thank you French Health System ….you did it again

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Blog 27 / October 2015

It has now been a year since the blue tarp was drenched over this roof and this ancient building is oh, so slowly, having work done to it. This monument of a building is on the way to Carentan and we always comment on how tragic it is, to have left it to be taken back to nature’s way. There is however evidence of recuperation and there are ackro jacks in the windows and we have seen rotten wood being thrown out of the windows into skips. What started as an interesting grand design project for us to watch and wooh at, is going to be a long and drawn out event.

 

 

Mike and I have been playing on-line scrabble with friends and family and for a while we were wiping the bottoms of all we played.  I am now however convinced that the scrabble management  know how unbelievably smug we had become and started dishing out the worst sets of tiles and we then went on the slippery road to failure and lost games one after the other.  We were playing Mark and Shirley, they had 102 we had 41 and we had 4 e’s an I ,O and U ….where do you go from there… I am now playing in French and English and it all adds to the stretching of the mind, ability to think straight and for us to become expert on the scrabble cheat sites when it is all goes horrible wrong

 

so when Shirley sent me commiserations for knocking us off the imperial column of scrabble winners, I sent her the proof that we are actually well educated have all the books to play fair and square. The bottle of brandy in the back ground was a joke, we only drink wine when playing scrabble……

 

 

 

 

 

The ongoing extension to the Gate Garden is oh so very ongoing, and a simple little job like pulling out a flower bed to make way for a BBQ took all morning and an immense amount of energy. We pulled out the lavender which was old and past its best then came across a poplar tree stump we had planted as a twig four years ago. We found roots as thick as our thighs, so Mike sawed and cropped until the roots were free and hauled it out. We stood back to marvel at the speed and robustness these fabulous trees grow at, and that in four years we have planted, harvested and grubbed out.

 

 

 

 

Here I am in my tiny kitchen making chilli for ten, in preparation for my birthday supper.  We have often spoken about updating the kitchen and making it modern and slick but as I work away in there I feel in the right place at the right time, so perhaps best not to make changes if it is not going to change our lives.

 

 

 

 

 

We gathered on the 16^th October for a lively social evening around our kitchen table, my sister Mim and brother in law Dick sharing our joie de vivre in the bosom of our friendships.

 

 

 

 

I photographed Mike in the wood using his new leaf blower, that we think is the best thing ever we are now  always looking for tools that will be easy to use as we get older and less able to manage heavy equipment. This back pack petrol blower means that Mike can work for longer and we are achieving so much more since we have  taken a ‘make it easy’ approach to maintaining our three acres of garden.

 

 

 

Whist we had Mim and Dick over from the UK we spent hours around the table talking, did a shopping outing and took Monty for a little run.  I am always pleased when Mike gets the old fella out and we trundle through the streets of Carentan just because we can.  We will need to winterise the hobby cars and look forward to next spring when we can start all over again

 

 

 

Mike had a floater appear in his eye with a flash of light and we decided to treat it as an emergency when our local ophthalmic doctor gave us an appointment for 6 months’ time. We both had a feeling this was important so we drove to St Lo Memorial Hospital casualty unit.  Within an hour mike was checked out for a stroke and head trauma but happily was clear so the doctor arranged for him to see an ophthalmic surgeon for the next morning. We dutifully made the appointment where the surgeon did a thorough check of Mike’s eye and said it was a very good thing we went ‘Urgences’ because Mike’s retina was detaching and proceeded to perform laser surgery to reattach it. We would have expected to wait, but were relieved that we were in the right place at the right time and two and half hours later Mike’s eye was mended and is now in the care of a real life ophthalmic surgeon who sounded confident that he had recovered the eye and saved mike’s sight…..thank you French Health System ….you did it again

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

when the customers have gone home……..

 Blog 26 / October 2015

 

 

We had a blast from the past when we were sent a picture of Mike with his apprentice friends at BEA in 1973….we were thrown into a week of reminiscence and review. It is really good to talk over the past and this has sparked off some really funny and long forgotten stories. Mike and I were an item when this picture was taken and I don’t think Mike has changed a bit …..we have promised to get back to the UK and meet up with these people, but there is so much to do and achieve, but we will put them on the long list of celebrations and occasions coming up in 2016 including our 40^th wedding anniversary

We had a major setback in the pumpkin race as our prize, pride and joy caught a cold and disintegrated into a pile of mush before our very eyes. We  Don’t know why this has happened but we are now about to lift the other two as the competition day is looming and we need to prepare our entry and make sure we do not lose another one  before the judging  on Halloween day…..eeeek

 

We saw a couple of good weather days on the horizon and decided it was time to put the pool away. It is always a melancholy time as it rings in the changes and puts us well and truly into autumn mode. The pool is stored away and all the equipment stowed in boxes to protect them from our winter mice looking for a home.  Then once that is done the garden furniture finds  its way into the barn and before we know it the patios are clear and there is nowhere to sit even if the weather stays fine. We are hosting the pumkinalia this year so I have insisted that we keep some stuff out just in case the weather stays fine as it did last year. We have taken photos of where the pool sits in this area so we don’t get in the situation we were in this spring where we could not remember where it sat the year before and how it all fitted together….we are  taking no chances for next spring.

