Report of Cider and Music making in Brittany, October 2004    Photo Gallery    See previous Festivals 
Yet again this year we had the pleasure of Doctor Sunshine's cooking for all comers at market stall prices. Scouring the second hand shops for even more cook-books to add to his collection, he found a variety of Haute Cuisine ways to serve turkey thigh as well the inevitable curries.
Before the week proper had started, Dave, Maggie and Trevor got to find out what the local version of Raclette was, with four big cheese melters handling half a 30cm cheese each to splodge on to your charcouterie. We took the first two musician/ photographer/ birdspotter visitors to the parish dinner on Saturday 23rd after collecting most of our apples and Rodney and Kate's.

Sunday 24th was the Fête des Chrysanthêmes run by the village rambling association, Hent Glas. We were fed wined and cidered, and then played turn by turn with the local duo "Assez D'Essaies" (No more Auditions!) playing Breton dance tunes and the local chromatic accordeonist playing all the buttons, and ate too many chestnuts.
The inauguration of St Aignan's first roundabout. trickily on castors so it can be (re-)deployed as traffic demands vary, was performed by the enthusiastic curator of the Musée d'electricité and the Mayor, to the accompaniment of the massed bands of St Aignan, Telford, Bristol, Ashby de la Zouche and Le Corboulo.

A small scale evening tune session on the Sunday evening gave some international photo ops. Normal service resumed with forays into the badlands of Morbihan to collect a couple of trees' worth of apples, clearing the neighbour's lawn (mostly eaters), departures and arrivals for the second weekend. We met cider enthusiasts Mike & Lynda Carrie who are promoting holidays with a cider interest!
Chris Shaw and Mike Gulston, plus Trevor forming about a quarter of GIG CB!, the George Inn Giant Ceilidh Band, with admirable support from Richard Ashe of Great Western Morris etc, played in a proper boozer "Café Des Arts" in Pontivy on Thursday 28th Oct.

We decided in continuous rain to pay for ready collected cider apples rather than free "pick them up yourself" ones. We paid 30 euros for 330 kg and the man picked good varieties and loaded the bags in the cars for us! (back there next year!)Friday saw the same show on Friday in the Bar Ti Korn in Cléguérec where we have often played in previous years during the May festival.

Friday and Saturday saw a fine effort by the family Ashe to crush all those apples and fill all our containers before returning to the Midlands. Saturday night excursion was to a Fest Noz somewhere far away (we left GIG CB! and fan-club to it!).
Sunday afternoon was the St Gouvray Chestnut and Cider Festival including dancers in Breton costume and public dancing. I hope our cider will be better than that offered at 5 euros a pitcher (last year's still is!)Sunday evening 31st was a very good visit to the monthly trad bar music session in St Barthelemy for Chris, Trevor and Richard Ashe (who extended his "holiday" by having the family car break down!)

earlier years (Oct 1998, Oct 1999)  Oct 2000  Oct 2001 Oct 2002  Oct 2003

Cider Making in Le Corboulo