GUESS WHAT WE FOUND!

Putting aside blogging withdrawal symptoms, we have just spent a wonderful Easter. My daughter, her husband and three of my lovely grandchildren came to stay for the whole week. Chris stood up to invasion remarkably well and loved all the fuss and attention directed his way!

Leaving the two men behind to do their thing, us girls took the kids out exploring and guess what we found in the centre of a ' petit village' called Noyant right in the centre of France?

We stumbled across a part of
INDO-CHINA!!

This statue is enormous !

Noyant from the turn of the 19th/20th century was a coal mining town, and virtually all the male villagers were employed down the mines. By 1955 the source became dry and the subsequent unemployment sparked off a mass exodus! In order to re-populate the empty village, the local authorities agreed to repatriate a large community ( over 1000) of vietnamese who took over the empty miners houses. In 1982 they constructed this huge Pagoda set into gardens of peace and tranquility where they could meet and worship. So for half a century now the Indo-Chinese have lived in perfect harmony with the french in this pretty little village;

Below is their place of worship...

Once a year the buddhists come over to pay their respects....

and, finally, a little picture of my three little monkeys and their Mum--I am missing them already!

Back to my story tomorrow, I hope you all enjoyed a great Easter!