Rural Life

Autumn Lockdown - Day 7 - November gardens

Yesterday I raved about being able to buy a locally grown christophine from the market - it was delicious yesterday evening, done in a gratin style.  I was surprised no one asked what it actually was, or perhaps impressed that you all clearly do know what it is.  I think it was a little under-ripe, as it was a bit too green (it should be a bit more yellow than this), but wasn't going to try to ripen it.  Anyway, here it is before I carved it up.

As we have had a couple of frosts, I should be able to pick Brussel sprouts, except ours are tiny, little more than a hint of sprout at the moment.  Mind you I'm not used to growing them, so don't know really when they start to show, other than there are a lot around at Christmas!

I was supposed to be mowing this afternoon - it has been dry for two days and the wind has blown away the frost and dew, so it should have been ideal conditions.  The ground is still very wet, but not so much that I would sink in the mud.  The real thing you need with a mower (in this case a ride on one), is that the blades engage and turn round at high speed, thus cutting the grass.  Annoyingly, the blades failed to engage, however many times I tried to reset and engage, they just weren't having it.  Over the year, it has become harder and harder to get them to engage, so I guess today is the sign that the mower (this one is called Ginger) needs to go to the nice man at Durtal for a thorough going over.  I also need to borrow a mower from another site to do these grounds before worse weather kicks in.

So when I got home, I went into our garden to release the chickens for their daily vandalism spree (although they could soon be in lockdown as there is bird 'flu close by).  I noticed that finally, now the frosts are here and they will be struck down very soon, my Cosmos have finally decided to flower.  I've been nurturing the wretched things for 7 months (alleged time sowing to blooming 3 months) and only now do they decide to blossom.  Very annoying!

 

Autumn Lockdown - Day 6 - out and about

Thanks to advice from chums who read this via Facebook, I decided to brave the market at la Flèche, armed with my attestation and a shopping list.  I was glad I did - for a start it was a lovely drive up, with magnificent leaf colour most of they way.  Parking by the river was easy, and I could stand and watch this view for hours!

Pretty well all my regulars were there, except the bread, croissant and cake stand, which was a real shame as I had been looking forward to croissants later in the week (although the porridge is still magnificent).  I came home laden with local produce including a very fine cauliflower and a christophine - probably the only one this year, as the guys who manage to grow this tropical delicacy found that the polytunnels were too hot for it this year.

This afternoon I finally started on a rather nasty but essential task, and progressed it as far as I could, at which point I felt that I needed a treat and some exercise.  Armed with another attestation (fortunately the paper supplies 3 normal and one work related per day), I set out on a short but beautiful walk.  First I turned up the mediaeval Rue Basse to the Church.

I then walked down to the Pont de Godeau (once again, he didn't turn up).  Passing by the wall of the mini-chateau, I noticed they had a very fine crop of olives this year.  If they have a couple of kilos, I'm sure they could get them pressed for oil at the oil mill - we are thinking we might get some walnut oil made, if I spend a period of confinement cracking them.

I then went up to the Route de Beaufort, along a bit and back down the Rue de la Croix de la Mission.  I had to go over the old railway line, now a walking and cycling path.  I did pass a jogger at one stage, and spent a few minutes contemplating how far he was taking the Mick, as he had clearly come and intended to go further than 1 kilometre from his home base or his place of work.  But what the hell - people are working within the spirit of the regulations, and keeping their distance, and that is surely the point.  I was wearing a mask too, so should have been safe from any droplets he was shedding around him. 

Anyway, on the field side of the disused railway, I spotted this magnificent spindle bush covered in bright pink berries.  The higher up berries are hawthorn and can be cooked, but spindle is pretty poisonous so is best admired at a distance.

And then towards home and the road back to the village - a very nice walk, but not the longest I can do in my allotted hour and within the radius of one kilometre, but more about that another day.  Now I must join a Women in OR and Analytics virtual conference.

A demain!

 

Autumn Lockdown - Day 5 - a change in the weather

What a difference a day makes!  The hot but wet front has gone through, and today has been noticeably colder, but o so much brighter.  The cooler weather meant I slept better (or relatively healthy eating) and the fear of missing an important phone call ensured I was up promptly.  Not everyone thought that cooler was better, and despite the sunshine, or perhaps because of it, Zola decided it was a donut day.  It must be so nice to have such a snug fitting and cosy bed!

Today was a day to feed the Boys in the Country - what a difference to Sunday!  I stood at the view point, and this was so much better and more uplifting to look at!  I also clearly had the right mindset, as I didn't fret that the hill in the distance is unattainable.

