What happens in Charente in January?!!!!
Well.......mmmmm...let me think........oh yes.......not a lot!
January is such a quiet time in most smaller towns and villages that shopkeepers and restaurant owners take the opportunity to have their annual break. Some closing down for the whole of the month.
Even if any attractions are open they may have restricted opening times.
The main event in January in our region is the Bande Dessinee festival held in Angouleme at the end of the month.. This is the annual international comic festival which is the seond largest in Europe and third largest in the world. So if you want to see Angouleme when it is buzzing with tourists and you love comics then this is the time to go.
The advantages in coming at this times are..........
Peace and quiet
If you are looking for a tranquil time away from the madding crowd and don't need any entertainment then this is a perfect time to come. You can stroll through fields and lanes undisturbed apart from the odd rabbit, deer or maybe even a wild boar!
Walking around the towns.Angouleme
Le Rochfoucauld,Jarnac, Saint Amant de Boixe Aubeterre sur Dronne. exploring Roman sites and local architecture can be much more pleasant without an excess of tourists.
Cheap air and hotel fares
Unless you are travelling on a winter sports route...ie ski resort...then fares to the summer destinations can be greatly reduced. Ryanair has an annual sale at the end of December so if you fancy a short break away then its ideal to look then. We travelled to Porto in Portugal from Bordeaux airport for 20 euros each return....in fact for the 3 days we were away the car parking fees at Bordeaux came to more than our flights!
January Sales
Well...I did have to mention they are on. I doubt if you would travel especially for these but it is a bonus that they would be on when you were here. You never know what little treasure you may find.
ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION
You an travel into Charente Maritime where you could visit a thermal spa or enjoy bracing walks along the beach. You may find some winter festivals still going on until the middle of the month.MY JANUARY SAVINGS
Keeping track of my gains.....and losses each month
10 euro savings on purchases at Castorama by buying their loyalty card which cost us 10euros but we then saved 20 euros on our purchase that day. Plus now everything we buy there will count towards a future discount
13 euros discount at Yves Rocher in Ruffec. We have a free loyalty card for this shop. They often mail us to say they have offers on. As well as this we had a free gift of some men's deodorant.
5 euros discount from the coupon promotion site ma-reduc when we bought our wood from Brazeco
5 euros discount on a purchase with a coupon on the back of the shopping receipt from Leclerc
6 euros off a 50 euro shop at LeaderPrice doing our monthly shop there
34 euros from multibuys/bulk buys in supermarket
A total of 76 euros...ok not a fortune.....but as I say....pennies make pounds!!!
Other gains..
a sack of chicken feed from our neighbour as a thank you for giving them eggs each week
Oysters shells from several neighbours after their Christmas celebrations....I crush these to give to the chickens which saves purchasing them
A roasting joint of wild boar from a neighbour..different one...as a thank you for eggs
A large bag of hazelnuts that a friend was given and didn't want....now shelled and roasted on top of the wood burner
We were also asked to clear out a garage for someone ...they was loads of offcuts of wood that they wanted to get rid of....that kept our wood burner going for a week!!!
WINTER WEATHER
We have been lucky so far in that the winter weather has been mild and sunny.......that should reflect on the next electricity bill. However the last few weeks have been very changeable. When it has rained..,.it has really rained!!! The Charente river is getting quite high and fast flowing and a lot of the fields are flooded.
We have had a couple of weather warnings for heavy wind and rain...fortunately nothing as serious as Storm Imogen that hit the Uk a few days ago..
There's not a lot you can do in the garden as even when you have a sunny day the ground is far too waterlogged to work in.
The shops are selling seed potatoes but there's no chance of planting yet as the ground is still too wet and cold.
If you are buying them now put them in a spare room so that they can chit ready for planting later.
We still have leeks and sprouts ( not much success with these this year..
Anyway...I do believe that we will not escape getting a few frosty days before Spring has sprung. Lets hope it doesn't decide to arrive just as all the blossoms are in the fruit trees!!
Heres to February!!!!
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