news from france

A new year in the countryside

2012-01-29T15:21:00.001Z

This year we decided against coming to France to celebrate the New Year. Instead we are here for a couple of weeks at the end of January.

East Anglia, where we live in the UK has had very little rainfall since early last year and even recently there was talk about the continuing drought and the low levels of water in the reservoirs. Here it would appear to be quite the opposite, the ground is very wet and according to our neighbour there has been a lot of rain since our last visit at the beginning of December. In fact today we went for a walk in the woods where we often go foraging for mushrooms, we have never seen the moss so green and sponge like. Even the woodland tracks were thick with mud, the ditches were full of running water and there were deep pools of water everywhere. This being the countryside it means that everywhere is very muddy. I am so pleased that we put a thick layer of gravel over our yard several summers ago, at least we can walk around outside and keep reasonably clean.

Rob has over the years read most of Casanova's diaries. He was pleased to read recently that his letters had been bought by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and that they were part of an exhibition about Casanova being staged at the BnF. http://www.bnf.fr/fr/acc/x.accueil.html Luckily our visit to France coincided with this exhibition, http://expositions.bnf.fr/casanova so off we went to Paris last Tuesday.

Bibliothèque Nationale de France

As we drove up to Flers to catch the Paris train the weather looked really promising. Clear skies and crisp air, but the forecast for Paris was heavy rain so I went armed with my umbrella. On arrival we went straight to the BnF and spent some time looking at the exhibition. As always this was a mistake even in the capital city the restaurants had stopped serving food when we came out hungry. So instead of a slap up meal to celebrate our wedding anniversary we finally found a cafe serving organic soups, pies and sandwiches. What we had to eat was tasty and well prepared but not the restaurant experience we had hoped for. When will we learn, food before culture not the other way around.

Natural History Museum

Jardin des Plantes

By this time it was pouring with rain and it continued till we got home. We spent the afternoon walking the streets of Paris under my umbrella, we saw a lot of pavement and not much else as we kept an eye open for puddles. Normally a visit to the shops is not part of the itinerary for such a visit so I must say I knew the weather was getting the upper hand when Rob suggested the best plan would be to find a department store!

Eventually as it got dark we took refuge on the terrace of a cafe, totally enclosed but for a small opening between the glass walls and the canopy roofing, meaning it can be used by smokers who are banned from smoking indoors. It was however nice and warm under the heaters and we sat and watched the world go by in the rain. Before heading for the return train we had a good steak and chips which rounded off our day nicely. Nowhere is particularly pleasant in the rain and Paris is no exception.

I read in the local paper that there was a 'tricot cafe' being held in the next village, I assumed this would be along the lines of the 'stitch and bitch' groups that are becoming popular in the UK. I know I can knit and I can talk but the question was ' can I knit and talk' in French at the same time? Having nothing else planned for Friday afternoon I decided to give it a try. I arrive fashionably 15 minutes late and on entering the cafe found just one women standing at the bar drinking coffee and talking with the owner. I asked if I was the only one who had come for the 'tricot cafe', no said the lady drinking coffee, we are now two! She was very welcoming and explained that she was not a regular either and she had no idea who else would come along.

We sat down and she brought out her knitting. She was part way through a waistcoat having completed the back and had almost finished one of the fronts. I then brought out my project and she looked in amazement at my very fine wool and very small circular needle. So with our knitting to talk about we enjoyed an hours conversation about yarns, the lack of wool shops, the change in knitting habits, no longer is knitting done out of necessity as wool is so much more expensive to buy than a ready made sweater, but a hobby for those who want to make something unique. She went on to explain about her trips to the UK and how she loves the soft furnishings in English houses. It turned out that she is married to the architect we hired to do our drawings when we applied for planning permission to put windows in the roof of our barn. Eventually another lady arrived, the organiser, who had been delayed as her cat had needed an emergency visit to the vet! Two hours later I decided it was time to leave as we had friends coming for supper that evening, promising that I will attend again when ever we are in France.

For anyone who is interested they meet on the last Friday of the month at the 'Le Coquelicot' in St Fraimbault at 14.30hrs.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T15:50:00.002Z

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our friends a very happy new year.

As for the year ahead - what will it bring?

Here in the UK we are looking forward to the 2012 Olympics. We have tickets for an evening of athletics at the Olympic stadium during the paralympic games. We tried twice for tickets to the able bodied games but were unsuccessful, so thought we would be more successful with tickets for the paralympics. However we tried to get tickets for wheel chair rugby, as one of our friends had designed one of the coins showing the wheel chair rugby, and for the same day some athletics. We have only got the athletic tickets. Never mind, the positive outcome must be that the paralympic games are proving just as popular as the able bodied games, and both sets of athletes need our support.

In France there will be presidential elections in April. The 'crisis' around the euro seems destined to carry on for some time, and it will be interesting to see who becomes president of France and what effect the results will have on their role in Europe.

The 6th November will bring the presidential elections in the USA. It doesn't seem that long ago that Obama was elected with so much hope for the future, but so much seems to have happened in the world since then, that he probably couldn't predict. Who ever is elected to office, in France or the USA, will have a difficult time, no matter what their ideals may be the world economy may dictate what they can do rather than what they would like to do.

With 3 years 364 days to go before 2015 when the UN hopes to have reduced by three quarters, (from 1990 to 2015) the maternal mortality ratio and to increase the number of births attended by skilled health personnel, we still have a very long way to go. If you would like to know more the Every Mother Counts website has plenty of information. You can also follow them on Facebook. http://everymothercounts.org/issue

On a more happy note - it is time to plan the vegetable plot for the coming summer. I must sow the onions and leeks this week. Last years harvest was really good and I am determined we will be self sufficient in onions and leeks this year.

May I wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.

Christmas is approaching fast.

2011-12-16T14:46:00.001Z

Just nine days to Christmas 2011. I have to admit to been a little lazy recently about updating my blog I suppose although we have been busy with lots of activities I haven't considered them really newsworthy.

We did spend about 10 days in France at the end of November. There we spent time tidying up the garden in readiness for the winter. Several branches of the 'Calville' apple tree had broken under the weight of the fruit in the summer and they needed to be cut back to prevent the tree from rotting. The poly tunnel needed to be taken down as it is a simple improvised construction which had worked really well. We will certainly put it up again next year, but will try and get it into production earlier in the year and hope that we can get some melons ripened before the end of the summer. At first glance I thought we only had a harvest of weeds but on closer inspection found that we had lots of vegetables ready to eat. The only disappointment were the brussel sprouts which although they looked healthy the actual sprouts hadn't formed a nice firm heart. We have left them in the hope they will improve - if not they will be shredded for a stir fry.

Several wheelbarrow loads of farmyard manure have been put on the garden and all bare areas have been covered with black plastic. Hopefully the worms will work the manure into the soil and it will be nice and fertile for next spring.

Supper!

We managed to get out and do some foraging for mushrooms. We found plenty to eat and many more which we couldn't identify, but that's the way it goes. It is always satisfying to comeback from a walk in the woods with enough fungi to make a meal and even better when there is enough to dry for another day.

Magical Woodland Scene (not edible)

We even found quite a few mushrooms along the lane where we live including a beautiful Wood Blewit.

For the past few years we have been using the SeaFrance ferries to cross from Dover to Calais. The company has been in financial difficulties for some time now but has survived as it is part of the French railway company, the EU has now ruled that the state support that SeaFrance has been receiving is not legal so the company has been put 'up for sale'. When we travelled a few weeks ago their ferry boats were tied up in the port of Calais as the company was fearful of a walk out by staff as discussions on a take over were taking place. It now appears that the take over offer has been withdrawn and the company could fold as soon as next week. SeaFrance arranged for us to travel with DFDS via Dunkirk, but that added an extra 30 minutes to the crossing and another 20 minutes of travel on the French side. With the number of ferry companies dwindling and with the increase cost of fuel the ticket prices are rising rapidly. We will have to study the various options that the ferry companies offer before we go again in January. There are definitely less people travelling across the channel - the boats are never full, so perhaps there may be some good deals to be negotiated.

December is the month of Christmas parties. I started with our Moreton Hall WI party. A really good evening with good food, craft (OK, not my forté) limerick writing which was fun and lots of chatter and laughter, in all a good event.

Then we had the Bury Heritage Guides Party, again lots of good food and good company and a chance to inspect our hosts vintage cars and drool over the more modern ones, in particular a beautiful 1956 Mercedes similar to the one in this photo.

The WI held its annual carol concert at St Mary's Church, this last Monday evening, which as usual was well attended. At this time of year I bring out my red 'fur' coat which I wear to parties and, what has become a tradition, to the Carol Concert. I think if I turned up in another coat there would be complaints from my friends. Also this week we had the flower club Christmas meeting which again saw us tackling a craft project. This time angels to hang in the Christmas tree which will be decorated as part of a tree festival. I was quite impressed by the results this time.

This year I have been a little late in getting the Christmas cake made, but finally this week I set aside a baking day, I got the cake was baked and the Christmas pudding mixed. This has now been steamed and is ready for the final steam on the day. Alexander helped me make lots of mince pies which are now in the freezer ready to dip into as needed.

In the operating theater, sewing up the duck

Last week while I was watching Michel Roux Jr give a masterclass I was inspired to copy his 'dodine de canard'. Basically a duck filled with a meat farce to make a duck paté which you can slice when cold. I have to say it looks beautiful, just like the one Michel Roux made. Just hope it tastes as good as it looks.

I also have a piece of beef marinating in spices which will be lightly cooked after another 4 days of curing and a piece of salmon in a gravadlax cure. Definitely feel good about these dishes, they should be tasty without being too filling. Just in case my sister is reading this - it's OK I will get a turkey for Christmas day!

So much about food - well it is a time of year to cook both traditional dishes and to try something new. All that's left to do is get a tree, that is easy here as they grow locally, just a couple of kilometres up the road and buy a couple of small gift items.

Happy Christmas to you all.

Where has the time gone

2011-10-13T22:15:00.001+01:00

I don't know where the last few weeks have gone. We have been busy with meetings and trips out. I have done some dress making. We spent a day in Colchester visiting the new Firstsite Art Gallery. Rob had a day in London. I visited the Budhist centre in Norwich with a group from the WI, and yesterday I went to a conference in London of which much more below.

After an early start Jill Newell and I arrived at Victoria Coach Station London, where we immediately sought out a small cafe for a much needed coffee and toilet stop, before heading off the the Home Office.

Airport style security is the order of the day to get into government buildings these days. Jackets off, all bags and small items removed from pockets and placed into plastic trays ready for screening and then through the security arch. All OK so far, given a ticket to indicate we had passed security and then on to the reception desk where we were given visitors passes for the conference facilities.

We joined about 50 women for a preparatory meeting ahead of the 56th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which will be focusing on ‘What are the priorities for women in rural communities?’.

The meeting was opened by Helene Reardon-Bond OBE, Head of Gender Equality Policy and Inclusion at Government Equalities Office. She then quickly handed over to Lynne Featherstone MP, Minister for Equalities who spoke about the importance of hearing from rural women themselves about the issues that concern them. She said she could not promise to make any decisions based on what was said at the meeting but she would try and bear our points in mind when dealing with issues that concerned us. She explained that she did understand what it was to be a working, single parent and that life is a juggling act. She told us that said had arrived home at 11 p.m. the previous evening to find her daughter not well and the dog sick and in need of the vet. So arranged an out of hours vet for the dog and picked up some medication from an all night chemist for her daughter on the way back from the vets. She does live in London, not sure how easy it would have been in rural Suffolk. She stayed for just a short while before dashing off back to the House of Commons.

Helene Reardon-Bond then went on to introduce the CSW to the group and explain the role of the UK Government Delegation. Each area of the world has a number of delegates, Africa, Asia, Southern America, etc and explained that the UK is in a group with Europe She explained the procedure for the conference in New York and how we fitted into the picture. We will be asked to put forward points to be taken into consideration and a small work group will discuss these points further before presenting them to the delegation from our area.

Sarah MacAdam the Head of Policy at Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) gave a very interesting presentation. The main topics which she thought were of concern to rural women, matched those that had been presented to me when I had canvassed opinion prior to the meeting. It was reassuring to know that we were all thinking along the same lines. Of course she discussed the statistics of the rural communities, but one statistic stuck out for me. Women in rural communities are more likely to be better educated than those living in towns, and have higher qualifications that men living in rural areas - I knew we were a clever bunch, and statistics prove it!

Leo Thomas, Inclusive Growth Advisor, with the Department for International Development (DfID) then spoke about the priorities for women in particular with reference to the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs. He spoke about his four main priorities: Delaying first pregnancies, tackling violence against women, and girls, working towards all girls/women receiving a full primary education. the economic empowerment of women, ensuring that they have rights to land ownership, and access to their own money and bank accounts. He had been working in Afghanistan for two years prior to taking up his present position and had seen how when women where in control of projects and cash that the money was always well used and projects succeeded.

We then broke off into groups where we gathered around flip charts and threw ideas at each other. Lots of noise and banter, but Jill and I did make sure the “WI” kept being mentioned. Reporting back to the meeting we were pleased that our note taker mentioned the WI three times in her report. We were the only organization to get mentioned.

Before the close of the meeting we had another presentation, this time by Polly Gibb, the Director of Women in Rural Enterprise (WiRE). She explained the work of WiRE, how it supports rural women, through mentoring and peer support groups, who are setting up and running rural businesses.

Helene Reardon-Bond had to leave before the end of the meeting as she was expected to be at an event in Downing Street with the Prime Minister so her colleague Celia Reed closed the meeting.

Reflecting on the meeting it was clear that many attending were not from rural communities and had no idea of rural life. One women remarked that rural women didn’t have access to democracy, had no idea how to access resources and basically wanted to say that they were a little ‘backward’. A couple of women of African origin and a women from the Indian subcontinent kept returning to the problems faced by women in Africa and Asia, which although important was not the focus of this particular meeting and did not really warm us to their plight.

Those women we did meet who had come from more rural areas had similar concerns to us and we were all similarly motived to get things done. As one farmer from Essex who was representing farming women said we, all women's groups must work more closely together to prevent repetition and be stronger as a group.

It was a very interesting meeting and as the only two representatives from the WI we felt we had made a significant contribution. Whether we will be asked to be on the small working party - probably not as there was a small group from UN Women who regularly attend the CSW in New York and all know one another. In any case watch this space as we may get feed back about the issues we raised. I don't think we will be going to New York though for the conference.

Maastricht, Strépy-Thieu, Saint Fraimbault and more

2011-08-22T14:35:00.000+01:00

As it pours with rain outside and thunder can be heard all around - it is time to catch up with my blog. It has been one of those unsettled summers, rain one day - hot dry sunshine another. It has just been so unpredictable it has been impossible to plan ahead. The thunderstorm seems to be getting nearer which will probably mean the internet connection will go down and possibly also the electricity.

We are just back from a short trip to the Netherlands. Setting off from here in warm sunny weather which stayed with us all the way to Maastricht. Here in our region of France there is very little traffic and it is only when you get onto the Paris - Calais motorway that the traffic becomes busier. We were driving across Belgium towards the southeast of the Netherlands so were lucky to avoid any really heavy traffic till we came to a stop at the end of the motorway on the outskirts of Maastricht. There the motorway ends and becomes a dual carriageway with traffic lights as the road passes through the town. Preparations are underway to build a tunnel to take the motorway underground, but it will be many years before the road is completed. Luckily for us we were leaving the road at the first junction but still had to wait sometime just to get to the slip road.

By the time we arrived at out destination the temperature had risen to 28C and it was very humid and muggy. After taking a walk along the river bank it grew very dark and we could hear thunder approaching in the distance. Luckily for us we were indoors when the storm broke, but a pop festival in nearby Belgium was hit by the storm, the podium was destroyed and tents flattened by the rain and wind. Several people lost their lives. Some of the staff from our niece's restaurant were attending the festival but were lucky to escape unhurt. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14586001

Silkie chicken drinking water.

