Busy week!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!