no previous gardening experience or vision.

Blog 10 April 2015

 

 

My bloggy fans will know that I have a real problem with the way the French chop their trees for fire wood and this is an unbelievable responds to my screams of discontent.  This tree has been left looking like a stranded island in mid-air wondering what on earth is going on.  I spoke to a French Friend about this ridiculous method of stripping trees to within an inch of their lives and she explained, with some authority, that there is a new wave of thought and the younger farmers and arboriculturalists are being less ruthless in their approach, This  tree fella, however, has not fully appreciated the new wave of thought that suggests a slightly less brutal attack leaves the tree to recover better, and not to give it a five year complex about looking ridiculous

We were out buying welding equipment from le bon coin which always takes us into unchartered waters. We write down a private home address from a phone call, set it up in the GPS and just follow the instructions never really knowing where we are heading. It is a great way to end up in the back and beyond and we have met lots of interesting people buying second hand stuff. On this particular trip we passed a Brocante in the middle of nowhere and made a point of popping in on the way back from our appointment to purchase. The Barn was full of interesting bric-a-brac and we enjoyed just sifting and poking about looking for a little treasure.   We chatted with the owner who invited us to take a look outside  and we found a gentleman welding and hammering, creating art, and if I were rich I would have bought  the lot and put it in my garden.

 

 

 

 

 

We had a second hand gas welding trolley in the boot of the car and I just matter of fact asked Mike if he could teach me to be a welder so I could make art like that.  I promised to wear the special glasses, like eclipse day but he just smiled and said, we will see………

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I am not sure how to react when you invite your mates around for a spag bol and they rush off to the dishcloth draw and cover themselves up like we are about to battle the bol and attack the spag. Yet another fun evening just food and friends what more could we ask for

 


But an early rise the next day, yes the old clock says ten past six and that is in the morning……I had forgotten that time of day  existed. But after a few days with us Eric and Gill set off to the UK and left us sitting in the kitchen with the sun still not risen and HOSS wondering at what point he will get his morning walk…..

 

 

 

 

And finally, just a quick preview of our next project.  In 2009 we gave both our Mums a little album with pictures of our garden and our menagerie at the time.  We got both the albums back when our Mums died and in the process of going through our photo albums and getting us up to date I came across these two Mum gifts  and  are now going to create a before and after album 2009 to 2015. We started this garden in 2007 but the difference from then to now is too vast to demonstrate as there are not gardens to relate to.  So, with prints in hand we are off with camera poised to try and capture the same angle to appreciate how a garden grows and takes over what was. in the beginning a good design and is now natures interpretation of our original thoughts.

We have decided that we need to wait for the right season as the pictures here show the same area in different seasons so we start the project when the leaves are full on the trees.

 You may think we are a little up our own selves but I have decided that if you don’t blow your trumpet loud enough then no one will hear about the pleasure and achievement we have felt creating a garden like this. We are not alone in this achievement and I can feel a really good TV programme coming on just to celebrate ordinary people doing great things with little or no previous gardening experience or vision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good luck and get planting.....

We had harrowing news from Australia this week and these two lovely dogs, pets to our children died suddenly leaving the family in a state of shock. Events like these are not about our life in France but our children’s lives can have nothing but a huge impact on our French experience. We are now so many miles apart that we can only offer our love and thoughts and that leaves us empty, helpless and unable to be instrumental in a recovery after such an event.  Both Deb and Jez have written their thoughts on facebook and I have taken a copy and added them to our year book as this is a sadness we will never be able to share with our children but truly feel.

In loving memory of  Tia and Jade

 

And it is at times like this that we take stock of the animals we love and care for and Mike caught these two having a little snooze together in the sun.  We live in such relaxed and ordered chaos where our pets potter around us filling our lives with joy. Until the day that  Ducks are caught eating the cherished Gunnera plant that we’ve neutered  last summer and all winter ready for planting in the pond area this year…..

 

 

 

 

OK, it is only a plant but Mike and I have had a yearning to have gunnera around the pond and it has taken us 7 years to get to this stage and the ducks have taken a fancy to it, which is not good…..

