A Happy Bunny Now

Posted by Simon

For the second time of trying I have finished the revetment sleeper wall this afternoon. I am much happier with the result this time. It is a great deal stronger and looks a lot better. It took some time because the new sleepers are much wider than the old ones. This meant that I could dig the initial hole with the post hole borer, then had to complete it by hand. The holes are much deeper and I have angled the uprights inwards. So I really don't think it's going anywhere this time (fingers crossed).

I have now started back filling, again. And then it's back to where I was the other day - tidy the area up, replace the fencing and cut the tops off of the uprights. After that I can start to lay out the sleepers for the boule area and plan where the boys tower is going. But tomorrow I am not going near the area and having a well earned rest - and all my muscles agree.

One slip and you're in the........

Posted by Simon

......Quagmire. Yes I should have i) read my own blog - re area being a quagmire - and ii) known better. I had nearly finished the back-filling and compacting the soil down. Running the digger over the area had made it very boggy but I decided to give it that one last go. One side of the digger suddenly lurched with a downwards motion and was then sinking into the mud. One of the support/upright sleepers was not into the ground as deep as I would have liked, due to a huge root, and gave way. Fortunately the rest of the sleepers held but whilst I pulled the digger out they did move. As it was nearly dark by now I could not see the extend of the damage and was hoping I could pull it all back over and re-strengthen it.

So yesterday morning I spent a few moments seeing if I could make the necessary repairs but overall things were worse then I thought. So after a lot of pondering I decided that a major rebuild was required. I was a little disappointed because it had been lot of hard work and, also, a little annoyed with myself.

However I decided it was, also, a blessing in disguise. In hindsight I should have not used the old sleepers for the supports/uprights. So yesterday I spent the day digging out the soil and removing the sleepers. I have now been re-building, using the new sleepers for the uprights plus putting these in much deeper (once bitten twice shy?). I am much happier with the results and, although this has been extremely heavy work, will result in a much better job. As you can see from the photo I have had to use sleepers to run the digger over otherwise it gets bogged down and sinks. I do not want to slide into the neighbouring field

This morning I knew I had to start digging out the hole with the root in it. By chance the chainsaw had an old chain on it so I did not mind it being used on the root. Even so I had to sharpen it three times to get through the root due to embedded stones and soil. Not the best use for a chainsaw but eventually I cut the root out. I can now dig this hole to the correct depth, but due to very heavy rain work has stopped. Oh well, I'll tidy the workshop instead.

Wot no Birds?

Posted by Rosie

I did my version of the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch yesterday - an hour in the garden seeing what different birds I could see, recording the maximum number I saw at any one time. The results:

Wren (1)

Blackbird (1)

Sparrow (3)

Chaffinch (3)

Great tit (1)

Crow (2)

Robin (1)

Wood pigeon (1)

....which I personally think is a very miserable score, not at all reflective of the amount and number of birds around here. But it was an absolutely foul day - cold, wet and windy and any self-respecting bird was tucked up in some warm place and was not coming out just to be added to a birdwatch count. So no buzzards, goldfinches, grey wagtails, fieldfares, redwings, woodpeckers, blue tits, greenfinches, kestrels, dunnocks, jays, starlings, thrushes etc - all of which I have seen around here over the last few days.

And I have just come in from feeding the animals having already seen two blue tits!!

Onward & Upward

Posted by Simon

Considering the weather yesterday, I still managed to finish constructing the sleeper wall/revetment. I also covered the back with landscape fabric to stop the back-fill 'leaking' out. Where the digger has been running over the ground it is turning into a quagmire but I have started to back-fill behind the revetment before importing some subsoil to finish the job.

Once it is back-filled and compacted down I'll need to tidy up the area, stack the sleepers properly and saw off the tops of the sleepers that show above the wall. I, also, have to replace the fencing, so when the farmer puts his cattle back in the field they cannot escape - um, personally I don't think the cows will be hurdling over!

Then I can start the next phrase which is to lay out the sleepers for the boule area and play tower. That will make for two very happy boys. Recently we asked if they enjoyed living in France and were a bit surprised when the answer came back "No!" .... "Why?" we asked. "Because we don't have a tower here like in England." .... "So if you had a tower here would life here be good?" ....."YES!!"

It's all French to me

Posted by Simon

The weather was against me today, - wet and extremely windy - so moving sleepers in high winds did not appeal much. Instead I decided to gen up on what is required for electrical works - having managed to get a translation of the French manual.

