Potato and Week-end Update

Posted by Rosie

Well, the spuds are all up and - hopefully - it is not a complete disaster. I did lose all my Ratte variety and about 40% of the Charlottes; most of the Desiree seem fine (fingers crossed). The Desiree cropped less per plant than the others but I did have more rows so with luck we may have enough potatoes to see us through the winter ....... as long as blight doesn't take hold in the bags - and I can find somewhere frost and mouse free for storage!

Whilst digging up the crop I came across two very welcome garden visitors. First, just after I started I looked down and swore blind the potato popping it's head out the soil blinked at me. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Yup - it definitely blinked because there, nestling amongst the tubers was one very large toad. Today, as I neared the end of the last row, my spade unearthed a rather sleepy slow worm who was a bit miffed at being woken so early! Both were in fact very lucky as I am not adverse to stabbing rather a lot of my potatoes with the spade.

Our lovely week-end

Simon did promise a post about our lovely week-end but with one thing and other he's not got round to it. So I'll update you instead. Saturday we were invited to our first French wedding (along with everyone else in the village). We were not too sure what to expect so we did a bit of asking round first. We were invited to the marriage at the Mayor's Office and the Vin d'honneur afterwards at the Village Hall. If there was a meal after that we were not invited to that. Based on this we were told that a present was not expected although people often took flowers and dress code was anything for casual to snazzy. We decided to go for smart casual and will get a plant for their garden in the autumn, a better time for planting.

Close friends and family managed to cram into the very small Mayor's office for the actual ceremony and everyone else milled around outside, gossipping and giving/receiving the obligatory handshake or kisses. The newly-weds then emerged through a basketball guard of honour before yet more gossipping, handshaking and kissing. Moving on to the village hall we were treated to wine, some delicious little cakes called chouquettes and of course more gossiping, handshaking and kissing.

On Sunday it was the village Meschoui (barbecue). We went with a large group of English friends and were seated inside the hall, rather than the marquee, in order (I think) to get us on one table. Good food, good company and lots of wine and calvados followed including something new to us - between the starter and main course we were served an apple sorbet ....... doused in calvados - Le Trou Normand (Norman Hole), designed to help make room for more indulgence!! I don't know about that - it certainly loosened tongues. When, at the end of the meal and several hours after we had arrived, the Hall started to empty we tried to take our leave. No chance - friends in the marquee called us over for - yes you guessed it - more gossiping, handshaking, kissing and even more alcohol.

The two events made for a lovely week-end and we were made to feel most welcome by our french friends and neighbours.