We had a pretty afternoon yesterday, but chilly. It's colder this morning than it has been in a while — still not down to freezing but getting close. We've had a good bit of rain (about 1½", close to 40 mm, over the last six days), but I think it's over for the moment. For blog photos, I'm reaching back to find past January images in the archives.
The road up to La Renaudière, outside Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher — mid-January 2004
Sunrise through bare branches at La Renaudière — ten years ago today
La Renaudière is the hamlet — nine houses — that we live in, just 3 or 4 km from the market square in Saint-Aignan. The hamlet is on the edge of the Renaudière vineyard, which is mostly owned and tended to by the Domaine de la Renaudie winery crews. I think a family named Renaud used to live here and farm the land that is now planted in vines, but nobody I've talked to locally can confirm that.
All these years that I've been reading your blog, I've wondered about your neighbor the Mayor.
ReplyDeleteIs she the mayor of just the hamlet or of St. Aignan of which La Renaudiere is a part?
The village we live in, officially, is called Mareuil-sur-Cher, pop. 1,200 or so. Our neighbor is the mayor of Mareuil. In historical terms, Mareuil is in the Touraine province, but Saint-Aignan, pop. 4,000, two miles east of us, is in the old Berry province. Our hamlet, La Renaudière, has no commercial or political identity. It's just a place name. Down the hill from us is Les Laurendières, another hamlet. Across the vineyard is a place called La Grand'Maison. To the south there are places called La Chôtinière and Les Bénardières, named, I think, for the old families who lived there. All these hamlets are part of the commune or township called Mareuil, which in the old Celtic language means "clearing" as in a forest. Mareuil is a village rather than a hamlet because it has a church... and a mayor, and several businesses (café, salon de coiffure, boulangerie/épicerie, and several wineries).
ReplyDeleteVery well done clarification for me and for those, like Sheila, who are slightly confused about your whereabouts.
DeleteIf I'm not mistaken, all of France is divided up into communes or what I would call "townships." There are about 36,000 of them. Mareuil township is 12 sq. miles (32 km carrés), with le bourg de Mareuil at its political if not geographical center. There must be a dozen or two dozen hameaux or so-called villages like La Renaudière surrounding the actual village center. So in a way, the Renaudière-type hameaux are neighborhoods or "subdivisions" within the township called Mareuil-sur-Cher. Where we live, central Mareuil and central Saint-Aignan are each about 3 km away. Since Saint-Aignan is a larger town and a little better known, I claim it as home, without meaning to be disloyal to Mareuil.
DeleteSo, in a way, La Renaudière is somewhat like a modern-day American subdivision -- a residential development of houses only, with a sense of community and a common name for the little area, but no political standing (I know, that's what you just said LOL), and part of a larger, official township?
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos. Even your photos that are 10 years old are great!
La Renaudière is really un hameau, a settlement or hamlet -- with no church. Local people, in fact, refer to les hameaux surrounding Mareuil as les villages, as opposed to le bourg, which is "downtown" Mareuil itself, where the church is. Very confusing, I know. It has taken me 15 years to figure it out.
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