and they stay, it is only fare

Blog  22 / September 2015

August is over and I can honestly say it came and went in a flash but we did manage a good crop of beans and I have 5 large bags of frozen ready for those long winter lunches. It is now September and all my crops are coming to an inevitable end. I have had a good blue berry and black berry crop but the sweet corn is a debateable success because the cobs are not ripe yet and if September does not turn a little Indian then the chickens will be feasting till November.

 

 

 The most amazing pumpkin bed is, mostly amazing, and I still wonder why the scientists who put a man on the moon cannot make this fast growing plant nutritional and the fruit interesting because all this growth is only for Halloween lanterns and ONE pie as a frozen pile in stock would be a winter disaster. We are planning to get together with those who grow and those who don’t, to compete in the most British way  and decide who  has grown  the biggest, most beautiful and who can make the best lantern. I have suggested that we try a bake off to see who can make pumpkin pie let alone who can make an edible one…I will keep you posted…

 

 

 We have three of these babies and everyday there are centimetres added to the girth and although wonderful to watch, it is a little unnerving and it is  no wonder that pumpkins  are all part of  Halloween spookiness…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finally got up the courage to sort out the lilies in the pond and although Mike had bought metal posts and fencing to corral the ailing duck damaged plants, it was quite clear that dressed up like this on a very slippery pond bottom, Mike was not going to find it easy to start hammering poles into the pond floor. We came up with a brilliant idea and used an old gazibo we got from Sarah and plonked it into the water and wrapped the fencing around it ….. simple … unfortunately the dome to the gazebo  came away in transportation from the garden to the pond and the pond floor is not flat or even close to flat.

 

We now have a very wonky but beautifully shabby and chic architectural statement that says, this is where the lilies can grow and not be devoured by the ducks. I for one love it and this time next year it will look fantastic, like a pin cushion of lilies floating in the centre of the Brevands gardens of bable, long may it stay upright and in one place and not just rust into oblivion next winter…..

 

 

Here we are again all sitting around a table having a laugh, and on this occasion supporting Carol and Trevor all stalled up selling vintage clothing.  We took up the offer of free afternoon tea with a fabulous selection of cake served up on flowery crockery and proper cups and saucers. The Ferme de Banoville had an open day and we joined in. We bumped into the estate agent who showed us around our home here in Brevands and that in itself was a lovely thing  as Gill introduced us to her husband as the lovely couple she sold a house to in 2007……where does the time go, I said,  and really meant it

 

Here, Andy and Sarah, like us, have taken responsibility for an ancient French farm building and as they are far younger than us are developing an income to allow them to stay.  They are doing B&B and offering cooking classes and handcrafted gifts. I felt a momentary flutter of excitement that I should do this, but then sat back on my fat botty and thought….. nah… leave it to the youngsters and enjoy the show.

 

 

 

And on the subject of beautiful buildings we were out and about in the backend of Bayeux buying a Bon Coin special and came across this farm entrance in Tour en Bessin. Mike stopped so I could take a photo and I took a very furtive look beyond only to see a Farm house with all the farm paraphernalia you would expect to see in an old traditional farm but nothing else, no big chateaux and no gate house, just a farm. If you don’t stop and look then it is gone and I am pleased that Mike has a patient streak in him to allow me to stop and stare in wonder.

 

In the week we had one of those impossibly wet days and both went into automatic mode, got in the car, and let our mood dictate the direction and I am very pleased that we ended up in Coutance at the depot vends. Shirley who visits often said she had seen a bugle for not a lot of money, so mike, on auto pilot, made his way to see what she had seen. Mike has never played a wind instruments but has recently had an interest in learning, so ended up with not only the bugle but this wonderful euphonium just screaming out for tender loving care. Mike has spent hour’s googling, how to play a wind instrument and bought two mouth pieces to practice on whilst looking for the real thing. He has the potential of a good debouchage, good lips and face muscles and is actually getting a sound out of his instruments already. I personally think it sounds like a donkey in trouble but I have been amazed at how quickly the sound develops. The euphonium is a much more pleasant noise to the bugle and as Mike cannot play either as yet, I will encourage my big buddy on with the euphonium. The bass sound makes me smile and I am hoping that the March of the Mods will resonate our walls by Christmas…….

