Fiona Alderman: A Waltz Through The Vineyards
After a very stressful time with workmen and roof repairs, I have now settled down at the end of the day, to chill out with a nice glass of wine or two and reflect on the past few months. I have also been immersed in another 30 day Challenge with Comme une Francaise, Geraldine Lepere. […]
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Saturday, October 5, 2024 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: An August Story in France
It has been a busy month here. Principally, with work being done in the house. What was a simple painting job has turned into a bit of a nightmare, and all when it is still the holiday season. France really seems to close down in August. However, I have managed to call a roofer, a […]
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Thursday, September 5, 2024 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: The Jo’s Are Coming
France is still reeling from a very possible win in the French elections, of the Far Right candidate, Marine Le Pen but was narrowly beaten by a coalition team of the Left wing party. This was a great relief for many but had prompted widespread concern. Now, on the eve of the massive Olympic Games […]
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Tuesday, July 30, 2024 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman’s Blog: Francoise Hardy
This beautiful person has now slipped away from us. A long time favourite of everyone I think, she was very ill with several cancers over many years. She wanted the right to die peacefully and as painlessly as possible. Her son Thomas Dutronc was there at the end and said poignantly “maman est partie ” […]
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Monday, July 8, 2024 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: France Profonde
I am writing this month’s blog from my bed as I am stricken down with bronchitis. I am enjoying the enforced bed rest and, despite feeling rotten, I am quite inspired to tell you about la France Profonde. I think this is a lovely way of talking about France. Literally deepest France, the rural areas and […]
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Tuesday, June 4, 2024 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: Alternative Salignac
It is a very strange affair. In the last few months new businesses have opened here in “Sillygnac”. Good of course for the village but let me tell you what they are. Alternative medicine / complementary techniques such as reflexology, naturopathic treatments and two which are in French – an Energeticienne and an Etiopathe both […]
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Monday, April 29, 2024 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman Blogging from Rural France – The Black Duck
The Black Duck Restaurant What a wonderful name for a restaurant! Especially in this part of the world where duck is a gastronomic delight. This restaurant is about 10 minutes from Salignac, on the outskirts of the village, surrounded by beautiful countryside, it’s perched high up in the hills . It was originally called L’Auberge […]
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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman’s Blog: Salignac or Sillygnac?
I am not sure who came up with the name Sillygnac, but I know probably Barry first started it.It would have appealed to him. In all the wonderful ideas of rural France, the good things as well as the completely stupid that have seemed to have become more and more true. The last month I […]
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Wednesday, February 28, 2024 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman : Greetings from Salignac
A new year and already a lot of changes in the village this month. Simmering undercurrents of discontent within the local council office is putting the Mayor in a very difficult position. Since the end of summer there have been tensions between him and his colleagues leading to him making a complaint to the police. […]
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Saturday, January 27, 2024 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman’s Blog: Pictures and Short Stories
Thinking of the last year and all that has happened. I thought I would use this blog to reflect and to go through some photos and a short paragraph on each month. The first is The Dolls House. I have had this little house for nearly 70 years. I played with it as a child. […]
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Saturday, December 30, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: November Blues
The November Blues It has been a busy month but things have been accomplished. I now have a sparkling new toilet which pleases me greatly after nearly three months of “waiting”. Thank goodness. I had another which of course they knew.. I suppose though that this really isn’t bad, in French terms. A neighbour has […]
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Friday, December 1, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: Blogging from Rural France – Waiting for Godot
29 October, 2023 Waiting for Godot This phrase came to me recently whilst I was waiting for a plumber to come to renew a toilet. The story begins nearly two months ago in fact, when I noticed drops of water falling from the ceiling. On investigation, I found it was leaking from the toilet upstairs.There […]
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Sunday, October 29, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman Blog: Cafe´Talk
With the “rentree” this month, the return back to school and the summer holidays finally over, our thoughts turn to the end of the year. I like this time though, the Autumnal colours and the light which is less sharp and softer. I was reflecting on many things whilst sitting at the Cafe´one day, and […]
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Sunday, October 1, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: Fetes Galore
What a month! From exhibitions – to summer festivals – to computer problems. I have done it all and in the sweltering heat ! Extreme at nearly 40 degrees today. Barry’s exhibition continues for the rest of August in both the Mairie and Le Couvent, and I have had a lot of interest for future […]
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Monday, August 28, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman’s Blog: Les Voyages de Monsieur Barry
The title of the exhibition for Barry. Seemed apt after all the countries he went to, maybe not Latin America but certainly a great number. The “vernissage” as it is called in French, with a vin d’honneur was prepared for the 17th July at the Mairie with wine and cheese supplied by some of the […]
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Monday, July 31, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France, Pat's Home Page Blog
Fiona Alderman: Another Month in Salignac
