Jakki's son, Dominic, had intended to come and film the Caravan of Hope on Saturday 30 June (the next day) from the air and on the ground... Our most sincere and utter condolences to the Hayes family and to Andy's little boy, Alex.
You, our readers, will have to wait eagerly for more dialogue and photos which hopefully will be filled in later in the week
31st July Vannes back to Elven for a few days rest for the horses and the team. PRINTEMPS IS BACK WITH US.
We said a fond farewell to Pergola and welcome back to PRINTEMPS who looks very well indeed and rested. Natchave, Fred's mare, is here too, but she won't be coming to England, she'll be staying in Elven at Fred's home.
PHOTOS THAT MADAME ANDREE MAITRE, DELEGUEE GENERALE FROM THE FONDATION SNCF HAS SENT US FROM THE RECEPTION AT VANNES
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| The team |
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| From left to right |
Chris, Mme Andrée Maitre, Déléguée Nationale, Fondation SNCF, Jakki, Monsieur Eric Redonnet, Directeur des Gares SNCF de Bretagne, Mme Sylvie Mousset Correspondante Fondation SNCF en Bretagne and Manager Engagement Societal, our Beth and our Luke
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| Jakki on right thanking M. Georges André, Maire adjoint of Vannes with on the far left, M. Kervarrec representing the Conseil General du Morbihan |
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| Jakki was ORDERED TO SIT THERE |
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| Mme Andree Maitre, Jakki and Mme Sylvie Mousset |
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| Mme Sylvie Mousset on right with M. Eric Redonnet and Jakki |
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| Chris, Harry with Nana, J and Beth |
29/31 July La Maison du Diocèse, Vannes for the reception at the Hotel de Ville de Vannes on Monday 30th July at 5pm - Our very, very great thanks to the Directeur de la Maison du Diocese a Vannes for his hospitality in putting us all up in the grounds of this beautiful building in Vannes.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME AND MADE IT SUCH A LOVELY EVENING
UN TRÈS GRAND MERCI A VOUS TOUS QUI SONT VENUS ET QUI EN ONT FAIT UNE SI AGRÉABLE SOIRÉE
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| Our little visitor, Poney in the grounds of the Maison du Diocese |
Our very, very great thanks to La Mairie de Vannes et l'Hotel de Ville de Vannes for the wonderful reception they gave us and to everybody who was there for coming. Special thanks go the the maire adjoint, Monsieur Georges André and the Mayor, Monsieur David Robo, and to all the people who work at the Mairie for the help they gave in making this event possible.
MAKING OUR WAY TO THE RECEPTION THROUGH VANNES
OUTSIDE THE HOTEL DE VILLE AT VANNES
DURING THE RECEPTION AT THE HOTEL DE VILLE DE VANNES
27th/28th/29 July Arrival at Elven and Reception Courtesy of the Mayor of Elven, Monsieur Marcel le Boterff and the Conseillere Generale, Elodie le Rohellec - A wonderful reception enjoyed by all and with great pleasure we had Steve and Lynn from the RDA Diamond Centre here with Lynn's sister and brother-in-law. Énormes remerciements a vous, Monsieur le Maire et a toi, Elodie, de votre si gentille réception et de cet accueil si bienveillant sur la Place de l'Eglise samedi après midi. Nous en gardons un merveilleux souvenir.
