Rural Life

Weekend 2 of Deconfinement Diary - well it is a bank holiday weekend!

While the first weekend of fewer restrictions was spent on mundane but useful things like gardening, shopping, feeding ourselves and preparing for the coming week, this weekend we were daring and crossed the regional border into Centre Val de Loire.  Such braveness and intrepidness!!

It was fun to be out and about together - during lockdown having two in a car was a signal to be stopped and checked, so we just didn't do it.  We went over to Restigné, near Bourgueil, first of all.  We took the roads less travelled across country, admiring the woods, fields and villages we hadn't seen since February or so.  It was great to see our friend Laurent the wine maker again, and for the first time this year.  He has not been having a great time of it.  The markets that allow him to sell his wine to the public have not allowed vignerons in until the last week or so, he doesn't sell to the supermarkets as he doesn't have the volume and can't go very low on price (or as low as they want), while the bars and restaurants that he supplies are closed.  Added to that, customers such as ourselves have not been able to get to him and he has been severely hampered in gaining a living.  While he has applied for the government handouts, he has heard nothing back.  He was very pleased to see us.

Normally at this time of year we get the gossip on the spring weather and how it has affected the buds on the vine.  This year, he was more interested in telling us and showing us how much damage one broken bottle can do when in a trailer full of goods for market.  With little margin and few sales, losing a few presentation boxes in such a way is a loss too.  We left his place with 20 litres vrac (i.e. needing to be bottled) of his 2018 corsé red wine and 20 litres of his best dry rosé for us, and a further 10 litres each of dry rosé and the 2019 red for Chinon.

Then on to Chinon!  Coming along the Vienne, it is a dramatic way to enter the town.  First there is the river, which was lower than I have seen it since October last year!

Then as you get closer, the chateau dominates the entrance to the town - it has a long history but is most famous for being the place where Joan of Arc performed her first miracle - spotting the Dauphin disguised among his courtiers.

Then we had a lovely afternoon/early evening catching up with family and their new neighbours, including reciprocal cellar visits, and didn't get home until 8pm.  Today has been more relaxed, and has included feeding the country cats, picking ticks off them, watering seedlings and eating home grown strawberries and raspberries with the chunk of Mum's shortbread that I purloined yesterday.  Not a bad weekend!

Day 12 of Deconfinement Diary - a delayed appointment

A reflection on one of the few the joys of this virus - normally at this time of year towards sunset, the sky around us resembles a giant Jack Straws puzzle, with con trails in all directions.  Last night - not a single one, the wisps and streaks are cirrus clouds showing a change in the weather.  Lovely!

Anyway, on to that delayed appointment.  We had an appointment on the 19th March with Cuma near Brion to have a couple of barrels of brown gloop turned into something rather wonderful.  However, due to lockdown, that appointment had to be cancelled, but they got a dispensation to carry on distilling to the end of May.  So today we dragged the two seething barrels from the cellar and John drove them to Brion.  He was told to come back at 5:15pm, and has now returned with two barrels that need a good clean out, and one bonbon with 12 litres of clear and dangerous spirit.  It is a mixed vintage this year - pear and peach, because that was what we had. 

Now the gossip from Brion is that normally they would have 300 clients through a season, but this year they have only had 70!  People still labour under the impression that preparing fruit for distilling is illicit and illegal, and can only be done if you have grandfather rights.  No, people!  You can prepare and have distilled the products of your gardens, using a recognised distiller, the difference is that the amount of tax you pay on the product to the Government has increased.  If there is fruit this year (too early to tell for the moment), get brewing and keep those distillers in business!  However you can't have apple or grape product distilled, as that would make Calvados or brandy, which are controlled products.

No idea what this is like yet - currently it will be rough as old boots, but by late Autumn it should be OK.

So today the cheque book got a workout through needing to pay the distiller and the Government.  It is going to get a workout tomorrow too, as we head out not quite as far as 100km to visit our favourite producer of Bourgueil wines at Restigné before doing a socially distanced and responsible visit to Chinon.  The public health France cry for alcohol is "toujours avec moderation".  Good thing they can't access our cheque book!

Day 11 of Deconfinement Diary - and it's up!

A couple of updates from yesterday's blog.

Firstly and very sadly, I was right, it was an undertaker's van backed up to a (nice) neighbour's house, as he died at home yesterday at just 70 years old (nothing to do with Covid).  

