Ben's Cakes

Posted by Ben

This morning I made some cakes all by myself and they were very tasty.  We have already finished them so it is no point coming to Eco-Gites of Lénault because they are now all gone. Yum yum yum!!

A Masterchef in Action

My cakes

But don't worry I remembered to get a picture of them before they all got snaffled and one of me cooking them:




(An old cookery blog to join with Corinne over at Motherhood Journeys and her new Cooking with Kids Blog Link - click on the image below to see what other kids have been cooking!)

Preparations for Next Year's Harvest

Posted by Rosie

The last 2 years have seen only mediocre veg harvests for me (although excellent fruit crops!). A few things have cropped well, others much less so and some have failed completely (don't mention the onion crop please). In part that has been due to the weather, namely a very dry summer 2 years ago and then a very dry spring with hot days, cold nights and frost at the end of May this year. However, I cannot lay the blame solely at the feet of Mother Nature (especially when others around have had good crops). No, she may not have helped but the main reason for my poor harvests has been a lack of compost or manure in the soil. I have always added some but I know never enough and so with reserves low, the plants have less nutrients to help them grow and the soil has had a reduced water retaining capacity.  

Next year I don't intend having poor crops, well at least not because of a lack of manure/compost in the soil so I have been working like mad over the last few weeks to rectify this.  This time I have been helped by the weather: we have had a very dry and often warm Autumn allowing me to get on in the veg patch when in other years the rain has been lashing down making this impossible. The result, I have dug and weeded far more than I have normally been able to do. With the weeds gone I have then spread manure and compost and even seaweed in one section, before covering the soil with weed suppressing fabric and leaving the soil fauna to get on and work their magic over Winter.  A friend wondered why I cover the soil, especially as the fabric isn't cheap, but I need to, otherwise the weeds just regrow before I am ready to sow in Spring. It also helps kill off any weeds I have missed and warms the soil quicker in the spring. I think it is an expense that will repay itself pretty quickly. (Well I hope so).

 

I took this photo a few days ago. Since then I have cleared the patch of old sweetcorn and the area to the left of the polytunnel (including the asparagus bed) but the flowers are still there as so many are still in bloom. Both patches have been manured and covered although the asparagus is waiting for a dollop of seaweed before I add the manure.  Asparagus is a salt march plant so benefits from the salty seaweed both in terms of it's salt and nutrients. The salt also helps to reduce non salt loving weeds as you are not supposed to dig down to weed in an asparagus bed (this damages the crowns).

I am certainly much further ahead than I have ever been in all the years I have had a vegetable patch. However, I still have much of bed 4, next to the polytunnel to clear and the half of bed 3 that isn't growing fruit, not forgetting weeding round the fruit bushes themselves. And the weather may well be against me now with rain forecast. All in all though I am really pleased with what I have achieved and I may well just manure and cover those areas I have not dug which will at least kill some weeds and prevent others growing. It's been hard work but a heck of a lot easier than Spring digging and hopefully the fruits of my endeavours will be evident in magnificent crops in 2012. Maybe I'll even get a decent onion crop next year!!

Hand and a Warning of ALT Virus!

On Tuesday it was my trip to the hospital, at Caen, to see the consultant about my hand.  Six weeks has passed already. We arrived with 30 minutes to spare and had to follow the new 'check-in' procedures which is designed to speed things up.  So I just made it for my X-ray and then just reached the consultants room for my appointment time. That new system definitely sped it all up - how late would I have been otherwise!  And there we sat for over 1½ hours before I was seen.

For me I had good news and bad news.  The good news is that the hand is healing very well.  The bad news is I have to carry on wearing the 'cast' thing for another six weeks.  Aaaaaargh!!  I did expect to have to wear it for a bit longer - but six weeks!  At least it is not like plaster cast and I can take it off to have a shower.

And to be seen and told all that took 1½ minutes.

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Well it's lucky I have some time on my hands (no pun intended).  Rosie came in from gardening and started to use the computer when it decided to throw a right wobbly. None of the short cuts would work or they did strange things.  The internet pages kept going funny colours and wouldn't do what they where suppose to do.  In fact it was all going weird.

Two system restores later,  a couple of scans to check for viruses plus one or two other checks revealed nothing untoward.  Turning off and on again - twice - still resulted in the same problems.  'We have ourselves a virus' I say through gritted teeth.

