Rural Life

Day 10 of 30 Days Wild - but very tame in fact

Work can be regarded as a necessary evil, although actually, when I have a project running, I really enjoy it.  The one I am currently working on has a very tight timeframe with a lot to squeeze into June, so there are days like today, when once I am home from the market, all I do is sit in front of the computer.  There are also other distractions going on which can affect concentration.  For once that isn't cats on the desk, but that is a first.

I did attend a webinar at lunchtime on how to maintain confidence in work and data when remote working - there was little new in it, but it did help me to realise that actually I do these things quite well and shouldn't beat myself up.  In the new normal, the world could be at my feet!

I have managed to take a short walk around the garden, on the way too and from removing a broody chicken from the coop so I could rescue the eggs before she does something silly (it is the Big White Chicken that is brooding but I sometimes think it is an excuse when she can't be bothered to get up and go out and about).  My first freesia flowers are about to come out.  I nibbled a raspberry or two.  I scowled at the clouds, bringing more rain, but that was about it.

For those that made it this far, I'd better include a nice photo or two of something - what have I got in my stash?  In March 2019 we went to Guadeloupe and did a walk through the rainforest, where we saw this.

Day 20 of Deconfinement Diary - just Saturday stuff

So as not to worry people if I don't post anything, here is a short update.

The market was heaving this morning and given that at 10:30am it was also already rather hot, I decided not to join the huge queue for the fruit and vegetable stand (we have access to quite a lot of stuff anyway), but did get fresh tuna and half a shoulder of lamb (yum - can't wait).

The afternoon was mostly devoted to mowing and watering - but we did avoid these beauties.  There have not been as many bee orchids this year as last year, but this example was particularly fine.

And now I am off to cook said fresh tuna, so I wish you all a good evening!

 

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 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 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.

 

Day 47 of lockdown - another wet one

I know, it's good for the plants, not least the fruit trees.  And better it rains a lot now and then dries up for the second half of May so that the cherries don't split, but in lockdown, wet days are just that bit harder to cope with.  The house also cools down in the rain - we actually had a fire yesterday evening!  It wasn't that cold, but we needed something to ensure the cats were suitably comfortable (OK and us too).  Nibbles approved!

The boys in the country needed feeding today, so I left John making pots of rice pudding (with cardamom flavouring - yummy) for the week, while I went to see how they were doing.  I got the biggest, fattest tick I've seen in a while off Fergus while he stuffed his face on fish flavoured cat food.  Once they had all scoffed enough, they escorted me down the garden to pick more broad beans and check on the other good things growing down there, and then tried to see if all four could fit on me in some way at the same time.  I need to be like Vishu and have 8 arms I think, to satisfy all their cuddle requirements.  That will be the instant good news come 11th May - we can go and see the boys together and then come home via the One Acre Wood - that is going to be such a good day!

Anyway, once that was all done, I went to check on the wild flower meadow.  The view down across the valley from there shows that while not raining hard, the air was think with moisture, and it wasn't the best day to be out.

The orchid torture continues.  While the early orchids are nearly over, the lizard and bee orchids are starting to send up their flower spikes to take over.  I've been looking for the bee orchid flower stems for a while, and today I found some.  I reckon by the time lockdown is lifted, we will have our first flowers.

Once home from all that, and as John had finished his creations, I decided it was time to deal with the black bananas hanging over the kitchen work surface, so made banana bread.  It should be nearly ready by now, so I had better stop typing and get this loaded up.

 

Day 41 of lockdown - haute couture

Well the sunken cake didn't kill us - yet.  It tasted much better than it looked, but I must work out what went wrong.

This morning I had to go out to feed the boys in the country.  They were all present, correct and in need of cuddles, so it took quite a long time.  It was extraordinary, sitting with them and all I could hear was purring, birds singing, insects buzzing and the odd cuckoo a bit of a way off.  I recorded it for the blog, but haven't yet worked out how to get that off my phone and onto the computer.  As the forecast for the week is wet and stormy, that is a project for another day, not a Sunday.

Once the cats were cuddled out and I had finished my chores at the site, I went to check on the meadow and the orchids.  The bee and lizard orchids are still not showing themselves, but the two lady or early spotted orchids (whichever they are - my identifying flowers books are not brilliant on orchids, but a new one is not an essential purchase at the moment) were looking good.  Here is the one in the centre of the meadow (subtle it ain't).

Once I had taken this photo, I started back to the car, but noticed a flurry of yellow further down the meadow.  I followed it and watched it and it turned out to be two swallowtail butterflies playing (or something else) over the top of the flowers.  I charged after them, phone at the ready to get that one shot that will make me famous, but they separated and led me a right dance.  In this photo, you can see a yellow blob, and that is as close as I got to a swallowtail to photograph it!

This afternoon we've been taking it slowly as no one really needs to be out and about on a Sunday afternoon.  As all the talk is about wearing masks and whether it will be compulsory when leaving the house, I thought I would take a look at the free pattern supplied by the local paper and make our own.  I'll not go into our thoughts on face masks today, but if it is what is needed, so be it.  An old duvet cover, for a size of duvet we no longer have, provided the fetching material for these works of art, while I had just enough elastic to make two (how lucky is that?).  Here is yours truly modelling our post-confinement face ornaments.  Alternatively they will come in useful when I go into robbing banks.

If I don't look comfortable, it is because I wasn't - they really are as unpleasant to wear as the health care staff say, and I am full of admiration for them for doing an amazing job, while wearing this sort of thing and not complaining about it.

 

Day 29 of lockdown - but spring is still springing!

Last night the President addressed the nation and told us lockdown was extended to 11th May, and even then, things would not be back to normal straight away.  Restaurants and bars - such a key part of French life - will not be reopening then, although some schools might.  The borders remain closed.  So there are at least 27 more days of this - not sure how that makes me feel.  We've been doing OK so far, not least as we are still able to work, either remotely (when I do my UK work) or in isolation (when doing work in France in isolated gardens), and we are able to access nice food and drink.  But I am beginning to miss family - last year I seemed to spend every other day in Chinon until my brother arrived, at which point it was a day every week.  Not that I miss the A85 having said that!!  We also miss friends and the Friday night at the pub sessions will not be happening for a lot longer than four weeks it seems.

So human life is in limbo in many ways, and the days could start to resemble each other, until you pay attention to nature and how spring is carrying on regardless.  I had to feed the country cats today, so was able to admire the antics of a ginger cat in the sun with a nice, earth-filled hole.

Then there was the lovely surprise of a lilac bush I'd not seen before, flanked by a cherry tree and a hawthorn, both in full flower.

And then there was the chance to look closely at what we believe to be a lady orchid (still could be corrected on that one) as it gets towards peak perfection.

So really, in the scale of things, it is not all bad at all!