Friends to dinner

I love having friends round for a meal - I love cooking, I love eating and I love seeing other people enjoy things I have made.

Our good friends Maggie and Alan came round on Friday for a joint celebration of our 13th wedding anniversary and their 30th anniversary. They were staying the night as well, which meant that Alan could have a drink and relax.

We had asked them to come at around 5pm so that we could have to start with. I had made some parmesan spiral and we had bought some anchovies in a provencal sauce, some wasabi coated peanuts and some rice crackers.

I made a prawn cocktail to start, which seemed to go down well. For the main course I stuffed chicken breasts with Boursin cheese, coated them in breadcrumbs and baked them in the oven. These were served with loads of roasted vegetables - red and yellow peppers, squash, onions, garlic and courgette, roast potatoes and garlic green beans. Dessert was a strawberry fool, with home made lavender shortbread and a chocolate dipped strawberry. We had bread and cheese later in the evening when we had room in our tummies!!

Mags and I drank champagne and Ian and Alan started with beer then went onto red wine.

As usual we put the world to rights during the evening, and had a brilliant time. It is funny how chance meetings can turn into great friendships. Maggie had phoned a couple of years ago after seeing my hairdressing advert in a magazine. We clicked immediately and kept in touch almost daily by email when they went back to the UK at the end of the summer. Now they live out here permanently and we are still in touch almost every day. We are so lucky to know them.

Photos at the Tour de France

This is Juley and me waving like loonies at the Tour de France. The picture was taken by her husband Paul, and Ian is hiding behind us!

Isn't it funny, we only live 10 mins from each other and would have never met if we hadn't joined the same book club! Juley and I get on like a house on fire and have a similar sense of humour. Every time we get together we have such a good laugh. We are so lucky to have such good friends over here.

This is Juley trying to attract Lance Armstrongs attention!!

Actually she was grabbing as many freebies as she could, as we all were. The bloke on her left in the striped top had originally started on our side of the road, then when Juley and I moved over to where she is now and started getting some goodies he followed us over.

For those of you not following the Tour this year, the British rider Bradley Wiggins is now in 3rd place overall and looks set for a podium finish this Sunday in Paris. There is a time trial this week which he should excel at as he already has Olympic gold medals and world records at this. He has made the transition from track rider to road rider amazingly well. He is one of the worlds best cyclists and the whole of Britain is behind him.

This is wonderful Brad in action.

Tour de France

What a great time we had watching the Tour de France on Bastille Day. This race takes over France for 3 weeks in July. It takes place over 21 stages and this year covers 3,500 kilometers. The race has 10 flat stages, 7 mountain stages, 1 medium mountain stage, 2 individual time-trial stages and 1 team time-trial stage. I am addicted to watching it!

Ian, Juley, Paul and I went to a village called Lauriere to watch the race go through. It is about 44km from Limoges where the race was starting. Before the cyclists arrive there are 200 support vehicles that throw promotional items at all the spectators. It is really competitive trying to grab these items, which can be anything from baseball hats, key rings, mouse mats or little bags of sweets and snacks. This caravan of vehicles passes through over an hour before the cyclists arrive.

The cyclists are preceeded by motorbikes with flashing lights and loads of cameras. There was a breakaway group that came through first, they were about a minute and a half ahead of the peloton. As the main peloton arrived the a huge cheer went up in the village and we were all trying to spot our favourites. I saw Brad Wiggins and Lance Armstrong, and Ian spotted Mark Cavendish. Brad and Mark are two British cyclists who are doing fantastically well in this years tour. Mark has won 4 stages so far in a sprint finish, incredible to think that he can race for 200km and still have enough energy left to sprint for the line! Brad is 4th in the general classfication at the moment and only 46 seconds behind the yellow jersey. They are both so brilliant.

We took a packed lunch with us and sat and ate it after the caravan has passed. There was a young Gendarme keeping an eye on our section of the spectators. He looked about 12 but was probably about 20! He spoke extremely good English but we took the opportunity to speak French to him. He had learnt English at school and then college as he said it was the international language of business, and felt it would really help him in the future. He was very interesting to talk to, he was a reservist Gendarme and was called up when extra police were needed. He was intrigued by the fact that British police in general do not carry firearms, which Gendarmes do. He had had lots of training with his, and said he was a very good shot.

We had such a good time, laughed loads and grabbed loads of goodies!

I met SITH!

Kim from Soft in the Head blog came over to France last week, and as her house is not too far from me we took the opportunity to meet up for lunch. She is lovely and had some wonderful photos of all the work being done on her house. It look great at the moment and when everything is finished - WOW!

