Memo from J-P
For this page of oldquimper.com, we give the floor to Jean-Pierre, who serves as the CFO (Chief Feline Officer) of The Meadows Collection. Appointed to that position in 2007, he has gamely agreed to attempt the daunting task of taking over the duties previously fulfilled by the late, but ever-present-in-our-hearts, Porquier-Beau...whose image continues to grace the upper left corner of this link.
Jean-Pierre is fourteen-years-old, which translates to seventy-two in human years. He is still very young-at-heart and so full of enthusiasm that he has bravely stepped up to the plate.
It is with great pleasure that we pass along the latest Memo from J-P:
Greetings to all.
First a little bit about me:
Jean-Pierre is fourteen-years-old, which translates to seventy-two in human years. He is still very young-at-heart and so full of enthusiasm that he has bravely stepped up to the plate.
It is with great pleasure that we pass along the latest Memo from J-P:
Greetings to all.
First a little bit about me:
I was born in Paris and am thoroughly français despite paperwork that lists me as being a chat de la fôret norvégienne (Norwegian Forest Cat). My full name is Châtelain Jean-Pierre. Châtelain because being born in 2007... December 21, 2007 to be precise...means that in accordance with French regulations, my name must begin with the letter 'c'. Those born in 2008 have names that begin with a 'd', those born in 2009 have names beginning with the letter 'e' and so on.
Châtelain is a French term from the Middle Ages used to distinguish the seigneur or lord of the manor. We live in Quimper now, so it's more like lord of the apartment...but the important part is that I rule the roost, so to speak. Jean is in reference to Jean-Baptiste Bousquet who settled in Quimper in 1699 and Pierre is in honor of his son, Pierre Bousquet, who in 1708 founded Quimper's first modern -day pottery factory.
Châtelain is a French term from the Middle Ages used to distinguish the seigneur or lord of the manor. We live in Quimper now, so it's more like lord of the apartment...but the important part is that I rule the roost, so to speak. Jean is in reference to Jean-Baptiste Bousquet who settled in Quimper in 1699 and Pierre is in honor of his son, Pierre Bousquet, who in 1708 founded Quimper's first modern -day pottery factory.
Every once in a while I like to put the spotlight on a specific topic…it might be an unusual example of Quimper pottery or perhaps a further look at a place or structure…something that I feel will further your enjoyment of French faïence.
And then sometimes I take this opportunity to share with you some of our adventures in Quimper...because one of the results of being so gab-smacked enamored of Quimper pottery has led to the inevitable and now we live in Quimper...right in the middle of Old Town !
I'm an indoor cat, but I do see a lot from our windows and the folks are always up for an adventure. Here's a quick rundown of what we were up to last month...it will give you a bit of a taste of the sights and sounds of living in Quimper.
In this month's The Town, The People and The Pottery link, you'll find my official report of what was going on around here during our summer "break", but I could only fit so much on that page, so I'm taking advantage of my Memo to share a few more memories...I mean it's not often that I see a couple of Bretons dressed like this strolling hand-in-hand down rue Kéréon...
...the explanation is easy...one of the summer events is a festival called Les Enfants Sont Les Princes and it involves Quimper and the nearby neighboring towns welcoming youngsters and families to enjoy free events featuring clowns, marionnettes, parades and the like for almost two weeks ! This was the eighth edition of the festival and it was wonderful to hear all the laughter and joy.
Of course, the big festival in these parts is the Festival de Cornouaille...the 99th edition was held in July and everywhere you turned there was an activity or something of interest going on...
Of course, the big festival in these parts is the Festival de Cornouaille...the 99th edition was held in July and everywhere you turned there was an activity or something of interest going on...
...I spied this group of people at the men's clothing shop across the street and wondered what on earth have they discovered ?
A closer look and I could see that it was one of the special shop window displays held all over Old Town Quimper to highlight traditions from the past. Depending upon the store, there were crêpe-making demonstrations, wooden shoe displays, lessons on how to iron one of the elaborate head-dresses or coiffes and in this case, an opportunity to watch an embroidery master in action while dressed in a traditional embroidered costume...in this case, the costume worn by the men of Pont-l'Abbé.
I never get tired of seeing scenes like this...it's as if our Quimper pieces have come alive !
One morning in the early days of August, I looked out from my perch at the window and realized that another annual event was about to begin...the Grand Braderie...where the established stores and visiting merchants turn the streets into one big outdoor market...everything imaginable was for sale...some at bargain prices !
It was like shopping in a carnival !
One can get hungry after shopping, so the folks brought their purchases back and headed down to the port of Lesconil...
...to partake in...
...another classic summer event in Brittany...the Fête de la Langoustine...where over 2,200 pounds of the freshly-caught shellfish are devoured by the attendees...who then wipe their chins, listen to music and perhaps attempt to dance away the calories. Langoustines are related to lobsters, but much smaller, of course...different from a crawdad as they are salt water creatures while crawdads live in fresh water.
Dad took the opportunity to do a little fishing...most of the time he stayed close to home, but a couple of times he went down to one of the spots where the Odet River widens before it meets up with the Atlantic Ocean.
Mom went along to enjoy the scenery and the views from the area's hiking trails.
But to hear them talk...
...one of the...if not THE major event of this summer was the celebration held to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the musical group Sonerien Du.
They danced from early afternoon until the wee hours...leaving me to fend for myself until 3am. I mainly just slept and I had plenty of food and water...but it's fun to throw a little guilt their way sometimes. Lots and lots of dancing...Mom's knee blew up like a balloon, but she says it was worth it.
The celebration was held in the same place as previous anniversaries...a pasture replete with animal "residue" and bits of barbed wire. There's a DVD movie of one of the late night celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the group and you can see Mom and Dad dancing away...it was filmed at night though so you have to know where to look because it was packed with celebrants ! Mom took the photo above of this August's "golden" celebration in the afternoon while it was still light out.
To lovers of Quimper faïence, the scene looks very familar...another opportunity to witness a Quimper plate come to life !
That's my memo for this month; I hope you enjoy my sharing our adventures in Quimper!