We are forecast frosts over the next few days, possibly quite sharp ones out in the rural areas, so it was time to check over the tender crops and see what needed to be gathered in before being damaged.  I cut the final 3 butternut squashes, and got 6 courgettes ranging in size from pretentious restaurant to what you might find on a market stall.  We've not been inundated with courgettes this year - just the right amount really - and I've been impressed that they have kept going so late into the season.  In the garden at home I found 1 aubergine hiding away, a load of green peppers and a small number of chillies on the only plant to escape the chickens.  The top pepper in the bowl came from a self-seeded plant, not sure what it self-seeded from though!  Anyway, that's why it is a different shape to the others.

I pulled up the chilli plant and it is now hanging by the bananas in the faint hope that the fruit will turn red - you can eat them green but visually I prefer red.

Tomorrow is market day at la Flèche - I'm not sure if I dare attempt the trip or not.  One the one hand I need raw butter, croissants, decent cheese, bacon, fish.  On the other hand, I don't want a 135€ fine if some jobsworth decides I'm not allowed to go there.  Decisions, decisions.....

 

Autumn Lockdown - Day 4 - a precious hour

I can't remember if sleep was hard to come by in the first confinement, but this time round it isn't easy, and there have been some deeply weird dreams.  Today I am trying a healthier day to see if that makes any difference.  First off, and force majeure as there is no bakery in the village any more, was breakfast, and a delicious bowl of porridge with quince jelly to get the day going.  Hopefully the oats will prove that they really are a super food - quince is also pretty special.  I should point out that I don't make the porridge, and it is also not my quince jelly - so a double treat, in that someone else made it all!

The weather was once again miserable, so for much of the day, I had to content myself with staring at the computer and dealing with trying issues that threaten to overwhelm me at the moment.  So it was a relief as it got round to four o'clock that the skies cleared a bit, and I could change my mindset and find a blank attestation, my map of allowed walks and a few bits to deliver.  Then I strode out armed with ID card, attestation, face mask and a desire for exercise and fresh air.

Once I had dropped off the things that needed to be dropped off, and had chatted with a friend who was walking her dog, I pursued the route I had mapped out in my head.  Once I got to the highest point, I could look out towards the main road and one of the chateaux in the area, but actually while I thought a view into the distance would help, it only showed how short a distance I could go towards the horizon.

Back into the village and I went down to the Pont de Godeau (you can wait there, but Godot doesn't turn up I find) to see how the local river is swollen with the recent rain.  That was a far more satisfying view.

This time, parks are not closed, so I could walk around the village lake and look back along the valley.  Here I could let my imagination run wild as I was close to the site of the Battle of Vieil Baugé, (in)famous for being the turning point of the Hundred Years War.  But sadly I stayed firmly grounded in the here and now - not least as next year is the 600th anniversary of the battle, but how many of the plans for celebrating that will actually happen?  I had hoped my Scottish friends would be able to join us, but that looks less likely (the invitation still stands, guys).

Clearly I need to prepare myself mentally before taking advantage of my precious hour out and about.  Something for tomorrow.

 

Autumn Lockdown - Day 3 - yukky Sunday

Nothing like an out of focus vampire cat to wake you up!  Yesterday was Spooky's Day, and he seems to have coped - I didn't see him but there were no obvious broken bodies so I think he tidied up well.

Reading my Spring Lockdown Diary entries last night, I noted a lot of sitting in the sun in the garden, and enjoying the peace and the sun.  In November that is likely to be a rare event, and getting wet, taking exercise between showers and trying to stay sunny mentally is more likely to be the norm.  Armed with my attestation I went out to visit the Boys in the Country, and checked on the rainfall gauge and the remaining vegetables, but it wasn't nice, and I only spent 5 minutes or so outside.

I picked my way down to the inspirational view, but that was misty and the autumn colours are fading, while the stark necessity of doing some hard graft with a hedge trimmer comes to the fore.  And my feet got very wet (note to self - there are wellies at that site, use them!). 

I can hear the sparrows making a racket in Sparrow City from here - the massively overgrown bay tree that needs to be trimmed, but otherwise it is very quiet in the village.  I looked out last night close to midnight and all I could hear was an owl shouting about something.

I hope for a brighter day tomorrow, and the ability to take advantage of my allowed 1 hour exercise out of the house and gardens - it should be dry in the afternoon.  But now I must go and tend to my pot roast and help John bottle the pear and peach eau de vie that is judged to be "ready".