It was great to meet up with someone with whom you have shared so much but only through blogging. We had a lovely lunch at La Maison Bleue in Le Dorat and a really good chat. Thanks for taking time out of your holiday to meet up Kim, I hope to see you again.

The weather here has been wonderful, although today which is Bastille Day here in France and a national holiday it has been raining on and off since late last night. Misty woke me at 5am but trying to dig to the centre of the earth in her litter tray, and it was raining then. Still it is great for the garden, the ground has been like concrete.

We are off to watch a stage of the Tour de France today with Juley and Paul. The Tour is going from Limoges to Issoudun. We have been following it avidly on the TV and there are a couple of fantastic British riders in it this year. Bradley Wiggins is an Olympic gold medallist and is currently lying 5th in the General Classification and Mark Cavendish who is a phenomenal sprinter and who has won 2 stages already. We are packing a picnic and hoping that the rain stops, not that it will spoil our enjoyment, it would just be nicer to be dry.

Ian and I went to the Journee Artisanale in Le Dorat on Sunday. What a great day out it was. Loads of local craftspeople open their studios or have stalls to display and sell things they have made. There were some wonderful things. Penny had a stall and I bought some wool and some coasters from her. Ian treated me to 2 of her bags as well. There were some fabulous jewellery stands and I was treated to a beautiful Limoges enamel pendant and some fabulous gold earrings. Limoges is famous for its enamelwork and it is a real speciality of the city. The earrings were made by a lady who takes leaves and dips them in gold or silver. They are so delicate and look great. There were also lots of food stands and lots of local fruit and veg. I bought a kilo of new season garlic (we use loads of it!) and some savoury tarts. We met up with some friends for a drink in one of the cafe/bars and sat people watching for a while. The brass band was playing and it was the most wonderful atmosphere.

Misty is really on the mend now. She is eating really well and walking around and climbing up onto the bed. Her bad leg is still very weak, but she is doing brilliantly. Another week and we will let her into the rest of the house, but not outside yet. Not until she regains some strength in her leg.

Separation anxiety

Well, we managed to leave Misty for a few hours yesterday and go to Maggie and Alans for the evening. She had sat on the bed with us all morning and had loads of cuddles and attention. We left the house at 3pm and she was asleep in her house when we left.

We had a brilliant time with our friends and had one of the nicest meals we've had in ages. We sat in their lovely garden putting the world to rights and drinking champagne and and then rose wine (only one glass for me as I was driving), eating toasted pitta bread and delicious dips. We went back into the house for the main meal which was gorgeous. Maggie had slow roasted a leg of lamb with rosemary and even though I do't eat meat, it smelt great. I had a filet of salmon cooked in lime juice, soy sauce and coriander - it was amazing, so simple but so tasty. We also had new potatoes, chard, garden carrots and green beans with lemon butter over them. Everything tasted incredible. It was all cooked to perfection, and even though we were all full, we just had to sit at pick at it all afterwards! Dessert was a cherry clafoutis, where the cherries had been soaked in cognac. Again, just gorgeous. Do you get the picture that the meal was wonderful?! Thank you for a fantastic time Maggie and Alan.

We had gone to some other friends Lyn and Fred earlier in the week for a meal. They have just moved into a house that they had built. After 18months of living in a caravan they are enjoying cooking in a real kitchen. We had the starter which was deep fried camembert, it was lovely and crispy on the outside and soft and molten inside. Lyn went back into the kitchen to do something to the main course, when she announced that the gas bottle had run out and did they have a spare. Living in the countryside there is no mains gas supply. France is a large and very rural country and I guess they don't want the expense of laying lots of pipelines. So for those of us that cook with gas we buy 25kg bottles of gas that are generally stored in the cupboard next to or underneath the oven or hob. We have an electric oven but a gas hob. We find that a bottle of gas lasts us 9 months and costs around 25 euros. Anyway, Lyn and Fred didn't have a spare bottle, so one of the other guests had a spare bottle and went to get it. Brings a new meaning to 'bring a bottle'.

Misty is doing well today. She had a long lie in with me and lots of cuddles. She doesn't seem to be in pain but she is a bit constipated. She was really struggling to 'go' all last night and has had some more laxative this morning. I'll keep you all updated.

Poor little Misty

My gorgeous little Misty Mitten has had a bad accident and broken her hip. She came in a 2am on Monday screaming and yelling, climbed onto the bed and slept on me for a few hours, then got off and slept under the bed. She was very stiff in the morning and we found some grazes on one back leg, but she seemed to be able to walk, albeit very stiffly and awkwardly. She stayed in our room all day with food, water and a toilet, and seemed at bit more comfortable Monday evening and the next morning. We though she had maybe fallen out of a tree and had badly sprained or bruised herself.

