Status report: not much change

The arthritis pain has moved from the left hand and arm to the right hand and arm. Otherwise, there's not much change in my my condition. I can type for a couple of minutes but then I have to stop because of the pain. I got the report from the radiology lab yesterday afternoon. Now I need to make an appointment with my GP doctor. We'll see what he prescribes and go from there...

Incapacitated

Over the past five or six days, I've been having more and more severe arthritis symptoms in my wrists and fingers. I can just barely type on my laptop's keyboard, with a lot of pain. I can't really use the mouse to select, crop, and edit photos. It's as if the pain I was having in my knees a few weeks and months ago has migrated to my wrists. I'll come back to the blog when I can. Wish me luck. Ken

Le Château d'Angé

Just across the Cher river from Montrichard and some of the châteaux I've posted about recently is the village of Angé (pop. 800) with its château and church. Don't confuse it with the city of Angers (pop. 150,000), which is about two hours west of Blois on the Loire river. The village of Angé is just eight miles west of Saint-Aignan. Angé and Angers are pronounced exactly the same.

I remember that CHM and I drove over to Angé years ago and we managed to get a glimpse of the château d'Angé, which was mostly obscured by big trees. I think I took a picture of it, but I can't for the life of me find it now. Above is an old postcard showing the château that I found on the internet. The château d'Angé is used as a retirement home/assisted-living facility these days. It was built in the 15th century and significantly modernized and modified in the 18th, from what I've read.

A bad day, I guess

 All I can tell myself is that she was having a bad day. I don't think I did anything that made it worse for her. I'm talking about the woman in charge of the radiology lab at the hospital in Saint-Aignan — the one who X-rayed my knees yesterday morning. I arrived at the hospital on time or a little bit early. I got checked in at the front desk, where a clerk examined my national health card (la carte Vitale) and my French national ID card (la carte de résident), entering some of the data on the cards onto her computer. She was very efficient and pleasant.

Then I went upstairs and sat in a waiting area (it wasn't a room but just a few chairs in a hallway) for 30 minutes. At exactly 10:30, which was the appointed time, the technician came out and ushered me into the radiology lab. She almost snapped orders at me, saying (in French of course): "Put your things on this chair." What things, I asked. "Your pants and your shoes," she barked — here it's pants and shoes." I did as instructed.  "Now come and stand on this platform. Hold onto these two handles, one on each side." The handles looked like light bulbs.

"Stand with your feet an inch or so apart. I tried to comply. She went behind a glass screen and yelled back at me: "Make sure your feet are parallel to each other." I thought they were. I adjusted their position slightly. The technician yelled from behind the glass screen: "You need to move your left foot closer to the right foot." I again moved that foot to comply. "Can you hear me over there?" she asked me.

Suddenly she came almost running from behind the glass screen toward me. She grabbed my left foot and moved it maybe a quarter of an inch, saying "If you don't cooperate, we'll never get this done."   I'm doing my best, I said. She took the X-ray of my two knees. It's true that maybe five minutes had gone by since I walked through the lab door and got undressed.

She went back behind the glass screen and yelled: "Now turn to the right 90 degrees and put your right foot slightly farther forward than the left." I did that. She came running out from behind the glass screen, grabbed my right leg, and pulled it slightly farther forward. "You have to bend your knee," she yelled. Okay, I get it, I was thinking. She X-rayed that knee.

Then she told me to turn to the left 180 degrees and do the same for the other leg. Are you sure you can hear me? she yelled. I was answering her in a normal voice, I thought. Once the second knee had been X-rayed, she said "Now turn left and face the back wall." I did that. I made sure my two feet were absolutely parallel to each other. "Your feet need to be touching each other!" she yelled. And then she pushed me from behind and said: "Your chest and abdomen need to be touching the wall!" She hadn't explained that. My big toes were touching the wall, but my chest wasn't. I was about to fall over.