28 JULY RECEPTION AT THE PLACE DE L'EGLISE, ELVEN
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| Fred arrives with Maxime in the carriage too in to Elven |
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Amongst those from left to right
Maxime , who joined us again for a few days, Monsieur le Maire, Fabienne from Mission Locale de Vannes, Elodie le Rohellec Jakki, Sylvie Mousset from SNCF foundation, Marie-Noelle - one of the wonderful Brittany team, Harry and Chris |
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| 28th July arrival into Elven |
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| Beth, who volunteered for the carriage to let the others ride |
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| Our René le Tallec and our Gilles le Marrec flying the Long Riders Flag for Jakki |
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Our Patrick Moan, with daughter Enora, Poney and Anna
The last three joined us for the journey to Vannes and back, as you will see - what Highlands can do !! |
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| Fany and Gwen leading in to Elven |
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| Walking in to Elven |
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| Kevin - note the very clean saddle pads ! |
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| Fred's son Tristan has joined the girls |
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| A proud moment for all |
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| Elven Church |
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| Kevin |
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| Elodie le Rohellec in red on the left |
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| Chris and Peter |
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| Harry left holding the horse |
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| Jakki with two of Yannick and Gilles le Marrec's children |
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| Flying our Long Riders Guild Flag with pride - only 3 or 4 others in the world |
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| Some of our team in their Conseil General du Morbihan T-shirts |
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| Fred with his oldest two children, Nat and Nona |
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| Thanks for coming, Sylvie (in blue skirt) |
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| A group picture with Yannick in the foreground |
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| Jakki handing over to Fred to speak (Jean-Yves in the background) |
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| Happy girls |
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| Fred, happy as ever in his home town |
25th/26th/27th July Molac Near l'Etang at Molac courtesy of the local community and Jean-Pierre Charles Président of L'association MorbiAne (Morbihan donkeys) - a huge thank you Jean-Pierre
It's lovely to see friends greeting us here. Christian and Brigitte Amiel (who have done the maps for us), Elodie le Rohellec and others. It's a hot day, for once, and the carriages stop off on the way as you will see further down to give the horses a hose down at the Hippodrome. On July 26th, the farrier comes back and shoes 4 of the Camargues. Only Raboliot and the 4 large horses to be shod now.
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| Love is all around ! |
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| An island of tranquillity for some |
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| Brekkie time for some |
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| It's called "de-sensitizing" |
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| Or this one! |
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| A peaceful moment |
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| Peace for the horses |
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A swelteringly hot day on the way to Molac - a friendly local tells us where to go and refresh the horses at Bel Air.
Our driver is ducking to avoid getting soaked ! |
24/25th July Terrain de la Mairie at Caden 24/25th July Rieux to Caden NOS GRANDS REMERCIEMENTS A TOUS A LA MAIRIE DE CADEN ET A TOUS LES CAVALIERS DE CADEN Y COMPRIS MICHEL ET FABIENNE
We are visited by a lady from the Mairie who comes to check we have all we need and then we have the visit of Michel and Fabienne, who know some of our Breton friends, and are experienced horse people. They breed quarter horses and ride with long reins and also have driven horses at competition level. They laid on the water in the horses’ field, so huge thanks to them.
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| Yes, only 5 candles... |
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| Première, first ever live performance of "Queen of the Road" reported as an outstanding success |
A song and dance routine called “I’m the Queen of the Road”, choreographed by Fred and dress rehearsal organised by Chris, as the riders rode it turned out, is performed by the team (they had already sung Happy Birthday) remember in honour of Jakki’s birthday. Jakki is deeply touched. The show takes place before the dessert of tartes aux fraises and chocolate ice cream – I wonder how they knew what her favourites were...
For Jakki’s birthday gala dinner, fresh vegetables are cooked by Fred in a wonderful courgette feast with salad, potatoes and courgettes (marrows really) that a kind man brought to the team at the campsite the night before at Rieux and which came from his garden.
The horses are in a lovely enclosed field, the weather is very, very hot. We have at our disposal the local Gymnase which has showers and loos which the team can use, some of the team have yet more showers. They are getting too used to being clean !
23/24th July Rieux - Camping au Parc du Chateau 23/24 July from Guenrouet to Rieux to the Camping du Parc du Chateau. Merci beaucoup a vous tous à la Mairie de Rieux et au Camping Municipal.
Jakki is awoken on the morning of her birthday to a rousing call of Happy Birthday sung in both English and French consecutively by all the team. She awakes with a smile as the routine preparations get afoot to break up camp and set off for Caden!
A lovely campsite by the edge of the Vilaine river and our first stop in the Morbihan. Sailing boats are moored right by the campsite. We all have hot showers. This lovely campsite is a Camping Municipal called Camping du Parc du Chateau and is run by the local authorities. An Englishman from Birmingham who is involved both with the disabled and horses comes to chat to us and promises to ‘spread the word’.
Harry Peter and Chris swim across the river and back – the Vilaine is quite a large river, but they come back glowing.
