In and around the Renaudière vineyard in January 2008

Our outdoor thermometer says that the temperature here is just barely above 35ºF right now. This weekend, however, the days have been bright and the afternoons mild. Yesterday afternoon, I didn't need to put on a heavy coat to go out walking with Natasha. I just threw on a fleece jacket (une vest polaire) and headed out. This morning, I'll need my heavy coat again, and a hat and gloves.  Still, since January 1, we've had eleven days with twenty minutes or less of sunshine. On eight of those days, there was no sunshine at all. On the other hand, we've also had eleven days with no rain.

26 janvier 2008

A frosty morning in the Renaudière vineyard — I think it was freezing fog.

31 janvier 2006 entre 8h00 et 8h30

Sunrise pictures taken in the Renaudière vineyard outside Saint-Aignan (Loir-et-Cher)

Off the beaten path in January

The village of Orbigny is just seven or eight miles southwest of Saint-Aignan. It's only six miles from the Zooparc de Beauval, which is now the most popular tourist destination in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France — a bigger attraction than any of the Loire Valley châteaux, with a million visitors a year. I wonder how long the Orbigny area will remain so agricultural and rural. The countryside out there is beautiful.

As you can see below, Orbigny has its own Renaissance château. It's the privately owned Château de l'Estang.

The Château de l'Estang is not open to the public except for a few special events in summer, as far as I know.

A few years ago, there was a hail storm in Orbigny that damaged the roof of the village church, which is dedicated to saint Vincent. It was being repaired when I took these photos in late January 2006. According to the town's Wikipédia article, the population has decreased from 1,400 in the late 1800s to just more than a thousand 50 years ago, and just more 700 now.