APRIL......

Is nearly over it's flown by...Bob went back yesterday after 4 days of sunshine he has mowed all the paddocks and they look great, like lawns in fact, so now I am not sure if I want any ponies or sheep or donkeys to make them into mud!

The springs and headlamps for the pickup have been delivered and headlamps fitted so Bob has a project for his summer holidays,  now he has ordered a solar pump for the pond there is no stopping him, he see's it.... on to the laptop and order's it.  The next thing on his list is a new sit on and the only thing stopping him ordering one is getting it over to France.

Went to Di's big 50 Birthday bash and even the dull weather didn't stop us having a great time....food from her youth, plenty of drink, playing on the Xbox and a tune on the sax what more could a birthday need!.... Oh good chums.... SORTED.

Had a trip to the tree place and bought 2 white lilacs and planted  them in between the cypress trees down the drive and some lavender so I have started a hedge along the wall where I planted loads of bulbs which must have been eaten because nothing has emerged. Looking forward to all the plant fairs and car boots over the next few months.

FATE.....

Has struck again!!.....After letting the ponies go Di got in touch and offered to take me with the trailer to collect them (She will not be doing that again) A quick phone call to see if they were still available we arranged to collect them Sunday. All day Saturday was spent re-doing the fencing just changing the height of the wire, filling water buckets ready for their arrival.

Off we went on Sunday only to break down on the freeway BIG THUD but didn't seem to be the engine. Di sprung into action and before we knew it the car was on the back of a truck, trailer hitched to the back, a short wait at the recovery dept then on our way back home at alarming speed in a taxi with trailer behind. Di was a star and I would have been hopeless in that situation.  Once home a quick phone call to the pony owner who was not pleased at waiting in all day I let them go for a second time......I had not seen them so I bet they had 3 legs and no head!

Four puddings & a Birthday

New friends

This cake was SOOOOO good

My Magnolia looking it's best

The weather is glorious and on Tuesday I had been invited to my neighbours across the road for Vic's 70th Birthday lunch OH MY what a lunch!! It was a greedy persons heaven and I could have a drink and stagger home,Cindy had done so much food and four puddings, met some nice people and after much chat wine and food we got talking about FB .......I now have three new neighbours on FV Sooooo funny its like a OAP's guilty pleasure.

R and L over for a few days getting their place ready for visitors in April another chomping session...called at the Fiddlers but they were celebrating St Pats day so nothing available, on their recommendation  went to a new restaurant L'auberge St George in St Jory de chalais owned by an English girl and her French boyfriend, after discussing what we would have to eat she asked ( because of our Lancashire accents ) "where are you from"..... "Bolton" replied R and where did she come from........ROCHDALE!! its a small world

SPRING......

Is bursting out all over.......I have not blogged for a couple of weeks and in that time spring seems to have really sprung.  Bob has been and gone, we had 5 lovely days pottering about and got much done that was not on my "to do" list, we had a trip to the family village AGAIN! went out for a meal to celebrate Val & Ivans wedding anniversary, creosoted the gates AGAIN! and power washed everything AGAIN!

I replied to an advert for 2 Shetlands and because I keep getting no response to adverts I enquire about I was very brief...where are you? I can offer you 600euros (they wanted 850) within the hour a reply with the location and "wanted more but would think about it" by the end of the day accepted my offer.....but they were 2hrs away so no deal! I now know how to reply to adverts.

Dirty Girl

Helping to power wash

MORE.......

Shopping....Had a lovely day out on Friday with Di, we went to Moulin de tin tin the place my sister found when she visited BUT!! dont you just hate it when someone manage's to find not one beautiful coat but two and buy's them both ;-( ......Once again I bought nothing.  Had burger and chips for lunch at Leclerc really good they were too, so I didn't sulk all day.

The "not bad for February" weather has tuned a little into wet, damp mist and I have found frogsporn, heard the herons coming back and lots of bulbs trying to push through so all good "spring is on its way" signs.

Off on another shopping trip next week and I WILL buy something!!

Moved the hay from the garage into the other shelter, did four trips in the pick up and unloaded and stacked it all  only breaking one bale which I put into haynets....I miss filling haynets.....by the time I had finished I hobbled back for some lunch and regretted sitting down, that night my legs ached so much....IS THIS GETTING OLD

THE TROUBLE WITH..........

shopping is......at my age I don't tend to spend much, always looking for a bargin or "Do I really need it" end up buying nothing so when I went to Limoges shopping with a friend who was looking for a long list of stuff I had a great time helping her spend her money, my only purchase was a shrub for the garden.  The weather is still confused!  but I am just going to enjoy it while it's here and batten down the hatches in the spring!

