Hospital appointment, new shed and garden flowers

Yesterday saw another hospital appointment at Yves le Foll in St Brieuc, this time with the endocrinologist. I am not overfond of this person, who can be very patronising and evasive. This time though she seemed to have got the gist of emails I sent to her back in March and realised I wouldn't be talked down to or have my questions ignored. She is the only medical person I have had any problems with here and I am not alone in finding her difficult, my GP has also had hassle in conversations with her.

In February, after a scintigraphie - where they inject radio active dye and then scan - I was told I had two small tumours on the left parathyroid glands and possibly one on the right. Yesterday I was given prints of the scans and my endocrinologist explained that as they were still very small and because I'd already had one removed last June, which made removing others difficult, that she felt it was not advisable at the moment. She couldn't seem to explain why it was more difficult to remove further tumours.

She said that there were three criteria which would lead to her recommending removal of these new tumours.

First, a very high calcium reading - before my first op the calcium levels were more than double the high of the normal range - now my levels are only just above half of the low of the normal range. It is not known why it's so low as I now drink lots of milk, eat cheese, butter and cream. I also take calcium daily - two doses of 500mg - and monthly Vitamin D doses to help me absorb the calcium.

Second, a problem with osteoporosis. I am booked in for a bone density scan on tomorrow week.

Third, kidney problems. I am booked in for a kidney scan at the same time as the bone density scan.

I will be monitored six monthly and hopefully that should catch any bad news early. So a fairly successful appointment.

Some of the chickens have a newly built shed and run

and another lot have the newly painted straw shed and run. The straw has now been moved to the old caravan.  I have five 4 week old chicks in the garage and nine eggs under a broody Lavender Pekin due to hatch on Sunday/Monday - it's all very exciting!

My four Muscovies sometime share this run with the hens when I open the gate between the duck pond field and the new hen run.  Here they are all sitting on the bank by their pond.

We have a new addition to the village in the lane

and here are my two goats enjoying the one bit of sunshine this week in their usual spot on the old pig ark.

I haven't got a close up lens, but here is a bee on my honeysuckle.

The garden has been looking beautiful but I'm glad I took the photos when I did as they are now very soggy blossoms with all the heavy rain we've had.

Three things I like:

1.   Knowing that, with lots of luck, on Sunday/Monday my new chicks should hatch.

2.   My lunchtime salad of a leftover piece of yesterday's supper entrecote steak cut in thin strips with new potatoes in mayonnaise and homegrown salad. 

3.   Going to bed in line-dried, fresh air clean bed linen.

Busy Sunday in St André

This morning saw the lane covered in painted numbers and a pink arrow pointing towards the calvaire and the little track beyond.  A notice attached to a post hadappeared showing that permission has been given from the Mairie for an organized event.

The event was a running race and a walk of either 26km or 12 km happening with walkers arriving, obviously, later.  They were starting and finishing at the swimming pool in St Nicolas du PéIem.  I arrived back from shopping for tomato purée to be stopped at the calvaire because of runners coming through and my neighbours as spectators.  I parked the car and joined them to take a few photos and encourage the participants.  

I wonder how many entrants will pass through our little hamlet today.  One of the runners handed me a screw of silver foil from food he had eaten explaining that he didn't want to litter the countryside.

Last weekend we had an endurance horse race coming through, although I seemed to miss it entirely and didn’t see a single horse and rider.  Usually I am aware of conversations in the road and the clip-clopping sounds filter through.

Next Saturday evening there is the annual Fest Noz (night festival) in Lanrivain the next village, but I have been invited to a classical concert the same evening so am torn at the moment.  I have never been to a Fest Noz, although they are rife in all the towns and villages in Brittany throughout the summer months and very well supported. The sense of community here is strong and people really enjoy getting together for social gatherings.  There will be the usual sort of stalls you find at an English fête but there will also be




Breton music, on bagpipes among other things, and a lot of Breton dancing.    This photo was taken from the internet.  A large bonfire will be lit, as is the tradition in Lanrivain and, of course, drink and food, probably crêpes and galettes.

It’s Fathers’ Day in the UK today and the presenter on BBC1’s Breakfast show has not stopped going on about his son not contacting him yet (he has his mobile under the table he sits at).  He started complaining at 6.45am and I don’t know of any lads who are likely to be up at that time thinking of texting their Dad.  If my Dad was still alive - he died in 1981 - I'd love to spend the day with him, he was a lovely man and I think of him often.

I've just been up to the field to collect eggs

and on my way back the lane had a stream of bikes coming through.  By the time I'd put down the eggs and the dandelion leaves I had picked for the rabbits, I just caught the last two.

I'd been watching the tennis when David Nalbandian was disqualified from the Championships final at Queen's after injuring a line judge by kicking an advertising board into his shin.  It was an accident resulting from bad temper, he hadn't meant to hurt the official.  However, bad behaviour on court at this level of tennis is unacceptable and although it was a shame that the full match wasn't played, it was correct that the final was won by default by Marin Cilic.  Let's hope the line judge recovers quickly from his leg injury.

Three things I like:

1.   Eating my polytunnel salad leaves for lunch with trout fillets.

2.   Having so much going on in the village today.

3.   Finally speaking to my friend, June, on Skype, for the first time since she's moved, although we were cut off mid conversation, I think because my laptop was too hot.

