Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Saturday 7 June 2014

Yvette@90


Splendid 90th cake from M.Deruet in Blére 

Santé!

Yesterday was the 90th birthday of Yvette, our neighbour in Epeigné-les-Bois. A time for a double celebration: a 90th birthday but also the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, which would soon lead to the liberation of Touraine along with the rest of France from the German occupiers. 

Yvette still has very vivid memories of those days as teenager and then as a young woman living through the war years in the Cher Valley, the frontier between Occupied France and Vichy France. Then Yvette lived in Bourré, on the north bank of the Cher just to the east of Montrichard but she frequently visited Epeigné-les-Bois crossing the border into Vichy France. By 1944, of course, the Germans had taken over Vichy France.

As I was born in the UK after the war, it is easy to forget or not fully appreciate what it was like to live through those years of occupation. Watching the televised D-Day celebrations, Yvette was clearly very moved. I wonder how soon news of the invasion reached her. Today with twitter etc. it would be instantaneous but then? Radio and newspapers I assume.

Later in the day we had a small celebration for Yvette at Le Lézard Vert with demi-sec Touraine mousseux from Jean-Claude Legrand (Saint-Georges-sur-Cher) and a special cake from M.Deruet in Blére. 


 Stéphanie and Odette




 Santé Yvette!



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