June and July flowers, produce and goodbyes

It's been a hectic few weeks and I don't seem to have had time to write although I have managed photographs, so here we go.  

Firstly two lots of sad news.  My son and friends usually come over to stay in June and this year they were coming with Brett's parents, Val and Colin.  Colin had been undergoing chemo and was not well enough to travel so the trip didn't happen this time.  Very sadly Colin died on 22 June and I returned last week for his funeral.  The wake was at the Carlyon Bay Hotel where he had worked and it was a beautiful sunny afternoon so we were able to sit outside. The photos are of the venue, me with my son, Matthew, the flowers for Colin and lastly Matthew with friend, Phillipa.  By some horrible twist of fate our friend Phillipa's father, Chris, also died on the same morning as Colin. 

June always seems to be a busy month in the garden as everything starts to grow and need dealing with.  The elderflowers were on good form and I made twelve litres of cordial.  I used to make elderflower champagne but had so many bottles explode that I now make cordial and top it up with sparkling wine.  This year's cordial tastes divine ...

The garden flowers in my own and my neighbour's garden have been beautiful - this lavatera in Paulette's garden is the most heavenly colour.

Poppies in my veggie patch

Butterflies on the chive flowers - the bees love them too.

Lots of these last ones in the polytunnel every day.

This is a yellowhammer in my field - not taken by me - what a colour!

These four ducks needed a home so they came to me - my Indian Runner on the right of the photo took them in hand and showed them the pond straightaway.

The strawberries have finished now pretty much, but they have been good. The raspberries too have been a lovely taste every morning while I stand and watch the sheep feeding.   I haven't managed to get any peas down to the kitchen - I've eaten them all on the field - so sweet!

A very Breton way of announcing a happy forthcoming event.

The shearer came to deal with my two newly arrived animals, Rachel and Rebekah.  They were a real challenge to catch and I was surprised and grateful that he didn't give up. How lovely they looked when they were sheared.  I gave the wool to a friend here who had last year's wool too.  When she collected it she brought me wool spun from Ricardo's fleece for knitting socks - a lovely surprise!

I have a Workaway at the moment who is getting to grips with sorting out the overgrown veggie patch and painting furniture.  Tonight I collect two English lads who are going to help me for three weeks so hopefully we'll get lots of things crossed off the To Do List.

Three things I like:

1.   Catching up with everyone in Cornwall last week.
2.   Being back home again and getting everything back into order in the garden.
3.   Looking forward to harvesting the summer honey probably next week.

Spring honey harvest, swimming in the lake and new chicks

My little black and white bantams produced two small chicks this week

but abandoned other eggs in the nest so I removed them and popped them into the incubator.  Within an hour another chick had hatched.  

I added some eggs which a hen in the barn had left and during the following days four more chicks were born and are thriving in the brooder.  The television is having to compete with the cheeping coming from the kitchen end.

Friends, Debbie and Claire came over to help me with the bees on Thursday.  We inspected all seven hives.  

The one with the failed swarm had no bees and was removed.  The two hives which were formed from splitting my original hives were doing well.  I had put feeders in both hives on the advice of my mentor, Richard, and they had been emptied.  The other four hives were doing well too.   There were some frames filled with honey in all hives.  Some queen cells were removed and all the frames from one super were boxed and brought to the house.  We uncapped the frames and using the extractor spun the honey from the frames.

There was 2.5kgs of honey to pot up.   Later another 0.5kg had drained from the cappings and has been jarred for my own use in the kitchen.

Here is one of my honey bees on chive flower in my veggie patch.

Guests arrived on Thursday, a public holiday for Ascension Day in France, in both cottages for a long weekend.  The Tunisians in Middle Cottage bought one jar of honey and then asked for two more as they were leaving!  My first Rainbow Cottages Honey sales.

Very hot this week, 31°C in the shade yesterday afternoon, and this morning thunder, lightning and stair rod rain arrived at 0900hrs as forecast.  The garden plants and veggies will be very happy to have this good soaking and it will give the seven IBCs on the field a chance to refill too.  I have no mains water on the field and rely on rainwater collection from the barn roof so a good downpour is very welcome. 