22nd/23rd July to Guenrouet or Notre Dame de la Grace
more precisely and most aptly named - a campsite by the Nantes to Brest Canal - Nos énormes remerciements a Monsieur le Maire et Monsieur le Maire adjoint, Monsieur Belliot.
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| The Scouts |
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| Our English friend playing with the French Scouts |
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| Our lot, spell bound |
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| Thesse ladies had the voices of angels |
We had stayed here in 2008 and the Mayor and Mayor Adjoint, M. Belliot come to greet us. In 2008, Pascale and Georges Sefelin, to the great delight of the team, had come to join us for dinner. Sadly Georges died in 2010 but his spirit lingers on over us. How he would have enjoyed the literally 'extraordinary' mix of people singing round a camp fire on this lovely evening after a truly hot day with guitars, drums and an accordeon (and not a drop of alcohol between them all). There's an An English couple and their young daughter cycling from England to Spain in aid of Dogs for the Blind and the RSPCA - Fred loans him one of his guitars and he turns out to be a very adept guitarist joining in with the other virtuosos playing and singing round the camp fire, then a large group of very young French Scouts who have 4 extremely accomplished guitarists amongst them, with singers and a tambourinist, plus two families travelling in horse drawn roulottes (amongst whom the accordeon player, several women who have wonderful voices, and lastly us with our carriages and our team who add their voices as well as Fred who joins in with his guitar.
An evening with a true force of love, complicity and warmth in the simplest of surroundings. The horses are the audience.
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| Kevin having a nap - our own personal dormouse |
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| Getting ready to leave Bouvron (photos by Francoise G-C) |
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| Leaving Bouvron |
21st/22nd July: onwards to the Mairie de Bouvron where we camp by the Mairie and have use of water, electricity and TOILETS WITH A WASH HAND BASIN. Thais has a new set of shoes.
A farrier, Valadimir, comes to the campsite before we leave and fits them.
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| Inspection of the Premises |
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Friends from the Foyer d'Accueil Médicalisé when some of its' residents "double inadéquats"
come to pay us a visit. Our thanks to Francoise Guiheneuf-Canivet for taking the pictures and putting some on our Facebook page |
A journalist from Ouest France comes to interview us in the morning for the St Nazaire edition.
Nos très, très grands remerciements a La Mairie de Bouvron.
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| Alpha males goings on with our Raboliot and our Osiris |
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| And, they make up of course |
Sleep tight and night, night, zzzzzzzzz
Now we're approaching the heart of Brittany, let's remember where it all began with those White Horses: Vive la Camargue, Vive la Bretagne and Vive all the other regions we have been through so far !
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| Route discussions between De Gaulle and Churchill |
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| We do have Guardian Angels and THEY know who they are |
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| Camargue to Brittany |
WE'VE ARRIVED IN BRITTANY !!
19th, 20th and 21st July at St Etienne de Montluc, lieu dit La Gatais
MERCI A VOUS, MONSIEUR ET MADAME LEON DE VOTRE GENTIL ACCUEIL
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| Our host at le Gatais, Monsieur Léon with our Fred |
A day of rest for the horses which is well earned. Fred, Harry and Kevin go shopping for essentials, the rest of the team relax (well, not all of them) and do their best to wash with few facilities except hoses in the rain. Good weather is forecast. Jakki looked on meteo France for the coming week and it should be
HOT.
Maxime rings up and says he's got a work placement starting in October. He asks whether he can join us for the rest of the trip. Jakki tells him it's not out of the realms of possibility !! We will see him in Elven.
Is he actually missing us ??
18th to 19th July Lieu dit le Surchaud, near le Pellerin in a field - we will be crossing the Loire on 19th
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| 6 horses and 6 little White horses relieved to be back on dry land - just to show you all is well |
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| Fany |
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| Our Luke leading before they get astride again |
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| Beth |
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| Chris |
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Peter
Not forgetting Kevin (with Fany) who is one of the riders on the day |
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| Below is before the Loire and above is after |
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| Qualitous and Thais get their River-legs |
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| There is a small hitch - or a question of unhitching, rather, and all is well |
Tomorrow is the crossing of the Loire in the open ferry. We will definitely try and put photos of this epic event up on the blog for you all.
