Eco-Gites of Lenault in Calvados, France

Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud!

2012-01-30T00:38:00.000+01:00

I know I haven't posted for a time, but I have been quite busy (ish) in one form or another. Since my hand is now back in use, I have been trying to get a few of the jobs done that needed to be done. Plus, although I had given the dogs some good long walks and done some exercises to keep fit whilst the hand was incarcerated I had lost work fitness, so I have been out for cycle rides. This has definitely helped in getting me fitter and I've explored quite a lot of the area - taking those lanes I wouldn't normally use. I must admit if you like off road cycling it's a great area for tracks.

Actually there is an ulterior motive for getting fit and that is skiing - I'm taking the boys again in a couple of weeks time. Also, whilst my hand was in the cast I took to following a Davina McCall fitness DVD, or as Rosie called it, 'A Sweaty Session with Davina'! And no I was not wearing a leotard and pink fluffy legging as one friend suggested - it was just a rumour!

Stuck!

So what's all this to do with mud? Well apart from having a great time cycling along muddy tracks getting the bike and myself covered in mud, everything else I've been doing seems to end up with me being covered with mud and it ain't as fun when working in it.

I helped out some people with some fencing and all went quite well. I had driven around their fields with no problems. Then in the last hour the heavens opened and that was that - Stuck! Why always at home time? And the people I was helping had gone out to get more materials and were going on else where. After searching around I found some metal ramps in the stables. Four of these did the trick - once I had dragged them one at a time 100 metres to the field, then rolled on to the first set. Drove along those onto the next set, got out of the car , moved the 1st set along, got back into the car and moved up on to this set before getting out, pulling the ramps out and dragging them in front, before getting back in the car and moving forward again (I'm sure you get the picture) and so on and so forth, for 100 metres - the ramps getting progressively heavier with MUD and it would have been helpful if the ramps had been anywhere near the same size. I had to go all the way back to the stables in this fashion and by the end of it I was covered in MUD and soaking wet. Fortunately I had a set of dry clothes. And as always the people turned up just as I got on solid ground and said I could have used the tractor to pull myself out - yes but the keys to the tractor and the car parked in front of it were in your locked house - aaaargh.

Mud , Mud and More Mud

And I've been in more mud for the last couple of weeks - well three days of the week. With friends, Ian and Marie, we have managed to get ourselves a good supply of future firewood, very cheaply. The only drawback is we have to cut the trees down, then chop them to length and split the lengths up for logs and get them home.

So day one is a cold, frosty day - with solid ground - perfect. Since then it has rained and with the rain comes MUD. So a hard enough task of getting firewood has now become an exhausting trudge wading in MUD and of course the more we walk through it the boggier it gets. Some very weary bodies are going home at the end of the day. Tools and clothes are covered in MUD. But at least I haven't got the 4x4 stuck in the field, yet!

I don't think I've ever felled trees in so much MUD and water, plus I never had a bonfire in the middle of a pond before. But looking on the bright side - we are getting a good supply of firewood and it's getting me fitter, although it doesn't feel like it at times. And there are more, rather large, trees still to come down. Perhaps next winter when this firewood is keeping us warm I'll look back at these muddy moments with nostalgia. Or perhaps not!

Bye Bye Buffy Boys

2012-01-24T15:17:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

I've had on my list for a while, one of those jobs that I really do not like doing but has to be done if we are to eat our own home-reared roast chicken for dinner. Today was the day I finally could not put it off any longer and I slaughtered our 6 remaining cockerels - 3 white meat birds and 3 Buff Orpingtons.

Adult Buff Orpingtons

Last summer I had a broody hen who had accidentally let her eggs go cold and not wanting to lose her broodiness I bought 4 day old chicks from the market and popped them under her to rear ... which she did very well. Sadly one later died but the others flourished and all turned out to be cockerels. The Buffies were raised by the same broody hen earlier in the year and from 9 fertile eggs I put under her, she hatched 6; three boys and three girls. (The eggs incidentally were "bought" in exchange for a joint of pork - we do like a bit of bartering here when-ever possible). That was Easter and we have watched as over the months they have grown from adorably cute chicks to large and very handsome birds.

Large to look at maybe, but when-ever I have caught them for a weight check their size has been revealed as mostly feathers and not a huge amount of potential roast dinner underneath. Here in Calvados, despite what I wrote yesterday about Spring being in the air, we are in fact still in the middle of Winter with plenty of time for some spells of hard weather when birds use all their food to stay warm and rarely put on too much weight. Even now, with the milder weather we've been having, none of the 6 birds was putting on much weight yet they have still been eating comparatively large amounts of grain. I carried out in my head a cost benefit analysis based on these factors and decided they would be better off in the freezer, what-ever size they killed out at.

As yet I have not weighted them but I can say, just by looking that the Buffies, that they were not big boys. I also found that they had a lot of fat in their body cavities so they were converting grain to fat rather than what we wanted, namely meat for that roast dinner. Despite being almost half the age of the Buffies, the white birds are definitely bigger and much less fatty.

I suppose ultimately, the final test will be in that roast dinner and what the Buffies taste like. Will the meat be much better tasting than the bred-for-meat white birds for sale at every market throughout France? The Buffies are certainly handsome boys but for us as a smallholder they will have to taste MASSIVELY better than the white chickens for us to consider rearing them again for meat.

In the meantime we are not without Buffies and we do have the 3 girls. They may not lay as many eggs as the bred-to-lay-egg girls I get from the market but I can forgive them this as they are such beautiful birds to look at. They may all feathers and few eggs but I reckon we can manage to hang on to these three beauties just for beauties sake, don't you?

Spring is in the Air?

2012-01-23T22:13:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Despite only being January 23rd there is a definite air of Spring about things here in Calvados. Out walking with the dogs today I saw a lot of plants gearing up for Spring. There were the first of the wild garlic leaves peeping through, although maybe not enough as yet for my wild garlic and leek risotto, as well as bluebell and early purple orchid leaves and lots on impossible to identify seedlings. A couple of weeks ago I counted 13 different flowers in bloom. Some of these were hangers on from last year but more and more, like the primroses (and even a solitary cowslip) and beacons of Spring 2012. And it's not just the ground plants; on the trees there are buds-a-plenty swelling and I saw both elder and hawthorn sporting new leaves this afternoon.

It's not just me and the plants who are feeling a bit Springlike, the birds are too. There were 2 male chaffinches have a right shindig in the hedge today vying no doubt for the attention of the local females. I couldn't see any around but I'm sure there was at least one nearby, taking notes on the performance of each male. Our chickens have been happily laying all winter and the ducks came back into lay recently. One Muscovy, Hilda, even decided to go broody. That would mean mid February ducklings. Sorry Hilda but that is just too early so I removed the eggs and after a day of extreme huffiness she became "unbroody". However, I was talking to my neighbour today and she announced that one of her Muscovies hatched out 10 ducklings today. Ducklings? In January? Remind me again what the date is? Oh and Simon has just added that he saw tadpoles on Friday. TADPOLES??!!

Other than a short cold snap last week it has been a very mild Winter here in Calvados, following on the back of a very warm and dry Autumn. Admittedly the last few weeks have been very wet and at times extremely windy but all in all 2011/12 has been the winter that so far hasn't really happened. When I was a child, Dad was however always the first to remind anyone who felt vaguely springlike in January the that harsh winter of either '47 or '63 (I can never remember which one) didn't start until mid February. Will that be the case with this winter? My neighbour with the ducklings who has lived in Lénault for many years told me that 2 cold winters in a row like the last 2 winters is unusual and she reckons this winter will continue pretty much as it is now, with maybe a couple of short cold spells before Spring proper arrives.

Only time will tell if she is right. Only time will tell if the ducklings, tadpoles, spring plants and chaffinches are right or completely mad getting things going so early in the year. Me? I don't know but I did start a few seeds off today (Summer Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Lettuce and Summer Cabbage) because I am of the opinion that if you sow and the weather is kind you get the joys of an early harvest but if you don't sow it doesn't matter what the weather is, your vegetables won't be any earlier.

Piglets Feb 2011

Finally, and with nothing to do with Spring in January here is a picture of some of our piglets from last year. This is specially for Chez-Hippo who I "met" on Twitter last night and who has a bit of a soft spot for pigs.

"Oink, Oink!!"

Family Friendly Holidays in Normandy

2012-01-15T23:30:00.001+01:00

Posted by Rosie

With 2 boys of our own we always appreciated finding a holiday cottage that made life for us frazzled parents just that little bit easier. With that in mind, when we set up Eco-Gites of Lénault we took this on board and tried to plan for families in the way others had done for us when Tom and Ben were much smaller.

So, what makes ours such a family-friendly holiday cottage? Let's start inside. We try and provide all those things that make holidays with toddlers so much easier but would mean you'd need a trailer AND roof box if you wanted to bring them all yourself. In the gite you will find:- a travel cot, high chair, booster seat, changing mat, potty, toilet trainer seat, stair gates, fire-guard, waterproof mattress covers, children's crockery and cutlery, a night light and on request a bottle steriliser and stick blender. There is also the large selection of children's toys, games, puzzles and books (plus a good number for the adults too).

TV - many of our visiting families have said how they have loved not having the TV and the accompanying nagging to watch the box when the weather outside is glorious. However, youngsters, and possibly even more so adults, do sometimes need to flop and for that reason we offer the TV as an optional extra. You can even request it part way through he week if needs be. And free of charge for all guests is unlimited Internet access. Just don't tell the kids of you won't want them to know ;-)

Play area and Boules Pitch

Moving outside our situation is ideal - the front drive is 300m long and even then the roads are incredibly quiet around here making family walks a pleasure. There are also miles of local footpaths that start right at our back gate. We even have a spare toddler buggy if you thought your little one didn't need it but they think otherwise once here! The gite has it's own patio garden with large shady parasol and garden furniture but the real treat is just a few metres away, the play area. In case you are NOT thinking about booking you may not want your children to read the next bit. Our play area comprises a large hard-surfaced play/boules pitch (boules supplied) and a grassy play area where you'll find the double play towers, covered sand-pit, swings (including a baby swing), rope-ladders, slide, mini climbing wall and connecting bridge. If there is one wail we hear from children staying with us, it's "Do we HAVE to go out, we're having such FUN here!" But I haven't finished - there's the covered barn in case you need shade or shelter, table football, bikes and other outdoor toys and the large netted trampoline (although you do sometimes have to ask the cats to get off before you can go on!).

Baa

Situated on a smallholding, guests can get the chance to live like a farmer without once having to muck out the pigs! Everyone can collect the eggs, feed the chickens and stroke a lamb. Time it right and you'll get to see newborn piglets or just hatched chicks! Our dogs never tire of having a stick thrown for them and at least one of the cats was put on this earth simply to have his tummy tickled.

Once you've chilled all day and the children have worn themselves out in the play area, why not give yourself a night or two off from cooking. We can supply a simple cooked supper, salad and pudding brought to your door ready to serve up and eat. Or if you prefer, why not try our BBQ pack where you can pick and chose exactly how many sausages etc you want and what ready-made salads you'd like, finishing the whole thing off with a pudding or cake. And for a bit of luxury - well you are on holiday - why not order our luxury afternoon tea. Click on the link for more details.

No-one expects the worse, but sometimes things do go wrong on holiday and you suddenly find yourself in a foreign country with a crisis on your hands. Living next door we are there to help in what-ever way we can. My French is just about good enough to help you through most hiccups you might encounter and there's no problem if you want us to make a restaurant reservation for you or ring the garage.

I think with all this to offer it is not inaccurate for us to say that we really do offer Family Friendly Holidays that don't cost the Earth. For further details including how to book please visit our website http://www.eco-gites.eu/

The rest of the 52 in 2011

2012-01-12T19:44:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

OK, technically the rest of the 47 in 2011.

26. Moroccan Shoulder of Lamb - a shoulder of lamb smeared with Moroccan spices and lots of garlic then slow roasted. Delicious.

27. Moroccan Stuffed Courgettes - left-over lamb from the roast with added Moroccan spiced rice and stuffed into round and long courgettes. Even a confirmed courgette hater said this wasn't all that bad!

28. Hummous - easy to make and cheaper than buying it, especially as it seems hard to track down here in France. (Now if only I could also make Cottage Cheese)

29. Courgette and Lemon Drizzle Cake - having made a wonderful chocolate courgette cake I decided I must be able to make something similar on the lemon front and so my courgette and lemon drizzle cake was born. Using yellow courgettes left no obvious sign of the addition of these often reviled vegetables and many an unsuspecting courgette hater munched their way happily through a slice or two.

30. Pear and Dandelion Syrup Sponge - another made-up recipe when I found a rather ancient half eaten jar of dandelion jam at the back of the food cupboard.

31. Chinese Style Roast Duck - from Morocco with the lamb to China with the duck but it's another of those recipes I can't find again.

32. Sweetcorn Fritters - we saw these on a celebrity chef programme where they were eaten on Brighton beach. We were a bit less adventurous with our venue but they still tasted as good cooked in the kitchen.

33. Oeuf Cocotte with Pumpkin - successfully cooked from a recipe card I picked up in a French supermarket. Cream, pumpkin and egg. Wonderful and rich so despite it's small size it was very filling.

34. Savoury Pumpkin Pie - pumpkin, cream cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs and lardons under a few layers of filo pastry. Another made-up recipe success.

35. Pumpkin and Lardon Risotto - I'm guessing this was about the time my humongous pumpkin harvest was wheelbarrowed back to the house!

36. Crabapple and Rosehip Jelly - after struggling to find enough rosehips to make sufficient bottles of rosehip syrup to see off my Winter colds I noticed a promising looking hedgerow on the way back from Vassy. An hour and many scratches later I had enough rosehips to combine with the first crab-apple harvest from our new tree to make this delicate jelly.

37. Apple Amber - from this great basic cookbook - apple and egg yolks under a meringue base.

38. Duck Liver and Leek Soup - I would never have thought about putting duck liver in a soup, or any liver for that matter, but I can assure you, it works!

39. Nasturtium "Capers" - a substitute for capers made from nasturtium seed pods. Still not tried them yet to comment though.

40. Ants Climbing Trees (Chinese Pork Mince) - mince cooked with Chinese type spices. Not bad but a bit salty and possibly needed a couple of veg side dishes.

