Rural Life

Lockdown III, marginal release - weather and plants

Apologies for the lack of blog yesterday - I was going to do something about the market and raw milk, but didn't finish work until about 7pm and just couldn't face any longer in front of the computer.  I have a photo so I will do that story, but not today.

Today has also been busy, but winding down a bit now, as I tick off the urgent bits on my to do list (never shorter than 25 things at the moment).  We have finally had some rain - a gentle 8 or 9 millimetres on Tuesday which soaked in nicely but wasn't enough.  It was sufficient to push the red hot pokers into action as yesterday evening, I found these when I went to lock up the chickens!

It also brought on nicely the Dutch irises at The Shack, and helped some of the potatoes to start showing their heads!

We had more rain too today.  It started during the night and a chum said it was like someone running a hose on the roof at 6am.  I got soaked feeding the chickens this morning, by which time we had had another 10mm and more on the way.  It was a nasty run down to the Sous-Prefecture at Saumur to help someone with a Residency Permit interview, and we were pleased when he had trouble with the fingerprint machine, as it meant we could stay indoors during a particularly heavy shower.  By the time I got him home again, the sun was coming out as the depression passed on its way east and south.

It left behind a chaotic sky and a nasty wind - at the Wildflower Meadow, the roaring gusts and the noise of the wind in the poplars was almost deafening and very dramatic.  Interesting for a short while, but it can stop now!

 

Lockdown III, Day 26 - losing inspiration

When I've not been in front of the computer today, including a 2 hour Teams meeting, I've been running around like a mad thing, but not doing anything very interesting, other than watering the cabbages at The Shack.  I've unloaded the remaining seed potatoes on someone, so they don't taunt me.  My Asian hornet traps have now each attracted a European hornet queen - I'm not too upset as they are huge and we don't really want hornets around either of the gardens.  Tomorrow is Visiting Day, so is also unlikely to be hugely exciting.

There is some gossip, for those that know where we live.  The slum longère next to us has been sold to a nice seeming chap for about 10 grand more than we think it is worth - we told him outright that he was mad, but he smiled and said he liked it!!  François the Drunk's house is up for sale at 16,000€ - if you want a 1 bedroom, no bathroom slum with a sitting tenant, you may be interested.  That means that the Island Cottage must also be up for sale, again with sitting tenant, and should be rather less than 16 grand as it really is revolting.  One of our neighbours opposite used to dream of buying it and flattening it, personally, with a JCB - I hope he is still up for that, once he has got rid of the sitting tenant, Mr Pipi.

This time last year, it was heaving it down with rain - we could do with some of that this year, as the ground is very dry.  I might need to learn to do a rain dance.  Tomorrow sees President Macron give us his route out of lockdown - for me the big one will be when bar terraces are open, so we can go out and see people and feel that there is more to life than work, eat and sleep.  It won't be until mid May at the earliest I guess. 

My current attestation free range looks like this - from Monday that could change, however with no bars, restaurants and non-necessity shops open, what will be the point?

Today, I am clearly feeling the Covid Blues.  I'll find a Caribbean beach to finish with!

Lockdown III, Day 21 - a very busy day

Yesterday was my day for visiting the Azay One - I guess I am lucky we are allowed in to see her actually, given the hammering nursing homes have taken in this whole Covid thing.  We are only allowed in for an hour, we have to sit around a sanitised table, wearing masks (well, apart from the Azay One), and have to complete and sign two attestations on arrival.  Visits in rooms are not allowed.  Still, all went well, but it is always a tiring day, so no blog yesterday, but I did take this photo late yesterday evening after I had locked up the chickens.  Simple flowers and blossom attract many insects and it was heartening to see the variety last night on the Granny Smith apple blossom.

This morning, while John laboured, I went to the market at Baugé for a supply of good things - although the queue for fruit and vegetables did make me question my devotion to buying from small providers and local produce for preference, as it took me three quarters of an hour to get to the top of the queue!  At least the weather was good but social distancing had gone out of the window!

The afternoon was devoted to outdoors things, including mowing for a client, watering our produce and cosseting the boys in the country.  Now we are home and I need a gin and tonic so I will add the photos and call it a day.  I may be more voluble tomorrow.