While the rest of the team has walked into the village, Harry, in order to get our extension leads to reach the carriages from the kind people who let us plug into them at the nearest house some distance away, (very useful for our fridge to have electricity) Harry achieves a gargantuan or rather herculean feat. He manages to push both carriages - not at the same time - over the field quite a few yards with Jakki
'steering' as he puts it. As these carriages unladen weigh around 500 kg and 600 kg respectively, it is an achievement which deserves highlighting. Thank you Harry!
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| Harry, the hero (we weren't talking about the trailer, by the way) |
Chris manages to break - accidentally of course - the aerial on Jakki's car. Fred proceeds to beat the English with the broken aerial (we jest) and Jakki is not amused. Not because of the beatings but because of the aerial. She removes the article and puts it under her bed alongside one of the broken whips. Children will always be children !!
Fine though windy weather on arrival turns into a cold, wintry evening, but doesn't dampen the enthousiasm for chatter and good humour amongst the team. That's what counts. The horses have a lovely field to eat to their hearts' content (having had their granules earlier) and the mood is very friendly.
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| Portraits of the horses taken by Beth with Seth at the top |
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| Segur |
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| Qualitous |
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| Rabiolot |
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| Osiris |
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| Thais |
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| Séduisante smiling as it were |
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| Gwen and Jakki harnessing up Rita (and Princesse) |
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| Campsite at Le Surchaud near le Pellerin |
Big Mama or to give her her real name Pergola plays up a little today according to Fred - she eventually calms down, stops being silly and pulls well with Séduisante. Rita and Princesse go well together and Jakki really enjoys driving them. She does look forward to Printemps being part of the family again (no disrespect Pergola). The riders have a good day and Gwen is getting over her fears and is a real trooper. She hasn't fallen off yet. Let's hope she never does ! Kevin does OK too and the little Camargues too are merrily munching away at the plentiful grass.
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| Pergola |
17th to 18 July at Pont St Martin in a field
Ah - well here, we do literally only have a field by a muddy, but pretty river. A dead fish lies on the bank... Water for the horses is bucketed out of the river nevertheless. Harry drives the team into the little town so that they can have showers. Jakki is the only one who remains dirty. Here it is truly spartan but we're not complaining ! Kevin cooks pasta alla carbonara.
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| Horse Power |
16th to 17th July at Vieillevigne near Le Lac des Vallées in a field
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| Aurevoir Vieillevigne |
Fairly spartan accommodation but the luxury of very clean loos and wash hand basins put at our disposal by the Mairie a second from where we camp The weather is pretty good but windy and we have the wonderful visit of Catherine Legras who came out to film us on 3 or 4 occasions during the 2008 project. This time Catherine comes with her baby boy Alexander, husband Paul, and her sister. Let's hope she sends us a photograph so we can include in on this blog.
Lovely seeing you Catherine and meeting your beautiful son ! Thank you for making the detour from Nantes airport on your way to Noirmoutier and hope to see you all again in Brittany before you go back to Ireland when you go to visit your mother!
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| A watering hole for the horses, believe it or not |
15th to 16th July La Bagatelle at Chauche in La Vendee in a field on the top of a hill
On a plot of land owned by M. et Mme Gustave Praud.
Un grand merci a vous M. et Mme Praud! Monsieur Praud a very sprightly gentleman of 70, not only rides with his wife regularly, but also runs and cycles every day. An example.
It's very windy, but SUNNY for the moment. Our campsite is, however, appreciated by the horses and here's a picture to prove it - or there soon will be.
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| If you've got good eyesight, then you can believe us |
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| In and out of the rain |
For the humans, well, we're getting used to no loos, no showers, no running water... we had too much luxury. Not true - WE LOVE LUXURY.
12th, 13th, 14th 15th July – Ste Cécile in the Vendee somewhere on a hill top in a field
HAPPY 14TH JULY to all the French and all who celebrate. Our team went into celebrate and enjoyed the disco and the fireworks. Jakki stayed at the camp to watch horses and dogs.
Marie Noel and Jean-Yves arrive Saturday morning with Kevin Belleperche. WELCOME KEVIN !