 

 

 

My answer to all things plant tricky is to make a chicken wire collar and give the animal that is eating my plants the opportunity not to fail and forget there was ever a super tasty plant available to them.  Throughout the making of our garden I have made chicken wire collars to protect the rabbits from themselves, if they don’t eat the plants I won’t trap them and between us we have a win win no failure solution. Only problem is Mike has a deep and meaningful hate of chicken wire to the point that I salvage all I can and store it in the beach hut where it will not get in his way or cause offence …..Deep and meaningful hates are taken seriously here ……it makes sense to stay happy.
 

My very wow factor butchers block centre isles in the Kitchen has now stopped shrinking. It spent perhaps 20 years in the outbuildings before we realised that, what Mike was using as a work bench  had  bigger value  in the kitchen, so we hauled it in some three years ago and let it find it’s way. We are now quite happy that it has settled. Mike took off the metal brackets that hold it all together and then cut and tapped and tapped and cut until it fitted without the gaping holes that were just starting to get on my nerves, so good job…….

 

The vide grenier season has started in earnest and this year Mike is looking for Morris car parts and I am looking for sewing stuff as I am so enjoying my sewing Wednesday and have made a little scrapbook cover piece, made a skirt out of a pair of jeans and made a jacket that was  10 times too small into something else. My energy and passion for recycling is getting me into quite interesting projects and the scrap book cover hobby is certainly taking my fancy. But on the tour of this vide Grenier in Carentan, we past this clock. I inherited an absolute double of this clock from Belgium and have looked after it for as long as we have owned a home. It has moved with us and has always been on the danger list of things that could damage so great care has always followed it about. I thought it was priceless so took advantage of the dealer and innocently as I could, asked... c’est combien ??……..well knock me down with a feather when he said I could have it for 120 Euro, I wanted to say don’t you mean one thousand and twenty Euro….! so my priceless clock is not worth a lot but I still love it and will still take great care of it…
 

Mike lined up his bikes to look for a new store place but until we have the barn empty they will have to go back in the garage where he is really looking for work space to rebuild the moggie. It seems however, no matter how many workshops, garages and barns you have there is never enough space. I did carefully suggest that perhaps one of the bikes could be rehomed but that suggestion most definitely fell on Stoney ground so I won’t try that tactic again.  Did I mention that we have a vintage bike parked in the lounge, which is just part of the furniture, we forget it is there and it is only when our visitors comment that we register it’s existence because apart from the infrequent dusting we really have nothing to do with it, but as with all things old it is better than spending their worth on things that have no value or putting the money in the bank.

We have cut down trees this year that we planted tree years ago and that is a gardeners delight, to reap the benefits. These trees were a design error, planted in the wrong garden doing the wrong thing so they came down and are quietly drying out this summer for the wood burner in 2016. The garden area itself has breathed a huge sigh because it was the garden who told me the trees are not welcome and the aesthetics were wrong….can you believe that?… it’s true ….

 

 

 

Dessert at midnight is a bit of a culture shock we Brits never get used to  especially  when  there is still coffee and calvados to come.  We were invited to participate in a village dinner and dance by our friend Ray whose son Robert is the head honcho of the committee of fete and a very good job he made of it.   For fourteen Euro each you are treated to a four course meal served at the table which literally takes all evening to complete. Early on in the evening the music was French traditional with accordions and thigh slapping lyrics so everyone sang along and participated. Whole families got up and danced in between courses, kids played hide and seek in between their parent’s feet and the atmosphere was one of happy friends and family sharing a village do.

 

The bar was good value and as the designated driver I stayed alcohol free, well nearly, and had loads of fun and laughter. Shortly after this photo was taken the lights went out and the village hall was swathed in laser lighting and loud modern music which brought on a different set of revellers …. The line dances hit the floor which gave us all the entertainment we could want. Mike and I are disappointed that our village does not have the fun  element to want to have a do like this. Our hall in Brevands is stuck in the middle of a field and is not the centre of  our village life.  It is obvious that Roberts’s village has a line dancing evening as so many of them just got up and danced all the same, and in a line…. We will most definitely be looking for a village with a heart if we ever make a move from here. Line dancing and craft clubs is looking quite entertaining in our older  years………
 

And finally, Mike and I have agreed to have the annual pumpkin contest here in Brevands. Shirley and Mark held it last year so we are taking our turn..