A friend at bowls suggested a French supermarket flour which he uses for bread making.  I tried it this week and it seems to produce the same good results as the strong white flour I usually bring back from England.   This is good to know for emergencies, although as it’s more than twice as expensive than English supermarket flour, I will continue to bring flour back with me and encourage visitors to bring it too although for the moment my stocks are good.

Veggies and flowers are all growing well and the garden is beginning to look quite attractive.  

I am regularly picking a big handful of strawberries which I eat while still on the field – I can’t wait long enough to bring them down to the house and they are rather lovely while still sunshine warm.  

The yellow rose on the driveway has been beautiful these last two weeks.

On Monday it was my Workaway's 50th birthday.  We went for lunch in Caurel and then down to the Lac de Guerledan.

There was not another soul on the beach when we arrived.  I walked to the edge and paddled to see what the temperature was like. 

It was so lovely that I gave in, took off my trousers and went in swimming with my camisole and knickers - they're both all black and look a bit like a swimmer ...  I hope ...

Lots of bees around the house a few days ago and I had hoped that they would go into a bait hive.  They seemed to be taking up resident in the studio chimney, when I opened the woodburner bees flew out into the room.  I had to light the fire to smoke them out and discourage them.

Yesterday afternoon there were two separate groups of bees interested in something on the ground on the field.  We put a bait hive down and when I went up later bees were going in the hive and staying but, of course, they won't stay unless their queen was with them.   I'll have to wait and see but don't really feel too positive about it.  Still, it's all learning - and it is a steep curve ...

Three things I like:

1.   Having new chicks again.
2.   Having nice guests in the gites.
3.   Finally finishing clearing and cleaning the studio after a mouse infestation - thank you Maggi!

The Middle of May in St André

A previous Workaway has returned to help me here in St André as he'd run out of funds and needed somewhere to lay his head and be fed.   It was ok as I had lots of work to be done here and no new Workaways booked until July.  We've weeded, cleared nettles, fixed perches, moved fences, shifted feed and water and generally been busy this week with everything that needed doing.   

The weather has definitely been much better for everything with lots of rain to fill up the six 1000 litre water containers and four house baths I have on the field, after so long without any rainfall.  Now it seems to have settled down with rain at night and sunshine during the day - in my view, the way things should be.  Yesterday was a beautiful day and I spent two hours lying in the sunshine reading a book I started years ago, laughing aloud at the keen observations in Bill Bryson's "Notes From A Small Island. 

I still miss Gracie, my third cat, who disappeared nearly two months ago, but Claude and Purrdie are here and enjoying life.
  

Three hens and two ducks are sitting on eggs.  They seem to have been sitting for ages so may not be going to hatch anything - I'm giving them until 21 May now, as it's a three week incubation period and if they haven't produced anything I shall remove the eggs and stop them sitting.   The chicks hatched in the middle of March are all doing well and growing fast.  

With the help of friend, Kate, I checked my four hives for queen cells and having found two frames with them I transferred one each to my two new empty hives along with two frames each of brood and honey.  The hope was that the queens would hatch and the hives will thrive.  However, three days on and one hive is showing no signs of activity at all. The other hive is extremely busy at the entrance, this was the one which had a very large queen cell, and I feel confident that this one has been successful.  I may have to do another split later to try and begin the failed hive again.   Here's a bumblebee enjoying one of my wallflowers in the drive.

The seeds in the polytunnel have been growing well and the perpetual spinach, curly kale and broad beans are now all planted out in the raised beds.  The first runner bean leaves are just poking through the compost in the cardboard loo roll middles into which I planted the seeds, the corn on the cob is well over 30cm high now and ready to be planted out as soon as the three ice saint days have passed and the risk of overnight frosts has passed. Les Saintes de Glace are the days of St Mamert (11 May), St Pancrace (12 May) and lastly St Servais (13 May) and no self-respecting Breton veggie grower would put tender plants out before these days have been crossed off the calendar. 

