[vc_row][vc_column][postgallery_grid id=”Grid_20170728″ data_source=”data-4″ null=”” slidesetid=”SS_G4_20170728″ content_type=”image” columns=”4″ height=”200px” align=”aligncenter” lightbox=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We’re told the weather here isn’t typical, certainly it’s different to our holiday here – only a year ago; we seem to have alternate weeks of blazing sunshine then monsoon rain or overcast days. The plants are doing well because of the rain although we are fast running out of things to do with overgrown courgettes. When we first had a week of huge rains we couldn’t get onto the potager for fear of compressing the clay soil into bricks, after the sun returned and we inspected our triffid-like courgettes to find that we had huge marrows. A lot of them. Liz thinks we have had at least seven barrow loads so far! We never seem to catch up, and as for the pumpkins, we have some the size of small car wheels. Margie has been inventing every sort of pickle and preserve, Liz has salted and frozen them; they have gone into cakes, soups and quiches; the most unusual things are courgette and ginger marmalade, and courgette and pink grapefruit marmalade – both delicious.

Our friend AJ came to stay. It was an overcast week but she had a productive time sketching, sleeping and cutting our hair – much improved! Whilst she was here we planted the trees that we had bought for the far north-west corner of the west field where Liz has planned a woodland area that will hide the local water purification plant – not very large, or a great eyesore but the fencing is ugly – and it will run to the small stream that forms the north border of the field. Once again ‘Remy the Rescuer’ came to our aid; we needed to dig 27 holes for trees and he came with his trusty steed, a small yellow tractor this time, and made short work of it. These holes are for the woodland corner, the orchard – which will be by the potager, the magnolia, and the damsons by the road along the cemetery wall. He does this, as he says ‘avec mon coeur’, he won’t accept payment, the best we can do is give him a beer and send him home with something – he especially likes our chocolate and walnut cookies. The field looked as though huge moles had had a party but now it was ready for the trees. We had spotted a sale at a local garden centre that was selling off it’s larger trees and did a very good deal buying eight good size trees for less than 400 euros including delivery. As we planted AJ sketched and we have a lovely rough of us one overcast, thundery day. The trees that  we have now planted need watering, daily at first, then we will do them every 2-3 days whilst they get established. It is surprising how much of a difference they already make – the photo probably doesn’t do them justice – we can see that they will eventually give us a place of dappled shade where we can under-plant with some lovely woodland beauties like foxglove, trilium, aconites and anenomes, perhaps even English bluebells.

We had several delightful, time-wasting mornings watch Sammy the red squirrel raiding out hazelnut trees. No beastly greys here to spoil the fun. These red squirrels are quite common, they are quite dark, auburn, with a beautiful cream tummy. They are very agile and quick – too quick usually for good photos, so the ones here are rather poor but we will try again. Sammy’s acrobatic antics are very entertaining, between him and the chickens we can lose a whole morning leaning on the bathroom window sill. If we are very lucky we also see the turquoise flash of a kingfisher and occasionally he sits on a branch just below us. Perfect![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][postgallery_grid id=”SS_G4_20170728_02″ data_source=”data-4″ null=”” slidesetid=”SS_G4_20170728_02″ content_type=”image” columns=”4″ height=”200px” align=”aligncenter” lightbox=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#deead0″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Perhaps you would like to know…
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