41. Moroccan Lamb and Lentils - noooooo, not again. I know this was good and it wasn't that long ago that I cooked it and I know I even got lentil-disliking Ben to eat it but that's all I can remember about it.

42. Mini Christmas Puddings - OK, so a bit of a cheat recipe if the truth be said but the end of the year was looming ever closer and I needed to boost recipe numbers. Plus I did have to try and work out how long tiny puds would have to cook for without spoiling and adapt the recipe a bit as I had ingredients missing. Would I be let off adding these if I also said I served them as part of our Christmas Café Gourmand and topped them with Cointreau (as opposed to brandy) butter ... which went down very well with all concerned and will be made every Christmas now until that mega bottle of Cointreau is finished!

43. Mini Filo Mincemeat Tarts - also part of our Christmas Café Gourmand and made with the rather odd product that the French sell in lieu of filo pastry.

44. Filo Chestnut and Bacon Tarts - made from more of the odd pastry and left-over Christmas day chestnut stuffing. They were rather good if I say so myself!

45. Cassis (unfinished) - I started this back in the summer when the blackcurrant harvest was at it's peak. Now all I need to do is search through my bookmarks to find what I am supposed to do in order to finish it. If Simon gets me a white wine kit next time he's over in the UK we could have the closest thing to our own home-made Kir.

46. Gooseberry Wine (unfinished) - this is my first foray into the making of fruit wine but I've a horrible feeling I've messed it up as the airlock somehow got knocked off for an unknown length of time. I will investigate soon and report back.

47. Lamb and Pumpkin Curry - still working through that humongous pumpkin harvest and this was a scrummy combination.

So - 47 new kitchen delights, most successful and more than a few made more that once. Do let me know if you would like any of the recipes and I'll do my best to track them down for you. In the meantime if anyone has any excellent ideas of what to do with pumpkins please also let me know. I've still got more that a wheelbarrow full to get through. The pigs however, will get what we don't eat so no doubt they would prefer you not to let me have your recipes!!

52 in 2011

2012-01-05T12:53:00.002+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Well I almost managed to make 52 new edible things in 2011 ( I say edible things rather than meals or dishes as I do notice rather a lot of drinks on the list!). So, what did I manage?

1. Green Lentil Soup - delicious and perfect for foul January weather. I think I might make some for lunch today ;-)
2. Cavolo Nero with chilli and garlic - again another warming dish from this kale that I successfully grew for the first time in 2011
3. Italian Liver - Well I know we liked it but I can't for the life of me remember where the recipe was to be able to make it again!
4. Egg Fried Rice - I always seem to cook too much rice and since the hens have been laying so well all through 2011 this was a recipe bound to happen sooner or later - and it was so much nicer than the take-away ones if I remember correctly.
5. Butter - several failed attempts shaking a jar of cream for hours on end until Simon cracked this one with the food mixer. We need to get back into making butter as it is so satisfying having butter made from the milk of cows that graze on our neighbour's farm. Should I make that a resolution for 2012?
6. Ham and Sweetcorn Croustade - simple and effective comfort food - creamy ham and sweetcorn on a crispy bread and nut base. Yummy.
7. Cheddar Pasta Frittata - an unlikely sounding recipe where potatoes in a Spanish Frittata are replaced with pasta, but it works well (and uses left over pasta and that egg mountain!)
8. Lentil and Bacon Stew - Um - totally cannot remember this one!
9. Smoked Salmon, Spinach, Egg and Creme Fraiche Pancakes - A marriage of flavours made in heaven.
10. Turkieleekie soup - cockaleekie with turkey and just as nice.
11. Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry - a nice mild and creamy korma type curry
12. Beer - made from the kit I bought Simon for Christmas. There's none left so I assume it was good!
13. Rowan and Redcurrant Jelly - This was actually born out of an accident. I defrosted several bags of redcurrants all together in a bowl and then realised some of them were in fact rowan berries. No matter, the resulting jelly was perfect with lamb and duck.
14. Calvados Turkey - oh 'eck - another one I can't remember. I blame the Calvados in it!
15. Mint and Apple Jelly - just in case anyone doesn't like No 13 on the list there's always this one!
16. Wine (from a kit) - a very nice rosé. I just hope Simon can remember where he got the kit from so he can get a couple more when he is back in the UK again soon.
17. Mushrooms a la Greque - mushrooms in a tomato/marjoram sauce and served cold. To be honest I think they would be nicer hot.
18. Nettle Beer - Link to earlier post
19. Satay Turkey - Sort of like Satay chicken but with turkey!! Delicious, but there were complaints as apparently I used the last of the peanut butter to make this one.
20. Moussaka - yay, for the first time ever I grew enough aubergines to be able to make this classic lamb dish!
21. Strawberry and Rhubarb Trifle - with an excellent crop of both these fruits this turned out to be a marriage made on heaven, even for me who generally hates trifle.
22. Turkey with Spicy Onion Sauce - another chicken-in-disguise recipe.
23. Chocolate Brownies - I really do think this is the best ever brownie recipe (link) and I bake them as one of the cakes in the luxury afternoon teas I offer visitors.
24. Gooseberry Meringue Pie - a variation on the classic lemon meringue pie brought about because I can't grow lemons but I had an excellent crop of gooseberries.
25. Honey-Roasted Beetroot - a perfect accompaniment for a summer roast - just don't overcook them as I did the first time or they become stick to your teeth chewy!

To be continued ...

Normandy - The Place to Visit in 2012

2011-12-30T10:48:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

According to today's Telegraph Travel, the top place for value to visit in Europe in 2012 is our very own Normandy!

Quote:

"Normandy for value

In these difficult times, travellers will be looking above all for good value and security. The country that is likely to benefit most – apart from Britain, perhaps – is likely to be France, and nowhere more so than Normandy. You can take the car there on the ferry for £100 return, or less; you can travel via Paris on Eurostar in half a day, and there's greater variety in this wonderful region than in anywhere else I can think of.

It has some of the best beaches and most beautiful countryside in France. There are sophisticated resorts (Deauville and Trouville) scenic ports (Honfleur and Barfleur) and seaside villages (Etretat and Pourville) and there is the wild and rocky west coast of the Cotentin Peninsula.

There are world-class art galleries in Rouen and Le Havre, and excellent ones in Dieppe and Honfleur – not to mention Monet's garden and a string of other associations with the Impressionists. There are great medieval churches and cathedrals in Fécamp, Rouen and Mont St Michel. And I haven't even mentioned the Bayeux Tapestry, the cheese, the cider, the Calvados, the golf, the sailing, William the Conqueror, the Normandy landings…

If you are searching for value and variety in 2012, look no further.

Getting there: brittany-ferries.co.uk and eurostar.com. "

Do you know what - I think I agree :-)

Skateboarders!

2011-12-29T14:23:00.001+01:00

Ben

Tom and Ben had asked for skateboards (amongst other things) for Christmas and we duly obliged. Ben was so excited at getting a skateboard that after discovered he had got one he just stood there and bounced up and down for a few minutes.

Boxing Day morning at some unearthly hour all we could hear echoing through the house was this thump, thump, thump.
'Ben, what are you doing? I shout from our bedroom.
'Well practising turns on my skateboard' came the reply.
'Ben, it is; a) early in the morning and we were still asleep and b) there are other planets to do these things on!'
'Sorry' squeaks a little voice.
'Grrrrrrr'

Tom

Therefore on, a damp, cold and foggy, Tuesday morning Sally and I took the boys to the local park, which also has a skateboard area. For the next couple of hours they practised away. They started on the path and then down a very slight slope. Ben, more so than Tom, thought it would be a case of jump on the board and off I go. He got quite frustrated. In the meantime Tom worked away at it and was soon getting the basics.

Ben's Derrière

In the skateboard area we found a steeper slope and they were soon zipping down it, falls and all. Tom had a bit of a crashing fall which put him off for a while - a lovely grazed leg! Ben then progressed to the ramp and was, by now, getting his balance sorted and starting to turn. Tom, somewhat nervously, joined him and was just getting his confidence back by the time we had to leave.

Now we are getting nagged constantly for another session skateboarding - hopefully on not such a damp, cold and foggy morning. Oh, and I did have a go and I think the photo speaks for itself, plus the bruised backside. Also I do not want any more broken bones!

And Me

We May Have Overdosed On...........

2011-12-28T12:10:00.000+01:00

Professional Masterchef!

Fish Starter

We decided to go away for Christmas Day - well sort of. We moved into the gite for the day and had our Christmas lunch in there. There was a variety of reasons for this. Firstly, our house is in the process of having works done on it and has cables etc. hanging down everywhere. Secondly we do not have a proper living room, whereas the gite does, and lastly it seemed a good idea and keeps the gite in use.

A Christmas tree and decorations were put up, the fire lit and off we went. There was a little to-ing and fro-ing with presents, dishes and bottles but overall it was excellent. I had somehow volunteered to cook the lunch this year (anything to get out of the washing up) and set to. I must admit I did have help from Rosie and Sally in the cooking of some of the dishes and the preparation of vegetables etc.

Our menu was;

Fish Gourmand Starter

Trou Normande (Apple Sorbet with Calvados)

Roast Chicken

Roast & Fresh Vegetables

Chestnut Stuffing & Bread Sauce

Christmas Gourmand

I must admit that most of the starter was bought but the desert was mainly home made. All of us find that after a big roast dinner eating Christmas Pudding is too much and I hit on the idea of having some form of Christmas Gourmand. Café Gourmand is a common desert in restaurants here, and is usually made up of a coffee, crème caramel, a tart and cream. Our Christmas Gourmand consisted of a small Christmas Pudding and a filo mince tart, a glass of fromage blanc and strawberry sauce, a skewer of fresh fruit (all made by Rosie), a little chocolate and a squirt of crème - with a choice of coffee, tea or hot chocolate. It worked a treat and made a very pleasant end to our meal.

The boys gave me good marks for my presentation but some of the flavours let me down. On well - better luck next year. And the slates plates - well we had ours before they appeared on Masterchef. In fact I was going to use roof slates but we then found them on sell in various shops - it looks like they are a bit in fashion at the moment.

We hope you all had a good Christmas and wish you all the best for 2012.

That's Handy

2011-12-21T14:24:00.002+01:00

Yesterday I had my appointment at Caen hospital and, after the usual long wait, my hand was given the all clear. I thought I was going to have to be in the cast for at least another two weeks but I was told there was no need. Now it is a case of strengthening up the hand, wrist and little finger again.

And it is much easier to use the keyboard, without the cast hitting the keys and changing everything and finding some interesting short cuts. So I'll have to find something else to blame the speling misteakes on!!

Les Recettes de l'Ecole

2011-12-16T14:33:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

This year, as a means of raising funds for the school trip to Futuroscope in April, the children have compiled and sold a recipe book which we received yesterday. Out of the 57 recipes brought in by pupils and teachers, 17 are starters, 13 are main courses and the remaining 27 are puddings or cakes ... and 8 of these are variations of chocolate cake - no real surprise there then!

Ben asked me to find him a recipe for Gingerbread Men (petits hommes en pain d'épice). Great - except it includes the very English "Golden Syrup". Luckily this can be bought in the English section of various supermarkets along with Gales Lemon Curd, Robinsons Barley Water, Frey Bentos Steak and Kidney Pies in a tin and Rowntrees Jelly. I do wonder what the French think we English like to eat.

Tom wanted to do a typically English main dish and after a few ideas where translating the recipe would have been too hard we came up with "Toad in the Hole" = "Crapeau dans le Trou"! Actually thinking about it that might explain why the French have such a negative view of our food with recipes purporting to contains toads!

I have no idea if anyone will try our English recipes but I do hope so. I may give a "Fondant au Chocolat" a go as having watched many a chef on Masterchef prepare this dessert I would like to see if I could successfully make one.

Comment Moderation

2011-12-16T08:59:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Recently we have been plagued by an increasing number of spam comments on the blog. To stop these comments slipping through we've decided to moderate incoming comments before they are published. We will still allow anonymous comments as I know some of you prefer this (we even know who some of you are!) but obvious spam will not find it's way onto the blog.

If some-one could now be so kind as to post a comment I can check the moderation is actually working. Many thanks and farewell all ye spammers.

Christmas Illuminations

2011-12-12T11:26:00.001+01:00

I picked up a leaflet in a local shop about 'Concours des Villes et Villages illuminés' (Competition for Cities and Villages illuminated) last week and so on Saturday evening we set out to have a tour of some of the lights.

Two of our local towns, Conde sur Noireau and Vassy, we know put on an excellent display and Vassy is especially good this year. We passed through villages that have made a great effort and it's little wonder they win prizes. There were lots of oohs and aahs from the back of the car.

Then we eventually arrived in a village called Beauchene, which we'd heard puts on a spectacular display, and it was amazing. There were lights along the streets and then you go around the corner to see the church and churchyard aglow. A field next to the church is full of lit up animations, for example a blacksmith shoeing a horse. It was all good fun and very well done.

BeauChene Illuminations

We were slightly delayed on our tour as en route we got a puncture and then the jack broke, so we had to flag down a passing motorist, therefore it wasn't long before small boys were braying with hunger. We cut the tour short and headed to the town of Flers, again, going through illuminated villages. As we drove into one village the lights were made like stage curtains over the road, so you drove through.

We stopped in Flers and had a lovely meal before heading home. And my favourite of all the Christmas lights was this one!

My Favourite

7 years ago today ...

2011-12-09T19:24:00.001+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Ben and Tom had their Christmas play at Nursery. No prizes for guessing who did NOT want to be a Christmas Star although Tom was a very jolly Father Christmas :-)

Christmas 2004

Physalis

2011-12-08T19:25:00.001+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Having a polytunnel means I can successfully grow more tender plants here in Normandy than might otherwise be possible. For me that has included 2 plants from the Physalis family, namely Tomatillos and Cape gooseberries. To be honest I had never heard of tomatillos until I saw them in a seed catalogue although I did know the more common cape gooseberries (also sold as goldenberry and usually at exorbitant prices in some supermarkets).

Anyway tomatillos were the first I tried. They are like the big brother of cape gooseberries existing as either green or purple fruits in the characteristic papery case. I planted out 6 plants and they grew ... and grew ... and grew and then fruited abundantly. Far too abundantlyit turned out especially when we discovered that whilst we didn't dislike the fruit they certainly weren't our favourites. Roasted and made into a salsa they were quite pleasant and I made passable jams and chutneys from them. However, this hardly made a dent in the bucketfuls that I had harvested. "Never mind," I thought, "I'll chuck them to the pigs."

