The witch is going on holiday and in her suitcase she packs ....

Posted by Rosie, Tom and Ben

.... or how to make a wet dog walk more enjoyable. Remember what everyone else put in and add your alphabetically correct idea:

A - an A-shaped apple

B - a bumble bee

C - her clever cat

D - Dad's dazzling ducks

E - an earful of earwigs

F - a fired fireman

 

G -???

H - a hiccuping hyena

I - Italian ink

J - a jaguar juggling jelly

 

K -???

L - lots of lollipops

M - a musician at a marriage

N - nine naughty neighbours

 

O -???

P - a peacock peeking through a pot

Q - Quebec

R - a Russian race

S - smelly socks

T - a triumphant tiara

U - an umbrealla

V - Victor's visitors

W - a wishing well

X - a X

Y - a yucky yolked egg

Z - a zip

Can you guess the missing ones?

The Polytunnel in February

Posted by Rosie

This is possibly more a record for me than a massively interesting read for you but I thought I might use the blog to record the monthly goings on in our polytunnel.  As February and hopefully Winter, nears it's end and Spring creeps slowly upon us it seemed a good time to start my record.  So what's happening in the only part of the garden that isn't currently  inundated with rain?

A couple of days ago I pulled up the last of the overwintering oriental vegetables that were going to seed but was pleased to see those I had sown a week or so ago have just germinated (and the pigs enjoyed the old ones).  I am still cropping chard and spinach albeit in small amounts and I may cut the newly sprouting beetroot leaves to eat as a spinach-like vegetable because I don't think the beets are going to do any decent growing now.

That's it for harvesting but there is a promise of things to come.  All the following have germinated: broad beans, peas, mangetout, cabbage and lettuce plus the lettuce seedlings I've planted are definitely getting bigger.  Of the 3 chinese gooseberries I tried to overwinter, one has survived and is showing some new growth at the base (plus I have 4 others on a windowsill in the house) and the overwintering onions are beginning to put on a lot of growth now.  As yet the early potatoes and sweet peas are to make an appearance but the strawberries a neighbour gave me are putting out lots of new leaves.  I am also very proud to say that the Rosemary cuttings I took last year have survived: a miracle for some-one who has never really succeeded with cuttings!

October 2010

I love this this time of year; the excitement of the first germinated seed, the expectation of harvests to come.  Every year I hope will be better than the last (possibly not that hard after the hot/dry garden disaster that was 2010) and this year I might possibly succeed in growing celery.  I am also eagerly awaiting Simon's return from the UK with The New Polytunnel Book I ordered.  The polytunnel has cropped well over the last 2 years - this year I am hoping for mega-harvests.

Last day of peace and quiet for a while

Posted by Rosie

Simon is currently in the UK and the boys have one more day at school before half term starts leaving me just Friday all to myself. Am I going to rush round cleaning the house?  No - I'm off to get some bits and pieces in Vire and then having lunch with friends ... I might have to do a bit of housework before Sunday though as I have friends coming here for lunch and even the dust has dust on it.

I think the boys will be glad of a half term break, all 2 weeks of it, as it has been 8 weeks since term began. In France the February half term and Easter holidays are split across the country so some schools started their half term break 2 weeks ago and go back to school on Monday where-as others, including ours only start their break on Friday evening.  At Easter there is no Bank Holiday on Good Friday in France and being in the last group for holidays the boys won't actually start their Easter break until Easter Monday when others will be heading back to class the day after.  I can't remember when they had their holidays last year but the regions rotate so maybe they will be in the early group next year.

We're on Twitter

Posted by Rosie

I am not yet sure if we are tweeting or twittering but Eco-Gites of Lénault is now on Twitter. You can find us at @EcoGitesLenault and this should be the link.  Come and twitter/tweet with us ....

Life's Just Not Fair

Posted by Simon

It's just not fair

Fence and Gates

With two medium/large dogs (and sometimes we look after two others) it has always been a bit of a concern of ours that guests arriving to stay in the gite are met by two (or four) excitable dogs.  Even for people who do not mind dogs it can be a little unnerving at times and for children even worse.  So we have now fenced and gated the area outside our house so the dogs cannot pounce on unsuspecting guests.  I can safely say the dogs are NOT IMPRESSED!