Well I say translation but some was a little, how shall I say, interesting. For example 'make a hole in the bleeding wall' or 'the case must be sealed with flower of the finished wall' or 'it will not remain you any more that is to measure and cut out the right lengths, easier to the connect'. But having made all these holes in the walls I am a little concerned about what is required for the repair/finishing work:

Plaster
Trowels
Plaster board
Language of the cat

Language of the cat! Now I'm finding French hard enough but this is going beyond the bounds. Although admittedly my previous attempts of plastering have resulted in some rather colourful language - ah? Now that maybe is where I'm be going wrong.

PS: I also caught up with some lost sleep - well reading an electrical manual you would. Wouldn't you? Also, Rosie told me my doctors appointment was booked for 7:45. In fact in was 8:45. Sept. Huit. Yea, sound the same to me!

Meow

Great Wall Update

Posted by Simon

The Great Wall of Lenault is slowly rising out of the muddy depths. And the pile of sleepers is slowly diminishing (I think). All of yesterday and this morning I have been building up the revetment wall and I'm pleased with my progress, but when the weather changed for the worse at lunch time I decided, without any second bidding, to call it a day. It was not only the rain and mud that finished me off but a body that was saying enough is enough. So a nice afternoon in front of the fire (dozing?) is now planned before heaving more sleepers around tomorrow.

It feels like Spring

Posted by Rosie

Now I KNOW we are still in mid winter and everyone seems to be saying that we are in for another cold spell in February but today felt just a little bit like Spring. Admittedly there was quite a hard frost overnight (back to breaking the ice in the sheep's water bucket) but as the day progressed the sun came out and it felt gorgeous. The temperature in the polytunnel reached a balmy 17 degrees and there seemed to be lots of plants everywhere poking a tentative shoot above the soil level. The rhubarb is starting to grow so I have put a pot over one to try and force some early shoots. Tomorrow I plan to move another crown into the polytunnel to try and get some even earlier shoots (I have been too long without rhubarb crumble). I also spotted these very small snowdrops near the house and when walking the dogs I saw a white dead nettle, 2 daisies, one dandelion and a celandine all in flower.


And there is success to report the drier/propagator experiment. The early lettuces and spring cabbages are starting to germinate. They will have to go in the polytunnel tomorrow so I have some horticultural fleece ready if cold weather is forecast. I needed to do a bit of jiggling to get the temperature right, namely putting in the lower wattage bulb and raising the shelves to attain a temperature between 13 and 18 degrees. With a higher wattage bulb though, I can get 25 degrees, perfect for tomatoes which I plan to start pretty soon. I also got a decent amount of mud under my finger nails today - initially weeding the polytunnel but as the frost cleared I dug section of the vegetable patch ... whilst trying very hard NOT to look and see how much more I have to do!!

Je suis fatigué

Posted by Simon

I'm now sitting here enjoying, in my view, a well deserved beer after a day of putting the upright sleepers in for the revetment wall (see previous post). I had some sleepers here already and made use of these. Although the ones I had ordered where due to be delivered 'matin', from my experiences in the UK of waiting for deliveries to turn up, I decided to crack on.

It was hard work moving sleepers and getting them lined up but I eventually finished them this evening - not helped by tree roots and large stones. So I'm all set to start building the revetment tomorrow.

It was lucky I did use the old sleepers as the delivery eventually turned up 'aprés midi', at 4:15pm. I was hoping they would turn up on a 'grab lorry' so they could be placed conveniently where I need them. Fat chance. They came by tractor and trailer and are now informally stacked in a massive pile. And are much heavier then the ones I already had - so muscles beware.

Oh well, off for a well earned bath now and dreams of moving 100 sleepers!!! I think tomorrow will be 'Je suis trés fatigué.

Projects

Posted by Simon

As Rosie previously mentioned we are still waiting for our planning decision and there is only so much we can do until then as far as preparation and building works. So until then I have decided that I need a couple of projects to keep me going. Firstly I am resuscitating the earlier project of developing the area for the boys play tower and boule area. I have been felling trees and grubbing out the remains of an old hedge. As the area slopes away into the neighbouring field and is a wasted piece of land I am going to build, using reclaimed sleepers, a revetment wall and then back fill with rubble and soil. Once the area is levelled it will be great for the tower, a hard play area for boule and other games, a place for seating and BBQ. I will plant a new hedge along the top of the revetment along with some additional fruiting hedgerow trees eg. Damson and Crab Apple.