Saturday we enjoyed a walk in the area around Teuven, Belgium. The area is very similar to Suffolk with soft undulating hills. We walked through farmland, woodland and through orchard lined lanes in the warm sunshine, before enjoying a meal and a drink on the terrace at Moeder de Gans. Teuven is close to both the Dutch and German boarders so the clientele tends to be multi national. In addition to the humans enjoying the sun on the terrace there are chickens roaming freely around the premises. http://www.moederdegans.be/English_website.htm

On the way home yesterday we stopped off to visit the boat lift at Strépy-Thieu. This lift was opened in 2002 enabling large 1300 tonnes barges to be raised 73 m. The construction is amazingly large. We visited the visitors area above the machine room at the top of the building. Again - worth a detour if you are in the area. There are also four more boat lifts in the area, which were built in the early 20th century but are much smaller and can only take small barges of maximum of 300 tonnes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strépy-Thieu_boat_lift

BMW Frazer Nash

Every year France closes down on the 15th August for the Feast of the Assumption. Our neighbouring village of Saint Fraimbault holds its annual 'event' on this day. There was a display of old agricultural equipment and there was the usual vintage car rally. This particular car was interesting, a BMW Frazer Nash.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frazer_Nash

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_KR200

Messcherschmitt

Almost finished - the highest point

After many weeks of very hard work, Rob has almost finished the re-pointing of the building in the centre of the yard. It has taken much longer than he had anticipated when he started. The result is really good. The new lime mortar really shows off the colour and shape of the stones - a real work of art!

A while ago we visited Forges de Varenne. One of the iron ore sites which we have here in the area. Last year we visited a village which had been set up specially for the industry. This site is much older, 17th century. The furnaces are in the grounds of a small chateau which is now used as a family home for handicapped young people. It is a site well worth visiting if you are in the area.

http://www.champsecret61.com/index.php/decouvrir/patrimoine/les-forges-de-varennes.html
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=dompierre,orne&hl=en&ll=48.630966,-0.59426&spn=0.004219,0.008926&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=41.275297,73.125&vpsrc=6&t=h&z=17

It is still raining and the temperature is falling. Hopefully this is not the end of 'summer' but one does have the feeling that a real Autumn may be a better option than this type of weather.

Rainy August in France

2011-08-08T14:22:00.000+01:00

Who ever started the discussion on Global Warming, needs to have another look at their data. I am not saying that I want to stop recycling or being more careful about the amount of fossil fuels I consume, but really...... when I was younger, much younger than today.... August was a summer month. Warm days, even warm nights, pleasant weather for camping and being outdoors. I remember cycling in the heat of the summer in the Loire department when visiting our French friends. Then August afternoons were for spending indoors in the shade and cool of their old house, before emerging later in the afternoon to sit in the shade. Now, August seems to mean spending time indoors to avoid the rain, and when you can venture out it is cool and grey. Luckily this morning remained dry and was also very windy which meant the clouds were wizzing by overhead and although some of them have been dropping the wet stuff from time to time it looks as though it may stay dry all day. Oh no... it rained heavily but only while we were eating lunch. Now the sun is shining again. Rob is taking every opportunity to continue his outdoor work as he has had so many interruptions it seems that the task will never be finished.

The Bardsey Apple Tree laden with fruit.

By now we should be enjoying the tomatoes we have growing in the garden but, they have enough water and there are plenty of tomatoes on the vines, they are just not ripening. Two plants out the front of the house, which in previous years would have produced ripe fruits a couple of weeks ahead of those in the garden now have some reddening tomatoes, but they are still not ripe enough to eat. Even those in the poly tunnel aren't ripening. Warmth is obviously not enough. Despite this the cucumbers which are also growing in the poly tunnel are very prolific, at least one cucumber per day - today I picked 2 large ones. We even have a melon, but it is still the golf ball size it was last week, still there is still hope we might get one to eat this summer, which is one more than last year. Sun please come back and warm things up.

Wall paintings - 'Hell"?

Yesterday we visited Lassay le Chateau with my father. There is a building currently being used as an exhibition space which has these very old wall paingings. From the shape of the windows and the topic of the paintings we assume it must be a chapel and the young lady on reception also called it a chapel, but when I tried to discover more about it on the internet I only came accoss mention of it being a jail. Of course it has probably had many uses over the years.

Detail of same wall painting

Another interestign fact I discovered was that Camille Pissarro, one of the impressionist painters visited his friend and fellow painter Ludovic Piette in the area between Lassay le Chateau and Ceauce.

http://www.petit-patrimoine.com/fiche-petit-patrimoine.php?id_pp=53149_1.

If you have been watching the BBC series on the impressionists you will have heard about him.

Sculpture on view in gallery!

Raining again!

This last weekend was the 15th 'Les Médiévales de Domfront'.

http://domfront-medievales.com/.

This event is held bi annually and the old part of the town is filled with stalls selling locally produced craft and food items. There is also typical medieval entertainment. A couple of weeks before the event a shop opens in town where you can go to be measured for a costume. Not everyone dresses up but many do. Some interesting combinations - modern shoes and specs often accessorising the outfits.

We have been there when it was warm and those wearing heavy costumes where suffering in the heat, however on Saturday when we were there it was a question of avoiding the rain showers.

Geese

One really interesting display was a man and his geese which he controled with a 'sheep' dog and a whistle. The geese were amazingly responsive to the dog and moved a one body when the dog moved around them.

Man on right with stick the 'Goose Herder'

We did make a few purchases from a sculputer, one piece of a women balancing a ball on her ankle, I bought some wooden ear rings and we bought my sister a birthday present, which will for the moment remain a secret as although it is her birthday we haven't been able to send it to her as yet.

With the 'Goose Herder'

I don't know how succesful the event was, a lot of time and effort goes into organising these events and it will be a shame if the stall holders were out of pocket at the end of the weekend. I will ask our neighbours who have a shop in the town selling replica mediaeval items and local crafts.

Please can I have one too, but more sun too?

Bagnoles de l'Orne

2011-07-27T20:19:00.000+01:00

Picnic lunch in Bagnoles de l'Orne

Having our picnic lunch on the job.

Sunday saw us at the Vide Greniers in Bagnoles de l'Orne, a spa town close to us. It is a huge two day event and for the second year running we had a stall on the Sunday. I had made a large batch of Lemon Curd to sell on the stall as we had run out of stock at the last sale. Sales were steady throughout the day and even as I was packing up I sold a few more jars of chutney to a lady who is based in Paris and is setting up a course for school children - teaching them about the different tastes of France. She thought my lemon curd and chutneys were an interesting addition to the Tastes of the Orne. We also met up with several of our neighbours who were enjoying a Sunday out in the sunshine, a rare sight these days - the sun that is not the neighbours.

Jaipur Maharaja BrassBand from Rajasthan

Each Sunday afternoon in July and August concerts are held in the park of the chateau. They vary considerably in style - last Sunday it was a brass band from Jaipur. They played music and there was a female dancer. One of the troop also did circus style acts balancing a pot on his head while dancing to the music and walking bare foot on a bed of nails. These events are always well attended, it may be because they are free and in the open air. After packing up our stall we spent some time watching the band.

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

Rob happened to be walking outside the house one lunchtime and found a cow had escaped from the field opposite and was wondering along the road. Just as we were looking up the phone number to call the farmer he came along with assistance and they quickly rounded up the cow and fixed the fence. No doubt she thought the grass was greener on the otherside and pushed her way through the barbed wire to get to it.

We are still waiting for summer to return. The only plus side of the weather is that the mushrooms are flourishing. Yesterday evening while strolling up the lane to visit a friend we found 7 parasol mushrooms just in the grass at the side of the road. We quickly harvested them for our dinner this evening. Luckily I don't think anyone else had noticed them as they were well hidden in the long grass.

Chutneys, Marmalade and Lemon Curd

2011-07-18T21:50:00.001+01:00

Selling Chutney

Last Thursday, 14th July, I had a stall at the 'braderie' in Domfront. It is a large event with both commercial and private individuals selling their wares. Most people are selling 'car boot' type items but I was there with my chutneys and marmalade. We also have a selection of English language paperbacks, books which we have read and then sell on to other local English speaking people.

I had booked a place in advance, and when I queried the 7am start I was told it was imperative that I arrived then and no later as the roads in the town would all be closed off later. Of course with hind sight I realise I should have tried to find out where I was being placed, so when we arrived just after 7 on Thursday morning, I found that my spot was along the main road running through the town and we could have arrived at any time as it is the main road from Alençon to the coast and would remain open all day. For the first couple of hours it was very quiet and very chilly. Then about 9 am people started to arrive and within a short while I had sold all the Lemon Curd. Throughout the morning I had a steady stream of customers, some new and some I had met before. One older gentleman explained that he had left his wife at home while he was looking around the stalls. He asked where we lived and then explained he knew our house and our neighbours and that he lives in the village next to the Marie, small world!

Eventually about 1pm the sun came out and it warmed up - and the afternoon was pleasantly warm. In the morning the people milling around were mainly older couples and many expats, but plenty of them were out to buy. In the afternoon the crowds changed to families with children who were there to enjoy the sun, but not much business was being done. Eventually around 5 pm we packed up and went home. I was very satisfied with my sales. Next week we will be at the Vide Greniers in Bagnoles de l'Orne. I have already made another batch of Lemon Curd as many people asked for it last week.

This last week has been particuarily wet in fact last Tuesday we had 30ml of rain and over the last week we have had about 50 ml. The garden is really wet. The potatoes seem to be happy with this rain, as are the asparagus plants, they continue to send up small spears. The plants are now two years old so we still have a few years to wait before we can eat it.

George sleeping under the hedge.

George, our cat, often sleeps outside, even in the rain, so long has he has a relatively dry spot to sleep, in England he sleeps under the garden table, here he sleeps under the hedge.

Smoking some mackerel.

For many years now we have been smoking our own fish. We have struggled to make a contraption that will produce cold smoke rather than hot smoke. Finally we have almost got there. See the contraption left. Still the smoke is a bit too warm, so we need to find some more piping. But we are pleased with the design so far. From left to right, our old barbeque, two pieces of piping linked at both ends with curved pipes all found in the metal container at the déchtèterie (recycling centre). The piping is still not long enough to cool the smoke sufficiently so we need to find a couple more pieces. As it was raining when we were preparing supper we set it up under the chimney in the barn. The mackerel was really delicious a good smoky flavour and just very gently cooked in the warm smoke.

Rob has continued with his re-pointing of the walls of the outbuilding, while I have continued with the redecoration of one of the bedrooms.

This morning while painting the ceiling I listened to Women's Hour on Radio 4 and there was a very interesting piece on the WI focusing on the Shoreditch Sisterhood WI in East London. They are a new WI and are keen on crafts but are also very interested in the campaigns of the WI and are linking these interests in a 'Vulva Quilt' which they will use to raise awareness of Female Genital Mutilation.

See these websites for more information.

http://shoreditchsisters.blogspot.com or http://www.facebook.com/shoreditchsisterswi?sk=wall where there is a link to BBC iplayer. Great to hear that they have a campaigns officer on their committee, just wish a few more WIs were so interested in Public Affairs.

Tour de France 2011

2011-07-09T11:27:00.006+01:00

Rob and I spent Thursday along side the road waiting and then briefly watching the Tour de France. Had to come home to follow it later on television. The majority of photos are of the caravanne which precedes the tour by about an hour. Hats, tooters, cakes, crisps,newspapers, key rings etc were thrown from the passing vehicules at fairly high speeds.

No not a real rider!

Rather large dog?

Yes he was real!

After the caravanne, waiting for the tour

Is there anything coming?


The front runners.

Then a gap - filled with support cars

Board has numbers of those in the breakaway group, looking up to the helicopter above.

The Peleton

As they pass by.

This video gives an impression of the caravanne racing by. It was very windy and the background noise is the wind not my breathing. You will see why you need to look at the photos - it is almost impossible to see what is wizzing by.

Video of the event, terrible pictures but an idea of what it was like to be there.

Work in progress

2011-07-06T16:57:00.000+01:00

Baby Redstarts hiding behind the vine

Closeup of our 'babies'

The birds have been very busy these last few weeks. We have several house sparrows nesting in holes in the walls of the outbuildings. Somewhere locally a black bird is nesting and often sits on the roof of the cowshed singing. Last year we had a pair of Redstarts nesting in a hole in the wall, about 90cm from the ground. It wasn't a very safe place to raise a family as George (the cat) soon realised he could sit under the entrance and watch the parents flying in and out. Luckily he didn't catch them. This year we have had a pair, possibly the same ones, who have built a nest in the vine climbing on the side of the outbuilding where we have our laundry room and pump house. A much safer place to rasie a family but still low enough for us to see the chicks when they had hatched. Just after these photos were taken they started to strectch their wings and then the next morning, just after breakfast the two largest fledged. Unfortunately we missed them leaving. The smaller one remained in the nest and I assumed it wouldn't fledge that day but when I checked after dinner it too had gone.

The sparrows are still busy with their families no doubt they will fledge soon.

Rob re-pointing the walls of one of our buildings

Rob has started to re-point the walls of the outbuilding. He is using a lime mortar and has a reference book which was also used by the builders who built the millenium tower on St Edmundsbury Cathedral. However, I don't think Prince Charles will be popping in to see the progress of this project as he did in Bury. After a few trials he has perfected the mixture and is happy with his work to date. It will be a long job as he has to clean out the old mortar and in someplaces add small stones to fill up the holes.

He is currently working his way around at ground level and then will move on to a platform to work on the higher areas. He has completed two sides so far and will tackle the back of the building next - giving the birds time to vacate their maternity accommodation.

I have started work preparing one of our spare bedrooms for redecoration. So far I have stripped the walls of the old wallpaper and carpet. This means that one bedroom is out of action for a while but we still have one double for visitors, and hopefully it won't take me too long to finish my project.

NFWI AGM

2011-06-10T15:30:00.000+01:00

Just back from a two day trip to Liverpool were I attended the NFWI AGM along with more than 4,500 other women.

I travelled to Liverpool with the crowd from Suffolk West, delegates and observers. Tuesday afternoon we took a ferry across the Mersey, and back! Must admit we didn't do much singing, but it was a lovely afternoon. Unfortunately it did rain on the way back towards Liverpool, but it dried up and the sun came out as we arrived back on the Pier Head. Our group were staying in an hotel near the airport so after the ferry trip the coach then took them to their overnight accommodation. As I had booked late I was staying in a different hotel and took the opportunity to explore Liverpool.

I managed to visit a gallery in the Walker Art Gallery, and saw the exhibition 'Dare to Wear' Dresses and corsets made of glass. http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/exhibitions/daretowear/#Videos.

From there I walked to Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral which is known locally as Paddy's Wigwam. http://www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk/

My walk then took my along Hope Street, a road lined with beautiful large houses, many of which are now boutique hotels and restaurants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hope_Street,_Liverpool

Anglican Cathedral

I continued until I came to the Anglican Cathedral, much darker and somber compared to the more modern Catholic Cathedral. http://www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk It is situated high up above the city with magnificent views towards the Mersey. Also along side it is the graveyard with is deep down in what appears to be a quarried area. http://www.stjamescemetery.co.uk/

I continued my walk back into the city centre - there was so much more to see but by this time the feet were feeling just a bit tired. Definitely need to return to do some more site seeing.

I went into the Albert Dock area in the evening is search of a restaurant. The Albert Dock has been regenerated, and now has restaurants, bars, hotels and galleries. Every bar and restaurant was full of women, yes WI members everywhere. The waitress in the restaurant said she had never seen so many women in the place. Over dinner I chatted with three women from Sussex.

Yesterday morning needed yet another early start. Shared a breakfast table with women from Worcestershire Federation, before heading off to buy a picnic lunch for later in the day. Then it was off to the Echo Arena for the AGM.

Coaches were pulling up at the drop off point and swarms of women were closing in on the various entrances to the building. Quite an operation to get 4,500 people in to their seats. I queued up on the riverside with friends from Suffolk East Federation. Luckily everything was really well organized and it didn't take long to get in. It was quite a breezy spot on the banks of the Mersey.

