Blog Entries

Tour de France in Roujan - 2

LizzieBG — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Whoops - I've kept you waiting. Sorry. Glad you're back though. So four days ago the Tour de France chose to gallop through Roujan again after a 50 year break. And what fun we had.

Two of our poor guests had to leave early on the day of the tour to avoid closed roads and traffic jams. This was particularly rotten luck since one of them had broken her foot whilst here and had the 24 hour j [...]

A week like no other

LizzieBG — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Wow, it's been a momentous week. My lovely brother Justin (known in the family as Freddie) had his 50th birthday.

His kind wife, Michelle, organised a secret party for 60-odd people (important hyphen). It was nearly a well-kept secret until Joel the local carpenter asked him what time it started just two days before the event.

I gave him one of those super-duper self-published books you can do s [...]

Another guest blog - Rachel

LizzieBG — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:00:00 +0100

From time to time we ask a guest if they'd like to write the blog. This time Rachel's taken up the keyboard - and provided the photos.

It was a tough week at Le Couvent, Roujan. Firstly there was that hot weather – pretty much a constant 35 degrees in the shade, which coincidentally is where I spent most of my time. Then the long periods of pool management, often unaided, where I had to make sure that nothing untoward happened either by or in the pool.&nb [...]

Still boiling

LizzieBG — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Ali's gone shopping thank God. That means I don't have to. Winding the windows down is the nearest we get to air-con in our ancient Freelander. It's around 36 today so inside or by the pool's the only place to be. So our guests decided to cycle around the countryside early this morning - how wise.

I'm on a diet so I spend hours trawling through recipe books for luscious things to cook for supper. Tonight we're on spiced chickpea cakes with red onion and coriande [...]

It's gonna be hot, hot, hot

LizzieBG — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0100

After such a soggy Spring, Summer's come as something of a shock. It's 8.30 in the morning and the thermometer in the shadiest, coolest part of the garden says 24 degrees. Elsewhere it's 30 already and rising. Once more the refrain of 'Ices, fresh ices' this afternoon as I trip my way up to the pool with a handful of cornets and a tub of home-made ice-cream for our lovely guests. They're not yet down to breakfast, but my guess is that they'll go off to the wonderfu [...]

Guests & peaches

LizzieBG — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0100

The problem with writing a blog is that sometimes you don't have time to write it, then all the stuff that happens in between becomes so huge that you can't face the task of going back over it. So you don't write. Sorry about that, I'll make amends now.

Since I last wrote we've had wonderful Swedes, Americans, English, Scots, Dutch, New Zealanders, Australians and many others staying. They arrive already knowing about our lives thanks to this diary and web [...]

The sun's back at Le Couvent, Roujan

LizzieBG — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Well after a couple of awful weeks when our ever-optimistic guests dashed between the sunny poolside and the house to avoid torrential rain, we are back on track again. The summer now looks here to stay. People tell us the pool temperature is lovely, although Ali & I rarely go in outside August when there' s simply nowhere else to be.

Our vines have extruded metres in a week, so Ali spends her spare time fixing them upright and attaching them to wires. I am bush-whacking throu [...]

Rain, rain everywhere

LizzieBG — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0100

(Our second guest poster is Cynthia, from Bellingham, Washington, just south of the USA/Canada border.)

Mother Earth must be laughing -- our brief stay at Le Couvent, June 1-2, coincided with the wettest spring weather in the Languedoc in nearly 60 years. No strangers to rain ourselves, coming from the Pacific Northwest corner of the United States, we had hoped for a glimpse of the sunshine that [...]

Photographic exhibition - 1 June - Margon

LizzieBG — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Sunday 1 June, Château de Margon (next village from Roujan) Open Day. Not only will the wonderful formal gardens of the Château be open, you'll be able to see another photographic exhibition by rising star 14-year-old Poppy Eady-Gosling. Here are some examples of her work. If you miss this occasion her work moves to Le Grand Café in Roujan for the month of June, where photographs will also be a [...]

Yukky weather

LizzieBG — Sat, 24 May 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Hi, it's Lizzie back again. The lovely Maryellen and Mike are on the plane back to Perth, so I'm the diarist once again. I've kept a low profile for a while as I hardly know what to write other than that we have foul weather at the moment. There's no keeping quiet about it. May is usually wall to wall sunshine, but this last week has been disguuuuusting. Rain, rain, sun, rain. The vines have grown over a metre in a week.

