RECENT PHOTOS

Purple wild flowers at Étableau.

Our lilac rose is in full bloom.

The pansies are still going strong.

Geraniums waiting to be potted up to replace the pansies.

Our yellow climbing rose is in full bloom.

We struggle to grow anything in this bed.

Last year potted colius did really well there so we have done the same again.

New chairs for the picnic area.

One of the old white ones had broken.

It split when Nick leaned back on it.

I thought that could be dangerous so we changed them.

Some geraniums have already been potted up.

We have gravelled the island in the middle of the drive.

The water bath for the birds is very popular.

Two water bowls for the bees.

I read that the pebbles enable them to drink without falling in and drowning.

The park at Paulmy.

The lake at La Celle-Guenand.

Construction work at the lake.

I think it's restoration of the lavoir.

Another view of the new chairs.

All the white ones have now been replaced.

The view from the picnic table.

I went into the barn for something and Yvonne followed me in.

Moments later she came out with a mouse.

She ate it immediately.  Head first of course.

A tidy up of the well room was overdue.

New storage boxes for outdoor cushions.

More pansies.

Pictures from the park a few days ago.

It was a much sunnier day and turned out to be very warm.

Not bad for the end of April.

We are so lucky to have such a lovely place on our doorstep.

A DAY IN THE CITY

We went to Tours on the bus for a day out.  The main reason was to see an exhibition of sculpture by female artists at the Musée des Beaux Arts.  It was on the ground floor where there were several groups of teenage children presumably on a school visit to see them.  They seemed to be having a good time, judging by the level of noise!

On the upper floors there were a lot of biblical paintings depicting scenes of too much violence and misery for my taste.  Regardless of the skill of the artists I couldn’t bring myself to study them for long.  I've come to the conclusion that in most things I prefer lightweight to serious these days.  

The sculptures were fabulous but my favourite was not a bronze but one by a Canadian sculptor called Carolina Benedicks-Bruce, of herself and her husband.

In the courtyard of the museum is a huge cedar tree.  It’s a magnificent specimen and also one of the largest and acknowledged trees in France.  It reminded me of the lovely tree recognition ceremony that we attended at the château in our own village last year.

We got the bus home at teatime so that Hugo and Yvonne were not alone by themselves for too long.

It was a nice day out and we enjoyed our little glimpse of "city life".  Living out in the sticks and immersed in country life it’s fun to be surrounded by a little hustle and bustle amongst the smart shops and restaurants every so often. 

In the evening there was another gorgeous sunset.  We sat out in our hats and fleeces until the sun disappeared and the bats came out.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

The weather is perking up again after a few cold days.  Our daffodils have more or less finished but the tulips are in full bloom.  I'm sure we used to have more tulips than we do now but presumably some of the bulbs have either rotted away or been eaten.  The aubretia is fabulous as always and lives up to expectations.

The bathroom is almost finished.  "Finishing off" always takes much longer than you expect and especially so when none of the walls are either straight or level.  Putting up shelves is a complicated task, cutting them to fit and fixing them to wonky walls!  The expectation is that it will be finished by the end of this week.

The clematis that was a gift from a friend four months ago is still flowering and looking gorgeous on the kitchen windowsill.  We struggle with indoor plants as the rooms downstairs are all fairly dark due to the small windows yet the only two windowsills we have can get too hot in the warmer months.  This plant has survived well beyond our expectations.

At the weekend we went to an "Irish evening" where we were not quite sure what to expect.  French onion soup followed by fish and chips with a slightly Irish twist was a first for us but very good all the same! The proprietor said she was nervous about serving fish and chips to a table of English people and hoped they would meet expectations.  They did!  We were the only non French people there but the fish in batter, although not as good as you would get from the local British chippy, were the best we’ve had so far in France.  I find it odd that the French clearly love fish and chips (around here anyway) but they don't really know how to cook them!

After that we went back to the village to watch the France versus England rugby match in the bar.  You would be surprised to hear that I have an interest in rugby and you would not be wrong!  However, Nick wanted to see the second half of the match so I was happy to indulge him.  Watching a France versus England match in a bar in France where supporters from both nations are present is a full on experience!  Nick didn't expect England to win the match but even I could see that it was an exciting finish and to lose by just one point seems tragic.  There were shouts of "we was robbed" from the English!

