ARTY FARTY.........

My attempt at arty farty photography



Would you believe it ..............a beautiful blue sky sunny day, is the man upstairs messing with our heads. Today has been spent burning crap hay, in fact there was no hay in the roll just twigs, sticks and weed....... all day to burn 15 euros, started on the second roll and that looks as bad so I am going to get some haylage, at least it will be palatable even if it goes off in a week.......it was a lovely day to be out.

WALLPAPER........

How hard can it be to choose a background for ones blog....... its as hard as finding wallpaper or the right colour of paint, this is my last attempt and its still not quite right but will have to do. I liked the last one it was called fairy dust but did seem to induce a migraine if looked at for too long, maybe I will go back to black?

BORING........

Snow again!! it started about 11am and by 1pm it was 2" deep. Richard and Lisa came round for lunch and to drop off the alternator for the pickup. I was quite surprised to see they had managed to get here through the snow and on the way over they had witnessed the post van slide into a ditch, they stopped off and got me some bread and lunch was a quick affair as it didn't look like it was going to ease and they were panicking they wouldn't get home. Earlier I had heard a tanker slide down the hill I think he managed to carry on.

A nice evening under my snuggie watching TV with glass of wine and a bag malteasers.... roll on summer.

TINKER MAN........

As I predicted Bob did what all men seem to do best......Tinker..... mess with..... repair what's not broke or in Bobs case broke what was working. Normally I don't mind Bob and his tinkering, it keeps him occupied but Monday morning we needed the pickup for a couple of jobs......important jobs......life saving jobs.........to collect 2 rollos of hay and my supply of English horse feed. I was rushing around multitasking listening to the gentle purring of our pickup, Bob with his head under the bonnet when it stopped!!!! a puzzled face appeared declaring that it was broke, he didn't know what was wrong, I asked the question "it was working 5 Min's ago and why oh why did you start tinkering with it before instead of after we had done our jobs"?? ROW!!!

We never row for long life is to short and we just carry on and laugh about it........until the next time.

Wednesday........lovely sunny day but soooooooo cold, Bob the tinker man went back to the UK and after I dropped him off at the airport I went shopping to stock up before the snow that's been forecast, bumped into Sandra from french class and went to her house for coffee, we don't get chance to chat at lessons so it was good to get to know her better, off to Debs and another coffee what a socialite I am.

Thursday........ How can the weather change so drastically in 24hrs. I was due at the airport to pick Richard and Lisa up, when I awoke a sprinkling of snow had fallen not too bad I thought until I went outside and everywhere was like an ice rink then confirmation from Vicky that the roads were treacherous I decided I was not going, Luckily for me the flight was diverted and all flights out of Limoges were cancelled the whole day has been a freezing foggy day, Richard and Lisa got to their house at 4pm not happy bunnies.

LOVE IT..........

The weather...........not a breath of wind the sun had some heat and the sky is blue, we have had a couple of days like that then today it set off promising but faded into overcast but no rain........it's coming!!!! Nookie had the morning grazing on my lawn the grass is quite long and emerald green so I just let him wander around nibbling away, I was sat at the computer and molly was unusually snoozing in her bed when a big chestnut face appeared at the french windows we both jumped up.....molly barking......me shouting "get off my patio" as you do, when I thought Awwwww he has come to look at us and see were we live.......NO he just wanted to deposit a shit for the roses.....bless him.

Bob home tomorrow yippee we need to pick two rollo's of hay up but that's about it for jobs this visit, I think he will be tinkering with the pickup and he keeps molly entertained, Its his parental duty to take charge of her for three days!

Tuesday....... I went to Periguex for a Chinese buffet .......right up my street, it was really good as predicted I stuffed myself by eating prawns of all descriptions. I had to pass on the breadcrumb prawns.....too many on my plate, when I returned for seconds or it could of been thirds the breadcrumb prawns turned out to be frog legs.........Pheeeew.

Thursday.....Went over to Di's had bacon and egg buttys Mmmmmmm she thinks I go over to see her and Jim!!!!

SUNSHINE........

What a tonic it is.............It was a lovely sunny day today but it's not lulling me into a false sense of "spring is on the way" I know it has to get worse before it gets better! I took full advantage.... 3 loads of washing on the line....rug off nookie....hay nets done for the next few days...... fenced off some of my garden and let nookie graze most of the afternoon......open the windows and let some fresh air in.

