Le Couvent Diary

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. 

Huge breakfasts for which it would have been rude not to have shown some enthusiasm.  I particularly liked the fresh fruit salad, the juicy melon, the luscious pineapple, the perfect peaches, the pouting pastries, the dark seductive coffee, the still warm baguettes, the home made jam, the eggs laid by the cackling hens only hours before… the other stuff was fairly average.

 

 

Oh, and we had to go to this restaurant in Vailhan set on a hillside in an old monastery overlooking a lake, hills and the most spectacular sunset.  A table on the terrace where, lets face it, there was a strong wind.  Tough.  And the food… smoked salmon to start, daurade in foaming mayonnaise for mains and chocolate gorgeousness for afters.  Hard. 

I walked - fast - each morning in the already baking sun to try and maintain some semblance of moderate body size.   I focused on routes Dechetterie (look it up), Monastery and Margon and I would have to admit to taking in some rather beautiful scenery. 

 

 

 

 The locals seemed to wince at my breezy pace in such heat.  “Non, non, non,  Trop chaud pour marcher…”  Having brought my sports bra and short lycra shorts, it seemed the right thing to do but meant I built up a fairly deep all over tan.  Again, that might not be to everyone’s taste.  Sometimes I just had to lie on the garden bench in the shade and watch the world go by.  

 

 

Oh, and we squeezed in a visit to the market in Clermont L’Herault where there was a sort of whiny music in the air as we got out of the car.  I commented how it sounded like someone playing the saw… 

 

 

 

The market was full of bright colours, intriguing stalls and pungent smells – none more so than the air of wet dog that emanated from one of the charcuterie stalls.  I’m sure it was very nice…  A little hot but I managed.   Oh, and I bought a new lilo.  A new swim toy had appeared by the pool, a sort of hammock on the water, a cocoon on the lagoon, and I was feeling very sad that I had to leave it behind.  Obviously tricky to wrap and send home but I made the best of it…

Oh, I could go on and I will.  Obviously I jest.  Le Couvent is just about my favourite relaxing sanctuary in the whole world.  Ali and Lizzie have created a haven – or is that heaven – for all comers.  A place for relaxation, for contemplation, for aperitifs and peaceful banter in the courtyard, regular dips in the pool, favourite rooms (mine is the yellow room, i.e. that’s my room, mine…) and bountiful jaunts – can you have a bountiful jaunt?  I mean plenty of places to visit, explore and of course, to eat. 

I also made my first trip up to Le Chateau Mal au Dos, the vineyard where Ali and Lizzie create and share more experiences with friends and strangers alike.  

 

 

 

Wild fennel and rosemary, peach and pomegranate trees, fig and olive trees, a vegetable garden, a tumbling pool waiting to be filled, a crumbling stone cottage to host summer barbecues, winter sleeping bag snugglings and gatherings galore, and of course a few thousand vines.  What a place.  

But it’s not just the joy of being there.  My mind was also flooded with memories of the times I’ve been there before – this was my sixth visit - wafting over me as I melt into a state of pure contentment.  I was sitting by the pool one day when one of the other guests came over to me and said “You look very relaxed in your own skin – is that because you’re here?”  Such perception.  And what a lovely thing to say.  

 

 

 

That was just a week but it has set me up for a good while to come.  And I can always go back…

Thanks Rachel - you're welcome back whenever you can squeeze in a jaunt to Roujan. Lizzie & Ali xx 

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 website. But we know nothing about them, so it's like sticking your hand into a lucky dip and finding a treat every time. Film-makers, glassy-winged sharp shooter expert, tennis coach, mountain-climber, charity bosses, ballet dancer, widget manufacturer, software architect, writer, lawyer, homeopath, urban regenerator, public relations experts, an honest estate agent, hoteliers, a cop, musicians, accountants, architects and artists have all turned up at Le Couvent in the last month. Can you imagine how interesting it is for us to learn of the wild, wonderful, awful and exhausting ways people find to make a living? We salute you all and hope you found a bit of peace and inspiration during your stay. Thanks for the stories!

As for us, we've been run off our feet with lovely guests and have had a great time in the process. The pool's stayed bright, clear and fresh thanks to slightly cooler than average weather at around 24 degrees-ish. Very comfortable and quite unlike the energy-sapping high 30's of the first year we were here six years ago.

The vegetable garden's groaning with salads threatening to run to seed so I'm doing my best to palm stuff off onto guests who decide to take a picnic to our vineyards.

 

 

And when they're not helping us use up salad we put them to work weeding the vines. This one's for you Sarah & Andrew.

