tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47592023633982210172024-03-13T04:01:24.387+01:00Mas de l'Houvandechambres et table d'hôtes
<br>bed & breakfast - gastenkamers<br>Gästezimmer - agriturismo - turismo ruralUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-8103968511024312182020-03-27T13:35:00.001+01:002020-03-27T13:41:07.414+01:00Corona Time<br />
After so long a time I’m trying to get up again with a new blog post.<br />
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First of all : I hope u all r well.<br />
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Due to corona we are all confined to the home – to protect ourselves and the others. Not very pleasant, but a matter of survival, respect for medical and social services, etc. etc.<br />
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But as always: there are also positive things. Especially nature has the time to recover a bit. <br />
Even here in Prayssac where the air is normally rather unpolluted we notice already after 10 days of confinement an amelioration of air quality.<br />
Also the wildlife has a quiet time as no hunting or fishing is allowed.<br />
As you can see in the picture wildlife is recovering around the house and enjoying life. We see a lot more deers and hares in the fields before and around us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4EZvxWjuuaHcMc2H9FNm9UeTJOH8_nWPaa5JbePEl-cMt7kdkUg3mt1VgwnMKwXORAdK1StVuGozkyKVcuMm6fCt0E0etlBeBN0XhPOzsajGT06CJAt-UpxYHYBxqFvm1ils-4junvDJ/s1600/lotbiches.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL4EZvxWjuuaHcMc2H9FNm9UeTJOH8_nWPaa5JbePEl-cMt7kdkUg3mt1VgwnMKwXORAdK1StVuGozkyKVcuMm6fCt0E0etlBeBN0XhPOzsajGT06CJAt-UpxYHYBxqFvm1ils-4junvDJ/s320/lotbiches.jpg" width="320" height="207" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1200" /></a> <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-uHysVJblQ5tmnpLi42Bh4p8c_mP6uc1t4epzvCUa-n3Q8AVwXhmmkO36Pp-31Pa-QD9CKUS7-yHWs5FPCT8M0v3hYWm7pnv93GNs3rlZVWpvdWnxjqMLrciwfk2NBWA8fkoWlmrDgUA/s1600/lotlievre.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-uHysVJblQ5tmnpLi42Bh4p8c_mP6uc1t4epzvCUa-n3Q8AVwXhmmkO36Pp-31Pa-QD9CKUS7-yHWs5FPCT8M0v3hYWm7pnv93GNs3rlZVWpvdWnxjqMLrciwfk2NBWA8fkoWlmrDgUA/s320/lotlievre.jpg" width="320" height="207" data-original-width="1100" data-original-height="711" /></a> <br />
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Recently our new website got ready.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.mashouvande.com" target="_blank">mas houvande website</a> is now responsive to all formats : smartphones, tablets and PC.<br />
Hope it works fine for everybody and hope u like it.<br />
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Take care of yourselves. Hope to see you in a near ? future.<br />
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Bernard & GrietUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-22947697454861789782016-05-15T10:51:00.001+02:002016-05-15T10:54:48.616+02:00Our redstarts<br />
Just as every year since we live here the black redstarts (French : rougequeue noir) have been very active and productive since the beginning of spring and have a nice offspring that started their flying lessons yesterday.<br />
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This one began his exercises early evening and was lucky that when he had to make a pause the cats were already in the house taking their evening catnap. <br />
Who knows what would have happened otherwise. Brrr.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9R8XEakzODEzbpzzjFrw_YyL7JOkbXdu0DX3RhOP5rLju9n4O2SjZF62zEkqNzxRiCKMkg2MNUsrE6NsHjF-Eg_RyNRA2a1U4kEjlIOMlwSnCpbmBgDMTv9XGgOLam241WfL44c6Pq53/s1600/rougequeue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh9R8XEakzODEzbpzzjFrw_YyL7JOkbXdu0DX3RhOP5rLju9n4O2SjZF62zEkqNzxRiCKMkg2MNUsrE6NsHjF-Eg_RyNRA2a1U4kEjlIOMlwSnCpbmBgDMTv9XGgOLam241WfL44c6Pq53/s320/rougequeue.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-87091630503145260272016-01-03T11:32:00.001+01:002016-01-03T13:00:02.307+01:00Happy New Year 2016<br />
Mas de l'Houvande wishes all its family, its friends and its guests all over the world a Happy New Year.<br />
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May 2016 be a happy year for all of you, fulfill all your wishes and bring you success, friendship, love and - last but not least - good health.<br />
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Cheers. Santé. Gezondheid. Zum Wohl. Cin cin. Salud !<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmM_5_E1JoiytcCtQk33_Op7cjYmQFSOzYLmeGZCr_EHiGRhnnoaJfMhvseTMYBUcjxMsrqWgMEH6AqsjZSVCAQFTU6XzU7BY_pVWxKn0katPgItxghwD9-EFYxr0l1b02ZZVlE1j5z0v/s1600/New-Year-2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmM_5_E1JoiytcCtQk33_Op7cjYmQFSOzYLmeGZCr_EHiGRhnnoaJfMhvseTMYBUcjxMsrqWgMEH6AqsjZSVCAQFTU6XzU7BY_pVWxKn0katPgItxghwD9-EFYxr0l1b02ZZVlE1j5z0v/s400/New-Year-2016.jpg" /></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-17116676211745839582015-10-04T12:12:00.001+02:002015-10-04T12:19:32.194+02:00Red wine harvest 2015<br />
The last day of September - the day our last guests of summer left home - Vinovalie harvested our small vineyard, formerly leasehold by Château Les Rigalets. <br />
This was way after the other neighbour winemakers who started the red wine harvest about the 20th of September.<br />
