Gites du Marigne

20/08/2024

What some of our guests say.....

We had a great stay at Jeanie and Paul's place who welcomed us in an affable way (including our little dog!), really cordial and smiling! Their cottage is beautiful, neat, flowery, eco-friendly, perfectly maintained. It's a passionate personal project, you can see it, you feel it. The house is large, perfectly clean, well-equipped, decorated with originality and taste. We really enjoyed the large pool, the private garden where we were able to eat alfresco and relax, the comfortable bedding. We also explored the area whose landscapes and light are remarkable. Restaurants, water points, parks are not far away; calm and nature have allowed us every day of our stay to really rest and relax away from the city and work. We'll be happy to come back again.
Claudia and Edwige (Italian and French) August 2024

Our stay in the barn was perfect for our family of 5! Great facilities, tranquil location and of course a beautiful pool. Jeany and Paul were fantastic friendly hosts, helping us when we had any questions and generally creating a very relaxed atmosphere. We would love to come back in the future and will thoroughly recommend the accommodation to our friends and family.

Jim and Anna (British) August 2024

We had a great time, the pool was just what we needed, it was nice that our Granddaughter had some other children to play with, Paul & jeany are just the best and suggested some local places to visit (for lunch / dinner)

Kevin (British) August 2024

08/08/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/PGky2mJ64ua8HPZ7/

06/07/2024

A much needed day out on the Ile de Re, beautiful sea food, gorgeous shops, lovely beaches, the sea felt so restorative, I always feel like a big kid jumping the waves. A wander around the harbour for a final ice cream, an absolute pleasure as always

25/06/2024

The heat is on! 34c and summer has finally arrived, lots of gardening followed by a refreshing swim, a good day

02/06/2024

Yesterday I got the tractor out to cut the meadow, my absolute favourite job. The gardens are so colourful right now, vibrant and bright before the intense heat of summer dulls them a little. I picked the first crop of cherries and will make a compote, fabulous with Greek yoghurt or pancakes. There are many more to come and we will share them with friends and neighbours. We ended the day with my favourite summer supper, chicken ceasar salad. It was a good day and we are very grateful 🙏

31/05/2024

So many poppies outside our door, buzzing with busy bees 🐝

28/05/2024

Today's cut flowers from the garden, roses and love in the mist in glorious abundance 🩷💙💚

18/05/2024

The roses are exceptional this year after a very wet spring, the warm sun shining brightly after each stormy interlude, providing perfect growing conditions. We prepare for a big family group of guests, I pick flowers to welcome them in each gite. Cow parsley fills the verges and I add some to the roses. Horses lounge in the small field next to us and Bertie and Chloe join me for breakfast in the early morning sun. It's a good day.

08/05/2024

First group booking of the summer. This time of year, when everything is lush, green, verdant..never fails to take my breath away. The gites have been scrubbed, aired, polished and preened ready for a wonderful group of young french friends wanting to spend a few days together. The petanque pitch has been in full swing, bbqs have been lit and music is playing. Summer has arrived! Bonne soirée à tous xx

14/04/2024

08/04/2024

Did you know Paris is only 1.5 hours by TGV train from our local city of Poitiers? We finally made it after 7 years of living here and it didn't disappoint. After a cloudy start, the sun shone brightly on this warm spring day, blossom everywhere. I have a particular fondness for les fleuristes, spectacular blooms so fabulously displayed. However I did not care for the creepy shop showing "curiostiés', quite bizarre! A fantastic day 😀

08/04/2024

https://www.facebook.com/share/pgWM25HNkZmi1f7M/
Well worth a day trip

Bassins des Lumières Bordeaux

06/04/2024

After lots of rain and then really warm weather, everything is in full growth. It was time to cut the whole meadow, gently topping it and repeating this in a full days to prepare the ground for ball games and children playing as we get ready for the first guests this year. The r**e fields look glorious in all their yellow glory, the gr**evine is budding in readiness for an abundance of fruit in high summer. The garden never fails to bring joy, nature reminding us of rebirth 🧡🩷💜🩵💙💚💛

02/04/2024

01/04/2024

Yummy 😋

31/03/2024

Happy Easter weekend to all our followers and guests 😀

17/02/2024

Bertie is 9 today! He has brought such joy and love to so many. Even the cats adore him. A gentle soul but with such capacity for fun, always making us laugh. We got him after I had been very ill having suffered a brain haemorrhage. His arrival was so healing and joyful, it gave me and my family a real boost. He lives a free and active life here in rural France and provides a warm welcome to all. Many children have overcome their fear of dogs with this kind boy. Forever grateful to have you with us for all too short a time dear Bertrand ❤️ we will continue to make the most of our days with you ❤️

26/11/2023

Today dawned cold and bright, the most perfect, frosty, wintry day. We headed to our local market town Civray for a Riverside walk with Bertie. Feeling all pink cheeked and glowy, we headed home for porridge with honey and cinnamon and soft, buttery brioche with our coffee before heading out for a bracing but beautiful bike ride. This afternoon I made cheese scones for the ultimate comfort food. A restful Sunday before another busy week. How do you like to spend yours? ❄️