And I felt like I was being manhandled. I didn't say anything, though, because there I was, my pants and shoes draped over a chair on the other side of the room. I had done my best to cooperate to the letter. It was over, and she said "Go get dressed!" I did so, and as I left she flashed what I thought was an exaggerated, rehearsed smile, and said: "I will mail your X-rays to you next week, and I'll also mail a set to your doctor. Do you understand me?" Oui, je lui ai dit. La semaine prochaine... Merci. Et bonne journée.

One odd thing: neither the woman at the front desk downstairs nor the x-ray technician had said a word about how and when I would pay for the appointment. The technician just said: "Okay, that's it. You can go now. You don't need to do anything else. Au revoir."

When I walked past the front desk downstairs, toward the front door, the first woman I had talked to earlier was on the telephone. So I just left. Maybe they'll send me a bill for their services one day soon. The hospital web site says patients can pay either by check or by bank card. 

Minimal post today

Here's one photo for today. I took it at Fougères-sur-Bièvre a while ago.

I'm not doing a full blog post today because I'm going this morning to get my knees x-rayed. Ironically, my knees have almost completely quit aching, cracking, and popping at this point. The pain seems to have moved on to my wrists, my thumbs, and my neck. Never mind. An appointment is an appointment, and I'll be going to the hospital in Saint-Aignan this morning to have my knees examined. At least I don't have to drive far. The local hospital is less than three miles from our house.

Le Château de Fougères-sur-Bièvre

Just 10 miles northeast of Montrichard, 10 miles south of Blois, and twelve miles north of Saint-Aignan". you'll find the village called Fougères-sur-Bièvre and its late 15th-century château — located "amid pine forests and fields of asparagus", the Signpost guidebook says. Fougères means "ferns" and the Bièvre is a small local river, only 15 miles long.

Bièvre is also an old French word meaning "beaver."

The Cadogan guide says that "Fougères looks defensively medieval with its masses turrets, its small irregular stones, and its inner courtyard paranoically enclosed on all four sides." The Cadogan's author describes the courtyard as "wonderfully atmospheric."

Montrichard sur le Cher

These are some photos of the town of Montrichard, the bridge across the Cher river there, and the old medieval tower that stands on the high ground on the right bank of the river. Montrichard is 10 miles northwest of Saint-Aignan. We go over there pretty often. We could have bought a house there, but for a lot of reasons we liked the house here in Saint-Aignan better than the four we saw in Montrichard when we were looking for a house to buy in the area back in December 2002.

Le Château du Gué-Péan, entre Saint-Aignan et Montrichard

This château is just five miles northwest of our house, in a village called Monthou-sur-Cher. It's had a new owner for the past few years and has been fixed up quite a bit since I took these photos. Le Gué-Péan was built as a hunting lodge in the 16th and 17th centuries, according to the guidebooks I have (Cadogan and Signpost). Its location in a verdant valley in the middle of a lush forest is attractive. The Cadogan guide calls it "a Sleeping Beauty of a castle."

So how was the party?

The day before yesterday we went to our neighbor M's 90th birthday party. She has seven children and innumerable grandchildren, as well as many friends and acquaintances. She grew up in the village of Noyers-sur-Cher, just across the Cher river from Saint-Aignan. She married a man from Blois who was in the wine business and they lived up there in a house he had inherited from his parents. Then in the 1960s they bought a little house in the country just outside Saint-Aignan to use as a summer place.

They used to spend the out here in the country, but a few years ago M.'s husband passed away at the age of 94 after a fairly long illness and decline. We now see M. and her children less than we used to. She doesn't drive and never has. When we came to live here in 2003, we had bought the house across the street from theirs and met them as soon as we got here in June, before we were completely moved in. They knew about us because they were close friends of the woman who sold us this house we still live in, so they immediately invited us over for a glass of wine. I think they were happy that their new neighbors spoke French and were interested in getting to know them.