Lockdown III, Day 18 - something a bit different

It's getting warmer and sunnier here, and because we had a bit of a weird day planned, John was able to come up to la Flèche with me for the market.  He hadn't believed my tales of long queues for pretty well everything, so I was pleased he got to see it for himself!  Despite both cheese waggons being in, the queue for our preferred purveyor of fine cheeses - Jean-Marc Charland - was huge!  Two ladies of a certain age behind me were plotting how to get people to leave the queue for a while, but eventually settled into gossiping about the local health centre.  As I stood in the queue, having done all my other shopping apart from charcuterie (delegated to John for today), a band turned up, playing a variety of instruments, calling out rather than singing, and with a group of followers bouncing along in their wake - it was rather fun and certainly made queueing more interesting!

A chunk of the afternoon was spent waiting for the arrival of the septic tank (fosse) emptying man and his big lorry/vacuum cleaner for smelly stuff.  While it felt like longer, it was only an hour (for a nebulous "in the afternoon" appointment), and then he was there.  So I proudly showed him the cover of what I had been assured was the fosse lid, and was told that no, that was the filtre bed cover, and was even shown that to prove it.  I was then given a lecture on how to find the missing fosse, which involves metal poles with a sharp end and stabbing the ground.  When it has been located and uncovered, only then will he come back and remove the contents - seems reasonable I guess!! 

What was slightly surprising was that the fosse inspector had not spotted that the trap he was shown was not actually for the fosse - that strikes me as a cop out but there we go.  

Anyway, the venue was very scenic and it was a lovely sunny day, so here are two views that I wouldn't normally share, as they are not near us.

Lockdown III, Day 12 - out and about

Well actually the big excitement today was going to Super U for cat food and Cheddar cheese and one or two other bits and pieces - but you have to take variety and excitement where you can at the moment!!  I also washed all my scarves as I have a nasty rash on my neck, probably due to something I brushed against yesterday while mowing, but you can't be too careful.  So clearly an incident packed day, and not photogenic.

Much more photogenic were things I saw at The Shack today, including another of my pots of experimental seed sowing.  This was an old and open packet of coriander that I really held out very little hope for, and yet look what I found today!

I was able to dig up four leeks and a spring garlic (just like a spring onion but garlic) which will go nicely in a stir fry for dinner.  The leeks are starting to run to seed - I could probably have held that back by watering them rather better all the time they have been in the ground apart from the 4 solid months of rain.  Actually they would probably have been bigger and better if I had done that, but last summer's drought meant water had to be doled out very carefully.

Spooky Cat used to be very nervous about going down the garden, even just the bit attached to The Shack.  On Tuesday he accompanied me on a circuit of the three areas - the garden, the orchard and the wild flower meadow.  I was very impressed.  I'm not sure if he is more or less secure in his world, following the demise of Fergus Sunshine Supercat, but he allows me to pick him up, cuddle and stroke him and only mildly chews me.  These vicious claws are only used to attract my attention when dishing out food!

The quince blossom at the wild flower meadow is finally out - so pretty, but so delicate!  The frosts are due to stop soon and the harsh wind (or bise) from the East is due to drop at the weekend so hopefully the bees will do their thing and there will be viable fruit in the autumn.  Unless there is a glut we are unlikely to do another quince eau de vie for a year or two, but quince jelly is fab on porridge, while stewed quince and apple makes a superior crumble.

Tomorrow I am off to visit Azay le Rideau so there may not be a blog, depending on when I get back.

 

Lockdown III, Day 7 - by way of explanation

With this lockdown being announced for the 4th April, there was a certain inevitability that I would be informed on the 3rd April that we finally had a date when a room would be available in a carefully chosen nursing home.  So much to be done, so many arguments and discussions to be had, and of course lots of work to do as well.  And then lockdown itself to contend with.  Hence going dark for essentially 3 blogging days (I don't think posting an Armadillo really counts), while, depending on your point of view, someone entered prison or a caring and safer environment.  As I left on Thursday, I admired a group of ladies of a certain age, sitting on the sun-drenched terrace wearing rather fetching boaters, drinking lemon squash and keeping each other company - I didn't feel quite so bad!

Nibbles has felt the undertones of what has been going on and this morning both sulked and lived up to her name - hopefully that sort of behaviour will wear off soon and she will go back to ignoring me and sleeping or seeing off young intruders from the garden.

