The House At Le Gros Chigy

Monk's Transport at the Cluny Abbey?

2017-05-17T14:51:00.000+02:00

An arched passage on a courtyard in the Cluny Abbey...

outside a high tech British motorbike...

with engine waiting.

From the City

2017-05-17T12:51:00.002+02:00

From the City

via the country side from the TGV

to the Cluny market

Some Images From Summer 2014

2014-11-27T14:44:00.000+02:00

I look at the blog and am disappointed that its gone nowhere for so long!

Maybe its because when we have been in France we have been busy or that we have moved on a bit to renting through external sites which also require inputs.

A bit more about this later, but in the meantime a few images from my last visit.

Cherries from The House at Le Gros Chigy

Signs of Summer

2014-04-05T19:45:00.001+02:00

Are these the first signs of the coming summer?

The fruit trees are blossoming!

The charolaise are out of the barns and back in the fields!

Then rape on the hill is turning yellow!

Dandilions flowering in the fields!

We are past the spring equinox and have had a very mild winter, so are hoping that there is not a cold snap before the summer as this would reverse these signs and damage the crops.

Watercolours in Burgundy

2014-03-28T20:02:00.001+02:00

I have just got a new camera which really ups the potential I have to take better photographs. At the same time I've found a technique that allows the photographer to become a painter.

The St Catherine's bridge in Salornay su Guye takes on another look with a touch of watercolours, as does the main steeple of the Cluny Abbey.

Both these images are based on photographs taken by ChigyTweet and are available. Six megapixel versions of these files, which should make good prints are available by email on request.

Local Lotto - Rural Village Life

2014-02-26T22:06:00.001+02:00

This was quite an experience, for the first time we joined the population in the Salornay community hall for and evening of LOTTO in aid of funds for the football club.

While I first had thoughts of a real LOTTO win in the millions it was actually more what the British would call BINGO. The number drawer was on the stage at the top of the hall with a board which showed the current state of numbers drawn. Interesting was that you bought a set of cards for the 20 or so games of the evening, but could at anytime change your card to change your luck.

I leave it to Allison Feeley in her blog La Farat to paint the picture of what these events are like and just make a few further observations.

The overall feeling was noise and restlessness, mainly resulting from the need to speak to ones friends and from the hyperactive children who ran wild.

The evening moved along slowly as numbers were called, draws settled, claims checked, prizes distributed, which called for a distraction - this was provided by the counters used to track your numbers on the card. A pile of assorted household and workshop items were provided.

There were, however, pros at our table who apparently attend LOTTO evening all around the are and buy 4 to 6 cards unlike the one each we used. These players often used a magnetic wand with wire ringed counters. This allows the counters to be collected quickly for the next round.

Sorting, organising and playing with the counters supplied by the game used up time which seemed to pass very slowly at certain stages.

We have no room to complain though - having attended two LOTTOS we have won a leg of ham and a flat screen TV!

Christmas and January in Le Gros Chigy

2014-02-13T19:25:00.001+02:00

My ability to post, on our return to Le Gros Chigy was marred by some amazingly incompetent service. It took more than a month for ORANGE to get us online. In the meantime, being cut off, I wasn’t motivated to write the posts. So what I am going to do here is just present a few photos that reflect whew we have been.

Christmas Tree in Living Area

The Church opposite Market Square in Cluny

A Statue of Saint Odilon in the Church

Looking Over Cormatin with Its Chateau to the Left

Building Facade in Cluny

Small Side Entrance to Church in Montceau Les Mines

Sheep on a Mist Morning at Bourg Rameau

Winter on The Salornay Sur Guye Square

Paris In Mid December Preparing for Christmas

2014-02-13T17:58:00.001+02:00

Gallery Lafayette shopping

Christmas Window in Paris

Printemps Christmas

Eiffel Tower Lit for Nelson Mandela

Christmas Market

Autumn on the Chigy / Salornay Road

2013-10-25T15:21:00.001+02:00

This shot across a field alongside the Le Gros Chigy to Salornay sur Guye was also take in late October 2010.

photograph by ChigyTweeter

published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

The photo is a panorama using two photos taken with a Canon G7 at f3.2 for 1/100th.

The Autumn (Fall) is Coming to Le Gros Chigy!

2013-10-22T17:20:00.001+02:00

Since the autumn is showing its colours in Burgundy, I am going to post some of the photos I took back at the end of October 2010.

The first one is of a Charolais in a field on the Massey Salornay road, not far out of Salornay.

photograph by ChigyTweeter

published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

Yes you do really get such bright and contrasty pictures and no it doesn't last for long because as you see the leaves are already falling.

The photo is a HDR composite using three photos taken with a Canon G7 at f3.5 for 1/80th.

Information on Guided Tours in the Area

2013-07-29T00:01:00.001+02:00

Also available from the Cluny Tourism Information Office website is this brochure of guided tours in Cluny and Clunisois.

from: Cluny Tourist Information
(click image for brochure)

The guided tours are for groups rather than individuals and cover a wide variety of subjects including wine tasting, meals, cheese tasting, berry picking, lavoirs, crafts, churches, chateaus, gardens and old Cluny houses. They operate in places such as Taizé, Cormatin, Chapaize, Brancion and Berzé-the-city as well as Cluny.

I have not been on any of these guided tours, but its probably true that you can gain much by knowing more about the place you are visiting and a guided tour is an easy way of doing this.