There were about 100 people in attendance in at the recent birthday celebration, which was an outdoor event. The weather cooperated, and even though it was far from hot, it wasn't too chilly and we only had one afternoon rainshower, which didn't last more than five minutes. M's sons-in-law and grandsons had set up two huge tents (called barnums in French, after P.T.) with, under them, long tables and many chairs for guests. We went over there at noond and had a few glasses of wine and some finger foods for a couple hours. Many of M's children and grandchildren sought us out to say bonjour. We've known them since 2003, when some of them were still very young, and we've watched the granchildren grow up. Some of them have children of their own now.

Lunch was served at a about two o'clock. It was catered and the food had been delivered in a refrigerated trailer by the local Super U supermarket catering department. Wine flowed freely, including local sparkling wines and numerous bottles of local red wines. Conversation was loud and lively. I wish I had remembered to take my smart phone with me, and I thought above going back across the street and getting it, but finally decided I preferred to talk to people rather than take pictures of them. I've taken and posted pictures of similar events hosted by M. and her family over the past 20+ years. Tasha was invited to the party, and she was well behaved.

What was the food like? First there were several different big bowls of pasta, bean, and couscous salads with vinaigrette dressing and little cubes of cheese, mostly feta, and tomato in them. The salads were served with plenty of good French bread. Then the main course came out at about three o'clock. There were platters of cooked chicken drumsticks (cuisses de poulet) and thinly sliced rare roast beef (rosbif), also served cold (room temperature). The one hot dish was a big bowl of small, whole roasted potatoes that were really tender and lightly browned. They were excellent.

It was all pretty tasty, but not especially fancy; it was more like a picnic than a dinner. After the meat course, there was cheese: several good local goat cheeses, big wedge of brie, and a few Alpine (Swiss) cheeses, with more of the good bread. Then dessert, a platter of little rum-soaked cakes (cannelés, a Bordeaux speciality), and a little squares of a kind of pound cake, lightly frosted with a sugary white icing, and little cups of chocolate mousse. Wines were still flowing, white sparkling ones and nice reds from a couple of different local wineries. And then good expresso coffee to wake us all up.

By the time lunch was finished, it was about 5:30 p.m. People started to leave. One guest was the mayor of our village, with her husband. I hadn't seen them much this year, even though they are close neighbors of ours. The reason is that one of their daughters, who lives three hours from here near the Atlantic coast, has been in poor health for months now, and the mayor and her husband have been going there frequently and spending time with their daughter and her children. They also have a daughter and grandchildren who live in Southern California. It was nice to catch up with all their news and comings and goings. Both of them are just a year or two older than I am (late 70s).

Three châteaux most will never see

Just west of Blois, between Amboise on the left bank of the Loire and Vouvray on the right bank, there are at least three châteaux that are not at all well known. I remember finding them almost by accident years ago.

The château above is in the village called Pocé-sur-Cisse just a short drive north of Amboise. We stayed in a gîte in Pocé in December 2002 when we were looking at houses with an eye to buying one. The Cisse is a small river that flows parallel to the Loire from north of Blois on west to Vouvray. We thought we might find a house we liked and could afford in Amboise or nearby. The château in Pocé eluded us on that trip, I believe. We sound it a few years later. At some point in its history, in the 18th or 19th century, the Château de Pocé-sur-Cisse was abandoned. The building was turned into a foundry by a local industrialist. When the château later reverted to government ownership, iron and steel statues of winged lions fabricated in the foundry were placed around the property as decorations.

A short distance west and north of Pocé the Brenne river flows north to south on th eastern edge of the wine village called Vouvray. Two châteaux stand in the Brenne river valley. Both were built starting at the end of the 15th century, but in different styles. One, the Château de de la Côte (above left) is just barely a château; it's smaller so is sometimes described as a manor (un manoir in French). It looks pretty elegant and is privately owned. The other, the Château de Jallanges was built mostly of brick. These days it is operated as a hotel catering to tourists who want to see the better-known Loire Valley châteaux nearby.