Hello pumpkin growers of Normandy

This year Mike and Viv are hosting the Normandy pumpkin competition
We have bought our seeds from Lidle this year and will be putting them in the soil at the end of April

There are 6 classes to participate in
1. best size
2. best shape
3. best Halloween cut out mask
4. best table decoration
5. best thing to do with a pumpkin after 31st October
6. best pumpkin pie

We will meet here at Brevands on Sat 31st October 2015 for a buffet lunch and pumpkin pie
Please let us know if you are growing this year and forward this  onto anyone who would like to join the fun.
We look forward to hearing from you all and your friends and family who were so envious last year and want to join in this year.

Good luck and get planting.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in case an English version of said lovely book turns up for sale.

BLOG 8 / March 2015

1999 eclipse of the sun

This is a treasured photo of our family and friends on our beach plot in Selsey in 1999. We had gathered to see the eclipse of the sun which turned out to be a complete success and the party afterwards was one which is remembered in the family archives. When I heard that we were going to see another eclipse I looked at the weather and decided that despite the promised cloud cover I would not let the occasion pass me by.

 

So, in the damp and overcast morning of Friday 20^th March 2015 I dressed up warmly and plonked myself on the top patio so I could say ….I woz there…

 

Mike came out at the point of eclipse to see how I was fairing on my epic sit-in. He was wearing his welding helmet which just made me laugh till I cried. Mike is always there to support my wild ideas and to see the funny side of the situation is a plus and always appreciated but I am proud to say that ...I woz there

 

On the very next day we were out early to catch a very high tide which was locally billed as La Marees du siècle,  the tide of the century, so that had to be blogged and watched, so we made our way to the lock at Carentan and joined a little throng of people of all ages who had  heard it was rare and wanted to be there to say, Je  woz ici…….

There was very little left of the gate at the lock to stop the sea lapping over and the canal leading from the sea to the marina had swollen into the fields and water meadows for this two day high tide event.

There is normally a deep bank leading up to the lock so this really was an epic moment. Our Boat Beema’s recommended coef to get into Carentan Marina was 70 and this tide was 118 so there was an amazing difference and as seasoned sailors we could not let this go by without a cursory interested look of appreciation

 

 

We popped out to walk HOSS and see some friends and came across this little chapel in the middle of a field on the marais just outside Gorges not too far from Brevands.  A gravelled path leading to the door, an information panel with a bit of history tells you that this little chapel has pedigree, but nothing prepares you as the door creeks open and you walk in.

 

 

 

 

A beautiful stained glass window with statues and pews, an alter full of candles and candles sticks and nothing missing or damaged or vandalised. What a refreshing notion that buildings like this can still be left open all day with lighting and technical equipment just left there waiting for the next fete or pilgrimage. I am not the religious type but these little pockets of belief give me a warm feeling of respect and responsibility and for that I am humbled and very pleased it still exists in our little corner of France.

 

 

 

 

 

And then on the way home from our walk around la Chapelle st Anne we stopped off at the depot vends in Carentan to see what was new. We have been visiting the second hand shops ever since we came to Brevands and we have learned that you need to go every week to catch the bargains and over the years we have picked up things we need at a price we like to pay. It is fair to say that we also buy things we don’t need but quite like to own but our second hand approach to life has enriched our lives and we are well known to the owners who are always pleased to see us…che ching.

Mike had his nose in a lovely  old second hand book about vintage cars and was tempted to buy but I reminded him that a book in French is OK, but we really do not benefit from the authors extensive vocab and grammar as neither of us are that versatile with the language, so that day we came away empty handed and will go back again soon in a week or so just in case an English version of said lovely book turns up for sale. 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That front door has a lot of good memories to share.