However, when we got home from work on Tuesday afternoon she couldn't put any weight on her back legs and was dragging them behind her. We rushed her to the vets in Bellac, who I have to say are fantastic. He took one look at her and said that they needed to keep her overnight and do x-rays and tests. We got home 20 mins later and after another 10 minutes they phoned to say she had broken her hip, they couldn't put it in a cast and she would have to be kept in for a month.

I was able to collect her at 11am the next morning. She looked very sorry for herself and was in a lot of pain. We have been able to borrow a large cage from a friend's mum. It is large enough to contain her cat box, a litter tray and her food and water. She was uncomfortable yesterday afternoon and early evening. She didn't know where to put herself. It was quite wam as well and after a while she preferred to lie on the hard, plastic tray on the cage floor. We sat with her all evening last night, and that seemed to comfort her. We gave her her pain killers about 6pm and they seemed to help a bit. She slept all night and didn't wake at all.

We just feel so helpless. We can't explain to her that she needs to stay still or that it will get better. We can only comfort her and sit with her so that she knows she is not alone. I had to go out yesterday afternoon and my friend Juley came to cat sit. She was brilliant, and it was so nice to know that Misty wasn't alone on her first afternoon. Thanks Juley, you are a star.

Busy as a Bee

I can't believe it, another month has gone by without blogging. Never mind, better late than never.

So, what has happened in Us-in-France land? Well, both of us are working very hard at the moment, and Ian being the good and lovely person that he is, helped out a French lady next door to where he is working and was given a lovely bouquet of flowers and a four leaf clover by way of a thank you.

Of course, he gave me the flowers and they lasted for ages in our sitting room.

I had a fabulous bee-experience this week. Some clients of mine keep two hives of bees, and they had sent me en email telling me that the bees were in mega production and they needed to collect and spin the honey, did I want to help them do it. Well, I jumped at the chance. Before donning a bee suit Gary showed me the inside of a spare hive that he had in the garage and explained what we were going to do. I donned a bee suit and off to the hives we went. We had to approach the hives from behind so we didn't look threatening and lifted the roof off of hive 1. It was incredible to see. Inside the hive there are different 'layers' called Supers. The Supers hold the frames that the honey is made on. We had to take some of the frames out as they were completely full and replace them with empty ones. I hadn't know what to expect and had been a little apprehensive - would I be covered in bees?! Not at all. The bees occasionally bump into the netting that is held away from you face, and none landed on me at all. It was wonderful to see them all working away.

Unfortunately the house was experiencing a power and we couldn't spin the honey, as the spinner is electric, but I was shown how it would work. I have been visiting these clients for almost 2 years now and each time learn a little more about the bees. I am really considering keep a hive myself.

This weekend is the nationwide Fete de la Musique, where towns and villages put on concerts. We went to the Chez Adie bar in Droux last night with our good friends Juley and Paul. Some other friends were going to be playing in a band during the evening. It was brilliant. There was a big outside bar, a bbq where you could bring you own food to cook, a stage and lots of musicians and dancing. The atmosphere was great with children playing and lots of people we knew. A group of people were line dancing in front of the stage, Juley and I considered trying to join them but they looked so good we didn't want to muck it up for them, apart from that I have 2 left feet!

Juley is a girl I met through the book club in Le Dorat. It is incredible that she and Paul only live 5 miles from us, and we clicked instantly. They run a B & B just outside Nantiat. Take at look at their website www.villechenoux.co.uk the only thing is, the pictures don't do it justice. It is truly gorgeous, they have worked so hard on it. The four of us had a great time last night, we laughed, chatted and danced (a bit) til almost midnight.

Ostensions

Ostensions is a religious fesitival unique to this region which happens once every 7 years. This year marked the 50th Anniversary in Le Dorat 1659-2009. The final day on June 6th was marked by a huge parade. All the local village had formed a Guard and had to march into the town by way of Portes. These are huge gates in the city walls that in the past would probably had have portcullis's. Only one of the original Portes is still standing but the town have built replicas around the town. The Guards enter the town at the Porte in the direction of their village. They all carry rifles and a banner with their village name. There are lots of children in costumes and some of the adults carry their churchs' religious relics. They are met at the Porte by other Guardsmen who check that their weapons are not loaded. They then proceed into the town and head for the Cathedral which in Le Dorat is called a Collegiale. The are announced and all go into the church for a long service. There was a brass band and soldiers on horseback as well. The town has been decorated with bunting everywhere and banners. After the service all of the guards from the different villages march through the town to the main square where a stage had been erected and various churchmen make a speech. I love the fact that such an old tradition is still being carried out and that the town was full of people watching and supporting it.

More food!