As they said they wanted to wait the longest possible to assure that the skins and the pips became even more mature so to make sure that afterwards the tannins in the wine are softer and lighter and in the end the wine is tasting smoother, "plus soyeux".<br />
This method is also used by the Seigneur wine of the AOC Cahors, such as e.g. Château du Cèdre, Clos Triguedina and Château Lagrézette.<br />
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Can't wait to taste the result !<br />
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Some photos :<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihaHk49fAJ8LXjdN2pdxX63TFG6A6HlrU6qVN048YvTvKgpp8vfQ4JHYzb4hh0u-xh3633iFn7U7zE_vRk-mv2bX5T_mpxhndTqN1wJvkmFbhJv71vCeDjOzl9rmCV2K60FPLGiuXLAQo/s1600/wine1.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihaHk49fAJ8LXjdN2pdxX63TFG6A6HlrU6qVN048YvTvKgpp8vfQ4JHYzb4hh0u-xh3633iFn7U7zE_vRk-mv2bX5T_mpxhndTqN1wJvkmFbhJv71vCeDjOzl9rmCV2K60FPLGiuXLAQo/s320/wine1.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVF6lKCblWj9M-icgaFhnfZXbA0Hwba62NqecU6vD3CW-Bo8NPzAs-JnSCmWoD4HrwHlmkrijWxSXTab-0Io9rqI-B2Sj3Kriv8CIZebLQVyEOGLLD5R1Xg7XHRYr_fzstcdA-MRwr_qv/s1600/wine2.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeVF6lKCblWj9M-icgaFhnfZXbA0Hwba62NqecU6vD3CW-Bo8NPzAs-JnSCmWoD4HrwHlmkrijWxSXTab-0Io9rqI-B2Sj3Kriv8CIZebLQVyEOGLLD5R1Xg7XHRYr_fzstcdA-MRwr_qv/s320/wine2.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXBbAOpUN8h6BDtX-OhGP1PQpYHlyb-alFFmRXAWbsIgaVBErQXCHoMWFK7Lo1pwRUQrtU_zo2YrVwK0F-IruaBg6AY-Mx2qzeyR3n_Opqa0GgvSvTqk0qKwSpr35NF8f_mKGv01D72M0/s1600/wine3.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcXBbAOpUN8h6BDtX-OhGP1PQpYHlyb-alFFmRXAWbsIgaVBErQXCHoMWFK7Lo1pwRUQrtU_zo2YrVwK0F-IruaBg6AY-Mx2qzeyR3n_Opqa0GgvSvTqk0qKwSpr35NF8f_mKGv01D72M0/s320/wine3.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyipX7jJIpTvTqLvRA805jykopdDQagu2fL-TK5jLbg8HE7TXqTbTIK3P-1rMaty1Rw1B8xk5T3kBvehBn0mrDn_8z_WT33HlnqfjRViCc2-DHnh4g01tkuFSQ9xt94-Ff5EYZ6518Q_6G/s1600/wine4.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyipX7jJIpTvTqLvRA805jykopdDQagu2fL-TK5jLbg8HE7TXqTbTIK3P-1rMaty1Rw1B8xk5T3kBvehBn0mrDn_8z_WT33HlnqfjRViCc2-DHnh4g01tkuFSQ9xt94-Ff5EYZ6518Q_6G/s320/wine4.JPG" /></a><br />
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For further info : <br />
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Today's <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2015/10/04/2190346-des-vendanges-declenchees-pour-obtenir-le-meilleur.html">article on the winemaking by Vinovalie</a> (in french) and their <a target="_blank" href="http://www.vinovalie.com/">website</a><br />
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Some basic knowledge on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-tannin-affects-red-wines-taste.html">tannins</a>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-14153263284102142332015-08-23T09:01:00.003+02:002015-08-23T09:06:03.714+02:00Tango festival at Prayssac<br />
As you know, every year in summer Prayssac is a center of tango activity.<br />
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During the last two weeks of July every day tango lessons take place and every night there is the possibility of tango-ing the night away.<br />
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Now you can see on Vimeo a nice selection of the maestro performances of the last few years. <br />
Watch and enjoy their elegance and listen to the beautiful tango music.<br />
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<a target="_blank" href="https://vimeo.com/search?q=tango+prayssac" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJR8rrI4m0uSiUTVLXDAw9g3TMDfOEenpNi9t5VBJHm1XI9lhAbf5oLfTaP_AUaGHyZ9cUgYLzXZXBTmAzwDOT-zp9_uoaIyEu5PZeuMOQeK0GV5MQKPt4JY2wjOXif7MTy_URLv0_0XF5/s400/tango_prayssac.jpg" /></a><br />
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Come and see next year from the 16th of July onwards.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-33969474584951616902015-07-19T12:37:00.000+02:002015-07-19T13:45:36.177+02:00HeatwaveSince about six / seven weeks no rain of any importance came down on earth in the Lot. <br />
The garden is longing for water and looks a bit brownish.<br />
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Last year we had a nice field of sunflowers in front of our terrace. <br />
This year it was wheat. <br />
Because of the hot hot weather the wheat harvest is finished in the whole department.<br />
Looks even more summerly now it is harvested.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSD-VFhNjeJqYeozjw-_gGH-dhx8OAAK7PT3yiB9F220j4mbC0CsxM76MKnx0N2RbgLDsPJDOHyX6_d2Vald8rfb64_Tdk9kpMZMoQbeyPHMfUOXp9Vdk8wG0E3AYXIIgqybg_nFfoG-g/s1600/stro.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdSD-VFhNjeJqYeozjw-_gGH-dhx8OAAK7PT3yiB9F220j4mbC0CsxM76MKnx0N2RbgLDsPJDOHyX6_d2Vald8rfb64_Tdk9kpMZMoQbeyPHMfUOXp9Vdk8wG0E3AYXIIgqybg_nFfoG-g/s320/stro.JPG" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrQPmRuYGCFgA2c7oSZ0APqKLzd69jKSKh7SMeInl0Ty4UUXsiXTDc37xB6oh_grPjpf-XMe_TjPxq3qjusWinypDtSYTQifEEmkHoogJwVLJsoRP-GO5_nLF0d7OQDW9UCZ2twGOUxyO/s1600/stro2.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrQPmRuYGCFgA2c7oSZ0APqKLzd69jKSKh7SMeInl0Ty4UUXsiXTDc37xB6oh_grPjpf-XMe_TjPxq3qjusWinypDtSYTQifEEmkHoogJwVLJsoRP-GO5_nLF0d7OQDW9UCZ2twGOUxyO/s320/stro2.JPG" /></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-68666545560668913052015-05-03T09:47:00.000+02:002015-05-03T10:02:03.700+02:00The splendors of Cahors<br />
There are a lot of reasons to visit Cahors, the capital of the Quercy, in the Lot, the northern department of the Midi-Pyrenees : <br />