Secondly, and on a happier note - yay, my hair has been cut!  No longer the shaggy sheep look, but back to something more normal for me.  On arrival, you get to slather your hands with gel, so they are nice and sticky.  Then you get to put on your drape yourself.  Meanwhile everything the person before touched is being disinfected.  Then the compulsory hair wash which isn't so bad with a mask on, but no back or scalp massages.  Then the cutting, with the hairdresser wearing a mask and a face visor, so speech is muffled.  Great care is taken around the ears so that your mask is not cut off by mistake.  The biggest issue is if a bit of cut hair falls into your mask - that is a whole new form of torture and one the CIA will no doubt adopt, particularly if you then try to speak!  So there we go - and I feel a lot better for it, especially once I was out of the salon and could get my hair lined mask off my face!

And then this evening, just before sitting down to type, we got the new abri roof up.  The internal ties to the centre of the frame aren't tied yet, but as we aren't expecting a gale overnight, I'm not worried.  The stripes work even though they aren't matched, and we have shade.  This is important as it was humid and up to near 30ºC today.  Nibbles has tested the shade for us and approved it.

Now to go and christen the shade with a suitable libation!

Day 9 of Deconfinement Diary - French bureaucracy will get me if Covid doesn't!

After yesterday's triumph of finishing the sewing (still not yet in place however - something for tomorrow!), I felt strong and able to cope with the thought of firstly helping some chums get through the ANTS system, and then looking at the tax declaration stuff.  Well that was a mistake!

Actually things started well, in that we got my friends' approved digitised photos done at the local service in double quick time, plus John scanned the required documents for me so I didn't have to battle the scanner.  Then it all started to go a bit pear shaped.  First off they wanted more documents than we had scanned, so I ended up taking photos of electricity bills and health system cards and using photos.  That worked and one application to change from a UK drivers licence to a French one went.  Could I get the other one to work?  Aaargh.  It took 15 goes to get the home address entered, as the system took offense at a "lieu dit" that it couldn't automatically find in its repertoire.  As the Government will happily send tax and health stuff to the address, that was a bit annoying, but by sidling up to it, catching the system unawares, a judicious prayer to the god of computers, and by not doing anything different, it finally accepted the details and let me do all the other stuff required for the second licence exchange application.  That is two hours of my life I won't get back!!

So after lunch I went to feed the boys and water the seedlings I planted at the weekend and check on stuff.  There are cherries, but not many, not large, not whole and not particularly spectacular - a shame after all the blossom.

I also took more photographs of bee orchids, but most are out of focus.  This one worked nicely though.

Once home, I thought I had better start looking at tax forms for here and Chinon.  Big mistake!  O it is easy to find the exchange rate they said last year at the tax office - I had to access a number of different reports, copy down twelve numbers to 4 decimal places, take the average and now I wait to see if it bears any resemblance to the number I asked for on the Q&A.  If it does fine, if it doesn't …. And tax French bears no relationship to real French like wot it is spoken either.  Another 2 hours of my life I won't get back.

Rummaging in the shed yesterday evening, John found our Covid-19 remedy (not that he was looking for it, but nice to have found it anyway).  We think it has more chance of working than Trump's dodgy hydrochloroquinine anyway.

Day 8 of Deconfinement Diary - with assistance from Nibbles

It's not been a momentous day here really.  First thing after breakfast I took my car to the garage as he was making a noise - a discussion and a look at the back wheels with a torch and he is booked in to get his brakes sorted out next Monday - not before as they are busy and there is a bank holiday.  I'm glad they are busy - it must have been a tricky time for them.

After lunch I thought I'd better crack on with the roof for the gazebo.  Lockdown stopped play as I had done all I could without fixings.  Amazon France was then blocked for unsafe working practices, so I had to wait until last week when the large "sells everything" shop opened and I had access to their haberdashery department.  If you remember, the lady there was pleased to sell me Velcro and orange tape and not have to discuss the lack of elastic.

I evicted the seedlings and got myself set up on the outside table, and cracked on, knowing it was going to be a long haul.  Nibbles decided to join me, and made things more difficult.  The photos show her serene and relaxed, but mine is a hand cranked sewing machine and there were times when every time my hand went towards her (so once every rotation), it got smacked, claws out!

Anyway, by about 7pm (hence the delay to this story), it was all done.  Tomorrow we will put it on the frame and celebrate with a bottle of something nice, but for tonight, you will have to make do with a photo of it on the ground.  There is of course still the centre piece to be done, but not this week!

The eagle-eyed will notice that Nibbles is still helping.

