Gîte

Making the most of the short week at school, we headed off on Monday for some serious tourism in the Loire Valley. It had taken much internet searching but I had found some accommodation in a "gîte" (a self-catering holiday home) in a village called Chisseaux, which is next to Chenonceaux. "La Longère du Vigneron" was comfortable for a family and had a washing machine and dryer, which I find essential on anything more than a one-night stopover.
Apart from the owner's mother, Madame Bourbonnais (a great grandmother) who lived downstairs, there was only one other couple in residence.
John and Marg were an expat British couple who were working for a company called "Headwater", organising cycling tours in the area.
One morning a group of middle-aged cyclists gathered in the courtyard and we heard familiar accents drifting up through the window. It turned out the group was from Perth and one woman was originally from Collie, only 60kms from where we live. That's the closest we have come to home since we've been here.

After dinner we had a walk around the village,
where we found this farm sign with a cow on it.
Odette and Hugh were in their pyjamas.