Secondly I will start the ground work for the landscaping outside the proposed gites and play barn. This will involve levelling outside the houses to create patio and garden areas as well as improving the access and parking for cars. Most of the existing areas have eroded away over the years and at present are either muddy or slippery, so getting this work done will make life easier in the future.

The only thing I'm not looking forward too, though, is the delivery of 100 (heavy) sleepers tomorrow morning.

I have a cunning plan

Posted by Rosie

Last year I didn't get the full advantage of the polytunnel because it wasn't completed until June so I had missed all the early crops. This year I want to rectify that. At the moment I have a range of things overwintering in there including turnips, cabbages, winter lettuces and japanese onions but I want more!! Compostwoman on her blog said that she started plants like tomatoes in a heated propagator before putting them in a cold frame in the polytunnel. I don't have a heated propagator and there were none at the garden centre on Friday (when instead I bought lots of seeds and some first early seed potatoes). However, on the suggestion of another friend (thanks J) I have a cunning plan - to germinate my seeds in ........ the drying box. Then, once the seeds have germinated and need more light I plan to put them in the cold frame in the polytunnel and if really cold weather is forecast I may try and build a hotbed using J's donkey poo. Currently I have lettuce, cabbage, broad beans and sweet peas in there and if it works I'll start other more tender plants soon.

And if it doesn't work I'll have lost nothing - there are always too many seeds in any one packet so nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Hay

Posted by Rosie

We had lunch outside yesterday:

But then we did have a small patio

heater to keep us warm ;-)

We finally got round to clearing out what we thought was not a great deal of hay from the loft space above the Old Bakery. We slightly miscalculated how much was there and a few hours later we were still chucking ancient bales of hay out of the door and resorting to using the digger to move it to the fire site.

Goodness knows how old it was but some of it was made into stooks tied with straw. It was therefore no good for anything except burning but I did cut the string off some bales as it was traditional baler twine which is much nicer than the modern stuff to use in the garden.

And thank you Adam for your help - this being the same Adam who helped us out last year ........ moving hay out of another barn!!

Let there be light ..... and vegetables

Posted by Rosie

Simon has been very busy over the last two days putting electricity in the old bakery. Now we have a light in there and proper plugs for the freezers and fridge rather than an extension lead from the workshop. So no more fumbling in the dark to find the freezer door or using "But it's dark" as an excuse for not taking the recycling to the bins that are also stored in there.

And as the thaw slowly progresses I have at last managed to get some fresh vegetables out of the garden. Tonight we feasted on neck of lamb stewed with parsnip, swede, turnip and pumpkins all simmered slowly in half a bottle of rather rough red wine we won't be buying again for drinking. And there was cabbage to accompany - a very nice change from frozen beans and bought carrots.

Power Cut

Posted by Rosie

Last night I was happily typing on the computer, Ben was already in bed, Tom was in the bath and Simon was doing some of Tom's 1000 piece jigsaw. All was very quiet at La Causserie - very quiet and also very dark as we were suddenly plunged into darkness thanks to a power cut. We have had the odd power cut in the day (and a couple of half days without power when work was being done at the exchange) but as Simon pointed out, this was our first night-time power cut.

Luckily I had recently shut the hen's door by torchlight so I knew where the torch was. I lit candles and we continued the evening with the much more pleasant candlelight. And as for dinner, Simon did us proud. We couldn't grill the sardines so instead he griddled them on the woodburner where he also cooked the veg and spuds (Thank goodness for head torches!). Afterwards with both boys in bed we settled down to a electricity free evening of reading and cards by candlelight.

I was quite sad in a way when the power came back on - the lights seemed harshly bright and everything like phones and computers bleeped manically as they came back to "life". However with two freezers full of home produce I was also very glad the loss of power was only for two hours. Time to think about getting a generator maybe?

Lazy Sunday Morning

Posted by Rosie

There was a lovely red sky this morning but I have to admit to watching it from the warmth of my bed where I was too snugly to get out and take a photograph. So you will have to take my word for it. The red morning sky may well be a indicator of the weather too come:

Red sky at night, Shepherd's delight

Red sky in the morning, Shepherd's warning

The forecast for the coming week is for a thaw and rain thus heralding the return of mud. Neither us nor the animals will not be happy about that but at least we won't have to break the sheep's water several times a day!