 

Day 6 of Deconfinement Diary - getting back to the new normal

Saturday morning is market time in Baugé, and I've been faithful to local stall holders and producers as much as I can be during lockdown.  The market was given permission to expand to include all the usual stallholders although it remains in the Place de Europe in front of the Chateau, rather than up in the market place.  It was really nice to see old chums back.  The lady who sells crèpes and gallettes was there and delighted to be back - she seems to have found lockdown very hard, particularly as she is a very social soul, so not seeing anyone for days clearly affected her.  I was also delighted to find that the Moroccan lady who does wonderful savoury stuffed pancakes and delicious cakes was back, so I could stock up on all the yummy things we have missed over the last two months.

After lunch (mostly Moroccan yummy things) we went out to do stuff, with first stop at a Vide Maison.  A widowed friend managed to sell her house just before lockdown, and can now disperse her stuff, prior to final signatures and heading back to Réunion to be with her children and grandchildren.  We will be sad to see her go.

My husband is very special - he got me a present on Thursday - a trailer full of horse poo.  Today I got to spend a chunk of the afternoon transferring it to a wheelbarrow and then taking it down the hill to sit and mature near where it will be needed.  How kind!

Each time I went down the hill, I was able to admire these flowers that came from some random bulbs I bought at Aldi and planted last autumn.  As I've lost the packaging, I've no idea what they are, but I am really enjoying them.

Today's cat pin-up is Fergus, looking rather imperial.  Until a couple of seconds before I took this, his back paw was pointing at the sky, but it came down, so pretty perfect!

Day 4 of deconfinement diary - personal grooming

When lockdown was announced, a massive wail went up from ladies all over France - no hairdressers and no beauticians!  O M G!!!  What were we ladies to do?  Our hairdressers sent out dire warnings about trimming fringes, home colouring and DIY hair cuts - wait they said, it will all be OK, and we will have more to work with, to make you look beautiful.  The two tone hair look was accepted for once.  Similarly for beauticians - they sent out advice and a long list of DO NOT DO THIS AT HOME, as well as DO TRY THIS AT HOME strictures, and many started to get their products ordered on line and made available at Drive pick up points.

With deconfinement however, life can get back to normal - or sort of normal anyway.  In the interests of this blog, and more importantly for my own peace of mind, I had an appointment today at the beauticians.  The rules are strict - arrive on time, not early; wear a facemask; bring the minimum into the place with you; use the gel at the entrance on your hands on arrival.  Once installed in your treatment room, it was also clear that the nice soft coverings had been removed and paper towels cover the treatment bed.  When you have to remove your facemask, you have to remain silent until you put your mask back on.  When I booked my next appointment, Noemie said that I would need to follow the same rules again.  "It's sad," she said, "but I can't see it changing for a while."  In faultless French of course.

There is an option for a voluntary contribution to the extra costs of maintaining strict hygiene, as they try to avoid increasing prices - I added a few coins to the pot.  We are all in this together after all.

The outward face of the house is looking rather splendid at the moment, as I have tended that rather than my own façade.  The geraniums I got from Aldi last year made it through the winter, and a bit of TLC meant they are blooming fit to bust.

The canna lilies, lemon verbena and vine are also looking very lush just now, although it will be a few months before the cannas flower.

The climbing rose that John pruned a bit late now has flowers.

And I am very pleased with my semper vivum drainpipe planters.

Day 3 of Deconfinement Diary - well that's what my brother said I should call it!

Wednesday is market day in la Flèche in the Sarthe department, just over the border from us and a mere 18 kilometres on the roads (a bit less as the crow flies, but not much).  It is the best market for miles around and I have been using it every week for the last 15 years.  During confinement, that was actually a bit dodgy, and I was probably lucky I wasn't caught by the Evil Gendarme.  The ones that I met, who checked my attestation getting into the market, were always fine and charming.  But a friend knows people who were fined and sent home without getting their goodies, so yes, I reckon I was lucky.

With deconfinement, it wasn't totally clear how the market was going to work, but it was certainly going to happen.  When I got there this morning, the clothes, shoes, kitchen goods and live chicken stands were all set up facing le Loir.  If you wanted the good stuff - food, flowers, plants - you had to join the queue (again), as numbers in the inner square where that bit of the market was, were still tightly controlled.

The big difference going in this week, was that if you didn't have a face mask on or with you, you were given one (and possibly a sharp talking to).  Fortunately I had mine, so once numbers allowed, I was let in to shop until I dropped, or couldn't carry anything else.  I was able to get all that I wanted (or could remember - total fail on bananas) - butter, milk, yoghurts, rice puddings, cakes, cheese, fish, salads, vegetables, black pudding (the real French boudin type - yummy), paté, bacon, and gossip.  What bliss!