Our Sunday lunch with friends last week was divine. They did a starter where you unwrap a Camembert cheese and put it in an ovenproof dish, crush a clove of garlic and rub it over the cheese, then pour honey over the cheese and put it in a pre-heated oven for 15 mins. OMG! It is delicious. You scoop it up with a spoon and smear it on lovelt fresh bread. They said that they often serve it as a combined cheese and dessert course, it would be great with some fresh fruit with it as well. Try it! Main course was a lovely Thai curry and rice and dessert was a chocolate fondant. We had a great afternoon putting the world to rights.

This week has been a bit 'off' due to me picking up a tummy bug from somewhere, we call it a 'gastro' in France. It couldn't have been the food at the weekend (other than it all being very rich) as nobody else has been ill. I spent all day Monday in bed, apart from the times I was rushing to the loo. Misty slept with me all day, which as you can imagine I loved! At least I have stopped being sick now, and just feel very tired. Mind you, it has made a good start to my new year diet, and I don't feel able to eat all those things I love - cheese, cheese and cheese!

Thank you all for your lovely birthday wishes, OH made sure I had a super time.

End of the birthday week

This is the lovely hot water bottle that Ian gave me for my birthday. I have used it every evening and one afternoon when I was a bit chilly. Hot water bottle are not just for bedtime you know!

I have had a lovely birthday week, my diet has gone completely out of the window, but it has been great.

We went for a lovely meal in our favourite restaurant last night. It is the L'Oie et le Grill in Rancon. We had wonderful food and a good laugh with the owners Veronique and Frances. I wish I could tell you what we had to eat but it is quite hard to describe it. Ok, let's give it a go; My starter was pain perdu with a seafood salad on it, there were cubes of a delicious cheese around the edge of the plate and a really tasty dressing. Ian's starter was a chickpea soup with crispy lardons and croutons. My starter was a crab canelloni with a balsamic sauce, Ians was duck with chestnut and potato mash and a very rich gravy. Desserts were a shortcakey biscuit with peaches and caramel sauce and a chestnut clafoutis with the same caramel sauce. It was all fantastic, but are only criticism of this restaurant is that the portions could be a little bit smaller. Franck, the chef has a wonderful imagination to create all this dishes using seasonal products time after time. We are so lucky that we have a restaurant like this 20 mins away.

We are going out to lunch today at a friends house, they are doing Thai red curry - I can't wait.

These are present that I got from my sister-in-law Tania; some crocus bulbs with little bulbs glasses to grow them in and some sugar swizzle sticks, one mocha flavoured the other hazlenut flavoured. She also sent a lovely looking box of chocolates which I have hidden!

My friend Maggie was supposed to be moving out here last weekend has unfortunately been delayed. However, her and her husband Al should be out here this coming week. I can't wait, we have got so many things planned. She wants to join the book and the knitting group and get meeting people. They have had a holiday home here for a few years now and have been spending more and more time over here. They have a gorgeous house here and are great fun to be with. Hurry up Mags!!!!!

Addictions

On Soft in the Head's blog, she wrote about things she was addicted to and said that she would be interested in hearing about what others are addicted to. Well, here goes:

1. Misty. It may seem strange that I am addicted to my kitten, but she is so adorable and having rescued her when she was so ill and so tiny, I absolutely adore her. I love the fact that she sleeps next to me at night and that I can cuddle her like a baby while watching tv in front of a log fire; mind you, it sends us both to sleep. I love the fact that when we have been out all day she runs up to us with her tail arched over her back quivering in excitement at seeing us. I can't imagine being without her.

2. Cheese. Living in France it is very easy to be addicted to cheese. The cheese stalls at the markets and the cheese counters in the supermarkets look so wonderful it is easy to get carried away. I love goats cheese most of all. I don't mind whether it is chalky in texture or creamy, hot or cold, it is divine. Last time my friend Maggie was over here, we went shopping and I bought a goats cheese covered in snipped chives. I had a little taste when I got home, and within five minutes the whole thing had vanished!! The other most favourite of cheeses is good old mature Cheddar. When you want cheese on toast or cheese topping on something else nothing can beat Cheddar.

3. Bread and Potatoes. Is my Irish ancestry showing here? How can people give these up? A hot, floury jacket potato with butter and grated cheese, divine. Crispy roast potatoes or spicy potato wedges both with garlic mayo, help! I am making myself hungry!

4. Making things. I have recently learned to crochet and have also taken up knitting again after many years. I am really enjoying both of them. I now look for wool whenever I go shopping, but before I buy too much, I need to find some patterns. My friend Maggie who is moving to France this coming weekend has got some material for me to make a new dressing gown with. I can't wait to start it. I have got a super sewing machine that OH gave me for christmas a few years ago, and have got my mums super all singing, all dancing machine that I have yet to try out. I keep threatening to crochet him some underpants, but he is not too keen!