If all goes to plan I should be able to supply vegetables to the whole village this year!  I have sown carrot, beetroot and radish seed this week and have plants of squash, aubergine and courgette to plant out now the three ice saint days have passed.  I was late putting in my potatoes this year, but have only buried the contents of the free bag I received from Point Vert as I need the ground for other more interesting veggies.  The strawberries are doing well and I have had several bowls full this week - here is the first one

as are all the soft fruit bushes, red currant, black currant and gooseberry.  I have been picking rhubarb since the beginning of March and cooking it with ginger and sugar.  It makes a lovely cordial to put with sparkling white wine.  

Today I planted out sweetcorn plants and butternut squash from the polytunnel and the ground is being cleared where the peas are to be grown.  I need to find some pea sticks for supporting them.

It's the time of year for tax returns and so Blandine visited me as usual and completed the form with the few figures which need to be inserted.  This has been posted and another task can be crossed off the To Do List.  She recommended an electrician for the repair of my pond pump and stair lift.  

He has done the pond electricity supply but thought the stairlift might be a long and therefore expensive task as he wasn't familiar with it.  He returned a couple of days later with reconnected wires in the incubator which had become disconnected and had spoken to Stannah on the 'phone so will return with a possible solution.

I had coffee with some friends near Kergrist Moelou last week and took photos first of the church there, also one of the hollow yews in the churchyard.

This is just one of the many hollow yews in the churchyard - the photo doesn't do the size justice.

The Silfiac Plant and Craft Sale somehow resulted in me having a boot with plants in it when I left.  I met friends there I hadn't seen for a while and had a coffee with the biggest piece of lovely moist date and walnut cake.  All the plants found places in the garden within half an hour of getting home.

My first rose in the driveway, and just two of my neighbour's beautiful irises.

Three things I like:

1.   Planting out the seedlings that have been growing in the polytunnel.
2.   Seeing my first cuckoo flying across the lane.
3.   Knowing I have friends who care.

Coming home, bees and April weather

I’m glad to say the Volvo is good, so Matthew chose well for me.  I have now heard that the Discovery has finally been repaired and will come over with the boys in June when they do their usual visit.  I’ll be glad to have it back for all the towing and animal/garden related stuff I carry about but will use the much more economical car for normal driving.

My son, Matthew, who is still building the steps and retaining walls at the low end of his garden managed to knock a concrete block off a pile onto his right foot this week.  He has two fractures and now can’t drive for a good while.  It’s a bit late to tell him to that he ought to wear reinforced toed boots when doing construction work.   Hopefully it will be well healed for him to bring over the Discovery.

My New Zealand house carers, Kylie and Tony, were wonderful.  The day I returned they unloaded the car for me and then worked like stick on the field moving, sorting, clearing, chucking, planting.  I can’t tell you how lovely they’ve been.  

Then, after they’d left and I’d come back from bowls I found they’d left me chocolates and a lovely mug, now my favourite, from South Australia. 

The weather has been typical April and perhaps more extreme too, strong sunshine with blue sky and little fluffy white clouds, then dark brooding clouds and hail storms, alternating all the time.  One day this week, Orange sent out messages for us to switch off our internet boxes until storm danger has passed.   I spent several hours in the polytunnel sowing seeds, peas, spring onion, radish, then outside sowing beetroot and planting potatoes, a bit late for the potatoes but never mind, they’re in now.

There was a surprise little duckling in the barn when I went up at the end of the week.  It was so lovely.  

However, a couple of nights later unfortunately, it got a foot caught in the chicken wire fencing and death arrived before I did.  Very sad – nature can be cruel.   I do have a duck sitting on eggs at the other end of the barn so maybe there will be more before too long.

I have blown nearly all the goose eggs laid during the last eight weeks and one day I will consider decorating them.  A friend who paints did come and take some not blown ones which I imagine she will decorate.   

The week before last, I couldn’t find my smoker so opened the first hive on the field without first smoking the bees.  I was removing queen cells so that they wouldn’t swarm.  The bees were not happy.  Although I was wearing leather bee gauntlets and rubber gardening gloves on top of those, I was stung three times, with many more stings in the gloves which didn’t reach my skin.