It also has the added advantage that if guests are having a meal outside or a BBQ, (I'm optimistic for a hot summer) than two pestering hounds are not slobbering over their sausages! I'm sure, given half a chance, both our dogs could make the odd burger disappear - if not a make a whole meal of it.  So these barriers also gives as peace of mind, although the cats will be a different matter!

Yesterday I had to go into the local town to get some hinges for the gates and as I set off I thought I should take the camera.  Well I didn't and it was one of those days that where ever you looked there was a great photo waiting to be taken. I cursed myself a few times as I drove along for not bringing the camera - but as I arrived home the adjacent valley and fields were shrouded in mist and luckily enough I was able to get the camera before the cloud disappeared.

Chicken Run

Posted by Rosie

 No - not the film, but the nice new extended run that Simon has sorted out for our chickens.  Ever since "The Incident of the Chickens Eating the Farmer's seeds" our chooks have been confined to one paddock - a perfectly nice paddock and amply big enough but still only one paddock.  It also has been the case that I have had to climb over the temporary fencing Simon out up back then to get to the water butt and on several occasions I have nearly ended up tripping over with a full can of water in hand.  Yesterday however, Simon put new fencing at the far end of the grassy area behind the house, took down the old temporary fencing and immediately doubled the size of the chicken run AND gave the chickens access to some lovely fresh grass.

It would however seem that chickens are creatures of habit.  Simon took down the
wire. Chickens looked up.  Simon started to drag wire away, chickens moved forwards.  Chickens then stopped at old fence line.  Chickens did not move forwards. In fact it was some 5 minutes before some-one was eventually brave to move across the line!  They then all followed and had a great afternoon rummaging for bugs and pecking at the longer grass.  

We also get the advantage of seeing the chickens once again from the kitchen window which we both agreed we have missed since their enforced confinement. The newly extended enclosure also stops just short of the wood store so hopefully should stop this happening.

Farewell Ram

Posted by Simon

Rosie had posted earlier this year that we were reviewing our livestock situation - Sheep Update - and today our ram has gone to a new home with nine ewes to keep him happy.  We are really pleased (tinged with a little sadness) as we wanted him to go somewhere to be used as a ram should be rather then destined for the freezer.  He has done as proud and hopefully will be pleased with his new home and the ewes!  The people who took him are French/Moroccan and wanted a ram with horns - common in Morocco but unusual in French breeds.  We will not be without sheep though and in the spring we will be getting some lambs to fatten up.

Home Made Butter

Also we made our first butter pat from cream we had got using the milk separator.  Lovely creamy butter with home made bread and chutney - unfortunately on this occasion the ham was shop bought - but nevertheless very yummy.

The dogs are in the dog house

Posted by Rosie

The trouble is that if you leave the duck shed door open and the dogs are outside, dogs will do what dogs will do and sadly the result is they have eaten Hilda's eggs.  I suppose the saving grace (if there is one) is that they were a very early clutch and could quite easily have hatched in very bad weather, reducing their chances of survival.  Hopefully she will lay another clutch soon enough and of course Matilda hasn't starting laying yet so all is not lost.  Still really sad though, seeing Hilda calling for her lost eggs.

I'm a rugby widow!

Posted by Rosie

It's that time again - the Six Nations when England, France, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Italy battle it out on the rugby field and some poor soul has to try and get their kit clean for the next match.  Simon is a complete rugby fan so nothing comes in his way when it comes to something as important as the Six Nations.  Work stops, beer is opened, the TV goes and and for the length of the match the rest of the world may as well not exist for him.  Luckily the boys also enjoy watching the game (although I am not sure Simon always relishes their incessant questions) but at least all three of them can cheer together when tries are given and shout when the ref blatantly misses something important.

For me, I don't dislike rugby, I just don't have the passion Simon has ..... or the desire to shout at the TV screen.  Would it also be a tad sexist to say one of my main reasons for watching is that rugby players wear rather shorter shorts than footballers leaving plenty of well muscled leg to look at?  Sadly for me the game has never been the same since Jeremy Guscott stopped playing?  Who needed to understand how a scrum worked when he was on the pitch!!

