Les poissons en France

Sunday, May 25, 2014

The Builders are Here Again!

Sue has developed a rapport with a lady who walks past our house some Thursdays on a 20km walk!  This kind lady suggested that, in front of our bedroom window, we replicated the low raised bed which is in front of the house ... and Sue has taken this idea on board.
The result is a temporary structure hurriedly put up to take Petunias which are ready to be planted out.  In the fullness of time (ie in the winter) a permanent bed will be constructed!
As if we haven't got enough beds to weed, feed etc, etc.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Gospel Season Again

Some of you may know that we enjoy gospel music and so last night we went to a concert at Cahors, part of the Cahors Gospel Festival. The group, New Gospel Family, are a multi-national set of singers who combine traditional gospel songs with African melodies and harmonies and with modern musical arrangements.
We were up on our feet and dancing quite a lot!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Seven and a Half Years in the Making

To go from this

To this

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Clever Animals - Stupid People

Yoda has been very poorly recently (his heart condition is much worse). So..... it seemed a good idea to give him his extra pills in a piece of chicken. Clever dog thinks "this is much nicer than dog food" and refuses to eat anything else. However, chicken becomes boring after a time "what else have you got?". Yes we now have liver, heart and diced pork on the menu.

Cleo (black cat) has lived on tinned tuna since time immemorial. We know it is not good for her and can't remember how this diet came about. We will blame it on my Mum. However she only likes tuna bought from one supermarket. John tries to explain to her that the fish is caught in the same ocean even if it is bought in another shop but to no avail.

Diana (white cat) is showing signs of age like the rest of the household. She has always been fussy about food and likes a change (as frequently as between first portion of breakfast and the second). She soon noted that Yoda was having fresh liver, her favorite, so she wants it all the time. Diana is known for her tantrums and persistence, so if she doesn't get what she wants she will follow me around howling (as long as half a day). I have to admit that it drives me ballistic and eventually I have to give in. You can tell I never went to parenting classes!! Yesterday we went shopping and, having been to five shops, none had any pork or beef liver (the only ones that are a reasonable price). Fearing the tantrums I poured my troubles out to the butcher who said "Oh, you want some animal meat!" and rushed out the back. He soon returned brandishing this large bag and I really feared what was inside. My fears were founded as you can see ......
 
... but I did manage to dissect sufficient to slowly cook a meal for the animal gourmands who live here. In order to balance the budget we are virtually vegetarians!!!

Monday, May 12, 2014

P.S. (Daddy's helper)

Now that I'm working up in the loft (in the atelier!!!) Cleo has found it and there are lots of nooks and crannies to investigate.  As you can see when she returns 'home' to the kitchen!

Purple Haze

I think it must have been the wet mild winter which has resulted in our, and our friends', lush spring gardens. We are definitely benefiting from our  efforts last autumn when we split lots of plants.  Like the house, the garden has taken 7 years to come to fruition (although there is endless work to do on both - but that's fine). I was reflecting that most of our irises have developed from three single rhizomes that  Anne and Eric gave us when they visited  in early 2007. Another friend gave us a tiny philadelphus  cutting before we moved and this year it is 150cms tall and about to burst into a profusion of flowers. The long bed is full of daylilies (not out yet, but you are sure to get photos when they are) that I bought as scraps from a catalogue during our first year here. It just shows that all comes to she who waits. Gardening is a lovely way to remember friends as I walk around saying so and so gave me that. You will be pleased that I will now stop waxing lyrical and just leave you with some photos of our "purple haze". Actually the photos do not do it justice - but I would say that wouldn't I.
We are both beavering away in the garden but it is lovely to report that John has totally refound his enthusiasm for painting.
 
I remember one day when he was in the middle of his chemo when he packed up his artists materials and said he would never need them again. A couple of evenings ago I was out watering in the dark and looked up to see a light in his studio - the loft. It gave me a warm feeling .... although you may think that these two old foggies are totally balmy.

Wednesday, May 07, 2014

Country Living

We count ourselves lucky to be living here in the depths of rural France.  And one of the advantages are the way folk help one another.  A couple of days ago our neighbour Fred arrived with half a tray of eggs.  As is always the way, his father has a friend who can get eggs from a producer.  However these eggs are special; they're all double yolkers!
 As a thank-you Sue baked Fred a cake.  Don't know what I've got to do to earn a cake!?

Monday, May 05, 2014

Enthusiasm Rekindled.

Since Sue's recovery, she has slowly been reclaiming her garden.  Having started with the 'serpentine' bed in front for the house, she then has been working on tidying up the 'long' bed in the rear garden.  A lot of work in the winter, weeding and splitting up plant, has resulted in a lot of pleasure for the Gardener!  So now she's working on the 'white' bed at the far side of the front garden.
This is how it looked in it's first year back in 2010.  The tulips were moved onto other sites but now .....
There really is no stopping this girl!