Things To Do In The Clunisois Area

2013-07-20T16:24:00.001+02:00

The image below is from a map showing Cluny and surroundings, which can be found on the Cluny Tourism Information Office website. The darker brown area which we call the Clunisois Area (Communauté de communes du Clunisois) offers a range of attractions centered on Cluny a major religious centre of the Middle Ages.

Click Image to Download Complete Map

The map shows the villages within a short distance of The House at Le Gros Chigy that have interesting buildings and facilities although the keys to these is not on this extract. Click the map to access the full PDF document with the key.

Although even the church and grounds of a little village church like Massey are interesting, Cluny, Brancion, Cormatin and St Hippolyte are better known and offer more to the visitor.

The map is well worth downloading or getting a copy of as it holds much useful information.

Les 5 villages, 3 mars 2013

2013-07-14T18:41:00.001+02:00

Have a look at the photos and comments in this post by Poirier Bouchot who walked a 20 km route from Salornay passing through Gros Chigy, le Bourg Rameau, Chevagny sur Guye, Passy and Chérizet.

from: Nos rondos et balades
(click image for full story online)

Vacation Rental - The House at Le Gros Chigy

2013-06-30T17:22:00.001+02:00

See more information on the blog or email legroschigy@gmail.com for whatever you need.

New Colours at The House at Le Gros Chigy

2013-06-03T10:17:00.001+02:00

The House at Le Gros Chigy is opening up for the "summer", although its not very summery yet and the weather seems to have destroyed the cherry crop for the second year in a row.

photograph by Dominique
published under a Creative Commons license.

More Cherry and Peach Blossom

2013-05-14T12:35:00.001+02:00

Hopefully, unlike last year, all these blossoms will be transformed to delicious fruit in the next weeks!

photograph of Cherry Blossom by Joel
published under a Creative Commons license.

photograph of Peach Blossom by Joel
published under a Creative Commons license.

First Peach Blossom at Main Bedroom Window

2013-04-29T10:09:00.000+02:00

This photograph taken from in the main bedroom on a non seasonal coldly, shows the first blossoms on the peach trees. The cherry trees are in full blossom - if we are luckier with the weather than last year we should have a great crop within the next months.

photograph by Joel
published under a Creative Commons license.

The Le Gros Chigy Chateau in Summer

2013-04-14T09:04:00.000+02:00

A view of the Chateau and surroundings looking towards Cluny from the same position as the autumn view in the previous post.

Image by Gros Chigy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

This time on a hot summer's day in 2012, when there hadn't been rain for sometime.

A Medieval Chateau for a Neighbour

2013-04-09T19:09:00.001+02:00

I was just pulling out some photographs for adverts for the rental and thought it would be worth sharing some of them.

Image by Gros Chigy is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

This is a shot of the Le Gros Chigy medieval chateau, taken from one of the windows on the East side of the house. I shows the amazing autumn colors and was taken in 2010. It also shows how close the house is to the chateau which does have the downside of significant burecratic controls on how houses are repaired or renovated.

Looking Forward to The Garden Looking Like This Again!

2013-03-21T17:34:00.001+02:00

Although we are not in Chigy the reports are of a long winter which is getting too much.

So here are a few shots from The House at Le Gros Chigy, that promise better things for the summer - which isn't too far away.

photograph by ChigyTweeter

published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

photograph by ChigyTweeter

published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.

Some More Produce Charts

2013-02-08T17:33:00.001+02:00

For those who liked the fruit chart, here are two more of the Fresh Produce Charts that show when fresh vegetables and fresh herbs should be available.

This and other charts on vegetables and herbs are available online at Chasing Delicious, who apparently designed them and can also be bought at The Sweet Tooth Paper Goods Company.

Gros Chigy Street Party!

2013-01-29T15:25:00.001+02:00

We heard about this function just before we left Gros Chigy the last time, so were unable to attend.

We see neighbours, acquaintances and friends which makes us miss Le Gros Chigy.

What Can We Expect on the Cluny Market and When?

2013-01-10T21:32:00.001+02:00

As winter runs its course, it's nice to start thinking about all that fresh local fruit that will become available from friends and neighbors and the local markets. I found these interesting graphs on line.

I'm not knowledgable enough to know how well this applies to Le Gros Chigy, but its a nice picture to put in your kitchen anyway.

This and other charts on vegetables and herbs are available online at Chasing Delicious, who apparently designed them and can also be bought at The Sweet Tooth Paper Goods Company.
What about developing our own chart for Bourgogne or even a part thereof?

There and Here!

2012-12-24T14:33:00.001+02:00

At the time when the road outside The House at Le Gros Chigy looked like this:

photograph by ANeighbour
published under a Creative Commons license.

we were seeing this as we move around our neighborhood.

Image by Gros Chigy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Most Europeans of course see the green, summery countryside as not being appropriate to Christmas - it is however what you get used to. But it's also true that in the middle of our summer, the christmas cards still mainly show snow covered conifers and reindeer pulled sleighs but very few dusty thorn trees.

Some More Information About Saint André le Désert

2012-12-16T18:59:00.001+02:00

The population of Saint André le Désert peaked back in the early 19th century and remained fairly constant until the 1880s when it started to decline until it reached its low level of today almost 50 years ago.

from: Annuaire-Mairie.fr
(click image for full story online)

I find this an interesting graph and am sure it contains lots of interesting revaluation and connections - maybe some more on this in another post.

There is quite a rise from Saint André le Désert to Le Gros Chigy with the minimum and maximum altitudes of 222 and 466 meters in the commune with the town hall being at 254 metres above sea level
The La Grande Ruisseau, le Ruisseau de Pressy and le Ruisseau de la Valle rivers flow through the commune.