Playing with Molly in the front field we heard gun shots very close by, Nookie did his Arab impression and I quickly hustled Molly indoors the chasse were just at the back of us they didn't get any closer and didn't seem to stay around long.

Went out for lunch with Di and Trudi on Friday It was a much needed outing after being so isolated with the recent snow. I enjoy going out for lunch and it was none stop chatting which I also enjoy. I always come away from our little tete-a-tete's with the answer to at least one of my worries........I also seemed to have only paid one euro for my meal I had a 50 euro note and came away with 49 euros TEE HEE typical me...........this means another lunch to pay them back!!!

HAS IT GONE YET????.........

Well the rain has arrived and washed the snow away, we are now left with pools of water waiting to soak into the ground which will then turn into mud but hey hoe at least the snow has gone.

Today I walked the fields raking nookie's poos in, I have decided to do this rather than poo pick, after reading an article on small pasture management............. as long as you break it up and spread it out using a rake it saves you fertilizing the fields in spring, along with exposing any worm eggs when it got to the scientific stuff I glazed over. Next thing to look up on the Internet.......Moles and how to get rid of the bloody things (humanely of course) It really irritates me the heaps of soil everywhere, I have tried the dog poo down the holes which has not worked so now I am going to try the brambles and rose clippings. I think the title of this post should have been POO's.

On Sunday my french neighbour Marie Jane phoned................"Oh my God help there is a french person on my phone" but I managed to understand that she was checking to see if I was OK and did I need any bread or milk, how kind was that! I also went for Sunday lunch to Vicky and Chris's which again was really kind of them to invite me, I think everyone is going a tad mad with being stuck in and a change in conversation and company does help, as does the wine and sloe gin.

THIS IS SNOW JOKE........

It has been snowing now for nearly 24hrs. I managed to get my camera on timer and took some photos.

MOLLY BALL......

Is a bit like beach volley ball but you replace the sand with snow and include a molly dog....... I have found a way to occupy molly with a ball that doesn't include me, she chases the volley ball all around the fields pushing it with her nose and tossing it up in the air getting up to great speed thus exercising herself on her own nobody else needed......Sorted!!!

Went shopping today just to get stocked up with goodies for the expected freeze which we are feeling tonight the wind has arrived and it is bitter cold. Stopped off for a cuppa at Vicky's nice to have a chat with a human. I arrived home around 2ish and Nookie had been in the front field, I leave his lunch in his shelter and as I opened the gate for him to go through he set off at a rate of knots bucking and twisting, it was nice to see...........what it really meant was where have you been I am starving and cold.

IT'S BACK.........

The snow has returned it was forecast snow flurries for this morning so at 9.30 I set off to get some shopping in I got about 2miles when I hit a snow blizzard, I quickly turned round and just made it back home. The roads are covered with snow again and it's very cold, quite and Erie I am a bit low on milk and coffee otherwise I have plenty in, I have loads of wood ready for the fire and all my hay is loose in the other stable the only thing I have to struggle with is iced up water buckets.................so up yours SNOW!!!

I have been making stuff all morning Bread, Soup, a Potatoe gratin, and my brussel sprout gratin, I have a red thai curry on the stove Mmmmmm.

RESOLUTIONS........

Bob returned home on Sunday, I have never seen the airport so full everyone returning home after the Xmas holidays. The airport is such a double edge sword you are either soooo happy that you are meeting someone or soooo sad that they are going back. I still just want to get under the duvet for the full day when Bob goes home and Molly seemed really sad this time which didn't help.

Monday morning and lots of jobs to do made some walnut bread and a mushroom curry which will last me a couple of days, keeping my eye on the snow forecast I think I will be ready for it this time.

Nookie still seems fine how can any animal look happy with the grey, rain and mud that we have had, he is eating fine, he has been lying down and he has a buck and a whizz round. I will keep looking for a chum.

Resolutions..........

I will put weight on
I will drink more
I wont get fitter
I wont ride more
I wont learn french

Think that's about it!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR........

Happy New Year................Spring is on the way !!!!!

Had a lovely New Years Eve dinner at Marty's it was like a proper grown up dinner party fabulous food and drink a plenty with a good mix of French and English.