The end of winter is finally in sight (although I decline to accept any responsibly if you are reading this in the midst of a blizzard), the clocks will be changing on the 25th March and the flowers are staring to bloom. In other words, spring will soon be with us and although it would be a complete exaggeration to suggest that the Loire Valley will start to ‘come to life’ – it is indeed alive for the entire year – it is fair to say that the landscape will take on a new form. The region is, after all, known as the ‘Garden of France’, even if this time of year is well-known for its morning fogs.
On option for this time of the year is to spend one’s free time enjoying the grounds of Château de Bois Giraud, experiencing the change in flora; I refuse to suggest ‘watching the garden grow’ as that sounds like a lyric from Flowers in the Rain by The Move. Another is to pay a visit to La Passerelle in for a plate of ‘vanilla shortbread with citrus fruit, cider apple sorbet and hazelnut meringue’ would surely brighten even the wettest of March days. Actually I would rarely need an excuse to consume such delicacies but the weather can sometimes provide a sense of justification.
In fact you can gauge the change in mood and tempo simply by strolling around Saint-Philbert-en-Mauges or the Château itself. The countryside already seems more verdant and there is that almost indefinable sense of anticipation for the forthcoming events and shows, for the musical and arts festivals of the Valley – and of the months when doors may be left open all day long. The sky already seems a deeper shade of blue but I will stop there before I descend into the abyss that is greetings’ cards verse. All I will say is that it is as though the holidays are about to commence…