Volunteers Out And About

Fields surrounding La Giraudiere.

La Giraudiere is surrounded by some wonderful countryside; the vineyards of local wine producers, fields of sunflowers, rolling hillsides, lakes and rivers. Here volunteers have the perfect opportunity to get out in the open, by foot or by bike, to explore the local area.

On Your Bike

Paul has a number of bikes that volunteers can use in their free time – whether they wish to go out as a group or solo. So, on Sunday I had no excuse not to don a cycle helmet and get out to enjoy the afternoon.

It was my first time cycling for about two years, so I had fully intended to take it easy. But my natural instinct to explore took me a little further than I had expected. The wonderful scenery led me round corner after corner, over hill after hill. By the time I returned to La Giraudiere I think I had cycled at least 15k round the lakes, fields and along local roads.

On my way back to the house I stopped to relax at the local etang, where I sat by the edge of the water to write postcards and read for a while.

Volunteers take time to relax by the lake.

When volunteers have free time, there are plenty of other activities to get involved in at the various lakes in the area, including canoeing, quad biking, jet skiing and swimming.

Sunday Evening

After such a warm day at La Giraudiere some welcome drops of rain came down. During the night we witnessed a very dramatic heat storm, beginning with a few rumbles of thunder in the distance, followed by flash after flash of lightening, before the really heavy rain came tumbling down.

Weekends as a volunteer at La Giraudiere

Fete de la Musique volunteer trip to Barbezieux

Here at La Giraudiere, volunteers are lucky enough to have a long weekend to relax and explore the local area. The typical working week is Tuesday to Thursday, and my Friday arrival meant I had a long weekend to settle in and chill out before the real volunteer work started on Tuesday.

Fête de La Musique

The Fête de la Musique, an annual celebration of music, took place on Saturday 21st June. This national day of music saw cities, towns and villages across France come alive as they hosted an array of live music and festivities.

As a volunteer at La Giraudiere, I had the opportunity join in with the celebrations and take a trip to a local town called Barbezieux. About twenty minutes drive away from Brossac, Barbezieux is one of the larger towns in the area.

We arrived about 8pm, and the streets were slowly filling up with music lovers, young and old alike, waiting for the fun to begin. Many of the bars, and some restaurants, had live music stages or DJs which played until the early hours of the morning.

From live rock bands and performances from the local music school, to line dancing and sets from some great groups, Barbezieux’s Fête de la Music had something for everyone. When we first arrived there was even a Zumba class taking place in front of the church.

Line dancing during the Fête de la music volunteer trip.

There was plenty to eat and drink too. You could grab a bit to eat from a local vendor, before grabbing a seat or squeezing onto a bench at any one of the long tables to eat and drink, chat and meet new friends.

There was such a great atmosphere throughout the whole town. The Fête de la Musique was a great experience for a volunteer at La Giraudiere.

Volunteers will soon discover that Monday is a very quiet day in France for small villages and towns like Brossac. Many shops and tourist sites are closed for the day, with the odd exception of the local patisserie or small general store that may open in the morning.

Chalais Market: Sunday 22 June

Volunteers regularly visit the Monday market at Chalais.

A short drive away from Brossac, local town Chalais holds a regular market each Monday, and all La Giraudiere volunteers will have the opportunity to visit during their stay. I’m told the streets are usually packed with traders and the busy hustle and bustle of locals and regulars alike.

However, after some dramatic storms on Sunday night, and waking up to a cool and rainy morning, the market was not as busy as usual. Understandably, many of the traders – and members of the public – had been put off by the weather forecast, deciding to stay indoors and keep dry instead.

It didn’t put us off though. And people from the surrounding towns and villages still came to buy their fruit and veg, and browse stalls full of clothes, jewellery and livestock. The umbrella stall probably did well that day too.

Petanque: Volunteer Versus Paul

On Monday evenings at around 8:30pm volunteers are welcome to come to Brossac village to join the locals in a game of Pétanque (Boules).

My first Pétanque game was quite an international match, with French, Dutch and English making up the teams.