 

 
While we're on the subject of the vines, this has been a worrying time weather-wise. The mix of warm temperatures and a bit of rain is not great for grapevines. They are prone to getting mildew and oidium, so we have to treat them. We have help in the rather delectable shape of Fred who sprays the vines for us each fortnight. We insist that he wears a mask but he's a bit reluctant to use it properly. God knows what his tan looks like after a day like this.  

 

This morning our friend the WelderBeast's been round to discuss the bridge. Many of you will know that we've wanted to construct a small bridge between the house and the garden, but we've never found a satisfactory solution to the problem. We'd like something functional and sculptural at the same time. WB is the first person to tell us it's completely possible. Watch this space.

This weekend we cooked for our lovely group from Landseer Productions (something we do very rarely) and they've asked for the recipes, so there will be a couple more in the book by the end of the week.

 

I've also made some peach ice-cream and sorbet from our own peaches. At Chateau Mal Au Dos there was an orchard of peaches and olives when we bought it. However many of the peach trees had died of neglect, except for about four. Incredibly one of them produced the smallest yet sweetest peach crop this year. I'm hoping that some TLC from us will produce even better result next year.

 

 

 

 

(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 the south of France is known for, particularly as we'd had a very cold and wet spring.

We were sure that the weather in Roujan would be milder and more conducive to walking and exploring tiny villages than what we'd experienced the week before in the foothills of the Massif Central, where a memorable thunderstorm and nearly incessant rain kept us indoors.

As we entered the gate of Le Couvent, Ali and Lizzie met us with the warmest greeting we have ever had -- and big umbrellas, as yes, it was raining on the plain, too. But we really didn't mind.

 

 

In a lovely old building that radiates serenity, we reveled in our simple, supremely comfortable bedroom, hundreds of books, eclectic art, marvelous local food, delightful fellow guests, and most of all, Ali and Lizzie. We arrived as guests, but after that heartfelt welcome, we were family, and their home was our home, with its heart in the kitchen. Gathered around the long table, enjoying the extraordinary Le Couvent breakfast or an aperitif in the evening, we laughed, shared our stories, and were at peace.

And in what surely was a miracle, sandwiched between two thunderstorms and drizzle, we had a couple of hours of brilliant sunshine! We saw Le Couvent literally in a new light, spent time in the delightful pool and garden, and knew we would have to return.

The real souvenirs of travel are not tangible -- they are the remarkable people like Ali and Lizzie, Renaissance women with hearts of gold, who become part of our lives forever.

(Sent from Bellingham, where it is still raining…)

 

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 branches through wires that run parallel with the ground and clipping them against it to keep them safe from the strong winds that occur. I pallisaged away until Lizzie made me get in the car to bring me home - it was so relaxing and enjoyable to be gardening in such a meaningful way. Mon mari and I went back yesterday to do some more pallisage - the block is in an amazing location that has views in almost every direction. Mon mari was convinced that when we come back to Roujan we must stay up there!

Other treats through the week were a visit to St Guilhem le Desert - a beautiful stone village on the side of a gorge north from here and dinner at L'Entrepots at Pezenas (again!). The service and food at that place is exceptional!

I am dreading leaving here tomorrow - I have had a wonderful time. I have watched other guests sadly leave over the last 2 weeks and been thankfully spared up until now. Lizzie and Ali are wonderful hosts and are genuinely happy to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Their garden and home is spacious and welcoming and their dogs and neighbours are happy to make you feel at home as well. Quel domage - we have to go!

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.

It is so wonderful here in Roujan - I have come in from my poolside position in the sun, where I was listening to birds I haven't heard before, to write a little entry in the diary.

This morning after a beautiful breakfast at Le Couvent which featured fresh strawberries with mint, elderflower and acacia honey, mon mari and I drove into Pezanas to the market (10 minutes by car). Pezanas is picturesque and lively on market day and we had a great time walking around finding bargain clothes and delicious food. We bought a wine yesterday in Fougeres (spectacular!) that we wanted to eat with soft fromage de chevre and acacia honey, so I was on a mission to find the cheese at the market. During my mission I also found great T - shirts, baked cheesecake, olives, tapenade verte, paella, pate and a butcher (or five) selling everything from the tip of a pig's head to the bottom of its trotter. We had a lovely stroll through Pezanas and came home to Le Couvent to make a picnic to take up to the pool. Mon mari is still up there surrounded by oyster shells and an empty bottle of picpoul noir (a rare grape variety found only in the Languedoc) ! It is all incredibly indulgent and delicious in a peaceful, rural way that I absolutely adore.

Each day has been so wonderful here - always something different with loads of asistance and ideas from Ali and Lizzie if you want it or the freedom to find your own way.

I'd better get back up to the pool before the last of the sun disappears. Enjoy your Rose wherever you are (though I do think it tastes much better here!).

Maryellen