Grapes, rabbits and an embarrassing fall

 

The forecast for the next week is optimistic and apart from a short, sharp shower yesterday morning these two days have been fine and sunny.  Yesterday my worker took advantage of the dry weather to sand down and paint preservative on all the windows and doors of Rainbow Cottages in France.  They’re looking good and I’m really pleased - the photos below are before the renovation.  I was stunned at seeing bare wood on some windowsills.  Next week hopefully, he’ll do the outside of my house and the garden gates and doors.  

 

The grapes are really coming on and hopefully the sunshine we're expecting will ripen them up completely.

Heavens knows what I shall do with them all, the photo below shows less than half the crop.

We had a great evening at The Quiz at Café du Centre, St Mayeux on Wednesday and returned again last night for the Fish and Chip evening.  It was a good meal with excellent cod in batter.  There weren’t many people there and most of the others were French.  Apparently, it’s because so many places are doing Fish and Chips nowadays.  There were books for sale at five for €5 and I succumbed to the offer, so more to add to the list that we did last week.

I went to a car book at Bulat Pestivien last Sunday.  Loads of sellers and it took quite a while to walk round, on the way back I called in to see friends for a coffee and catch up.  They kindly gave me a cubic metre bag full of hay for bedding for the hens and rabbits.  The rabbits are still doing well and here are Bella and Ruby eating their dandelions this morning.  Bella obviously thinks that Ruby has a leaf which should be shared ...

 

My visit to the rheumatologist this week was reassuring.  He didn't seem to think there was anything to worry about for the time being on my bone density loss.  After viewing xrays, he's also recommending that I see an osteopath for treatment of my upper left back pain.  Currently, my usual physio has been treating it, but the relief doesn't last for long so hopefully that will change with the osteopath.

 

The workaway who was helping me here left to go home to Wales earlier this week.  It's always strange being alone again after having company for a couple of weeks.  We got on well and I hope she may return next year.  

 

The swallows are still here and congregate on the wires running across my garden so the outside tables have to be carefully sited for obvious reasons!

 

 

Here are Purrdy, Claude and Gracie, leading me up the lane to collect eggs.  They are funny they way they come with me up to the field.  As soon as they see me go through the driveway door and across to the shortcut they appear from nowhere.  As I leave the field I call them all and whistle and within moments they  materialise and come back to the house with me, racing with and jumping on each other and then hesitating at every strange sound - they're very entertaining.

 

 

My neighbour has a field full of cattle at the moment and another neighbour is grazing one of his goats in the lane, so apart from the usual thirty plus horses in the village it's quite interesting out there.

 

 

We had a Bowls Competition this week, an annual one where we have a lunch and drinks.  I, somewhat the worse for wear, managed to fall and ended up with a large egg on my forehead, now all colours, and a crack across the bridge of my nose.   I have had to order new glasses too.  I was mortified and had to send an email of apology to members who, generously let me off with lots of ribbing which I guess will continue for more than a few weeks.  I won't post a photo of my forehead - I'm just glad I have a full fringe to hide it!

 

The garden is absolutely packed with plants and flowers.  Here you can just see Small Cottage from the vantage point of the pergola.  The acer to the left of the photo started life in Cornwall in a north-facing courtyard.  It didn't do well.  I moved it to the south-facing terrace but it still didn't perform.  I brought it with me to Brittany and it hasn't looked back.  I have to really cut back the branches every year now, after the leaves have put on their glorious display and finally fallen.

 

 

The village population has swelled by two extra people this week.  My opposite neighbours, split up just over two years ago and they and their children left their house here.  This week Sylvie came back to live with her youngest daughter, now elevent, and it's good to see someone occupying the property again and Katy cycling on the lane.

 

These neighbours came up to see me on the field while I was putting the animals away last night and shutting up the polytunnel, and made me jump as I didn't hear them approaching over the grass.  This afternoon I sowed some more seeds in the polytunnel - beetroot and Little Gem lettuce.  Outside, in one of the recently cleared raised beds, I put Evergreen Bunching onions, so I have my fingers crossed for good germination.

 

Three things I like:

 

1.   Collecting all the produce from the polytunnel and raised beds, such a variety of things every day.

2.   A friend giving me a kilo of runner beans, as my crop, for the first time, is not good this year.

3.   Hearing good news from the rheumatologist.

Dragonflies, Workaway, Fez Noz and Rabbits

Driving along the road back from my bone density scan last week I noticed a sign saying Expo de Libellules.  Libellules are dragonflies and I was hooked. There were no other cars in the car park next to the tiny chapel where the sign pointed, La Chapelle de St Jean du Penity.   

