photo shows a packet of lentilles corail slices by Fleury Michon. Its a bit like ham but vegetarian.

Not Just for Vegetarians: Eating Well and Eating Better in Rural France

Being environmentally minded, gentle folk, a significant percentage of our guests are vegetarian, and many others are trying to eat more healthily. Food and drink are an important part of a holiday, and it’s interesting to observe France catching up with the UK in its offer of vegetarian and plant-based foods. I thought I […]

by Heidi Smith
June 20, 2026
rewilding, Climate Change, Things to do, Animals, Environment, Nature, Uncategorized

Close-up of a bullfinch perched on a branch, showcasing its vibrant plumage and distinctive colors in a garden setting

Bullfinches – A Welcome Spring Surprise

Historical Impact of the Bullfinch and Its Role in Our Garden I was watching a bullfinch hopping around the garden this morning. A welcome distraction from my exercise bike torture, it was cheerfully moving around the unmown grass and occasionally checking out the peach and pear trees I’ve always liked them, but I was reminded […]

by Heidi Smith
February 16, 2025
Climate Change, Animals, Environment, Nature, Uncategorized

Mating meadow fritillaries at Le Moulin de Pensol, July 2024—showcasing how rewilding fights Shifting Baseline Syndrome and revitalizes biodiversity.

The tune of nature (in a minor key)

The tune of nature, (in a minor key.) Standing in the woods on a sunny July day with a visiting friend, we pause our discussion of natural history and what that bloke we used to work with is doing now, and just stop and listen. The woods seem to thrum with an intense buzzing – […]

by Heidi Smith
July 14, 2024
Animals, Environment, Nature, Uncategorized

Donkey, grazing, ungulate, rewilding, browsing.

Rewilding at Le Moulin de Pensol, a personal journey 1

I clean a lot of toilets and make a lot of beds. So many in fact, that I just do it on autopilot which leaves me a lot of time with my own thoughts. No one wants to be left with my thoughts, not even me, so I plug myself into BBC Sounds or Spotify […]

by Nik Smith
February 28, 2024
Climate Change, Animals, Environment, Nature, Uncategorized

Rewilding – a Personal Journey 2. Elephants and overfishing.

So where were we? Oh yes, I recall i was going to rewild and that would be that. As ever , though, the devil is in the detail. As mentioned we have donkeys, horses and a mule that can do a good job at eating grass. In fact one of the UK`s suppliers of wildflower […]

by Nik Smith
February 26, 2024
Climate Change, Animals, Environment, Nature, Uncategorized

Plymouth Pear – rare in the UK, common at Le Moulin

PLYMOUTH PEAR AT LE MOULIN DE PENSOL It has taken us 6 years to correctly identify this tree. It flowered and fruited profusely in our first year here and we tentatively made jelly, thinking it was a crab apple. The jelly was delicious with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg although none was added. The jars […]

by Heidi Smith
September 10, 2023
Uncategorized

The Arrival of Donkeys at Our French Gites

This blog is about cheese. Just kidding, it’s not, of course, it’s about donkeys because EVERYTHING is now about donkeys. Because we now have three donkeys. Hadn’t you heard? Well, where have you been? Certainly not on Facebook, clearly. It all happened rather quickly. We had always talked about getting donkeys (and hens and goats […]

by Heidi Smith
June 13, 2019
Uncategorized

Christmas Cultural Confusion

I made a batch of mince pies yesterday. This involved buying some mincemeat from the humiliating “English section” of the supermarket which I normally never go in, where you can buy Marmite for €8 per jar, and several other strange products. I miss many things about the UK, but sandwich spread isn’t one of them […]

by Heidi Smith
December 28, 2018
Uncategorized

L’hiver arrive

Yes, winter is definitely coming. I have been slightly panicking for the last few months as I have watched our neighbours beautiful wood piles grow all around their properties. We have been so busy with end-of-season guests that we have not had time to concentrate on cutting, chopping and stacking our own wood. Actually the […]

by Heidi Smith
October 30, 2018
Uncategorized

Dog Friendly gites in The Limousin, France

Dog Friendly Holidays in France

Looking for dog friendly holidays in France? Read on… Why take your dog on holiday with you? Why take your dog on holiday with you? Anyone who has ever had to look into a pair of much-loved brown eyes and then walk away as you leave them behind in kennels will not need to ask […]

by Heidi Smith
September 12, 2018
Uncategorized

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Uncategorized

Not Just for Vegetarians: Eating Well and Eating Better in Rural France

Bullfinches – A Welcome Spring Surprise

The tune of nature (in a minor key)

Rewilding at Le Moulin de Pensol, a personal journey 1

Rewilding – a Personal Journey 2. Elephants and overfishing.

Plymouth Pear – rare in the UK, common at Le Moulin

The Arrival of Donkeys at Our French Gites

Christmas Cultural Confusion

L’hiver arrive

Dog Friendly Holidays in France

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Not Just for Vegetarians: Eating Well and Eating Better in Rural France

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Bullfinches – A Welcome Spring Surprise

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