 


We have had  double helpings of Ron and Pauline this year as they passed through and camped on the drive on their way for another few weeks in Spain. They are wetting our appetite to take a long drive to the sun and we spent many happy hours looking at the routes they take and the sites they stay in. We love having them to stay and they lift our spirits with their enthusiasm for camper holidays and how it is all still so achievable even when you are in your late 70’s.  Ron and Pauline taught me to play crib last time they were with us but I mentioned that I have been playing on-line scrabble with my sister and two total strangers and that conversation led to a blistering three game epic on the kitchen table in which Mike wiped the floor with us. You will notice that there is wine on the table but no scrabble dictionary and that definitely felt unfair as the online game I play gives me access to a dictionary to play with letters and options but the table  game is harder and much more of a challenge but  a whole lot more sociable

 

 

 

 

It is September I know, but the shooting daffodil bulbs in the back yard are just ridiculous, but, there they are ready to go again…….

In 2008 we had our back yard dug out and the top layer of stone and soil taken away and yet this little bunch of dafs still pop their heads up at the most ridiculously out of season time.  We can do nothing about it. Mike did weed kill the area once and I dug a few bulbs out and transplanted them but there is a stubborn little dance of daffodils there so we will let them come and go and try to care for  them as best we can. The machine is actually right over where they are now so even the heavy hand of the digger in 2008 has not been able to discourage them.  So they win, and they stay, it is only fare

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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a glass of rose instead of a pint of bitter.

 

Blog 21 / August  2015

 

The Canadian parcel arrived and the clothes I made for the kids so many miles away from them, fitted OK, although Alex looks a little restricted in his waistcoat, so Nona will try harder next time. I am still in the motions of documenting our trip to Canada, the pictures and notes all set out in word only the padding to write up and the event will be there for us to remember for ever.

 

 

 

 

Oh, the joys of babies, Graham and Ann had their granddaughter come and visit for a few days so we took the opportunity to get together, as we do every week and got to know her a little better.  I was offered a cuddle and took up the challenge, like a well-oiled Nona should, although it is true to say that it has been a few years since we have been in the company of one, so young.

 

Mike and I popped into the tourist office to buy some post cards of Carentan and we came across this little exhibition of photographs of traditional Normandy buildings in our area. They boasted about the construction of Mass houses since year dot and how it is now so important to keep these pockets of history in good condition, alive and well.  We went around the expo reading up all the notes and information and became aware  that we actually live in a house like these and it was probably about time we got the ground floor windows painted so we could say, we are making  the effort to keep ours in good nick…..ooops

Mike was busy doing his daily duty checking the water quality in the swimming pool in case we need a dip in an emergency, and that does happen…then Mike came across this little fella. Now you may think this is normal …. Newt near water ….  but we could not imagine how he managed to clamber up four feet of plastic sides then over the blow up collar so we can only surmise that he was dropped in by a bird and therefore mike was holding its life in his hands…we found a nice wet place in the pond area to give him another go at life, and wished him good luck …

We decided to close the mobile homes early as the demand was slow and people seemed only to want accommodation for 4 nights and less and then wanted to turn up, tonight! This gives us an extra work load and commitment to have to stay at home so we pulled the plug hoping that next year our French holiday makers will be in a better position to commit at least a week in advance so that we do not have to arrange our lives around a B&B, just-turn-up style of business. We set off to St Malo for a 3 night break in the Camping Municipal and set up camp ready to investigate and enjoy

 

 

 

We walked for hours and both felt the impact, Mike especially, but we ventured into St Malo both days and did all the touristy stuff.

 

 

It occurred to us that we keep running into World War 2 events and I went on the lookout for photos of St Malo just after the war as 80% of the city was destroyed. The city was rebuilt in the traditional style though not in traditional materials and if you look hard enough you get a sense of how modern it actually is. I was therefore quite keen to find a source in the city where we could grasp the enormity of the task but sadly we found nothing. The museum of history never mentioned it and although this WW2 museum at the back of the camp site spoke about the great battle that took place here, there was no real information about the reconstruction of an ancient city…..is it perhaps because they don’t want tourists to know that the buildings are actually only 60 years old….I don’t know, but I was disappointed. I have found some pictures since, on line, but that does not count…..