 

There were two workers who told me which path to follow.  It turned out to be a series of twelve posters at various points on a 300 metre path leading back to the car park.   I also photographed a small fountain in the field alongside the exhibition.

 

 

What a bizarre exhibition!

 

The bone density scan wasn’t very good news.  It seems that I am losing bone density at a worryingly fast rate at the moment.  I have lost 2cm in height in just two years and 16% bone density in significant bones.  I see the rheumatologist on Thursday this week to start finding out what the solution might be.

My first Workaway of the year arrived on Thursday.  Alexa, just a little younger than I, has been brilliant.  Together we’ve cleared the weeds in the raised beds on the field, and the polytunnel.  Everything is looking good. 

 

I have planted more seeds in the polytunnel, radish, beetroot, coriander and mixed salad leaves.  We then started on the house garden and that too is looking much better.  I've got more seeds to plant out this week in the cleared beds.

Here are some of my squashes filling out nicely, globe artichoke plants and in the background leeks and strawberries.











Lastly, and by no means least, we have been cataloguing all my books.  This has been a task I’ve wanted to tackle for a long time and I am very glad to nearly have finished.  The only books remaining are those in Small Cottage, currently occupied by guests who leave on Monday.  Alexa is leaving on Tuesday morning, so perhaps we will have time to do them on Monday.  All that will be left undone, hopefully, are all the gardening and craft books – not so important to me.  I have advertised on an expat website the duplicates which we found. 

I have been really grateful for the produce from the veggie beds and polytunnel while she has been here.   This was Friday morning's box for the kitchen.

 

Alexa is veggie and I have been challenged this week to provide interesting meals without a trace of meat.  I was allowed to cook white fish for one meal but otherwise have made a good effort every day to cook something different and tasty just using veggies, fruit, pasta and rice.

I was inspired by a friend, Joy, posting on Facebook that she been making preserves with blackberries and elderberries, and I made three small bottles of fruit syrup,

one of blackberry and two of blackberry with elderberry.  They taste wonderful and I am looking forward to using them.

We went to a Fez Noz at St Mayeux one evening.  It was held outside and the evening wasn’t as warm as it has been lately, but dancing clearly made the participants warmer.  Alexa danced – lots – I played spectator with a glass of beer in my hand.   

As always at these events, the atmosphere was great, with wonderful community spirit.

My cats have been in hunting mode this week and here are two of their victims.

Luckily after a bit of loving from me this little fellow was able to fly off safely from a high wall in my neighbour's garden.

I am happy to report that my three rabbits have now settled with one another and there is no more fighting and chasing, just eating and lying in the sunshine.

They are, from the top, Bridget, Bella and Ruby.

 Three things I like:

1.   Getting so much done with Alexa - she's been great.
2.   Hearing that my friend, Sally, has come through her gastric by-pass operation and is back home again already losing weight.
3.   Baking a brilliant loaf today which I couldn't stop eating!

Veggies, walking and a wonderful concert

We are now getting into the funny shaped veggie season.  So far I have had two different varieties of tomatoes produce weird shapes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this productive time of year.  The lettuces and mesclun are providing me with lots of lovely fresh salad leaves which I dress with my own mix of olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, honey, Coleman’s English mustard powder, salt and pepper.  The radishes are so hot I can’t eat more than two or three at a time. I have been eating roasted aubergines, grown in the polytunnel, halved and stuffed with chopped aubergine flesh, cooked basmati rice, chopped tomato, onion and parsley, grated garlic, sultanas, salt and pepper and lots of cumin.  I then pack homemade breadcrumbs on the tops and drizzle liberally with olive oil before baking them to a delicious goldenness.   

My kitchen is nearer to completion - just the plinths, cornice and pelmet to go now.  Unfortunately, I am short one length of plinth – I must have made a mistake with the order - and that will have to be collected when I next go to England, in October.   After that, the floor will also be sorted, during the winter months when we can’t work outside.  It’s not awful, but it has seen better days and I’d like it to be replaced.  

 

This one of the very few peaches on my neighbour's tree.  The neighbour no longer lives in the village.  His house has been empty for more than a year, so I have my eyes on the few pieces of fruit!

 

 

The swallows have been around in profusion these last few weeks, swooping down low over the garden catching insects on the wing and perching on the wires overhead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few weeks ago, we collected a stone cross which had been chucked out and dumped.  I'm not religious but love the shape of it and the moss growing on it.  I've leant it against the wall of the utility house.   The vine growing above it is absolutely loaded with grapes which will be ripe enough to eat next month - it's going to be a bumper harvest this year.