Enjoying a Mcdonalds in the February sunshine

Post Cards from Thailand......Thanks Linda they are great keep them coming ;-)

JANUARY.......

Has been a glorious month, this normally dismal, depressing time has seen visiter's come and go, included two good nights out and a fabulous lunch with Trudi and Di, with weather that is so different from last years.

This morning I have had breakfast outside watching the world go by listening to the birds with a warm sun on my face, even Molls and the chooks are sunbathing!

Molly on Guard 

Casino Night

8am Sunday 6th Jan 2011

BLESS.............

Bob's little cotton socks......Relatives left on Friday.....two days slobbing.....then back to the airport for Bob.  The flight was about 1hr late, he had phoned me from Stanstead to let me know they were still sat on the runway, he finally arrived swearing and mumbling, so when I noticed him struggling to get in the car thought no more of it.....Just being his usual grumpy self!

We arrived home and out of his bag came an Xbox he had bought it at the airport in the early hours, unable to get the box in his bag they unpacked it all and he then managed to get it in...... in went the start up disc and the keep fit disc...... out came his stuff and the two discs..... back went the box and stuff but did he put the discs back in!!!! Left in the shop.  So a grumpy Bob became very grumpy. Bless!!

Di and Jim to the rescue, it was Jim's birthday so they came over for lunch and brought with them a start up disc calibrated it all and got us going........everyone should have a Di and Jim.

Thursday we went to the Chinese in St Yreix with Ivan and Val had a really good meal and tonight we are going to the Casino night in Jumilhac .......paper money, cheese and wine???

VISITORS 2011.........

First visitors of the year arrived on the 14th January 2011, the plane landed in a thick mist but I had studied the weather forecast and hoped it would be true to its word by being blue skies, sunny and temperatures in double figures as we left bellegarde and drove through the French countryside the mist lifted, sunshine appeared and that set the tone for the week.........Pheeeeew!!!

Its so exciting picking friends and relatives up from the airport, its all none stop talking and we were exhausted by the time we arrived home a quick tour round we spent the afternoon just catching up, first nights supper.....Corn Beef Hash Lancashire style.......gone in 60secs.

The rest of the week we visited most of our sightseeing repertoire albeit in the winter and everything was shut but we found food and drinks so happiness was restored.

We found or rather Noelle saw! a very nice place to visit on a Sunday when everywhere else is closed called Moulin de Tin Tin just outside St Junien. On our last day we invaded Di and Jim who made us very welcome with some warm moonshine that went down very well we spent the afternoon on the XBox and my legs have still not recovered!!! We all finished the day with a smashing meal out.

The week has flown by and all to soon it was back to the airport this time with tears......au revoir à bientôt

Oradour-sur-Glane is 25 kilometres north-west of Limoges.

Not a place to stay, but a place to visit in quiet contemplation. Oradour-sur-Glane was a village that was completely destroyed by the SS in June 1944, after killing all the inhabitants, as retribution for the activities of the local resistance, during World War 2. The men of the village were all shot, and the women and children burned to death in the church, before the village was razed to the ground.

Brantome in January we had a typical French lunch Mmmmmm

This picture made me laugh what is Noelle saying??

Snoooozy time

The chooks did me proud working overtime

NEW YEAR 2011........

Happy New Year............Never really been into New Year I get a bit maudling about it. We sat and watched grumpy old Men/Women and they said it all really.... Its all over now so we can get on with plans for spring my favorite season.

Came back from Ikea minus the wardrobe all the measuring for length and would it fit into the car length ways had all been in vain because the width of the sliding doors had not been taken into account!!! SO what to do with the money??  New kitchen table with chairs....2 lots of bedding.....2 new bedroom lamps....candles.....cuddly toy? I was not going all that way to come back with nothing.

Di and Jim came over on Monday and it was lovely to see them Bob was especially pleased as boffin Di got him up and running on his macbook. He returned home on Tuesday and that night I had a skype conversation with him in his truck.............2011 we live in France with a plane as our bus service talking to one another via a screen     WHO'D OF THOUGHT!