 Blog 7 / March 2015
 

I finally finished my digital photos to print project and have just received an e-mail from Photobox France telling me that my order, which was sent this morning, is printed and with La Post for delivery in two days. I have gone through all the goings on in our lives since 2004 and it has been a really wonderful journey.  I have put this picture up on this Blog because our 60^th birthday party in July and the surprise family visit for my birthday in October last year are events I will never forget, so much love and happiness and I am peddling it all over again because we had such a good time and it gives purpose to everything we have achieved here in Brevands. I have chosen 1,581 photos from a stock of 14,000 which only goes to show that since the advent of the digital age we take 10 shots when one would have done the job. We are now able to flip through a great story book instead of clicking though a nightmare collection.

My Cockerel has shown no emotional upset and doesn’t even care but I cried onto my toast and marmalade over breakfast at the loss of one of my hens the other day. There she was keeled over and he just wanted to know where the grain was….blokes can really be thoughtless. Mike however, was very thoughtful and put my hen in a bag to hide her from me and stop the tears …..Farmers wife, me, I think not.





Sailing friends from the UK came to visit on their way to the Dordogne on a life changing reconnoitre trip so   we asked well-seasoned and experienced ex pat friends to come and share some experiences of living in France and making a living. It is great to hear how the other half manage and thrive and it always makes for an interesting and fun evening.

 

 

 

 

Then more friends arrived and for one evening only, we were all together for a supper around the table for a good old fashioned catch up

 

 

Our table has seen some happy moments and this time of year with the fire chugging away in our farmhouse kitchen we are reminded of the many times we have put bums on seats for any excuse for an evening supper, or two.

 

 

 

With John and Linda we were treated to two evenings of a wine tasting experience so they could decide what to take home. It is a simple process, a glass each and two bottles to compare. You pour a glass each of one bottle, you all drink it, then you pour from the other bottle and then you have an opinion and actually there is a difference. We all had another glass from each bottle and then we all started to laugh, I think I may have mentioned the wooden fruity bouquet with just a hint of grape and an over powering sensation of southern blue skies, but I don’t remember much else…….

A day out with friends doing the things we forget to do like a visit to the American cemetery in Coleville and a walk around Arromanche and a lunch of Moule frites in Port en Bessin. Mike and I really struggle with eating out but having experienced eater -outers with us the whole experience is fun and we now know of a great little resto overlooking the harbour. I did mention to Mike that I could live in Port en Bessin  watching the fishing boats coming and going, so that makes  two towns that I would seriously consider a move to but then we get home  I wonder why I have thoughts like that,  Brevands is so fab, why move…

 

And this is pure eye candy, spring has come as a fresh and positive bout of good will towards men and this morning I noticed that the willow in the pond area has actually burst through, so there is no turning back and we look  to the clocks springing forward in the next couple of weeks

The daffs are out, the ducks are laying eggs and the grass got a cut this week so life is good and continues to be French as I discussed the plan to get my potted geraniums out of the poly tunnel with my friend Genevieve who went pale, and recited the French rhyme about ice men coming in April and never trust the weather man especially if the moon is mooning, or even waning, so I am going to leave the plants in the warmth at least to the end of April.  I will however have a poly full of strawberries by then…….oh the complicated issues of gardening by the phases of the moon and French wives tales adding a tinge of doubt in every gardening decision we make. I once followed the example of a neighbour in Brevands. When he brought his trays of geraniums in I brought mine in. One year however, he left them out all winter and when I asked him what French rhyme covers that activity he just said he couldn’t be bothered to get them down…..mmmm

In stark contrast to our hand to mouth slow and comfortable life in France we got this picture sent to us to keep up to date with this building we watched being built in Bracknell when we were children, we watched it have a very useful existence and then become the most hated building in the UK and now we are watching it being demolished. Life is a full circle and it is best to accept it and appreciate it. Thank you to my bother in law Dick for keeping us informed……Nice blue sky for this time of year though……..

 

Breaking news….  

 

Our children Georgina and Alan in Canada have passed their written national citizenship test and will be sworn in soon. We are so very proud of them and Mike made a great comment that we now have Canadian family and not family in Canada.  This picture was taken in 2013 when they came to visit. That front door has a lot of good memories to share.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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