Oh well - maybe I will get a bit more excited when one of the boys is playing on the TV?  Will it ever happen?  I strongly doubt it, but I can dream!

Bowls and Balls!

Posted by Simon

It's been quite a busy this week.  As it was Tom's birthday on Tuesday we had various things to sort out for that.  Sally (my sister) was over at the weekend to celebrate it.  Both boys had a rugby tournament on Saturday afternoon which we took them to.  And on the Sunday Tom had asked to go bowling and out for a meal.  A very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

When the boys bowl automatic rails come up each side of the alley so the balls don't go off into the gutter and makes for a more interesting game. By the end of the session they were getting the idea and at times were bowling straight down and getting spares and strikes.  There again there were occasions that I could have done with the rails as my ball sailed into the gutter without even a sniff at the skittles, plus Tom also worked out the angles and bounced the ball off them along the alley and achieved some good scores that way.

Amongst Tom's presents was a much needed new bike - his old one was getting too small for him -  which has been shown around the neighbourhood.  He also got some books and science experiment toys - I don't think any will blow up the house!

This morning the three - outside - mousing kittens have been taken to the vet for 'that op' or as Ben keeps saying 'they're going to have their tentacles removed.' - not quite Ben.

As they could not have any food from 8 o'clock last night we bought them in for the night and shut them in a room.  After the boys had gone to bed we let them have the run of the downstairs rooms. Well they soon made themselves very much at home - do they look like outside cats? And I suppose we'll have three kittens all not talking to us on their return this evening!

Snap-shot of a February Day

Posted by Rosie

I did the last one of these in January so time for a February update:

Outside my window - I can see the cats sitting on the car and everything shining in the sunshine now the mist has cleared.  It looks like it's going to be a really lovely day.

I am thinking - that if I write this quickly I can get out and do some more digging in the veg patch. 

From my kitchen - I can see a pile of washing up (the dishwasher is broken) so I must do that as well ... oh and start the Lancashire Hot Pot we are having for dinner tonight.

I am wearing - very dirty clothes!! 13 piglets and 3 big pigs hold no respect for clean clothes.

I am going - to organise a Scrabble/Boggle evening with a friend who wants to play.  Simon, his sister and I played Scrabble at the weekend after a bit of a gap and it was great fun.

I am reading - The Man who  lives with Wolves - very easy reading but I am planning to go back to something in French afterwards.

I am hearing - nothing.  All the visiting dogs have gone home, the cats have fallen asleep on top of the car and peace reigns.

Around the house - we have new lights in the kitchen so now we can actually see properly once it gets dark.

One of my favourite things is - books.  I always have at least one that I am reading and I am forever dipping in out out of reference books.

And here is my picture for thought - "If winter comes, can Spring be far behind?" (from Ode to the West Wind by Shelley) ... to which I add, if Spring is coming then Summer must be on it's way too!!

 

PS - Note to Perpetually in Transit - we've had a bit of a play with the text and font - more details are in the comments here.  Is that any better?

Buttering Up!

Posted by Simon

Milk Separator

Last November I ordered a milk/cream separator on eBay but it failed to appear and after a bit of a struggle I eventually got my money back. I re-ordered - from another (and cheaper) source and just before I went skiing it arrived.

Now I'm back we have had time to have a go. It's quite a large machine for our needs but it is the only (small?) electric one that seems to be available, and these come from the Ukraine. It can separate up to 80 litres/hour and you get about 0.1 of a litre of cream from a litre of milk.

So with our three litres of full fat milk we should get at least enough cream to cover a grape! Well maybe a little more. And we did - just.

Cream? Where?

The boys and I enjoyed cream with our bowl of bottled fruit for lunch but next time we plan to use more milk and hopefully produce more cream so we can then make our own butter.

And at least the skimmed milk is better for the cholesterol levels - though this rather depends on the amount of butter and cream devoured!

Spring is on its way

Posted by Rosie

Well it certainly felt like it yesterday but I am not fooling myself and I know that Winter can still return with real fury.  Last year we had snow through most of this month and on into March then April was incredibly cold, dry and windy.  Spring never really happened which is why I'm keeping everything crossed for an early Spring this year.

