31 December 2017

CHENONCEAU–THE LAST PART. AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

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Ever since I was a little girl I have loved visiting old houses.  A trip to some nearby stately home in Derbyshire with my parents - Hardwick, Chatsworth or Haddon for example, was a summer treat that I always looked forward to.  Here in Derbyshire we have a good supply of old houses and monuments to visit and I have many happy memories of picnics by the river at Chatsworth or tea in the tea rooms of some other grand old house or other.

For as long as I can remember the best part of any visit for me would be to see the kitchens.  I have no idea why they should fascinate me so much, but they still do.

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Maybe it’s the sight of the preposterously large ovens and ridiculously shiny copper pans which make kitchen life seem so fascinating compared to how it is in modern times. 

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Or maybe too many of the “upstairs, downstairs” kind of TV programmes that I loved watching when I was younger – in fact still do to be honest.  There have been several TV series in the UK recently which have portrayed the reality of kitchen life in these big houses, dispelling any idea that kitchen work was anything other than dangerous hard graft. 

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But I still find kitchens fascinating and am disappointed if we visit a château where the kitchen is not part of the tour.

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At Chenonceau the kitchens are a delight, with shiny pots and cooking pans and mysterious gadgets aplenty.

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Plenty of things for a person with an overly active imagination and rather romantic fascination for life in “the olden days” to enjoy!

So that’s it for 2017.  A huge thank you to those who have stuck with me in the last couple of years where my blogging seems to have lost direction somewhat.  I can’t promise anything different next year but for me it feels different, our future more or less settled rather than in limbo.  I hope so anyway.

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL !!

9 comments:

  1. I have enjoyed the tour of Chenonceau. Wishing you and yours all the best in 2018!

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  2. Happy New Year to you and your family. I truly enjoy following your blog. Are you going back to France?

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    1. PJ, we are sliding into a pattern of living 50/50, or thereabouts, between France and England. So yes, we will be returning to France in a couple of months, for a very long spell.

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  3. I hope your 2018 is the best year yet.

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  4. And thanks to you for your blog, which I find so enjoyable!

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  5. Happy New Year to you, and to Nick too. Thanks for the Chenonceau series.

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  6. Jean, I also loved visiting National Trust houses, even though my husband insists we'd have been "downstairs" rather than "upstairs." The kitchens are my favorite areas of these grand houses and I appreciate learning about the tools they used. Happy new year to you two and the pets.

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  7. I have really enjoyed your blog. Your adventures in France then back to England again. Don't know how you manage it and so many new kitchens ! Happy new year ! To your family. Looking forward to your next years adventures.

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  8. thank you for this, I love old kitchens, can spend hours gazing at rotisserie-equipped fireplaces and unplumbed sinks feeling sorry for spitboys and potboys.

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