<blockquote>its panorama seen from the Mont St Cyr, <br />
its medieval bridge Pont Valentré, <br />
its cathedral with the gothic cloister, <br />
the secret gardens, <br />
its ancient streets with its half-timbered houses and <br />
the market hall with the delicious local products as cheese, Malbec wine, <br />
etc. etc.</blockquote><br />
<a href="http://www.detoursenfrance.fr/destinations/escapades/les-merveilles-de-cahors-1521" target="_blank">Read for yourself (article in French)</a> and come enjoy a stay.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNJsZFJhpY57kL-0mLxvCA3cfWCZFH0lMJZfxLk1OcHka42Ri5143M6XNGqWc2nBldyNVvi_OLrqWkXcH5RdCIZhx08z2kNuM3H_-F1YYojSkuGjYAHU4PGFXNWxT1kWZRIyM9j0AyB5S/s1600/cahors.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZNJsZFJhpY57kL-0mLxvCA3cfWCZFH0lMJZfxLk1OcHka42Ri5143M6XNGqWc2nBldyNVvi_OLrqWkXcH5RdCIZhx08z2kNuM3H_-F1YYojSkuGjYAHU4PGFXNWxT1kWZRIyM9j0AyB5S/s320/cahors.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxkcoLP-84GSWw1_gEwQ4CWxpXFeC3VXFq2KVvYo8eOYGfXn7yeT7NETbA6mpc2wHxpbjHtRcqpsNXSRKvin2E4WBu6mdIWGhPmHkNn4WRbbEFrKLZy1ZTdYIPhSdqbqwTwUYofaInYt-/s1600/cahors2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsxkcoLP-84GSWw1_gEwQ4CWxpXFeC3VXFq2KVvYo8eOYGfXn7yeT7NETbA6mpc2wHxpbjHtRcqpsNXSRKvin2E4WBu6mdIWGhPmHkNn4WRbbEFrKLZy1ZTdYIPhSdqbqwTwUYofaInYt-/s320/cahors2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-39332446624294249912015-03-15T10:23:00.000+01:002015-03-15T10:23:12.461+01:00Experience Malbec<br />
A nice video on the Malbec experience commented by famous winemakers, sommeliers and critics - and for those who know the region : nice views of vineyards and castles and some well-known winemakers ! <br />
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<object width="410" height="344"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/OYHW_fdCfM8"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/OYHW_fdCfM8 allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="410" height="344"> </embed></object><br />
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Do the Malbec tonight !<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-35382437398554053632015-03-08T10:10:00.001+01:002015-03-08T10:10:52.918+01:00Château Les Grauzils : gold medal in Paris<br />
Probably most of you know Philippe & Cathy Pontié of Château Les Grauzils, one of our neighbour winemakers.<br />
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There is very good news from them as their <b>viognier </b>white wine - <b>Insolite </b>- has been awarded a gold medal at the Paris wine competition this year.<br />
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It was the first time they competed. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRD2GqVKf7d0U4aU1j2FMonR5wUFRJWu1It0JyKeQcIXuJOyrQTJjFTfo-mAxUbHQWNTZLmPXSEWacSAbkj3Bb3SMxStE36FpZp9PBLDlz8A0TptCxfEWQdX4uz_SG9r4HkCQnSzS03GX/s1600/les+grauzils+-+ponti%C3%A9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeRD2GqVKf7d0U4aU1j2FMonR5wUFRJWu1It0JyKeQcIXuJOyrQTJjFTfo-mAxUbHQWNTZLmPXSEWacSAbkj3Bb3SMxStE36FpZp9PBLDlz8A0TptCxfEWQdX4uz_SG9r4HkCQnSzS03GX/s400/les+grauzils+-+ponti%C3%A9.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Here the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2015/02/27/2056932-medaille-d-or-au-chateau-des-grauzils.html">article </a>(in french).<br />
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Have a nice wine at the terrace.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-49283132791546919062015-01-16T10:14:00.004+01:002015-01-16T12:49:37.430+01:00Cahors and its black wine : stars in a tv detective series <br />
This Saturday, 17th of January 2015, Cahors and its wine region are the setting of a detective story, an episode of the French well-known tv series "<b>Le Sang de la vigne</b>". <br />
This series after the novels of Jean-Pierre Alaux - he himself a native of the Lot - is a light hearted detective series, featuring in each episode a wine region of France : this time <b>the valley of the Lot</b>. <br />
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The series has been very successful over the last four years, on tv and in book, reaching top rankings. <br />
One of the main reasons is - apart from the main actor, Pierre Arditi - the fact that in every episode a lot of touristic highlights of each region are integrated in the series. <br />
In the Lot episode - amongst others - the most important that might be rather familiar to a lot of you are : The <b>pont Valentré</b> in Cahors, <b>château de Mercuès</b>, <b>château du Cayrou</b> in Puy-l’Evêque, <b>château Lagrézette</b> à Caillac, Albas et of course <b>Saint-Cirq-Lapopie</b>. The jesuit college in the centre of Cahors was transformed into the <i>commissariat</i>, the local police station.<br />
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A little <i>fait divers</i> on this episode is that your humble servant was present at the shooting at the Château du Cayrou and could talk to the main actor and a lot of the crew.<br />
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So if you don't have other things to do : watch it. Exact place and time: France 3, Saturday at 20.50 hours, title: "Chaos dans le vin noir".<br />
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For more information see : <a href="http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2015/01/14/2028668-chaos-dans-le-vin-noir-samedi-sur-france-3-3.html" target="_blank">http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2015/01/14/2028668-chaos-dans-le-vin-noir-samedi-sur-france-3-3.html</a><br />
