Two apple trees and a further pear tree to add to last autumn’s two pear trees. The latter doing ok now having spend a winter and spring with quite wet feet I think.
One day it really will be an orchard
Category: France
Visitor
The lad came to stay for nearly a week. He was lovely company, a good worker painting the kitchen and we managed a day out to the Pink Granite Coast.
I have to admit my memory failed a bit and we went to the wrong place first. In the end we managed to find Trégastal. The weather was not quite scorching but did improve. Nice desert.
The Pond
The work at the house continues. The pond requires daily attention to keep the algae down and weed. But it is manageable and looking good. The frogs are plentiful and now noisy. Great
St. Gilles vieux marché
There is a big gap in time and lots has happened. I have been back in France for four weeks. Doing lots or gardening to put things straight, preparing and trying to organise things for our new kitchen. Stress with the car.
But today I went to watch a recital of baroque music in a local chapel having picked up the flyer in the supermarket. Quite different but very good.
Autumnal morning
A beautiful morning. A classic. Cold with open skies with the fog and ‘steaming’ pond.
More house action
The men are here to fit the replacement ‘french’ windows and kitchen door, plus have done some work to sort out insulation and wall by one of the bedrooms.
And early progress:
PAC
Some changes are starting.
Le pompe à chaleur est en train de s’installer.
After five visits and quotes, and often telling me how difficult the work is, SebMan has started. He was delays because of Storm Ciaren and then the power cuts.
He has made a start- the old poele à bois has been removed and then are new holes in walls and the chimney is partially filled with boarding.
Here’s hoping for a successful outcome
Power cut
We returned to Brittany after a trip to Glasgow to the after effects of Storm Ciaran.
We had left by ferry just before it struck – taking an earlier ferry to Portsmouth than originally booked to avoid the cancellation.
On our return the house still lacked power , along with our neighbours, as our small sub-section of the network was less priority. The power came back today after eight days-though only two directly for us. A relief all the same.
A nice walk along the road yesterday evening to enjoy the hum of all the working generators in the neighbouring houses.
Garden update
The house in France continues to change though it is hard to keep track of it. It is easy to forget how things looked a few months ago let alone last year.
So here are some photos to show the new hedge that we planted yesterday. The grass area has been cleared progressively in the last few months. More area ‘reclaimed’ hopefully with the grass gaining presence over the nettles and the ‘wld celery’.
And the lastest for the pond which has had some lining added to help control the growth of weeds. I don’t think it will help with maintaing the level of the water. Mores stones added to the edge too.
And we have news trees- two pear trees which I hope with cope with the nature of the soil, grow and give fruit at some point.
RWC 2023
We managed to go to the Ireland v Tonga game in Nantes thanks to Lauren.
I chance for me to wear my green shirt- last seen RWC 2011 quarter final?
Good experience and an excuse to visit Nantes again and see Lauren ‘for real’.
Good atmosphere in the stadium with mostly green shirts around. Match not bad, and relatively easy for Ireland in the end.
I did pick up a bit of the ‘who is real Irish’ with a person were were sitting with and similarly on the bus back to the centre after the game.
Good chats with Lauren’s friends who were sat next to me. Good practice of la langue frainçaise!