Napoleon complex, Boules Museum and Houdini chicks

Yet again the man fitting the belt for my post-op weeks was late for our appointment.  First meeting he was 30 minutes late, last week I just received a ‘phone call as I was leaving to say that he couldn’t make the appointment at all and again this morning he was late.  The people in the shop said to go off for half an hour so I went off to visit a Museum I’d seen a sign for on my way through Guingamp – the Museum of Breton Boules! 

It turned out to be a corner of the Tourist Office but the assistant behind the desk was very helpful and photocopied without charge the Rules of Breton Boules which I collected after I’d had my delayed appointment so that was a real bonus.  There were all sorts of bowls on display, some wooden and studded all over with nails and some, probably the earliest ever used which were cannon balls.   Among bowls from various parts of the world there were two woods used by Tony Alcock, who was World Champion twice in outdoor singles  (1992 and 1996), and three times World indoor singles Champion (1986, 1987 and 2002).

The visit also led to a bizarre coincidence.  Last night I visited a road I had to look up on Googlelmaps to find from where I was collecting five Buff Sussex chicks.  The road was called rue Mathurin Méheut and was in Rostrenen.  While in the Museum of Breton Boules I was looking at not only different types of bowls but also pottery depicting bowls games and paintings.  I recognised the name of the artist – it was Mathurin Méheut. He has an exhibition being advertised too.

 

I had never heard the name before last night so how extraordinary to come across it again within 14 hours.  How strange coincidences are!

The very unpleasant man fitting the belt was shorter than I am and appeared to be suffering from Napoleon complex which according to Wikipaedia is “an informal term describing an alleged type of psychological phenomenon which is said to exist in persons, usually men, of short stature. It is characterized by overly-aggressive or domineering social behaviour, and carries the implication that such behaviour is compensatory for the subjects' stature.”  He was unpleasant and rude.  He didn’t apologise for cancelling last week or for being late today.  He took an inordinate amount of time to process the payment and swore – merde, merde, merde - all the way through the procedure.  I hope I don’t encounter him again.

The weather continues to be extremely hot and when JackieN came round this afternoon we sat out under the big parasol chatting.  She’s doing fine after her gastric bypass operation and it’s lovely to hear of someone else losing weight thanks to Dr Lechaux.  We went up to the field to see the new Buff Sussex chicks and it was only when I got back home again that I realised I’d lost my glasses.  It took some hunting for them to find them again and I was lucky not to tread on them – hard to see without glasses on!  

One of my Breton neighbours, Jean-Luc, came round for the first time ever.  He was asking if I could let him have some eggs as he had three very broody hens and didn't want to waste their broodiness.  I am hardly getting any eggs in this very hot weather, but managed to scrape together a dozen mixed eggs and he promised to let me have two young poussins which were born earlier this year.  As I've lost six Light Sussex hens to some predator on the field - the general consensus is pine martin or pole cat - I think I will incubate some Light Sussex eggs when I return from Cornwall after my granddaughter's birth - due in three days.

While we were up on the field we noticed that the four 5 week old Cream Legbar chicks had escaped through a small chick sized hole in the fence through to the goat field.  We had to round them up and mend the hole temporarily by weaving bailer twine into the gap.  Why is it that for all animals the grass is always greener ...?

It has been really hot and I've really enjoyed having the pool.  Here's Claude trying to make a decision ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Right choice!

 

Jewel coloured nasturtians in the garden with the evening sun backlighting their petals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow will be the second anniversary of my mini gastric bypass operation.  I am still the same weight as I was last September and eat really well so am very happy. ?

Backlit poppy in the garden - lovely isn't it

 

Three things I like:

1.   My run which now has thirteen young chicks in it.  They are so cute!

2.   This gorgeous weather - perfect for a sunworshipper like me.

3.   Having really pleasant guests in Small Cottage this week. 

Bastille Eve fireworks, veggies and a week of breakdowns

It’s only 10.00am and yet the sun is burning into my skin reaching deep down to my bones – I love this feeling.  A couple of doves are cooing to each other from each side of my garden and other birds are singing all around.  Apart from that the only sounds are those of the trickles of water running off the projecting slate into the fish pond.   The temperature in the shade has already reached 24.3°C and promises to become much hotter as the day drifts by. 

The animals were all fed and watered a couple of hours ago and some watering and weeding on the veggie plot.  The first funny shaped vegetable of the year has been produced a conjoined pair of courgettes.

My swimming pool is such good news now the weather’s so brilliant.  The water temperature has been at 24°C since it was cleaned and refilled and it’s lovely in there either jogging, swimming or just floating about on my bodyboard.  I’ve been in cooling off at least three times a dayand don’t know why I find the first dip of the year so difficult as it’s fine after you’ve dipped under the water but I always put it off in case it’s too cold. Here’s Charlie in it last summer.