 We have had a bit of excitement chez nous.  A new neighbour moved into the house behind us last autumn and we didn't quite know what to expect.  When we went to say hello and introduce ourselves he seemed nice enough.  Mostly he is only there at the weekends with his dog who is called "Ganja".  

Early yesterday morning a van and a car turned up, followed quickly by the Maire and then two gendarmes.  The neighbour wasn't there so they soon left.  We have a number of theories about what was going on.

Last but not least, we are on tenterhooks again as we are expecting the imminent arrival of the SMS message summoning us to attend the Préfecture to collect our residence cards.  The interval between the email and the message last time was nine working days.  Today is the ninth day.

MAKING THE MOST OF FINE WEATHER AND BECOMING A BAG LADY

The weather was lovely this last weekend.  Sunday was gorgeous and it was so good to see the blue sky and feel some warmth in the sun.  We sat on the deck with our tea in the afternoon and later with a glass of wine.

When the weather is good we abandon all plans for indoor jobs and make the most of being able to spend time outdoors.

On Saturday we went to Loches market.  The sun brought a lot of people out and it was very busy.  The bag lady was there with her stall, having been absent every time we went since the summer.  I’ve been on a mission to find a small handbag for "going out".  My usual bags are all huge and get in the way when we go to lunch or dinner.  I’ve experimented with not taking a bag at all but what do you then do with your tissues or phone? Not to mention the husband's wallet, phone and car keys! Bulging pockets are uncomfortable and even in a place where people happily leave bags and belongings out of sight I'm still nervous of leaving anything in a coat hung on a coat rack.  A habit of a lifetime to not be an easy target for a thief.

The bag lady had just the right size of bags for such occasions.  Small bags big enough for essentials that could be slung over a shoulder without getting in the way or over a chair without tripping up a waiter.  I got two; red for winter, pastel green for summer and she gave me a good discount for buying two at the same time.  

This black one is a very old bag that I resurrected.  You can tell how old it is from the size of the pouch for a mobile phone.  It's tiny!  Now I'm all set up and have finally turned into a bag lady myself!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weather has changed and we have wet, grey and miserable days for the foreseeable future.

WHAT DID WE DO IN JANUARY?

We were invited to spend New Year's Eve with friends who hosted a fondue party.

I took the dessert, a pumpkin and mincemeat cake.

Considering that January is one of the longer months and usually fairly dull, we had a very busy time!

We had some pretty cold weather and even some snow.

We stayed home during the coldest weather and did a jigsaw puzzle.

It turned out to be one of the hardest we have ever done, but Yvonne helped.

There was the invitation to the Mairie for the annual New Year greeting in the salle des fêtes in our letterbox.

It was well attended.

The speeches were short this year, the wine and servings of "galette des rois" generous.

Afterwards we went to a friend's house for a convivial evening of food and more wine.

She refers to the Maire's annual greeting as "the state of the nation address".

There was an exhibition of paintings by two local artists in Descartes.

Both artists were born in Descartes and the paintings are in the private collection of a local person.

The paintings were mostly of scenes around the area and lovely to see.

We felt very privileged to be able to view them.

There was a "Soirée Montagne" at the hotel bar in Abilly.

It was well attended and the food delicious.

Each person had their own pot of melted cheese and bits to dip into it.

I doubt that many people realised that January 13th was National Rubber Ducky Day.

Guests were invited to dress up in rubber duck/bath time costumes.

Some were more inventive than others.

A "parmentier de confit de canard" was served which is a kind of duck shepherd's pie.

It was delicious.

More dressing up was required for a Burns Night supper at the home of more friends.

Thanks to Jim Craig for the photo.

It was an evening of music, songs, poetry and a quiz centred on the life of Robbie Burns.

For dinner we had cullen skink, a delicious haggis shepherd's pie, tatties and neeps followed by Scottish tart.  I haven't had genuine haggis for a while and had forgotten how good it is.

Much of January has been cold, grey and damp but there has been some sunshine.

 

I was in charge of dog walking on the day that we had a new window fitted.

(More about that later.)

It was a beautiful morning to enjoy a walk around the park at Paulmy.

We sit out in the late afternoons whenever the weather is half decent.

Wrapped up in hats, gloves and blankets we have been treated to some fabulous sunsets.

And now we are into February, one week almost gone.

Although it is the shortest month it often feels like the longest.

Not much happens in February but the winter is nearly over.

1st March is spring in my book and we look forward to more sunshine and some warmth, at last.