The Werner Blog

The Werner Blog Personal site about the life of the Werner family in Normandy http://Mike-Werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/ en-us Sat, 7 Jan 2012 08:01:52 +0200 New Year Party 2011 - In A Castle Sat, 7 Jan 2012 08:01:52 +0200

This year (or rather last year 2011), we decided not to give a New Year's party, partially because we were tired, and also because our good friends Davey & Elsa were not available (they were having fun in Indonesia).

So instead we got invited by our friends the Froidures to spend the evening and early morning in their lovely castle close-by. This is what their castle looks like (in the summer).... read on...

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/new-year-party-2011---in-a-castle.htm Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/new-year-party-2011---in-a-castle.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/new-year-party-2011---in-a-castle.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/new-year-party-2011---in-a-castle.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/new-year-party-2011---in-a-castle.htm?opendocument&comments Jeannine’s 65th Birthday Party Sun, 1 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0200
So on December 17th, some 80 people gathered at a village "party hall" and had a party. Since we're in Basque territory, people were dressed the traditional way, ie, with red scarves, and we eat the local food.

Here are a lot of photos and video of the event.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Jeannine-Party Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Jeannine-Party?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Jeannine-Party http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/Jeannine-Party http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Jeannine-Party?opendocument&comments Comment System Change Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:00:00 +0200
From now on, comments are handled by Facebook. If you don't have a Facebook account, you can still comment by signing in on one of their partner account (like Yahoo or Hotmail and others, more to come).

It means less work for me, but unfortunately, it means all previous comments are lost. Sorry...

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/31122011095708MWECHS.htm Site Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/31122011095708MWECHS.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/31122011095708MWECHS.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/31122011095708MWECHS.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/31122011095708MWECHS.htm?opendocument&comments Dinner At A Restaurant - In The Kitchen Sun, 11 Dec 2011 15:05:44 +0200

We had received from our good friends Christophe & Sylvie, for our wedding anniversary, an invite to eat at one of the best restaurants in Normandy, the "Le Bec au Cauchois" headed by top chef Pierre Caillet.

We used to invite for my pre-birthday dinner, and headed up to the restaurant (close to Valmont) on Saturday. To our surprise, the invite included that the meal would be held in the kitchen of the restaurant itself!

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Dinner-At-A-Restaurant--Le-Bec-Au-Cauchois Food Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Dinner-At-A-Restaurant--Le-Bec-Au-Cauchois?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Dinner-At-A-Restaurant--Le-Bec-Au-Cauchois http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/Dinner-At-A-Restaurant--Le-Bec-Au-Cauchois http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Dinner-At-A-Restaurant--Le-Bec-Au-Cauchois?opendocument&comments 2011 Thanksgiving Dinner Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:40:41 +0200
Carl had flown in from the USA a few days beforehand with a real American turkey hidden in his suitcase.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27112011164040MWELDZ.htm Food Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27112011164040MWELDZ.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27112011164040MWELDZ.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/27112011164040MWELDZ.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27112011164040MWELDZ.htm?opendocument&comments Getting A Forest At The Werner Mansion Fri, 25 Nov 2011 09:02:11 +0200 http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/25112011090210MWEBFF.htm House Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/25112011090210MWEBFF.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/25112011090210MWEBFF.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/25112011090210MWEBFF.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/25112011090210MWEBFF.htm?opendocument&comments 25th Wedding Anniversary Sat, 6 Aug 2011 18:00:00 +0200

On Sunday 24th of July Trish & I had our 25th wedding anniversary. And as is usual, we decided to throw a little party to celebrate the occasion.

40 people from all over the world attending this event at our homes.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/06082011074026MWE8NT.htm Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/06082011074026MWE8NT.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/06082011074026MWE8NT.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/06082011074026MWE8NT.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/06082011074026MWE8NT.htm?opendocument&comments Tennis Anyone? Roland Garros 2011 Sat, 4 Jun 2011 09:13:57 +0200

We had received an invitation by the French Tennis Federation to visit the big French tennis event, Roland Garros. We were treated to the event as VIP, with a lunch at their VIP booth, guided tours and the semi finales men; Nadal against Murray.

Here are some photos I took of the day. A guided tour of Roland Garros and a few matches we saw.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/roland-garros-2011.htm Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/roland-garros-2011.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/roland-garros-2011.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/roland-garros-2011.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/roland-garros-2011.htm?opendocument&comments Cany-Barville American Day Sun, 8 May 2011 08:47:39 +0200
The blues band, Magnitoz, was playing to the audience during the afternoon.

Here are some artistic photos of the event.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Cany-Barville-American-Day Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Cany-Barville-American-Day?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Cany-Barville-American-Day http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/Cany-Barville-American-Day http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Cany-Barville-American-Day?opendocument&comments Blues Night with Magnitoz at Veules-les-Roses Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:30:00 +0200 http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Blues-Night-with-Magnitoz-at-Veules-les-Roses Life in Normandy Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Blues-Night-with-Magnitoz-at-Veules-les-Roses?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Blues-Night-with-Magnitoz-at-Veules-les-Roses http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/Blues-Night-with-Magnitoz-at-Veules-les-Roses http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/Blues-Night-with-Magnitoz-at-Veules-les-Roses?opendocument&comments New Year 2010-2011 Sat, 1 Jan 2011 16:44:25 +0200 http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/01012011164425MWELGC.htm Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/01012011164425MWELGC.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/01012011164425MWELGC.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/01012011164425MWELGC.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/01012011164425MWELGC.htm?opendocument&comments Christmas 2010 at Duboc Sat, 25 Dec 2010 11:14:51 +0200
9 adults, 2 children and me.....

