Spring 2006

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="0c0fd5a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Gites at La Vergne News</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gites at La Vergne News"><B>home</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="filming.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Filming at La Vergne and we missed it!">Filming at La Vergne and we missed it!</A>   |   <A HREF="carnival.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="St. Laurent de Ceris Carnival">St. Laurent  de Ceris Carnival</A>   |   <A HREF="pranzac.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pranzac 2005 Foire du Vin du Fromage et ">Pranzac 2005 Foire du Vin du Fromage et des produits Artisanaux</A>   |   <A HREF="events_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Forth Coming Events April">Forth Coming Events April</A>   |   <A HREF="flowers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Wild Flowers">Wild Flowers</A>   |   <A HREF="snakeshead_fritillary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Snakeshead Fritillary">Snakeshead Fritillary</A>   |   <A HREF="spring_has_sprung.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spring has Sprung">Spring has Sprung</A>   |   <A HREF="john_s_letter.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Letter from John">Letter from John</A>   |   <A HREF="la__rochelle_birmingham.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="La Rochelle Birmingham">La  Rochelle Birmingham</A>   |   <A HREF="musiques_au_chateau.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Musiques au Chateau">Musiques au Chateau</A>   |   <A HREF="scarce_swallowtail_butterfly.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Scarce Swallowtail Butterfly">Scarce Swallowtail Butterfly</A>   |   <A HREF="christmas_2005_newsletter.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Christmas 2005 Newsletter">Christmas 2005 Newsletter</A>   |   <A HREF="id201.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Snowed in at La Vergne">Snowed in at La Vergne</A>   |   <A HREF="name_this_bird.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Name This Bird">Name This Bird</A>   |   <A HREF="more_wildlife.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="More Wildlife">More Wildlife</A>   |   <A HREF="the_marshes_in_the_daily_tel.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Marshes in The Daily Telegraph">The Marshes in The Daily Telegraph</A>   |   <B>Spring 2006</B>   |   <A HREF="spring_2006_has_officailly_a.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Spring 2006 has Officially Arrived">Spring 2006 has Officially Arrived</A>   |   <A HREF="the_famous_marshes.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Famous Marshes">The Famous Marshes</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=247 style="border-right: 3px solid #000000;" BGCOLOR="#FFFF66" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <A HREF="mailto:gites@amarsh.com.fr" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:gites@amarsh.com.fr"><IMG SRC="114cd890.jpg" border=0 width="205" height="137" ALT="Gites at La Vergne Logo" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> <div> Click Photo to contact us</div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="1" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="216" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#FFCC33" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_commanderie.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_commanderie."><IMG SRC="29dcd7c0.jpg" border=0 width="205" height="124" ALT="La Commanderie gite" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 160 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_petite_maison.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_petite_maiso"><IMG SRC="29ecd9a0.jpg" border=0 width="205" height="154" ALT="La Petite Maison gite" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 160 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/chambre_d_hotes.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/chambre_d_hotes"><IMG SRC="29fcd9a0.jpg" border=0 width="205" height="154" ALT="Chambres d'Hotes bed & breakfast" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=310 width="100%" colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Spring 2006</I></div> <div> Extract from The Telegraph article 18th March 2006 featuring The Marshes in Charente written by Adam Nicholson who gave his permission for it to be used how we see fit.</div> <bR> <div> "The Charente is hardly a famous bit of France. Some way in from the Atlantic coast, south of Normandy but not as far south as the Dordogne, it is an in-between country, a backwater, with all the benefits that infamousness can bring. You won't find here the endlessly tarted up bijou manoirettes of the famous places. Instead, the low limestone hills of Charente have small, poplar- and willow-lined rivers curling between them. Buzzards cruise overhead and hares start from hedgerows that are thick with old man's beard. There are cowslips in the pastures, even snakeshead fritillaries in the wetter meadows. Mistletoe is bundled up in the branches of the trees like overgrown Christmas decorations. People move rather slowly and talk to each other in the shops. Sit down for a chat in any kitchen, and it won't be long before there's a glass of pineau de Charente in front of you, a sweet, thick, fortified wine - Cognac is just to the south - made from the few vines that grow just outside the window."</div> <bR> <div> Over the last few weeks we have seen the cranes making their late winter migration to cooler climes, it makes me realize that spring must be around the corner. I have been diligently watching the grass verges for the first signs of yellow to indicate that the cowslips are once again raising their fragile bell like heads. However spring is being a little timid this year and is only now shly beginning to blow her trumpet. There are small clumps of yellow cowslips appearing in the fields, we have blue cushions of delicate violets hiding under the trees. There are the lambs in the fields bouncing by their mother's sides. The hedgerows are beginning to burst out into leave in the most vivid of greens.</div> <bR> <div> Why don't you come and see for yourself  and stay at La Vergne and explore the surrounding countryside of  Grand Madieu during the Spring.</div> <bR> <div> Easter & Spring Vacancies : <A HREF="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/chambre_d_hotes.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/chambre_d_hotes">Chambres d'Hotes Annexe</A></div> <bR> <div> Spring Vacancies:                 <A HREF="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_commanderie.htm" TARGET="_blank" TITLE="http://www.amarsh.com.fr/la_commanderie.">  La Commanderie</A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0b7fa591dkelyh.jpg"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>