Volunteers join a game of Pétanque in Brossac.

As it happens, I’m clearly a natural at this game. My first attempt was a great success, beating Paul 13-5. Beginners luck I think – as I’m the least sporty and least competitive person I know (usually)… although I was Sunderland City Discus Champion once when I was at school!

After defeating Paul, we joined in with the other teams, playing two long games until about 11pm.

The next Pétanque match is on Friday.

The 9th Annual Trail du Brossacais

L’Etang Vallier. Starting point for the Trail du Brossacais.

Brossac’s very own cross-country event, the Trail du Brossacais, is taking place on Sunday 29th June.

The starting point is the picturesque l’Etang Vallier. And as always, the trial is open to anyone that wants to take part.

There are two main courses for runners: one of 13 kilometers, and another of 25 kilometers. And for walkers there is a 13 kilometer randonée (hike).

This year’s scenic route takes participants through the rolling hills of the Charente, through pine-scented woodlands, boundless golden meadows and past tranquil, rippling lake.

Last year over 400 people took part, with support from around 100 volunteers – including Paul and volunteers from La Giraudiere.

Putting up marquees for Trail du Brossacais.

The Trail du Brossacais starts at 9:00 in the morning.  There will be showering facilities for participants, and food and drink is available.

On the morning of Thursday 26 June, just three days before the Trail, Volunteers from La Giraudiere together with locals lent a hand to help the Trail Association put up two large marquees beside the lake. Paul will also be helping out on the day as a signaler along the course route, making sure participants keep on the right track.

We wish everyone who enters good luck. And we’ll be reporting about the event in next weeks blog.

This year’s Trail du Brossacais takes place on Sunday 29 June.

Summer Volunteer Barbara’s First Blog Post

La Giraudiere’s first summer volunteer Barbara from the UK.

On Friday 20th June I arrived at Chalais Gare to meet Paul, my host for three weeks as a summer volunteer at La Giraudiere. Oh, and not forgetting Sidney, the Labrador; we became friends at once.

I’m Barbara (or Babs) from the UK. Originally from Sunderland; if you know English football you’ll more than likely have heard of the place. If not, it’s in the North East of England, near Newcastle.

I’ve spent the last five years living in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire working in arts marketing and events. I recently quit my job to spend time travelling and writing, and to start working freelance.

I found out about La Giraudiere a few years ago, whilst browsing the internet for summer volunteer opportunities in France and Europe. For the past few years I’ve visited France, Italy, Belgium, Germany and Spain numerous times; and as I love to travel, I thought a volunteer working holiday would be the perfect opportunity to spend a longer period abroad, and to explore an area of France I was yet to discover.

It was a few years before I eventually got round to applying for a volunteer place, but finally I decided it was time to move on from my current job and explore new opportunities. And everyone told me I should do it while I am young. (Well, young-ish anyway!)

Getting To La Giraudiere

It was a very warm and sunny afternoon on the day I arrived, from Nice after a night spent in Bordeaux. I’d spent just over a week on the Cote d’Azur to get my feet on the ground in France – visiting Nice, Antibes, Monaco and Vence.

Unfortunately my time in France coincided with a long period of train strikes, which meant many cancellations and disrupted train journeys. And typically, I found out on the morning of travel to La Giraudiere that my train had been cancelled.

Thankfully a replacement journey was possible, and I took a later train to Coutras, followed by a bus which connected me to Chalais train station, where I was met by Paul.

I was the first summer volunteer to arrive, which meant I had my choice of room – and after choosing the best one (of course) I spent a few hours that afternoon settling in and relaxing with a book (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) in the shade.

Paul’s Labrador Sidney was there to meet the first summer volunteer.

After dinner, Paul introduced me to his friends and neighbours Dave and Sylvie, and we walked the short distance to Brossac village where we had dessert at Saint Bernard, one of the lovely bar-restaurants in the village. We walked back to La Giraudiere taking in the wonderful sunset – typically I forgot my camera, but I’ll get a photo next time!

I’m looking forward to meeting the next summer volunteers when they arrive this week.