Echo Arena Liverpool

The meeting got off to a good start with the singing of Jerusalem. Ruth Bond, National Chairman, then spoke about her two years in office, giving details of some of the events she attended in her first week. She explained that she spends a great deal of time away from home and even on the days she does get home she often arrives home very late. A comfy pair of shoes are essential as she often has to dash from one event to another. Ruth explained that in 2015 the WI will be celebrating its centenary and they hope to hire the O2 Arena in London, but as this will be a very expensive venue tickets will cost more and they will need 15,000 women to fill it, is it possible? She would like feed back. Despite meeting many famous and influential people she stressed that she and the other members of the Board of Trustees are just ordinary women like all WI members. She spoke passionately about sisterhood and friendship in the WI.

Aleathia Mann, Honorary Treasurer, then presented the financial statement. She was pleased that membership continues to rise as many of our costs are increasing but as many are fixed costs an increase in membership does really help with increasing funds.

The first guest speaker of the day was Erwin James, Guardian columnist and former prison inmate. He spoke clearly and without notes, giving us an insight into his upbringing and subsequent conviction for murder. He explained that he had taken the opportunity offered to him in prison to continue his education and found that for once in his life he found something he was really good at, English language and literature. He was encouraged to take a course in Journalism and he obtained his degree through the Open University. While still inside he began writing a column for the Guardian Newspaper. Since his release from prison he has continued to write a column and has written several books. He has also become involved with the Prison Reform Trust and is one of their trustees. http://erwinjames.co.uk/

Marylyn Haines-Evans, Chair of the NFWI PA Committee gave an update on the campaigns, see her report on the NFWI website link below.

The debate of the resolution, Closure of Local Libraries then started with expert speakers both for and against. Once the debate hit the floor, it did seem as though most members were more concerned about literacy, possibly something to do with the guest speaker, but still did make one consider if we had the correct resolution. After an orderly debate the voting took place and the result would be announced later in the day after the count had been confirmed.

We then had an update on Denman College by Anne Harrison, NFWI vice chairman and Chair of Denman College. Anne explained that there had been extensive renovation works in the guest accommodation and that the shop and reception areas had been changed and improved. She then went on to explain that the heating system in the house were approximately 80 years old and in desperate need of replacements. Plans are being made to install Photovoltaic Cells and a new heating system, but this will be a very expensive project. She has asked all members to help raise the funds to finance this project, by selling cups of tea for £1. She would like us to have tea/coffee mornings selling cups of tea/coffee at £1, inviting friends and family. If we all do just a bit, we should be able to raise the necessary funds quite quickly, so if I invite you around for a cuppa, don't forget to bring some cash with you.

After a sandwich lunch outside the arena with Julie, our Federation Secretary, the afternoon session continued with the introduction of the new NFWI Trustees.

The meeting then went on to the debate on the second resolution on Proposed Mega Farms.

Helen Browning

We had two very good speakers on the subject, Helen Browning, Director of the Soil Association spoke first. She is an organic tenant farmer, with 1,300 acres, with a mix of livestock, dairy and beef cattle, pigs and arable land. She spoke really well and was very passionate about farming, but does believe that farmers do need to expand to be profitable. When she and her father started farming a farm needed either 100 milking cows or 100 acres of arable land to support a family. She thinks the same applies today, her farms supports one family per 100 acres of land.

Peter Kendell

Then the NFU president spoke and again gave a very powerful argument this time against the resolution. The debate continued from the floor and all seemed to be well until the chairman announced it was time to vote. At which point one of the members got to the floor and asked for the meeting to move on to the next agenda item. After some confusion, as the microphones had been switched off, she was finally allowed on to the stage to make the proposal that the meeting move on to the next item. The purpose of this was that the feeling in the hall was that the resolution was very badly worded and if it were voted on would either leave us with a resolution which may back fire on the WI if passed or if rejected would mean we would not be able to redraft it and present it again in the near future. By passing it over means that if the WI feel strongly about the topic it can be reworded and presented to the meeting at a future time.

After this was proposed a seconder came forward and again there was a debate from the floor. By this time the atmosphere was electric and the delegates sitting around me were asking if this happened every year, no - this was quite unusual. The proposal was passed with a large majority and much pleasure from the members.

Here are links to the soil association http://www.soilassociation.org/Whyorganic/Blogs/HelenBrowning/tabid/1406/Default.aspxand the NFU http://www.nfuonline.com/News/WI-statement-on--mega-farms--vote/ with their comments on our meeting.

Dr Rita Gardner

After all this excitement we than had another very interesting presentation by Dr. Rita Gardner, CBE, Director of The Royal Geographical Society. She gave an illustrated talk on landscapes and was both entertaining and informative.

The final guest speaker was Sir Steven Redgrave, he had been invited to speak in his role as Fair-trade Ambassador. We watched films one about his time as a sportsman and another about his work sourcing fair-trade cotton for his clothing line. He then spoke a little about Fair-trade. Unfortunately after so many excellent speakers he really wasn't very good. He had not prepared his talk and kept stumbling over his words and kept repeating himself. One good point was that he hasn't been lucky in the ticket ballot so no Olympic tickets for his family as yet, so in that respect he was just like the rest of us.

As you can read, it was a busy few days in Liverpool, but very enjoyable. A Yorkshire born girl, living in Suffolk, had supper with women from Sussex, breakfast with Worcestershire, queued with Suffolk East, met fellow Women reaching Women promoters from Somerset, Jersey, Berkshire and Huntingdon chatted to Somerset and Anglesea and sat in the arean amongst a friendly group from Lancashire. Of course mustn't forget the coach load of friends from Suffolk West.
I am sorry if I have missed out anyone from another county.

If you would like to read more about our AGM click on this link. http://thewi.org.uk/standard.aspx?id=12618

Bury Society

2011-06-09T16:41:00.000+01:00

Skinner Street

As part of its 40th anniversary celebration the Bury Society organised a photo competition, titled 'My Bury St Edmunds'. Rob and I both entered and I was the lucky winner. The prizes were awarded at the AGM last week.

http://www.burysociety.com/

Receiving my prize

Busy week!

2011-05-23T14:55:00.001+01:00

Rob with school children

Children at Mediatheque

Yet another busy week behind us. Tuesday we popped in to the Médiatheque to check on things there and found a small group of children in the exhibition space. These four children where sitting on the floor drawing. Three were making copies of the drawings and another little girl was drawing one of the 'ouvertures' an image of a door frame. They were really very good.

These children were really excited to be photographed with the 'artist' himself. Rob had declined the opportunity to give a talk to the school children but was happy to chat to them when he saw how enthusiastic they were and there were only four the rest of the class were in other parts of the building.

Busy copying a 'master piece'

Covered Spring at the Chapelle de St Antoine

Wednesday we went walking in the Foret de la Motte, just to the east of Bagnoles de l'Orne. We started to follow a circular route and part way around we stopped at the Chapelle de Saint Antoine. http://www.petit-patrimoine.com/fiche-petit-patrimoine.php?id_pp=61243_1

Chapelle de St Antoine

We had been to this little chapel with its well some years ago, parking the car at the top of the hillside path and walking the short distance to the chapel. This time we included it in a longer walk. Again it was a beautiful day and the walk through the forest was ideal as we were in the shade of the trees for the majority of the time.

Dragonflies

As we walked along the banks of the river we watched the dragonflies flitting to and fro in the sun, and mating on the branches overhanging the water.

Orchid

The grassy sides to the roads are covered with wild flowers including this small orchid.

We also came across a Bay Bolete Mushroom, we normally find these at the end of the summer or early autumn. The books do say they can be found from early summer onwards but we have never found them this early. Bay Boletes are one of the mushrooms we enjoy eating and have found them both in France and in England, often very plentiful.

Resting after our picnic lunch

Cross dates 1624

On our way back we took a side road and came across this roadside cross. We had seen a similar one just a few kilometers away, but this one is of particular interest as the date carved into the stone is the same date that is carved on a stone we have at the entrance to our house, 1624.

Next to this cross was a notice explaining that it had been erected by Alexis Bignon in thanksgiving for being saved from the plague. So far we haven't found any more information about this other than what is carved into the stone itself. The neighbouring farm is called Bigonntierre and it could be on one of the old roads leading to the Mont Saint Michel. Further research is needed.

Studying the quary

Thursday we drove over to Melle 30miles (48 km) away to the west, to visit family friends, from Yorkshire. After lunch we walked in the nearby woods and visited an old quarry, now disused. However, there is still a stonemason working near by, who had worked in the quarry until it closed. He now works to order for local people. He had just finished a door frame in stone, and was waiting for his client to collect. There is still plenty of granite lying around which he can use and he had produced some really nice work despite working in the open with only a corrugated iron shed for shelter.

Stone masons shelter

Young Swallows

Here at home the birds are busy with their nests and feeding their young. We had a nest of great tits in a hole in one of the walls. The parents were very busy flying in and out with food, and the young were really noisy and then suddenly one day all was quiet - we assume they had fledged while we were out. The sparrows are still busy feeding their young - we have several nesting in the walls. We also have a pair of swallows who are determined to nest, preferably indoors. Whenever we leave a door open in they come, flying around presumably checking out the location and local amenities. In the garage they were found perched on the frame of the hammock, they also like the inside of the cow shed and in this photo were resting on this rake in the 'tool shed/ water pump room'. They have even taken a liking to our kitchen/living room. Could be interesting to have them nest inside, but I fear for the mess and we can't leave the door open all day for them. George I am sure would be happy to share his home with them!

The other morning I spotted a hare walking down the road, yes, walking at a gentle pace down the middle of the road as though he owned the place. We haven't seen him since, but one evening last week George suddenly started hissing at something as he was sitting on the door step, Rob could only catch a glimpse of the animal, and thought it could have been the hare which George was sending on its way.

Meet the Press

2011-05-15T21:41:00.000+01:00

Rob holding a copy of the Publicateur

We have been very busy these last few weeks.

Last Saturday Rob was interviewed by a journalist from the regional newspaper 'Ouest France' at the Médiatheque. Wednesdays edition carried the article and a photo of Rob in front of one of his exhibits. On arriving home there was an email from another journalist this time from the local rag, 'le Publicatuer' asking for an interview on Tuesday. This interview and photo were in this weeks edition and if you look carefully you can see the photo in the newpaper Rob is holding here.

Sculpture in the grounds of the Chateau in Flers

On a recent visit to Flers we wandered through the gardens of the Chateau where there was a temporary sculpture exhibition, this one was particularly interesting. Thin slices of a tree trunk had been painted with vivid green paint and then set out under the trees near the entrance. It was really simple but very effective.

New mini poly tunnel

We have set up a mini poly tunnel, made with a metal grid which I think are for re enforcing concrete in the building trade. This covered with thick plastic sheeting. We got the idea from our friends who were erecting one in their garden, they had bought three of these grills but had decided two were sufficient so we took over the extra one. Tomorrow I will plant it up with cucumbers and aubergines. My melon plants are still too small, they are still in pots in the mini greenhouse. Hopefully this poly tunnel will give the plants some extra heat encouraging them to give earlier and bigger crops. We will have to see how this works out as of course the plants will need extra watering and we will have to open it on warm days to encourage the bees.

There are plenty of bees around - the raspberry canes are covered with them, hopefully this means that bees are thriving in this area.

Marcella capturing Wim at the exhibition

Rob's sister and husband have been visiting for a few days. They came to view Rob's exhibition en route to the south of Italy, some detour from Holland! It was lovely to see them and I think they thought it worthwhile.

Two sows with their young enjoying an afternoon nap.


Taking advantage of the facilities at the Féte de la Bio,

Yesterday we spent at the Fete de la Bio, an agricultural fair organized by the regional Organic Farmers Union. It was held at a farm not far from here. We had a good look around at the demonstrations and inspected the food stalls, tasting as we went. We enjoyed a simple lunch of galettes whilst sitting under the trees watching the world go by. I met several people I knew from the cheese making course I had been on earlier in the year. After coming back home for an afternoon in the sun, we went back in the evening for the dinner. More than 600 people had supper in a large circus type tent, with music from a local jazz band JLS (Jazz du Lundi Soir). The jazz band improved as the evening went on. These suppers served under canvas are a regular feature of local fairs and fetes and we have attended quite a few in the past, but I think this was probably the biggest we have been to so far. So glad we weren't involved in the catering. A local restaurant coordinated the volunteers from the farmers union, and the ingredients had been locally sourced from members. A list of suppliers was displayed at the entrance along with the menu. It was a good day and we all enjoyed ourselves.

So much to tell, Ouverture, Tripes and BAMS

2011-05-01T15:59:00.001+01:00

Today is the first of May, and I haven't written my blog for a long time. As it is now raining, the first rainy day for quite some time I will take the opportunity to catch up with our news.

For a start it has been unseasonably warm, we have enjoyed some really lovely warm days and some which were better than most average summers. We have enjoyed ice creams in the Abbey Gardens in Bury St Edmunds, and while walking around Oxford. Here in France we have spent many afternoons sitting outside relaxing, and have enjoyed many meals outside too. Not only lunch in the sun, but several evenings we have used the BBQ and benefited from the warm light evenings.

Well, what else have we been doing?

The BAMS (British Art Medal Society) Conference was in Oxford this year. We were very lucky to be able to stay at Worcester College. The college is just down the road from the Ashmolean Museum. It is set within the most beautiful grounds with a small orchard and wild flower garden, beautiful lawns running down to the lake, as well as the manicured lawn in the quadrangle, which you can only look at - it is forbidden to walk on the grass, but I suppose that is why it is so perfect.

Our third floor room had a twin aspect - one side overlooking the gardens and the other side overlooking the castle. All meals were taken in the dining hall, a very grand formal hall. Universities may take girls now, but the colleges are still very male orientated. I arrived for dinner on the first evening in a skirt and high heels, only to find that we were sitting on benches at the table. I managed to sit down eventually, but it wasn't easy and certainly not elegant. Decided to remain seated until the end of the evening as there was no way I could get out again. Now I know why the girls wear their gowns over their dresses when eating in the dining hall, not to protect their dresses from spills but to preserve their modesty.

Saturdays lectures where held in a room at the Taylorian Institute, next door to the Ashmolean. In the afternoon we had a guided tour of the museum and were taken into the coins and medals room to examine some of their medal collection. I hadn't been in the Ashmolean before but it has recently been renovated and there are some beautiful light open spaces. The layout of the displays have been altered to make use of these new areas and the curators now try to link displays not only on each floor but between the floors.


MDG5 Improving Maternal Health

Sunday morning took us to the Ruskin School of Art for a talk by our friend Jane McAdam Freud. Jane then led the workshop, where we used paints to create free thought images. We dribbled poster paints on to paper and then either folded the paper or pressed another sheet on top and then peeled it back to reveal........ our piece of art. I enjoyed the workshop and even managed to create a 'logo' for Maternal Health. I hope you see what I can see in this image, yellow sun, belly of pregnant women, red blood. Thanks Jane for a really good morning.

As usual the conference was really enjoyable. It is always nice to meet up with friends from the BAMS each year.

Then it was time for me to attend the closing conference of Women Reaching Women at the Commonwealth Club in London. It was a really good day with a variety of speakers amongst others; Barbara Stocking, Cheif executive of Oxfam GB, http://www.moneyweek.com/news-and-charts/profile-of-dame-barbara-stocking-of-oxfam-51541. and Department for International Development Minister, Stephen O’Brien MP, http://youtu.be/T5-uLLHqHcs

Although this was the 'closing' conference, it is expected that a small group of 'guardians' will continue to keep the progress of the MDGs in the public eye until 2015 when it is hoped the goals will have been achieved. Watch out for more on this in future blogs. The MDGs have not gone away!

We have been in France now for a couple of weeks. We got here just in time to see the apples trees still in blossom. The pears blossom has already finished.

My first task was to peel back the black plastic covering the vegetable garden and prepare the ground for the growing season. In the winter we had put a large quantity of farmyard manure (muck) on the major part of the garden and then covered it with a sheet of black plastic. Luckily the worms had been hard at work and most of the muck had been incorporated into the soil. It was also weed free!

'Calville' Apple tree in blossom

The swiss chard has survived the winter and is growing strong. The spinach has also grown well, as has the celery. We may not have an abundance of fresh vegetables but still enough to provide some variety and they are versatile enough to be a welcome addition to our menus.
The herb garden is looking good. The sorrel is abundant so we have had sorrel soup, and as an accompaniment to new potatoes, bought ones unfortunately as ours have only just gone in the ground. The tarragon which we planted last year has really done well and is now big enough to be useful in the kitchen. The chives are also looking healthy and we have already used a lot of them.