Equally beautiful - and still there when I did go out to feed the chickens and sheep was the setting moon.



Having got up late, we breakfasted on the only fresh produce we have at the moment - mushrooms on toast. Simon has been given a mushroom kit and it is starting to produce nicely now. There is still lots of veg in the garden but we will just have to wait and see whether any of it has survived the cold spell.

Rats and Regulations

Posted by Rosie

"What's that noise?" I asked, woken up by some noise in the loft.

"A mouse wearing clogs," muttered Simon before turning over and going back to sleep.

Well some type of rodent is living in the loft, so yesterday I went up and set a couple of traps. Today I went up to check the traps but only found ONE trap. Simon and I spent the next hour searching the loft for a mousetrap - and we had taken up the dogs and a stick each taken in case we met an irate rat with a mousetrap attached to some part of it's anatomy. We searched the barn next door and all the boxes, bags and assorted paraphernalia that we have accumulated up there but there was no sign of the trap. I have to admit it is one of the reasons I don't like traps but then poison can be a worse death for the animal and you run the risk of a decaying rodent trapped in some inaccessible place. So now we have re-set the mousetrap and put a rat-trap up there and we will see what the result is tomorrow.

On a more positive note we have cleared another hurdle with regards to getting our planning permission. Before Christmas we had received a letter from the Planning Department asking for information on our proposed modifications regarding disabled access. We had been advised that new regulations state that gites with more than 5 bedrooms must have disabled access so we have planned for a downstairs bedroom and wheelchair accessible bathroom. But apparently this may not be enough. I rang the architect who sent us some information which implied that we would have to make the WHOLE downstairs accessible for people with all disabilities i.e. dropped work surfaces, correct lighting, handrails etc etc. This was not good news. We are planning to be an eco-gites, not a disabled access complex and if we had to implement these new regulations they would cost a lot and be difficult to do.

An Internet search only led me to the site saying what ALL the modifications are, not which one we would have to implement. So I went to the Mayor's Office to see if they could help. The secretary found no more information online than me so she phoned the Planning Office. After 2 phone calls she got through to the right office but no-one was in.

Ho hum - this is all too often how things happen in France as I went home clutching a phone number and wondering how I would manage to get the information with my not too brilliant French. To cut a rather long story short and thanks to help from a French lady we have been told the new regulations are only for new builds, not conversions. All that work was a complete waste of time and our plans are fine. But we need to re-submit the plans with some additional outside drawings and now our architect is away until mid January. One step forward 2 steps back.

Summer's here...........

Posted by Simon

.......well I can dream - can't I? But as the temperature soared to the heady heights of at least zero for most of the morning, Rosie and I had the windows open to let some fresh air in and in true European style, duvets and blankets were given a good shaking outside and hung out of the windows to air. And one good little tip is always remember to check which way the wind is blowing before shaking out the bedding - especially the dogs beds. So we then had a house cleaning session! Then I brought the logs in and had to hoover downstairs again!! C'est la vie.

After a few very cold days, down to minus 11, it was lovely to have it a bit warmer although most days have been very sunny and the scenery beautiful with the ice encrusted trees twinkling at their tips. Great weather for wrapping up well and walking the dogs - so Rosie tells me, as getting up on cold mornings is not my forte. Both of us prefer the ice hard ground to the sloppy wet mud we had to traipse through. But it is not so good for the jobs that need doing outside or digging up the vegetables.

So we have done a few indoor jobs and paperwork which always seems to be neglected when there are more interesting things to do outside. Admittedly we are holding back on some work due to the poor exchange rate at the moment. Rosie has worked on a problem with the planning and we also spent a hour or so looking for a missing mousetrap, both of which Rosie will blog about later.

And one big difference from last winter, we have noticed, is how much warmer the house is since we have installed the double glazing. It should be even warmer when I get the roof insulated.

Christmas & Skiing

Posted by Simon

Well now I can sit down at the computer and get a 'blog in edgeways' I thought I'd write a little about our Christmas Ski Trip for 9 days. We stayed at a friend's apartment in the town of Guillestre. This is near the ski resorts of Risoul and Vars, which we drove up to.