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For those who cannot see it "live" there is the opportunity to watch it in replay until one week after broadcasting at the following address :<br />
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<a href="http://pluzz.francetv.fr/videos/le_sang_de_la_vigne.html" target="_blank">http://pluzz.francetv.fr/videos/le_sang_de_la_vigne.html</a><br />
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Have a nice tv evening.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11FlAc7HIQAsAQaEtyHnH6tjokxhJfberUiv7vwyvtFBM7gZakMFF8DdaTlqHOWUHrSTtb1awUX8yNDoUdNXeXufYAyoJGtsvSb3ZvrMKWbMZG21q9WN9Ij4t6dRwkj2LrLQYh8k-o_6d/s1600/scene_sangdelavigne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh11FlAc7HIQAsAQaEtyHnH6tjokxhJfberUiv7vwyvtFBM7gZakMFF8DdaTlqHOWUHrSTtb1awUX8yNDoUdNXeXufYAyoJGtsvSb3ZvrMKWbMZG21q9WN9Ij4t6dRwkj2LrLQYh8k-o_6d/s400/scene_sangdelavigne.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">preparation of the shooting at the château du Cayrou</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwPFO3JlZcV5gRMNynZrL5cL2Pj8eAdAaCm4HPa-dv7hCqSZVgtnyW87i4lARFipqcFHWQJdbP1r3CeVijXKh3FgqlhvlQdnkStWuKGZhidxo1_h9EgiAQIBscyzQpTPcTW1g2GRXS0oF/s1600/acteurs_sangdelavigne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSwPFO3JlZcV5gRMNynZrL5cL2Pj8eAdAaCm4HPa-dv7hCqSZVgtnyW87i4lARFipqcFHWQJdbP1r3CeVijXKh3FgqlhvlQdnkStWuKGZhidxo1_h9EgiAQIBscyzQpTPcTW1g2GRXS0oF/s400/acteurs_sangdelavigne.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the principal actors, a.o. Pierre Arditi, the detective-oenologist (2nd from left)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-74803925977190353002015-01-01T10:03:00.000+01:002015-01-02T12:15:29.404+01:00All the very best for 2015<br />
Happy New Year!<br />
<br />
At the beginning of 2015 Mas de l'Houvande would like to thank all its guests and wish them all the best for the year to come. <br />
Best greetings and wishes also to all our friends and family all over the world.<br />
<br />
May all your wishes and dreams come true and may 2015 be filled with happiness, joy and - above all - a good health.<br />
<br />
Cheers ! <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmfNIup4bcP4fkS7IPT373pdo9DCG2yMLe4Gm7lVmX8Ja-OAUEDnKQKSUShhyphenhyphenKvO1n6wyN-NFWAC9bMYUb7j2g-jngH7hOlU-ra8cJ_-oTi204jgMwOnSfFxHFVX4a1o73sjZKG2SWuDF/s1600/pont-valentre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmfNIup4bcP4fkS7IPT373pdo9DCG2yMLe4Gm7lVmX8Ja-OAUEDnKQKSUShhyphenhyphenKvO1n6wyN-NFWAC9bMYUb7j2g-jngH7hOlU-ra8cJ_-oTi204jgMwOnSfFxHFVX4a1o73sjZKG2SWuDF/s400/pont-valentre.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fireworks at the Pont Valentré in Cahors</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-70011283412952244572014-12-07T14:40:00.001+01:002014-12-07T15:28:11.917+01:00Cahors wines amongst the best of the world<br />
Just in time for the end of the year festivities there is excellent news from the Cahors wine front : <br />
<br />
two very renomated American wine magazines, <b>Wine Spectator</b> and <b>Wine Enthusiast</b>, have listed three Cahors wines amongst the 100 best wines of the world : a great honour to the ancient wine region the Lot where malbec is the main grape variety.<br />
<br />
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2014/12/02/2003252-trois-vignerons-sacres-par-la-presse-americaine.html">Read for yourself (article in French)</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxl14ZgZSKUpvHT8ue9h4bedX2-x3cdAybjusM3dxCiXoEgRpOtSLt3tDSmE60UzcR1AJ1Kwk0a3wY_wjS10SvkLU8ErB0vyn30NAQiL3yniR1RlA4aQ4rjzJW-5t35UogiMX3GC2eenI/s1600/malbec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxl14ZgZSKUpvHT8ue9h4bedX2-x3cdAybjusM3dxCiXoEgRpOtSLt3tDSmE60UzcR1AJ1Kwk0a3wY_wjS10SvkLU8ErB0vyn30NAQiL3yniR1RlA4aQ4rjzJW-5t35UogiMX3GC2eenI/s320/malbec.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-28069505578561145412014-04-27T17:32:00.002+02:002014-04-27T17:32:59.630+02:00the photo album of 2013<br />
<br />
At last, a few days before Labour Day - uff, I will be allowed to enjoy the first of May ! - I could finish the photo album of 2013 with a selection of the photos received from our guests.<br />
<br />
Thanks a lot to everybody who contributed.<br />
<br />
As you can see from the pictures it was a hot summer with a lot of birds (esp. owls), bees and butterflies.<br />
<br />
I hope you like it.<br />
<br />
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.mashouvande.com/indexalbum2013.html" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiygSQTXM07K2X6eJJ7UEFW5DtjwYAMYJmkZxP52u_3lLHD5OApXkDUFmr6yTMuABNqgs9_UC6gHxSEkl7svw6Y2j_vMtSD0OPCI39SMcWGkRetRNjEl_nuaJB2JqeIoDLSuid5hyphenhyphenfJ5v2t/s400/album2013.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-68653807865530937362014-03-09T13:40:00.000+01:002014-03-09T13:40:27.475+01:00Deer all around<br />
It's has been a winter's time since my last post. <br />
As in most parts of Western Europe winter has been rather "hot" here and rainy but - contrary to last winter - not that grey at all.<br />
<br />
But now spring is in the air and I want to break my bear's sleep.<br />
<br />
I don't know if it is due to spring time or because of the mild winter but for the first time since we live here, i.e since 6 years, we see a lot of deer around the house and in the whole of Prayssac.<br />