 

Autumn Lockdown - Day 2 - retail in the time of confinement

Saturday is always a shopping day for me - has been for years.  I do the small local shops of wherever I live to get food and treats for the days/week ahead.  It was the same when I lived in Hertford, Wallsend and Worcester, so no different now. 

However was a sad day in some ways.  For the past 15 years, I have walked up to the boulangerie about 200 metres from my front door and have bought pastries, bread and sometimes cakes made by the very talented Bruno Pellé, and sold with charm and a caring word by his lovely wife Arlette, or one of their three children.  But today was the last day - health reasons dictate that he stops working the fierce hours expected of a baker (2:30am to 11am 6 days a week, Christmas included, and sometimes an afternoon shift too), and they have not been able to find anyone prepared to take the business over.  From tomorrow, we have to seek our bread elsewhere, and further away (not so easy in the time of confinement).

But we do not live on bread alone, and as the outdoor markets are still open, it was into Baugé for the usual purchases - fish, fruit, vegetables, raw milk, desserts, thick cream, crèpes and galettes, and delicious but unspellable things from the totally charming Moroccan family.  The market was heaving.  By the time I got to the milk products chap - Didier - all yoghurts, all bar 3 rice puddings and all bar 1 milk pudding had been carried off by others.  As he sorted out milk and cream for me, we pondered on the phenomenon - "they will never eat all they bought from me over the next week, it's impossible!"  Well, his stuff is delicious, but clearly there was some panic buying going on too.  "The psychologists are watching" was another clear message!  By the time I got back to the vegetable stall, they had run out of carrots.  Carrots!!!!

For all we are restricted in our outings, and people had to wear masks, there was some insouciance among those in the market - for the first time in ages my bottom got bumped several times by the basket of the lady behind me in the fish queue.  She also didn't understand Paddington stares, so I guess she was a Parisian taking advantage of her second home.  Hopefully she will go home tomorrow if that is how she is going to behave.

In all this, one of the key gripes is not lockdown itself, but the existence of unfair competition from the super and hypermarkets (last week it was between restaurants (allowed) and bars (closed)).  One good meme doing the rounds today wondered if Covid might not be better controlled if we closed the super/hypermarkets and other big stores and let the small shops run the economy for a couple of weeks.  Provided I had a good stock of cat food in, I would so totally support that!

Remember if you have small local shops open, use them, even if it costs a few pence/centimes more!  Because once they have gone, they won't come back.

 

Autumn Lockdown - Day 1 - how does it work again?

Actually, after doing yesterday's blog, we went to Excalibur to support our local pub, while he was still open.  As he is officially a bar/restaurant, we had to have a small plate of tapas each, which was a real hardship, and I gather there was a steady flow of people out for one last session before December.  It was a bitter sweet experience.

From 9pm last night we were under curfew, and once curfew was over, it was lockdown.  I had to cut out an attestation from the newspaper before I could go up to the bakers for pains au chocolat and baguette, which made reading the paper later on a bit tricky.  After that it was as before - or almost.  There was more traffic noise than I had expected when I put the laundry out, and while I was at a work site nearer the airport, I saw and heard another Lear jet come into land, presumably more intensive care patients being moved out of Lyon and St Etienne.

Because, yes, I did need to go out and about to deal with garden type things, armed with another attestation and I was surprised at how many people were out and about.  A major upside to the last confinement was the silence, so all you could hear were birds and insects and the wind in the leaves.  Not so much this time it would appear, although as we move into November, it may quieten down I guess.

Anyway, out in the country, I could enjoy time with Fergus, and be astounded at the magnificence of the amaranth this year. 

I could also admire the Brussel sprout plants.  Those who know me well, know that I regard this vegetable as the work of the Devil, however John loves them, raw or cooked.  We have a chunk of land that is solid clay, but that is where these magnificent specimens are growing.  Not sure if they will ever have sprouts, but actually I do rather like the tops of the plants, steamed, so there might be something in it for me after all!

Yes, I know, the one with the pointy leaves isn't a Brussel sprout.  It is actually a cauliflower - but I'm not sure it will ever have a curd in it.

Autumn Lockdown - new beginings

I guess it was predictable, and following a day mostly spent in bed with a migraine, it was with enormous trepidation that we sat and watched the President's address last night.  As expected, he announced a four week national lockdown, but kicking in a day or two sooner than many had thought.  There was I think less warning this time, or rather, less official warning.  We are also on alert here for bird 'flu, so things are pretty special.  So here's a heads up - from tomorrow, the daily lockdown blog post starts again!