  

A lesson painfully learnt!  I passed a very uncomfortable first night and a couple of days before the swelling subsided.

On Monday, I went up to St Brieuc to see the Allergologue about my bee allergy.  I parked right outside the practice and tried to find a parking ticket machine.  There was none.  A woman parking opposite me indicated that it was about  metres behind me and she pointed to a spot where there was nothing.  I explained that there was nothing there.  She pointed again and again I told her there was no machine there.  She got out of her car and look astounded and said there had always been one there.  A man stopped his car and I asked him where the nearest ticket machine was.  He also turned to point at the same spot and look very surprised.  A third woman got involved too.  They all said that there had been one there last week.  I walked around and found a machine down another road and bought a ticket.  I had half an hour to kill before my appointment and sat in the car finishing a novel I was reading.  A white van arrived and parked in front of me.  I continued reading.  The chap came back to the van a couple of times and finally I turned round and watched where he was going back to.  He was joining two other workers on the opposite pavement installing – yes, you’ve guessed it - a parking ticket machine just where everyone had said it was.  The plot thickens!  When, finally, I went in to see the doctor she gave me a prescription for more antihistamine tablets, cortisone cream, steroid tablets and epipens – I am now fully prepared for the next sting although I have now bought triple thickness gauntlets so hope they may be impenetrable …

The writer’s group again had a lovely lunch at Le Saint Antoine in Plemet on Friday last.  It is an exceptionally good meal in lovely surroundings and pleasant staff – definitely recommended.   

It has a good looking deli alongside which is part of it I think.  I must remember to go in next time.  No writing was discussed – I think, like the book group, we are turning into a lunching group. I can think of worse things to happen …

Two evenings ago I went for a Greek meal at La Grande Maison in Seglien with thirteen strangers.  It was advertised on a FB group I’m in and I thought – well, why not?  It was a good evening.  Dave and Vicky provided live music and the hosts and other guests were all good company.  I am looking forward to hearing when the next non-curry night is going to be held.

Here's my ruchette in a neighbour's apple tree hoping to attract a swarm as I have two new empty hives to fill.  

I have positioned the new hives ready and have my fingers crossed.  My mentor, Richard, has suggested that I could split a thriving hive and fill my new hives that way.  I may try that this week.

A retired Breton chappie who often stops his van and talks to me if he sees me in the lane, parked and came into the veggie area this week.  He saw the hives and told me that one of his sons keeps bees too.  

On Saturday morning, I went round to see the son, who lives less than three miles away, and is really passionate about bees. We had a couple of coffees and chatted for a couple of hours about things apiculture.  He put his number into my phone in case I get a swarm and need to move a hive somewhere for a while. A really nice person and I'm so glad I went round to meet him. 

Raining today for the first time for so long I’d forgotten what puddles looked like.  

The water containers are all filling up which is really good news.  Everything smells fresh and lovely out there.  I have been clearing up things downstairs as I couldn’t work outside.

I also baked today for the first time since I came back from Cornwall.  

I had to wait for the rolls to cool and the bacon to defrost before I could have a bacon roll for tea.  It was so good I found myself making another.

Earlier in the week I picked up a pile of papers and found the carte grise for my Land Rover which I had reported to the Gendarmerie as lost.  Thank goodness, as I don’t have to drive up to St Brieuc to get another one from the Préfecture.

The horse chestnut almost opposite the house is flowering well - there were almost no conkers last year.

There are bluebells everywhere. The woods just have swathes of blue all along the ground - absolutely beautiful.

There are a few scattered along the verge on the way to the field.  I have none in the garden, but do have some white bluebells which a friend gave me thinking they were wild garlic. 

My wisteria has been absolutely glorious, as always.  The scent is overwhelming when I walk past, such a good value plant.

Three things I like:

1.   Bacon rolls.

2.   Making new friends.

3.   Finding things I thought were lost.

It was a busy few weeks trying to get things together before I took my trip back to Cornwall for my 6 monthly dental visit, hair cut, annual eye test and my 70th birthday celebrations.

