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.
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Sunday, 28 March 2010
Birthday Cake and the Lotto
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.
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.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Febuary
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 soake
d 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.
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Inspiring Week
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?
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.
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Thinking ahead
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.
Wednesday, 6 January 2010
Snow in France
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.
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.
Friday, 1 January 2010
Happy New Year
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)