According to the older neighbours this is very exceptional.<br />
<br />
I always loved this animal - not only because of its natural beauty and elegance - so it's nice to see them around much nearer.<br />
<br />
Here they are - our new friends.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83R77rC512vyHeHXTVlI2s12Ne-DkRp5PCV13J40pZ5vT1Hk4A42MVsnN3BN2WgHK49BB4HSAUqkqX_lGzvfgCqZF9a5X1zMfyFsv4dlybx9zU8ys6pwPr3si3z3molxH2o3jlCF9PfIo/s1600/biches_maison.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj83R77rC512vyHeHXTVlI2s12Ne-DkRp5PCV13J40pZ5vT1Hk4A42MVsnN3BN2WgHK49BB4HSAUqkqX_lGzvfgCqZF9a5X1zMfyFsv4dlybx9zU8ys6pwPr3si3z3molxH2o3jlCF9PfIo/s400/biches_maison.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TeDsVRJkoMVVo-KJSLkF56J5RPM-YiB117TpUll_1q_oQFld6wHpOyZNxsJIjkLpAWQe-ovYs2JFBYt3zy3RhWxQf8haAjuJGr7XLfWFcxppKqOvV_e2ruCCY-iwgpNMrYwI_aKvxT4y/s1600/cerf1.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TeDsVRJkoMVVo-KJSLkF56J5RPM-YiB117TpUll_1q_oQFld6wHpOyZNxsJIjkLpAWQe-ovYs2JFBYt3zy3RhWxQf8haAjuJGr7XLfWFcxppKqOvV_e2ruCCY-iwgpNMrYwI_aKvxT4y/s400/cerf1.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicf3L7JuDvyKlE1_xaEaxIGSSty1NM1nwBABE2Hl88hEDdeAsw_BViKbuokE89fRwXQG5-aivDjWRBxh8Z7b4DJDEbOMrBAAEnMloMzSVKndxwFJhEs6lj1c1mYY-GW2OGU6BpvMKPe726/s1600/cerf2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicf3L7JuDvyKlE1_xaEaxIGSSty1NM1nwBABE2Hl88hEDdeAsw_BViKbuokE89fRwXQG5-aivDjWRBxh8Z7b4DJDEbOMrBAAEnMloMzSVKndxwFJhEs6lj1c1mYY-GW2OGU6BpvMKPe726/s400/cerf2.jpg" /></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-91757953142116373872013-12-24T11:43:00.002+01:002013-12-24T11:44:35.511+01:00Best Wishes 2014<br />
Mas de l'Houvande wishes all his friends and guests all over the world a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.<br />
<br />
May 2014 fulfill all your wishes and bring you success, friendship, love and - last but not least - good health.<br />
<br />
Cheers. Cin cin !<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8XU1P5GqkBY-6rW44cArkXorM72No3FDqEMRI4vH57cR0qEu0a7AyVKEwaZ7WFIMUEafRcj_Y_amoLgSjyDpVS-AUJATD7FNtrDBhF8EgfeHqYLEh4C2KIFiXMMiazLfS_ruoNzBG0Qu/s1600/buon-natale-lingue-mondo.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8XU1P5GqkBY-6rW44cArkXorM72No3FDqEMRI4vH57cR0qEu0a7AyVKEwaZ7WFIMUEafRcj_Y_amoLgSjyDpVS-AUJATD7FNtrDBhF8EgfeHqYLEh4C2KIFiXMMiazLfS_ruoNzBG0Qu/s400/buon-natale-lingue-mondo.jpg" /></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-57506121032814085742013-11-17T11:16:00.003+01:002013-11-17T11:16:48.908+01:00Beautiful autumn colours<br />
This year - due to the mild temperatures and enough of rain - the colours in the vineyards are very beautiful again. Especially as it hasn't frozen yet.<br />
<br />
Look for yourself : some pictures I've taken in the neighbourhood.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW36h7EW3lYWARTuFBSTqlUbpPvuPCHHAO7PRzxRBpCfunRbtjbn09qHPJ6cP9tP8O9fX88cHwFokkHE4rbM2PtFG4LGIdLDcfIPRppq80L4ihP2MrkVv6L-6uhud0Rw9tvGiAMtrF4tFJ/s1600/vignoblesautomne1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW36h7EW3lYWARTuFBSTqlUbpPvuPCHHAO7PRzxRBpCfunRbtjbn09qHPJ6cP9tP8O9fX88cHwFokkHE4rbM2PtFG4LGIdLDcfIPRppq80L4ihP2MrkVv6L-6uhud0Rw9tvGiAMtrF4tFJ/s400/vignoblesautomne1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Nq1wLfAsNQvcwi_xmwgWEEdoajADEgZpmAxnTWulwlF2n4uIc6r6gIaSs_5aT1jjg6D6et9srSiyovALZH2hIKKsFQ8EL1BpYMuDqcmdbAiDRPSF-pGWe5to3DeMMkr-XLiV9RUQV0Fn/s1600/vignoblesautomne2.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Nq1wLfAsNQvcwi_xmwgWEEdoajADEgZpmAxnTWulwlF2n4uIc6r6gIaSs_5aT1jjg6D6et9srSiyovALZH2hIKKsFQ8EL1BpYMuDqcmdbAiDRPSF-pGWe5to3DeMMkr-XLiV9RUQV0Fn/s400/vignoblesautomne2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OdY8tBeKTbzs0RRjZV20KIQXiVqObCxSPtysCSeaJm2UlK-c2-lsr4Zz2pTkZkEMLZVtoTmGH-Klsvpu9pS6keIl9NzmlscyeI0t1udBpirYPR3TlIYDax0c00qErGDgJ4p6-0ZW0OdD/s1600/vignoblesautomne3.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OdY8tBeKTbzs0RRjZV20KIQXiVqObCxSPtysCSeaJm2UlK-c2-lsr4Zz2pTkZkEMLZVtoTmGH-Klsvpu9pS6keIl9NzmlscyeI0t1udBpirYPR3TlIYDax0c00qErGDgJ4p6-0ZW0OdD/s400/vignoblesautomne3.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Have a nice week end near the fireplace.<br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-84936244013771212352013-10-20T10:27:00.000+02:002013-10-20T10:27:57.016+02:00Wine harvest 2013<br />
The wine harvest 2013 is finished : after some rain in the beginning the weather changed to almost summerly temperatures of around 25 °.<br />
<br />
As could be imagined with the bad weather in spring the yield is very small. <br />
It will depend largely on the skills of the winemaker if the millesime 2013 will be a good year for the consumers. <br />
But for that we'll have to wait still a while.<br />
<br />
Premiere this year : <a target="_blank" href="http://houvande.blogspot.fr/2010/10/g-harvest.html">compared to the years before</a> smaller harvesting machines were used in our vineyard. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih48fkKJStVysdTCx4dY2Vr253l0aCcKNjMHeNyuX8TJQ0osEtX0dk1220Wn0xN4lfbpZ_lkIcvyU36k957GklOiqHaPmGmr4YGcSQBvuj3nz3ZgHo4wEg5GZfbtEkc0zASUH0_tfZOxnO/s1600/vendange2013a.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih48fkKJStVysdTCx4dY2Vr253l0aCcKNjMHeNyuX8TJQ0osEtX0dk1220Wn0xN4lfbpZ_lkIcvyU36k957GklOiqHaPmGmr4YGcSQBvuj3nz3ZgHo4wEg5GZfbtEkc0zASUH0_tfZOxnO/s400/vendange2013a.JPG" /></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-19818100809352013822013-10-06T10:41:00.000+02:002013-10-06T10:41:34.281+02:00Still nice flowers in the garden and on the terraces<br />
