A Nocturnal Encounter


We were five and now we are six. I cut these beautiful roses for Mrs. H Sr's arrival to the chateau (here) yesterday. The fragrance is intoxicating and I am feeling a bit delirious...but not from the roses.

We had what I call a 'scorcher' yesterday and today...temperatures into high 30C/90F. I opened all the windows in the chateau last night to catch a breeze. Around 4:00am, a storm came through with intense lightening and rain. I awoke and lay in bed thinking of all the windows that were wide open throughout the chateau (no screens) and made a frantic move around the house to close them all. No small feat. I am sure I looked and sounded like a crazed woman, running around in the dark, bumping into strange objects and cursing myself for not closing them earlier in the evening.

Surprise, surprise, I slipped into one empty bedroom at the far end of the chateau, turned on the lights and was greeted by a gathering of bats, flying in a circle around the chandelier. It felt like a scene out of a Daphne du Maurier novel. I half expected Mrs. Danvers to pop out of the corner of the room. 




I did what any smart woman would do, I turned off the lights, closed the door, made a mad dash back to bed and decided to think about it in the morning.

Tick, tock went the clock as I lay in bed thinking of how I was going to explain bedroom bats to the owner of the chateau. I needed a plan to catch them and felt the pool leaf scooper was my best bet. Scoop and toss was my one and only strategy.  Luckily, when I peeked in after breakfast they had departed.



Note to self....close all windows in chateau this evening and dream of the sweet sounds of nightingale birds. No bats allowed. :)  Bonne Nuit to one and all!

top and bottom images~me


Comments

  1. So sorry, but I am giggling over your bat adventure. I think a closed door is always the best solution. Have a restful evening! Bonnie

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  2. Oh my goodness, I am holding my sides laughing. I cannot imagine running around in a chateau in the middle of the night and encountering a room full of bats.

    Thankfully you did the smart thing and shut the door and decided to handle it in the light of day.

    I hope that the six of you are having a spectacular time! Enjoy!

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  3. Hi Jeanne

    So glad the bats had flown by morning.
    It must have been quite frightening.You did the right thing and the bats left. I would bet the bats are living in the attic of the chateau (they did at our farmhouse)- I got used to them as they kept the mosquitos in check
    Enjoy your week
    Helen xx

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  4. How scary! I would have screamed! And then done the exact same thing as you did. Close the door. However, I'm not sure I would have dared to reenter:-D

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  5. I'm not sure I'd have coped at all well if I'd come across bats like that Jeanne. I think your solution was definitely the best - close the door and run! Quite surreal indeed. The roses are just beautiful.

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  6. Oh my! Bats...helpful creatures though they are, they're too ugly for hanging out in a lovely chateau bedroom...funny story!

    Checking in on the earlier chateau posts that I missed while being out of the loop...

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  7. So you have bats in your belfry ma chère. I'm sure the Chateau owner has seen that more than once. Bats are everywhere in France:) Going a bit batty myself - they chatter away outside my bedroom window at night and pass by from time to time as we dine. Thanks for the giggle Jeanne :)

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  8. Whew! I had a feeling the bats would be gone in the morning. What an adventure. I am sure you will be telling this one for a long time! - Lana www.lifeatwildberrycottage.com

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  9. Ah Jeanne, when I saw the title to your post I thought you had a met the ghost of the château! I hate bats in the house, one of the hazards of summer nights!
    xx

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