As this is our first visit since the New Year I am a bit late getting the potatoes in the ground. But as tradition has it Good Friday is the day to plant. With Easter being late this year, I managed to get all the potatoes in the ground before Good Friday, but it is at least a month later than last year. However, we had a late frost last year on May 15th with killed off the young growth on the early potatoes and they never really recovered, so maybe this year will be better. Peas, broad beans, borlotti and climbing beans have all been planted and the peas and broad beans are now coming through. Beetroot and Koolrabi which I had planted in modules in Bury have now been planted out and seem to be doing well, with new leaves coming on the plants. The sprouts, which again were sown in modules, are in a temporary bed and again are thriving - they seem to have grown a lot in the last week.

I have put up a small portable green house as we have brought lots of small tender plants with us. I kept most in small modules where they had been sown, until we got here as the car was full with Robs' paintings. These small plants have now been potted up and I have also sown seed for the courgettes, squash, melons and cucumbers, These are all now starting to pop out of the soil, always a wonderful site. The alpine strawberries I sowed in the early spring have also been potted on - they still seem very small, but hopefully they will soon be big enough to plant out in the garden. The weather has continued to be glorious and it has been hard to refrain from planting up the tubs and window boxes. I keep reminding my self that it is still early in the year and we may yet have a frost or two.

Rob Lansman, April 27th 2011

While I was busy in the garden Rob was busy with the final preparations for his exhibition. Last Tuesday, 26th April, we hung all his works. The theme to his first public exhibition is 'Ouvertures' or 'openings'. The hanging went more smoothly than I had anticipated. We started on Tuesday morning and then continued in the afternoon. The exhibition space is a side room in the Médiathéque in Domfront. The ladies from the library have been very welcoming and yesterday we found they had put a vase of roses on the table where we have the visitors book. As well as the paintings with the theme 'ouvertures' Rob also has a wall of his drawings. These are portraits of well known or in some cases not so well known people. These are hanging against a stone wall opposite the other paintings and the whole works really well together.

Rob with some of his paintings at 'Ouvertures' Domfront.

Rob Lansman, Acrylic on Paper

' Rob Lansman, Acrylic on paper,

Rob, 'Ouvertures', Domfront.

One of the 'highlights' is that Rob's exhibition is

Rob in front of the electronic board in Domfront, Orne.

advertised on the electronic board which is in the centre of Domfront where all passing traffic can see it. We have lived here now for five years and consider that it is quite an achievement for Rob to 'get his name in lights' so soon. We haven't as yet heard about any road closures or any stories of the police being involved in crowd control because of the masses of people turning up to view the exhibition, but there is still time - it is on until May 27th.

A few people have visited and signed the visitors book and yesterday we met some friends there who wanted to have a viewing with the 'artist'.

Last week we went with these same friends to La Férte Macé to eat Tripe. It is a speciality of the town and we ate in the Salle de Dégustastion, of the main tripe maker in the town. We phoned the day before to book. We were welcomed by the co-owner, who first brought us a selection of charcuterie from their shop next door, along with fresh bread, butter, gherkins etc. We helped ourselves to the two pates, and several different saucisson sec and andouille, a local sausage. We could easily have made a meal of just this course, but there was more to come. I have to admit that I really wasn't looking forward to eating tripe - I have memories of seeing it hanging on hooks in the market in Keighley when I was a little girl. Well, what a surprise, a dainty portion of 'tripes en brochettes' was served on a square white plate. Beautiful golden brown outside and a golden jus surrounding it. It was so meaty in texture we thought it was wrapped in lamb, but no as the lady explained it comprised layers of the different stomachs and then rolled up like a swiss roll and held in place with a small stick. It is then cooked in a special casserole for many hours - at least 12. The result was a very tender and tasty dish with a light, clear but rich sauce. I have to say it is something I would eat again, but suspect will be disappointed as I think we have probably eaten the best that La Férte Macé can offer. We finished with cheese, again a selection from their shop and then dessert and coffee. If you have ever read Elizabeth David's books on French cooking she often writes about eating lunch in small french restaurants where the hostess served the most wonderful simple food. This meal was very reminiscent of these passages from her book. No menu to choose from - we ate what we were offered. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal and it restored my faith in the French cuisine.http://maisondelatripe.free.fr/

Sun, Silks and Census

2011-03-27T23:01:00.000+01:00

Today we enjoyed a supper of Brancaster mussels, the last of the season. As much as I enjoy them I am pleased that there is a closed season. We are finding the mussels offered for sale in our region of France are very small and lack flavour. We think this is probably due to the fact they are being harvested all year round and most of them are still immature when harvested. A big fuss is made about the fact they come from a registered area around the Mont Saint Michel, but I think it is time they go back to some old traditions and give them some time to mature.

Today is census day and we have submitted our form online. Really easy to do and online the questions are sifted out for you, as you answer each question. It is interesting to see the differences in some of the questions from the 1881 census with today's. For instance then you were either married, widowed or single, and for women that meant being described as a 'spinster'. Now you have a choice of 9 options including 'formally in a same-sex civil partnership which is now legally dissolved' how times have changed!

On Wednesday gave a presentation on the use of the WI website, the mobile broadband signal has certainly become stronger in the area and I was able to do the presentation 'live' with the use of a dongle. It wasn't so long ago that I had problems getting a mobile signal in our house. I think that even more or stronger transmitters have been installed. I do hope it is like this all over the county as it will make giving presentations much more interesting.

We had a day out in Sudbury on Friday as it was Rob's birthday. We visited Gainsborough's house, where there was an exhibition of Alfred Munnings landscape paintings. It was very interesting as I was only aware of his paintings of horses, and as I am not a horsey person, wasn't particularly interested. However his landscapes are very interesting and well worth a visit. This is a temporary exhibition - these paintings are normally kept in store and not on view to the public.

While in Sudbury, popped in to Vanner's factory shop and picked up some lovely pieces of fabric. Now busy creating a stunning silk jacket. Rob found a lovely tie so we were both happy.

Finished off with lunch at the Angel - found the restaurant by chance and had a lovely lunch, well worth trying if you are in the area. A 2 course lunch menu for £10. We have had a week of lovely warm spring weather and we had not expected it to last till Friday but it did so we had a lovely end to a beautiful warm week.

Now of course much cooler, but it is still only the end of March - plenty of time for the temperature to warm up again.

Homemade Cheese

2011-03-15T15:12:00.000Z

Last Friday 11th March I heard Lady Antonia Fraser interviewed, at the Essex Federation of Women's Institutes, about her recent book on her life with Harold Pinter. She explained that everything in her book had been taken from her diaries, which she had written for very many years. She said it wasn't necessary to write every day but on a regular basis. This reminded me that although I don't keep a diary and never had, my blog was a type of diary in that it records events and memories which would otherwise be easily forgotten.

Last week we were in London, and visited the Modern British Sculpture exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts. There were some very interesting pieces but also some which needed more than a little imagination.

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/modernbritishsculpture/about-the-exhibition/

While in the area we also visited the Aktis Gallery, where there is a showing of 20th century Russian artists. Well worth the visit if you are in the area. http://www.aktis-gallery.co.uk/

Our day ended at the BAMS where the winners of the student medal competition were presented with their prizes. It was so nice to see so many really good medals and the enthusiastic young artists were in awe of the surroundings at Cutlers Hall.

Small cheese 175g approx

Several weeks ago I made some cheeses, and I decided it was time to cut into the smallest one, which appeared to be ripe and firm and had a pleasant aroma. We were not dissapointed, in fact I was really pleased with the result.

another image of same chees

It is a rich buttery yellow colour and has a smooth firmish texture, with no air bubbles, or other imperfections. Perhaps a little salty but nothing to spoil the flavour. This cheese was made with 1 litre of full cream pasteurised milk. See photos.

Today I am busy making another cheese. Just hoping that I have used the same method as before. The advantage of a small cheese is that they mature quickly, but of course that means it could become dry and hard if left for just a little too long. Unlike a very large cheese, the small size means that it will never develop a really strong flavour as it hasn't the time to develop. However this first cheese is a resounding success.

The larger cheese I made about seven weeks ago is still ripening. I think I will leave it at least another three weeks before we taste it.

WrW Maternal Health

2011-02-25T17:52:00.001Z

What a busy day I had Wednesday. First a drive down to Ipswich for an interview on Radio Suffolk's mid morning show.with James Hazell. That went well, in fact better than I had anticipated. Came home to find emails from friends who had listened to the show and they were all pleased with what I had said. Rob had recorded the interview so I was able to listen myself, very odd, it didn't sound like me at all. Click on the link below to listen for your self. Start at 2 hours 11 mins.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00dv96x/James_Hazell_Show_23_02_2011/

Half past five found us at the station where we collected two of the speakers off the Cambridge train.

The Public Affairs committee all turned up on time as usual to find that the hall was more or less ready to go, as Rob, Alex and the speakers we had collected from the station had set to putting out the tables and chairs.

If there had been any doubt as to whether we would have an audience or not was soon dispelled when people started arriving well in advance of the start time. Soon there was a buzz around the room. People gathering and tasting the local food and wine.

We made a prompt start at 7.30 and Maria Pawlowska gave the first presentation. Unfortunately she hadn't got very far when one of our members was taken ill. Luckily we had two doctors 'in the house' and another guest quickly phoned for an ambulance. After a short time the lady was seen by the paramedics and taken into the ambulance for tests. Luckily she had recovered and didn't require hospitalisation but was taken home by one of my friends.

The evening continued. Maria was followed by Jenny Newell a local doctor, who gave a report on work being carried out in Bangladesh by one of her friends who has been working there for many years. The work being done in the Lamb hospital has reduced maternal mortality dramatically and is now significantly lower than in others regions of Bangladesh.

Adam Musgrave from Oxfam GB followed giving information on how governments are involved in implementing the MDGs and gave some very practical examples of why health care is not always accessed even when it is available. For instance in many countries health care has to be paid for in advance, and he gave one example of where the cost of a hospital birth equates to half the average annual salary. He put it to us that if he was earning £24,000 here he would not be prepared to pay £12,000 for his wife to give birth to their child she is expecting, even though he loves her dearly. I think everyone in the room agreed with him. He gave examples of how Oxfam uses publicity to raise awareness of issues.

On a different note Vicki Morris spoke about her work with young parents in Suffolk. Since the beginning of her project they have reduced the number of teenage pregnancies quite considerably. They have also succeeded in getting a large number of the young mothers back into education or into work. They have also succeeded in preventing them from going on to have subsequent pregnancies. A very worthwhile project - however due to funding cuts her job has been axed. Luckily for Vicki she has been accepted onto the degree course to study as a midwife, so will take this opportunity to make a career change.

The evening was brought to a close by Ruth Bond the NFWI national Chairman. She has been involved with the Women Reaching Women project since its conception and had visited Malawi with Adam Musgrave last year.

A total of 78 people attended the eventing and this morning I received several emails thanking us for a very good evening.

Popped into the WI office this morning to return some equipment and they too had had calls thanking them too.

The Big Society

2011-02-13T13:06:00.002Z

Watching Question Time on Thursday I was really annoyed when the so called 'experts' were discussing the 'Big Society'.

I must be simple as I thought we all knew what the 'Big Society' was when David Cameron announced it last year.

Big Society - the general public doing volunteer work in the community, helping their neighbours, running scout and guide groups, running sports clubs, sitting on committees of village halls, churches, local museums etc for FREE. I seem to have misunderstood, it seems that the Big Society is another name for local government, surely not!

All we hear about is how much money will the 'Big Society' get - sorry but the idea of volunteering is to give your time and energy for 'FREE'.

Obviously there is going to be less money around over the coming years so volunteers will have to step in and do more. Locally parents are up in arms about the potential loss of Lollipop (wo)men, some parents even expect them to be provided within 20 metres of a pelican crossing. Surely it would be better for these parents to teach their children to cross the road safely using the facilities provided. Those whose children attend schools where there is no pedestrian crossing should volunteer to man a lollipop crossing themselves. Youth clubs are threatened with closure as funding is withdrawn unless the paid youth workers are replaced by volunteers, but parents don't have time! Oh, but I keep forgetting the currently way of thinking is that it should always be someone else who should offer these provisions, not us the general public.

I am not saying that those who lose their jobs will be pleased with the cutbacks, I do hope they find alternative employment, but I do think we should all think carefully about what needs to be done by paid employees and what can be done by genuine volunteers.

I think it is an insult to all those who already give their time to the 'Big Society' to imply that their work is paid for.

End of todays rant!

The Guildhall Project

2011-02-13T12:48:00.004Z

Yesterday we visited the Guildhall in Bury St Edmunds, with a group from the Bury Heritage Guides.

There are plans to make the Guildhall into a new Heritage Venue, and we had the opportunity to look around with Matthew Champion, the project manager.

It had been assumed that the Guildhall dated back to around 1250 but after recent surveys for the new project it is now believed to be even older, possibly 1180. The Guildhall is thought to be the oldest civic building in England. At the front of the building, is covered with brick work which covers the original flint structure. At the rear the flint banding is clearly visible and apparently there are several churches in the area which were built in the same manner leading the experts to think the building now dates from the 12th century. In the rear courtyard is the Tudor kitchen, which had been thought to have been rebuilt in later times, but after close inspection much of the original building is still intact along with the covered corridor from the kitchen through into the main banqueting room.

Upstairs where the scouts currently have their shop, is the Royal Observer Corps 'Ops Room'. This has remained unchanged since its decommissioning in the 1950's. It is hoped to replace the furniture as it was used during the war. Several people have already come forward who worked there including the carpenter who installed the raised balcony area above the 'ops' table.

A very interesting visit.

http://www.burysociety.com/Guildhall/Press_release/press_release.html

Cheese, Marmalade and Chutney

2011-01-23T16:10:00.004Z

I realise I haven't written my blog recently.

We spent New Year in France. It was very cold when we arrived - just like in the UK and then suddenly we had a couple of unseasonably warm days, when it was warmer outside than in.

I was fortunate to be able to attend the second session of the cheese making course I had attended in November. Much of it was a repetition of the first session, but we were all much more relaxed and asked many more questions of our tutor.

Since coming back I have made a cheese, it is now is a cool place maturing. Time will tell whether it is edible or not. But as with everything practice makes perfect. Really just need my own cow, but as that is not practical will have to make do with Sainsburys!

Photos of curds and whey.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner Friday at Pea Porridge a local restaurant. We were celebrating our 6th wedding anniversary a few weeks late but better late than never. Good seasonal food and very tasty, a good place for a special meal. I had a starter of cod cheeks coated in a black tempura batter - stunning, black outside white inside, yes I know we shouldn't be eating cod but occasionally an exception has to be made. Then I had braised ox cheek, really tender and rich, lovely flavours and textures. To finish a pannacota with rhubarb. Rob had a salad to start with a Rocamadour cheese, followed by a pan fried hare fillet. He said it was really delicious.

Now busy promoting the Women Reaching Women event on Maternal Health. Fairly confident that we will have a good number of people attending, but it is always difficult to pin people down and get them to commit. Busy posting on Facebook and Twitter in the hope of reaching a wider audience. Visited several preschools and primary schools in the neighbourhood. Just over four weeks to go.

It is the season for Seville Oranges, so have been busy in the kitchen so far I have made two batches, one standard and one Oxford style. My chutneys are now on sale at our local coffee house, until now I have been selling direct to the consumer at fairs in France. Last summer there was great demand for the marmalade from the Brits and the chutneys sold well to my French customers. I have plenty of stock so hope this years sales are as good as last year.

WrW Maternal Health

2011-01-18T13:41:00.001Z

Women Reaching Women 
Improving Maternal Health

 
Maria Pawlowska,
Cambridge University Gates Scholar

Adam Musgrave
Health and Education Campaigner Oxfam GB 

Victoria Morris, 
Young Parents Support and Advocacy Worker Suffolk

Wednesday 23rd February 2011
Horringer Community Centre

7 p.m. Wine and Cheese 7.30 p.m. Start Cost £4  To Book contact SWFWI Office: suffolkwestwi@btconnect.com Tel:01284 754520  This event is open to all please invite your friends and other interested parties

The year draws to a close.