I then use the laptop to find out more about a virus attack. Things are looking bad.  It all seems to equal a virus.  Tried a few things that Microsoft and others suggest but still no joy.  Things are looking really bad now.  Time to ring up the computer man (or sling said computer about).

So, before launching computer in to space,  I decide a safer cause of action would be to turn it off - and NOW it won't even turn off!  This is very annoying.


Time to resort to old fashioned CONTROL, ALT,  Del.......

'Rosie, what colour are your hands?' I ask.
'Why?' she replied.
'Well I think we have a bad case of ALT virus',
'What's ALT virus?' Rosie asks.
'Well it's when people use keyboards with very dirty hands and the ALT key sticks down in the mud!'
'Ahhh that ALT virus......'

One freed up ALT key and the virus is dealt with.

I'm too old for all of this.

Posted by Rosie

Late nights that is. 

Some fell by midnight

Last night it was the boys' school meal, run by the PTA; an annual event run to raise funds for various school trips (not least next April's big outing to Futuroscope - more of that another day). Previously we have never gone to the meals as they don't start until 8pm and in keeping with French tradition we always assumed that would mean the meal not being served until gone 9pm and maybe coffee might make an appearance around midnight, by which time the boys would be exhausted and horribly grumpy to be around. However, this year my good French friend, Gwenäel, had coerced me into going to PTA meetings and I got sucked into helping at the meal. 

 

Tom & Ben (boys to the right) lasted longer

Were we right about the lateness? Errm, not quite. We arrived at 8pm, almost the first there and saw there was to be a disco. This was going to be a LATE night.  Everyone gradually drifted in over the next hour and a half and the area in front of the bar filled quickly. Drinks make money so it was not until 9.45pm that we finally got our free Kir and starter. Even another French friend commented on how she wished she had eaten before coming and she is used to this sort of thing!  It was very much past midnight before coffee was served by which time the disco was in full swing, the beer and wine was flowing and everyone, adults and children alike, were having a great time.  I had planned to stay to the bitter end to help with all the clearing up but as time wore on the boys' ability to stay awake faded and it would have been unfair to make them stay. They had had such a good time but now they needed their beds. So what time did we leave? 3.45am!! Admittedly, the tables were cleared and much of the tidying up was done but there were a good number of dancers still strutting their stuff and I really dread to think what time the last of the PTA finally managed to lock the village hall doors. 

 

And many more were still dancing when we left

It was a great evening, the boys were so well behaved and hopefully it raised lots of money. However I am so not used to late nights and even though I only drank 2 glasses of Kir, today I have felt completely washed out. I crawled out of bed at 9.45am to feed some slightly cross animals, Ben followed around 10.30am and Tom wandered down at 11.00am.  I won't embarrass Simon by saying what time he eventually surfaced!

Guest reviews

Posted by Rosie

Until just over a week ago our Facebook page had a reviews section where guests could leave comments after staying here. Then, without warning, Facebook removed this page and all the reviews that were on it (which I had stupidly not saved). An email to Facebook went unanswered but then a clever person on the forum Downsizer managed to find a cached copy of them. So I have put them here and will add a Reviews Section in our sidebar and on our website. If any visitors would like to add a review after staying then please do so in an email to us at info@eco-gites.eu and we will add it to the others.

Our Reviews:

The Koch family - April 2011 - Highly recommend the Eco-Gite in Lenault for a young family visit. It is a quick trip on the ferry to France and then all the right stuff for kids (exploring with Tom and Ben, streams, cow poo, lots of toys, play area, animals) while we relaxed. Simon, Rosie, Tom and Ben could not have been more welcoming and made for an excellent and relaxing holiday.

Eddie Watkins - Jan 2011 - The Watkins family and Father in law decided we needed to do something different for new year 2010. We love France and as we were driving this Gite is perfectly located as it's less than an hour from Caen port. The location is lovely and rural, the Gite itself is fantastically spacious, spotless and full of charm and character. Rosie and Simon and their two children couldn't have been more welcoming. We took the bikes and there is some lovely cycling in this area. Loved the whole trip will definitely return!!! 

Paul Willis - October 2010 - We had been waiting a long time for the opening of the gite having followed the building progress on the blog for some time. The wait was worth it - we were hugely impressed with how Rosie and Simon had renovated and kitted out what was such a derelict space when we last saw it. The gite is now a welcoming and cosy 'home from home'. The kids had a fabulous time making friends with the animals and Tom and Ben. The play area outside kept them amused for hours and we visited some great places locally too! The velorail was a particular highlight - should not be missed. When can we come again? 