5. Eating and cooking. I love food. I love good home cooked food, not out of a tin stuff or ready meals. I love people coming round for a meal. I love to spend time planning it, preparing it and eating it!!! My favourite foods are Mexican and Indian. I love making several different dishes that you can help yourself to. One of my food addictions at the moment is kiwi fruit. Last new year I made a resolution to eat some fruit every day. I chose kiwi fruit as they have more vitamin C than oranges and are easy to eat. I have 2 every day with my breakfast and it has become part of my daily routing. So much so, that if I don't have fruit in the morning I don't feel right.

Happy New Year

I hope that everyone had a good christmas and new year. I can't believe that it is 2009. I remember when I was a little girl, I asked my mum if we would be alive in the year 2000 as it seemed such a long way off. Where has that time gone?

Christmas at Chez us-in-France was very pleasant, and far better than I thought it would be. I got up early to let the chickens out and feed them, the geese and the cats. OH got up and lit the fire and we went back to bed with a cuppa to open presents. He gave me the Mama Mia DVD which we watched in bed. I thought it was wonderful, he said that it got better after the first 30 mins. He says he doesn't think he will watch it again, but I think that I will come home from work one day and catch him practising the dance moves!!

We had a lazy day, lit the fire in the lounge and spent the day together watching films. We like to have our dinner in the evening, we are just not hungry for a full roast dinner at 2pm, and I certainly don't want to spend all morning cooking a dinner I don't even like or want to eat at that time. Anyway, we had a lovely meal - roast duck for him and caramelised onion and goats cheese in filo pastry for me, and a nice evening. I had thought it would be very different; I though he would spend all day on the computer upstairs and that I would spend the day on my own watching TV and preparing the dinner. It turned out very well.

Boxing Day doesn't exist in France, alot of people go back to work and the shops are generally open as usual. However, the Brits here carry on the tradition and have people round for drinks. We went to 2 on Boxing Day. Some people fairly near us, David and Anita and then over to Penny's (Violet White blog) where we got to meet her grown up children and her gorgeous granddaughter. We spent a couple of hours there and had such a good time.

New Years Eve was fabulous. Since we have been here we have spent the evening with one set of friends, but this year went somewhere else. It was a party jointly hosted by 3 couple who all live in the same lane. It started at Dave and Pennie's, with the biggest buffet you have ever seen. All the food had been provided by the 2nd couple, Ken and Lyn. There was a great mix of English and French people, we knew almost everyone there and the atmosphere was wonderful. Ken and Lyn had organised games to play. There were 6 bags with elasticated tops filled with 10 random items which you had to guess by just feeling them. Then there was outlines of countries that you had to name, you had to list as many American presidents as you could and a few other games besides. It was great fun and the evening whizzed by. Just before midnight we walked across the lane where we had fireworks and sparklers in Mick and Sue's house. All the desserts were over here and we stayed here for another couple of hours. We left at 2.15 and couldn't believe how much time had passed. It was an absolutely superb evening.

Everything is now returning to normal. The tree which I normally take down on New Years Day will come down tomorrow. We are having friends for a meal tonight and the tree looks so pretty with all it lights on. Misty has loved it; it is her indoor playground. She has climbed in it, slept in it, chucked decorations off of it and hidden behind it. She is really going to miss it.

I hope that all of you in blogland had a lovely christmas, and wish you all health and happiness for 2009.

At last another post

Sorry for my absence, but I have just been uninspired to write anything for ages, and thare is still not much to write about.

Summer is over, and after a gorgeous Indian summer we are now well and truly into autumn. Both log burners are lit in the evening and the house is lovely and toasty. We have had quite alot of rain lately and the chickens have been looking very soggy, but they are still producing delicious eggs every day. The baby chickens are growing, but are not laying yet. We were a bit annoyed, as we had asked the man on the market for females only, but have got one male Silkie (white) and possibly a male Penkin Bantam (black). Only the white one is crowing, but the black one definately looks like a cockerel. Oh well, we may have more babies next year!

OH has been working hard for a lovely lady called Penny about 30 mins away from us. She is a real crochet queen and has said that she will teach me in return for a haircut or two. I can't wait. The work she produces is absolutely stunning. She uses the most beautiful yarns, and has even written a book about crocheting bags and purses. She showed me her collection of bags and things, and OH has said if I am lucky Father Christmas might get me one! I put a small selection aside so that he would know which ones I like.

OH's mum is coming over a week on Saturday for a 4 day visit. We are really looking forward to seeing her.

