GARDENING......

veg plot at Bluebell house
Apple tree
lavender hedge


We have had a beautiful spring evening and my thoughts turned to gardening, walking round playing with Molly I spied some daffodils poking though the grass and it was quite exciting! every year I plant loads of bulbs and completely forget where and what I have planted. One of my terracotta pots that had survived all the cold weather in Cumbria has been blown to bits with the frost here......... I really liked that pot. Next I studied our garden at the side of the house trying to decide what trees to plant, I want to get four decent size, two of which will be apples not sure about the other two. I like gardening and had a beautiful one in Penrith which was already established and I just added to, so starting with a blank canvass is a bit daunting.

Nookie had a bit of a scare today....... A predator arrived in the guise of a man struggling with an umbrella sign, the workmen at the new house opposite were doing some work in the road and put the sign near our gates, I was filling hay nets and heard the snorting, as I looked up he was in full show off mode (dressage in the nude) it was great to watch then the knob head hit the electric fence so we had an encore.

WHAT DO I DO ALL DAY.......

I often get asked by people in the UK and here in France "what do you do all day"? I don't know why but I am busier here than I ever was in the UK apart from when I worked full time.

Today I quickly fed Nookie put two haynets up one outside for alfresco eating one in his shelter, went to get my hair done, as I was sat with foils in my hair having a coffee and trying on some very trendy boots I realised it was nearly 1pm off I shot to french lesson arriving 20mins late Chris whom I give a lift to had walked down to class, luckily for me the first part of the lesson had been très difficile by 3.30 I was having a cuppa at Vicky's arriving home by 4pm, molly wanted all my attention with the tennis racket for 20mins then it was clean and fill all the water buckets, fill hay nets, do feeds, attack the molehills, Nookies rug, gave him a quick groom, more ball throwing, walk around the fields, by the time I got in fed Molly and started to put tea on It was 6.30 I really don't know how people with a family cope, how do they fit everything in and what do they do all day?

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!!!!