2010-12-31T12:01:00.004Z

As the year draws to a close, it is time to reflect on the past year before we embark on a new one. It seems as though the years go by faster and consequently it is easy to forget many of the things we have done. Luckily by writing this blog I can look back and appreciate some of the highlights of our year. Many are small relatively insignificant things but were important in their own right.

As I look over my vegetable garden today, it appears light and open. I realize that there is more light now that the trees have shed their leaves. Most of the ground is bare, covered in black plastic, awaiting the spring. But there are still sufficient plants in the ground to continue to give us fresh veg daily. There are a few red cabbage, several sprout plants, Swiss chard is still growing albeit slowly, the celery is abundant, if somewhat small but ideal for soups, it may not be a 'looker' but it tastes good. Under some fleece there is sufficient spinach for at least one meal. The lambs lettuce is covered with fallen leaves but there is enough for several salads. And the Jerusalem artichokes are still abundant. We won't go hungry just yet.

We started the year with snow and although we may not finish it with more snow, we have certainly had a cold a snowy winter so far. Yesterday we had relatively warm sunshine and there was a feeling of spring in the air, but of course it is still December and today is cold and murky again, with colder weather forecast for the coming days.

This past year has seen many natural disasters affect the world we have indeed been very lucky. I have to admit getting annoyed as I have heard of peoples holiday plans being ruined by ash clouds or snow, but perhaps we need to think about what is really important. We are as guilty too as we assume we can travel back and forth to France on a whim. Over the last few decades we have become accustomed to being able to do what we will when we want. Perhaps it is now time to stop and think do we need to travel so much or expect every thing to run smoothly all the time. Perhaps there is something to be said for the 'big society' where we think of others before ourselves. We are enjoying the last day of the year sitting inside in the warmth of our house, and tonight will see in the new year with the friends we share last new years eve with.

Tomorrow is another year - what will 2011 bring?

'Tis the night before Christmas

2010-12-24T16:41:00.004Z

'Tis the night before Christmas, the mince pies are warm from the oven, mulled wine warming gently on the stove. Outside it is cold and frosty, but hey luckily no snow!

All ready for tomorrow, the pudding has been steamed and the cake decorated. A buche de noel is smothered with chocolate and chocolate stars, the stuffing is made and the turkey is covered with a thick layer of lemon and garlic seasoned butter à la Gordon Ramsey.

The presents are wrapped and all we need now is for Santa to visit and family to arrive tomorrow.

I hope all who read this have a very happy and peaceful Christmas.

WrW Maternal Health

2010-11-29T15:47:00.002Z

All speakers now in place - just need an audience. If you haven't booked your tickets please do so now. It would be nice to have sold 50 tickets before the WI office closes for Christmas.

Women Reaching Women 
Improving Maternal Health
Speakers:  
Maria Pawlowska, 
Cambridge University Gates Scholar
 Adam Musgrave 
Health and Education Campaigner, Oxfam GB  
Victoria Morris,  
Young Parents Support and Advocacy Worker Suffolk

Wednesday 23rd February 2011 
Horringer Community Centre 
7 p.m. Wine and Cheese 7.30 p.m. Start

 Tickets from SWFWI, Cost £4,Tel: 01284 754 520 
Book this date - don’t miss it!
This event is open to all - please invite your friends and other interested parties

Muck, Muck, Muck - black gold!

2010-11-29T15:40:00.002Z

After many wheelbarrows full of farmyard manure the garden is now ready for winter. Black plastic is covering large areas of open ground preventing the weeds from taking over in the spring. A thick layer of muck covers large areas - hopefully the worms will keep busy this winter and drag it all into the soil to make a nice humus rich growing medium.

The last of the carrots and turnips have been dug up, but there is still a good supply of sprouts for Christmas and several beautiful red cabbage.

The chicory has been dug up and planted in pots for forcing, never done it before so watch this space!

It is cold, very cold, outside but luckily we have missed the snow, just a few snow flurries, but nothing on the ground.

MUD, MUD, MUD

2010-11-21T13:08:00.002Z

Mud is what you get when there has been a lot of rain in the countryside. Everything I touch outside is wet and dirty. It is time to clear the garden and prepare it for the winter. There are still vegetables in the ground which should keep us going for several weeks. Sprouts, red cabbage, leeks, turnips, beetroot and a variety of salad leaves, lambs ears, endive and oak leaf. The compost heap has been emptied on to the garden, the asparagus bed getting a good thick layer. I have dug all the potatoes, just need to go over the plot again to see if I have missed any, but will wait for a dry day before tackling that task. We have had a good crop this year, the Pink Fir Apples have been particularly prolific, and with a good crop of Blue Danube and Cara's we should have plenty of potatoes to see us through a cold winter.

Last autumn I took cuttings from the red currant bush, these rooted and we have now planted them on the edge of the garden with the idea of having an edible hedge. A way of having more soft fruit without taking up more space in the garden. Let's just hope they survive the move and the winter.

Now just need to plant up the bulbs I removed from the tubs, to plant summer bedding, so that we have another good display of colour come the spring.

Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) 5

2010-11-21T12:49:00.004Z

Continuing to finalise the WrW event focusing on the MDG 5. Two speakers so far confirmed. We are really lucky to have Maria Pawlowska is a Cambridge University Gates Scholar and has worked for different organizations including Global Poverty Project and RESULTS on issues concerning maternal mortality - communicating with the wider audience as well as writing government consultations. She has also written on maternal health for the Maternal Health Task Force and has been published in different outlets including the Reproductive Health Reality Check. Maria will speak about the latest developments, the most important of which are preventing hemorrhage and providing family planning services. She will also speak on the causes of maternal deaths and what is currently being done to help and why the MDGs are so important.

http://maternalhealthtaskforce.org/discuss/wpblog/tag/melinda-gates/

To bring the subject closer to home. Victoria Morris, Young Parents Support and Advocacy Worker will talk about the work being done in Suffolk with young teenage parents. The WI has been involved with one of her support groups, sharing skills such as knitting crochet and cooking.

Wednesday 23rd February 2011, Horringer Community Centre. 7 for 7.30 start.

Please do put this event in your diary - tickets can now be purchased from the WI office just £4. Please contact them directly (01284 754520) or by email suffolkwestwi@btconnect.com.

Millenium Development Goals MDGs

2010-11-03T16:20:00.002Z

Busy a planning an event as part of the Women Reaching Women campaign. The NFWI is working with Oxfam GB and the Everyone Foundation on a three year development, gender and climate change educational campaign. Women Reaching Women aims to broaden awareness of these issues amongst WI members, their families and communities.

This years emphasis should be on equality but here in Suffolk we are concentrating on MDG 5 maternal health.

The statistics are staggering. For instance did you know?

More than half a million women die in pregnancy and childbirth every year - that's one death every minute. Of these deaths, 99 per cent are in developing countries. The lifetime risk of dying in pregnancy and childbirth in Africa is 1 in 22, while it is 1 in 120 in Asia and 1 in 7,300 in developed countries.(Source:UNFPA)

Only 28 in 100 women giving birth are attended by trained health personnel in the least developed countries. (Source:ActionAid)

Luckily there is a lot of work being done around the world to improve matters, and hopefully those who attend my event will come away better informed.
I am currently inviting speakers and it looks like we will have at least two if not three people with both knowledge and influence.

As this event is open to all - not just the WI I do hope we will get a good attendance. I think it should be of interest to all but particularly to mums and dads of all ages. Spread the word to anyone who may live close enough to Bury St Edmunds to attend.

Wednesday 23rd February 2011, Horringer Community Centre. 7 for 7.30 start.

What a week!

2010-10-14T22:19:00.005+01:00

Back from a few days at a 'Women Reaching Women' Conference at Denman College. If anyone thinks I have been away on a jolly - forget it, this has been an intense conference, busy from after breakfast till late in the evening, yes, we even had sessions and talks after dinner.

However it was very interesting and stimulating and now I am ready to get on with organizing our final years events. Watch out all of my friends in Suffolk, I will be expecting you all to support me.
If you haven't heard about Women Reaching Women click on the link below for more information.
http://www.thewi.org.uk/standard.aspx?id=12134

Today I visited the young parents group in Sudbury. What a success that has been, when I first visited there were several mums and dads with their children but now the group has dwindled to just a few as most of the young parents are now either back in education, training or in full time work.

Just one very young mum and lovely baby today - and we cooked a quick pasta lunch together in the kitchen. It has been a really inspiring place to visit I just hope that there are similar groups in other towns where young parents can get the support that these youngsters have received in Sudbury. Well done to their support team.

One delightful baby enjoying his pasta with tomato sauce, cooked by mum!

Girls Night Out

2010-09-19T12:42:00.005+01:00

What a great event. About 560 women took part in a 11.2 mile (18 km) walk around the outskirts of Bury St Edmunds yesterday evening. We started at 20.00 hours and Debbie and I completed the walk in 3 hours 15 mins.

The weather was kind, rain had been forecast but it held off until the end of the evening.

Despite having a bad cold and really not feeling at all fit before we set off I was surprised we walked to easily. Today, no aches or pains and feel much brighter and fitter.

Well done to all of us who took part and thanks to our sponsors - the money raised is going to a good cause.

Gifts from the Garden

2010-09-05T22:05:00.005+01:00

It is said that the pleasure is in the giving of gifts, but I have to say that there is a great pleasure in the receiving of gifts, particularly those from the garden or those made by the giver.

We have had the pleasure of receiving edible gifts from our friends and neighbours gardens. Freshly dug beetroot, sun ripened tomatoes. Hot spicy chilli peppers and large courgettes ideal for chutney making. Home made jams and jellies, quince, rhubarb and black current - just a few of the varieties we have tasted this year, all really lovely. We also received dry cured bacon from Wales, a real luxury in France. I do appreciate these offerings and we have enjoyed them all.

Bay Bolletes, Chicken of the woods, Butternut squash

2010-08-29T16:11:00.004+01:00

After a few rainy days the weather definitely has an autumnal feel. The nights are cooler and the days clear and crisp with bright sunshine. The garden continues to supply us with our daily needs. The butternut squash are bigger than previous years, real monsters growing in the garden. The cucumbers continue to surprise, I found two hidden under the leaves which were more the size of large marrows rather than cucumbers, and they were still tender to eat - I must be doing something right this year.

Saturday we went foraging for mushrooms in our favourite spot and it didn't disappoint. We came home with enough Bolletes to dry some for the winter and enough to make a lovely sauce, which we ate on homemade tagliatelle.

That's me slicing the mushrooms for drying and laying them out on a tea towels to dry in the sun and wind.

Yesterday we headed off to the village of Lonlay l'Abbaye, which was holding its annual fete with 'Vide Grenier' No we didn't have a stall, I am still busy making chutneys and those that are made need to mature before they can be eaten. It was our first time at this particular event, we were amazed by the number of visitors and the number of stalls. We grabbed a few bargains which is always satisfying.

After leaving the village we took a road along the river and low and behold there was supper growing on a tree. A nice fresh Chicken of the Woods. This time I gave it an Indian treatment which was really delicious, see my other blog for more details.

A cricket sunning himself in the warm sunshine on the gravel in the courtyard.

'Ouvertures normandes' - Exhibition opening

2010-08-23T13:13:00.005+01:00

Sunday 22nd August 2010 saw the opening of Rob's summer exhibition 'Ouvertures normandes'.

The exhibition was opened on Sunday morning with a drinks reception for friends and neighbours.

On show in this exhibition are a series of paintings based on the theme 'openings'. In this region of Normandy the traditional houses are built of stone, many of these buildings have been neglected but many of the windows and doors remain in their almost original state. The wonderful aspect of these old buildings is that although many look similar they often have quite unique stone features. These windows, doors, and other openings in the buildings have inspired Rob this summer and the paintings in the exhibition are the result of his work over the last two months here in Normandy. The paintings are acrylic paint on paper, which have been mounted.

Below is a small selection of the 21 pieces currently being exhibited.

The paintings are not currently being offered for sale, but if you are particularly interested in purchasing one or more of this unique series, don't hesitate to contact me and I will pass on your interest to the Artist.

St Ernier and preparing for winter

2010-08-17T21:58:00.002+01:00

The village of Ceauce celebrated the fete of St Ernier on the weekend of 7th and 8th of August. There was a fun fair in the village all weekend and on Sunday afternoon the annual parade took place. Local groups prepare floats - towed by tractors and decorated with paper flowers. One float carried Miss Ceauce and her attendants, three beautiful local girls.

One float sported the ever popular, Noddy know here as Oui Oui.

Several local bands and majorettes livened up the parade and this year there were two new bands. One a small group who sat on the back of a trailer and played jazz and blues music and the other again playing similar music, definitely much better than the usual bands who are getting a little old and set in their ways.

Having had a bit of rain a 'Chicken of the Woods' grew on a nearby plum tree. We have enjoyed several meals from it along with some plums too.

My dad arrived last week. The first day he was here we bought wood which we hope will be enough to keep us warm through the next winter. As we both heat the house and cook on wood during the winter months it is essential to get in a good supply well before the weather changes. It was all hands to the task - and it was quickly stashed away in the cow shed to keep it dry and ready for use.

This last weekend we enjoyed a short visit from some family friends at the end of their camping holiday. It was lovely to catch up with them and to meet Emily for the first time.

The Bayeux Tapestry and Port en Bassin

2010-08-05T20:05:00.007+01:00

We continue to enjoy the bounties of the land. This year I have sown cucumber seeds and have now started to harvest them. The cucumbers are about 15cm long and just the right size for one meal. The cucumbers are hidden under the leaves and on close inspection there seem to be at least 7 or 8 ready to eat. The melons sown at the same time are now beginning to show their first fruits - there are about 3 or 4 but they are still the size of golf balls, so it's now a question of wait and see if they grow any bigger. The squash plants are just running wild all over the plot but do now seem to be producing small fruits. Last year they were very successful so I am hopeful that this year will be equally productive.

The broad beans and peas are coming to an end - just a few more to harvest and then it will be time to clear them from the plot.

The climbing french beans are providing sufficient for a meal every other day so I have frozen some for later in the year. I have also grown a variety called Barlotto Lingua di Fuoco, a type of Italian Borlotti bean. The plants have grown strongly but as yet not producing as many beans as the standard french bean plants.

This years crop of beetroot is not very good, I think the hot dry weather has something to do with it as some have started to bolt. Luckily my friend Verity has a good crop so we have enjoyed freshly boiled beetroot, with just a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt and black ground pepper.

The fennel is growing well, this year I waited until after the longest day before sowing the seed directly into the ground. Last year I sowed the seed too early and they just grew ferny tops and no bulbs - hopefully this year will be better - they certainly look promising.

The courgettes continue to produce fruits and I am harvesting at least a couple from each plant every 2 to 3 days. There should be plenty for chutney making very soon. I have cleared the red currant bush of its fruits and frozen what we haven't eaten to keep it for desserts. The one bush has done really well. Plan to take some cuttings this autumn so that we can have a 'fruit border' along the boundary fence of the garden. The black currants cuttings I took last autumn have taken and a looking very healthy, they will be the first fruits in the 'border'.

Tuesday we headed off to visit the Bayeux Tapestry. We stopped off briefly in Caen so Rob could make a purchase, now we know the city quite well and I was able to park almost outside the shop and hover while he popped in, and then set off for Bayeux not so far from Caen.

We went via the coast and stopped for lunch at Port en Bassin a

small fishing port just to the north of Bayeux. Its claim to fame is that it was captured during WWII and was used as a Petrol Terminal for PLUTO (pipeline under the ocean), an under water pipeline from the Isle of Wight to France bringing fuel for the allied forces.

The harbour is surrounded by many fish restaurants which were full of tourists, we found a small restaurant in one of the back streets not far from the fish market, where we had a lovely lunch.

After a leisurely lunch and a stroll around the village we headed south to Bayeux. There was only a short queue to buy entry tickets but then we found a very long line of people waiting to actually get into the exhibition room. I think we hit the crowds coming in after lunch, anyway well worth the wait. I had seen it before when I was young, but I now understand the history behind the tapestry and can also appreciate the quality of the work. http://www.tapestry-bayeux.com/

We also visited the cathedral which has some amazing stone work, the first level of the nave has medieaval stone carvings see the interactive website to get an idea of the beauty of the stone work.

http://cathedraledebayeux.voila.net/html/visite.htm#

Sold Out!

