Chateau Lavanau News

shadows on the snow

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:41:41 -0800

Just so pretty!! The snow never lasts here more than one day but so
far we're on Day 2 and the white stuff is staying put, despite the
best efforts of the sun today to warm things up.

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Lavanau under snow

Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:39:53 -0800

Our turn now, as the snow fell overnight in our corner of SW France.
6 cms and still snowing.

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Plum Tree Tracery

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:10:19 -0800

Pruning is over. It's warm enough for the trees to bud. But please Not. Yet.

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Happy Christmas & New Year

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:06:47 -0800

Hoping everyone has a wonderful holiday break and a great 2012, and
looking forward to seeing you here at Chateau Lavanau.

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Printing Studio

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 06:53:13 -0800

Winter here seems to wash away the colours in the landscape leaving
pale ochres, raw umbers, charcoal, and creamy greys. The stone barn
here echoes the clay soil it stands on. Inside it is being partially
reconverted to create a printing studio.
Our friend and neighbour Keith Stevens has given us his valuable time
and expertise in designing and constructing this new space, which will
house presses for collagraph, lino, wood, lithograph, etching and
monoprinting.
Workshops will start in early 2012 and future students as well as the
art groups already enrolled here will have an exciting new space to
work in. Watch out for the completed studio pictures soon......

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2nd Chateau Lavanau West of Paris Wine Tasting

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:17:07 -0800

We've been asked back !! Enormous thanks to Anne and Colin for hosting
again. If you're in the area we'd love to see you.

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Summer's Gone

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:52:09 -0700

Two photos which evoke the Summer now that the first chill days are
starting to arrive. The breakfast table which is the heart and soul
of all good b & bs everywhere (notwithstanding the other essentials:
crisp Egyptian cotton bedlinen, lovely views, sun on demand and nice
hosts!!)
The other picture is a patchwork of lovely moments spent with Vanessa
& Martin, two of several friends who stopped by, in addition to a host
of delightful clients.
The swimming pool and ping pong table were well used, the wine stocks
were depleted, the croquet balls got hammered, the Sauvignon and
Cabernet are safely in, and the sun shone most of the time.

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The Grapes Come In

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 11:45:00 -0700

At 6am on the 31st August our 2011 vendange begins. The Sauvignon
grapes are always first to come in, and this year in addition to the
fresh morning air we also cooled down the press with blocks of ice to
ward off possible heating & oxydisation of the grapes after sunrise.
Our friends from Paris, Vanessa & Martin were with us to share our
excitment (& trepidation). Their first experience of a vendange, which
was also Vanessa's birthday. We celebrated this with a toast straight
from the press, of the unfermented grape juice. Throughout the
vendange timing is essential. So not only do the grapes need to hit
the press with all possible speed but machines need to perform
reliably after a year's rest when they are cranked to life. The
weather has to be ideally cool but dry. If you haven't experienced a
vendange & are interested in more technical facts read on...

The grape harvester straddles each row and the grapes get beaten off
the stalks with spinning paddles and chucked into bins. They are then
tipped into deep trailers when the bins are full. The photos show
Michel driving the huge harvester which requires delicate precision
and skill. Martin & Paul are waiting to see the action next to the
trailer. Back at the chai, Michel's son Benjamin is joining the
pipework to and from the Vaslin press. The full trailer is backed
up to the press and the grapes & juice are pushed through and along
the pipe to the press where a thorough crushing of the fruit takes
place and the resulting juice is sucked into the vat. Discarded
twigs, pit and pith are swept up.
By 10 am the heat was up & a further load must now wait to be
harvested at dawn tomorrow.

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Les cyclistes at Lavanau

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 08:48:15 -0700

A group of retired friends arrived for a few days of exploring the
area mainly by bike.
I was expecting a frail party but to my astonished admiration they
were off after 8 o'clock breakfasts and covered 40 kilometres each
day.
My own bike has been languishing in a shed for 6 years after 2 short 10 minute
outings. Time to dust it down, and heave myself out of the deckchair.
They have truly inspired me.
I should add the verdict of the group: that this was perfect cycling
country: traffic free roads, gentle slopes and beautiful scenery.

Come on over here. Have bike will travel.

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me & maya down by the seaside

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 06:51:00 -0700

A week out due to an all house booking & the generous offer by our daughter-in-law,
Camille to replace us here. A chance to catch up with Tom, Becs & Maya in
Cantabria; to paddle, to chill (in both senses) & brave the surf. The
sun did come out eventually, we did swim & Paul rode again!
Interesting for us to swap the Summer experience somewhere else for a change after
nearly 7 years here.

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summertime

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:58:00 -0700

The art lessons are over until October & a pot luck lunch was held on
the terrace as about 3/4 of the group made it over, and delivered some
delicious dish. I provided bread & water (& wine). This is Summer at
its best. Good food, good wine, laughter, friendship & brilliant
sunshine.

