Highland Games in France??

Today I went to the Highland Games. They were held in the grounds of the Chateau in Bressuire in the Department of the Deux Sevres. The Department in France that no-one has ever heard about. People hear about Brittany, the Vendee, Dordogne, Vienne and other places south, but they drive through the Deux Sevres and do not stop to see what we have to offer.

We arrived here, in the Deux Sevres, mid 2001. So did the Highland Games and Pescalis (the premiere fishing experience in France). When we arrived we did not know that the aforementioned had also arrived and were in their infancy. So this year I went along with Jeff and our Wwoofer, Amanda, and spent some hours under the unrelenting sun watching these overweight men throwing things around an arena and also watching pipe bands from Scotland, Ireland and Brittany (they were all so very good) and young girls and guys with their gaelic dancing. The temperatures were excessive and the youngsters were so red in the face whilst performing on the stage... If they had been my own I would have taken them into the shade and fed them gallons of cool liquid and told them to wait until sundown before performing.. Apart from that it was brilliant and would have loved to have devoted the whole day to this event along with tomorrow...

Amanda is an Art teacher and sculptor so we took her via the 'pre' that has sculptures created by local artists. She was absolutely delighted to see the works - we are pleased that she enjoyed herself. She came out to Wwoof and found that there was more to France than just gardening! Not many people come to the French countryside and find there is culture as well.

There is also every other year the World Tricycle Championship that takes place in a small village just up the road. We did not know that we would be so heavily involved in that - this year I even have the World Champion staying in my house! It will be a pleasure to meet him and his family.. Will write about this next week!!