I set off on my glorious adventure to the UK something like two and a half weeks ago, and I have been home for a week and I am still chasing my tail trying to catch up on all fronts. I've not downloaded the lovely photos of the Broads and my visit to the UK, I've not written up my notes from my visit, I've not caught up with all my clients in France, I've not planted all the potatoes yet, I've not got to grips with the garden or the window boxes or the fridge or planning meals or anything. I feel totally inadequate!
Yesterday we did do the village "vide grenier" or car boot sale, so actually getting anything sorted out for that was a last minute effort, and we didn't have as much stuff on display as perhaps we would have liked. But we were there!
Actually it was probably rather a good thing that we didn't have too much stuff out on display, and certainly no books or clothes. That was a deliberate choice as the weather the day before wasn't brilliant. Even so we got rid of some big items, although we did feel a bit mugged by two wee munchkins who cut down our ticket price on a cauldron by 50%! Still, when the rain came, it was heavy and quite long duration, so it was good we didn't have fabrics other than the table covering.
We hung on for another hour, but there were no paying punters, so we legged it early and were able to spend time drying everything we hadn't sold and putting it away carefully for next year.
The trail camera has moved and been installed on a track used a lot by the local fauna. The grass around it was very long, so there has been limited action, although a nice bunny did pop up one day.
Rather less appealing and also rather less welcome was a suspected sighting of a coypu. As we are desperate to keep the water in the ponds to support the 5 rather large fish (plus the army of noisy frogs and the ducks), we don't really want coypu digging into the banks and potentially draining the pools into the ditches below. They are also a non-native, invasive species that really has no place in France, and certainly not somewhere where there is very little water held in the wetland anyway.
A much more welcome visitor was this Red Admiral butterfly I found yesterday sunning himself after a shower. My Dad used to make up stories for me about a Red Admiral and a Painted Lady, which I am sure had a subversive subtext. It is a shame I can't remember any of them, and that he didn't write any down as far as I know.
We had a visitor of a different sort today at the Garden - easy enough for me to hear, as I was having mud smeared over me by a cat, but it wasn't until it was nearly overhead that John heard it over the noise of the rotavator and through his ear protectors. The Air Force still use the local airport, even though little else does nowadays, and this looks like a pretty heavy cargo plane - possibly one used for refuelling others in flight? I'm sure someone will tell me!
We also went for a walk around the One Acre Wood to admire the lily of the valley, see some wild medlar flowers, and be enchanted by the veil of green that has crept up on us. It was rather sadder to see that a number of the large chestnuts have not survived some very difficult growing conditions. First it was the new invasive wasp that targeted sweet chestnuts, and weakened them by growing its young in the leaf buds. Then the plot next door was clear felled about three years ago, changing the light and drainage patterns. Then last year's drought and fierce heat, and finally a dry February all seem to have contributed to a number of trees having no leaves at all this year. While good for our heating needs, we have to hope that cutting down the dead trees will encourage new growth from the boles, as many are several hundred years old.
I don't know if the last photo will come out when you read this - but I really can't bear trying to reload them all again!
Finally here is a purple orchid we spotted in a ditch near the wood - they seem a bit late this year, and I am observing the progress of the bee orchids as I think we have a problem!
Until next week!
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