Rural Life

Spring proper, or even summer, has arrived!

It was pretty brutal and unsubtle, but at 5:45pm on Thursday afternoon, the fine weather arrived.  It had been announced for that morning, so I had planned to mow on Thursday afternoon, but as the rain didn't stop until perhaps 5am, and there was no wind, there was no way the grass would be dry enough.  Yesterday was therefore mowing day - and annoyingly, although promised that there would be light rain only on the western most tip of Finistere and the top of the Cotentin peninsular, I got remarkably soggy! 

Not much happened during the week - I worked, which is probably a good thing.  I had a tender rejected - not such a good thing, but kind of expected, as I am on an organisation's list for "good for a tender if you need to make up numbers".  I work on the basis that one day they will have to choose me out of sheer embarrassment at having put me through the process so many times!  Not this time it would appear. 

When I went to Aldi yesterday, enough people were generous to their mothers and well prepared (it is mother's day here), so that there were some of their annual batch of cheap small orchids left over.  So I got me one - a different colour to the other two.

As I said, I went mowing yesterday, and the wild irises are out at the lake.  One of ours that hasn't flowered before was out at The Shack, while some that I hadn't noticed before at Chinon were looking nice and blousy, so here are a selection of irises.

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This morning we were working at The Shack in the garden there.  John needed to rotavate a patch that had been covered since last summer before the underlying clay sets hard for the rest of the season, so lifted the weed suppressant mat.  In doing so, he met three of our assistants in keeping slugs and snails under control, although they had to be evicted or they would have become blood and bone fertiliser!!  Meet the slow worm, the adder and Timid Toad!

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It has warmed up enough, and the plants have got so tall, that we could remove the plastic cloches from the tomato plants and tuck them away somewhere away from the sun, so that they are ready to use in the autumn or next spring.  If the peppers and/or chillies are doing well enough, they may need a bit of cover in October to finish ripening fruits, but otherwise it will be next April or so when they come back out.  There is a bit of caterpillar damage on a couple of the cabbages, but they still look good and we are munching our way through the broad beans.  I'd better confess that the sweetcorn has once again been a disappointment with 51 seeds sown and only 7 coming up.  We did a bit of forensic seed seeking and found nothing, absolutely nothing.  Some something has had it away with my seeds, and I need to resow, assuming I can find any more seeds of course!

I also went on a bee orchid hunt, as usual, and while some had disappeared, I found a new patch and got a half way decent photo for once!

All that left me a bit tired, so I had to offer myself a chunk of hammock time to recover - well that's my excuse anyway!  And it is Sunday after all!  Until next week!

 

Lockdown III, marginal release - jaunting!

Because I can't work Fridays, as they are devoted to the needs of the Azay One, Saturdays are the new Sundays, and I toil in the vegetable patches on a Sunday morning and in front of a computer on a Sunday afternoon - it sort of makes sense.  Anyway, with the patchy weather we have at the moment, plus we used up the last bottle of tender winning celebration fizz, we decided it was time to go south of the river (la Loire) and stock up again.  We haven't been down there since before Christmas 2019!.  I put the laundry out, just to draw in clouds and rain (it worked - 2.5mm while we were out), and then we jaunted down to Ackermans at St Hilaire-St Florent, just by Saumur.  The buildings are rather magnificent and they are the front for miles of tunnels into the rock where millions of bottles of rather good fizz are stashed.

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We invested in 6 bottles each of Cuvée Privé Blanc and Rosé - hopefully they will last the year, but hopefully not all of them assuming we have things to celebrate!  We also got a worryingly cheap 10 litre wine box of red.  We may survive.

On the way home, we stopped in on the cats at The Shack and fed them and admired the growth on the potatoes above ground.

In the garden at home, we have the next colour irises coming out - a nice pale lilac colour.  We don't have many and they get frightfully abused, but they are pretty.

And a final note of "isn't nature wonderful?" if you like that sort of thing.  I was wandering back down the garden last night having locked up the chickens, and spotted the unmistakable yellow blob that is a spider nest erupting with lots of little spiders.  By this morning they were gone, dispersed naturally or eaten by the wildlife that lives in the garden.  For the squeamish, the photo is deliberately out of focus!! 

 

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!