This one seems to me more daunting than the last one.  Already days here are short, with only 10 hours between sunrise and sunset, and that will only get less between now and late December.  The weather will get worse - despite a slight reprieve in temperatures over the next few days, we are heading for winter, and can spend less time outside and less comfortably.  There really is nothing to look forward to now in 2020 - all events are cancelled that we would usually go to - and the last of the "part timers" left today - we doubt we will see any others before the New Year now.

The glories of Autumn are nearing their end.  We found these cèpes in the One Acre Wood a couple of weeks ago, and there may be a couple more this weekend, but then days are too short and cold to get them going again until next year.  These were delicious by the way!

This year has been particularly good for cyclamen.  The ones in the lawn started in July, and are still going, with some very dense patches of pink flowers.  The ones in the One Acre Wood don't last as long but have been going for a couple of months now, including two new flowering corms which have clearly self-seeded.  These delicate white flowers are a real joy to me, whatever the weather.

Autumn also means we have an extra visitor downstairs - the log fire.  It is like another member of the family and a welcome sight and feeling on cold and wet nights.  Lockdown brings challenges with finding firewood - we might have to go out and about with our best Professional Forest Workers kit on, but that is something to worry about another day.

The same day as the new confinement was announced, I received my official number for my new way of earning money.  I am now officially registered as an autoentrepreneur that helps people out with translating and interpreting (NOT official translations having said that) to get through daily life over here in France.  So getting that business up and running when I can't go out and about very much is going to be really easy, isn't it?  2020 just keeps giving!

 

Summer Reflections 6 - harvests and sunsets

We are into September, but these last few days, it hasn't felt like it with hot and sticky conditions and often cloudless skies.  Harvesting has been going on apace, and our garage smells magnificent at the moment as there are 150 kilos of ripe quince in there, waiting for a slot at the juicing plant.  Quince juice isn't something you would happily drink on its own, but add sugar and time and the skills of the distillery and it makes a very delicious eau de vie.  I've also set off a large jar with a shredded quince, a bit of sugar and about 50cls of quince eau de vie to make a very special quince liqueur.  Quince is a good remedy against the winter stomach bug that does the rounds (my excuse, I'm sticking to it).  Tomorrow I will start to make quince jelly.

We have two barrels of fizzing and burping fruit at the moment, even before we get the quince one going.  There is a plum one - deep maroon and brooding; and a pear one - the colour doesn't merit description and it is like the surface of an uneasy volcano.  Both smell sweet and interesting though.

The badgers in the wildflower meadow are clearly bringing in stores for the winter - there is a dusty trail through the dead stems and a lot of sand by the set entrance.

Those days where there has been a bit of cloud in the evening, we have seen some dramatic and colourful sunsets.  Well, I have to walk down a path to the boule de fort car park to see them as the Bungalow of No Merit is now in the way.  In previous years, we have admired from the living room and bedroom windows.  Anyway, new local order, but glorious skies to gaze at in wonderment.  My photos don't do them justice, but enjoy anyway!

Summer ends on 22nd September apparently.

 

Summer reflections 2 - excess fruitfulness

Summer is definitely here, as there are more and more British cars on the roads.  If you are coming over, and bringing a car, don't be fooled by the British press saying that main road speeds are back to 90kmph (56mph).  In some places they are changing, in other places they aren't.  Basically, keep your eyes on the road signs, and if in doubt, stick to 80kmph (50mph).  And ignore what your satnav says too, as it won't be up to date.  We believe it is a scam to earn more money in fines, and they will still fine you, even if it is a British registered car, and that fine will find you.

So what about the excess fruitfulness?  Well that is down to our poor, long suffering pear tree.  We have yet another year where it is loaded down with fruit and we hadn't realised how big some of that fruit was, nor how much there was.  Sometime yesterday afternoon, a gust of wind hit it a bit too hard and wallop!  Down came a big branch.  A cat may or may not have been involved too - Zola is being a bit coy about that.

Now our usual way of dealing with excess fruit won't really work, as it relies on things being ripe and mushy and full of sugars and with a bit of natural yeast.  While large, these pears aren't really ripe or even close to thinking about being ripe.  Anyone with recipes for what to do with green, unripe pears, please let me know before the chickens peck them all to bits (and a vast hill of chicken food isn't actually what we need either).