 

The Pool area has now become a nursery and all the plants that I have in pots waiting for a place in the garden are lined up for easy care through winter and also a chance to see what we have and where to put them. Always a proud moment for me as I have some good plants to consider for next year’s planting and this gives us a chance to take stock.

 

 

For a couple of weeks I have been considering the state of the cart on the front drive and mentioned to Mike that I might like to move it onto the garden somewhere, and to my surprise he agreed that it was time for a change.  I asked Mike for a plan one morning and he said we needed to see if it would move first then we could make a plan.. So here is Mike playing rickshaw boy walking the cart into the garden so I knew we were on a job done situation. Needless to say I knew exactly where it was going and I quickly made space so we could both discuss and ponder as this would be the last time this old cart will move and we were most surprised it made it this far.

So there it is, in my Italian garden where the water bowser used to be.   I needed to have the water mobile again so if we get dry spells we can take well water to any corner of the garden.  The cart has given a more authentic feel to this area and I am delighted. Mike is amazed at the space left on the drive so this really was a good morning’s work giving us a mobile water source again, an authentic cart in the garden and acres of space on the drive….. che ching.

 

 

Every week we watch gardener’s world and every week I say I am going to grow more flowers and every year I never do but an item this week got us interested and this year we have prepared our own tomato seeds for next year.  We followed the instructions and were pretty pleased with ourselves until it seems that the instructions were a bit suspect and we should have used coffee filters instead of kitchen roll but hey ho Mike put his Mr clever hat on and managed to get these stuck fast seeds off the paper.  We were pleased with the outcome and have our seeds for next year….role on spring time.

We have had some great weather and the trolley bay covered patio is now taking shape. Mike has very successfully put all the bits together and we have nothing too many, or too few, but today was the real appliance of science. The Millau bridge construction team has nothing on us as we jacked the four corners and tweaked the adjusted until the spirit level was to an acceptable accuracy and then Mike went around and bolted it all together. We now need to rub it down, put a coat of paint on and put the roof on which I can see sliding into the spring.  I am very pleased we now have a water proof area at the back of the garden, good for the holiday makers in the mobile homes and great for us when the customers have gone home……..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

made us laugh more often that we growled at you…..xxxxx

Blog 25 / September 2015

 

 No sooner had  we decided that we needed gravel  to complete the gate garden extension and it was on its way with customer service and good humour, oui madam this, and oui madam that, and a call in the morning over breakfast to say the lorry was on his way …perfect. 14 tons of gravel is better that chocolate and roses for me and Mike knows that and got stuck into filling the garden making  the offering even more delightful by committing himself to getting the job done

150 shovels of gravel in each trailer is equivalent to  14 barrows  walked  backward and forwards from gravel pile to garden. It is hard work  but in no time at all using the trailer we have a good covering even with sore shoulders and wobbly knees. Getting the railway sleepers into position is the hardest bit having to measure once and measure again for square and positioning for best effect and now we are just at the point of seeing the fruits of our labours.

 

 

And then the work of piecing together somebody else’s disassembling…..It is a good thing Mike worked for Waitrose and has an inkling of what a trolley bay might look like in separate bits on the gravel.

 

 

Ron and Pauline came by again on their way back to the UK from Spain in their camper and have now convinced us this is the way forward with our travels. We have not felt like we have had a real change if we go away in France, just a rest, a bit like going to Bognor from Bracknell, so a trip to Spain is now arranged and we are off to find some winter sun quite soon

 

 

 

 

Whilst waiting for dinner to cook we all went down to Carentan Port for the Fete des Normand which was the same as all the  other  fete de port with the wooden sailing boats on their annual visit. This year however the Viking re-enactor club, pretended to be Normans. The atmosphere was good and the town rocked up to have a look, have a beer and take a little promenade around the port to see who they can see….and so did we.

On Sunday night I set the alarm for 3 am and hardly slept in case I missed it but none the less fell out of my slumber into my joggers and set myself up to see the eclipse of the moon. I say I, because, although Mike is really not into this sort of thing he does join in and we hugged our tea mugs and waited for the special event  to develop in front of our very eyes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We both sat for an hour and a half with binoculars and a telescope and  watched our garden go from being bathed in moonlight to really quite dark and eerie, and I just love this sort of thing. I thought about our girls on the other side of the world going about their business

 

 

The very next morning we had planned to go to the bankruptcy auction of the Hotel de Baie in the next Village.  Our friends brought it to our attention and although we really had no need for anything in the catalogue we thought there may be a table to go in the trolley bay but really we were just curious about how these things work and see what was for sale and for how much.  I must admit not to being very impressed but the experience was good and we will go to auctions when  we have an  interest……we have however watched this hotel go from worse to even worse and  when they did not seem to be full to overflowing for the 70^th  DDay anniversary last year,  when we heard they had gone under it came as no surprise.
 

 

With October knocking at the door and the promise of a few dry days Mike decided the pool must be emptied and dismantled. We wait for the water to go ph normal and empty into the pond and to date it has taken three days to get this far but we still have good weather on the horizon and will let it go at it’s own pace. There is a tinge of sadness that summer is over but the excitement of autumn and winter and the New Year to come lifts our mood to do a good job ready for next spring.