Dog in boots, weather and hens

Another weird animal story, following on from the Shetland ponies and goat being taken for a walk.  I was driving away from the bank this morning when I passed, turned round and followed a couple of holidaying cyclists with their dog running beside them.

Not unusual so far perhaps, but this dog was wearing boots.  I drove back to the bank and parked before walking down to meet them with their dog outside Bar l'Ouest in St Nicolas du Pélem.

I asked if I could take a photo of their dog and we talked for a while.  They were a delightful couple from the Dordogne, with a good sense of humour, and we laughed and joked together.  They were cycling up into Finistère.  I enquired how many kilometres a day they cycled. The answer was 70 kilometres, all with their dog, Hermes, running beside them - hence the shoes.  Even when he is at home Hérmes runs everywhere all day.  Apparently the shoes were not specially made, as dog boots are available just like people's shoes are.  Hérmes, was fifteen months old and prior to having him with them, they cycled with his mother, who was now too old to run with them.  He was a Berger - a dog bred for looking after cattle and sheep.  In Greek mythology Hérmes is the god of shepherds. I am not a dog person, but he was a handsome fellow and was clearly happy, although took advantage of me chatting with his owners to lie down and rest until the couple climbed back onto their bikes and set off for Huelgoat.

I went on to the supermarket and bought some bread, cream, chicken pieces, trout and mussels and prawns.  I came back and cooked the mussels for lunch and have the rest of them in the sauce, like a soup, waiting for suppertime.

The photograph doesn't look particularly appetising as the butter and cream in the sauce have begun to solidify in the fridge.  However, it consists of Muscadet, butter, shallots, cream, parsley and seasoning and is seriously good when hot with several slices of fresh baguette to dip into it.

I cooked one chicken piece for salad tomorrow and shelled 500g of prawns.  Then I put the shells and heads on a tray on the kitchen floor for my three cats to chomp through.  When they had had enough I put the remainder at the end of the drive for my opposite neighbour's cats to enjoy. This morning the butcher gave me a huge bone for my neighbour's dog, but it's so big that he won't be able to carry it. I photographed it with a teaspoon to give some scale to it.

I shall have to ask someone to split it in two, as Bobby is only a small dog and I don't think he'll be able to manage it.  He loves getting the bones and because I usually get a bag of them I can ration them to one a day through the week.

One of my Cream Legbars died overnight.  She didn't look well yesterday and I could pick her up without fuss.  I don't know what was wrong with her, the two females and cockerel have been in a run on their own for several weeks now so can't have been infected by another hen.  I separated her into a run and house by herself yesterday afternoon and expected to find her body this morning, but it's still upsetting.  Her sister and the cockerel have been placed in another house and field section with the two Orpingtons and the six Coucou de Rennes which I bought recently and all seem to have settled in happily with each other.

The weather is not good again, with rain and wind today.  This has been going on all week and has slowed down the progress of the new shed, although we did do some fencing yesterday in the breaks from rain.   Next week we're going to empty the old storage caravan of "stuff".  None of it has seen the light of day for over two years and I have no idea what's in there now.  The entrance is used for storing hay and I have decided to be radical and bring the stock trailer in to take most of the contents to the tip.  We can then use the whole of the caravan to store hay and straw and the other straw shed can become another chicken house for some Light Sussex youngsters and my three older Light Sussex hens.  I have a Buff Sussex cockerel to collect next week and they can all live in that field section together.

The field which I rent, next to my own, is seriously high in grass and I hope that the farmer who is going to make hay for me will do it before too long.  He was hoping to get a machine to do the small bales we are used to in the UK, but it may be that I have to accept large round bales if not.

Right I'm just going up to the field to collect today's eggs and then settling down to read some of my this month's Book Club book - The Rapture by Liz Jensen - a rather unnerving novel it seems.

Three things I like:

1.   Moules marinière with cream and crusty bread.

2.   My oldest son being happier than he's been for a long time.

3.   Lindy Chamberlain being exonerated for the murder of her baby, Azaria, at last.

Visitors, new hens and more iris

I had visitors for five days at the beginning of June.  My son, Matthew, his partner, Tom and a friend, Georgina came over.  I acquired another bicycle and they all cycled into St Nicolas du Pélem one evening for Pizza - I was back up vehicle in the Discovery in case of punctures, rain or tired legs.

The weather couldn't have been better on Friday, 1 June, with wall to wall sunshine and reaching temperatures well into the 30s. 

The pool got it's first use this year and so did the jacuzzi.

Sunbathing was on the menu for virtually all the day and it was a great start to the visit.

The same day, Matthew treated us all to dinner at Le Pelinec, a favourite restaurant,

and the next evening they went to see friends at Huelgoat and I took this ahh photo of swans and cygnets on the lake there and one of a window with planter.

Through a restaurant window I spotted these scales and had to snap them too.

My new hens arrived just before my guests did and have settled in well.  Here are the two the Orpingtons and three of the six new Coucou de Rennes with other hens and my goats, Basil and Betsy.

The irises continue to flower on my neighbours' verge and I can't resist taking photos of them.

I bought a passion flower for training up the pergola and several buds fell off in transportation.  I pulled the petals off one side and took a photograph.

Three things I like:

1.   Clotted cream - brought from England by a friend.

2.   Holding my new light, fluffy chicks.

3.   Being able to bend to plant, weed and sow in the veggie beds.