Felicia's Garden (Le Jardin de Félicie) in Maricourt

SOMME 80
On the road linking Maricourt with Longueval there is a haven of blooms and greenery where you can pause a while, slake your thirst and mooch around discovering the manifold aspects of this unusual garden.
The current owner of the property has named the garden after a lady who used to live there. Félicie is now dead and lies in Maricourt cemetery, having witnessed three wars in her lifetime:
1870-71, 1914-1918 and 1939-1945.

The concept of Felicia's garden is that visitors can walk through the gate, explore the garden with or without the owner, choose one of the many curious corners to sit down in and then order refreshments. The garden is seemingly endless and is a very a curious shape. I particularly like the unusual decorative aspect to it - which is always unexpected. You just don't know what is around the corner. It is a good place to take children as they can explore quite happily while you take the weight off your feet and sip a cup of tea (made up of very interesting blends ie. black tea with poppy, almond and biscuit) or gulp down some organic pear or apple juice from the orchards in nearby Suzanne.

My daughter was fascinated by the cute chalet shop where you can buy souvenirs made from natural products (blackcurrant flavour sugar for example) and decorative objects for your garden. Equally fascinating was the organic toilet that incites us to teach our children about ecological issues.

My French husband, who thinks we British spend too much time sitting in cafés and tea rooms drinking tea (and who has to be dragged to a table), was very impressed, no doubt seduced by the very rural setting.

Le Jardin de Félicie is open from May 1st to 31st August

Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday from 2pm until 7pm

Friday / Saturday / Sunday and Bank Holidays from 10am until 6pm

TEL: 0322831579
EMAIL: Grisette80lejardin.defelicie@orange.fr

You can combine a visit to the garden with a trip to the new Maricourt monument, put in place by the Somme Remembrance Association, marking the exact point on the frontline in 1916 where French and British troops joined up for the attack which formed the onset of the Somme offensive.

It is worth adding that walking groups are welcome, with their packed lunches, but I encourage you to purchase something to drink and visit the shop.

Pozières: The Sound & Light Show 2011

This year the S&L show was held for the 5th time and the various volunteers that give up so much of their time to prepare and put on such an event are to be congratulated for their enthusiasm and sincerity in dealing with the subject of Remembrance.
This year some elements of the original show of 2006 remained: the story of the Australian officer Percy Cherry, a typical French village's reaction to the news of the war and the very moving scene at the end involving the Dorgelès Wooden Crosses. It doesn't matter how many times that final scene appears; it always brings tears to my eyes, and the message delivered is very important. We are reminded that every life snuffed out by war is the end of a human being with a past and a present, a family, a job, a home - but sudddenly no future. The current casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq do not allow us to take such a message lightly.

The new scenes in 2011 were devoted to the footballers of McCrae's battalion in the Royal Scots with a well choreographed football match on the stage. The boat reappeared from 2010's show, bringing the Aussies home, and the tank built by the octogenarian André and his helpers was part of the scenery for the first time. It will undoubtedly be reused as such a magnificent prop cannot sit in a barn and be wasted.

Barry, visiting from Australia to foster more links between his country and the tiny village that saw so much Australian bravery and suffering, told me that the next S&L show will take place in 2013, thereby giving those involved time to take a break and work on new ideas for the next performance two years hence.