So, why does it feel like Spring?

1. The temperature hit the heady heights of 10 degrees C.

Piglets enjoying the sunshine

2.  The frost has gone and the soil has dried out enough for me to get back digging again plus the soil I dug over dried out a little on the surface.  Digging made for some very happy pigs who got to eat the weeds and once eating was over the piglets had great fun rampaging round their pens.  In the picture from L-R are Perky, Adventure Pig, Peppa and Pinky.  More of why Adventure is so called another day.

3. There are loads of catkins fluttering in the wind and many buds have noticeably swelled.

4.  It's no longer pitch dark when I drive the boys to the bus stop and if I don't fed the  animals until 6pm I can still just see what I'm doing.

5.  I put washing on the line and it came in almost dry.

6. There are snowdrops in flower and other bulbs peeping their leaves through the soil.

7.  The grass is growing - OK only VERY slowly but the whole countryside is looking a lot greener. 

8. I found Hilda the duck has made herself a lovely downy nest and had already laid 11 eggs - clever girl.

And today?  It's mild and very windy - I'm off to take the dogs for a windswept walk then back to digging that veg patch whilst I can.  After all, who knows, Winter may be back again next week.

New Blog Layout

Posted by Rosie

When Simon was writing his blog yesterday he was trying to sort something with the photos when he found some other layouts.  The blog is 2 years old now so it seemed a good time to give it a facelist.

Hope you like it.

It's Snow Much Fun!

Posted by Simon
Whilst Rosie was having peace and quiet in a distance corner of France, a.k.a Chez Nous, Tom, Ben and I were out in the wilds of the French Alps, Les Deux Alpes, suffering the sunny but very cold conditions and having to put our bodies through the rigours and hardship of a skiing holiday.

We had to endure lovely skiing conditions and quiet pistes, plus massive queues of virtually zero for the ski lifts, an apartment so far from everything that if it was any closer to the ski lifts, meeting points for lesson, shops and restaurants we would have them in our room. Plus over subscribed lessons akin to private lessons - of the most four. What we had to suffer for Rosie to have a week of peace and quiet!

And to cap it all the snow was great on piste but off piste (my sort of skiing) it was rapidly melting away and for January was lacking. If no snow soon the lower slopes will be struggling this week onwards.

Both Tom and Ben had lessons in the morning - Tom with 2 in his class and Ben four - and progressed very well over the week, Both achieved their next grade. As I did not have anyone to ski with I decided to have lessons (4 in the class) as well. I had a lovely week and definitely improved my technique plus had some bad habits removed. Ski technology has changed hugely, since I started to ski, and all those years of learning to ski with my legs together has to be undone and now with craving skis the legs have to be apart. I have managed in the past but kept reverting back to old style, but this year it suddenly clicked and what a difference it made. By the end of the week in the lessons we were zooming down the mountains.

In the afternoons I skied with Tom and Ben, which was slow, but meant I could work on the technique. It was a case of Tom speeding off and waiting at set points whilst I either watched Ben work his way down and then caught both boys up or I worked my way down with Ben to Tom, before he was off again. Tom's instructor was very pleased with his progress and said he is turning into a nice little skier.

We had a great week in Les Deux Alpes, with a lovely and convenient apartment. Although a smallish resort I loved Les Deux Alpes. It had a village feel about the place and we found everyone extremely helpful and friendly. I have been to many ski resorts and never had any reason to complain ( not about a resort but I won't mention one supposedly family orientated ski company) but here everyone seemed to give that bit extra.

On the last night the ice rink had ice gliders to ride on. Bumper cars on ice. What a great way to end the holiday, sliding around in little cars crashing into each other. It was suppose to be 3 Euros for around 6 minutes. Our first go, with just the 3 of us, lasted around 25 minutes. On our second go all 15 cars were sliding around with help of some students from the UK and Ireland. We all spent this 20 plus minutes sending each other spinning around - it was a great laugh and certainly made the boy's holiday. All that skiing, all that lovely scenery and their best memory - the ice gliders!