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| A very slightly camera shy Kevin |
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| Kevin being welcomed by Chris and Peter |
from the Mission Locale de Lorient. A very huge welcome to Kevin and farewell to Maxime who has been with us from the start - a not inconsiderable feat, so well done Maximus, as Jakki calls you. We will see Maxime in two weeks' time when we are in Brittany, so it is only: AUREVOIR MAXIME..
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| Maxime on Seth |
Marie-Noel and Jean-Yves, part of our wonderful Brittany team, bring along two of the young people they foster, another Maxime and Florian - they will make our Maxime's journey back by car from La Vendée to Brittany a little less empty perhaps.
We arrive at Sainte Cecile – and, for those of whom don’t know, St Cecile is the Patron Saint of Music! The music we hear in the evening after we arrive is Fred playing the guitar with a backing of heavy raindrops.
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| The concert Hall piece entitled : "In Hommage to Sainte Cecile" |
Pergola, or Big Mama, as she is dubbed, the trait Breton, is a very slow eater, so has to be fed away from the other 3 greedy girls or by one of the team holding her bucket of Royal Horse food and warding off the others who have already finished their bucketful. She has a lovely nature and knows us all by now.
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| In hommage to Saint Cecile - Fred's guitar and Buddy doing a pre-wash |
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| Digs at St Cecile |
On Friday the 13th, the incessant drumming of the pouring rain is music we could well do without. It is now beating down so hard that the only place that the team can sit is in their already soaked tents. Our site for 3 days has minimum comfort: no loos, no running water. The hangar offers some rudimentary shelter. We hear, a trifle despondently that the areas we have just ridden/driven through are now under strong sunshine. .. Oh well, cool weather is better for the horses, but on our days of pause, we would have loved some welcome sunshine. You get what you get in life !
Harry stoically cooks lunch with the rain beating down – tuna and pasta which is eaten under the ‘awning’ of the hangar.
Luke finds a 4 leaf clover (as does Chris) and as it is supposed to be a good omen, Jakki puts one of them in the charity cheque book to help swell our funds which are getting frighteningly low due to the imponderables which have occurred since our departure. Yes, we are appealing to you all. Please help us and donate money as a matter of urgency ! Our website shows different ways of donating. Thank you in advance.
Maxime will be leaving us tomorrow as his 2 and a half months will be up. Another young man is joining us from the Mission Locale de Lorient – let’s hope for his sake that the weather isn’t quite as bleak for his first night with us. It will be sad to say goodbye to Maxime – we have been through a lot together. He has built up a good relationship with Fred and all the team members.
On our way from St Hilaire du Bois to St Cecile, the carriages meet up with the riders on the way.
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| Yes, it's Gael on Qualitous with Luke as Jakki & Peter overtake them in the carriage |
11th till 12th July: La Daudiere near St Hilaire du Bois.
A huge thank you to M. et Mme Gilbert Turcaud for their lovely welcome and letting us stay the night at their home at La Daudiere. Monsieur Turcaud gives a lovely, UNHILLY route to Jakki for the carriages to take on their way to Ste Cecile and the horses start the day with flat terrain.
10th till 11 July: Camping a la Ferme, La Grande Perrure, Mervent.
Luke and Jakki recognise this place run by M. Guy Bernard as somewhere they had stayed in 2008. It’s called a ‘Ferme Pédagogique’.
Gill (Nurse) is still with us as is Max ,her dog, and Gill busies herself helping, cooking, listening and becoming invaluable. Thanks Gill ! She sets off back early to go home to the Dordogne until she joins us again which everybody looks forward to.
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| A lunchtime stop altogether |
9th July till 10th: La Gandremiere, Fenious chez les Nicoles.
After a farewell visit this morning at the Plan d'Eau from Laurence Mercier, we set off and have a mostly uneventful drive and ride towards M. et Mme Nicole's lovely home
with their two sons, David and Mickael - Grands Mercis a vous Famille Nicole. Thanks to the journalist from Nouvelle Republique, the local Deux Sèvres newspaper who comes to do an article (check our website for articles)
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| We kid you not, IT IS a goat riding on a sheep and then... |
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| sitting down on the sheep's back amongst the other sheep, geese, Camargues, goats |
If you remember, we in the carriages, had met their brother/brother in law on the way to Cherveux when he had stopped his car by where we were stopped for a chat - as people do -and, when Jakki asked if he knew somewhere to stay, he had suggested his brother's home as a night's stop. A very nasty farmer on the carriages' approach to Fenious tells the carriages to get off a road and that it is private property. No signs saying private and on the map, it was a road. Well, you can't win them all, we certainly know that, and back-track in high dudgeon.