 

This week my Peugeot changed it’s identity.  No more UK personal number plates but  brand new French registration plates for €20 each.  I had been waiting for my Carte Grise, the new registration document and it arrived yesterday.  They were printed out in seconds at my local garage and then put into a former where the rigid adhesive transparent panel was attached to each one before being compressed in a machine and then riveted – screws not allowed in France – on both ends of the car.  The owner, Sebastian, first had to remove the existing plates and these were firmly stuck over the original plates.  There was a lot of Gallic shrugging and mutterings meaning “this couldn’t be like this in France”.  I kept the old plates as the DVLA told me that if I ever took the car back to England again the chances were that I’d get the same registration number again. The garage also kindly pumped up my tyres before I drove off with my new look.

The climbers on the pergola – honeysuckle, grapevine, roses, clematis, passion flower, wisteria were growing out at all angles.  I am not into heights so felt very frightened as I climbed first onto the pond side and then a chair and finally the garden table to tie them into the crosswires.  It looks much neater now and I’m so pleased I conquered my fear long enough to do it myself.

Finally, my worker managed to unblock my sink wastepipe.  I’ve had hassle with it on and off over the last two years and in the end he had to cut the pipe in order to put a deblocking pipe with a little fuzzy brush on the end – called a herisson, which translates as hedgehog – down the 3-4 metre waste to clear it.  The deblocking pipe wasn’t long enough so we had to cut the pipe at the other end to enable the herrison to unblock the far end as well.  Out came, not grease, as expected by my worker, but a mixture of straw and fibres.  These bits are probably what I wipe off the eggs in the winter while standing over the sink, when the rain makes the bedding stick to the hens’ feet and then onto the eggs.  We had to drive to Rostrenen to get joining bits to repair the waste pipe. We also put a rodding point into the wastepipe so that we don’t have to cut the pipe next time it blocks.  I can’t tell you how good it is to see water running straight out of the sink again.

The red lettuce in the polytunnel has been taken over by ants.  I’ve never seen so many red ants as there are up on the veggie plot this year.  Every time the earth is disturbed they are swarming over my shoes and up onto me.  I have ant bites everywhere and they itch like billio.  The lettuces have been pulled up now and given to the hens who received them gratefully along with the weeds I pulled up – they love pecking and scratching at them.  I’ve put some green lettuce plants in a different bed in the polytunnel and hopefully the ants will not get into these.  I had some free seeds for Italian salad leaves from somewhere and these have grown on beautifully and taste brilliant with a good dressing and the addition of the baby broad beans I picked this morning.

 

The sweetpeas planted in the barrel in my garden have been flowering really well and I get a small vase of flowers every day.  The scent just lovely.

 

It's been impossible to post anything as my Orange Livebox gave up on me and having talked to the technical department on the ‘phone they asked me to take the box into my nearest Orange shop to have it reconfigured.  I went to Guingamp Orange Shop and got it sorted on Saturday morning.   Then an emergency electrician had to come in to fix a problem we couldn’t fathom which was constantly tripping my fuse box.  He lives at the top of my lane where it meets the main road so that’s good to know for the future.  The internet was still not working properly so I then had to call in a computer repair man.  He sorted the problem and I'm finally back in touch with the world at large.  My watch battery died in the afternoon yesterday but luckily I had a replacement in my "technical drawer".  Can anything else go wrong?

Last night it was a moules and frites and feu d'artifices night in Corlay to celebrate Bastille Day which is today.  Friends, JaneF and Paul picked me up and brought me back home.  It was extremely well attended with virtually all the spectators sitting on the ground surrounding the lake.  It was a brilliant, happy, no drunks, no arguments, evening for the whole community.  Fireworks were set off at the top of the castle and it was, without doubt, one of the best, if not the best, display I have ever attended.

 



















 

 

 

Finally, Claude - not lying in the sun but seeking out the shade under a table on the terrace.  I'm going to join him but in the sunshine to catch some rays and read my book - it's now 26.8°C at midday - perfect!

 

 

Three things I like:

1.  Picking the veggies on the field for my lunch now that everything is growing fast.

2.  Taking a dip in the pool and drying so fast afterwards in the sunshine.

3.  Talking for ages on Skype with my UK based daughter and grandson. 

Elderflower Champagne and a New Loaf

I walked back from the field on Wednesday morning this week with my left hand full of strawberries for breakfast from both outside and inside the polytunnel and my right hand bulging with luscious dandelion leaves for Boris, Ruby and Bert. 

There wasn’t a sound except for the birds and my wellie clogs on the lane gravel – I love the peace and quiet here.  The only problem was the rain - that dull, relentless, straight down rain that makes everything very wet very quickly - at least I didn't have to do any outside watering of plants. 

My elderflower champagne is glugging away on the kitchen table and another ten litres is getting ready in the white plastic lidded bin.  I shall transfer it to the flip top glass bottles I have once the fermentation has diminished a bit.  A couple of years ago I lost three of these strong - especially for fizzy liquid - bottles when they exploded sending glass and elderflower champagne all over the utility area - so I am being patient about the final bottling operation.  Today I found another six demijohns in the garage so the production line will continue for a while longer.

 

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The blossom is really late this year, usually by July it is all turning brown and on its way to becoming elderberries but the trees here are still covered in buds and blossom so plenty more available to be picked.

