The sights from Brancion – and more eating, some thinking

The female DG has fretted about the male DG’s lack of blogging/photography during their stay in Ameugny. He writes about it on post yesterday. Now she feels shame. She does get something up every day – and while some have at least done the job of chronicling their life in rural France, that lack the profundity that his single post encapsulated.

But at this point, staying on the fluffier plane is the only course. How best to talk about a wonderful day spent with good friends, the Bostocks, first at Brancion (pictured), then a scumptiousthree-hour French lunch, followed by a walk in the Guye valley and light supper. If not profound, at least blessed…

Ameugny celebrates its library

For being such a tiny village, Ameugny has a nice little library. Today it was the focus of a celebration at which it appeared the who village showed up, along with quite a few of the brothers from Taize (just down the road). There was food, drink, a book sale, and entertainment, including local acrobatics and a three-piece band (sax, accordion and guitar.) As is typical with events of this kind throughout the [at least] western world, special activities were offered for youngsters. The DGs liked how the kids got wrapped in garbage bags before using their artistic talents to paint murals. The female DG thinks it was oh-so-French, and oh-so-practical…

Friends from California come to Ameugny

The DGs welcomed friends from California to Ameugny today. The morning sun had retreated behind clouds, so it was not at its showy best. Taize evening prayer (it’s Saturday, so all the candles came out) – and a lot of wine chased the clouds away, in just the way Esther Satterfield sang the song. OK, so Chuck Mangione did the more popular version…

Finally – a frites encounter

The DGs will have been in Ameungy for four weeks but today was the first day they encountered one of their favorite lunchtime combinations – omelets with french fries. A half bottle of local good wine from Givry topped it off. ..

Another spectacular sunset in Ameugny

When the weather conditions are right – or more accurately when the clouds are perfectly situated – there may be no better sunset in the world than in Ameugny. Tonight was one of those nights…

Walk along the Grosne into Cormatin

To add to her up and back to Taize mileage, the female DJ walked the couple of miles into the nearest town with a restaurant – Cormatin – where the male DG met her for lunch. She used the Voie Verte, which, at least along this stretch of what is an extensive recreational path, used to be an old railroad line and runs parallel to the River Grosne.  The old railroad station itself stands; today a bunch of school children were having a skating party.

The only eating place opened in town today was a place that caters to tourists visiting Chateau Cormatin across the street. So instead of French people, they were surrounded by Dutch and German couples (typical in these parts) and for the first time, a couple from Wales, who hearing the DGs speak English, engaged them in conversation. The man was actually Irish born and said he had once been a monk. They’re visiting Taize on their way to Provence. Just a typical everyday lunch encounter…

Taize common prayer – all three times

The young people, families with children, and adults who officially register for a week (or other time period) with the Taize brothers also worship with them three times a day. Judging by the occupancy of the various accommodations – tents, dorms, camping grounds, Olinda & similar buildings – and the occupancy of the Church of the Reconciliation during prayer time, most who come to stay take part in this thrice daily ritual

During their time in Ameugny, the DGs join the brothers once a day – most often the 8:15 am service that includes a Eucharist of sorts (the bread/wine has been previously consecrated). They agree it’s a lovely way to start the day, particularly in May when it’s light early and the fields are ablaze with yellow buttercups or planted crops of some sort.

With this day declared a stay-at-home day – no countryside drives, no dining out – the female DG decided after the morning prayer that she would also attend the two other common worship times of the day, something she hadn’t ever done before on the same day.

On a day when the weather was tres changeant, she escaped the intermittent rain and thunderstorms. But didn’t get the “wow” sunset shot she was hoping.

And after now sitting in almost every part of the church, she’s decided that the benches on the right are really the quietest and most contemplative…

Photos top to bottom: The Church of the Reconciliation shortly after morning prayers; kids making their way back to Olinda after noon prayer; view to the valley below on the way to evening prayer

In France they mow your street

What some might assume is a front yard in front of their farmhouse in Ameugny is actually a street, or rather a dead end lane of sorts, passable only by foot. It nevertheless has a real street name on the town map, Impasse du Chat. Today the a town worker came to mow it…

First Blush – and then the invasion

The female DJ has been thinking about getting up early enough to run at dawn since she arrived in Ameugny but that means really early. That’s because it starts getting light around 5:15 am and she needs to be back and showered by 7:30 am to make the trek to Taize . Today she woke up and got up, jogging along the Voie Verte in time to see the sun rise over the eastern hills, with just the Charolais to keep her company.

Later at Taize, the Church of the Reconciliation was filled with this week’s pilgrims including thousands of German teenagers as well as more families than she’s ever seen, most of whom  accompanied them on their way back home along Rue du Litte. She’s thinking of it as the ‘invasion of Ameugny’…

It’s Pentecost Monday in France

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Yes, another “religious” holiday is tres secular France. It’s also quite warm, which means everyone – or so it seems – has come to the country. The DGs went from from one country village to another, having a nice lunch in Mancey (which is over the hill to the east of Ameugny) at Auberge du des Chevres on the terrace. That mandated a walk down the valley. She looked up at Taize and knew the hordes were descending. Returning through that village confirmed it, including more families arriving than she’s every seen…