Question - Do pigs like tomatillos?
Answers on a post card but I will give you a clue - the answer begins with N.

So I lobbed them on the compost heap. Ho hum. Warning. Tomatillo seeds survive all sorts of hot and cold conditions on the heap and freely self-seed the when you later spread the compost on your veg patch. 3 years later I have not sown a tomatillo yet I am still weeding them out of the veg garden. Grrr.

Cape Gooseberries have however been a lot more successful and a couple of days ago I cut back the plants and harvested what turned out to be 1.6kgs of de-husked fruits. Once removed from their husk they don't keep long so I did a quick Internet search and it seemed I had 2 main choices of what to do with them. Chocolate dipped fruits or jam. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love chocolate but I think even I would have trouble eating 1.6kgs of dipped cape gooseberries ... so jam it was. It's turned out a lovely colour and tastes both sweet and tart so is a very pleasing addition to my now groaning shelves of preserves.

Cape Gooseberry Harvest 2011

Last year I managed to overwinter one cape gooseberry plant under 3 payers of fleece and kept 4 young seedlings alive in the house. I'm hoping to do the same again this year with even more plants and sell the excess at the Easter Boot Fair I do. They are quite an expensive plant to buy and are a bit difficult to raise from seed. Also, looking at a couple of supermarket websites, had I wanted to buy 1.6kgs in the UK it would have cost me between £16.00 and £32.00/€18.00-€36.00!! Maybe I should take a jar of the jam with me for people to taste!

A Visit from the Firemen

2011-12-03T14:56:00.001+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Don't worry, we weren't on fire nor in need of urgent medical assistance nor were any of the cats stuck up a tree. Instead this was our annual "firemen-flogging-you-a-calender-visit". Now, whilst having a calender showing off lots of fire engine pictures may not be my first choice for a wall adornment this is something I really do not mind paying for. Many of the fireman and women who man our local fire-station at Vassy are volunteers, putting their lives at risk to keep us safe, including among them I have just seen, our family doctor. We are one of the few remaining regions in France where they will come and remove wasp and hornet nests for free (a service we have used before) whilst also attending all fires and road accidents in the region. I think these facts alone warrant a few Euros spent each year on a calender (which Ben has already asked to put up on his wall).

Although thinking about it, I wonder if they would sell more calenders if they were to include a picture of say, George Clooney in a fireman's costume .......?

(I did try and find a picture ladies but I'm afraid I failed miserably so you will have to make do with this one of Fireman Sam instead. Sorry!)

Ben's Cakes

2011-11-27T19:21:00.001+01:00

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:

Preparations for Next Year's Harvest

2011-11-25T12:00:00.000+01:00

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!

2011-11-24T18:37:00.001+01:00

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

2011-11-20T19:32:00.001+01:00

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

2011-11-18T09:54:00.001+01:00

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 - Highlyrecommend the Eco-Gite in Lenault for a young family visit. It is a quick tripon the ferry to Franceand then all the right stuff for kids (exploring with Tom and Ben, streams, cowpoo, lots of toys, play area, animals) while we relaxed. Simon, Rosie, Tom andBen could not have been more welcoming and made for an excellent and relaxingholiday.

Eddie Watkins - Jan 2011 - TheWatkins family and Father in law decided we needed to do something differentfor new year 2010. We love Franceand as we were driving this Gite is perfectly located as it's less than an hourfrom 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 twochildren couldn't have been more welcoming. We took the bikes and there is somelovely cycling in this area. Loved the whole trip will definitely return!!!

Paul Willis - October 2010 - We hadbeen waiting a long time for the opening of the gite having followed thebuilding progress on the blog for some time. The wait was worth it - we werehugely impressed with how Rosie and Simon had renovated and kitted out what wassuch 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 animalsand Tom and Ben. The play area outside kept them amused for hours and wevisited some great places locally too! The velorail was a particular highlight- should not be missed. When can we come again?

Jayne Bennett - September 2010 - Justreturned from a last minute 3 night break - came across the gite on ownersdirect website and what a wonderful find. Pictures do not do it justice,lovely, spacious, homely with great neighbours (owners!). Great little touchesfrom Rosie and Simon which make any stay more enjoyable and personal - nothingis too much trouble for these lovely, friendly people. Kids fell in love withall the animals and even in the rain and relative cold spent little timeindoors. Exactly the tonic our family needed - will definately return andspread the word. 10 out of 10.

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

Thank you everyone and we look forward to seeing

some of you again this year and next :-)

Butchering and BBQ.

2011-11-16T19:41:00.001+01:00


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!

2011-11-08T19:00:00.000+01:00

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

2011-11-02T19:23:00.002+01:00

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.

When the ground is cold ....

2011-10-27T13:55:00.000+02:00

Posted by Foggy

.... then the obvious thing to do is to sit on your sister. Meow!!

Operation Pig Food

2011-10-25T20:07:00.002+02:00

Posted by Rosie

One of the reasons we have Kune Kune pigs is that they will quite happily graze on grass. However, one of our fields isn't suitable for pigs, being too far away from the house and not being enclosed with sufficiently pig proof fencing, and we don't quite have enough grass with the other fields to feed them grass all year round. So we supplement their diet with bought in pig food but obviously if we can reduce this it keeps our costs down. Hence, Operation Pig Food:-

1. Cut grass - as long as it is fresh (especially in hot weather) pigs can safely eat mown grass, so our grass areas get cut in stages and the cuttings fed to the pigs daily. Various neighbours have also helped out donating their cuttings.

2. Weeds - despite my best efforts I always seem to grow an impressive crop of weeds. The pigs certainly don't mind my slovenly gardening habits and munch their way through all the weeds I pull out.

3. Vegetables - anything that fails, goes to seed or in anyway isn't any good for us to eat becomes pig food (with the exception of cabbages which Boris doesn't like!)

4. Sugar Beet - this year I read somewhere of someone growing sugar beet for pigs and found the local agricultural merchant sold large boxes of seed for less than 10€. Simon immediately set to dividing Boris' pen into 2 and dug over the half he was now kept out of, with the digger. After a bit of searching he found a rotavator and broke the soil into a workable tilth ... just as the drought we suffered this Spring hit hard. Sowing seeds would be a complete waste of time so I waited ... and waited. April became May and May became June whilst the area got drier and drier. At last the rain did come and I was able to sow the seeds albeit very late. Now, I have a crop of not very large sugar beets but the pigs adore them and I will certainly grow these again next year, hopefully getting the seed in earlier.

Charlotte and her piglets feasting on apples

5. Apples - Normandy is famed for its apple orchards and we managed to pick, what must have been the only property in the region without an apple orchard. However, friends have a large orchard and don't want the apples. Enter me with lots of bags and we have pigs with the apple sauce already on the inside!

6. In the other half of Boris' pen, as well as the sugar beet, I also planted all my excess seeds potatoes, all my spare pumpkin seeds and some Chou lapin (a type of kale for animal feed) - unfortunately I lost a lot of the potatoes to blight but I have loads of pumpkins and some huge chou lapin to keep the pigs going through the Winter.

7. Sweetcorn - when the local farmers harvest their sweetcorn I try and get into the fields to glean the fallen cobs which the pigs adore. Some years there are lots to collect, others far fewer seem to fall. This year there are few to be had but with all the other pig foods we have it's not a major disaster.

8. Bread - a friend's husband is a supermarket manager and from time to time they get the bread order wrong - enter said friend with a large bag of old baguettes. Neighbours also save their excess bread but I have to admit we usually turn ours into bread and butter pudding. Sorry pigs but I think there is enough with all these extras to ensure we have some very well fed pigs.

20% off for Couples This Winter

2011-10-23T14:31:00.002+02:00

Posted by Rosie

The gite, with it's wood-burner and high level of insulation is wonderfully cosy whatever the weather is doing outside.
With a myriad of footpaths leading straight from the back gate there is some wonderful walking to enjoy right from our doorstep.
With animals and birds galore, the area is great for wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers.
Plenty of the tourist attractions are open throughout the winter and can be enjoyed crowd-free. Some even have cheaper entrance fees.

Four excellent reasons to visit Calvados out of season and to make a visit in Winter even more attractive we are offering a 20% discount if the gite is let to a single couple. This offer applies from November 2nd 2011 to March 31st 2012 (excluding Christmas/New Year and the Sat 11th to Sat 18th February 2012).

Normal Price per Week - £250 (290€) -
*** Couples Discount Price - £200 (232€) ***
For short breaks - £36 (44€) per night (minimum stay 3 nights).

Click here to go to our website and to download a booking form

These prices include the rent plus electricity, logs for the fire, bed linen (but not towels) and a welcome pack. All other terms and conditions apply and can be read here.

A Bit Drastic!

2011-10-14T18:18:00.000+02:00

Now the gite is finished and we have completed many other projects, finding alternative themes for blog posts is much harder, especially as at the moment we are either doing mainly day to day stuff or finishing off projects. We have also started reducing the animal numbers and butchering/preparing them for the freezer.

And this is when I decided that the blog needed an update. Well I really didn't mean to make it such a 'drastic' post, but I have!

What happened? Well whilst I was trying to catch a pig - and I can understand why it was not very co-operative - I somehow managed to do quite a bit of damage to my hand. One minute I was chasing a pig and the next blood was pouring from my hand and I was in a lot of pain.

Encased Arm

So an unscheduled trip to the local hospital and then on to the main hospital at Caen found I had also broken a bone (little finger) and the tendon. Ouch (not quite what I said)! So after an hour of surgery and an overnight stay in the hospital I am now encased in a plastic caste thing.

And I am like this for the next six weeks. The main concern is the tendon as that had to be sewn together and must now be kept static. The staff at the hospitals were excellent and there was a lot of banter about the rugby. Though I did have to remind them that France hadn't beaten England in the World Cup for quite awhile and thought it was about time we gave France a chance (nothing to do with England's poor play then)! And apologises to any Welsh rugby fans reading this but I had to promise to say 'allez les bleu' this Saturday or they wouldn't operate. Hee, hee - that wasn't too painful!

So now loads of jobs are on hold and Rosie is trying to make me a list of one handed jobs! I can't think why. I can hold a book, use the TV remote control, use the computer keyboard, albeit slowly, and walk the dogs. Oh, and make tea. Seems enough to be getting on with for now - and the dogs are happy.

August on the Med?

2011-10-02T20:45:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Actually no, this is October on the Normandy Coast!

October 2nd 2011

Temperatures over the last few days have soared to record breaking heights and we decided to take advantage of the fabulous weather on what surely must be the last hot Sunday of the year and headed up to the coast at Ouisterham. It appeared we were not alone in thinking this and when we arrived at lunchtime all the beachfront parking spaces were already taken. In France most people don't go to the beach until after lunch and when we were there last week (thinking THAT would be the last sun-bathing day) we had the place almost to ourselves when we arrived just after one. Today, the world and his wife obviously wanted to catch the last of the summer (autumn?) heat for as long as possible and the beach was the most crowded we have ever seen it.

A couple of weeks ago we nearly lit the woodburner with cool days and positively chilly nights. When we heard fine weather was forecast we expected maybe 21degrees C. Never in a month of Sundays did we think we would see scenes like the picture above on October 2nd and temperatures nudging 30 degrees C.

Ady & The Turkey Run

2011-09-30T23:33:00.001+02:00

The Turkey Run

This morning, Ady, our long term HelpX'er, went back to the UK. His excuse - a winter back at his mum's place with central heating (what a wimp). Ady it's 29°C here at the moment! And this was someone nicknamed, not by us, Macho!!

Anyway, with Ady's help (or more truthfully, Ady with my help) we have completed a great number of projects. From renovating the old bakery, converting the attic, adding an upstairs bathroom, new workshop doors, fencing/gates and finally he has rewired our house in readiest for EDF moving our incoming electrics (this will be a post on it's own - when it happens!). Plus he has helped with many other jobs in between. Without his help I'd still be languishing on the bakery.

So Ady not only are we greatly indebted to you for all the work you have done for us - we are also indebted to you for teaching our sons how to play poker and how to whack me in the shins without leaving a mark. But regarding the poker, it's okay, I've given the boys your credit card number!

Now the Turkey Run - a little difficult to describe.

The ducks and turkeys reside in the same pen and if we feed them together the ducks eat everything before the turkeys get a chance and of course we want bigger turkeys. Now in a race across the field back to the pen the turkeys are faster than the ducks. So at evening feed time all the birds gather in the field corner by our house. Their pen is diagonally opposite. So it it a case of - get the feed bucket, run to the pen, let turkeys in and shut, rather pi**ed off, ducks out. Turkeys have a good feed and then let the ducks in for their dinner. Works okay normally. Well that was until Ady tried - even the ducks nearly beat him!

And this is when we discovered that Ady, despite being a great help around the place and being a bit of a karate expert (he was in Team GB) in his prime, (and why I'm writing this after he has gone), was trying to keep one fact very quiet from us . And that is he runs like a 'big girls blouse'! And he thought he could run to the turkey pen faster than I could get to the camera - WRONG. And the photo shake is caused by a fit of the giggles not only by me but all of us.

Ady - although put to shame by 5 turkeys in the 50 metre dash - once again thank you for all your hard work and getting loads of jobs done. Thank you for putting up with us all and being the butt of jokes (which you paid back in kind). And just remember there is always a nice bowl of pasta with ketchup waiting here for your return, oh and courgettes - your favourite!!

Thanks Mate and catch up soon.

Oh and Ady - apart from the thanks to you I'd also like to thank those people (mainly ladies) who, in my opinion correctly, thought I looked younger than you - hee, hee.

Internet and Television available at Eco-Gites

2011-09-22T14:36:00.001+02:00

Posted by Rosie

We are pleased to announce that guests at Eco-Gites

will now have Internet access, free of charge, and

UK satellite TV on request for a small additional fee.

Up until now guests have been able to pick up our WiFi connection with varying degrees of ease, sometimes in the gite, sometimes only leaning over the garden gate. Now all that has changed with the gite having it's own Internet access. You just need an Ethernet cable to connect your laptop into the wall and you are free to surf away at your leisure, totally free of charge.

