These must be a regional motif. The only other place I’ve seen these is in Poitiers and nearby Chauvigny.

Now that I’d have take a photo of. I like shadows.

She’s wrong. I probably wouldn’t, unless it was more weathered than this.

We actually did see both replies, but only because we scrolled down past Keith's after reading it. Not sure who this will get to, but we agree with both of you.

Hi Rich,
Your reply came to me, not Steve. Chances are he never saw it, even though you were addressing him and not me. Just so you know.
Cheers,
Keith

Thanks, Scott. The subjects helped by lining up so artfully and by their colour contrast.

Lovely portrait.

Aaaand, we forgot to ask in the morning.

Our meager experience matches Keith's. British expats running B&Bs are by and large lovely, accommodating people. But just a couple of times, we've run into the kind of behavior you experienced. I'm far from an expert, but I think Keith is onto something with the reference to social class. I'm sorry it happened to you, and wanted to thank you for publishing the name of the B&B. That's a service to all the rest of us.

Hi,
Sue and I have experienced similar treatment by English proprietors, both expat in Europe and in their home country. While not by any means a universal characteristic, there does seem to be a strain of the Saxon comportement that sees « service » in demanding that the client bend to the house rules and not even trying to accommodate the clients needs. I also note that there is an element of the British class system in this, and the likes of you and me will never be deemed worthy of respect. This is how we ended up spending an evening dining with a French couple in a Malaga bar New Year’s Eve because our English « hosts » would rather close their restaurant to paying clients and drink the night away with their fellow « expats » than serve the European riff raff on one of the busiest nights of the year. Even though we had all booked in advance, dinner reservations included. Maybe brexit has sent some of these snobs home, but you apparently ran into them anyway.
While it can be pleasant to speak one’s native tongue in a foreign land, it doesn’t match with the experience one has with your typical French host who, every time in my experience so far, will always find a way to accommodate your needs while maintaining decorum.
To be completely fair, I am sure there are jerks everywhere, and most Brits are lovely people, but so far our worst experiences travelling have involved natives of that fair isle. I hope your further travels are more serene and without further nocturnal visits from irrational twats.
Cheers,
Keith

we do keep hearing bam bam shots somewhere. we duck every time!

We will try to remember to ask them in the morning.

I wonder if they intentionally planted that pokeweed plant. Reading, I find that it has become naturalized in Europe. Somewhat invasive.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytolacca_americana

After further reading, they are very nasty!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_hornet

Hi Bill,
They are known as frelons asiatique or Asian hornets here, and are an invasive species that destroys native beehives. Very agressive and can cause death to those unfortunate enough to disturb a nest of them. Their bite is painful in a high voltage sense. Takes a couple days for the pain to subside.
Cheers