Yesterday, I asked a question in French and was understood (an internal jumpy-up-and-down moment for me!). “What is the name of the trees with the flowers?” I asked the lady at the Hertz reception. To which she replied “One moment, I will just phone my mum – she knows the name of all the trees!” They were Marronnier trees, or European Horse-Chestnut. Apparently you can eat the chestnuts after the tree stops flowering. They are really beautiful.

We left our sweet little apartment over the patisserie in Asnieres-sur-Seine yesterday morning and caught the train to said Hertz office in Ferdinand. Then, with many silent prayers, and a wee bit of fear and trepidation (on my part anyway), Clive drove – on the right-hand side of the road, and anti-clockwise around roundabouts – to this guy Louis’s place to see a wee bit of art and some garden stuff. I wasn’t that fussed about going to be honest. I mean, both my parents are very talented artists. And have you SEEN my Dad’s garden?!

But actually, it wasn’t too shabby. It wasn’t too shabby at all.

Afternoon tea break – at ANGELINA’s (stop it! really? Yes, ANGELINA’S) recommended by my friends Durelle and Coco Chanelle.

Then outside to walk around the gardens. Dad, there were a few parts that could do with a bit more pruning, but on the whole I think you would have been ok with it.

It was a strange feeling to walk down halls, stand in rooms and wander the gardens where historical figures such as Louis XIII, XIV and XV, Marie-Antoinette and even Napoleon would have once walked. Josh and Matt, wish you guys could have been here.

So much history, so much beauty, so much talent and yet so much expense.

When then drove for three hours to Auxerre, stopping at KFC on the way. Hey, don’t judge us – it was French chicken! Delicieux.