Allthough it is already october a lot of plants begin to flower again - thanks to the nice weather : sun and above 20 °.<br />
<br />
The first is a special kind of hibiscus, the second a salvia.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a align="center" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDx5U8ruLgtlvXNqygD5PUCHZf_ZtjohwImhfhpQYKj-NnhpViP0LGBbkaC3VKWeBstlm71ZYz3LMNIQO90Nn3trzBPoDpb71pKWBJN5puc0SoobxRAuCXWS6zdyRjDKFdAW_fyN5EDEgM/s1600/hibiskus.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDx5U8ruLgtlvXNqygD5PUCHZf_ZtjohwImhfhpQYKj-NnhpViP0LGBbkaC3VKWeBstlm71ZYz3LMNIQO90Nn3trzBPoDpb71pKWBJN5puc0SoobxRAuCXWS6zdyRjDKFdAW_fyN5EDEgM/s400/hibiskus.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLEo4ZnrN63D9e5sdBCAbXvowBL3UNB7QW1rZ9-wBgOQ1lbMDgBBDCdrZIrth3SBqoOIOhJfXjTA6BPwQIfwiEFWG_rLHbDmI673Fbkdfl_pfv3R7XL8qES5NtwiS-7b43m5f3C5OJSwb/s1600/salvia.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLEo4ZnrN63D9e5sdBCAbXvowBL3UNB7QW1rZ9-wBgOQ1lbMDgBBDCdrZIrth3SBqoOIOhJfXjTA6BPwQIfwiEFWG_rLHbDmI673Fbkdfl_pfv3R7XL8qES5NtwiS-7b43m5f3C5OJSwb/s400/salvia.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
This year the wine harvest will be very late, later than in the past 20 years. <br />
It will only start this week - not only for the white wines (normally mid september), but also for the red ones. This is about two to three weeks later than normal. <br />
The explication is simple : bad weather during the blossoming and after a too hot summer a lot of rain in the first half of september.<br />
Expected are : a very low yield and a lot of extra work for the winemakers.<br />
It will be - as they call it - a very technical wine year.<br />
<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-5333583680670766962013-09-08T10:17:00.001+02:002013-09-08T10:17:36.886+02:00George<br />
Most of you know, George, our toad that comes along every now and then after the evening dinner.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmfR3SFmJ69EgI5hA2AcOi9DZLEddC3-WWOF-BvoYhyjYDyMgFYCS-dEAz_CQnbvGp8Oa8ndQerGT9uBDE3LszcqlqmvDfqHzJ7nBYcqW3jFC7VG1TO7DiXwia_pYq00-vYHeGZdr2Us_/s1600/george.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmfR3SFmJ69EgI5hA2AcOi9DZLEddC3-WWOF-BvoYhyjYDyMgFYCS-dEAz_CQnbvGp8Oa8ndQerGT9uBDE3LszcqlqmvDfqHzJ7nBYcqW3jFC7VG1TO7DiXwia_pYq00-vYHeGZdr2Us_/s400/george.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Well, George - and his female of course - have been very productive this year. <br />
Since a little while we see a lot of little Georges and Georgettes.<br />
<br />
They stroll across the walls of the house to do their ancestral roads; afterwards they turn back all the time and do the same ways again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9A6WLIIhGnCvACIlgJvsT5QccMaGXTRVhoGucmqC5uvPqxxZ-foKH4lQjTH6dwS_36H5qDiCjEoNZ7lYVeluZ7nt0SeOaoEk9uj37w_eYc6TX8W-1ICGQWqQXR_IK4UBURxwYU2qEmd4/s1600/padjes.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD9A6WLIIhGnCvACIlgJvsT5QccMaGXTRVhoGucmqC5uvPqxxZ-foKH4lQjTH6dwS_36H5qDiCjEoNZ7lYVeluZ7nt0SeOaoEk9uj37w_eYc6TX8W-1ICGQWqQXR_IK4UBURxwYU2qEmd4/s400/padjes.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
I didn't know they were so small.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJFPrIkPeQhUaF40-VO4Pz5sPGPeFFQRaACZhtKunfl-4A1mJeIpOsHICQyIgSOOAMn9oo4gDjIIyu2pjesGKGC6whp7B83HQbrOykwXlHZl1zFgrA7ACJYd5l5TSNRd_VBcAsey6XNft/s1600/padjevinger.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzJFPrIkPeQhUaF40-VO4Pz5sPGPeFFQRaACZhtKunfl-4A1mJeIpOsHICQyIgSOOAMn9oo4gDjIIyu2pjesGKGC6whp7B83HQbrOykwXlHZl1zFgrA7ACJYd5l5TSNRd_VBcAsey6XNft/s400/padjevinger.JPG" /></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-46235931167107295692013-08-31T12:19:00.001+02:002013-09-01T11:18:02.687+02:00Cahors wines vinified in a different way<br />
Since shortly Cahors winemakers use different methods of vinification to try to give an extra dimension and aspect to the red AOC wines. <br />
One of the methods we already described earlier in this blog (see <a target="_blank" href="http://houvande.blogspot.fr/2012/04/hello-again.html"> this entry</a>) is using amphores like in ancient Roman times.<br />
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Recently they hit the news with another method : wine making using ovoid tanks. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KhlB4co7sPKQQ7S9-JfIbeHq5JKclScjiLN4OTv6_hdwnOni2HepRj5fn5JYp8o7gp1P4bfXix1Ir4Y-UKRgaYHw7Fo-qOfBUor9DfLVGplrHKFKOZ0g372hMcpwC_2oXMqYyDv4JpYq/s1600/ovoide.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KhlB4co7sPKQQ7S9-JfIbeHq5JKclScjiLN4OTv6_hdwnOni2HepRj5fn5JYp8o7gp1P4bfXix1Ir4Y-UKRgaYHw7Fo-qOfBUor9DfLVGplrHKFKOZ0g372hMcpwC_2oXMqYyDv4JpYq/s400/ovoide.jpg" /></a><br />
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The vertical ovoid tank takes its inspiration from the Roman “dolia”, a large jar for storing wine.<br />
It takes advantage of the micro-oxygenation that is made possible by the clay-cement material. <br />
In this giant “egg”, the lees are continuously forced upward by an internal current resembling a vortex. <br />
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Amongst the pioneers in the Lot using this method is one of our neighbours, Philippe Pontié of <b>Château Les Grauzils</b>.<br />
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See for yourself : <br />
