Rural Life

Quiet days of August

Last week was the flurry of excitement that is the annual Comice here in Baugé en Anjou, and since then, things have generally been much quieter.  Local people are either on holiday or preparing for the Rentré next week - the start of September that brings a new school year, a new year for the sports and arts clubs, people going back to work and taking things a bit more seriously, being able to get an artisan to answer the phone, the tax assessment results, getting the chimney swept and starting to think about winter heating.  It's a big thing here, probably bigger than New Year, and taken most seriously.

For us, it should mean that the holiday makers disperse, making it easier to park at the local markets, less frantic calls from people who can see weeds in their lawn or furry pears on their trees (actually known as quince, but there we go), and a slightly less fraught diary.  In fact, in previous years, September has been a month where I have had something on every weekend, and sometimes more than one thing too.  This year seems more sane - only a pig roast in a couple of weeks' time and perhaps being able to visit things for European Heritage Weekend.

The gardens are relatively quiet - chillies are ripening, as are the meagre corn cobs, borlotti beans are flowering and setting and the potatoes need to be lifted.  With August, some of the loveliest flowers arrive - cyclamen.  They are mainly pink but some are white, and over the years, the clumps get larger.  The ones in our lawn started as the odd flower here and there and now have spread.  It's the same in the One Acre Wood.  These ones are at The Studio and seemed to come up overnight.

Although the weather remains frustratingly dry, there are more clouds in the evening now, which make for colourful sunsets.  I'm never great at taking photographs of these, but I am getting better, and this one was a pleasing one.

I've not taken many photographs this week, and the trail camera was pointing at an area that looked like it was a badger playground.  Well if it was, they weren't playing last week.  The camera has moved and there are no photos to share from it, so I will have to round off with a photo of young Monsieur Clause, who is looking very sleek and pleased with himself at the moment.  I think he is having a good mousing season.

I'll take more and better photos this week - I promise.

 

Day 13 of 30 Days Wild - bar society

So after writing yesterday's blog, we packed up and went to the pub - because we can here in France!  I'm still a bit concerned about closed spaces with other people, so we sat out on the terrace although it wasn't as warm as it might be, and it was nice to sit and watch the clouds and the birds and the people (shock horror - two people did the Faire le bise!).  It helps to blow away the cobwebs of the week.

As we left, looking over the valley of the Couasnon, we spotted a strong rainbow with magnificent colours.  There was no rain around us, but clearly a few miles to the south east, someone was getting very wet indeed.

The air was very crisp and clear, so that standing in the Place d'Eglise and looking up at the church, it was possible to see every detail of the stonework and the slates on the twisted spire - at its most beautiful I thought.  The flower displays are not yet fully developed, but by August there will be magnificent flowers along the wall below the church.

Today has been remarkable for short but very intense showers.  I drove through one that was like driving through a waterfall.  The country cats weren't stupid and were hiding when I arrived to feed them and didn't come out from their lairs until the rain had passed.  So while I waited for them, I admired my Guadeloupe avocado tree, now it is outside and enjoying the weather.  The volume of rain should surely be reminding it of its ancestral tree in the Caribean!

 

Day 7 of 30 Days Wild - more on large green lizards

The rain held off this morning so we were able to get to the kitchen garden at the Shack to do some essential work.  I cleared out the broad beans - I've got a bag full of beans to pod and turn into old bean and garlic purée.  A couple of the garlic were innocent bystanders in last week's digging event, and need to be used, so it will be all home grown bar the oil.  I also planted yet another butternut squash, as one potato did not come up - presumably got eaten by mice.  I also started to set up the bean frame for borlotti beans and sowed 8 stations.  Not the easiest bean poles to get into place - the bamboos themselves have been "harvested" from clients who have bamboo growing at theirs - there is an art to drying bamboo, particularly the thick ones, and we haven't yet mastered it.  Then there is the soil - clay with builders' rubble from over the past 200 years - not easy to bang poles into, not easy to sow into and full of cracks, fissures, tile and brick fragments and the odd fossilised oyster.  Hopefully the beans will like it though.

Donald tried to help, but the siren call of cuddles with John was too much for him - it's a lurve thing!