 

It is one of my favourite summer drinks along with gooseberry wine - I can't get enough of it.  This year my gooseberries are being taken away by the birds before they are ripe so next year will have to be the year of the fruit cage I think.  I've already bought the netting, so a frame will be erected to try and thwart the thieving birds.  They are so engrossed in their stealing that they only emerge from the bushes when I am about a foot/30cm from the bushes so have become very bold.

My other criminals on the field are the wild rabbits who run for the field boundaries as I enter the area.  I am not sure what they are eating as everything seems to be nibble free so far, but there are certainly a lot of them about.

I had an afternoon appointment in Guingamp to get measured for a large rubber belt which I have to wear after I have my tummy skin removed.  This operation is currently planned for September with my gastric surgeon,  but I'm seeing a plastic surgeon in August and she may have other ideas.  While I was in Guingamp with JaneF  we took advantage of the shops for food shopping and I bought some Breton boules too - they are bright pink.  

I baked my fifth loaf on Wedneday morning.  Every loaf has been deliberately different.  This bread is made from Allinson's strong white flour (as I've just run out of Francine flour), with sunflower seeds, sultanas and cinnamon.   It rose beautifully.

I was planning on baking it in the oven in a round baking tin as I wanted that shape with some height.  Couldn't find anything in my cupboards so drove out and borrowed a loose-bottomed tin from JaneF.  It turned out beautifully - of course(!) and as usual it's very difficult to resist eating it all at once.

On Thursday afternoon I played Breton boules with three English friends at the Laniscat boules area.  It was a blazing hot day and I and my partner for the afternoon won both games - those pink boules are good news!  I'd never played Breton boules before and really enjoyed it.

Today was another seriously hot day and my worker was shattered after strimming most of the field and round the veggie patches - still half a day's strimming to do though.  The combination of rain and this very hot weather has certainly seen things grow out there, not least the grass.

I'm watching Murray in his semi-final and after winning two sets to one they have a break while the roof is being shut - a very contraversial decision at this stage of the evening.

Three things I like:

1.  Finding a spot on the field where the sun stays until about 21.40pm and putting pallets down to make a small deck to sit and read on in the last of the evening sun.

2.  Taking the last lot of field rubbish to the tip.

3.  Making arrangements to visit an exotic garden tomorrow with friends.

Hard work, hot weather and a new foal

What a glorious day.  The sun has shone ceaselessly and the sky has been Mary's colour as far as the eye could see.  It was still 23°C in the shade at 18.30hrs as I sat eating my supper of cheese and tomato with homemade bread in the garden.

 

A few days ago I heard a bird who frequently sings the same four notes in a row.  These notes are the first four notes of Ain't No Sunshine When You're Gone.  I have been replying by repeating the sequence and adding the following three notes.  This evening the bird - clearly a dedicated student has started doing the first five notes!  I have no idea what bird it is - I can't see it in the foliage of the trees but it is clearly very bright - in fact as I type this I can hear the first four notes being sung again and again. 

 

It's been a very productive day.  My worker arrived first thing and we cleared and cleaned the utility and gym, the garage bench and shelves underneath, the rabbit and hen houses, got the water draining again after a weekend with a blocked sink and no dishwasher and 

 

cleared up the rubbish on the field into the small trailer ready to go to the déchetterie.  We also moved the log trollies away from the terrace leaving space for the pots of annuals around my early morning, because it gets the first sun of the day, seat on the terrace and 

 

 

we sorted out the steps for the swimming pool.  The pool has now come up to 22°C and I shall now be forced to use it in the next day or so.  It seems really cold but I know that once I'm in it will all be fine.

A few weeks ago Jaina, a large brown mare – I know nothing about horses so can't tell you the make – was in the field where my goats, sheep and chickens used to spend their day.  As I am no longer keeping sheep I don’t need the extra space which I used to rent from my neighbour for €50 per year.  My neighbour, J-L, from the other end of the village has gone into horses in a big way.  A couple of months ago he told me he had thirty-two at livery and today he took three more on.  Anyway, back to Jaina.  She was due to give birth and disappeared from the field to give birth in safer surroundings.  She had a boy – whose name is Denam but I’m not sure of the spelling.  They would have preferred a girl, apparently girls are better – as in life generally then!  They have been installed just an orchard away from where Jaina was before and this evening, this glorious sun-filled evening, I strolled up the road in my knickers and sarong and clog type wellie shoes,with my camera in my hand.  The locals have got used to my eccentricities of dress and other things.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He is so beautiful.  I think he might have been considering being a giraffe because his legs are so long.

 

 

I held my hand out to him through the electric fencing and was glad I had remembered to hold it flat as I had as a child feeding my Sunday School walk apple to the horse at the top of my road.  For two pins he would have nibbled off my fingers as I hadn't anything to offer him in the way of snacks.  He was so lovely and seeing him has rounded off a lovely day. 

Three things I like:

1.   Having sun all day long.

2.   Finding some forgotten seeds under everything on the garage bench.

3.   Being able to walk into the gym without picking my way through "stuff".