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| Regis who is cycling from St Nazaire to Calvi with only one leg ! Courageous chap |
However, we stop at a bridge on the way to Fenious and Beth and Jakki giggle away at a tricycle coming at top speed down the hill towards the bridge where the carriages are stopped, the biker adorned in yellow and with flags flying - as if on the Tour de France, which is running at the momen. To our embarrassment he stops and we notice that he has only one leg. We ask him where he is headed for and he says 'Calvi' which as you know is in Corsica. He asks us the same question and we say 'London'. Well, one does have such conversations, of course. We chat for about 20 minutes and Regis, as he is called, eventually heads off on his way to Corsica and we towards London.
7th, 8th/ to 9th July: Camping Plan d'Eau Cherveux et St Christophe
Gill (Nurse) comes to visit us and joins in helping and talking to the 'young people.
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| Inbetween a rain storm on their way to Cherveux |
A big thank you to Monsieur Jean-Louis Guchault, from the Chateau de Herbaudiere, Sèvres, for giving us 4 bales of hay. Merci a vous !
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| Gwen on Rabiolot coping much, much better ! Bravo Gwen |
Another big thank you to Monsieur Jean-Pierre Baraton, Président of the Syndicat du Plan d'Eau for giving us our second night free of charge at the Plan d'Eau under "opérations a caractère social". Merci a vous ! Thank you also to Mme Laurence Mercier.
On the way to Cherveux we meet a man who stops his car to chat to us, seeing us giving the draught horses something to drink. We tell him that we have nowhere to stay and the problem is yet again, miraculously, solved. His brother at Fenioux will put us up. Thank you Monsieur Nicole for having stopped and enjoy your own Franc Comtois which you have just bought.
On arrival at the Plan d'Eau which Luke and Jakki recognise Cherveux from the 2008 project, Harry drives Dominic off to La Rochelle airport to catch his return flight to UK. The next day is spent doing various tasks, oiling the collars (thank you Fany, Gwen and Maxime).
6th July Vitre, Place de la Mairie
The weather has yet again been atrocious. It is better for the horses, but the rain is heavy when it falls. Some of the territory is much flatter than we are used to and we are most grateful for this for the sake of our horses.
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| Dominic getting used to draught horses |
A brief stop over at Vitre and our thanks to Monsieur le Maire, Monsieur Lenne and Mme Ingrand for letting us stay there. A Franco-British game of basketball takes place in the evening. The writer is not sure who won.
5th July Brioux sur Boutonne - site the Mairie gives us
This little town is in festive mood when we drive through it with a huge tent saying Fête Mentale. Some of our team , the English, as it turns out, wander down to the Fete and eat a plate of creepy-crawlies. The
'cook' tells them that she learned the recipe during the 2nd World War when people were starving.
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| Yuk ! |
A lovely elderly lady who lives next door doesn't mind us putting our extension lead to her house. She bakes us an apple tart and brings it over for our supper.
Thank you Madame Inconnu.
Jakki's son, Dominic, comes to join the team from Niort station for a couple of nights. He has been with Andy and Roger Hayes' mother/wife and brother at the site of the air crash and helping them out with the gendarmerie who have been extremely kind and helpful in their time of great distress. Dominic rides in the carriage for a couple of days with Jakki. He has asked me Jakki to thank all the well wishers who have rung or emailed.
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| Horses welcome the flat plains of the Charente and Les Deux Sèvres |
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| A lovely line-up - MERCI ROYAL HORSE - nos chevaux se régalent... |
4th July: Manoir de la Foye, La Foye Vinax
Again, how do we say thank you to Nick and Chania Coveyduck for everything they did for us and for the horses too? We start by saying thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your hospitality, generosity and kindness towards us all. We wish you both a wonderful time at Nick's son's wedding in November.