Clause, on the other hand, is in disgrace.  After John had done more mowing, and I had put him down twice, once after cuddles sitting on a chair, once with him riding around on my back while I cut down beanstalks, like some maharajah on an elephant, he went off in a huff.  The next thing I know, he has pounced on something and is playing with it.  I went to see what he had found and had to shoo him off another large green lizard.  He was distracted by the still thrashing and separate tail for long enough for me to photograph the main bit of lizard, find a trowel, scoop the poor thing up and fling it into the scrub.  Lizards are not good cat food.  I suspect that he was guilty of the other one too.  He had a long lecture on not eating endangered or rare species, and certainly not eating a (potentially) breeding pair.  He ignored me.

Finally, before going home for a well earned and late lunch, we went to check out another client's garden.  There I got mesmerised by the most beautiful demoiselle I've ever seen - cobalt blue for most of its body length with a blob of bright cerulean blue at the end of its tail.  This is the best photo I managed and doesn't do it justice.

Yoga restarts tomorrow, in the open air (!), so the blog will be late or non-existent, depending on how well I manage to recover from trying to force my body into positions it is not lithe and slim enough to achieve.

 

Day 4 of 30 Days Wild - not so wild, but I got revenge!

This blog was late yesterday and was going to be very dull today as I really have been working very hard, but then I went up the garden to release the Garden Vandals and found things to comment on.

The weather changed drastically yesterday with the storms and a front or two going over.  We had 11.5mm of rain overnight, but Mouliherne seems to have the local record with 140mm.  Friends over that way have mentioned lots of lightening and thunder and there was a mud slide blocking one of the lanes too.  Today is cool (cold after 28ºC yesterday) and dull and not inspiring.  The birds are singing but aren't flying around much.

This is what the Garden Vandals did to the lettuces that were with the main batch of chilli plants - they were just right for cutting too!

These ones are still OK for the moment, but if a beak and neck can get in, they find the leaves and the chilli plants, so you can see which lettuce is best protected in this bed!

But to get round to the revenge part, I was releasing the big 4 chickens, and took my time as Dummer wasn't among the party - either she is on strike due to the cold, or she has gone broody.  Whichever, she went for my hand when I tried to stroke her.  On my way out of the run, I bent over to inspect the rat trap which seems to be doing a good job as a deterent, if not actually catching anything at the moment.  A certain bantam of our acquaintance seems to think it is a good place to lay her eggs - I found 3, but one was under the trap so I left it, but that is still 2 to me!  haha! 

Tomorrow's blog will be a bit late, as we have a great moment in Deconfinement!  Our first visit to the pub since lockdown!  I'll share it with you.

Day 16 of Deconfinement Diary - growing things

Ah the joy of having reliable brakes - it meant I could go out and about quite happily this afternoon, after a morning of staring at the computer screen.  Today's foray was "just" to feed the boys in the country, check round the property and water the seedlings.  It is also a magnificent day here today - blue skies, a bit of a breeze to take the edge off, and lovely sunshine.  The official shade temperature is supposed to be about 25ºC today, and it probably is about that, but when you are out and about, you are not always in the shade, so it feels a lot hotter.  Still, I topped up my vitamin D levels nicely I'm sure!

So what did I see out and about?  Well the contents of the tin of cat food disappeared very quickly as all four boys were hungry for food with gravy on it and even ate their carrots, before joining me down the garden.  Fergus found his usual dust bath, but this time in the shade.

After a certain amount of shuffling around for the best position, Donald took the spare chair and Spooky curled up on the ground, again both nicely in the shade.

Clause was feeling vulnerable - I had found a further two ticks on him and wanted to get them off, but he wasn't going to be pulled around today, he wanted to be left alone, so he took to deep cover.

The potagers are coming on - I really didn't think the tomatoes would take when I just shoved in the bare rooted seedlings we had been given, and I was quite sure the lettuces wouldn't do anything.  The shallots were a gamble and I wait to see how they turn out.  The broad beans are nearly over and the bit of plot in between will be sown with borlotti beans soon.  Beans are good on the vile clay soil there, as the roots are supposed to be good for breaking down into the soil and also for fixing nitrogen.