03/11/2023

Our pool is finally at a low enough temperature for winterising to avoid an algae bloom. We had to make a trip to beautiful Angoulême today for the chemicals needed for the 'hivernage' so a great reason to visit our favourite restaurant Comptoir de Brice for a fabulous lunch. It didn't disappoint. The most delicious tartiflette arienne and oeuf mollet for starters and pêche du jour for the main meal. I picked up a delicious rose and raspberry cupcake from the fabulous Garden Cupcakes for desert at home. What a treat

21/10/2023

A blustery, autumnal day, my favourite! We began by cutting back the long stemmed yellow flowers by the poolside, a huge job each year but we are well rewarded with a fantastic new crop each summer. The autumn colours everywhere are truly stunning and look so pretty against the blue sky and stone buildings. The pool is still not quite cool enough for winterising after a recent hot spell. We have to wait until the water is a very fresh 12c before putting on the winter cover to prevent an algae bloom. By mid afternoon it had turned very wet and cool. I made a fish pie for comfort and settled in with Bertie and Claude. Bon weekend à tous from us all here at Marigné

07/10/2023

Peach harvest! We almost missed it this year as we've been working on a project so some of these beautiful fruits have been nibbled by wasps. No matter, I grabbed what I could. These peaches are not pretty, they're mottled and are thick skinned but so delicious too! I blanched them for 2 minutes in boiling water and then plunged them in ice water to prevent cooking them further. I then skinned and sliced them, freezing them on a tray. It's then easy to bag them for a winter of sunshine ahead! They make fabulous crumbles or delicious with our morning Greek yoghurt

27/08/2023

It's that time again. No sooner has the intense heat of summer passed, then it's time to start preparing for the winter months. We are very lucky to have dozens of sloe bushes around the meadow. We picked the sloes a couple of weeks ago and popped them in the freezer. This helps them split ready to be infused. Tradition says pick them after the first frost for this purpose but here in France they would have been eaten by birds or dried out in the still warm sun! Any leftover sloes can be used to make a sloe and apple jelly to accompany poultry. Defrost and wash the sloes and measure out 6oz of sugar into a standard wine bottle with screw top lid. Add 500ml of gin, cheap is fine 🙂. Shake to start dissolving the sugar. Add sloes that you gently squeeze to help release their juice. Fill the bottle with a little space to spare to enable shaking well. Shake daily for a month, then from time to time. Allow to infuse for 3 months. Strain through coffee filter paper and decant into pretty bottles. Best enjoyed by sipping from a tiny glass by the fire. You can mix with tonic if you prefer. Deliciously decadent.

23/08/2023

A night away at the coast to try and escape the heat dome we are having at the moment. Temperatures are over 40c this week so we took a day at the seaside. There was a light breeze, somewhat refreshing but still so hot. We had a seafood feast and slept on a boat, enjoying the cooler night air and a little break as we head towards the end of summer and a slower pace once more.

20/08/2023

Recently I posted a picture of the elderberries in our garden and my lovely girl suggested I make elderberry syrup for coughs and colds, (follow her for lots of wellness tips). Elderberries are toxic unless heat is added so be careful with them. Itwas really easy and fun to do, here's how:
Pick the ripe elderberries
Use a fork to pull them off their stalks into a colander
Pick out as many unripe berries and stalks as possible
Add the same quantity of water as you have elderberries (I had up to the 700ml mark in a jug)
I also added star anise and cinnamon sticks
Bring to the boil and then simmer for an hour without a lid
Let it cool for at least 30 mins
Strain through a sieve and muslin, pressing the berries to release all their juice
Discard the fruit
Add a generous half a jar of honey (raw if possible) to the still warm liquid and stir to infuse
Decant into a glass jar et voila! It will keep in the fridge for 6 months

17/08/2023

Our last family of the week left this morning, 3 generations in our biggest gite Hiboux. They thoroughly enjoyed their time together, lots of fun in the pool and took advantage of the best local restaurants and had fun canoeing. It was so great to see them spending such a lovely time en famille

16/08/2023

Another gorgeous family from Durham leave us tomorrow. The little lad learnt to swim by himself and all gave us such warm and generous feedback about their stay. Granny loved it, mum was happy and relaxed and the children just wanted to stay. Lots of cuddles with Bertie and we have to say goodbye or maybe just adieu 💛🌞🌟

16/08/2023

The next week is going to be super hot, much of this paddle is in the shade, a great way to enjoy the water

15/08/2023

Three delightful children from the North East of England came to visit with their mummy (she gave me permission to share). From the moment they arrived, they brought joy and happiness, such a wonderful reaction to seeing the gite, hugely appreciative of everything we have to offer our guests. They left these gorgeous notes for us. It makes all the hard work worthwhile, and we miss them too!