We are also offering guests the chance to have a TV showing UK programmes by satellite. Many families have already commented on how they have enjoyed NOT having the TV along with the constant nagging from (generally speaking) the younger members of the family who want to sit in front of the box rather that be out and about enjoying themselves in the fresh air. However, we are parents ourselves and we can't deny that at times, having a TV can be a godsend, so we have decided on what we hope will be a solution to please everyone:-

The gite will be let as TV free but for a small fee of €25 we will install a TV for your weeks stay complete with all the UK 'freeview' channels. You can even choose to have the TV part way through the week should you later decide you want it. Hopefully this way we can keep everyone happy when it comes to the question of, "should we book a gite with or without a TV?" It's your choice at Eco-Gites of Lénault :-)

I know - it needs a door!

2011-09-15T18:49:00.001+02:00

New Shower

We now are the proud owners of an upstairs bathroom, with full working shower, hand basin and loo. I have already used the shower and had a very pleasant 'cleaning experience'! In fact I'm off in there after I've posted this.

New Toilet

And those early morning trips to the loo will be much shorter. In winter, a blessing as it will be quickly back to a nice snug bed.

I've just got one or two finishing touches and must admit one of these is to fit the door - so not altogether private at the moment!

Getting a tetanus jab "en France"

2011-09-13T22:16:00.001+02:00

Posted by Rosie

School sent home a note at the beginning of term saying that children should have a tetanus jab every 5 years. Bearing in mind we have been in France 4 years and I couldn't remember the boys having a jab I reckoned they were probably both due. Well it turned out Ben is OK for another few months (although I had better put a note on the calendar to remind me) but Tom was due for one now.

In England getting the jab is easy - you call the surgery and book an appointment with the practice nurse who administers the injection. Job done. This is France though, where nothing is simple. Anyway I phoned up the surgery and explained that Tom need a "vaccination antitétanique".

"No problem," she replied and we booked an appointment.

"Don't forget to go to the pharmacy first, though," she added as I was about to hang up.

"The Pharmacy?"

"Yes, the Pharmacy."

"Errrm, why?" I asked.

"To buy the injection," she replied in a somewhat surprised tone, "and then you come back to the Doctor's to get your ordonnance (prescription)."

Now I was confused. Why did I need a prescription AFTER I had bought the injection? Did the Doctor still give the injection or would I have to head off and find a nurse to administer it? However the receptionist assured me it was the doctor who gave the "piqûre".

Yesterday I was in Vire so I went to the pharmacy and explained I needed a Tetanus injection for my son.

"Pas de problem," she smiled and handed me over a box, reminding me to keep it in the fridge and asked for €10.21. She was a very nice lady and exceedingly easy to understand so I asked her why I needed a prescription from my Doctor.

"To claim back the cost of the injection," she explained. "Bring the box with it's bar-code, the prescription and your Carte Vitale (French Health card) and we'll pay you back the €10.21."

"Errrm, but this isn't my closest pharmacy," I said, not wishing to travel back to Vire just to claim back €10.21.

"Pas de problem," she assured me, "you can go the any pharmacy."

So this evening Tom had his jab, the Doctor gave me the prescription and I drove to the nearest pharmacy to claim back the €10.21.

"But this isn't where you bought the injection," the pharmacist said, before adding a couple more sentences I didn't grasp.

"Errrm, is that a problem?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I'll have to see what happens." And this is some-one who should KNOW the French medical system!!

Turns out it wasn't a problem and after much photocopying, printing and tearing in half of papers I left with the €10.21 in my purse and a nagging feeling that involving 4 separate people (receptionist, doctor and 2 pharmacists) and umpteen bits of paper and computer records, might not have been either the cheapest or the simplest way to protect against getting Tetanus.

October In Calvados

2011-09-04T12:33:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

I know I know, it's only the beginning of September. Don't panic! Our gite is however fully booked until September 27th so I thought I would take the opportunity to post a few pictures to illustrate why this is such a lovely region to visit in October :-)

October is mid Autumn and the month of Mists .....

..... and Mellow Fruitfulness:

Then there are the Autumn Colours ....

..... and not forgetting Harvest Home:

For further information about our gite and how to book please visit:- http://www.eco-gites.eu/

Compact: See Bijou, then divide by two.

2011-09-04T12:27:00.004+02:00


Wardrobe Alcove

Estate Agent Speak - Bijou: Would suit contortionist with growth hormone deficiency.

Ady and I have been constructing an upstairs 'bijou' bathroom - well more a shower room, with WC and hand basin. I must add at this stage that it has been mainly Ady doing the work, whilst I have got on with other things.

The bathroom is being constructed at one end of our bedroom, but we didn't want to loose too much space. So we designed the space with an alcove for a wardrobe in the bedroom. We had already had a window put in when the windows for the gite were done. Now we (Ady) has divided the rooms and insulated it all, put the electrics in, and the first phase of the plumbing. I've tiled the floor and we have also put in ducting for the heat exchange unit.

Our 'Bijou' Bathroom

Tomorrow the 2nd phase of plumbing starts, tiling the walls and then finishing the installation of shower doors, basin, toilet etc. and of course all those finishing bits and pieces we all love will start.

And hopefully very soon I will not have to be traipsing all the way downstairs at three in the morning for a wee. I also thought the estate agent speak summed up our 'petite bathroom'!

I Went Canoeing

2011-08-26T23:47:00.000+02:00

Guest Post

Hi Folks,

Sedate Canoeing

A good mate (Simon) over here in France wanted to take his two sons (Tom and Ben) out canoeing and his wife, Rosie being of a slightly chicken nature wisely chose not to risk life and lung by getting involved. Turned out I was short listed as being the next likely candidate, or stupid enough to say yes without thinking. Last time I was in a canoe I capsized 3 times in 10 minutes. I explained that to Simon and he was fine about that. So we booked the good weather for the Wednesday afternoon and flipped a coin for who got his least favourite son (joking) and I had Tom, Ben went with his Dad.

We got to Clecy and set off in their van with a trailer behind loaded with big plastic things that resembled flattened bananas and drove 7kms up stream. (that's just over 4½ miles in old money). Turned out those flat bananas were our boats. I thought they were buoys!

We set off fine, though the nosedive into the water was a tad intimidating and any hopes I might have had of keeping my bum dry were dashed. I'd even dried the seat before getting into the canoe! Sitting in a puddle needlessly seemed just too stupid for words. I shouldn't have worried really, that entry made sure I was wet up to my waist! Yes I've crossed the instructor off my Christmas card list!

Oh and the "Instructions" were: red end forward, yellow end at the back. Hollow side up. This is a paddle. Y'know essential stuff like that!

5 mins into our epic voyage we were just getting the hang of the paddles when we found the first and biggest weir. I was all set to get out of the canoe and carry it around but noticed some poor sod got caught in the flow and went over the edge screaming... then came back for another go! NUTTERS! Then I realised this was meant to be. Sheesh, talk about baptism of fire.

Ben & Simon on the Weir

So with beating heart and suppressed girly scream Tom and I went over the edge. Poor Tom at the front end got the full force of the bow wave as the nose went under. Him being light though meant we didn't go that deep, unlike the couple that followed me. He was wet only to his eyelids. I suspect that woman's spleen was still wet two days later.

Anyway Simon and Ben wanted another go and so did Tom, I thought we were tempting fate, but was peer pressured into conceding. So Tom and I went for it again, dragging the canoe up some handy rocks beside the sheer 17ft cliff edge. (well it felt a lot higher than it was) Turned out hauling that canoe was a lot easier than I thought, but it did mean getting out of the boat and involved some wading. YUK! I think I have some cat genes in my make up because I don't like getting wet needlessly. Oh well needs must. Besides I think Tom would have hit me with the oar had I said no.

So we had 3 goes each. Simon even took both boys down with him at once. I got that on film. Anyway the

Aaron - a born natural?

boys have some great memories and I had a few more grey hairs but I had to admit it really was fun. I saw 3 other boats capsize on landing, so Simon and I can count ourselves lucky... or a natural born canoeists

The rest of our paddle downstream to Clecy was a relaxed and very scenic. Passed some derelict buildings and managed not to snag ourselves on fishing lines from people on the riverside. Waved, did the "Bonjour" thing, look at us paddling in our boats aren't we clever. I bet they see it all the time. Anyway it was a novelty for us.

At one point of deep river Ben climbed out of his boat onto a rock midstream and Tom thought that was a good idea too, so we paused and then the two boys had a swim. That idea soon lost interest as they were shivering within 5 mins. At least Tom was. Truth be told I was a bit worried for him, he's just skin and bone, no blubber, unlike me. He got back in the boat and I had him take over the paddling a bit so he could warm up and I think it worked.

Tom hitting the 'Bow Wave'

Next couple of bends we had showed familier scenery ahead of us and then we found ourselves amongst the pedelos and dinghys. Somehow we resisted the ramming speed thing us now being experienced rivermen. 10 mins later were were climbing out of the canoes having had a really, REALLY good time. Dripping wet but grinning.

Big thanks to Simon for asking me along. I had a great time and will do it again. Thanks to Tom for being such a great sport and allowing me to do 90% the paddling. I sooo enjoyed that. Thanks to Ben not coming with me and making me paddle fast to keep up with his Dad who made it look so easy. I was tail end charlie most of the time.

All in all a throughly good time. Took us just over 2 hours. Any longer and it would have become a chore. We both agreed what we did was enough and was fun just like that.

Woke the next day with only mildly aching shoulders but otherwise fine. My trainers still haven't dried out though.

Aaron / Dad / Uncool Aaron / Biker

Copy of email Aaron sent to his family and friends. Glad you enjoyed the trip and thanks for helping with the boys - Simon

We're still here - honest!!

2011-08-25T18:02:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Just a really quick post to say we haven't been eaten by a triffid vegetable or chased off the farm by Orwellian animals but that we have been so busy with everything that we never quite seem to get round to writing a blog. We have a lovely volunteer helper here this week helping me to find the vegetable garden in amongst the weeds so I have been busy helping her as well as processing the fruit and veg we've been harvesting. Simon has also fitted in some days out with the boys (hopefully he'll do a blog about the canoeing trip they went on yesterday).

At some point in the next 10 days I have the dreaded shoe shopping to do with Ben as well as buying all the files, pens, paper etc they need for school - neither of which are jobs I relish but, bearing in mind they have less than a week and a half before school starts, I suppose I need to get my act together.

Mind you, it would appear not everyone is completely busy round here:

Onward and UP-wards

2011-08-14T16:27:00.001+02:00

Attic October 2009

Eighteen months ago I started (with HelpX'ers) on our attic space. This was just to insulate it. I only got as far as the insulation boards. Then just before last Christmas (over a year later) I managed to get it fully insulated - making the house about 4°C warmer - and then get some plaster board on. I even managed to get some of the wiring in place as well. And there it waited.

Attic 02/08/2011

And to be fair, in between I have converted a barn into a gite plus done one or two other jobs. So at the end of last month I was able to get back to it. The worse part was trying to remember what wiring was for what but eventually that was sorted and Ady (HelpX) and I were off.

We completed the wiring, finished the boarding, put timber up on the ceiling and partition wall. Prepared the walls and painted them. Ducting for a heat exchange unit is being laid in and shelves constructed (mainly me).

Attic Room 13/08/2011

We have now laid the floor (mainly Ady) and now, at long last we have something that looks like a room. We have some electrics to finish and all those finishing touches that need to be done - timbering edging etc. The worse part of the project, apart from having to lug everything up and downstairs, is the moving of all the boxes and furniture around. Definitely a job made easier having a helper.

So hopefully very soon we will have another bedroom and living area. The next job is to put in a first floor bathroom, which I'm hoping to start next week.

French Farms of Yesteryear

2011-08-12T21:07:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Someone on the forum http://www.downsizer.net/ linked to this site showing some wonderful black and white French farming photos from yesteryear. http://www.kamdou.net/2010/11/pps-la-ferme-autrefois-chez-alain.html

Click on telecharger below the photo for the full slide show.

The Waiting Is Over.

2011-08-06T18:10:00.002+02:00

Charlotte's 7 Piglets

Very late yesterday evening I thought I'd give Charlotte a final look in before I went to bed. Rosie felt she was at last going into labour and this was obviously the case when I went to her sty. At 11:40pm the first piglet arrived. Followed 30 minutes later by numbers 2 and 3. Number 4 quickly slipped into the world soon after - so quickly in fact that I missed it when I went to close the sty door.

Number 5 took it's time to appear and eventually came out rear end first - hence the delay, maybe. We now had 5 ginger and black spotted piglets - all looking the image of their dad. This seemed to be it and nothing else was happening. As Charlotte had only had small litters previously we decided it was time to turn in.

This morning when Rosie went to feed Charlotte and check on the piglets she found we had another two - both black and white this time. All are doing well and are presently having a good feed.

Still waiting

2011-08-02T21:28:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

For Charlotte the pig to give birth that is. OK, so originally I totally miscalculated my dates making her pregnancy only TWO months, 3 weeks and 3 days, not 3 months, 3 weeks and 3 days, but after a quick recount I reckoned she was due on July 28th. However, Simon has 5th Aug written down which is now looking more and more likely. Poor Charlotte - she's only a small pig and she's huge and is looking really fed up, especially in this hot weather. I am seriously wondering whether I should give her a curry and suggest she has a jog round the field to get things going!!

Hard At It (ish)

2011-07-27T20:33:00.000+02:00

Play Barn Floor

Last week's heavy rain has meant a slow down in some of the work, Although we did manage one nice afternoon on the beach. And whilst we enjoyed the sunshine by the sea those that stayed in Lenault enjoyed a full afternoon of rain.

This week the weather has improved and as Ady (Helpex) has continued his good works in the Old Bakery I have been doing various jobs around the place plus made a vast improvement to the play barn area. I have now constructed a wooden floor and as it previously only had a mud floor with a farmers method of a damp proof course - old plastic fertiliser bags - it is now a much more pleasant place to play and/or sitting. Unfortunately this now makes the walls look even worst and those rotting timbers are next on my list.

Old Bakery

Ady has done great works in the Old Bakery and it is fitted out with a sink and work preparation area plus it now incorporates some wall units. This will be used as the animal feed store, butchery and food prep. area. We - well Ady - have also moved the stairs. I had put them centrally with the idea of shelving under them, but now we - well Ady - has put all the other equipment in place it made more sense to move the stairs to the back wall.


