It seems ages since I caught up with my blog so I’m now going to put that right. 

Autumn established itself properly and I think most of the leaves that blew off the trees in St André landed in my garden and driveway.  My brilliantly helpful Workaway, Ed, worked his way through the list of tasks I had for him.  He cleared away many of the leaves and all the prunings that arrived on the ground while I sorted out the vines, honeysuckle, wisteria etc. 

He dug through the little bed below for bulbs and also dug through a large piece of flowerbed for me to put other plants.  A little late I know, for bulbs to go in during November, but I didn’t have the area to place them until Ed arrived. 

My usual worker is not feeling well so he was glad to have Ed to help him when they cut my long hedge – more trimmings to be picked up and disposed of.  I didn’t want all the hedge trimmings in my compost bins, they would have been full, but luckily we have an area in the village, hidden from sight, where we can all dump garden waste so several wheelbarrow loads and a trailer load were carted off and left there.  It looks much tidier now.
  

They also mended an eight metre length of fence which should have stopped Basil and Betsy, the goats, jumping through to the neighbouring pasture up on the field, but it hasn't.  It seems that if they want to be somewhere else then they will find a way.  I had to 'phone my neighbour earlier this afternoon as his small white goat is out in the road today, so it's not just mine who thinks that the grass is greener elsewhere. 

The hens are laying less than they were with the onset of shorter and colder days but there are more than enough eggs from them to sell each week and even the ducks are still laying. Their fields though are a slippery, muddy problem, particularly at the gateways and it is really hard to stay on my feet when I’m feeding and managing them.

I bought and then cooked some beautifully coloured crayfish for lunch at the weekend, but was very disappointed at the lack of edible meat within them.  

Without question, large prawns contain more meat even if they are not so visually appealing.

I bought three few Norfolk Grey layers and three nine week old chicks this week who are settling down in the barn with the other girls.  I have two three week old chicks, a Buff Orpington and a Norfolk Grey in the warmth of the kitchen.  Here are the little chicks yesterday on my laptop table.

On the right are some red berried twigs I cut from a shrub in a picnicking area I was driving past last week.  I thought they would look Christmassy on the windowsill. 

The weekend saw the arrival of the Christmas market in St Nicolas du Pélem.  The outside stallholders were so lucky with the beautiful sunshine and blue sky day which arrived on Sunday.

It was very well attended as community things always are in Brittany.  I met several friends there and it was a pleasant way to spend some time.

 

Here is a photo of my granddaughter, Mia, taken at the end of last month when she was sixteen months.  I love the old fashioned look she has about her.

Here she is two weeks later, looking quite different.

It was the Writers' Group Christmas Lunch last week.  We all met up, as we always do, at the Lanterne Rouge, a Chinese restaurant in Pontivy where we have a great lunch for €11 plus drinks.  It's always a good meal and the staff are very pleasant too.

Some of the sunsets recently have been quite beautiful and here is just one in the village. It's good to think that in three days time we will be past the Winter solstice and heading back to longer and lighter days again.

Three things I like:

1.   Christmas cards with letters in them containing a whole year's worth of news.
2.   Having baby chicks again they're just so lovely.
3.   Friends bringing me a really lovely Christmas tree.