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| Nick and Chania, our wonderful hosts, at the back |
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| Peter confessed to Jakki in the carriage the next day, having had 4 helpiings of Paella ! |
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| Nick Coveyduck next to Harry and opposite Maxime |
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| Luke, Beth and Peter |
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| And they even had the use of a sitting room in the gite too ! |
Luxury for the team - BEDS in the Coveyducks gites plus warm showers, loos - utter luxury. Jakki decided to stay in her wagon. It's 'easier'. A wonderful paella made by Nick (the best some of us have ever had, including gambas, chorizo, chicken, mussells, red peppers, green beans), followed by a marvellous cheese board and that followed by slices of cooled melon.
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| Barbie's horse, Manolo, and Mel with Nana and Jakki outside the Coveyducks' home |
Nick and Chania invite the lovely Mayor, Guillaumette, as well as some English friends. Barbie decides to ride her Irish Cob, Manolo, with the Camargues and their riders' the next day and hubby, Mel, comes to pick Barbie and Manolo up in their trailer later on. A lovely day had by all.
Thank you both for the hay you give us.
3rd July: Terrain de la Mairie, St Fraigne Petite Place et chevaux en bas Merci a Monsieur le Maire, Monsieur Franck Bonnet, aussi vice-président du Conseil Général de la Charente
We are housed with our tents and hosepipe and wagons in a tiny little walled area right by the Mairie and the horses' field is down the road in this immaculate little village. The wagons get in and out without a scrape. The Mayor, Monsieur Franck Bonnet comes to visit in the morning and an article will be published in the Town Hall Magazine. Merci a vous, Monsieur Bonnet
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| At St Fraigne |
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| Beth and Luke leading Rita and Seduisante to their field through St Fraigne |
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| For those of you who don't believe that the Brits are hard working ... ! |
1st July to 3 July: Polem's Club - Poney Club de St Front
Well our hearts, yet again, go out in gratitude to Fred and Olivier Jouannet, all their helpers and volunteers, Fred's mother (who gave Jakki two lovely pots of jam) and to everybody who came and made it such a lovely and warm occasion. MERCI A TOUTES ET A TOUS. A tremendous effort was made by the very hard working couple, Fred and Olivier, and we really appreciate their kindness and generosity. The tirelire which was placed on the table gathered up 169,45 EUROS- yes, they even thought of a collection box for us !!
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| Home made Fare for us |
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| A team line up with some others |
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Olivier in blue shirt and Constance, the vet, in brown trousers
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Constance, Fred and Olivier's vet whom you can just glimpse in brown jeans and white top above, looks over our horses and pronounces them well - she does this for the charity, free of charge !! Thank you Constance.
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| Jakki with a mike trying with difficulty to say an adequate thank you |
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| Correspondant from newspaper on far right |
A reception is being planned for this evening, so more about that later above!
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| Aurore and Manon from the Centre Equestre busy preparing |
We leave St Constant and set off towards the Poney Club de St Front at Fred (female) and Olivier Jouannet's Centre Equestre where we are warmly welcomed. Because our friendly farrier of a few days before had warned the riders that they must take it very easily with the Camargue's shoes wearing very thin, they decide to walk all the way. Gwen is much admired by all for her stoicism
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| Gwen in the Foret de la Braconne and onboard for the photo |
and lack of complaining, unlike Maxime, who can't take it and phones for a lift leaving the others to lead his Camargue... Good old Gwen, good old others ! Fany goes in the carriage with Jakki - a first for her. She makes for a good companion in the carriage and has a lesson in map reading. Jakki ministers to sore feet amidst much good humour.'
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| Calomined feet |
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| You can tell a well-dressed horse by its' feet! |
The farrier is here on this sunny Monday morning as we had '
booked' him in a while before. While Luke was chatting to the farrier, Alexandre Olmedo, it turns out that Alexandre knows Luke's farrier, the World Champion Farrier, Steven Beane, and much admires him ! What a small world!
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Luke with Alexandre Olmedo
New Shoes
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| Two scarecrows meet each other |
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| Contrary to what some people say, Luke navigates correctly through the forest with a compass |
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