Prep Area

So upstairs will be for storage and we - well mainly Ady (but I did help a little) - have knocked a passage way through the wall into the adjacent workshop/garage upper floor. This means that this space can be utilised better instead it being 'the where shall I put that' place! Only problem is we are running out of 'the where shall I put that' places - but I'm sure we'll find somewhere new!

Mud Glorious Mud

2011-07-21T23:33:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

If you allow 4 boys to have a mud fight 5 minutes before bedtime you may well find that after their bedtime THIS is what your bath will look like!!

Lost duckling

2011-07-20T18:32:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

A couple of days ago Simon and I lost a duckling and only 14 of the little ones rushed out for breakfast instead of 15. Now ducklings are not the easiest of things to count, especially when they are legging it from one bowl to another and also when there are 10 big ducklings, 2 adults and 5 turkeys to further confuse the issue. It was also slightly worrying because only 2 days before, we had introduced Harold, the drake, back in with the youngsters and he does have previous for duckling assault. No-one could be sure the duckling actually went in the night before (see earlier point about difficulties counting ducklings) yet we were sure in the morning that we could hear it ... somewhere. The shed was checked. Large patches of nettles were checked. Inside and outside of the duck enclosure and the neighbouring field were checked. No duckling.

Throughout the day we recounted the ducklings and there was still only 14. We resigned ourselves to the fact that Harold had attacked it the day before and it had gone off somewhere to die.

What happened was the missing duckling ?

However, for those of you with a nervous disposition, this is a story with a happy ending. Come supper time the mystery was solved and 15 little ducklings went to bed that night. So who reckons they know what had happened to our missing duckling?

August let

2011-07-16T22:57:00.000+02:00

The week of the 13th-20th Aug is now let.

Extra week available in August

2011-07-15T12:47:00.000+02:00

Due to a late cancellation we now have the week of the 13th to 20th August available at Eco-Gites. This is our only remaining week of the summer holidays and gives you the opportunity for a family friendly holiday in the beautiful Calvados countryside.

For further details visit our website by clicking on the gite picture at the top of the right-hand sidebar. Alternatively email us direct at bookings@eco-gites.eu or phone us on 0033 231 09 27 51

Monsal Trail and Back to France

2011-07-11T15:04:00.001+02:00

Monsal Trail

The boys and I are now back home in France after a very busy week in England. On our final day we cycled the Monsal Trail in the Peak District. This is an 8.5 mile trail between Bakewell and Buxton on the old railway route. The trail has just been fully opened on completion of repairs to the 6 tunnels.

Newly Opened Tunnel

I parked up at Hassop Station about 1½ miles along the trail, from Bakewell, thinking that Tom and Ben would not do the whole 17 miles (there and back). We then cycled, on a very gently upward incline, to Wyedale, through some stunning scenery. There was plenty to see and lots of information about the route, the history of the railway and the wildlife.

The Main Attraction - Dave the Dog

It took us a sedate 1½ hours to reach Wyedale. This is one end of the route and we found the Lazy Days Tuck Shop here. Drinks for the boys and a well earnt cup of tea for me where soon purchased to go with our picnic. You can hire bikes here as well (www.peakblackwellcyclehire.com) if you need to. Plus there is the added attraction (and I think the highlight of the boy's whole week) of Dave the Dog.

Rain Stop

After lunch we cycled back to the car but we than decided to do the rest of the trail down to Bakewell - where we had to buy a Bakewell Tart, of course. We did have to take cover a couple of times for heavy down pours of rain on route (very useful these tunnels) otherwise the weather was pretty good.

So we did the trail both ways plus cycled to and from Bakewell itself. The boys notched up a good 19 mile (30km) ride and my bottom was definetly glad to get off the bike saddle. If you like a good walk, cycle or horse ride this is a great place to go, especially with kids. We had a great time - well maybe not my bottom!

Saturday was the drive to Portsmouth and ferry home which was not that eventful - apart from Sally having to catch me up, as Ben had left the all important 'Barney the Bear' at her house. And at Portsmouth we picked up Lou - our HelpX from last year - who is now staying with us for a couple weeks. The boys didn't know she was joining us and their faces where a picture when they realised.

Finally thanks, again, to Sally for a great week and putting up with us. And sorry about my mishaps, breaking a glass full of wine, knocking over a full cup of coffee and blaming you for burning toast, whilst in fact it was me trying to set fire to your house (oops) !!!!!

More From Whatstandwell

2011-07-09T18:23:00.001+02:00

Our trip to England continues to be very energetic. Monday - all day - I took the boys to the Alton Towers Water Park. We had a great time on the flumes and rapids. The boys worn me out as they played on a variety of water features but nevertheless a great place to take kids.

Blue John Cavern

Tuesday was suppose to be an easier day but ended up just as busy. We had to go into Matlock, for eye tests, so we caught the train up from Whatstandwell. We then went to the park and the boys played in the playground including a mini water park. After the opticians we decided to walk back to Matlock Bath, but not the normal route. We chose the route which runs up to the cliffs which over look the road between Matlock and Matlock Bath. It was a pretty adventurous walk at times and we definitely earnt our lovely fish and chips when we arrived in Matlock Bath. Then we caught the train back to Whatstandwell.

Tom & Ben on Mam Tor

Wednesday we went up to Castleton and visited the Speedwell and Blue John Caves. The Blue John Caves were excellent and we really enjoyed the tour. On the other hand the Speedwell Caverns were pretty boring, even though part of the tour was on a boat, and both boys and I thought it was total waste of money.

We then walked up to the top of Mam Tor, which was a little windy, but the views were great. There again watching the rain heading towards us soon sent as racing back for the car. The boys were given a lesson on map and compass reading and some mountain craft by a passing walker which they enjoyed.

Thursday was, in Ben's view, the highlight of the trip. A trip to the cinema in Nottingham to see Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D. The boys loved it and I must admit it was pretty good and the 3D effect was superb. We then went to Wagamamas for noodles and dumplings for dinner - so keeping in the theme of the afternoon. I also dragged the boys round various shops to get bits and pieces that I needed.

So that is an update of our trip so far and I'll continue with the last couple of days on another post.

La Causserie to Whatstandwell.

2011-07-05T11:46:00.002+02:00

Bakery 30th June 2011

I am now in the UK spending a week with my sister, Sally, in Derbyshire. It was the usual last minute rush and I ran out of time to do a post so I now have a little time this morning to catch up.
First a brief update on the work on the Old Bakery. The exterior is, apart from one or two finishing off touches, is complete and we are now working on the interior. We are boarding the walls and will tile around the sink and worktops. This will give us a good area for food preparation and storage when it is finished (hopefully the end of next week). We are really pleased with the results so far and looking forward to getting this area into use.

Ben Orienteering

On Friday Tom, Ben and I got the ferry to the UK and then drove up to Sally's in Whatstandwell, arriving on the Friday evening. This arrival at Sally's is ,strangely enough, timed with the village Beer Festival on the Saturday evening - can't think why?

On the Saturday morning we took the boys to a 'Come and Try' Orienteering event at Swadlincote Woodlands ran by the Derwent Vally Orienteers. It was a great morning and a very well run event. The course we did was pitched just right for the boy's level. Many thanks to those from Derwent Vally Orienteers for a lovely and well organised morning. Greatly enjoyed by all of us.

Drum Workshop

Saturday evening was the Beer Festival and once again a very good evening. Excellent beers and good bands. Plus a few events for the children including a drum workshop, which Tom really enjoyed but Ben found a little fast. The boys made many friends and played all evening - I only saw them every now and then and they had a great time - whilst I sampled a beer or two(?) and listened to the bands. I couldn't get to the festival last year and was amazed to see how many people came this year. It was an extremely enjoyable and successful evening.

On Sunday we took the bikes up to Minninglow then, after a picnic, cycled just over 17kms along the High Peak Trail/Pennine Bridleway, via Middleton Top (ice cream stop) then down some very steep inclines to High peak Junction and the Cromford Canal.

At the Cromford Canal we visited the Leawood Pump House which had an open day. The boilers were fired up and the steam engine running. The pumps lifted 800 gallons of water, per pump, from the Derwent river 10 metres up into the Canal. When this was a working canal, and the boats grounded, these pumps could fill up the 14 miles of canal within 24 hours and it was children that stoked the boilers - working 8 til 8. Tom and Ben were fascinated, and overawed, by this amazing piece of machinery.

After that we finished our cycle ride back to Sally's and a well earnt cuppa and rest.

Afternoon tea

2011-06-30T15:53:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Whilst on holiday at Eco-Gites why not really treat yourself and have one of our indulgent afternoon teas, delivered straight to your door at a time to suit you.

Your teatime treat will include:

A selection of home-made cakes, biscuits and scones

Fresh fruit

A baguette

A pot of home-made jam

A bottle of organic “Bubbly” (not the real thing I’m afraid)

A bottle of Orange Juice

A selection of Teas

Afternoon tea

If however, you want to eat your tea elsewhere for the same price I can offer the tea in a traditional wicker picnic basket.

Picnic tea

Prices start from €25 for 2-3 people and the teas are available every day except Monday. Please note that I require 24 hours notice to prepare the teas.
Full details are available in the gite.

Snap-shot of a June Day

2011-06-29T17:07:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Outside my window - I can see green grass after the rain of the last few weeks.

I am thinking - I really should be fruit picking but the boys insisted I play Coppit (and then beat me twice in a row)

From my kitchen - I can smell bread cooking (only in a machine but it still smells good).

I am wearing - Green trousers and a rather mucky T-shirt.

I am going - to have to go and remind Simon that it is nearly time to take the boys to athletics.

I am reading - Le journal de Victor Dubray au Viet-nam

I am hearing - Our bottle fed lamb bleating loudly. He would appear to be unhappy with the fact he is now only having 2 bottles of milk a day rather than the three he was having! I have told him they are two larger ones but he doesn't seem to understand!!

Around the house - there is much less mess than normal thanks to a massive tidy I made the boys undertake this morning. Now I suppose I should tidy up MY mess.

One of my favourite things is - the veg garden which is finally producing a decent amount of veg and LOTS of fruit.

And here is my picture for thought -Why is Barney hanging from the top of the swings?

When it's 30 degrees in the shade ....

2011-06-27T18:58:00.001+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Blaze and Perky keeping cool

....what does any self-respecting piglet do to keep cool?

Sit in his water trough with his brother of course!!

Fete de la Musique

2011-06-24T13:06:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie
The French celebrate the longest day (June 21st) with music festivals of all different types in most towns, either on June 21st itself or on the nearest weekend. Last year there was a bit of a mix up with information - one poster said the music fete at Aunay was on Fri evening, the other said Sat evening - we went on Saturday so guess which was the correct night!! This year we doubly checked the details and went to a different town on June 21st itself .... and we were not disappointed.

As we arrived in Condé-sur Noireau there was a band playing in the village square but as it was still early there wasn't much else happening. So we toddled off to our favourite restaurant (Les Trois Ecus) for delicious pizzas and then came out to enjoy the 3 bands that were then playing. All were very different and all very enjoyable. Tom was particularly impressed to see his music teacher in the jazz band (the lady in the back row) and now he is even more keen to start to learn an instrument. He fancies the guitar, she wants him to learn the clarinet and I reckon either the violin or flute. I wonder what he'll end up learning?

New Doors

2011-06-20T13:17:00.001+02:00

The bakery and garage cum workshop now have new doors, so another step in the right direction, although they do need painting.

Also the garage had an entrance right next to the gite so I have converted that into an outside cupboard/storage space so gite guests can use it. At the moment a very useful addition for hanging wet rain coats and putting wellies in!

So you've guessed it - it's still raining here.

Bakery - On Going

2011-06-17T23:00:00.007+02:00

Ady (our HelpX) and I have had a good run on the bakery and are very pleased with the results. It was hard work and both of us had aching shoulders from lifting up the stone and mortar mix. We have finished the stone work - mainly due to Ady challenging me to get it done in two days - two very long days (thanks Ady!). Now have the timber work to do - so doors etc are on the agenda for tomorrow.

When finished it will be a good area for storage and butchery plus Rosie is hoping to get a 'meat safe' in there, so we can hang meat for a few days without flies taking their part in the process.

I only wish Rosie would do an 'anti-rain dance' now, so we can get on without the soaking we got today!

No Pleasing - With the Weather

2011-06-10T12:55:00.005+02:00

Ben's New Bed

With quite a few little jobs that had to be done and having to make a bed-cum-desk for Ben's birthday, at the end of May, I have been quite busy. Ben's bed also took longer than planned! Moving rain water around from filled water butts to various other water containers also seems to have taken a chunk of my time.

But now I have had a chance to get back to the renovation works of the old bakery. Well I would be if the rain stopped! And the good news is I have some help. We have a HelpX, Ady and he has good experience in building, plumbing, electrical works plus other talents. So in between the rain showers we are getting on building the walls back up. The internal block work is done and now we are doing the exterior stone work. One side is now finished and we are working on the gable end.

Old Bakery Works

Due to the rain, we have put the floor boards in and built a sink/work top area. And we have finished one or two other 'out of the rain' jobs but we are running out of indoor jobs unless I start on a whole new project - which I don't want to do at the moment.

So you see one minute we're moaning that we have no rain and now I'm moaning that we have too much or it's timing is wrong - well at least it is the right type of rain!!

Swallowtail Butterfly

2011-06-09T18:18:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Swallowtail butterfly - June 2011

Unlike in England, where they are rare and confined the Norfolk Broads, swallowtail butterflies are relatively common in France. I have seen plenty of their caterpillars feeding on my fennel and carrot but my only sighting, until today, of an adult butterfly has been a couple of very fleeting views as they fluttered away. Today however, I found one in the polytunnel and managed to catch it.

It's a really quite large butterfly and exceedingly beautiful. I quickly took this photo and then released it back outside. Hopefully this won't be my last sighting of this lovely creature.