Losses

I lost a member of my extended family a few days ago. I just found out about it this morning. We weren't blood relatives, but we were definitely related. His name — the one he went by — was Lewis. I met him through his wife and over the internet. You know his wife too, if you've read this blog much. She's Evelyn, and she's a frequent commenter. Evelyn and Lewis and Walt and I took trips to several different parts of France over the years. My love to Evelyn and her two children. I'm tearing up, so I'll stop here...

  

In the vicinity of Saint-Nicolas de Blois

Winds are howling and rain is blowing every which-a-way in Saint-Aignan this morning. Forecasters are saying the storm will move through slowly and last into the afternoon. There are thunderstorm warnings and we may well get some hail before it's all over. It's downright chilly outside right now, and the high temperature this afternoon will be 21C, reports say. That's not quite 70F.

Meanwhile, our neighbors who live in Blois are throwing a big party tomorrow. They are expecting about 100 guests — including us. If they are awake at this hour, they are probably getting nervous about today's weather. Actually, it's supposed to be much better tomorrow, with sun and warmer temperatures. What are they celebrating? It's their mother's a 90th birthday. "They" are her seven children and her many grandchildren, other relatives, and friends. BTW, it's supposed to be an outdoor party. A hundred guests wouldn't fit in their small maison de campagne.

Meanwhile, here are a few Blois photos that I took years ago. The café you see above right is directly across the street from the main entrance into the Église Saint-Nicolas, above left.

Stained glass at the Saint-Nicolas church in Blois

All the stained-glass windows in the Église Saint-Nicolas de Blois were destroyed when the city was bombarded in June 1940. Somehow the church itself was left otherwise undamaged, I think. The windows you see in the church today were installed in the 1950s. Some or all of them were the work of the famous stained-glass artist Max Ingrand.

Blois on a March morning

It started out foggy on that March day in 2006. Above left you see the Église Saint-Nicolas. Above right is the old bridge. There are two other bridges at Blois — modern ones — one upstream and one downstream. The main part of the town is on the right bank of the Loire, and the smaller part is on the left bank.

Toward mid-morning, the fog started to lift. Above left, there's the old bridge again, with the cathrdral on high ground on the right bank. Above right, you can see that there are some very steep streets in the old town.

Above left is the outer façade of the François 1er wing of the Château de Blois, which sort of overlooks the center of the town. It's called La Façade des Loges in French. I don't know much more about it. The picture above right shows, from on high, a street that parallels the Loire river. You can see how the houses and other buildings are packed together along the road.

Views of Blois from the château

This panoramic photo of Blois is one I took from the left bank of the Loire, almost directly across from the château. The big white building on the far left is the château's Classical wing. The three tall spires you see just right of the château are those of the Église Saint-Nicolas, built in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Cadogan guide describes them as soaring, sharp, and "puncturing the Blois skyline. The church on the right side of the photo is the Renaissance-era Cathédrale Saint-Louis, built in the 16th century. It was nearly destroyed by what the Michelin Guide Vert describes as un ouragan (a hurricane) in 1678 and was re-built.

Views of Saint-Nicolas from the terrace of the Château de Blois.

Looking down on a couple of old houses in the Saint-Nicolas neighborhood

L'Église Saint-Nicolas de Blois.

Photos in and around the Château de Blois

I took these photos in Blois in June 2009. CHM was visiting from Paris. We made an afternoon of it. I'm not sure where we saw the stained-glass window on the right. It might have been inside the Chapelle Saint-Calais at the Château de Blois. Or it might have been in the nearby Église Saint-Nicolas.

I do know, however, that the painting below is one of CHM's grandfather's works. His name was also CHM — Charles-Henri Michel. He was born in 1817 and died in 1905. The man I worked with and got to be friends with spelled his name Charles-Henry. He was born in 1924, and he and I were friends for many decades, until his death in 2024.

I don't think I ever asked Charles-Henry why he changed the spelling of his name. He probably would have told me that it was none of my business. This painting by his grandfather was finished in 1901.

Above and below are some pictures I took inside the François 1er wing of the château and one of a nearby church, St-Vincent-de-Paul (17th century).