I also checked the orchids in the other plots.  We've not had as many bee orchids this year as expected and many less than last year, but the lizard orchids are now doing their thing.  They aren't pretty but they are rather dramatic.

I was surprised to find a bird's nest orchid as well.  It's a pretty name for an orchid that is even less attractive than a lizard orchid.  It is parasitic and grows from something rotting in the soil, normally roots of something else.  It has no leaves, all you ever see is the flower stalk.  I've found them at my Mum's and in the One Acre Wood, but it was a first to find them where the boys hang out.

 

Day 15 of Deconfinement Diary - garden plenty

It might be a bank holiday in the UK, but it isn't here (Pentecost Monday is actually next week), so my car is in the garage having his brakes fixed.  John is working, however, as it is ideal mowing weather, so I am at home, on my own and reliving lockdown.  While it would be nice to be lounging in the garden, the usual drongos are in the garden next door with a pile of Tramp Strength, so I have done some necessary garden chores but not as much as I would like.  I've even done a bit of desk/computer work.

While I was in the garden, I was able to admire the rose we received for our Silver Wedding Anniversary five years ago - and it has put on a lovely show this year.  Thank you, Pauline and Dave once again!

I also spent a happy while checking round the hanging baskets and pots for strawberries and in amongst the canes for raspberries and have a nice portion prepared for pudding this evening, complete with a dash of something to draw out the juices and flavour.

Dinner will be a rustic dish of lardons and broad beans, simmered in stock for a while with garlic and thyme - I've not had enough beans to do this with for a few years, so hope I can remember the recipe (it's not one that is written down anywhere).

In a day or two I will cut the last spears of asparagus from our garden for this year, to allow the plants to develop properly and store food and goodness for next year.  We've done quite well this year, not least as John has kept the bed well strimmed and we have, we think, got rid of the feral artichokes that were clogging up the area and stealing nutrients and light.

I'm looking forward to getting my car back - even if I don't use it for a few days, I have the impression that I can go somewhere if I want to.  With lockdown so recent, today has been a bit of a challenge in some ways.

 

Day 7 of Deconfinement Diary - meeting some new helpers

Before I show you the newbies, a couple of pictures of old favourites.  First question is how many chickens can a small man trap they constructed actually hold?  Chickens don't seem to do social distancing, well apart from Bridie the Bantam who keeps well away from the Big Four when they are out and about.  So we found out last night, one small chicken underneath (no need to breathe for most of the incident it appeared), plus one big, fat Light Sussex (was a breed ever worse named - she is nearly goose size!).  The astonishing thing was that this double layer of chicken in a hole lasted for over half an hour!

Our latest previously owned ride-on lawnmower is currently having its blade plate welded, so we get to keep the grass collector that goes with it in the garden.  It is seriously large!  The hedgehog, Nibbles and, this morning, Poirot all think it is a great place for sunbathing - here modelled by Poirot.

This morning we were back to the vegetable plot to get the third courgette plant, four more butternut squashes and the 20 surviving sweetcorn seedlings into proper ground.  I lifted a piece of weed suppressant matting that had been protecting the soil and the horse poo we spread there in the autumn, and tried turning the soil.  That particular patch is about 70% clay I think so it was hard work, but the sweetcorn are planted and I am hoping that the broad beans provide a bit of shelter and a lot of fixed nitrogen in the soil as their roots spread out.

As I worked my way down the row and lifted more of the matting I met Sid first of all.  I don't know who was more surprised, but once uncovered he didn't seem too keen on going back under the matting.  Nor did he seem too keen on going towards the broad beans, probably as there was a cat on the other side of the beans.  I the end I moved him down to the bottom of the row, knowing I wasn't going to go that far.  Anyway, introducing Sid, the baby grass snake!  If he was a foot long in total I'd be surprised.

As I carried on turning back the matting I found the reason Sid didn't want to go back under, as I found Terry sitting and getting very cross with me for having lifted the mat, moved Sid further away, and then I wouldn't just go away and leave him alone.  He eventually pottered off under his own steam, but he wasn't too chuffed.  He was also very well disguised, so I really only spotted him because he moved.  There were some lovely Terry-sized snails further down the mat, so he should have had a good lunch once we left him to it.

