The Werner Blog Personal site about the life of the Werner family in Normandy http://Mike-Werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/ en-us Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:32:59 +0200 A Real Snow Blizzard In Normandy - A First Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:32:59 +0200
Snow Vinnemerville 201303
In the 25 years we've lived here, it's the first time we've had a true snow blizzard. Strange....

Saturday started out fantastic, 16°C, sun and we had a nice walk around the village with the dogs; It was beautiful weather, and we enjoyed it. That evening on TV, the warned people that the hot air we were enjoying was going to hit polar air early Monday morning and get steadily worse.

Monday morning Trish had to go to Yvetot to catch the train back to Paris, and already there was a lot of snow on the ground, and much more of the white stuff falling. We saw one car in the ditch, but managed to make the 20 minute journey in 35 minutes. After dropping Trish off, I headed back, but the roads had gotten much worse. 4 other cars were in the ditch, and the radio was saying that several major roads were closed, including one I had to take. So I stopped and put on snow chains, and headed up a treacherous hill, finally making it home at 1 1/2 hours.

During the evening the blizzard hit, and hit very hard. It was difficult to sleep and keep the house warm. Outside the wind chill hit -15°C and the wind was blowing at 100 kph.

Early in the morning when I came down to the kitchen, I couldn't see anything outside:
... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/a-real-snow-blizzard-in-normandy---a-first.htm House Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/a-real-snow-blizzard-in-normandy---a-first.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/a-real-snow-blizzard-in-normandy---a-first.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/a-real-snow-blizzard-in-normandy---a-first.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/a-real-snow-blizzard-in-normandy---a-first.htm?opendocument&comments New Year 2013 Party Tue, 1 Jan 2013 11:30:00 +0200
New Year 2013 Party
As usual we were spoiled with Davey and Elsa coming to France to help us celebrate the New Year 2013 in style. Davey is a top chef and entertainer, and he was coming with Elsa to cook for 22 people (initially 24 but some good friends could not make it due to illness, but they were in our minds).

Here's what happened....
... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/new-year-2013-party.htm Events Motorbiker Admin http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/new-year-2013-party.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/new-year-2013-party.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/new-year-2013-party.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/new-year-2013-party.htm?opendocument&comments American Evening In Cany-Barville Sun, 27 May 2012 15:43:55 +0200
Indian village
After the "American" day in Cany-Barville, it was time for the evening entertainment (see previous article).

In the community hall of Cany, some 500 people gathered for an evening of food, music, dance and entertainment, and lots of fun. Everything was done with an American theme, and people were asked to dress up as much as possible in American style.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/american-evening-in-cany-barville.htm Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/american-evening-in-cany-barville.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/american-evening-in-cany-barville.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/american-evening-in-cany-barville.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/american-evening-in-cany-barville.htm?opendocument&comments Taken Over By Cowboys and Indians Sat, 26 May 2012 14:51:53 +0200
Indian village
The small and peaceful town of Cany-Barville got invaded, again. This time it was quite peaceful, a troop of Cowboys & Indians spent the weekend in the town.

Cany had organized a weekend called "American Days", with American flags all over the village, and in the main square tons of American cars and motorcycles.

Tents were all around selling American goods, and on the side was a "Western" village, complete with cowboys, settlers and indians and their tents. Here are a bunch of photos.

... ]]> http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/taken-over-by-cowboys-and-indians.htm Events Mike Werner http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/taken-over-by-cowboys-and-indians.htm?opendocument&comments http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/taken-over-by-cowboys-and-indians.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dxcomments/taken-over-by-cowboys-and-indians.htm http://mike-werner.org/Mike-Werner.nsf/dx/taken-over-by-cowboys-and-indians.htm?opendocument&comments New Year Party 2011 - In A Castle Sat, 7 Jan 2012 08:01:52 +0200
25th wedding anniversary party
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
25th wedding anniversary party
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
25th wedding anniversary party
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
Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros 2011
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
Dutch herring smoking
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
Photographic visit ...
By Photographs &...
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
Dieppe Kites 2010
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