Sensible people stay at home, or go to eat lusciou [...]

Final days

LizzieBG — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Guest Maryellen writes again

On Monday I went with Lizzie and some others up to "Chateau Mal au Dos" to see Ali and Lizzie's potager and vines up there. It is a 7 minute drive from Le Couvent or a 40 minute stroll.

After a walk around the block which took in some of the forest up there, Liz showed me how to pallisage the vines, bringing their young shoots and [...]

Today in Roujan

LizzieBG — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:00:00 +0100

We thought it would be interesting to ask the occasional guest to write the diary for a change, so first up is Maryellen, one of our four current visitors from Western Australia.

_______ ::::________

Maryellen here - Lizzie has invited me to write the Le Couvent diary.

< [...]

Tour de France in Roujan

LizzieBG — Wed, 14 May 2008 19:00:00 +0100

So what are you doing on July 18th? We're going to be watching the whole Tour de France carnival pass by the end of our road. That's right, just 20m from the Le Couvent gates at 12.45 the Tour 2008 caravane will roar past. Described on the Le Tour website as:

* A 20 km-long procession
* 200 brightly decorated vehicles
* 43 brands represented on average each year
* 15 [...]

Languedoc Wine Tours

LizzieBG — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:00:00 +0100

If you're thinking of coming to stay at Le Couvent, Roujan or you've already made your booking, why not think of incorporating a three hour (or longer) wine tour?

Wine expert Dominic George who runs Languedoc Wine Tours will pick you up from Le Couvent, take you to some of the best domaines in the area, teach you to taste wine, organise a tasting a [...]

Chance

LizzieBG — Sun, 11 May 2008 19:00:00 +0100

Fresh from Australia via Paris, new guests arrived yesterday. They're on their honeymoon and over a glass or two of Le Couvent rosé they were telling us of their short but magical time in Paris. In particular they'd been impressed by the wonderful display of multi-coloured macaroons in Ladurée .

Yesterday morning, by absolute chance, I had skidded into one of the tw [...]

Le Couvent has a new shop

LizzieBG — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:00:00 +0100

I know, absolutely ridiculous. After all, we're just a B&B. But you're going to buy stuff like boxer shorts and BBQ aprons somewhere, so why not from us?

Everything on the shop will be limited edition - that is, the over-printing will be changed when we've had enough of it, it stops selling, or there are complaints. So if you like something why not get it now?

We earn a bit of commission on all sales and we intend spending it on random kindnesses and senseless act [...]

Stoolball weekend

LizzieBG — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:00:00 +0100

What's stoolball? It's an old English game, the fore-runner of cricket, originally played by milkmaids. You probably haven't heard of it because it's only played in Kent, East Sussex and now, Roujan. If you'd like to know more about the game you can check it out here .

Last year Ali & I made some wickets, painted them jolly colours and hauled together a team of friends and family & called ourselves the Languedoc Crocks. We were mentioned on a website and as a [...]

Le potager partag�

LizzieBG — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 19:00:00 +0100

The other day I was strolling with the dogs around the periphery of the newly acquired Le Couvent vineyards . As is quite usual I came across a couple of people collecting wild asparagus and taking the air.

"Are the dogs friendly Madame?"

"Absolutely" said I.

"Where is it you are from?" said the elder of the two smiling old girls.

"Roujan [...]

Le Couvent Lime & Basil Sorbet

LizzieBG — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:00:00 +0100

The weather's been disgusting today, dull, wet and dismal. Perfect for cooking up a storm or making a sorbet for supper tonight. This sorbet is soooooooo good I thought I'd share it. Don't be put off by the fact that it looks uncannily like school mashed potato, it really has an absolutely stunning flavour. Oh, and I've made twice as much in the photos as there'll be lots of us for supper.

You need: [...]

Languedoc Courgette soup

LizzieBG — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:00:00 +0100

This one's for the Landseer group who are coming to stay at Le Couvent, Roujan again in a couple of month's time. It's an annual reunion of chums who've previously worked together and they've asked for us to do supper for them one evening. They've requested 'the lovely courgette soup you gave us last time'. I'd completely forgotten, but have found the recipe. Good start. I'm hoping I can encourage the courgettes to get a move on. This is how they look t [...]