Narnia awaits in Normandy.

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I woke up this morning to a thick blanket of snow. It rarely snows in Normandy, so this morning I eagerly dragged my snow boots out from their hiding place and went to explore our quarter, enjoying the crunching sounds underfoot, and the silence of the deserted streets.

Narnia’s lamppost was standing in the middle of someone’s garden behind large iron gates, unfairly out of reach of anyone desperately searching the wardrobe and their way home!

So I set off again to enjoy my neighborhood from its new perspective.

The church of St Andre beckoned from the end of the allée of soft snow.

It was clinging on, even on the nobbles of the freshly pollarded trees. These strikingly architectural forms are so resolutely french and I love their shapes both in the height summer as in the coldest of winters.

When winter beckons we call our local wood merchant for our annual delivery of logs. Three stères of wood will get us through the average winter with the fire burning merrily most days. I like the fact that the french have their own particular measurement for a cubic meter of wood, and that it comes readily chopped to the right dimensions after the wood merchant has come to the fireplace to measure the hearth. Often he tells me which trees he’s lopped, and precisely where my stères have come from. One year the pollarded trees of the main boulevard in the city, another, from a sustainable forest several kilometers away.

Our local architecture is so quintessentially french.

A bus had tried to make it through, and broken down, leaving only a narrow space for a passing truck. They were making heavy weather of the manœuvre so I left them to it!

There was nothing moving at the square by the church.

And I hurried on, now and then pulling out my camera.

Despite being close to the centre of the city, our quarter has a country feel with narrow lanes and steep slopes. Here and there are some lovely houses tucked away behind their imposing gates.

And the odd bijou one as well!

But looking forward to a warm fire and a cup of hot chocolate I turned for home taking a few last pictures on the way.

Have a lovely day!

12 thoughts on “Narnia awaits in Normandy.”

    • Thank you Sue. It has been lovely today but it’s melting fast this evening. Normally it rains rains rains, so snow makes a lovely change. Enjoy your next visit. I’m not sure if your village is anywhere near Forges les Eaux, but if it is and you like cider, do visit the Domain Duclos Fougeray. They make the best cider in Normandy!

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    • Snow comes so rarely for us we have to make the most of it. I can’t imagine it settling and staying much longer than a couple of days. When I went outside this morning all my bulbs were suddenly poking out of the melting snow. Seeing I’m not really a winter person, the sight of them lifted the spirits enormously. Have a great weekend!

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  6. So now I have had my fill of jealousy! It looks absolutely magical, enjoy it whilst it lasts. I will console myself with the fact that we have a lovely warm day in double figures (just) and brilliant sunshine today, it almost makes up for the lack of snow! Have a lovely weekend xx

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    • Double figures, that’s almost good enough for the first barbeque of the season – and I havent forgotten the burgers from last time! We too had brilliant sunshine this morning, even if it was still cold, sunshine definitely lifts the spirits!

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