2010-07-28T15:39:00.007+01:00

Last Sunday we set up stall in Bagnoles de l'Orne. A really good day - more or less sold out. We have only a small selection of books left and when we were down to the last 4 jars of chutney we shut up shop. Several repeat customers came along, ones we had sold to at Domfront the week before and stocked up. Now just have to wait for the apples to be ready for harvesting and then it will be time to make more chutney. The blackberries have started to ripen - made the first blackberry and apple pie today with the first ripe berries and some windfall apples.

Some customers even had their dogs with them.

Aliénor, our next door neighbours dog, has given birth to her first litter of pups, nine healthy little things. When we saw them they still had their eyes closed but had already grown quite a lot.

Mother and babies doing well!

Yesterday we visited the town of Mortagne au Perche which is in the eastern partof the Department of Orne. A lovely small town with many interesting buildings and many small streets to explore, worth a visit if you are near by. h ttp://www.ot-mortagneauperche.fr/

North of the town is the Abbaye de la Trappe (http://www.latrappe.fr/) unfortunately it is not open to the public although there is a shop selling religious books etc and a selection of food and drinks from the Abbey and other local producers.

After leaving Mortagne au Perche we stumbled on La Chapelle Montligeon when we saw the Basilique de Montligeon in the distance on a hillside backed by trees and with a chateau style building to the side. Only recently built - well 100 years ago - it towers over the very small village.

Caen, Vide Greniers, Garden Fresh Veg and 'The Big Society"

2010-07-16T18:39:00.000+01:00

Bastille Day, 14th July, saw us up early, the alarm clock had been set and we set off too our local town to set up a stall at the 'vide greniers' basically a car boot sale. It started to drizzle with rain as we left the house but we weren't deterred. Thinking we would be there early we found the town already full of stalls and the most lively we have ever seen it. We secured a place under an archway which had the advantage that we stayed dry when it rained, however it is known as the windiest spot in Domfront. The old town is built on top of a hill and where we stood is the access through to the car park with a panoramic view over the countryside to the north, hence there is always a cold wind up there. However it was a choice get wet or get cold, we chose for cold.

We had our usual produce, jams, chutneys and lemon curd, and a box of secondhand English language paperbacks. The books always draws in the English speakers although they aren't particularly good customers for the chutneys as they tend to make their own. Despite the weather we had a good day, we had taken three boxes of books and left with one. We also sold a lot of chutneys and lemon curd to both locals and visitors.

It is also a good way to meet people, and we made contact with 'friends of some friends' who recognised the label on the Lemon Curd having been offered it to taste by one of our neighbours.
I also met a man interested in local history who made some suggestions of names to look out for in the library and I also told him about some booklets that I had read about the war time period in Domfront which he hadn't heard of. Always nice to know something that locals don't know.

Friday we had our Welsh friends over for lunch - these are the friends we meet up with here, but have only met once on the UK side of the channel. Wednesdays rain had cleared away quickly and we were back to the warmth we have been enjoying for weeks, so kept the menu light, and where possible fresh from the garden.

Salmon, with a fresh vegetable salad, our first new potatoes,and a fruit tart with raspberries, redcurrants and blueberries all picked that morning.

This year has been a particularly good year for fruit - the cherry trees around us have been full of fruit.
I have frozen quite a lot and made three different types of Cherry Jam, White Cherry, Dark Red Cherry and a light Red Cherry.

Monday we headed north to Caen to visit the summer exhibition at the Musée de Normandie. This year it is about the local Caen Stone, which has been used to build Canterbury, Chichester and Norwich Cathedrals as well as the London Bridge. As usual it was very well presented. The temporary exhibitions are held in a recently renovated part of the Castle which as been left with the stone walls exposed and a simple light wood floor. The Presentation is light and modern and with good use of multimedia. I think a few more museums could follow their example.

http://www.ville-caen.fr/mdn/expositions/index.asp

Girls lunch today - had lunch at our local restaurant with my walking mate. Perhaps we should have been walking rather than eating, but we spent 2 1/2 hours over a leisurely lunch putting the world to right. Yes, we did start at midday and I was home just before three. There was plenty to catch up on, and I am sure there are still topics we should have covered which we missed, but we caught up on friends and family, discussed the economy - volunteering 'in the big society', battered women, careers, motherhood as a career and much more.

One interesting fact - there are 204.031 volunteer firefighters in France who account for 80 % of all fire fighters nationally - I was lunching with one of them!

Drought, Cherry Ice Cream and World Cup Football

2010-07-11T14:23:00.000+01:00

We are back in the peace and tranquillity of rural France after a few days away in the Netherlands visiting family and friends. A visit which included a party on the beach in Scheveningen where some friends were celebrating the fortieth anniversary of their meeting (I think they have been married 38 years) and the funeral of a must respected family member who had died aged 93.

While there we watched the Uruguay - Netherlands match and are now ready for this evenings match against Spain in the World Cup Final. Not having any flags or banners to decorate the house we have found a good use for some Sainsburys carrier bags, thank you Mr. Sainsbury let's just hope they win tonight! Our neighbour has just popped in to enquire about the orange carrier bags, are they for harvesting some particular fruit or veg, or as her husband thought were we celebrating a wedding here today. She didn't know that orange is the national colour of the Netherlands - the royal family is from the 'House of Orange' - now she is wiser. Once France dropped out of the World Cup that was the end of it here in France there is no interest in other nations, although I suspect the south west regions will be supporting Spain tonight.

The sun continues to shine everyday. Everywhere is yellow and very dry. No matter who you talk to all they want is rain. After many years of bad summers one would think we would be grateful for this wall to wall sunshine, but as it hasn't rained now for months it is time for some rain. Other regions of France have had severe thunderstorms but we have just missed them all.

Rob has fixed a hose pipe to give a gentle cooling mist.

The farmers were very fortunate earlier last month to have a good hay making period but since then they have had to start giving the cows supplementary feed as the grass is not growing. Our neighbours have found their milk yield down by 250l over 2 days (the milk tanker comes every 2 days) which soon adds up to a considerable loss, put that with the additional feed they are using - the economies of farming are very susceptible to the weather.

Other neighbours with a gift shop in the local town are not benefitting from the good weather either as they find tourists are seeking out cool terraces or swimming pools rather than visiting historic towns. They are due to take part in a Mediaeval Fete on Wednesday and will be in costume, they break out in a sweat just talking about their costumes.

Not all is doom and gloom in the countryside. The cherries are ripening on the trees and we are lucky to have two white cherry trees on neighbouring land and have harvested a few for our own consumption, it would be a shame to leave them for the birds, although I did see the cows nibbling at them earlier today.

I made some into ice cream yesterday a lovely way to use them, so summery, (see cookinglizzie for recipe)

We are now harvesting a variety of vegetables from the garden everyday. The heat has caused some of the lettuce to bolt, but I have cut out the tops of many of those threatening to go to seed and braised them in chicken stock adding some fresh peas just at the end - a good way to use the lettuce. The raspberries have been particularly good and as well as eating them fresh every day we also have some in the freezer for later in the year. The blueberries are ripening a few at a time and I am putting them in the freezer for use later. Everyday I get about 60g not many but the bag is filling up.

The red currents are beginning to ripen so a pavlova with a mix of raspberries, red currants and blueberries will be on the menu soon.

The courgettes are beginning to grow - I think they appreciate all the watering we have done each evening and we have had our first meal of purple sprouting broccoli. The melon and cucumber plants which I was sure were dying last week have suddenly put on a growing spurt and are producing flowers and there is evidence of small immature fruits forming. The tomatoes are also enjoying the warm weather and most of the plants have small tomatoes forming, not long now and they will be ready to eat.

The only real problem in the vegetable garden at the moment is our resident mole who is determined to work his way up and down the rows and then when I am not looking across the rows as well. Never mind it means there are lots of earth worms in the soil which is a good.

2010-06-28T22:39:00.000+01:00

We have now had a week of hot sunshine - long may it last.

However it was just too hot when we visited an agricultural show on Saturday. Local farmers had brought along their prize beasts and very handsome they were too, when washed and scrubbed up - the cows I mean. They were judged on the shape and size of their udders, the width of their rear end, and their general appearance.

As well as the cows there were some fine 'percheron' heavy horses being exhibited.

Yesterday we visited a 'vide greniers' where we managed to find a kitchen sink for Rob's studio, and I found a le Creuset griddle pan for just €2. Often the goods on offer are either just plain rubbish or over priced, but yesterday there were a large number of stalls and most of them had some useful items which were realistically priced. The fun is to find a bargain.

The biggest news of the weekend was the Parish Walk on the Isle of Man. My sister and her husband took part, starting on Saturday morning. Margaret managed to walk a very respectable 30 miles before becoming too unwell to continue. Simon continued and finished 23 hours and 30 minutes later having completed the whole 85 miles route. They both have sore feet but they are understandably proud of their achievements. Makes the 11.2 miles I will be walking in aid of our local Hospice a mere stroll in the park in comparison. Well done them.

Our own 'spring watch' continue to keep us enthralled. Our pair of redstarts are busy feeding their young - flying in and out of the hole in the stone wall where they have built their nest. Hopefully the young will continue to thrive and we will see the young fledge their nest. The parents are very nervous and only fly in when they are sure there is no one around, but by staying some distance away and sitting very still we can observe them flying around and they darting into the hole with insects in their beaks.

The female can be just seen entering the nest hole if you look closely.

Raspberries, Music and tired feet

2010-06-23T21:59:00.000+01:00

Isn't that a beautiful flower, our Blue Danube potatoes are in flower now and look stunning.

June 21st, the longest day, is traditionally celebrated with a 'fete de musique' here in France. All musicians are able to perform in public, in cafes, restaurants or on the streets until midnight. We went to the nearby village of Ambrières les Vallées, where one of our young friends was performing with others from her music school. It was a very pleasant evening, good music, warm and light until 11 p.m.

Yesterday we harvested our first raspberries, I picked 270g of really ripe fruits and today another 220g. As raspberries are one of my favourite fruits I am really pleased to be here when they are ripe. In previous years we have missed them coming back to find them rotten or shrivelled on the canes. Hopefully we will be able to continue to harvest for some time to come.

Today we enjoyed a long walk. We started off from home and took a route through the countryside on the other side of the river and included a stretch along the river bank. It was probably the warmest year so far this year so we were exhausted when we arrived home 13km later. Luckily we were able to sit down and watch the football, why do the english team find it so difficult to score goals, it is always a nerve racking event, 90 minutes is too long sometimes.

Cows, Raspberries and 'Les Bleues'

2010-06-21T13:01:00.000+01:00

We have just enjoyed a visit from friends from Holland. Although it was warm and sunny on Friday when they arrived and we could enjoy the pleasures of sitting outside in the yard, the weather turned very cold and windy and only now has the weather improved a bit. Never mind, we fitted in a visit to Bagnoles de l'Orne on Saturday, spent some time in the farmers market and then a short walk around the town, before heading back here for lunch. Despite the cold wind we did sit out in the afternoon, but had to keep wrapping up and then unwrapping as the clouds blew across the sun. Anyway they discovered the pleasures of living in the country, the peace and quiet and the farm animals which follow you as you walk by, the cows have so little to distract them that 'foreigners on the hoof' are worth checking out.

Anyway it is a bit warmer today and I have got the last of the plants in the garden, there really is no more room to fit anything else in.

The raspberries are beginning to ripen and we will have our first bowl either later today or tomorrow. The look luscious, deep red and plump!

As you may already know, the French are prone to striking but it would appear that the French Football team have gone too far. Last evening TV news broadcast of 20 mins was taken up with 18 mins about the French team being on strike and refusing to train for the manager. The minister for work gave her opinion about how bad it was for the working man, particularly the young who are finding it difficult to find work to see this display of unrest amongst 'les Bleues'. The Minister for sport is in South Africa and will stay until Tuesday to help sort out the problem, maybe she will take on the position of Manager/trainer - who knows. As Rob says this world cup is the tournament for the underdog, with all the so called 'top teams' failing to win their matches. We are not keen football fans but do try and keep up with big international tournaments, this one is certainly hotting up. As for

England well we will have to wait and see if they can figure out why they are in South Africa and why they receive such large salaries. Perhaps footballers should only get paid if they win matches not just for turning up.

Lots of peas and broad beans and my 'new asparagus bed' in the foreground (see left). The plants are I admit a bit small yet but as they were grown from seed only this spring I don't think they look too bad. Another few year and we can eat them assuming nothing happens to them in the mean time.

Weeds, Weeds and more Weeds.

2010-06-15T21:29:00.000+01:00

Why do weeds grow faster than vegetables? If only we could eat all these weeds we would never go hungry.

Coming to the conclusion I am not good at growing carrots or parsnips. Only one parsnip so far - no really worth keeping. The carrots which have come through are looking healthy now at least 20 cm tall and will lots of foliage, but still lots of gaps along the rows.

Never mind, lets look at the positive, the potatoes are looking good. Broad beans look promising, both sowings are full of flowers and one lot have actually got some small beans developing. The peas are coming on, but considering how many seeds I have sown, there should be at least three times as many.

The sprouts, sprouting broccoli, red cauliflowers and red cabbage which were planted last month have grown and are looking very healthy. The raspberries are heavy with fruits, need a little more rain and some sun and then hopefully they will ripen, they are my favourite fruits.

The two blueberry bushes are laden with fruits just need to ripen - considering the price of blueberries in the shops these are well worth growing. The red current bush is also heavy with fruit and the rhubarb has grown from strength to strength since last month and there are lots of slim tender stems just waiting to be harvested - I will use them to make a dessert this weekend when we have house guests.

Been busy planting up the veggies plants I have raised in the greenhouse today. The asparagus look really promising in their new bed, just hope they settle and then we have to wait a few years before our first harvest - but it will be worth it.

Celery, more sprouts and sprouting broccoli, cucumbers, melons and squash and lots of climbing beans. I started planting out the tomatoes until I ran out of canes, must buy some more tomorrow. Will put some more in the open ground and will also plant some up in pots. We have plenty of tomatoes last year but would be pleased to have a glut so that I can use them in the chutney and to make soups and sauces.

Must buy compost tomorrow, so that I can plant up the window boxes and tubs, I have some home grown geraniums and lots of busy lizzies just waiting to brighten up the courtyard.

Let's hope the weather improves a little more sun and just a little warmer would be nice.

What is a 'Time Pole'?

2010-05-18T11:40:00.000+01:00

A lines on a 'Time Pole' are similar to the rings which are seen when a tree is felled and a straight cut is made through the trunk. Those rings can be counted to calculate the age of the tree. The time pole is similar in that the lines marked on the pole indicate time, in this case they represent the age of the building from which the piece of timber was taken. It was part of the roof of the barn and was removed when the roof was repaired a couple of years ago.

Time Pole

2010-05-15T22:48:00.001+01:00

Today we erected the 'time pole', a very old piece of wood which was removed from the barn when the roof was replaced. It has since been used as a support when cutting wood.

This is our first piece in our sculpture garden, see artist in residence adding the final touches.

What ever happened to spring, we have had really cold weather and in fact had a frost two nights ago, the french beans have been hit and the foliage on the potatoes has also been hit by the frost, just hope that is the last we will see before the summer. According to the weather girl the temperatures have been what we should expect in March and are unseasonably low for May.

Just one more day

2010-05-05T07:55:00.000+01:00

Just one more day of campaigning to go. Each party leader is trying to out do the others by claiming they will be out and about trying to convince the undecided to vote for them. I can't help thinking that if people don't know who to vote for now, are they even likely to go out and vote on Thursday, isn't it more likely they will just stay at home. I don't think the opinion polls really take that into account.

With the reports on the news that there has been a significant increase in the numbers of people registering for postal votes - and each party accusing the others of electoral fraud, we may end up not looking any better than Afghanistan and will have to accept UN election observers in future to supervise our polling stations. It certainly will put a new stance on foreign policy - which our new government will have to deal with.

