Hearts and flowers

On the Tuesday before last the weather was horrid so perfect for doing a craft course with Annie Winch over near Merléac.  Charlotte, one of my Workaways joined me and we had a happy time learning to make hearts out of paper napkins, wood and ribbons.  

We were just a small group and it was a lovely atmosphere.  Annie runs lots of different workshops and I would recommend her for a really pleasant crafting time with coffee and cake too!
















We've been working hard clearing up the field and finding bits and pieces which just might be useful in the insect hotel project. 

Earlier last week, my two Workaways carried the extremely heavy case down from the barn where it had been used as a perch for the hens, so needed quite a bit of glueing together and cleaning up before being painted in the garage.

It's 228 cms high and 50 cms wide so a large

structure and it will take some time to find all the bits and pieces to insert to make homes for lots of different bugs. 




I have two clematis flowering in the garden now against the house.   The third, which has a tremendous amount of growth is later flowering.  




















The wisteria is just beginning to bloom and the red hot pokers are flowering in the main bed in the garden.

We, by which I mean the Workaways, have taken the field rubbish to the décheterie and then driven on to collect twenty 20kg sacks of animal feed. Unfortunately, the French highways department failed to put a sign at the exit on the N164 before the one we wanted, to inform us that the next exit was closed.  We had a huge diversion down uncharted territory to get to the supplying farmer.  Luckily it was dry and we didn't have to cover the sacks with a tarp.  We spent the rest of the morning driving back and unloading the feed before loading the trailer again with a very old and very heavy freezer, previously used for storing feed, for another journey to the tip.  The only thing that needs sorting now is the old storage caravan.

We went over again to friends to collect yet more of their horse manure which had to be shovelled into the trailer and then out again on our return.  I did no shit-shovelling but felt for those who were having to work so hard!

To finish, photos of the French chap who takes his three little Shetland ponies, goat and dog for a long walk often past my field.  Here they're grazing on the verge while I chat to their owner.





Three things I like:

1.   Drying my washing outside in the open air again now the warmer weather is here.
2.   Getting rid of all my current rubbish to the décheterie.
3.   Having all my animal feed containers full to bursting again.