Some stall holders weren't finding it as easy as you might expect.  You would think that with an enclosed space and newly found freedom, people would take the time to look at all the stalls.  It appears not!  My friend Brigitte took the following two photos - she sells beautiful cut flowers, and this was her first week back at the market.  She found she was on the side of the square less visited, with few passing by.

As a contrast, she took a photo of the "main drag" through the centre of the square, with rather more people.  It is particularly sad for her as at each end of her row, there were big stands selling plants, but people went round the back of her to get to them.  Both fishmongers were on the main drag, as well as the coffee bean stand.

The bloke that sells yoghurts was on the other side of the main drag, and was also having a slow time of it - again his first day back.  I heard him discussing the challenges of positioning with either a journalist or local councillor, so there may be changes next week.  It is very hard for these small producers as the markets are their main route for selling to the public, and they really do need people to come back to them.  As the Yoghurt Man said, it was like trying to rebuild the business from scratch - the 10 years he had already spent on the markets seemed to be forgotten by many.

 

Day 36 of lockdown - I was only out for half an hour...

Yesterday's yoga seemed to help with the sleeplessness and weird nightmares - well, I woke up less often and the weird dream was much more pleasant and drifted around nice things, so a better experience.  So once I had done most of the work I wanted to do today, I decided to go for a walk.  As John is out working, I had to walk places where I knew I wouldn't be far from real life if I did anything silly.

I started out from our house and cut through the Pas de Mule park to the road past the plan d'eau - our little fishing lake and park.  Normally in mid-May I help out with a trout fishing day here, but it has been cancelled for 2020.  This is a shame, although as it would attract more than 50 people, it is a no-no.

I carried on up the other side of the valley, heading for the route de Beaufort, and before I got to the bridge over the Voie Verte I became very aware of the pungent smell of hawthorn blossom (or may flower) from the trees that line the path.  I think that is a good sign on a number of levels.

I carried on to the route de Beaufort and headed in the direction of Baugé.  The commune had been out and about cleaning the ditches with a digger - in my view there is little point in cleaning the bottom of the ditch if you spread broken plastic waste up the sides, but what do I know?

Once I got to the route de Pont de Godeau I turned back towards Vieil Baugé and went past one of the crossing points/access points for the Voie Verte - it is the route of an old railway line, so is ideal for cycling and joggers and for those that don't do hills.

I followed the road back into the village, past a bee keeper capturing a swarm, and up and round the church, stopped for a while at the Mairie to read the latest notices and then drifted back home again.  It was perhaps 2 kilometres and half an hour out of the house but I felt better for it.  I then released the feathered vandals and went back to the house to get a glass of squash, finish the work task for the day and write this blog.  Like I say, I was only out for half an hour, so where did the lettuce and tomato plants come from?  Goodness knows what I am going to do with the tomato plants as I've got 19 Gardeners Delight in pots anyway, while the feathered vandals will likely trash the lettuces as soon as I plant them, but someone really was very kind!

Day 30 of lockdown - another Wednesday

It is Wednesday, so it is market day at la Flèche - another anxious drive up the road and a surprising amount of traffic.  Normally there are quite a few lorries, but today there were a lot, or so it felt.  There were also quite a few cars, but no police checks on the way or while queueing to enter the market square.  I was earlier, and the queue was just as long as last week but seemed to move through more quickly.  The lady in front of me thought that 4 metres was a good distance for social isolation!

Anyway, I was able to stock up on cheese, milk and butter, and I bought nice fish and chicken wings and got a good dollop of vegetables, so I felt that small cakes were my rascal's reward for my efforts!  Today there were more cars parked in the town, so I was by the river.  Le Loir is the little brother of la Loire further south, and to my mind rather prettier.  When she is in full flood, la Loire is majestic and huge, but in the summer, the river bed is full of sandbanks and the water takes up perhaps a third of the space.  She is also treacherous and deadly.  Le Loir seems to have a more stable flow and has many small, pretty towns and villages along it, with the occasional chateau, and a few weirs.  Here is the view at la Flèche.

On the 4th April (day 19 of lockdown) I wrote about setting seeds for the new growing season.  Well, some are coming up - 17 butternut squashes, a similar number of sweet corn and lots of Moneymaker tomatoes.  With very limited window sill space indoors, we are getting them used to the great outdoors already!

John pruned back the rambling rose on the side of the house that is on the road, but he did it a bit late, so there were a number of buds in the prunings.  We put them in a vase and now one is out already, and very beautiful it is too!