Winter Pig Food

2011-06-08T11:18:00.002+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Way back in late March I had the idea (probably pinched from some-one else on the internet) to try and grow some winter crops to feed the pigs. The pen where Boris resides is plenty big enough for him and which-ever lady he has "visiting" so it could be divided it into two, giving a large, well manured area for growing crops. The local agricultural merchants sells large boxes of various seeds including maize, green manures and sugar beet so I bought a box of sugar beet and Simon set to dividing Boris' pen into two and turning over the already rather dry soil with the digger. The digger cannot give a fine tilth necessary for seed sowing and as the weather continued to be dry and hot we were left with a dug-over field of steadily hardening lumps of soil. Enter the old noisy rotovator and farewell to the biggest lumps. This left us with an area of dust dry soil and small hard lumps and no way was any seed going to germinate there.

Firkin and the pumpkin crop 2010

In the meantime I planted all my left over seed potatoes in holes I soaked with water and sowed all my remaining pumpkin seeds with a view to planting them out later. March had become April and rapidly turned into May. No rain. Then last week we finally got the rain we so desperately needed. Simon quickly re-rotovated the soil to give a fine tilth whilst I planted out the pumpkins. Then, in time honoured pre-agricultural revolution style, I wandered up and down scattering the seeds as evenly as I could. I felt I should really have been wearing a long frock and apron not jeans and a sweatshirt and my seeds should have been in a lovely wicker basket, not a plastic yoghurt pot but I did feel a certain affinity for generations of people before me who would have sown crops like this for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Now it is just a waiting game, hoping we continue to get enough rain for these crops to give us a sufficient harvest for the pigs to justify the work involved. And to be honest, the spuds there are doing better than the ones in my veg patch at the moment. And it is raining again :-)

Our Family Friendly Gite

2011-06-04T17:01:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Whilst Eco-Gites of Lénault was first and foremost to be an eco-friendly, sustainable gite we soon realised that many of our guests would have children and so making the gite family-friendly (from babies to older children) would hopefully make it appealing to a wide audience of holiday-makers.

We have holidayed with our children and know that the smaller they are the more kit they seem to need . All the following are available free of charge in the gite:

A travel cot
A high chair
A booster seat
Stair gates
Children's crockery and cutlery
A baby bath
A changing mat
A potty
A toilet training seat
Waterproof mattress covers
A stick blender (available on request)
A large selection of toys, games and books

The Play Area

Just a few meters away from the gite there is a large play area with double towers and connecting bridge, slide, small climbing wall, swings (including a baby swing) and a covered sand pit. A double boules pitch (boules supplied) is also perfect for riding bikes on and a large netted trampoline has been a firm hit with all our young visitors. For times when the weather is either too hot or wet there is a barn adjacent to the play area with table and seats and a large box of outdoor toys.

Finally, we have one other attraction not available at too many gites, namely our animals. Children (and adults) have the chance to stroke piglets, collect eggs and feed all our animals. In the spring and summer there will usually be ducklings, chicks and piglets hatching/being born and whilst we are currently no longer lambing ourselves we will still buy in young lambs in the spring. Next year we may even try and get some bottle fed orphan lambs which guests will be able to help feed.

Some of our younger residents

Eco-Gites of Lénault is well situated for exploring the local area of Calvados with plenty of attractions nearby. However, should you wish to relax here and unwind you can do so in the knowledge that your children will not be bored and will have plenty to keep them occupied.

For further details on Eco-Gites of Lénault and information on booking the gite please visit our main website: http://www.eco-gites.eu/

I can't count!

2011-06-03T11:37:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

I originally thought that clever Matilda had hatched 15 ducklings. It would seem however, I am unable to count and yesterday Simon counted 16. That makes a total of 26 ducklings at Eco-Gites and much as we love crispy duck pancakes and roast duck I think that may be a few too many even for us. Time to sell a few I think.

Clever Matilda and her 16 ducklings

The Polytunnel in May

2011-06-01T09:49:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Despite the advance of the year and continued hot daytime temperatures and almost no rain, night-time temperatures are still being cold to the point that on 28th May we had a frost here. The polytunnel temperature was 0.6 degrees C and outside there was frost in the hosepipe. Luckily there is no apparent damage to tender plants either in the polytunnel or outside but it may well explain why I am having such difficulties getting the likes of courgettes and pumpkins to germinate and grow on. I do however have one very healthy courgette in the polytunnel which should give us a harvest very soon.

There has been plenty to harvest this month - new potatoes, broad beans, peas, mangetout, lettuces, pak choi, chard thinnings, French beans, baby carrots and overwintering onions. All these have done very well and I will definitely plant more next year. One thing I did notice was that the broad bean harvest was much better on the outside of the block of 5 rows, presumably where it was easier for pollinating insects to reach so next year I'll do more rows and spread them out more. Also the peas cropped very well but flopped over as my twiggy supports were not tall or strong enough. Note to self - bigger supports next year!

Several of the above plants have now been cleared and whilst some have been replaced with peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes I am wondering what to fill the remaining gaps with. On the one hand, with watering restrictions and hosepipe bans looming I am worried about how to keep the plants watered (more of this another day) and thus should I leave the spaces bare? On the other hand I can't bear the thought of the soil not being planted. I do want to do some overwintering brassicas (cabbages/kale etc) inside this year, in case we have another hard winter, so I may leave the gaps empty a while and plant them up later with overwintering plants. And I can always put some quick growing salad crops in there in the meantime.

I also harvested the remaining non-bolted turnips but they turned out to be inedible. Daytime temperatures had just been too hot for them and even the pigs refused to eat them!

The ring leader - Adventure Pig

A few pests have worked their way into the polytunnel this month, notably green and whitefly and cabbage white caterpillars. The former I have successfully zapped with a washing up liquid solution and the latter (which seem very early this year) I have squashed. Oh yes - and there was one other rather larger pest. Well FOUR actually, namely the piglets!! They escaped their field, wandered thought the polytunnel munching the odd lettuce before getting a waft of something tastier - STRAWBERRIES. It was in the strawberry patch that we found them, all red-mouthed and thoroughly enjoying their fruity find. BAD BAD piglets!!

Snap-shot of a May Day

2011-05-26T20:24:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Outside my window - I can see things all over the place after today's wind and very yellow looking grass despite today's sporadic rain showers.

I am thinking - that I really must stop harping on about the lack of rain.

From my kitchen - I can see elderflower "champagne" which I am determined will not explode this year. It's in plastic fizzy drinks bottles and I'm releasing the gas every day.

I am wearing - Trousers and an old sweatshirt from the days when I worked at Gravesham County Council. It sports the logo "Going for Green".

I am going - to bake some spuds for dinner in a minute, with turkey livers and home-grown peas.

I am reading - various cookbooks looking for inspiration.

I am hearing - nothing except a snoring cat.

Around the house - it's still messy.

One of my favourite things is - my bag. My sister-in-law brought it back from Nepal; it's worn so well despite being many years old and is just the right size for all the things I need without all sorts of clutter I don't need.

And here is my picture for thought - How could anyone not enjoy living here when this is the valley just yards from our house?

Silver linings and all that.

2011-05-24T16:08:00.004+02:00

Posted by Rosie

I'm sure it can't have escaped the notice of anyone following this blog (or Twitter/Facebook) that along with much of Northern Europe and Southern England we are suffering the beginnings of a drought. Last summer was dry, the winter was relatively dry and this spring has seen almost no rain here. The well is below the pump level, the water butts are all dry and nothing much is growing. Farmers are really worried. We are worried. We have unsown grass and sugar beet seeds, insufficient grass for the pigs and veggies that are not growing.

BUT - "Every cloud has a silver lining" (although as a small child looking up at one of those totally monotone grey clouds I did doubt this pearl of wisdom). Anyway, every cloud ...... so here are the good reasons I have come up with for having another dry summer:

In the garden:

I am having a bumper and early strawberry harvest and the other soft fruits are looking good. About once a week I give the fruit bushes a good soaking and have mulched them well to retain this moisture. So, plenty of fruit leather, jam, crumbles etc this year.
There are far fewer weeds
There are far fewer diseases - my spud and tomato crops may not turn out to be the largest but hopefully they will be blight free.

Around the house:

Talk about speed drying especially with the wind of the last few days - so much so that I have switched the spin speed on my machine to minimum and still have no problems getting everything dry.
No wet dogs lounging round the house making it smell horrible and no muddy paw prints everywhere.

The animals:

Now the pigs may be a little fed up at not being able to rootle through lovely wet soil but I am sure if asked, they would prefer a hot, dry summer complete with regular hosepipe showers rather than cool, wet weather for weeks on end.
Dry poo is a lot easier to deal with than wet stuff!

Out and about:

The path I regularly walk the dogs along is usually chest high in wet grass at this time of year and so virtually impassable. This year, 10cm of dry grass is not stopping us using this route.

For tourists:

What holiday maker wants a week of wet and miserable weather? With that in mind dear guests, Normandy has warm sunshine to offer at the moment and no immediate risk of rain.

So as I said, every cloud does have a silver lining ....

Plodding On

2011-05-23T19:58:00.002+02:00

Well I'm slowly getting on with the Old Bakery roof. Slow progress but it is getting there. What takes the time is 'hoicking' everything up when I'm on my own, but I have developed some interesting techniques to get the sheets up and into place. Not orthodox, but it works for me. Also not helped by some, strongish, gusts of wind today (well it felt strongish from where I was sitting!)

One thing that cheered me up was that I managed to get the roofing sheets much cheaper than originally quoted. Whilst chatting to a friend he reminded me of a place that sells seconds and they had exactly what I needed and at over 5 Euros a squared metre less I was very happy - considering I got 40m² worth. And the ridge pieces were half the price (20€ instead of €40). And what is second about them I don't know.

Anyway, hopefully, tomorrow we can have the topping out celebrations - wind permitting.

A Good Reason to keep those Weeds

2011-05-17T14:21:00.001+02:00

Posted by Rosie

I just happened to look out of the kitchen window this morning and spotted these 2 goldfinches feeding on the groundsel plants that have gone to seed.

It's not the best photo I'm afraid but there was no way I could get any closer.

Golfinches are one of my favourite birds and quite common around here. They love seeds of plants such as groundsel and thistle so if you can leave patch of these "weeds" somewhere for them they'd be most grateful. (It's the perfect excuse not to do all the weeding!)

Roofs and Rugby

2011-05-14T21:30:00.001+02:00

I know my last post was not one of my best but I didn't think it was that bad that 'Blogger' had to remove it!!!! Well in fact 'Blogger' had a breakdown and posts disappeared, including mine. Apparently it is all up and running again and posts that flew of into the 'ether-net' have been restored - I think not in my case.


Outbuilding Roof

Anyway, what I had been posting about - until I was rudely interrupted - was that I have, at long, last recommenced work on the old bakery outbuilding. This meant removing the temporary roofing I had put up and putting the timbers in place for the new sheeting. This has not gone too badly, so far, but does mean that the freezers are now not covered (well except for some old tarpaulins) - so we did wonder if this will make it rain. We need the rain but I am hoping it will stay off so I can get this building back to a usable state as we, believe it or not, need that space back for storage.

La Crunch Rugby Tournament

At the moment the weekends seem to be taken up with a number of Rugby Tournaments. So I have been taxi-ing the boys round to various parts of the area for matches. The club does have a bus to take the boys to the various tournaments but usually by the time I've driven them to the club and then have to pick them up later it is quicker to take them direct.

Today was an exception and I went, with Tom and Ben, on the club bus to Argentan. Going was quite pleasant and an enjoyable afternoons rugby was had. Then the return trip. Yes, the joys of 30 young lads singing rugby songs. Singing maybe too kind a word to use, to which my ears will testify to. They are still ringing from the assault they received. And it was probably lucky I couldn't understand the words - although the tunes sounded vaguely familiar!

Porcine Fun

2011-05-11T22:39:00.001+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Charlotte the Pig regularly comes out and about for a wander and generally she is a very well behaved young lady. OK, so occasionally she has a dip in the duck paddling pool and sometimes she needs rescuing from the farmer's field next door:

and sometimes she thinks she is a dog and should be taken for a walk:

and sometimes she thinks she is a chef. "Mmmmm, what's cooking then?"

Actually thinking about it, she's not that well behaved is she?

Stuck Duck

2011-05-09T21:29:00.001+02:00

Well I got through the other way!

Yesterday whilst checking the ducks water I noticed that Hilda's eggs had hatched. We were not really expecting anything until the middle of next week so it was a bit of a surprise. Being a protective mum it was difficult to count how many eggs had hatched (we did find one duckling dead).

Today I looked in on the ducklings to find one, well and truly, stuck in the fencing. It had got it's wings through but it's bottom was too big - so NO going forward or back! I tried to help but with mum pecking my fingers it was an impossible task. Help was needed.

So aided with gloves and wire cutters and a gite guest (Rosie was out) armed with a stick a renewed rescue attempt was made. Mum still managed to get me a couple of times but with a stick as an added distraction I was able to cut the duckling out and reunite it with it's mother. I think that was a hiss of appreciation she gave me!

Whilst Hilda was 'assisting' me, we had a chance to count the ducklings and we are pretty certain there are eleven. Hopefully we can get a proper look tomorrow.

Old and Noisy!

2011-05-07T21:12:00.003+02:00

A friend of ours had an old Rotavator gathering dust in his garage and said we could have it. Having cleaned it up and carried out a basic service on it I eventually got the engine to run. That was stage one.

Stage two was to get replacement drive belts for it which I did this week. So now the rotor blades turned. The third stage was to fit an exhaust to it. The one on it was completely rusted and useless. My friend gave me an exhaust with it but not the same so I had to cobble it on to the outlet - rather makeshift and on the first attempt in shook off. I have now managed to get it fixed on to stay (at the moment), therefore, it runs quite a bit quieter.

So yesterday afternoon and today I have been shaken around the vegetable garden and part of one of the pigs enclosure trying to get it all turned before the rain that had been forecast. We had fenced off part of the pig enclosure thinking it would be a good idea to grow some winter feed for them and also let it weed over for them to eat through later in the year and then swap halves. So now that is ready to plant up, but we need the rain.

Well it's now all turned over and the machine was definitely a bit old, noisy and hard work, especially on the upper arms and shoulders, but it's done the trick. Now bring on the rain!

The Polytunnel in April

2011-05-06T22:06:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Yes, I know it's May but my very last minute jolly to the UK meant I didn't have time to write this before I went. Sorry.