Ages ago I mentioned my friends Maggie and Alan whom I met when doing Maggies hair. They were over in France again this summer and we had some great days together. They have finally sold their house in the UK and will be over here permanantly before christmas! Yippee! I can't wait to see more of them. Mags is a real 'craft' person, she can make all sorts of things and we have lots of plans for sewing, days, baking days, gardening days etc. We are going to be really busy.

Busy, busy, busy

What a week it's been. I haven't stopped, mind you neither has OH. The week before last I was helping some friends make a lawn. OH had rotovated the whole area for us on the Saturday, then myself and the owners raked all the weeds out of it, raked it level, sowed grass seed and raked it again! It was really hard work over such a huge area. I was raking in my sleep! My back and neck were killing me, but it was worth it in the end. The friends I was helping are great fun and we had a good laugh doing it.

On the Sunday (20th) we went to the plant fair at Mortemart. It was a beautiful setting, all around the chateau, but it was pouring with rain. I treated myself to a Spirea and a Salix. They look lovely planted by the decking. There were lots of nice crafts there, but the prices were really steep.

Last week was spent hairdressing and helping OH finish his tiling job south of Limoges. He has done a fantastic job, but it was really hard going. The owner is thrilled with it all, which is the main thing.

Well, we went to this 'do' with friends. It was as boring as we though it would be. At least it wasn't a sit down meal. There was a buffet and at least there were some other people we knew. The hosts virtually ignored us all evening and stayed with their 'new' friends (maybe they are as fed up with us as we are with them!). We made our excuses at about 11pm and escaped!

I am off to the UK on the 10th May for 4 days. I have mixed feelings about going, I want to see family and friends, but hate the thought of being in the mad hussle and bustle of the UK. I am staying with OH parents who live in the same village that we used to live in. I will catch up with my Dad while I am there, I realised recently that I hadn't seen him for 3 years - where does time go. He won't come over here, in fact since mum died he hasn't gone anywhere. I will also go and see my Auntie who came over here a couple of times last year. It's funny how dofferent people can be. She lost her husband 7 years ago and has thrown herself into everything. She is chairman of her local British Legion, plays bowls and goes for day trips. Her and my dad couldn't be more different.

We have had 3 days of 25.5 degrees bright sunshine, I have burnt my shoulders gardening, given myself a bad back from mowing other peoples grass (ok they were clients and I got paid for it, but my back still hurts!) and planted lots of seeds. Now we are back to rain and grey sky. Is spring ever going to arrive?

On a happy note, we are off to Les Herolles market tomorrow to get some more chickens!!!!! I am so excited. One of my hair clients goes there and she has got some gorgeous birds. We need pretty ones who are good layers, which is exactly what a friend of ours says he looks for in a woman!

Getting to the root of it all, and digging for victory

For the last couple of days I feel like my shovel has been permanently welded to my hands!

The last week has seen the most glorious weather. Although the mornings have been cold and frosty, as soon as the sun is up the temperature soars. The sky is bluest blue without a cloud to be seen. OH and I have been working outside in t-shirts and it feels so much like summer that we have to keep reminding ourselves it is February. We are still lighting the fires in the evening as the temperature drops when the sun goes down.

OH has been painting the outside of the house. Our house is made of stone, but the front wall is covered in grey crepi which looks really dreary. We are painting it a colour called Ton Pierre, which is a lovely cream colour. I started it last year and got to a level above the front door right across the front of the house. OH is doing the higher stuff as he is much better with heights than me.

I have taken advantage of the good weather to sort out the flower beds. When we first moved here I planted some flowers that look like really tall rudbeckias. Like orange petalled daisies with brown centres and 5 feet tall. They are perennials and flower for ages. Little did I realise how far they would spread! The roots have spread over a metre from where I planted them! I am having to dig up all the platns around them and remove the roots that have infested them.
While they are nice flowers, I put them in the wrong place, and they flop over you when you walk down the garden path. They would great in the back of a border as the flowers are only on the very top and there is nothing bar a few leaves for the remaining 4 foot! So, they have got to go. I am sure that I can use some of them elsewhere in the garden, but as I have so far removed 3 wheelbarrow loads of roots from the top flower bed and have the same size area again to clear, I am sure I will be donating some to my neighbours!

Some new friends that we met on New Years Eve called round the other day and said that they had a load of horse manure ready if I wanted some. I jumped at the offer. They said that they would bring some round at the weekend, but he turned up yesterday with a trailer load! I actually think that this trailer is a TARDIS as no matter how many barrow loads I shovel out, it doesn't seem to be getting any emptier. I just keep telling myself that the garden is really going to appreciate it! Misty is loving the trailer, she is climbing over it and under it, flicking lits bits of horse poo out of it! She is such a joy and races me up and down the garden when I barrow the next load down. She normally loves to ride in the barrow when it is full of logs, she's not too keen on riding on the poo though!