The snow was very good and for most of the time it was sunny, but the temperature varied and by the end of our holiday it was extremely cold (-20 with the wind chill factor). Rosie and the boys had lessons for the first 6 mornings. Tom improved a little over the week and is slowly learning to parallel, but needs to concentrate more on what the instructor says. Ben was in the Flocon level and both his skiing and confidence grew. Whilst Rosie's skiing has come on a lot her instructor said she needs more speed/confidence.

I skied with Sally and other friends in the mornings. In the afternoons and the last three days I skied with the Rosie and the boys, sometimes assisted by Sally and/or friends. In the last few days we all learnt to increase our speed as both boys skied non-stop. I'd be happily waiting, chatting or taking in the view when I'd look down hill and there would be a rapidly disappearing Tom or Ben. So off I, or someone else, would go, racing down to catch up. And a special thanks to A & L for skiing with us on the final two days and helping with the boys - it was greatly appreciated.

On Christmas Eve the instructors did a torch light (real flames) descent and Tom's class also went on this, joining in with the instructors about ½ way down. He loved it but seemed totally overwhelmed. Skiing by torchlight must have been brilliant and he was very lucky. When they were back at the resort Santa appeared on the roof tops and abseiled down. This was followed by a lovely fire work display. The evening finished by Tom and Ben discovering that Santa had been to our apartment and left them some gifts.

After lessons on Christmas day we went back to the apartment and had our presents. The boys had a lovely time unwrapping and playing with their new toys and games. Rosie got a selection of books to increase her knowledge of self sufficiency and I was given some home brewing equipment, so later this year will be sampling home made beers and wines.

And Christmas Dinner - well, even with all the ski gear and presents, we did manage to fit in the car one of our turkeys and a joint of pork. Both were delicious and we were extremely pleased with the turkey as it was beautifully moist and had an excellent flavour. Compliments to the cooks.

We had both a lovely holiday and Christmas but all to soon it was time to go home. After a 14½ hour drive we got back to a very cold house, a pile of washing and a list of jobs we are now working our way through.

Shrew Kebabs

Posted by Rosie

A quick Google search came up with :-

http://www.ketherian.org/paxtharda/gm_stuff/beastiary/shrew.htm

Shrew Recipe

Shrew-on a stick seems to be the only way to cook this brochette-sized animal. Hârnic pedlars are used to such a meal; especially after spending a few nights on the trail only to awake to find one or two shrews digging about in their packs.

Anyone for a Shrew Kebab?

That will teach me - there again she always has to have the last word!!! (added by Simon 04/01/2009)

Word :-)))

A plea

Please if Rosie asks - do not send her shrew recipes!!!

SNAP!!

Posted by Rosie

Just as I hit the Publish Post button for the previous post I heard a snap from the kitchen. Make that 2 small but very dead shrews.

When the cat's away....

Posted by Rosie

...the mice will play.

Well technically the cat was here (just not in the house) and the mice were in fact shrews and rather than playing they were munching though everything and anything in the food cupboard that they could get their teeth into. Pumpkin seeds, a tetrapak of coconut milk and a bag of cornflour (nearly empty) I could cope with. A small carton of long life cream and a packet of yeast I found strange and at least they had left the large carton of cream alone. BUT a packet of my chocolate chips was a nibble too far. That meant war. So I spent an hour or so rearranging the food cupboard getting everything into rodent-proof containers whilst Simon built a cover for the pipes at the back of the cupboard to hopefully stop them getting in there. Then the mousetraps were primed.

One day later. The cupboard appears to be rodent free but in anger something has attacked the contents of the recycling basket under the sink. A plastic milk bottle has been eaten into and the tetrapaks that had contained the cream and coconut milk have been totally shredded. Mousetrap number one was sprung but the bait was still there. Mousetrap number two had no bait and was unsprung. Mousetrap number three - Success. One rather small and very dead shrew.

Now, bearing in mind the carnage that was the recycling basket, that was either one very hungry shrew or, much more likely, he (or she) was not operating alone. Anyway more traps are set and the cat is being allowed to stay in overnight.

Mind you - I don't blame the shrews for coming inside. Temperatures have been as low as -7 degrees over the last week and today they never rose above freezing point. The pond has thick enough ice to take Simon's weight and I'm having to rely on veg from the freezer as my fresh stuff is frozen solid in the ground. But at least with the ground solid, mud is but a distant memory and the scenery is wonderful. Would I swap all this for a 3 bed semi just outside Dartford? What do you think?