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A Tasting to remember

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 05:00:01 -0700

As the sun set on a grillingly hot day, Paul led a wine tasting which
included wine connoisseurs Len & Jackie Deakin and Malcolm & Jane
Roberts from Canada. Malcolm is a distinguished wine expert
recognized by St Emilion's prestigious Jurade having been awarded the
status of 'Vigneron d'Honneur'. The 'Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne
has dubbed him 'Chevalier' for his work in introducing rare proprietor
produced Champagnes to Canada. It was interesting that he was here,
when our 1st order from Canada had just left our cellar.
Our tasting panel was generous about the Chateau Lavanau vintages they
sampled.
The event was rounded off by Malcolm opening some unique grower
champagnes; Larmandier- Bernier extra brut blanc de blanc, vieilles
vignes de Cramant grand cru 2005 & Tarlant extra brut cuvée Louis
(terroir unique Les Crayons)
As midnight approached most of the group plunged into the floodlit
pool to cool off.

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sculpture & other lovely things outside

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 09:59:54 -0700

Weird & wonderful objects are materialising in the garden. An iron
cockerel is now welded high onto his perch, master of all he surveys.
Constructed of machine & tool pieces (like Picasso's 'Baboon' 'Goat' &
'Stork') by Bill Carter (www.villamblardsculptures@blogspot.com)
The 'Pedalling Swordfish' presides over the back terrace. Welded from
cogs & other machine bits by Paul's brother Dominic, who creates
one-off Constructivist masterpieces when he's not farming his
thousands of acres, or riding to hounds or giving us precious help & a
strong arm here!
Keith Drew has a kiln & workshop in La Bastide, Monestier near us,
where he fabricates beautifully shaped moulds & sumptuous colours for
his hand made tiles. (tel: 06 79 46 97 92)
The old wine press found its way from Anne-Christine & Jacques
Robinet's barn & was re-fitted here as a sculptural reminder of a
viticultural heritage before high tech pneumatic presses began to
squeeze the juice.
The overall view from the upstairs guest bedrooms is now garden like
Song birds & butterflies have started to appear & the bees are
buzzing! But... it's still very much a garden-in-progress.

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Brian Lewis & Alison Wagstaffe

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:11:25 -0700

The artistic calendar at Chateau Lavanau is winding down after a year
of prolific creativity, charity art auction + art show and
inspirational guest artists.
The auction has already been well documented in recent posts.
(although it might be interesting to know that my hero Ed Parker and
his team of ex and wounded soldiers made it to the North Pole in
record time against all the odds and defying the misgivings of past
arctic explorers).
But back to the beginning. The art year kicked off last September
with a series of exciting workshops led by 2 distinguished British
artists who took the time out from their busy schedules to give us the
benefit of their talent and experience. Brian Lewis
(www.art-e-mail.com ) based in Norfolk, paints acrylics in sparkling
colours reflecting the joy and humour of life around him. He has 2
art shows a year from his studio Bees Hall in Sherringham (check out
his website for news of future shows).

Alison Wagstaffe (www.aliwagstaffe.co.uk) also based in Norfolk, gave
classes in creating collograph and mono-type prints. Her own work is
a magical world of figures floating, dreaming, romantically entwined
against richly patterned settings.
We were privileged to have them here.

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Distinguished artists at Chateau Lavanau

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:08:18 -0700

Two well known artists & illustrators of childrens' books came to
stay for a week to paint. Sarah Hayes whom we've known for nearly 40
years and her friend Helen Craig, famous for her 'Angelina Ballerina'
books.
They collaborated on the wonderful 'This is a Bear' series.
Between them they have sold several million childrens' books.
Like the best child literature their work is enjoyed equally by adults
as by their offspring. Our 38 year old Tom loved 'The Cats of Tiffany
Street' by Sarah, as much as his daughter Maya, while I delight in the
delicate humorous drawings by Helen and Sarah's glorious colours.

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cleaning the pond

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:33:39 -0700

At last we properly got to see the koi we had thrown into the lily
pond 2 years ago, as well as the smaller ones last year. In order to
clean the pond Paul and Ahmed relocated them into 2 large buckets
where they swarmed around in full view.

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planting the garden

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:20:27 -0700

The sudden heatwave has enticed us outside and inspired us to continue
our garden planting scheme started 3 years ago. The tiny plants poke
through a protective plastic sheet, to supress the mid-summer weed
invasion. The flowerbed pictured will be (we hope) the 'scented
garden' and includes phloxes, musk roses, lemon balm, rosemary, thyme,
lilac, lavender, lilies, and viburnum. Pride of place goes to orange
white and yellow Iceland poppies, offered to us by Becs, our daughter
in law
The soil here alternates between rock hard and sticky putty, both
hellish to dig, and the intense heat means continuous watering
through the summer months. Our water system is recycled so that all
household water drains via ditches through sand filters to the
irrigation lake from where it is re-used on the farm and garden.

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Evelina & Misha

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:37:26 -0700

Our week was brightened by 2 lovely girls who came to paint, my niece
Evelina & her friend Misha.
They joined in 3 group art lessons, and continued producing impressive
work in the studio for the rest of each day here; but still had time
to have fun, walk the dog, & cook us a fantastic supper. The
beautiful small art work was done by them both before they left. I'll
frame & treasure it. Evvy & Misha come again soon!

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painting extension

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 12:40:48 -0800

The lowest part of Mike 's painting.

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More art works

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:26:10 -0800

86 year old Alice paints her sailing boats from memory, using the
experience of a lifetime in using her chosen media. In class she may
create a similarly wonderful watercolour in just two & a half hours.

Mike started painting 3 years ago and his still life in a vertical
triptych, combines watercolour, acrylic, collage, inks, pastels and
pencil.
His inventiveness is extraordinary.

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