Lie-ins

You know, I've decided that life is too short for feeling guilty about a long lie in. I am an early bird rather than a night owl and I like to get up early and do the things I have to do, then I can do the things I want to do.

I like to get up at about 7am, feed the cats, the chickens, and the wild birds, check for eggs, make a cup of tea, clean the fires out and re-lay them for later in the day and put away any washing up that was left to drain from the night before. Once I have done the 'necessary' things, I can do what I want. Normally it involves getting all my hairdressing or gardening stuff ready and going off to work. I like being up on my own in the mornings, I don't mind one iota that OH sleeps a bit longer than me, he tends to come to bed after me most nights. I can check my emails, look at blogs and have a hour or so to myself.

However, Sunday is a different thing. I still get up early and feed the animals and make a cup of tea, but I take the tea back to bed with. I sit and read a book or we will watch a film that was on TV too late to watch during the week. I feel no guilt whatsoever that I didn't get up and dressed until 2.15 this afternoon! I work hard all week, not only for other people but in my own house and garden and my sunday lie-in is my treat to myself. Of course, little Misty joins me for a cuddle, and of course once she is asleep in my arms I couldn't possibly move!

Changing the subject completely, my friend Hazel has started a blog. She and her husband have moved to the south of France and have been renovating a lovely old house. They used to live a couple of villages away from OH and I in England, and I have known them for several years. Hazel is a wonderful quilter and has made some stunning quilts. OH has been down to see their house when he took down a ride-on mower for them, but I have yet to go. Hopefully this year I will get to go and visit for a day. Anway, have a look at her blog, she would some visitors. http://mudwallsandbeams.blogspot.com/

So Breezy, what country did you think we were in last night?

iWell, although OH, TS and I thought we were in France, Breezy apparently thought we were in Greece!

We had moved their chickens and coup down to our garden yesterday afternoon, and, as they are heading off on Tuesday morning, thought it would be good to have some drinks and nibbles in the evening.

It was a good laugh, as usual we put the world to rights, discussed everything that could be discussed and laughed a lot, then I brought some food through from the kitchen. Now, I don't think that Breezy didn't like it, as she was tucking it like the rest of us, but, in a blur she threw her plate up in the air and smashed it on the floor!!! It was hilarious!! She was all apologetic, TS was saying 'what the feck happened there?' OH was saying 'whats going on' and I was rushing for a cloth in case the broken plate had cut her hand. TS took her glass off of her, saying that she had to ask for a drink and he would pass it to her, and she was just to sit still. We think she had a mental abberation and thought she was in Greece! This photo is Breezy doing her 'no photos' by the paparazzi' impression.

After a while OH put a programme we had recorded about the music from the 1970's. Being of a similar age we all remembered it fondly. As each artist came on screen their were cries of 'oh I loved them/him', or 'oh no, I hated them/him'. Well all was going well, when David Essex came on screen and Breezy and I said that we liked him, OH and TS said 'yuk' or words to that effect, and I said 'well you wouldn't kick him out of bed, would you', mainly to Breezy to be honest/ Well the 2 blokes disagreed vehemently, and went into vivid discriptions of what they would do and how they would react if the aforementioned man was sneaking up behind them 'tool in hand' so to speak!!!!!!!!! Breezy and I wouldn't have minded.

Of course, any programme on the 70's music scene in England it not complete without Top of the Pops and TS's favourite Pans People. Now for those of you that don't know, Top of the Pops was compulsive viewing in the 70's as it showed all the major bands of the time. One song each week was danced to by an all girls dance group called Pans People. Tall, leggy girls in sometimes skimpu, sometimes bizzare outfits dancing strange dance routines. TS came out with a wonderful comment to the effect of 'actually, when you watch them properly, they were crap', followed by the best one ever 'mind you, I always used to watch them with a stiffy!' Well, we howled and sprayed our drinks over the room. OH didn't comment, but I suspect it was the same for him too.

All in all a great evening, they are wonderful company, both with wicked sense of humour as I'm sure you have guessed from their blogs.

I have been down this morning and let their chooks out, and they have laid 2 eggs already - breakfast here I come.

Happy Christmas Everyone

Happy Christmas to everyone who has visited my blog since its creation. We have not had snow yet, but this photo is from January 2007. It is our house from about halfway down the garden. It looks more festive than if I had taken one in the fog yesterday morning.
OH and I have had a great year. We got some new neighbours - Breezy and TS, got a new kitten, got some new clients for both his work and mine, stayed fairly healthy, had loads of visitors and went to the Rugby World cup in Paris. Most of all we enjoyed being together and Psycho Wife and Cuffbert didn't visit much. In fact they are currently on a deep ocean voyage, not expected to return for ages (I hope!)

