About me
I cover the Haute Vienne – Vienne border (Departments 87 and 86) We moved to live permanently in the North Haute Vienne five years ago after having come here for six school holidays a year since 2000, including driving from Gloucestershire to just north of Limoges for some weekends! For us it satisfies all our needs. I was born near Aberfeldy, north of Perth, Scotland, and my home was on the banks of the River Tay. Here I live in a very similar environment – a house on the banks of the equally beautiful River Gartempe – but it rains less and it’s much warmer!
In my earlier life in Britain I was Director of Music in a busy school. Here in France I’ve had ‘time out’, taught English in Primary schools for a couple of years, and nowwork as an estate agent. My musical needs are met through playing Alto Sax in the local band (regularly wearing the uniform white jacket with red epaulettes, and marching through the medieval streets of my local town!). Last summer we played in Limoges with ten other bands, followed by aperitifs and canapés at the Town Hall. It’s fun – and a brilliant way to get to grips with the language – although the fact that music is the same language throughout the world helps a lot – as do the aperitifs!
My younger daughter has attended school here for 5 years now. The fact that she intends to go on to university here, and to become a primary school teacher, speaks for itself. For her, weekends and non-winter evenings are spent riding with her friends and messing about on the river in an old rowing boat.
Being a part of the community is a vital part of our life here. We have a thriving social committee who organize many events throughout the year, the highlight being the Harvest weekend in early August when there’s a ‘Jazz sur l`herbe’ evening on the Friday, followed by a whole day (and night!) celebrating the ‘harvest’ on the Sunday. My husband is much appreciated by the commune for his eager involvement in all the setting up, and serving at the bar.
|  | About my area
Limousin is the centre for the arts of fire – porcelain and enamel. Still relatively unknown to tourists, this lovely region was neglected until the opening of railways in the late 19th century. Limoges, of course, is famous for its porcelain workshops; there are Gothic cathedrals, stained glass and enamel marvels. Poitiers is equally famous for its history, particularly that of England v France! More up to date, this area is full of espionage and Maquis stories from the 2nd World War, and there’s the devastating reminder of how painful it all was at Oradour sur Glane, where the burnt out village has been kept as it was, so we don’t forget.
It’s the region famed for its Limousin cattle – the great rival of Aberdeen Angus beef, but also for its lamb, pork and veal, with Bellac being the ‘Sheep Capital of France’. Local produce includes Civray, a soft goat’s milk cheese; and the fruity Haute Poitou wines which are produced just north of Poitiers. Popular Limousin dishes include Chestnut soup with cèpes, potato tart, salmon in a sorrel sauce, excellent steak (of course!), black pudding with apples or chestnuts, hazelnut gateau, clafoutis…..
Plentiful walks to work off all that eating; lovely riding stables with treks in the hills and woods; cycling, of course, is always very popular due to our abundance of quiet roads; outdoor centres for kayaking and rock climbing; watersports, bungee jumping (!), as well as all the usual tennis, superb swimming pool complexes, etc. In the winter, if you fancy going ski-ing it’s only a 3 hour drive to Mont Dore!
France is still a largely rural country with a relatively even spread of population, but in the Haute Vienne a main feature is the spacious countryside. Little touched by industrialization or mass tourism, the Haute Vienne seems to represent the quintessence of rural France. Much of this area is a quiet countryside of hedgerows,ponds and shady meadows, unspoiled by modern agricultural practices, drained by many significant rivers flowing north to the Loire.
Here we have a nation with a strong rural tradition – a strong sense of community, where there are weekly markets in the smallest of towns, traditional village fêtes, groups of men playing boules or petanque in the village arena. We ensure that they get involved in our traditions too – Burns’ Supper � la français has become an annual event! |