But then, you climb to the highest point, a little huffy and puffy and realise that there is enough to feed the historic appetite and Mike and I spent time on this view discussing the day we sailed here in Beema. We talked our way in through the buoyage system and how we felt about this quite difficult Port entrance. Do we miss Beema ?….yes, I guess on a day like that looking out at sea we do miss the concentration of all that skill and knowledge we had built up during our sailing years together.

 

We treated ourselves to Moules frites on a restaurant pavement at a formule price and had a jolly hour and a half people watching and listening to the buskers playing in the street. We looked each other in the eyes to confirm how great it  feels having all of this, just down the road.

 

 

Then back to the camper to prepare a meal on our trusted bucket BBQ that we took with us in our tiny Vdub camper for our long leave trip to Italy in 2004.  HOSS looks on in expectation that a titbit will come his way as this is his holiday as well and I can assure you he did join in with us and enjoy the feast. HOSS is now 9 years old and is a very seasoned camper holiday maker. When he was a puppy we were preparing for a time away in our previous camper and I took this picture of HOSS collecting all his toys and putting them on the step so we did not leave them behind.

 

 

 

To this very day camper preparations are closely scrutinised and HOSS is always well placed at the correct door just at the right time to make sure we don’t leave him behind

 

 

Our second days walk into the city took us past this vista which frankly just made me chuckle as it looked like the ferry had got lost and found a slot in the marina and  we know how it feels to  arrive here and the marina to say,  sorry mate, no moorings available, but that is another tale to tell…. I was also reminded of the sight of huge cruiser ships going through Venice and in this beautiful warm sunshine it nearly felt like Venice….

 

After four days away we were delighted to see on our return that the pond had found it’s balance and the fish were visible and looking very happy. The lily pads have been eaten away by the ducks and I don’t know why we didn’t think they would ignore them but we have a plan to make them duck proof and will instigate that next week, but the fish are a great success.

 

 

Whist on the subject of fish we got a call to get Mike’s tackle out and get down to the carp lake in Perier for an inter friends carp fishing  competition. We turned up to find that we were 8 contestants although the  ladies in the group decided to sit back and chat our way to catch the largest carp. Shirley however, is the best lady fisherman I know and did not disappoint by landing an 18 pounder within 30 minutes of the starting hooter

 

Mike sat patiently in his little swim but by 9:30 in the evening he had not even had a nibble and with the other competitors long gone home to their evening meals the four of us saw the contest to its bitter end.  Mark did have a bite but could not get to the rod quick enough and as the fish took flight the rod slipped into the depth of the lake never to be seen again. We had a great afternoon in great company and hope to do it again very soon.

 

 

We have discovered that if you make the effort and go out to the free concerts in our local churches, there is a fantastic night out to be had.   We went to Fresville for a concert of varied music with flutes, strings and piano and the voice of a very impressive lady singing Shakespeare style sonnets which set the hairs on the back of my neck up right. A violin solo with this small orchestra was so well played and touching that it left me in tears as this ensemble of wonderful musicians shared their skills for us with no fuss or showmanship just accomplished talent and savoir faires.

There was a 10 minuet break in the programme and we took the opportunity to walk around this lovely little village church building and Shirley who works in the antiques business was considering how we could get this confessional box into her handbag to put in the corner of her lounge.  It was a lovely bit of furniture that we might just  walk past and not take too much notice,  but being out with people who see these things  opens your eyes  to other things and  makes a night out  great  fun  and interesting. At the end of the concert we all tumbled out into the village square and the chaps made the point that a local pub would have closed the evening perfectly. Do we miss not having a good pub to visit, yes we all do. We met up the next day for Moules frites at the end of a mornings rummaging at the Port bail vide grenier, so the concert review was considered over a glass of rose instead of a pint of bitter.