Election Fever

2010-05-02T22:08:00.000+01:00

With just three days of campaigning left we have wall to wall election coverage on television. Just enjoyed a wonderful hour of Rory Bremner with his take on the election campaigns. Light relief on the other channel with the final of the snooker, such a contrast!

Quite a week ahead of us, will the Lib dems finally make an impact in Westminster? We've got our posters up, and 'I agree with Nick'.

Earlier this week attended our WI group meeting - Jeremy Spake from 'Airport' must say never watched the programme so didn't really know what to expect, but he was a great speaker, really knew how to work the audience and could speak and be heard without a microphone. Really had a good meeting well done Moreton Hall WI.

Birthday Cake and the Lotto

2010-03-28T21:34:00.000+01:00

Last summer I had a real problem with annual weeds so decided to try and avoid the problem this year. After covering the bare ground last autumn with a thick covering of farmyard manure I covered the whole lot with thick black plastic. With trepidation I removed the black plastic which has been covering the veg plot over the winter. The manure has been incorporated into the soil presumably by the worms and there were only a couple of dandelion plants trying to force their way up through the soil. These were so weakened that they were easy to dig up - root and all. The ground was lovely and crumbly and ready for planting.

The potatoes have been planted. The broad beans, sown last autumn and which were about 20cm high at Christmas have not survived the long winter despite being protected with fleece tunnels, so I have had to re-sow. Peas, carrots, beetroot, Swiss chard and spinach have also been sown in the hope of an early crop, now a question of wait and see. At least the garden will get more light this year as a friend has cut back the neighbours trees which overhang our garden and meant that one of my veg plots was too shaded in the height of summer.
Kept the remaining part of the veg garden covered in plastic awaiting the more tender plants which are being grown from seed in the warmth.

Today we have had a birthday party, all our neighbours and friends were invited in for a drink and birthday cake. It was the first time we had had all our neighbours in at the same time. It was a very nice atmosphere, English French and Dutch being spoken.
As soon as the last guests had left I had to dash off into the village where the local school was holding a fund raising event. 'Lotto' I have always thought this was some kind of lottery /raffle but is in fact the french for Bingo. I went with my walking friend and another English mum from the school. I didn't win anything - but I was impressed by the quality of prizes. There was a mountain bike and a 83cm digital television as main prizes, the local businesses still seem to support local fundraising events here - different from our area in England, where it is almost impossible to get sponsorship from local companies. Really we could have been anywhere, it could also have been a WI event - except for the language of course- but I knew the ropes and happily started stacking chairs when it was all over.

The price of milk continues to dominate the farming community here. They still get a higher price per litre than most other European countries but the price the farmers receive is considerably lower than what they have been getting in recent years. They have been accustomed to good farm gate prices and have based capital expenditure on those prices and are now finding it very difficult to survive. One our neighbours has had a new cow shed built with photovoltaic cells on the roof. They now produce their own electricity and sell the excess back to the grid. This is an excellent way of producing clean energy and earning extra income, especially as it is subsidized by government grants.
There have been demonstrations in Paris and more strikes are planned for the future as the farmers continue to pressure on the government to improve farm gate prices.

Febuary

2010-02-28T12:57:00.001Z

The last day of February - what a long winter we have had. Finally the temperatures are rising but it is now raining instead of snowing. Friday afternoon I thought spring had finally sprung, the sun was shining, the birds singing and the bulbs are finally forcing there way out of the ground. I found a beautiful lace edged primula in a flower shop in town and have planted it close to the back door to enjoy each time I go out. The poor thing is looking a bit sad as it has been soaked by the rain.

The snowdrops are doing there best but even they are looking waterlogged now.

I have got started with sowing seeds for the vegetable garden and have some healthy looking tomato and aubergine plants. I also have some healthy looking trailing geraniums which I have grown from seed this year, they are still quite small but hopefully by summer they will be full of flowers. This year I have also tried growing asparagus from seed so far 9 out of 10 seeds have germinated and are about 8 cms tall.

Inspiring Week

2010-02-04T22:06:00.000Z

Certainly have had an interesting week. Firstly a workshop organised by the National Women's Commission to encourage more women to take up public positions. Of the twelve participants six of us were from Suffolk West WI. Do check out the NWC website it is well worth looking at, there are further similar events planned in other parts of the country so perhaps there is a workshop planned near you. http://www.thewnc.org.uk/

The following day there was, by chance, a talk in Bury by Wendi Momen the UK secretary of UNIFEM on ending violence against women. She was a fine example of a women in public life and knew some of the women we had met the previous day - a small world. Wendi spoke about different types of violence, not only domestic violence but also the forced marriage of very young girls and how many are forced into sexual relations with not only a much older husband but often with his male relations and friends resulting in pregnancy and she spoke of the health effects this has on very young girls.

Interestingly three of us were already planning to visit a group of young parents in a nearby town, who had expressed interest in meeting older /mature women who could be a positive role model. So the next day off we went and met up with a small group of girls and one young father. The group are being encouraged to stay in education both during their pregnancies and after their babies are born. A couple of the girls were very young and had very immature bodies, which reminded us of the previous evenings talk by Wendi Momen. Although all of these events were arranged independently of one another it was surprising how they linked together. The question is where do we go from here?

Thinking ahead

2010-01-21T22:28:00.001Z

As we approach the end of January, it is time to give thought to the garden. I have done a stock check of the seed packets and made a list of both flowers and vegetables I want to grow this year. I shall start planting seeds in the warmth very soon in the hope of getting a long growing season. I also intend to restrict the number of plants I get but with just a few extra for my gardening friends to have a few.

Our good friends in France like the idea of growing their own food but have never tried it so I hope I will be able to encourage them by giving them some of my small plants. Sometimes we just need a nudge. Hopefully Alex will give it another try this year, despite his battle with the slugs and the neighbourhood cats.

It was interesting to compare how France and Britain coped with the bad weather earlier this month. In England there were complaints that the schools were closed and public transport didn't run t schedule, but in France the buses were ordered off the roads, that is where they run anyway and the lorries were banned from many routes to avoid accidents. It seemed to me that both places had similar problems and dealt with it is similar ways except that in England it was Gordon Brown's fault that it snowed,its easy to blame the government for everything, even the weather.

Snow in France

2010-01-06T13:28:00.000Z

The weather forecasters here have got it right this time. It snowed overnight, there was a layer of about 5cm when we got up this morning. The sky was thick with snow clouds and it has snowed again, covering some of the foot prints which had been made in the snow.

When we went out this morning there were animal tracks in the fresh snow, cat prints to and from the front door and around the courtyard. There were other tracks from a larger animal which we assume are from a fox or foxes. They run up the road and in and out of our garden to the patch under the trees where the birds are feeding on the fallen apples. The print also run into the fields. The apples are providing food for a large flock of birds, blackbirds and what I think are mistle thrushes. A flock of about 50 birds are busy eating their way through the apples. We have hung a egg tray under the standard rose, with sunflower seeds for the smaller birds which are in and around the yard, robins, chaffinches and sparrows etc.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T14:23:00.000Z

It's cold outside and now it is starting to snow. We are having a quiet day after bringing in the new year with friends who live locally. A mixture of English, French and Dutch - a truly European New Year's Eve, which is becoming a tradition in these parts. We had dinner together and actually missed the chimes of midnight as the smokers were outside having a cigarette break. Never mind we were back in the warm just a few moments after midnight toasting in 2010 with champagne.

Serving the salmon

Hard core smokers in the cold!

Almost Christmas

2009-12-22T17:24:00.000Z

Just two more shopping days to Christmas. It is hard to believe we have a recession in the UK when you see the masses out in the town. I walked to Salisbury's to do the big shop as I predicted the car park would be full, and it was. The place was heaving with people, admittedly most were in a friendly and laid back mood, it was the only way to go. I think I have got enough food to last a snow in and if not too bad. The presents are wrapped and the cake is made and just needs to be iced - I will do that tomorrow, no nothing fancy just ready rolled white fondant icing and a nice ribbon, that will do me. The mince pies are in the freezer, well they were till I took some out this afternoon - you have to taste them don't you.

I thought we were in for a thaw yesterday but today has remained cold and this evening it is very cold again, a clear night and what appears to be cleared paths and road surfaces are indeed black ice.

Snow and cold weather is affecting us all across Europe, global warming was supposed to bring milder wetter winters or was that colder wetter summers, I think the experts change their minds according to the weather we are experiencing. Any way Rob read in today's Times that it is the wrong sort of snow which is causing the problems with the Eurostar , too dry and powdery, but few pages further on it is the wrong type of snow which is causing further problems too wet and too soft! Is there ever the right sort of snow.

The paint job

2009-11-02T11:33:00.000Z

Before the paint job

After the paint job.

How the time flies, Rob painted two of the outside walls of the garage this last week, he started a second coat which can just be seen on the left hand side but has now run out of paint, but that means his painting arm has time to recover.

I have kept up with my walking - in to the village and back on Thursday to get a few things from the shops 5 miles (8.1km) there and back. And earlier in the week I set off up the road towards the village but kept on going and did the shortest circular walk 4.8 miles (7.8km) as the weather was so nice. I had left Rob painting the garage and wondering which hill I was walking up when I didn't return home! Still not up to participating in the moon walk next year luckily I didn't register for it.

Yesterday we had some very heavy rain with a few strong gusts of wind, it seems quieter today although still raining on and off.

2009-10-26T11:46:00.000Z

Rob's main job for this visit was to install three velux style windows in the roof of the garage. There is a large space above the garage about 9 x 6 meters which Rob is intending to use as an artists studio. Saturday Rob and Richard work all day but installed the windows with relative ease. They bring in lots of light and also mean we can see out across the fields.

Richard and Rob satisfied with their hard days work!

View of garage windows from the garden - they look as though they have always been there.

The garden is looking good, there are still some vegetables to eat

and others which were ready to be harvested have been cleared such as butternut squash, marrows, courgettes, aubergines, peas and runner beans. The areas which are now free of plants and weeds have been covered with either black plastic or with the cardboard packaging from the new windows. Hopefully this will prevent the weeds from taking hold this winter.

The eating apples are beginning to fall - so I have been using these windfalls to make apple juice. Not sure what the variety they are but they make good eaters and good sharp yet sweet juice.

We had rain on our journey down here, and the ground is now damp. With the damp and the mild temperature we were hopeful that mushrooms might have started to poke their heads out of the ground, so we went out yesterday to our usual spot but we weren't very successful, we did find a few which we ate with our supper last night. We did find an interesting beast, just 5cm long which we have now identified as a fire salamander, however not before posting it on the Autumn Watch site for identification.

The fire salamander

The grapes have ripened well and they are good to eat if full of pips. After our last attempt at wine making we will just enjoy these grapes fresh and leave the wine making to the experts.

All around us pear picking is in full swing, these are the small round pears used to make poiré (perry) which is a speciality of the region. These pears have to be picked of the ground by hand while they are still fresh, unlike the apples for cider which can be gathered by machine and can already be beginning to rot for the cider. It is really hard work, and apparently they don't know yet how much they will get per kilo for the pears, but it has been a good year so there are plenty to gather.

London, Honey fungus and friends

2009-10-18T14:57:00.000+01:00

Six of us got together last week for lunch. What's so unusual about that one might think but ten years ago we met for the first time when we embarked on our degree course organised by the WI. That first semester seems a long way off now, in fact it is hard to believe we spent so much time on our course, but we all survived the course and we all became good friends too. It is always good to get together as we are all very opinionated but generally we all think along the same lines so we don't fall out or argue. As usual the conversation was dominated by WI issues, but with interludes of family weddings, house moving and new kitchens....

We went to London this week primarily to visit the private view of an exhibition put on by one of our friends, but used the opportunity to explore Bloomsbury. We followed a planned walk, which took us down streets we hadn't yet discovered. Lots of beautiful squares and gardens - people were out picnicking at lunchtime - it was a lovely day dry and sunny and pleasantly warm. Just a few streets away from the main thoroughfares it is amazingly peaceful and quiet, hard to imagine you are in central London.

The photo shows a charging point for an electric car - the only one we noticed but I am sure there must be more around.

It continues to be very dry which means there are very few mushrooms around, we did find some honey fungus last weekend which was growing abundantly on some trees in a local wood, but they don't need rain to grow. We are still eating the tomatoes which are ripening well on the window sill. We have stored the pears in the fridge to prevent them ripening too fast but we have had plenty despite pruning the pear tree very hard last winter.

Drought

2009-10-03T18:00:00.000+01:00

Despite the horrific weather reports from the UK, the east of England has not had rain for about the last ten weeks. The ground is hard and the grass has resembles dry straw. The local paper reported that the local sugar campaign had been delayed because the farmers were finding it difficult to harvest the sugar beat. Our region of France has also suffered from the lack of rain since the beginning of August and it proved very difficult to lift the potatoes as the ground resembled concrete, the main crop of potatoes was very poor I think due to lack of water - I suppose i should have watered them. However it is not a matter of life or death unlike areas of East Africa who are suffering a severe drought after several years of failed rainy seasons. I don't think any of this is particularly due to global warming but it does bring home the fact that no matter where we live we all need rain even if we moan about a wet summer.

We spent last Saturday at Great Yarmouth, it was good to see the resort so busy, there were families on the beach and enjoying the fun of the pier. The beach cafés were also doing a brisk trade. We haven't spent much time in Great Yarmouth before and I had forgotten how wide and clean the beaches are. Lots of space for everyone. Just off shore are 32 wind turbines, currently one of the largest offshore wind farms. They are really impressive and there is information centre on the sea front explaining how they were built and how much energy they produce. Unfortunately when we first arrived they were still as there was no wind, not something you usually encounter on the British coast. Later on the wind picked up a little and they were soon turning into the wind. There is something special about sitting on the bench over looking the north sea whilst enjoying 'good old' fish and chips.

A Girls Night Out

2009-09-20T11:06:00.000+01:00

After much preparation finally the day had arrived. Debbie and I joined about 350 other women on Angel Hill. After a registering we all warmed up to music although we felt we were using too much energy which we would need later on. At 8p.m., by this time it was dark, off we set off complete with police escort. The route took us out on Northgate Street and then we followed roads leading around the edge of the town, through the various housing estates. As we passed ASDA supermarket, we were offered water and apples and some took advantage of the toilet facilities there. We continued on around the west of Bury until we came to the Hospital, this was about half way. We made a detour up to the Hospice where again water was on offer. They had supplied portaloos outside, but there were only two, which meant a long wait in line. We think we waited 20 mins, but when you consider there 350 women it could have been even longer. Then it was off for the final leg, we were on familiar walking territory as we had been out many times training in this area. Eventually four hours after starting out we arrived back at Angel Hill where there was hot chocolate and bacon rolls. It had stayed dry all evening and was not at all cold. I think we caught up all the news but there may be a few things we forgot to discuss, we may need to get out and do some more walking.

We were tired but really happy and pleased that we had completed our walk - I knew we could do it but on the day it did seem a little daunting.

This video was taken while waiting to register.

Milk, Cream and Butter; Melk, Room en Boter; Lait, Creme et Beurre

2009-09-11T12:55:00.000+01:00

Milk Milk every where, yesterday we got together with our Dutch neighbours and armed with large quantities of fresh milk, our cream separator, their cream separator, and the guests staying in their holiday cottage. We inherited our cream separator with the house and it is in excellent condition. It was a wonderful opportunity to try it out. Having got it spinning at speed milk was poured into the large bowl and the tap opened - wow we were all covered in milk. Out came the other one to compare and we found that ours was missing a vital bolt which holds the conical disks in place.

Not to be deterred we assembled the other one and started again. Litres of milk were poured into the top bowl and milk gushed out of one spout and then amazingly cream started to pour slowly out of the other - a rich thick cream - it was working. All the men got involved with the spinning of the handle and the topping up with milk and the collecting of the skimmed milk. There were the usual jokes about how many men does it take to separate 35 litres of milk.... 3 men and 3 women. We had great fun despite us being covered in milk and the floor awash with it too.

This morning the fun continued when we assembled to churn the cream in to butter. We now know why farming families had so many children, as we all took a turn at swing the handle.