 

 

 

Following on from my walk last Saturday, yesterday I decided to do one of the walks/meals/concerts on a brochure I had picked up from the Tourist Information Centre in St Nicolas du Pélem.  I told my neighbours, Christian and Paulette about it and they decided to join me.  It was good to meet Louise again from Saturday's walk.  As it was not a circular walk, this meant that we parked my Discovery at the finish point before driving back in their vehicle to the start point.  I gave my car keys to Christian as I was worried I might lose them during the walk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We set off from Chapel Rouellu near St Nicolas du Pélem, which has a rare and noted wheel chime inside which is used during baptisms, weddings and religious festivals. 

 

There were 26 of us setting off including one child, three of the other walkers turned out to be English, holidaymakers in the area.  After about a kilometre Paulette realised that Christian had left the keys to my Discovery in the car at Rouellou - he walked to the car and ended up driving to St Trephine and having a walk alone around there.  One of the English was an RC priest and we had an interesting conversation while walking.  The brambles on the route were more advanced than those in my village and some of them were lusciously-lobed and delicious to eat.  It was very hot and the juice we were offered after arriving at St Trephine was very welcome. 

 

 

 

There was a talk in the church at St Trephine about the wonderful invention of Mr Sax.  Alphonse-Joseph Sax, always known as Adolphe, was born in Belgium and invented all sorts of things as well as the saxophone.  This talk was in preparation for the evening concert.

  

Something to eat was next on the agenda and a good plateful of charcuterie followed by cheese and apple tart went down well with a couple of bottles of beer.

 
I just had to take a photo of this lady all in green, hat, scarf and dress - she reminded me of a book I had as a child where flowers were drawn as people.

The concert started at 2030hrs and the first two performers were young Japanese girls who played duets on their saxophones absolutely brilliantly.  The photo is not in focus but I had to put it in because they played so well.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up were a pianist, violinist and saxophonist who played everything from classical to jazz.  Again a wonderful performance and they played to a completely packed church and a very appreciative audience.  It was a fantastic evening of entertainment based on the saxophone.

 

 

 

Three things I like:

 

1.   The different nationalities I have staying in the cottages - this week Polish and Dutch - all charming and a pleasure to chat with.

2.   The different interests that I am now enjoying here.

3.   Friends coming by to see me - three people so far this week who I hadn't seen for a while.

Friends on holiday, Mia's first birthday and a sneaky rabbit

My friend, June, and her twin granddaughters flew back to England on Thursday.  We had various days out, to the beach, to Lac de Guerledan , Bon Repos and to Amoripark.

The other days we swam at home in the pool, collected eggs, played in the hot tub, chatted lots and sunbathed.  Somehow there seem to be quite a few empty wine bottles on the garage floor - can't imagine how that happened!   It was lovely having them here and it's very quiet now they've gone.  

I advertised for one or two adult female rabbits and got one reply.  Last weekend, I collected a  fairly small adult rabbit as company for Ruby.  After several days of them getting to know one another from each side of a fence, I finally put them in together.  The new rabbit, Gypsy, chased her and did unspeakable things to her head, her sides and the correct area! 

I picked Gypsy up turning her over to look at her underside more closely.  Gypsy is a male rabbit.  I put him straight back into a separate run and I think some friends will probably take him as a pet for their daughter and son.  So - the search for female company for Ruby goes on.

The week before last I heard lots of people talking in the lane outside my house.  I went out to find a group of walkers, all French and very friendly.  They talked to me about when and where they met each week and this morning I drove round to the back of the swimming pool in St Nicolas du Pélem and met two of the group there.  The others in the group were on holiday so we three women went off together and I ended up going to places I had never seen around my area, including coming across a huge menhir which Louise and Regine posed with to give some idea of scale.

According to the pedometer that Louise was wearing we walked for 7.230 kilometres which took just over two hours.  We climbed slopes and found paths blocked by fallen trees so it wasn't all on the flat by any means.  On the way back home I drove to the Tourist Information Centre in St Nicolas to collect a leaflet they'd told me about regarding a walk, talk, meal and concert on Thursday next week.   I found that one of the side roads in St Nicolas had been closed for a mini street market and bought some beetroot and some Merguez for supper tomorrow.

Last Sunday was my beautiful granddaughter's first birthday and here is Mia with her Daddy and Mummy at her party in Cornwall.  They Skyped me so I could "be there" for a little while at the party.

Small Cottage hosted a young Dutch couple this week who were lovely guests and left me some spiced Dutch cake as a gift which I will have a slice of with my next cup of coffee.  I have been very lucky with the people who have visited this year.  Co-incidentally, my next guests are Dutch too and then an Italian family - all very cosmopolitan!

Three things I like:

1.  Doing something new and meeting new people.
2.  Calling in at a British Charity shop on the way back from the airport and buying eight paperbacks - in spite of having a Kindle.
3.  Seeing Mia on Skype at her first year's birthday party.