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<iframe src="http://www.wat.tv/embedframe/157917chuPP3r10724609" frameborder="0" style="width: 430px; height: 257px;"></iframe><br />
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Here is the <a target="_blank" href="http://videos.tf1.fr/jt-13h/2013/quand-le-cahors-est-vinifie-de-maniere-insolite-8247136.html">direct link to the tf1 website</a>.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-54504391471546088422013-07-28T17:17:00.001+02:002013-07-28T17:18:16.294+02:00Two spectacular bird rescues in recent times<br />
In the last days Griet and one of the guests did some spectacular bird rescues.<br />
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First of all a little "rouge cul" that didn't succeed well his first flying experience was saved out of the mouth of our cats and put back into the nest.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S5Tm9yhZnzBi3l2XZu3Z25VMJpTAyq3S4Ku2XFKIAy1tNlB_WXRG74NYa3ChVkR1dAJIboDp75arNHjoJllJ_5Fa9NnGQIdzVz3vM1XsiUmVzfFPzS-DIJYuCvzZ6zDsdDxbz1ndcYE9/s1600/rougecul.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1S5Tm9yhZnzBi3l2XZu3Z25VMJpTAyq3S4Ku2XFKIAy1tNlB_WXRG74NYa3ChVkR1dAJIboDp75arNHjoJllJ_5Fa9NnGQIdzVz3vM1XsiUmVzfFPzS-DIJYuCvzZ6zDsdDxbz1ndcYE9/s200/rougecul.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWV1mafhH1w1UM_MRCt7yIUMxHhyphenhyphenHZADRBC3ef8F1HV3gP_LfWWvQLFg5tIoDLigOGkHCQyKZzbdBRYMAAmXCoUFcJDQF4m6JI77wubRgP7Vua_MPghTe7-HxXkbX-3v5-VDT10Wl9OcHE/s1600/rougeculrescue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWV1mafhH1w1UM_MRCt7yIUMxHhyphenhyphenHZADRBC3ef8F1HV3gP_LfWWvQLFg5tIoDLigOGkHCQyKZzbdBRYMAAmXCoUFcJDQF4m6JI77wubRgP7Vua_MPghTe7-HxXkbX-3v5-VDT10Wl9OcHE/s200/rougeculrescue.JPG" /></a> </div><br />
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Today a little church owl was rescued out of our chimney and put to liberty again.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBX1iLeCUlaSGjZbaBmMo6Pi-HxHft8Hbdg-TApdsyvpWSYVkiNuel1TW94zy1PzDp1aFfqKb5Z2xYRh6un0SwRy1U7Krl5RxraF41Qd6r6kGW5NF3yQY5Ko0jRkT7yH44eWBvYi3H-vk/s1600/owl.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhBX1iLeCUlaSGjZbaBmMo6Pi-HxHft8Hbdg-TApdsyvpWSYVkiNuel1TW94zy1PzDp1aFfqKb5Z2xYRh6un0SwRy1U7Krl5RxraF41Qd6r6kGW5NF3yQY5Ko0jRkT7yH44eWBvYi3H-vk/s184/owl.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAe4QkqQ4DNwYoBQV-eF9bvJJX72zLwBTQnsO3d6p93YjXyeaasHb8_KtNPXzbDj8RTBVMBeqZTBUYvMosHnmo0MKPaaVM6IJtWoNdYcGjiwPbq64WHvvGDxsuZb4Da0FriRi1dYN049K/s1600/owlliberty.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZAe4QkqQ4DNwYoBQV-eF9bvJJX72zLwBTQnsO3d6p93YjXyeaasHb8_KtNPXzbDj8RTBVMBeqZTBUYvMosHnmo0MKPaaVM6IJtWoNdYcGjiwPbq64WHvvGDxsuZb4Da0FriRi1dYN049K/s184/owlliberty.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Happy bird life.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-14497635847448529152013-06-02T12:49:00.000+02:002013-06-02T16:22:09.362+02:00Bicentennial of Marshal Bessières<br />
As some of you might already know : during the weekend of Ascension (10 - 12 May) the most famous native of Prayssac was celebrated :<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bessières</b></div><br />
who fought under Napeoleon and whose statue is in the middle of the central square under plane trees.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUQFSKBbb0QtFbj-uiMq2UUGrWn4hThVC8qyvi8XB_6GYgEYSvLcaWpwQt0js1_feVeNZiX8q00PT5TTRypESpmF8SpGo6x5_7LJJoPmV4vwcbl8kQxtT6cKmjV4Z_uRmsN6jc5dLRnKd/s1600/bessieres_prayssac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCUQFSKBbb0QtFbj-uiMq2UUGrWn4hThVC8qyvi8XB_6GYgEYSvLcaWpwQt0js1_feVeNZiX8q00PT5TTRypESpmF8SpGo6x5_7LJJoPmV4vwcbl8kQxtT6cKmjV4Z_uRmsN6jc5dLRnKd/s320/bessieres_prayssac.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Probably you don't know him at all. <br />
Nevertheless he has been very important in French military history.<br />
His importance can be best illustrated by the words of Napoleon himself.<br />
Napoleon once said that "<b>he could have won at Waterloo if Bessières had been there</b>".<br />
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From 10 till 12 May the bicentennial of his death was celebrated. <br />
Highlight of the <a href="http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2013/05/04/1619554-prayssac-une-plongee-dans-l-histoire-de-bessieres.html" target="_blank">programme </a>was the reconstruction of a battle between the French and the Austrians.<br />
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Of this battle now a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhOIN0FMeMQ" target="_blank">video </a>was published on Youtube.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/AhOIN0FMeMQ" width="400"></iframe><br />
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For those highly interested in his life achievements : everything you want to know you find in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Bessi%C3%A8res" target="_blank">wikipedia</a>. <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-75693438270975144542013-05-19T12:02:00.001+02:002013-05-19T12:23:58.738+02:00White wine of Cahors : a very promising development<br />
As the AOC Cahors is always a red wine of the Malbec grape one often forgets that in the Cahors region also white wines are produced and harvested.<br />
This is a recent development - say of the last ten years. <br />