This month has been busy, and I have just finished some more English translations for the Chateau. Interesting to do and to learn further about this long term renovation project. Replica Medieval Armour I worked on certain pages about the replica medieval armour now established in a room totally restored from ceiling to floor. Full […]
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Thursday, June 29, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: One Year Later
I am sitting in the house with Missy, my sweet cat by my side , and reflecting on this past year. A busy time after Barry’s death. Administrative papers to be sorted out and learning to live alone. It has been a learning curve and I have certainly learnt a lot. One was asking for […]
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Thursday, June 1, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
A New Season in Salignac
Yes, with Spring finally arriving, the tourists are starting to appear in the village. It’s always nice to see and brings commerce to life. The local market on the Square has just begun again, and I am constantly reminded of when we first came here, and how I enjoyed the typical French village life.Learning and […]
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Thursday, May 4, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: La Poste and other French things
This month has been challenging in many ways. From battling with French bureaucracy to technology breakdowns. Firstly, I sent some videotapes to the UK to be transferred to digital form. They are going to be an important part of the photographic exhibition that I am preparing for Barry. Feeling relatively cheerful,. I went to La […]
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Wednesday, March 29, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman Blogging from Salignac, France
My lovely corner shop called by the old fashioned term of L’Epicier has taken a turn into the modern world. Run by husband and wife team, Sylvie and Pascal, that I have already spoken about, have decided on a new challenge. The heart of the village is within a few shops here in Salignac and […]
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Friday, March 3, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman’s Blog: The End of the Holidays
Thank goodness it’s all over. At least the French get on with things relatively quickly after Christmas. However, a lot of decorations are still up and I remember everything was to be taken down by the 12th night and bad luck if not perhaps. There are some die-hards that keep their decorations up until even […]
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Sunday, January 29, 2023 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: Christmas is Coming
It is with trepidation that I begin to write this month’s blog from Salignac. The first Christmas without Barry in 37 years. Mixed emotions. However, I have been trying to get out and do things, one of which was helping with the decorations for the village. I answered an ad in the local paper asking […]
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Thursday, December 22, 2022 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman’s blog: One Evening in Salignac
Image: (Alexander Kucharsky, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons) A Soiree at Le Couvent I was invited recently to a soiree at Le Couvent just up the hill from the house. I swear this hill gets steeper every day, but that is another story. It was a theatre piece about the French play right, […]
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Tuesday, November 1, 2022 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: Final Farewells
Watching the funeral of the Queen brought up many memories. Nostalgia and sadness for her family and my own recent loss. Barry photographed the Royal family many times over the years, and often had amusing quips to tell me. When he went to Sudan and Ethiopia in 1986, during the Band Aid project with Bob […]
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Wednesday, September 28, 2022 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: Fêtes Galore
It has been a busy month with a lot of summer events happening everywhere. However the extreme heat was really exhausting, making it difficult to appreciate them fully. The two main associations in Salignac put on Monday Fêtes on alternative weeks. The C.A.S.E. Vieux Metiers based in the extensive enclosed park down from the Chateau, […]
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Sunday, August 28, 2022 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: Another Place in History
After a difficult and sad month, I then caught Covid, so have had plenty of time to reflect on the past and I am now moving on , but slowly. Especially in this terrible heat? This past weekend our Chateau has hosted a spectacular historical event called Les Opusculaires. Not knowing the word, I asked […]
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Sunday, July 31, 2022 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman’s Blog: Just A Heartbeat Away
I write this with a heavy heart but feel it will be cathartic after this very sad month, losing Barry that I have known for nearly 40 years. Meeting him way back in the late 80’s in Glasgow was, to say the least, different? I was a young dancer newly returned home after several years […]
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Tuesday, June 28, 2022 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: French Elections and Tricky Bureaucracy
The main story this month was the Election of a new President of France. The incumbent, Monsieur Macron was criticized for being too interested in forging good links on the international stage, going to Ukraine and being less on his own home ground. He didn’t even campaign here until very late on. The other main […]
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Friday, June 3, 2022 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France
Fiona Alderman: The Eye Van Comes to Salignac
Blogging from Rural France When it comes to going to the optician in France, and especially in rural areas where we live, it is really quite difficult. Firstly, unlike the UK, where you can even go to Boots and get a complete eye test, it’s not like that here. You must go to the opthalmologist. […]
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Saturday, April 16, 2022 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France, Pat's Home Page Blog
Fiona Alderman: A Touch of Spring
Blogging from Salignac in Rural France After a long period of cold weather here and the continuing Covid pandemic, we sense a hint of Spring in the air and the flowers are now blossoming to cheer us up. Preparations for the season starting in May are underway and the family Starkmann are busy at the […]
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Monday, February 28, 2022 | Filed under: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France, Pat's Home Page Blog