April has been a month of great activity in the Polytunnel. With the sun shining almost all month, temperatures inside have on several occasions risen up to the 50 degrees C mark - and that's WITH the doors open. At night in contrast they have dropped as low as freezing point and early in the month I was out at 1am covering the most tender plants as there was an unexpected sharp frost. Hopefully now the risk of frost has gone. It is however the heat not the cold that has claimed victims this month - the early sowing of turnips, the rocket, the overwintering spinach and all the oriental vegetables except for the pak choy went to seed almost overnight as temperatures rose. Never mind, they were whipped out and replaced with peppers, tomatoes and aubergines which are all waiting in the wings for places to go as other crops are harvested/finish.

So what am I harvesting to give me much needed space? Lettuces, mangetout, chard and broad beans are all giving us lovely fresh dinners - the peas are also starting to swell and we had the first new potatoes tonight (although of course that really should be in next months update!). I reckon the first of the summer cabbages and the pak choy will be ready soon and the strawberries are beginning to redden.

It's lovely to see the polytunnel so full although this does give me a bit of a headache as I wander round with various trays of plants wondering where on earth I am going to transplant them. It makes ultimately for a somewhat dishevelled appearance as I slot things in any available space but then who is complaining when you lunch was chard and mangetout with a home-produced poached egg and your dinner was the freshest and newest of new potatoes.

First Tasting - Nettle Beer 2011 Vintage

2011-05-03T20:28:00.004+02:00

Nettle Beer

This evening I am having the first proper tasting of my home made nettle beer. And I can tell you it's going down a bomb! Beautiful and clear, definitely taste the nettle.

I say proper tasting - whilst bottling there was a little left over - about half a pint. Still cloudy and bits of sediment in it. I used this for a taster and not too bad. I found Rosie in the garden talking to the father of our neighbouring farmer and the farmer's three sons. So the taste test was on. Rosie was not very keen nor was Ben. Tom liked it. Now we are up against the makers of cider and Calvados - the challenge was on.

Whilst the farmer's mother carried on raking, the glass was handed round. First up Maurice (farmer's father) and it's a yes, he likes it. Then the 3 sons all take a taste and it's another 3 likes, although I think one was being polite. Farmer's mother arrives - possibly wondering why she is working whilst her husband and grandsons are not. Is she up for a tasting - 'mai oui'.

Well luckily there wasn't anyone else for a taste - bright eyed the glass was handed back. Empty! I think I may be delivering a bottle to them soon.

Cheers

And pleese note any misteaks in this post could be down to the Nettle Beer 2011 Vintage

It Rained Today!

2011-05-01T22:56:00.002+02:00

Not So Innocent

Rosie will be pleased. It actually rained today - light but steady. Water butts filling up nicely. I'm pleased because it means I have to do less watering!

And even 'The Firkin Cat' has been helping with the lack of water. There he was on the worktop next to the sink doing the washing up. My breakfast cereal bowl was licked cleaned. Ummm thanks Firkin!!!

The Pig in the Pond

2011-04-30T23:33:00.000+02:00

The weather here is still dry and although there was thunder lurking around earlier today it came to nothing. Rain seems to be falling all around us but not here. Rosie said she drove through heavy rain driving to the port, yesterday, and at the same time I drove in the other direction - around Mont St Michel and had some showers. The ground is very dry now - not good for the vegetables.

The Pig in the Pond

I was reminded of a book the boys had 'The Pig in the Pond' (Martin Waddell) - read many times to them. A great story about Neligan's pig who on a very hot day eventually jumps in the pond. Never thought I'd actually see it happen though but the other day Charlotte, one of our two sows, decided that the duck bath was a good place to cool her trotters in - so in she went. She had a happy few minutes paddling and blowing bubbles in the water. And Harold and Matilda watched on with extremely unimpressed expressions. You could almost hear them saying 'oy pig that's our pond'.

We Are Not Amused!

Whilst on the subject of the ducks, Matilda is now sitting on twenty eggs, joining Hilda who has been sitting on her clutch of eggs for a couple of weeks now. I cannot remember how many she is sitting on - around 16 I think. So in a few weeks time we'll be hearing the patter, of around, 36 pairs of little webbed feet.

I'm off to the UK

2011-04-29T12:48:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

I'm taking the boys to the UK for a bit of a whirlwind visit, catching up with friends and family on both Exmoor and in Kent. I'm sort of packed, lunch is half cooked and I keep popping in and out to see the wedding. I just hope I don't get asked by customs/security at Le Havre to open the boot as it has a fault on it. The only way it can be done is to scramble over the back seat and use a special stick and nail whatsit Simon has made to release the boot from the inside. It is not an elegant operation but I suppose it might provide a bit of entertainment at the port (for security/customs if not me!!)

Snap-shot of a April Day

2011-04-25T20:35:00.001+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Outside my window - I can see washing blowing on the line - dry and windy weather (again) may not be good for the garden but it is great for getting the washing dry.

I am thinking - Will it rain this month or not?

From my kitchen - I can see the first mange-tout I have picked from the polytunnel.

I am wearing - 3/4 length trousers and a vest top - my standard uniform for hot weather.

I am going - to England soon.

I am reading -Albion by Peter Ackroyd

I am hearing -Slight discord from the bathroom - Simon is cutting the boys' nails and it is something they dislike passionately.

Around the house - there are 4 large dogs flopped on the floor after their walk.

One of my favourite things is - the game banangrams, given to us by a friend ages ago (thanks Dragos), finally played last week and totally addictive. "Just one more go" is our favourite line at the moment.

And here is my picture for thought - will the apples taste as good as the blossom looks?

Boot Fair

2011-04-24T20:26:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Every Easter Sunday there is a Boot Fair is St Vigor des Mezerets, the next village to us. I had a stall 2 years ago and did well enough selling general ~~junk~~ items surplus to requirement, plants and cakes. Last year it was wet so I didn't go but after 2 years without a Boot Fair the ~~junk~~ items surplus to requirement were building up again so I booked a stall. I didn't do cakes this year (no time) but I did have enough ~~junk~~ items surplus to requirement to fill my 6m slot.

My stall

So how did I do? Very slowly to begin with but sales did pick up later until the lunchtime lull. I did better in the afternoon than I had expected but as time drew on there was still al lot of unsold items and Simon and I were rather dreading having to repack everything. Enter the gentleman who looked at our cans of paint. "1€," we said. His ears perked up and there then followed 10 minutes of mad selling of boxes of stuff that were otherwise going to the tip. In the end he and his brother took all the things we had left over (other than a few bits and bobs we will sell online) for the stately sum of 12€ ...... and we had much less to pack.

So the grand total of my day? A very acceptable 95€ ....... and a much clearer loft this evening. I call that a result!

Not quite the greeting we had in mind for our guests

2011-04-21T20:09:00.002+02:00

Posted by Rosie

About an hour after guests arrived for an Easter break in the gite there was a shout from outside. "There's a swarm of wasps!"

Bee swarm on a fence post

"In April," I thought, "surely not?" I was right - there wasn't a swarm of wasps there was a swarm of BEES enveloping a huge area in front of the barn and play area. Children and dogs were hurriedly sent to the safety of indoors before Chris and I (from a very safe distance) watched to see what they'd do. They seemed to be homing in on the old cherry tree but eventually swarmed down onto a fence post below it, in a large rugby ball-sized mass. Apparently the swarm would be out looking for a new place to nest but if the queen gets tired before then she will look what somewhere to rest, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for a couple of days. I have also since learnt that swarming bees rarely sting as they feed well before swarming and find it difficult to sting. I didn't know this when I went to take this photo so you'll understand why I didn't hang around too long to get it fully in focus.

I have contacted a bee keeper to see if he'll try and take them to his hives but he may be too far away. Otherwise I will just let them do their thing and head off to find a suitable nest site. Bee keeping is something Simon and I would like to do but following a forum where the subject is discussed (Downsizer) I know I have a lot to learn before getting hives and bees. Let's hope another swarm settles here when we are ready.

Buff Orpington Chicks

2011-04-21T12:25:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Ever since I saw Buff Orpington chicks that my friend had, I have had Buffie Envy. I wanted some. Some-one must have heard my plea, because only a few weeks later I had a chicken go broody and found some-one locally who was selling fertile Buff Orpington eggs. The broody was moved to separate quarters, the eggs were exchanged for some of our pork and my fingers were well and truly crosed for a successful hatch. 21 days later, 6 of the nine eggs hatched, just in time for guests arriving in the gite this afternoon :-)

(Sorry the pictures aren't too good - Mum is very protective and the run is not camera friendly.)

Who Stole our April Showers?

2011-04-17T14:37:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

"April showers bring forth May flowers" - or so says the rhyme. However, the last 2 Aprils here have been incredibly dry with just one small shower last year and, to date, an even smaller bit of drizzle this year. Compound that with the driest March on record and things are not looking good for gardeners and owners of grazing livestock. And it gets worse, not only no rain but also we are having quite high temperatures and/or strong winds thus further drying out the soil. At the moment the grass is still growing (and the shady lanes are full of earlier than usual wild flowers) but wondering how long this dry weather could go on for is very worrying. Last year I made hard decisions about which vegetables to water and which should wither on what turned out to then be a very hot, dry summer. I really do not want to have to make those decisions again this year and have another year with no vegetables to sell. We also want to reseed the front grass area and sow sugarbeet for the pigs, neither is which is worth doing in dust dry soil.

So whilst it is lovely to see the sunshine and feel the warmth on your back and whilst it is great for tourists visiting Calvados, spare a thought for those of us who rely on the rain to water our vegetables and help the grass to grow. A few decent rain showers would help no end in the veg patch and refill the empty water butts.

'Strange Brew'......

2011-04-14T20:37:00.003+02:00

hopefully not .......'killin' what's inside of you'.

The lyrics of Cream sprung to mind when I decided I'd give Nettle Beer a go. So having picked 3 large carrier bags full of young nettle tops and boiled these up, added sugar and later the yeast, the strange brew is on it's way. This concoction is now residing in a brewing bucket and appears to be bubbling nicely. Hopefully in a few days time we (sorry I) will be sampling this brew.

Fermenting Strange Brew

Nettle Brew

And I was so keen on picking more nettles that this evening we have dined on Nettle Soup.

Wallowing Pigs

2011-04-10T23:01:00.000+02:00

Snuffling Sow

Today was hot for April and we were concerned about the pigs - water buckets were forever being flipped over and pigs rolling and resting in the damp soil or they were using the bucket as a foot spa!

Happy as piglets in....

So this afternoon the digger was put into use and wallowing pools were dug out in the pig fields then soaked with water. And we had some very happy pigs. They snuffled around in the wet ground and Isadora spent a good ten minutes redesigning the hole and when happy with her work, very happily settled down for a damp and restful afternoon nap. The piglets carried on around her and given the occasional telling off grunt when Isadora's personal space was encroached.

We were also aware that there was a lack of shade in the field and, after various ideas were thrown out, we came up with the idea of using one of my old windsurfing sails to make a piggy shady corner. So hopefully some cool contented pigs now.

And I don't think we're spoiling them!!

How to turn a bluebell pink

2011-04-07T18:20:00.002+02:00

Posted by Rosie

My now pinkbell

Use Ants.

If you dangle a bluebell over the entrance to a Wood Ant nest, the ants will see it as a threat to the colony and attack it, biting into the flower and injecting formic acid into the petals. The effect of this is to turn the bluebell from blue to pink (something along the lines of acid turning blue litmus paper pink I think - but don't take my word for it, I failed chemistry). This is what I did with the bluebell in the picture and the effect took only a few minutes. Take care, though, if you do this because if the ants decide to bite you it really hurts. Also, please only pick one bluebell and only then if they are very abundant. Mind you, I assume this would work with any blue flower; perhaps some-one could report back.

Dinner is Served!

2011-04-05T11:43:00.000+02:00

Well I did ask for meat and veg for dinner!

Escape Artists

2011-04-04T20:31:00.001+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Dumpling and Jacob

It's a bit noisy at Eco-Gites this evening - our 2 lambs have arrived and are bleating loudly having just been separated from their Mum's. However, they are currently in with the chickens and when they are not bleating they are either chasing the chickens or trying (and succeeding) at getting through the chicken pop-hole into the nesting area. Well Dumpling was able to fit through where-as his half brother, Jacob, was too big!!

Adventure Pig .... on an adventure

Some of the pigs have also been getting to places they should not have been. Simon took the digger into Boris and Charlotte's pen and whilst Boris scarpered to the far end of the enclosure in fear and trepidation of the big, scary machine, Charlotte hatched a quick escape plan, squeezed through a very small gap between the gate and the digger and headed off to pastures greener. And she wasn't the only porcine escapee this afternoon - that piglet in the picture is on the wrong side of the fence. That piglet, not unsurprisingly, is called Adventure Pig. He may be the biggest of our piglets but he has inherited his Mum's ability to squeeze through small spaces. His Mum is Charlotte!

Spring Has Definitely Sprung

2011-04-03T20:41:00.000+02:00

Spring Flowers

Out walking the dogs this afternoon and I heard the cuckoo for the first time this year. Rosie saw swallows a couple of weeks ago and the wild flowers, after a short poor flowering last year, are giving us a glorious show now.

I have just been looking through old the photos and discovered that the Early Purple Orchids are out about 2 weeks earlier this year compared to Spring 2008. The blue bells are on their way and we have had a lovely display of primroses and cow slips for a good two to three weeks now.

And even the worms do it!

On Wednesday night Rosie was shutting in the hens when she noticed the field was covered in worms. As soon as she shone the light on them they rapidly shot back down their hole. This happened for the next two nights - and spring was definitely in the air for the worms - there were hundreds of them. I was really pleased to get the photo as any form of light or a heavy putting down of the foot sent them off, with a parting of ways, underground again. It was amazing to see and both Rosie and I don't think we have seen this before. Did feel a bit mean ruining the worms fun though!

Walking Charlotte

One of our sows, Charlotte, had been a bit stiff legged and we were a little concern it maybe a touch arthritis (not good in pigs apparently). Anyway we moved her in to the field with the piglets and her condition improved. So, after some debate, we have put in her with Boris the Boar. And she seems much improved and, definitely, has a spring in her step now - and earlier this evening I found Rosie was taking her for a walk. Ahhhhhhhh!