Today the white wine production represents only about two percent of the total wine production. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_BH6VHZjyg8vyiQ-2rie3LsJ9YOHhs8lA9Z7GkWftLewNkQdXls3qycSEEoRH-GEekcZZoQqcTV_apmqwkWffe47Yu4ljSuaLj67a7BK9a2qR9DsEdA7ny7qKCvnw19ILDaljIC9eInY/s1600/vinblanc_ponti%C3%A9.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_BH6VHZjyg8vyiQ-2rie3LsJ9YOHhs8lA9Z7GkWftLewNkQdXls3qycSEEoRH-GEekcZZoQqcTV_apmqwkWffe47Yu4ljSuaLj67a7BK9a2qR9DsEdA7ny7qKCvnw19ILDaljIC9eInY/s400/vinblanc_ponti%C3%A9.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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White grape varieties cultivated in the Lot are esp. <b>chardonnay, viognier, sémillon</b> and <b>sauvignon</b>. <br />
As they can't be called AOC Cahors the name on the bottle is <i>Côtes du lot</i> or <i>vin de pays du Lot</i>. <br />
But this is not at all an indication of less quality - think for example of excellent Italian "vino da tavola". <br />
As we and many of our guests have been able to experience and taste, a lot of them are wines of high quality.<br />
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I am glad to say that in Prayssac quite a few winemakers follow this new trend.<br />
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More information on this evolution in two recent French articles, one in the newspaper <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lesoir.be/99437/article/styles/cuisines/2012-10-15/l%E2%80%99avenir-noir-et-blanc-des-vins-cahors">Le Soir</a> and the second in a <a href="http://lescompagnonsdelagrappeausoleil.over-blog.com/article-quand-le-blanc-s-invite-a-cahors-113650361.html" target="_blank">wine blog</a> , "translated" into English <a href="http://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2012/10/cahors-branches-out-into-white-wines" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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I would say : toast to the long Pentecost weekend with a nice white wine. Cheers !<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoueeJHvGTRUpxIUCVZ3WnaYW89kW75sIcakyhtXnODjceVl1Yu8fW5dc7wcpuUrS8f8RZScaVF6zc2SaBYbOynBJfMqhAYUDdnrmGyHFq49PFwFBblfp7M6LhkGh9VyEvfPMv1ybnsNcz/s1600/vinblanc.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoueeJHvGTRUpxIUCVZ3WnaYW89kW75sIcakyhtXnODjceVl1Yu8fW5dc7wcpuUrS8f8RZScaVF6zc2SaBYbOynBJfMqhAYUDdnrmGyHFq49PFwFBblfp7M6LhkGh9VyEvfPMv1ybnsNcz/s400/vinblanc.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-63522025618201877662013-04-21T15:33:00.000+02:002013-04-21T15:41:29.791+02:00The history of the red wine of Cahors<br />
In a nice <a href="http://lescompagnonsdelagrappeausoleil.over-blog.com/article-le-cahors-seigneur-du-sud-ouest-84319364.html" target="_blank">article</a> - for some of you unfortunately only in French - a small but good review is given of the wine of Cahors through the ages : from Roman time over the Middle Ages to our days. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxAl0Wn6HQrowQmBOuwm2iEPUaqiYn6YjLsa3000e9Ff9qaAUJBYxPyIdIOQh0iJXfC6Mf7AAfeATstIxwG7O1izUhTW1XdeDQqYmkq6SKFTBgEJ7Oz37BpGcCUEuDgEDJff5OgWENgBS/s1600/vinesonlot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtxAl0Wn6HQrowQmBOuwm2iEPUaqiYn6YjLsa3000e9Ff9qaAUJBYxPyIdIOQh0iJXfC6Mf7AAfeATstIxwG7O1izUhTW1XdeDQqYmkq6SKFTBgEJ7Oz37BpGcCUEuDgEDJff5OgWENgBS/s320/vinesonlot.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Nothing is left out, not even the bad moments : to mention here especially two :<br />
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<blockquote>the competition of the Bordeaux wine and the privilege given to the Bordelais by the king in 1241, first by the English king, then by the French which did a lot of damage to the spreading and commercialising of the Cahors wine for more than five centuries (ended only at the end of the 18th century)<br />
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the near death blow at the end of the 19th century due to the phylloxera epidemic which destroyed most of the vineyards.</blockquote><br />
The revival began after World War II in 1947. <br />
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Nowadays the Cahors wine is again reknown, also thanks to the Argentinian wine which uses the same Malbec grape.<br />
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Have a nice wine tonight.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4759202363398221017.post-78984059509871789292013-03-31T16:04:00.001+02:002013-03-31T16:04:24.365+02:00Happy Easter 2013<br />
The best Easter wishes for everyone from a sunny Mas de l'Houvande.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouuYbPbF71waOhwvR6L8C-3a2njzWK84aR8rVkQ9097fHUPTzdd9pvf31ROJ9tr7oxKrx9S-zujkpetgWFRw6GyL68j33gqvvyP9fgjLiZxp2-LjcQ9qz-NXaa4JWeBR4fUMlyh45SsaL/s1600/japansekerselaar.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgouuYbPbF71waOhwvR6L8C-3a2njzWK84aR8rVkQ9097fHUPTzdd9pvf31ROJ9tr7oxKrx9S-zujkpetgWFRw6GyL68j33gqvvyP9fgjLiZxp2-LjcQ9qz-NXaa4JWeBR4fUMlyh45SsaL/s320/japansekerselaar.jpg" /></a><br />
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<b>Happy Easter</b><br />
<blockquote><b>Joyeux Pâques</b></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><b>Vrolijk Paasfeest</b></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><b>Frohe Ostern</b></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote> <b>Buona Pasqua</b></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><blockquote><blockquote> <b>Feliz Pascua</b><br />
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Enjoy the first day and evening of "summer" time.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0