It's ever so nice to meet the neighbours!

 

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 5 of deconfinement diary - health and shopping

A couple of weeks into lockdown, we had the annual reminder that someone's jabs were due.  I phoned the vet to see what could be done, and they said it would be alright if lockdown was lifted by mid-May, but jabs were not considered essential cat healthcare, so we would have to wait.  As soon as we knew that May 11 was Deconfinement Day I was back on to the vets, and got an appointment for this morning.  It has to be mornings and just after breakfast, or Nibbles KNOWS and hides.  I've had to phone up and admit to having lost her more than once!

People don't understand that the vetinary surgery is a risky place it appears - I was let in, to wait with Nibbles to be called for her appointment, but lots of people turned up on spec it seemed to me, and couldn't understand why the door was locked and people were only allowed in one at a time!  Anyway, I have to report that the vet pronounced Nibbles very fit for her age (13), with a nice consistent weight over time, and administered the booster with little fuss.  I think she understood the word Nibbles, as she went for her backside rather than the usual neck.  Since we got home, Nibbles has been sulking.

My other outing today was to collect pork and an organic chicken from a local farm, that does direct sales.  It is excellent, as there is a menu of stuff to buy on their website, and every 3 weeks or so I get an e-mail asking if I would like to order.  Their sausages and merguez are brilliant, and the shoulder roast joints very yummy.  They also sell pasta from a local organic beef farm (there is a reason for that) and eggs and chickens from another local producer.  All the products come from within an 8 mile radius of our house, which is great for keeping food miles down.

Normally we go into a room with a bank of industry grade refrigerators, but current arrangements for social distancing mean a table outdoors, a plexiglass barrier, a box for posting exact money and cheques, an extended opening time and a strict one at a time regime.  It works well, but it is sad not to be able to interact with other clients as before.

Yesterday I got the last of the spuds in - a relief I must say.  There are now 44 potatoes growing away - 20 are actually up and about, the others won't be for a while yet.  I have 4 gaps in the weed suppressant mat that I will be putting some of my butternut squash seedlings in tomorrow, as we are now past the Saintes Glaces.

And another cat photo to finish - Clause decided he would look a bit more sensible than normal for his selfie yesterday.  He is also getting heavier I swear, even though he is shedding fur as quick as he can.

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 2 of (limited) freedom - a new normal

As I was putting the seedlings into a sheltered spot yesterday evening, to protect them from the cold temperatures overnight (fortunately no frost), I noticed a lovely effect on the heron that stands under our birch tree.  A ray of sunlight was hitting its chest and with the vivid greens of the new leaves, it was all very lovely.

Today, although still colder than it has been (thanks to that pesky east wind), has been sunny and bright and we could do things.  John has been gardening all day.  This morning I ventured into the metropolis to get my prescription filled and to get the fixings for the gazebo cover (remember that?).  There were more people around than I've seen for ages other than at markets, with a mix of wearing and not wearing masks.  The pharmacy wasn't so bad, but the shop where I got my fixings was very much in newly opened mode.  There was hydroalcoholic gel as you went in and they wanted people to take a basket too - I think I was the only one that did.

The lady in the haberdashery department can be a bit dour, but was delighted to be working, delighted to talk to people (at a distance), and also seemed pleased to not be asked for elastic and bits for making face masks.  When I explained what I was doing (she was surprised to be asked for 6 metres of Velcro), she was even more enthusiastic - it was a good shopping experience.

This afternoon I was able to get down to more spud planting, although I did have helpers.  As the first 20 are well up, I need to press on with this.  I got 10 planted today, and worked out where to rob some wider weed suppressant mat from, as the only stuff we found since lockdown started was 90cm wide, which only takes 1 row of spuds.

Once that was done, I went on a bee orchid hunt.  They are getting going in the wildflower meadow but are well hidden among the clover and the other wild flowers.  They will doubtless become boring over the next few weeks.

Tomorrow is market day, with many restrictions lifted.  It will be nice to see some stall holders that have not been allowed in up to now, as well as keeping the faith with those who have kept us fed over the 55 days of lockdown.  It will also be nice NOT to worry about being stopped and fined on the way there or back, as some have been.  I was lucky it appears.