Two hours later - about two kilos of butter was ready - possibly the most expensive butter ever produced considering the man hours involved but never mind it was a good experience and we all learned a lot from it. Next time will be easier - we hope.

We also had a day on the coast this week. We went to the small village of St Jean le Thomas, situated on the bay of the Mont St Michel between Avranches and Granvilles. We collected some cockles as we walked on the beach then had a good lunch in the Hotel des Bains. One day we will remember to take our foraging gear with us - bucket and rake etc., anyway we improvised with a large handkerchief tied into a bag to hold the cockles and oysters we found. On the way home we stopped off on the off change of finding some family friends at their house. We spent a pleasant hour or so catching up on the news with Allan. We ate our cockles and oysters for supper along with a salad of garden delights.

The garden continues to feed us well. I started to harvest the carrots - and as well as being tasty they also have amusing shapes. As the summer comes to a close I am surprised by how much we have grown, broad beans, peas, carrots, beetroot, red onions, garlic, swiss chard, potatoes, courgettes, blueberries, radishes, rocket and lettuces. The aubergines are still growing bigger everyday, the butternut squash are starting to ripen. Another crop of peas is heading skywards and the late crop of runner beans are in full flower. The leeks continue to get bigger and there are second crops of beetroot and carrots. The jerusalem artichokes have grown well as usual and have been trimmed down a couple of times to keep them under control.

September arrives

2009-09-01T16:38:00.000+01:00

Yesterday we enjoyed a warm sunny day - a good way to end August. While Rob walked around Bagnoles de l"Orne taking photos of the houses which were built in the late 19th century when the town became a spa resort.I walked through the wooded area there looking for bilberries. I found a few but I think it was just luck as the plants appeared to have been stripped of their fruits. At least there were plenty of healthy looking plants so next year I will get there earlier in the summer.

I have finally found some local history material in our local library. Alain Hairie, who family lived in Domfront has written a few small booklets about the second world war, in particular, how Jewish children were hidden and cared for by the local community and about the relgious community in Perrou - a nearby village- where the sisters ran an orphanage, old peoples home and cared for the sick. They also took in Jewish children and some of their mothers before the community was taken over by the Germans towards the end of the war and used it as a hospital to care for soldiers injured on the front. He has interviewed some of those who lived in the area and whose families were involved. He has also tracked down some of the children who were hidden. Of course the information they have given is very limited as all those interviewed were very young during the war and have limited memories of the events that happened around them. He has realised that he has undertaken this research rather late in the day and has missed the chance to interviiew those who were active both in the resistance and in the community.

One of his books covers some of the bombing of the area and reference is made to the 'flying fortresses' attempting to destroy the fuel depots which were hidden in the forests between Domfront and Bagnoles. Apparently there is still evidence of bomb caters to be seen in the woods, just like we have around us in Bury St Edmunds. See the link for more information http://www.ansa39-45.fr/independencedayenglish.htm

Last week we visited the village of La Gué Plat which was purpose built in the 1920's to house the mine workers of the iron ore mine which was opened there. There are still remnents of the mining activity to be seen, strangely set against the local forest landscape. We learned that iron ore mining has been taking place in the area for a very long time as there is a band of iron deposits which came to the surface in this village and the pits can still be seen where the ore was excavated.

We have since discoved that the Orne Valley south of Caen has been the most important source of iron ore in France and the reason that the canal was built from Caen to the see, to export the ore and import the coal needed for the furnesses.

The garden continues to feed us well, and I am now planning next years vegetable garden. The ground has become rock hard due to the lack of rain, but I continue to water the beans and the butternut squash and hope to get a good harvest from them. There is a severe drought in a large number of departments, including the department of the Mayenne which is just a couple of kilometers south of here. There have water restictions and the television news shows the land dry as dust and crops such as the maize and sunflowers wilting in the fields. We noticed this when we went down to the Loire Valley a couple of weeks ago. The maize fields here are lush and the crop at least 2.5m high. As a local farmer said last week, we can sometimes be glad that we are in Normandy and get as much rain as we do.

2009-08-25T15:30:00.000+01:00

Music in the park

Our nearby Spa resort of Bagnoles de L'Orne puts on musical events every Sunday afternoon during the summer season. These take place in the park in front of the Chateau. We spent a pleasant afternoon there last week listening to 'Calypso made in Calvados'.

Open Farm Weekend

This last week end our Dutch neighbours opened their farm to visitors as part of 'Les pieds dans l'herbe.' There were four farms open in the region, our neighbours and a farm in Passais were the ones close to us. On Saturday we visited Isabelle et Jacques Mousset's farm of Saint Auvieu
at Passais la Conception. They have set up their own creamery and Isabelle makes fresh cream, butter, yoghurt and fromage blanc from their own milk. They have also installed a heating system which uses chipped waste wood, many visitors found the boiler and feed system interesting.
Sunday we helped out our Dutch friends on their farm at La Dennee. They had just over 100 visitors on Sunday afternoon. They showed their waste water reed beds, the holiday cottage they rent out for holidays and the cows and milking parlour. We finished they day there with a BBQ for the helpers and their guests in the guest house. We had a lovely evening sitting outside until late in the evening. For more info see the link.
http://www.graine-basse-normandie.net/feuilleinfo/n_32_32/pieds_herbe.pdf

Bardsey Apple

Our Bardsey apple is now two years old had has produced 9 apples this year. One apple has already fallen from the tree and we have picked three others as they have been attacked by earwigs and we don't want them to rot on the tree. It is a beautiful apple, similar in colour and appearance to a nectarine - they have rosy cheeks. A crunchy apple with a fresh clean taste, sweet with a little tartness. The flesh is clear off white, the skin is thin and tasty. Our current feeling is that this is a nice cheerful apple. I will update when we have harvest the rest of our apples. But for the moment we are very happy with this new variety in our orchard.

Visit to Caen
Last week we drove up to Caen, the castle has several exhibition spaces as part of the museum of Normandy. We went to see an exhibition of travel posters. As usual it was very well presented and also very interesting. We also climbed the hill to visit the Abbaye aux Dames, which now houses the regional government offices, but is open to the public, well worth a visit. It is nice to spend time in a proper town, with shops, busses, trams etc. It makes a change from the peace of our rural surroundings here.

We continue to harvest vegetables from the garden, the tomatoes are ripening fast and are really tasty. The two butternut squash plants are running rampant over the garden. Several fruits have set - hopefully they will ripen before we leave.
Chutney making continues using the wind fall apples and other veg as it becomes available.

Today we have installed another satellite dish, with the help of an English friend. We now have the BBC/ITV etc as an alternative to French television. I like to watch the local and national french news programmes, however we don't find there is much else of interest - at least not in the summer.

Hot summer days

2009-08-15T18:54:00.000+01:00

Not sure where the time is going but the days fly by. I can't pretend that I am very busy or working particularly hard. Last week Céaucé celebrated it's Saints Day of St Ernier with its traditional procession with floats and brass bands followed by a BBQ supper on the village square. There weren't as many floats this year and the band which usually comes from Belgium was missing too. This year no candidates came forward to be elected 'Miss Céaucé' so we had 'Miss Ambrieres' and her attendants to grace the possession, beautiful as usual. I think it may be time for a 'Mrs. Céaucé' if the youngsters are not interested. We went to the supper, and met up with some English friends there. But it was so noisy that it was almost impossible to have a conversation, particularly when the band started up and the singing started. The less I say about the food the better. While we were eating the heavens opened and the rain flowed through the tent. However when we got home there had been no rain at all. It had been a very isolated storm.

Found some cherry plums growing in the hedgerow so have taken the opportunity to make some jam.

The blackberries continue to ripen and I have made my first batch of Bramble Jelly. I also used some to make a sauce to accompany a panacotta the other evening.

Modern Art in our B&B bedroom an empty picture frame.

Tuesday Rob and I set off for a couple of days in the Loire Valley. We drove straight down to Angers and then followed the river to Saumur. We spent some time walking around the town, but it was very hot and humid, so not very pleasant. We continued on to the village of Fontevraud which has a wonderful old abbey. As the two hotels were both fully booked we found a B&B just on the edge of the village. Luckily we were able to get a table at the hotel/restaurant in the centre of the village. We had a wonderful meal served outside in the courtyard of the restaurant, see link. http://www.fontevraud.net/
The next day we visited the Abbey - should anyone be passing this way we recommend a visit for more information: http://www.abbaye-fontevraud.com/v3/home/

Dominique, one of our neighbours is here for two weeks holiday from her work in Paris, so she and Serge came on Thursday for supper, It was good to catch up with them as she is often busy when she is here at the weekends and we don't often get the chance to chat.

Today we visited the annual manifestation at St. Fraimbault, as usual it was very well organised, lots of local producers of food and drink, demonstrations of farming techniques, exhibitions of tomatoes, rabbits and chickens, beautiful displays of flowers and a classic car rally. It was very hot and after having a look at all that was on offer we came home to spend the rest of the afternoon under the trees in the garden where there was some breeze.
The photo shows my dad looking at one of the cars last year.

The garden continues to supply us with a good selection of vegetables. The tomatoes are now ripening quickly giving us a constant supply, however the ones growing in the garden had been hit by blight so I think I have lost all of those. I have removed all the effected parts but it was such a severe attack I don't think there is much hope which is a shame as they were heavily laden with fruits. The neighbours are being overwhelmed by courgettes so although we have plenty of our own I have taken some of theirs to start this years chutney production.

Busy week

2009-08-05T10:57:00.000+01:00

Been busy since my last posting,I have met up with another English girl, she is much younger than me, who is in training to walk up Snowdon later this month. So far we have managed one walk together, hopefully we will get more in. I am walking on my own in the evenings even if it is only to the end of the road and back 1.6km.

This morning Rob and I went out for a walk starting from the village of St Simeon, not far from here. It is a circular walk taking in several menirs and dolmens, however it soon become very hot so we only walked as far as the first menir and then came back along a different road. It was very quiet hardly anyone out and about. On the road leading out of St Simeon we found lots of edible mushrooms, all of which had already gone over but it shows that the season has started early this year, could be to do with all the rain we have had.

On our way to St Simeon we did come across several giant puffballs in a field with cows, they were close to the road so Rob rolled under the barbed wire and picked one, we shall be having it for supper. It is enormous - I have photographed it with a lemon to give some idea of size. It weighs 1300g

The garden continues to keep us supplied with fresh vegetables and herbs. Almost without exception our meals are based around the days harvest. We have eaten out first ripe tomato,see photo, but there are many more on the plants and two more are almost ripe. The potatoes continue to impress particularly the variety Rocket - I will be growing these again. The beetroot are also impressive and are living up to the description on the seed packet - they are large 10 -15 cm in diameter but still beautiful and tender all the way through - no tough bits at all.

Rob has been busy treating the floor and beams in the attic of the garage against wood worm, it has been a long hard task particularly when he was painting it on above his head. He managed to loose a contact lense as there was so much dust and perspiration - luckily he has brought along a second pair, as we have not managed to find it.

Costa del Faverie

Now that the weather has improved we have put out our new parasol which we brought with us, there was a time when we thought it would be staying in its box, but as you can see it gives a very summery impression. In fact I am sitting under it now as I write my blog - very pleasant indeed. What is also impressive is that I still get a good connection to the internet out here despite the wall between me and the 'livebox' is about 90cm thick.

There was lots happening round about this last weekend. It was the bi-annual Mediaeval Faire in Domfront and on Sunday the annual fete in Soucé. We visited Domfront on Saturday luckily timeing our visit avoiding the really heavy rain. It was not a good day, our neighbours who have a shop in Domfront said it was very disapointing but Sunday was much better as it was a bright and sunny day.

We went to Soucé where we had our stall selling chutneys and English paperbacks. We packed up early afternoon when we had only three jars of chutney left. We felt we had had a successful day. Sales were good with some repeat customers, I seem to be making a name for myself. Now I am waiting for the apples to ripen and for a glut of courgettes and I will be back making chutneys for next year.

Working Hard

2009-07-27T12:46:00.000+01:00

Not sure where the last week as gone, time seems to have flown by. However as you can see Rob has been very busy. His first job was to install George's catflap, note the ears of expansion foam, they remind of of mickey mouse.

Since then Rob has removed a window from the garage it was rotted through and beyond repair. He has designed and made this window from scratch. It is now finished, just waiting for paint job when the putty has dried. I have to say this whole job was done, without swearing and he didn't fall off the ladder either.

The weather has been patchy, some nice days and some heavy rain. With the weather looking a bit better on Friday afternoon we set off for a short walk through some of the green lanes locally. No sooner had we got out of the car than it started to rain, just a light drizzle so off we set. The lanes were well covered by the canopy of the large trees. Lovely mossy banks and way off the beaten track, we even found a beautiful 'chicken of the woods', see picture, which we harvested for our supper. However it finally turned into a downpour, complete with thunder. We sheltered under trees until they could no longer hold the rain back. There was no option but to set off back to the car as we weren't staying any drier under the trees than we thought we would get walking back to the car. By the time we got to the car we were drenched - I don't think I have ever been so wet before.

We have had a nice sunny weekend, the weather improved as had been promised, so we have enjoyed some time sitting out in the warm sunshine and at the same time keeping an eye on the Tour de France. We did watch the final section as they raced around Paris and watched with amazement as Mark Cavendish won this final stage.

We continue to harvest our vegetables from the garden, the potato crop is looking really good this year, particularly after such poor crop last year.

First Harvest

2009-07-21T18:50:00.000+01:00

The garden is under control and the weeds in the courtyard are more or less dead, although some seem to be having a second life. we have had a busy social life this last weekend, supper with our neighbours on Friday, their nephew and wife have just bought a house in the region and had got the keys and moved the first items in that day. As usual good food, wine and hospitality.
Saturday we had the pleasure of meeting up with some people Rob works with in the UK, they came over for lunch. Thanks to Gerda's large courgette, some of our large peas and mint from the garden we had a lovely soup, recipe from Waitrose in this months Good Housekeeping magazine. Then a chicken dish, no not home produce this time buy served with the first potatoes of the season, large and small but very tasty, see photo.

The blackberries are starting to ripen, at least those growing over the building next door. I think the stone is absorbing the heat and bringing them on faster. harvested the first ones today, not many but Rob had some with his yoghurt and I have frozen the remaining. Need to collect some more as I am supposed to be making some bramble jelly for a WI competition. I hope the berries are plentiful as I will have to practise if we are to win.

Unfortunately one of our English neighbours was taken ill on Sunday and we went with them to the hospital for moral support. Luckily Jo seems to be recovering from the emergency surgery that she had Sunday afternoon.

This week Rob has removed a window from the side of the garage and is making a new one from scratch. So far so good. The first pane of glass is in, and he is perfecting the section which will open and close. It is looking good. I continue with the constant struggle to keep the weeds at bay in the vegetable garden. Each morning I am faced with a covering of small green leaves carpeting the ground. I am determined I will win they will not....

However we continue to harvest, broadbeans, courgettes, lettuces, swiss chard, beetroot, potatoes and herbs. Although we haven't got a large veg plot hopefully it will keep us fed for the rest of the summer.

Back in France

2009-07-12T20:24:00.000+01:00

Six weeks since we were last here and I was anxious to see how the garden was doing. I had expected a lot of weeds in the garden, but I think this is the worse infestation of weeds amongst the vegetables I have ever seen.

However I have spent a lot of time in the garden today and it is not as bad as I first thought. The potatoes are looking good, far better than this time last year when they had all died after a bout of blight, they look healthy as some varieties are in flower. It is hard to find the onions as they are smothered by weeds but I am sure they are sitll there. The broad beans look good - I am sure we will get a couple of meals of them. As usual I probably haven't planted enough beans. I have harvested the peas, one good meal of those which were still fresh and crispy, the others I have blanched and will use in a dish where I can disguise the fact they are a little older and floury.
No courgettes yet, but there are flowers on the plants so it is just a matter of time. The aubergines are struggling, they may improve now that I am here to water them. The beetroot are looking good and is a crop we really enjoy.

The fruit trees are full of fruit, even our young apple tree has 8 apples, not bad for its first attempt, It is a Bardsey apple, an old variety which I beleive was found on Bardsey Island.

The tomato plants we brought from England have suvived the journey and are in pots outside the kitchen window.