 

 

We finally did it and found a digger at the right price and not on the other side of our huge country. We fell very lucky and called this nice man just as he got in, and made our claim to his digger. Mike has been searching for over a year and we knew that if we reacted quickly and positively we would find what we wanted but we had to get the money in the envelope and know we had access to a flatbed trailer and all the bits came together like a well-rehearsed ballet.

 

 

 

So today we got it home and we are like a mum and dad with a  new baby . I was a little concerned that mike’s first go at driving was to get it off the trailer but as always he showed an amazing proactive attitude and just got in and did it using all the safety tricks he has obviously seen in his working life, and for that, I am thank full. Mike has a to-do list as long as your arm for jobs that need the help of a digger and we just can’t wait to get cracking.

 

On the same day that we got our digger home Mike asked if I had seen Napoleon that morning because there was a pile of glorious coloured feathers in front of the beach garden and it may just be that he has popped his clogs.

 

 

 

We fed the ducks and in 5 years he has never missed a meal opportunity. We had to separate him from the other coq in the hen area as they fought and we gave Napoleon the garden. He has spent two winters on the loose perusing his estate and letting us all know about it. I asked Mike if he could please trim the hedge in the potages and he said he was reluctant whilst Napoleon was living in there so I let that excuse go, but today Mike, I would really like the hedge trimmed.   …RIP Napoleon, you will be missed but perhaps not at 3 in the morning when you set off the other coq …… we will miss you sweet pet, you made us laugh more often that we growled at you…..xxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wonderful and very autumn squiralish……

Blog 24 / September 2015




Despite our late start in the allotment this year we are seeing a harvest at last. I planted out my poly tunnel potted strawberry plants as Geneviève said potted strawberries are rubbish and she knows best, so they are out and doing well. I have gone through this bed twice already to cut the runners and kill the weeds so a good crop is expected in June. Mike promises to build a netted cage to deter the birds without trapping and killing them and now the beds are raised the hedgehogs will not get caught in the nets either.  In the distance you can see the Canadian pumpkins showing off, we now have 3 huge fruit and are planning to be winners in the contest at the end of October





I never thought we would, but we are now harvesting the sweet corn. We pick them and put them straight in for the boil and the taste is exquisite, covered in lashings of butter it is the best appetitive on earth. We have taken the habit of eating sweet corn everyday whilst in season and then don’t ever buy them from the shops so at this time of year it is a real treat, because fresh off the cob is quite amazing.






The ducks are in good fettle although one has this lack of lanolin in his feather and looks a bit rough and won’t go in the water but, hey ho, we all have our little ailments to deal with.  The ducks have eaten the insides of the Gunnera so I have built fortifications and surrounded the crowns with a  row of  twigs to stop the greedy ducks getting inside. Ducks are not conducive to decorative pond areas but we keep on the challenge and it is a challenge and a half at the moment.

 

 

 

 

 

In July we cut this hedge thinking we had totally condemned it to the compost heap but just  look at what has happened in two months…….

 

 

 

 

It is tough to grub out a hedge with so much spirit and determination so we may just leave it there and try to incorporate it in the build of the camper park. We have bought a second-hand electric hedge trimmer as it is lighter and quicker to use and I can get a grip on it as well so a hedge like this could be kept in control, we hope…….

 

 

 

We got given this little bug house for our birthdays last year and I popped it on the window ledge of the barn and noticed that we have occupancy this year and we are thrilled. I will leave it there so that the message will get passed on for full occupancy in 2016

 

 

 

 

This is the apple tree that our grandchildren visiting from Canada in 2013 went up to, picked the apples and just ate them on the spot. We were so excited that they thought it was OK and good fun and every time I go to the tree I think of them. This year we have a bumper crop and we are eating them and cooking with them and drying them to try and use the whole crop. The bramley trees are also abundant and I am making apple pies for the freezer for those dark winter days when apple pie and custard puts the puts the world to rights.

 

 

 

 

 

We have started the Gate Garden extension and this is where the two trolley bay shelters will sit looking out across the garden. It is a great view from here and we don’t spend anything like the time we should just looking, and I hope we will, once this is complete. We measured and re-measured and measured again to get the railway sleepers into place and that is no mean feat, as they are extraordinarily heavy but as always, Mike applies his appliance of science to make it as easy as possible. We are now committing ourselves to yet another lorry load of gravel. Looking at the accounts it seems that we have had a 14 ton delivery every year since starting the gardens of Brevands, not including the trailer loads and big bags delivered at odd times as well. Gardeners World do not tell you just how much hard landscaping there is to consider in a garden design and its development. We now go straight to the gravel pit and have an opinion on what is good at one and not price viable from another, and all in French. Today we go with a handful of gravel to match and a quaking cheque book to do it all over again……but I must say that I just love laying gravel, it is so complete and instant and as long as we have done our homework, projects like this are quick and easy to complete

 

 

 

And finally, the dehydrator is humming away nicely giving us fruit and veg we can store and it is really

quite wonderful and very autumn squiralish……