I'm ready for Father Christmas!

Yippee! I finished all my food shopping yesterday, OH's pressies are wrapped and hidden, the house is almost clean, just got the chickens beds to clean, split some more wood and then I'm done.

The food shopping wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I went to Carrefour mid afternoon and it was nearly empty, I couldn't believe it. There is nowhere near as much hype and decadence here as there is in the UK. Carrefour is a big super/hyper market and yes there was a huge amount of chocolate of every conceivable kind for sale, there was only a tiny section for perfumes and make-up gift sets, and a tiny section for party food. As it already stocks DVD's and jewellery, there was very little change to the shop.

Waiting at the till, there was only one person in front of me, and she only had a basket, so I was through in record time. Back in the UK the range of party foods, canapes and gifts sets of all kinds was staggering. I used to to physically drool going round the Waitrose chilled cabinets wishing I was having people round for drinks just so I would have an excuse to buy some delicious looking morsels. Then, waiting at the checkout I would feel dejected and let down, because everyone elses trolley looked a million times more exciting than mine!

Yesterday I felt none of that. It was wonderful. No more feeling unworthy that I couldn't afford delectable delicacies, no more feeling like billy no-mates cos I wasn't having a drinks party. I felt great. Even more so because we were having friends round the following night for drinks and nibbles, and I actually had the time to make loads of delectable delicacies of my very own, that is until ......

OH has got a stinker of a cold. Now, before I hear you cry 'Man Flu', and normally I would be the first to agree with you, this one is the real thing. I have never known him to stay in bed for 2 days before or to lie on the sofa in front of a roaring log fire with a sweatshirt and a blanket. Poor soul he is wiped out. It must be something going round our village as Breezy and TS have got the same thing, and the friends that were coming tonight, their daughter has it as well. So, tonight is cancelled, all my goodies will go in the freezer for a later day, and I will sit in front of the telly with Misty watching rubbish.

Dust, dust and more dust

We have finally got around to finishing some jobs off around the house. We have 2 rooms that have wooden floors, one of them is oak which we laid 3 years ago, promptly covered it in hardboard to protect it (as we still had masses of renovating to do) and didn't take the hardboard off till earlier this year, and the other floor is in the spare room - not sure what the wood is.

Anyway, we decided that this was the week to hire a sander, and sand and varnish the floors. Sounds dead simple, but first you have to empty the rooms!!! Ah a flaw (should that be 'floor'?!) in the plan. The furniture in the spare room is really old and heavy stuff, but it all came out and cluttered up the rest of the upstairs. The sander was duely hired and OH sanded the floors. I went round the room afterwards with a little sander getting all the bits that the big one couldn't do. After the intense noise of the sanding, came the intense smell of the varnish. Both rooms are big and have needed 2 coats of varnish, but at least the spare room is all back in place now and the floors look great. The downstairs room needs another coat and possibility sanding and re-coating as it is not as silky smooth as I would like.

Misty the kitten thought that the 'kitten assault course' we had created for her with all this furniture piled up was fantastic. She also has discovered that if she sits on your shoulder while you are working, she gets a great view of everything - see photo of her on OH's shoulder.

After a week of DIY it was lovely to get back to doing hairdressing this morning. One of the great things about hairdressing is that you get to meet lots of people, and when you are really lucky you get to meet lovely people like my first clients this morning - Maggie and Alan. I hope they don't mind me mentioning their names, but I love going to see them. They are a great laugh and two of the nicest people I have met.

Remembrance Day
'Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn, at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them'.

The 2 minute silence at 11am always makes me tearful. We have always respected it, right from when we were children. I can remember saying to my dad when I was a child, 'the war was a horrible thing, why can't we just forget it? He told me that it was for exactly that reason that we must never forget it, to never forget what those brave men and women did for generations yet unborn. In order to give us the life of freedom and prosperity we now have, they were prepared to give their lives. I find the subject incredibly emotional and my tears are blurring the keyboard, so please excuse any dodgy spelling. My aunt in Letchworth had the honour today of laying a poppy wreath for the Royal British Legion and my thoughts were with her as well. She is an emotional soul as well, and I wondered how she would keep the tears at bay.

On a lighter note there was a fete today in a nearby village, and I went along with my OH and Breezy from breezybreakblog. We got there while it was still lunchtime, (so no French families out and about) and we felt like we were running the gauntlet of stallholders!!! There were some very nice crafts and some very twee stuff, and some stuff OH said 'you can't possibly like that!' I think he was surprised that I didn't buy anything, (so was I) but there is a Christmas fete on in Le Dorat on the 2nd of December and there may be a bigger choice of tat, I mean crafts!

OH and I had a nice walk in the woods collecting chestnuts when we got home, delicious.