I forgot to take my normal camera, so used my iPhone4 for the photo and video, so please excuse the quality.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/25122010111450MWEE2C.htm Friends Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/25122010111450MWEE2C.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/25122010111450MWEE2C.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/25122010111450MWEE2C.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/25122010111450MWEE2C.htm?opendocument&comments My First Flight With The PArrot AR.Drone Sun, 12 Dec 2010 11:53:23 +0200
It can record from 2 onboard video cameras. This is my first real flight, outside. The main video is from our security camera, but during most of this video, you can see the onboard forwarding facing camera inside a PIP.

During the end of this clip, you can experience the crash when I flew into the balcony.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/12122010115323MWEESF.htm Hobbies Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/12122010115323MWEESF.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/12122010115323MWEESF.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/12122010115323MWEESF.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/12122010115323MWEESF.htm?opendocument&comments Fecamp’s Fete de Hareng 2010 Sat, 27 Nov 2010 15:47:12 +0200

Every year in November, Fecamp celebrates the herring fishing with an annual Herring Festival, the "Fete de Hareng". You can buy the fish fresh off the boats, or better yet, go to one of the many places that smoke or barbecue the herring and eat it on the spot.

But you better be able to stand the smoke, since the air is so smoky that our clothes will smell of it for weeks to come.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27112010154711MWEKCK.htm Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27112010154711MWEKCK.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27112010154711MWEKCK.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/27112010154711MWEKCK.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27112010154711MWEKCK.htm?opendocument&comments My Book Is Out! Yeah! Come and get it! Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:12:43 +0200

Normandy: Pays...

Photographic visit ...

By Photographs &...

Book Preview

After two years, I finally finished by book on Normandy. It's entitled "Normandy: Pays de Caux", and it's a 120 page coffee table book full of photos and descriptions of this area.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27102010101243MWEBN2.htm Life in Normandy Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27102010101243MWEBN2.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27102010101243MWEBN2.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/27102010101243MWEBN2.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/27102010101243MWEBN2.htm?opendocument&comments Go Fly A Kite Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:06:15 +0200

Once a year, in Dieppe, there is an international kite festival. Kite fliers from all over the world come here to compete in several competitions, from the most beautiful kites, to kite combats.

Thousands of people attend during the weekend, either to fly kites, or to admire them. 100's of kites are in the air at any time during the weekend, and when the sun is out, it's a sight to be seen.

This year, the festival was honoring Thailand.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/11092010170613MWEKQG.htm Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/11092010170613MWEKQG.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/11092010170613MWEKQG.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/11092010170613MWEKQG.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/11092010170613MWEKQG.htm?opendocument&comments 14th of July 2010 - Bastille Day Parade Fecamp Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:09:06 +0200

You probably know that the 14th of July in France is a national holiday. It's the day, some 200 years ago, that the French people decided that the royalty were too big, and cut off their heads to make them smaller.

They still celebrate this event every year. On the 14th, there is always a massive parade in Paris, on the Champs Elysee, but almost every city, town and village has their own parade.

This year, Trish and I decided to have a look at the big parade in Fecamp.

... we were not disappointed. It was massive....

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/15072010100906MWEBKR.htm Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/15072010100906MWEBKR.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/15072010100906MWEBKR.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/15072010100906MWEBKR.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/15072010100906MWEBKR.htm?opendocument&comments The Pool Construction - THE MOVIE Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:26:47 +0200
Trish & I spent the day in the pool. We half opened the shelter, water was between 28 and 30°C... bliss...

Here is the video of the whole construction project, from A-Z. The video lasts 8 minutes 20 seconds, and you might want to turn down the volume... just warning. ... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/26062010182646MWEMAT.htm House Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/26062010182646MWEMAT.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/26062010182646MWEMAT.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/26062010182646MWEMAT.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/26062010182646MWEMAT.htm?opendocument&comments The Pool Construction - The Shelter Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:17:04 +0200

Almost there. This morning they came and hooked up the pool equipment. Over the weekend, we had filled up the pool 3/4, then the pool guys came and adjusted the liner, hooked up all equipment, and now it's filtering, cleaning and heating.

Then at 1 in the afternoon, this showed up ... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/21062010171703MWEKX9.htm House Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/21062010171703MWEKX9.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/21062010171703MWEKX9.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/21062010171703MWEKX9.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/21062010171703MWEKX9.htm?opendocument&comments The Pool Construction - Day 932837 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:39:05 +0200
After coffee, they set off to clean the pool from the rain water and dirt & leaves that had flown in. ... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/17062010183904MWEMJH.htm House Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/17062010183904MWEMJH.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/17062010183904MWEMJH.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/17062010183904MWEMJH.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/17062010183904MWEMJH.htm?opendocument&comments