And as if cat shaming isn't enough, I am now going to chicken shame.  We have 5 - yes FIVE - full sized chickens and a small freeloader, so why did I have to buy this today?

Finally a comment on lockdown rules or my notoriety locally - I'm not sure which.  Yesterday I was driving home at about 6pm after having visited a client.  As the visit had been outside the allowed 10km, I had an attestation on my phone as well as my ID card, so when I saw the police block as I drove between the Chateau and the Tribunal in Baugé, I pulled over as indicated and started to prepare.  I put on my face mask, turned off the music in the car, prepared to get my ID and phone - but the lovely young policeman just looked in at me, and said with smiley eyes, "no don't worry, on your way, Madame!"  I was a little upset at not showing off my lovely new WARP (Withdrawal Agreement Residence Permit) card, but having said that, with Vieil Baugé stickers on the car and being convinced I'd met him before, I guess I wasn't surprised! 

 

It's back! Confinement Blog! Day 1

From yesterday evening at 7pm, France entered its third Covid lockdown.  Many call this Lockdown Lite, as there are fewer restrictions in some ways, although reading through the rules in detail this morning I found a big difference to last time.  We don't need attestations for travel up to 10km from home between 6am and 7pm this time, so we can get to The One Acre Wood (off limits last spring) and The Shack without paperwork.  We just need to carry our residency permits with us.

So what is different?  I cannot get to la Flèche market, I will be deprived of my raw butter, my croissants and my suppliers of chorizo, serrano ham and rotisserie chicken legs.  This is because while I can travel up to 30km for purchases of premier necessité (i.e. food, plants), I can't go over departmental boundaries, and thus la Sarthe is closed to me.  Not happy about that at all.

Still today we could go to the Shack and prepare the beds for tomatoes, squashes and courgettes, and sweetcorn.  The sweetcorn bed had been manured and rotavated, so just needed to be levelled and covered until we sow later this month once the cold snap is over.  The tomato and squash beds had been rotavated and covered, but then needed manure adding and recovered.  All ready now!

From the Shack, we went to the One Acre Wood to pay homage to the King of the Forest who is just starting to get his new leaves on.

Further down the hill in the Wood, we spotted the first spikes and buds of lily of the valley coming through - in total I think there were about 7 showing but there will be many more coming up in the next couple of weeks.

At home, there is a lot of blossom.  While the plum is now over (and we will have to protect the tree overnight for the next three nights of sharp frost to protect any tiny set fruit), the pear is in full swing and the first of the apple trees is starting to have open blossom.  The cherry next door is coated and has a strong perfume (see - no sign of Covid for me!).

Although this week might be a bit erratic (major changes in the offing in some aspects of our lives), I will try to do my daily confinement blog, although I know many of my readers are now starting to enjoy ever more freedom!  We felt for you in your extended lockdown, feel for us in ours!

Spring 2021 - still not locked down again, but for how long?

Except I'm not going to bother to write about that, because as and when our new lockdown happens, I will need something to write about!  Instead I will point out the joys of spring and rural life.  One of the key "joys" of rural life are fresh eggs - well our 3 feckless girls and the freeloading bantam seem to have given up laying eggs, so just over a week ago, it was my job to get new stock - meet Mac the Knife and Jak the Ripper!  So called as in general the black and yellow chickens we have had have been evil so and sos.  We shall see!

Spring brings blossom and each year it is a race between the peach and the plum blossom to see which comes out first.  In the past, it was actually always the apricot first but we don't have an apricot tree any more, so here is plum blossom.

The cowslips are also out and will be for a while yet.  I'm not sure why some become more exotically coloured than the usual yellow - I assume cross fertilisation with primulas - but it does make for some very lovely combinations.  I am particularly fond of the deep red ones.

We are now down to 6 cats - three girls at home with us, and three boys in the country.  Fergus Sunshine Superman succumbed to an aggressive tumour on his hip three weeks ago.  It is interesting watching how the three remaining boys are coping with his absence.  We hadn't realised he was pack leader, so there is some posturing going on about who is now Top Cat.  S Clause spent a lot of time looking for Fergus in the garden, which was rather sad.  Donald has gone just that little bit more loopy.