Jayne Bennett - September 2010 - Just returned from a last minute 3 night break - came across the gite on owners direct website and what a wonderful find. Pictures do not do it justice, lovely, spacious, homely with great neighbours (owners!). Great little touches from Rosie and Simon which make any stay more enjoyable and personal - nothing is too much trouble for these lovely, friendly people. Kids fell in love with all the animals and even in the rain and relative cold spent little time indoors. Exactly the tonic our family needed - will definately return and spread the word. 10 out of 10.

Sian Taylor - September 2010 - If you want somewhere to relax while the kids amuse themselves in the play area, on the trampoline or with the animals, then this is the place for you. The Gite is comfortable, clean and homely with everything you need. Rosie, Simon and the boys Tom and Ben are very friendly and are great hosts. My only complaint....time passes very quickly there and it’s time to come home all too soon!

Thank you everyone and we look forward to seeing 

some of you again this year and next :-)

Butchering and BBQ.

Pig & Lamb 

Due to circumstances beyond my control - e.g.one injury to hand - we called in a local man to slaughter and butcher 3 of our pigs and 2 lambs (plus a friend's lamb). 6 animals in all.

Seb, the local man, arrived at 2pm yesterday and well before 5pm he had slaughtered, de-haired the pigs, skinned the lambs and gutted and hung them all ready for butchering today.  Within 3 hours of his arrival this morning he had butchered them all.

2 Lambs Ready to Freeze

He has done a great job and we are really pleased.  I am especially pleased as it would take me at least twice, if not three times, as long.  And now we have extremely full freezers.

We also, of course, had to sample the meat and as I had a bonfire this evening I decided to cook some lamb chops over the embers.  I really cannot believe that I would be having a BBQ in mid November.  I know the fire was hot but the evening was a lovely temperature and I sat out cooking chops and sampling a glass of local cider. Well one must after a hard day's butchering - well it was hard work watching others!

Not Very Handy!

View on One of my Walks

I'm now, hopefully, half way through my laid up period.  The hand seems to be healing.  The stitches have been taken out and the cut, again, seems to be healing.  We were told that the bone should take about 3 weeks to repair but it is the tendon that takes the time. As I cannot see either of the bone or tendon it is a case of wait for the x-ray and then see.  This will be on the 22nd November.

So what have I been doing?  Well not much, hence why I haven't written any posts. The first week I couldn't and didn't actually want to do much and when I did I was absolutely knackered afterwards.  I'd walk the dog, sleep.  Have a bath, sleep and so it went on.

Since then I have been able to do more (not just sleeping), but my main occupations have been walking the dogs and reading.  And I've done a lot of reading in the last couple of weeks.  My main reading material has been all seven of the Harry Potter books - which is something I've been wanting to do for ages (plus I've watched 4 of the films now).  I did start reading the books years ago but didn't have the time for them and wasn't sure if I was enjoying them that much.  Now I have had the time to do them justice and really enjoyed them.

Now I am able to do more small chores around the place plus I am now getting a bit bored and my job list is not getting any shorter - at all.  I did add to it 'Read the Harry Potter Books' and I can now cross that off my list - not sure adding this to my list was really allowed though!

Our Wood Burner

Posted by Rosie

Our wood burner heating, drying and cooking

I love our wood burner and whilst I never relish the thought of colder days I always look forward to lighting it again after it's summer of inactivity. It somehow gives a heart to to the whole house because it is so much more than just a box to burn logs and keep us warm. For a start it keeps the pets warm and it only took the dogs approximately 2 minutes to realise when we first lit it! It also warms all of the house and thanks to the heat exchange unit Simon and Ady put in over the summer, its warm air is now even better circulated around the colder rooms of the house, namely Tom's bedroom and the loft.  

When we chose our wood burner we made sure we had one with a hot plate on the top - now it's heat also cooks many a supper, pots of jam, pans of stock etc etc. It boils water for hot drinks and washing up and keeps cooked food warm. Oh and not forgetting clothes. Trying to dry clothes on airers with dirty wet dogs around is not always entirely successful so Simon built an overhear airer and now we can dry clothes really quickly and pretty much out of the way.

Winter may be creeping up on us but outside, thanks to our wood burner, inside we are all warm, cosy, dry and well fed.