Snap-shot of a March Day

2011-03-31T19:45:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

Outside my window - I can see rain. We need it as March has been very dry and it is perfect for the seeds I sowed earlier in the week plus all the rain butts are all now full.

I am thinking - that I must write this quickly as the boys are waiting for a bedtime story.

From my kitchen - I can see the ingredients for tonight's frittata.

I am wearing - slightly cleaner clothes than the last time I did one of these snapshots.

I am going - Folk Dancing this evening.

I am reading - Animal Farm, in French. It's a good job I know the story as there are an awful lot of words I don't understand!

I am hearing - the boys arguing - oh the joys of parenthood.

Around the house - there is the usual mess.

One of my favourite things is - my pigs - I love being able to see them now they are in the field.

And here is my picture for thought - one of our hens is currently sitting on 9 Buff Orpington eggs - if all goes well we should have chickens that look like this soon:

The Polytunnel in March

2011-03-30T20:03:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

In previous years I have concentrated on summer crops that benefit from the heat of the polytunnel - tomatoes, aubergines, cucumbers etc. but I have not really taken the full advantage that a polytunnel gives to extending the seasons and protecting plants overwinter. Now, having purchased The Polytunnel Book I am trying to make much better use of the polytunnel all year round. With that in mind, I have lots growing in there at the moment and I'm wondering where on earth I am going to put all the tomatoes etc!!

All the following have germinated in the beds and are growing on nicely thanks to the warm sunshine we have had over the last couple of weeks - lots of oriental vegetables, chard, cabbages, rocket, radishes, chicory, turnips, beetroot and carrots. I am managing to keep sowing lettuces in succession and the first ones are nearly ready to harvest. I'm harvesting spinach and chard but the last of the beetroot went to the pigs last week.

Overwintering onions/shallots, potatoes, peas, mangetout and broad beans are all growing rapidly - I have been hand pollinating broad bean flowers with a soft paint brush to encourage seed setting. The peas and mangetout are growing up dogwood twigs but I have an awful feeling that the said twigs have rooted!! I also have flowers on the strawberry plants so more hand pollinating there.

And this month I have been busy sowing seeds for later transplanting - tomatoes (6 varieties), peppers (3 varieties), sunflowers, nasturtiums, marigolds, basil, spring onions, beetroot and courgettes. Most have germinated and I'll be busy potting them on over the next week or so.

Plants I overwintered under cover are now hardening off outside and will be planted out as soon as the risk of frost has passed. If only I knew exactly when that date was, gardening would be so much easier!

Athletics Boy

2011-03-29T14:22:00.000+02:00

Posted by Rosie

On a Wednesday Tom goes to athletics at Condé with the local athletics club. He's a good little runner and enjoys the relay races and games they play. On Saturday he went to his first athletics competition up at Caen and came home a very proud boy. His Club came 4th out of 10 teams and for his efforts he got a medal. Being his first competition he also got a Club T-shirt.

Today the boys have been allowed in to school in fancy dress - Ben went in his pyjamas complete with dressing gown, slippers, a bedtime book and most importantly Barney Bear. Tom went as ........ an athlete complete with his new T-shirt and medal.

It's Official

2011-03-24T15:34:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Spring is definitely here, a male white leg has been spotted!!

(Simon may actually kill me for this post - I'd better take him a cup of tea ......FAST!!)

Mad Pigs and Englishmen Go Out For a Little Walk

2011-03-22T19:30:00.000+01:00

Com' on Pigs

For the last few days we have been introducing our four remaining piglets to the delights of fresh grass. This means moving them from their pen to one of the fields and, as it can still be quite cold at night, taking them back to there sleeping quarters for the night. And overall it has gone quite well. We have had a few little run-a-rounds plus one or two carried, but now they seem to be learning their way and all raced home this evening They do have a shelter in the field and will eventually use this when the nights are warmer.

And talking of piglets, our friends, C &L, rung us the other day and said the three piglets, that they had from us, have settled in well - eventually. Eventually? Yes, eventually - because less than 24 hours after they had put the piglets in their new enclosure there was a knock on the door and a local family asked C & L if they owed 3 pigs. 'Yes we do, why?' 'Well they are in our garden at this moment!'

So not long after C & L are chasing said piglets around their neighbour's garden - about 500 metres by road from their house. Eventually one pig is caught but the other two think the grass is greener! So C decides to put the ensnared pig in the car, before making an attempt to get the others, when he realises he is being followed. Right thinks C 'I'll walk home and see what happens' and with one piglet tucked under his arm he sets off home and sure enough 2 piglets followed - all the way back through their village to home, and not without one or two amused looks from neighbours.

And I had to interrupt writing this post to help Rosie catch one of the Indian Runner Ducks - who, we were told, do not fly. They do!

Our New Ducks

2011-03-20T19:17:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Well if you think Muscovies are ugly ducks then our new Indian Runner ducks are the silliest-looking members of the duck world:

Apparently they come in a range of colours but ours have what I would call traditional feathering, but it isn't their colour that makes them funny; it is their gait. They look like they are permanently stretching up for something but when the move, they do not waddle but, as their name suggests, they run ..... fast. So why the funny looking ducks you may ask? Eggs. Indian Runners are good egg layers and at 5 months these should come into lay sometime soon. Duck eggs are brilliant for cake making and in my opinion they make the best meringues ever. As pavlova is a bit of a family favourite here hopefully the girls will be earning their keep soon. In the meantime they are more than entertaining us with their silly walk and gentle quacking.

April Rally Special Offer

2011-03-18T12:25:00.001+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Fancy a short break in France?

Enjoy car rallies?

Then Eco-Gites may have the answer.

We have a short week available from Friday 15th April to Thursday 21st April 2011 which is when the Annual Suisse Normandie Rally takes place directly on our doorstep. On Sunday 17th April our road is closed for all but the rally cars which hurtle through trying very hard not to be the first car .... in the ditch. 3 other race tracks are set out on local roads over the whole week-end making travelling across country a bit more fun than usual but giving plenty of opportunities to watch the rally action.

With travel thus slightly disrupted we are happy to offer lettings during this week at the following reduced rates:

2 nights - £75

3 nights - £110

4 nights - £140

5 nights - £165

6 nights - £190

Click here to go to our website

However, please note that we cannot do a change-over on Sunday 17th April unless you can get to us either before 8am or after 5pm when the road is re-opened.

Offer subject to availability and terms and conditions.

Hubble, Bubble ...

2011-03-14T23:41:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

... there are strange bubbling noises in the house tonight. Simon has a demijohn of wine and a bucket of beer fermenting away and neither the cat nor I can't quite get used to the glugging noises they are making. He also has a bucket of Seville Oranges doing their bit before hopefully becoming an orange wine. A necessary result of freezer rearranging such that I managed to put the contents of the smallest freezer in the 2 larger ones with the exception of a bag or oranges, a turkey carcass, one whole chicken and a block of turkey stock. So, as well as the wine and beer glugging, tomorrow there will be soup and pot of turkey stock bubbling away.

It did also mean we were rather decadent and had roast chicken on a Monday evening!

Hedges

2011-03-11T22:57:00.001+01:00


Rosa Rugosa Hedge

Twice we have tried to grow a beech hedge along a 25 metre bank on our boundary but the success rate has been well below 3%. Whether the bank was too high, the weather too dry or what, I do not know, but beech is notoriously hard to plant on, so we've given up now and gone down a different route.

Yesterday I pulled up all of the 6 surviving beech trees and then reduced the height of the bank. Overnight a good downpour soaked the bank and Rosie planted it up with Rosa rugosa. Not strictly a wildlife hedge but, hopefully, a good crop of rose hips will be produced - for Rosie's Rose Hip Syrup.


Laid Hedge 2008

Those six poor remaining beech trees I've transplanted into other hedges which have already been laid and/or planted up, with some additional Dog Rose (Rosa canina). Overall the hedges planted 3 years ago and those laid have a success rate of nearly 100% and needed very little gaping up. The laid hedges are thickening out well and maybe in the future give us some firewood, bean poles and pea sticks.

So, fingers crossed, for third time lucky, with this beech hedge now cum Rosa rugosa hedge! Hopefully the transferred beech will survive (I don't hold my breath) and, also, the Dog Rose grows. And of course there are enough rose hips to make Rosie's Rose Hip Syrup - very good for colds. So I am told!

Wine and Pancakes - eventually

2011-03-10T18:22:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

OK - so I admit it - we completely forgot to have pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. However our attempt to rectify this by having them a yesterday was foiled .... by the arrival of a wine rep. The gentleman and his wife, a local couple we know through our neighbour, insisted we sample the wares such that by the time they left we were in no fit state to attempt to cook pancakes (and a considerable amount of Euros poorer with a several cases of wine ordered!).

But we finally managed pancakes today. Smoked salmon, spinach, egg and crème fraîche crêpes for main course followed by thicker American pancakes for afters with yoghurt and stewed fruit or simply the traditional lemon and sugar. Thank you chickens for the eggs, the local farm cows for the milk, the polytunnel for the spinach and the garden/freezer for the stewed fruit.

Our frogspawn has hatched

2011-03-08T22:06:00.000+01:00

Posted by Rosie

Over the last few days I have excitedly been watching our pond as the eggs in our lump of spawn have changed from black blob to comma shaped and then into very small tadpoles. Today I saw something I have never seen before so do not know if it is a normal occurrence or not. Most of the eggs have successfully hatched but the tiny tadpoles have not left the safety of the spawn, but instead many have gathered in the middle. Why this is I'm not sure; for warmth maybe or perhaps to glean the last bit of nutrition from the spawn before heading out into the great unknown that is our little pond? I don't know.

Last night we had quite a severe frost - several degrees in fact, resulting in white grass and frozen water in the pond and water buckets. However a quick peak at the weather forecast for tonight reveals it should be mild in comparison, giving our little tadpoles an easier start in life. They'll need it. Apparently from each average sized dollop of frog spawn only 4 of the tadpoles make it to breeding age ... and in an average frog spawn there can be 4000 eggs. Life as a tadpole or young frog is a hard one but as we see plenty of frogs (and toads) around here, it seems a 0.1% success rate is still working for the population as a whole.

Poppy, You Must Be Barking............

2011-03-06T19:14:00.002+01:00

Poppy the Sea Dog

.......... mad to go in that water - it may be sunny but it's only a few degrees above zero and then there is the wind chill factor. As Saari watched on, Poppy time after time had a stick thrown for her as we had a very pleasant walk along the beach at Ouisterham this morning.

Tom & Ben Caught by the Sea

The boys also had a great time with the instruction to remain dry lasting about as long as you can say 'please keep dry'. The game was to lie down on the beach and not get caught by the waves! I believe by the second go the sea won. And fortunately parents had had the forethought of packing spare socks and trousers but not underpants - as Ben found out!

We then, eventually, found somewhere for a spot of lunch. Believe it or not, it was not easy in France on a winter's Sunday lunch time on the coast. So a couple of beaches up in Luc Sur Mer we found the Salon de thé de la Digue - which we think must be renowned for it's croque-monsieur/madam. Whilst Rosie and I had a lovely salad and Tom had a huge Hot Dog, Ben had the biggest croque-madam (with chips) that I've ever seen and so were many of the other customers.

So there is now one sleeping black Labrador warming up in front of the fire and two boys who won't need much feeding this evening, all having enjoyed a very pleasant Sunday outing.

That Firkin Cat!!

2011-03-05T14:43:00.002+01:00

Posted by Rosie


Firkin - July 2010

Firkin is a lovely cat. He is handsome, he loves cuddles and he catches mice. Firkin is also a VERY BAD CAT who thinks there is no finer place to enjoy the Spring sunshine than ON TOP of the polytunnel. A week or so ago I caught him climbing up the side when I was working inside and yesterday I found him happily sat on top of it with out a care in the world and oblivious to the fact that climbing up is resulting in a rash of claw holes up the side.

Polytunnel plastic does not come cheap and other than 2 small holes I made with the tomato supports and a bit of a tear at the front, the plastic is surviving well. That will not be the case if Firkin continues to sunbathe on high. Luckily (if you can say that), he only appears to have scrambling up at one point, thus minimising the area of damage. I'm about to go out, now the sun has dried the plastic, and stick polytunnel tape over each claw mark I can find. I am also arming myself with a water squirter so if I do see him up there again maybe a quick shower will deter him in the future. If not, I am at a loss as to how to stop him. He really is a Firkin cat at times!!

Simon's UK Trip

2011-03-02T16:07:00.001+01:00

Posted by Simon

Chestnut Coppice

Today I'm staying at a friends near Poole in Dorset before catching the ferry back to France tomorrow morning. Apart from catching up with friends I'm spending some time shopping for the 'all English' food supplies. Some of this things are available in France but are expensive. On the list is cheddar cheese, marmite, bran flakes and Bramley apples plus a few other things may have, accidentally, fallen into the shopping trolley on the way round the aisles - beer (bitter) and bacon for example.

I have been in the UK for just over a week helping a friend coppicing chestnut trees in a lovely old coppiced woodland. The weather was mixed but fortunately we did not get too wet this time and definitely not snowed on. Plus - like taking coals to Newcastle - I have filled up the back of the pick-up with loads of firewood. This will probably get me some strange looks at the port tomorrow but getting free firewood makes sense to me.

Wasps v Saracens

As the coppicing is very heavy work we now work Thursday, Friday and Saturday, then Monday and Tuesday. This gives the poor old muscles a rest on the Sunday. Plus it seems a good excuse to get to a rugby match. This time we went to see Wasps v Saracens at High Wycombe. Again it was a good entertaining afternoon of rugby, although a little cold.

Well I have a few more items to get from the shopping list, and may even sneak in a pint of decent bitter, before getting packed and ready for my early start tomorrow morning.

One chicken

2011-03-01T19:07:00.002+01:00

Posted by Rosie


Sept 2010 - Photo by Sian

The largest of the cockerels that was slaughtered last year found his way to the top of the freezer and on into the kitchen at the weekend. From this one chook we have had roast dinner for 5, chicken stew for 3, chicken and leek risotto for 4 and enough stock for both the risotto and a small pan of soup. Oh and the lucky dogs got the skin after making the stock and we still have a big bag of chicken livers in the freezer. It may "appear" better value to buy a cheap supermarket chicken but this fellow had a great free-range life, a quick end and gave as loads of very tasty meals. Chicken as it really should taste like and very few food miles to boot.