First of all my bee keeping friend, Lorna, came round to help me do the first inspection this year of my four hives.  We had to put off the first arrangement as the weather became too cold to open up.  When we did do it, the sun shone and it was pretty hot inside our suits and veils.  I was thrilled to find that all four hives were filled with hone and brood and ready to have the first super put on.  I couldn't believe how heavy with honey the frames were as we took out them out and looked for queen cells which needed to be removed to prevent swarming.  I am indebted to Lorna for her expertise and moral support.  It all went well and I was so happy to find so many bees were in residence.  Since then I've set up two more hives and am hoping to get bees in them very soon. 

I have been planting out some of the seedlings from the trays in the polytunnel. Perpetual spinach, broad beans, lettuces and salad leaves, squashes have all been released to the ground and bought in strawberry plants given space in the polytunnel.  Still more to go out when it's warmer and more seeds to sow on my return from Cornwall.  

I have blueberry bushes and two fruit trees to plant when I get back, but am still deciding exactly where to put them so they don't shade anything and don't get eaten by the sheep. 

Martha, who gave birth to Raoul on 6 March, gave me a shock when I found her prostrate and face down in the grass one morning.  My neighbour, from a sheep farming family, said she was too far gone to get the vet.  She carried her to a secluded part so the others couldn't see her and I visited her throughout the day.  There was no change and I had begun to consider asking a local farmer to put her out of her suffering.  I did one final check when I put the birds to bed and she had raised her head a little.  I'm not sure how, but somehow I managed to carry her to the Land Rover and get her into the back.  When I arrived home I didn't have the strength to carry her again and used a wheelbarrow to get her into the sitting room.  I called the vet and he suggested I gave her sugar dissolved in water.  My alarm was set for every 2-3 hrs and I syringed water into her mouth each time I woke up.  There was no change.  At 07.30hrs I got up for good and came downstairs to find her with her head held high and she struggled when I gave her the syringe.  Later in the morning while friend were having coffee in the kitchen end we suddenly heard her "Baa, baa" which was the best sound I'd heard for a long time.  Another hour or two and she suddenly stood up!  I called the vet and he said to put her back on the field which I did.  Raoul was so pleased to get his Mum back and I kept checking every hour but there was no need as she was fine.  I have no idea what had happened but am so glad she's fine now.

I bought in two thirteen month old females so that I can definitely have some lambs again next year, as Lisa failed to produce this year so won't be around after October.  The new girls are now named Rebekah and Rachel and are Shropshire crosses with black faces and very sturdy.

Going back to England was a stressful journey as the Land Rover had little or no power going up hills and was vibrating badly.  I limped to Roscoff and came over on the Pont Aven to Plymouth.  The journey from there was a nightmare as there are so many hills and finally the vehicle gave up.  Luckily it was just after a sign saying "Free Recovery from this point".  A Highways man called the breakdown truck.  They are only liable to take you to the end of the diversion but a greased palm worked the magic so they took me to my son's mechanic based in Par.  Matthew met me to unload all the stuff I carry back and forth on these journeys.  The vehicle wasn't ok for me to return home so I had to buy another. Since then it has been fixed and Matthew will bring it over when they all come in June.

My 70th birthday fell on Wednesday, 12 April and I had a lovely day.  Starting just after midnight Matthew presented me with a beautiful armful of wrapped flowers. 

I seemed to have a pile of cards to open and Brett had brought me the biggest box of chocolates I have ever had plus three bottles of cider blended with different fruits.  The three of us went for lunch at Trenython Manor which was lovely.

In the evening ten of us went to The Trewithen in Lostwithiel.  It was a great evening!  We had private room for the meal and here we all are round the table, clockwise, Sheila and Paul, Val and Colin, Brett, Sean, Josh, Philippa, Matthew and me.  The company and the food were excellent.  Thank you to everyone who made my birthday so special.

Three things I like:

1.  Celebrating my birthday in Cornwall with great people!
2.  Coming home to find the housecarers had done a brilliant job.
3.  Having a stress free drive back in the Volvo after the dreadful trip getting to the UK.