Earlier this week was the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Vieil Baugé.  It should have been marked by an academic symposium, but Covid scuppered that - it should happen in September instead.  Floral tributes were laid however, to mark the turning point of the Hundred Years War.

If we are locked down again, I will restart the daily blog.  If we aren't, I'm afraid this is going to be a bit hit and miss as there is a lot going on chez nous at the moment, but not much that makes interesting reading on a daily basis!!  As they say nowadays - Stay Safe!

 

That's quite enough of 2020!

As the t-shirt says, 2020 - one star rating.  And I think the one star is because you can't have a no star rating!  New Zealand and Australia are already shot of it and here in France we have just over 6 hours (and counting down) more to tolerate.  Not that I imagine the start of 2021 will be any better really, but short of alien invasion, this year really has had most things cr@p.

But to put a better spin on it all, things are looking up!  This morning I went to open a new sack of chicken feed and pulled the two bits of twine that are sewn along the top to close it - miracle of miracles, it all pulled apart in one smooth movement.  It didn't even need a starting nudge with the scissors!  For those who open bird seed, chicken food, cat litter, posh flour and pasta and all the other paper sacks with stitched tops, you will know the astonishment and pleasure this gave!

Nature is also doing its bit to show that there are good things to come.  The broad beans I sowed in late November are coming up, and following a badger track, I found a load of narcissus bulbs coming up under a hedge.  There are also loads of orchid and cowslip rosettes to be seen, while Aldi was selling hellebores and I was there in time to get one!  Nature shows the way (although we may also get snow in the new year).

Culture also goes on.  The online store that shall not be named, but is about the only way currently I can buy new books in English, exceeded its estimation of delivery dates and these two lovelies turned up today!  These are two of my absolute favourite contemporary writers.  Louise Penny's Gamache is the detective we would all want working on a case on our behalf - this book is about an investigation in Paris, but normally he is in the Quebec state of Canada.  Ben Aaronovitch's Peter Grant is a member of the Met, but is shacked up with a river goddess and is part of the Wizarding special section of the Police, so a little different.  I can't wait to get stuck in!

So I leave the final farewell to 2020 to S Clause, and look forward to the new challenges and charms of 2021.  I decided a sweepstake on the date of the start of the next confinement here would be in bad taste, but so far people have mentioned the 5th and the 15th of January.  Bonne Année, et surtout la santé as we say over here.

 

Autumn Lockdown - Day 45 - make do and mend

Another dreary day here in Anjou - not cold but dull, damp and dreary.  No reason to go outside other than to feed the chickens, and realistically it would have been a good day to stay in bed with a box set of DVDs, except we have lost the remote control for the DVD player.  There are about 5 more places to look for it, all of which involve major efforts moving furniture and having a jolly good hoover, which isn't appealing on a Sunday.

I did spend the morning doing a bit of filing and also looking at paperwork for my French business - I am further on with that, but ground to a halt when I hit the brick wall that is the vicious circle of:

• log in to your user area
• Don't recognise your username or password
• Opt to change password as "forgotten"
• Change password
• Password changed successfully - log in using your username and password
• log in using username and new password
• Don't recognise your username or password
• repeat ad nauseam
• Aaaargh!

Clearly I am going to have to brave the URSSAF helpline!

After lunch, it was down to make do and mend - FIVE pairs of trousers patched and sewn up, plus a jacket.  We can now go about in public without being in danger of flashing flesh or losing keys and coins.  It would be nice to buy a new pair of jeans, but a combination of guilt at the production process of denim, horror at the price of many varieties, horror at the bad fit of most other varieties available to us and not being able to get near a Marks and Spencer are ranged against me.  Even if I could get to an M&S (other clothes stores are available), the likelihood of them having the right cut and size has generally proven to be 1 in 3.  John has a better choice open to him as Espace Emeraud utility trousers (other shops are available) are pretty standard and suit him down to the ground - it is more a matter of hating buying new clothes and being mean (where clothes are concerned).

He is also mending a dining chair (not ours), so it is more than just keeping our money away from purveyors of clothes.

Clearly I'm not going to grace this post with pictures of mended jeans or work trousers, but as a Sunday treat, here is a photo of orchids and bromeliads as they should be seen in all their tropical glory.  Happy Sunday!