My only memories of our holiday....

The best of our holiday snaps (see today's other post for details...)

I don't think I'll ever get around to telling you about the holiday, except it was very relaxing in the end, we all had a good time, didn't do much except for a couple of trips to the beach, but just what we all needed. Did have some ice-creams one day at Carnac, from some stall selling far too many flavours to choose from although some were an easy decision to turn down (curry ice cream anyone?). Anyway, it was a lovely day so we sat and ate them outside the 'ch'ti pub'. (In Chateaubriant you can get your cars fixed at 'cac automobiles'. We have a mattress on one of the beds in the gites - brand name 'fucus' (In case you're wondering, of course the other beds have mattresses)).

Oh yes, one other thing, the camera broke whilst we were on holiday, so not many snaps, certainly not of the girls anyway. Several of the inside of the gite where we stayed though - 10 of the electric fuse box, one of a radiator, one of the kitchen area ceiling lights, one of the washing machine, three of the windows, one of the kitchen units, one of the toilet, one of a door, one of a bedroom wall, one of a bedroom ceiling, 8 of beams on the ceilings/walls and two of curtains pulled across the windows. I had no idea we had them until I saw them on the computer, Adrian says they were for 'research purposes'. Unfortunately, the camera had broken before we got to the beach, so he couldn't do any 'research photography' there. Talking of which, I forgot to mention how, when we were at the first beach, in Carnac, that when we got there I said to Adrian 'I'm the only woman under 50 not wearing a bikini'. Five minutes later I had to correct myself - only woman under 80 not wearing a bikini!!! And one of them was only wearing the bottom half!! Topless old folk, it's too much for me. Me in a bikini would be too much for anyone else. Although I must admit it got so hot here a few weeks ago, even I had to resort to my old pre-children bikini.... my advice to you - best not to think about it!

Weather is unseasonably crap at the moment, wet, windy and cool. The pool is freezing (after being lovely and warm not that long ago), very embarrassing, will definately be getting heating for next year.

We are very multi-cultural this week, we have brits, an american, french, germans and norwegians (some of whom are originally from Gabon). I don't know what language to speak to who (whom?), I can't even remember people's names. (Not that I can speak german or norwegian).

Anyway, on to other much more important stuff. Most of you don't know my brother, and certainly not his wife, but they were expecting a baby, due in September. To cut a long story short and to avoid giving too much personal info away, the baby was delivered by emergency cesaerian on Monday, a little boy, nine weeks early. My brother's wife was very ill and was in intensive care for several days, thankfully she has recovered enough to go home now, their little boy will of course be in hospital for some time. So far, on the whole, he seems to be doing well and my folks have gone back to the uk to be with them and help them out as much as possible. Having, told you all that, I am not going to write any more, it would not be right of me to write about such a difficult and personal time for them, indeed us all, on the internet.

Bloody crap day

Have been so busy since we got back from our holiday that
a) its feels like the holiday was years ago
b) more importantly, I haven't had time to tell you all about it!

Still haven't got time actually, CSI Miami will be on in a bit, and there's not much I like to watch on tele, but that is one of my programmes, can't beat the acting skills of a man who can take his sunglasses off and then put them back on again.

Anyway, first I must tell you all about the Bloody Crap Day we had the day before we went away. Actually the morning went ok, although I had planned to pack, but then a friend turned up for coffee and that was that (I must admit to prior arrangement on that one, I just thought I'd have more time what with my extensive experience in multi-tasking).

So, back to the day in question, Adrian had his second MRI booked for the afternoon for his spine, having had his brain scanned just a few weeks previously. The Neurologist who made the original appointment for his brain neglected to make another for his spine, so the examing doctor at the MRI clinic sorted that out for him whilst we were there last time. So off we set, got there in good time, although it takes a good hour and a quarter and takes us into Nantes and we are not used to such journeys these days, living as we do as hermits in the middle of the country; checked in at reception, filled in all the forms (again), handed over all the paperwork (again) and waited to be seen, which was fairly quick this time (usually it's a sleeping bag and a flask of coffee kind-of wait time). I am allowed in with Adrian whilst he is prepped for the MRI (nice gown which doesn't quite meet at the back and flashes his arse, needle in arm for injection of whatever it is later on). Whilst he was being sorted out, the nurse said to me 'This is his second MRI isn't it?' 'Yes' I replied, 'Did he have his brain done last time?' 'Yes' I confirmed again. I then handed over Adrian's previous MRI's to the nurse, which he has to take each time, the previous years and the one he had done just a few weeks ago, on his brain. They are huge and a right pain to drag around, but the doctors say that they need to refer to them.

I went back to the waiting room, Adrian eventually came out and we waited for the results, which again, didn't take too long and I was just thinking how quick and efficient they were being (ie under two hours instead of three) when the examining doctor called us in and said to me that he was 'wondering why they had just re-scanned his brain when he'd only just had it done a few weeks ago'. I asked him why as well as they were supposed to be scanning his spine. Turned out that they are total bunch of incompetent idiots and other such derogatory words; from the Neurologist who forgot to make an appointment for the spine, the first doctor who did make the appointment, but apprantely neglected to mention why, the receptionist who didn't check, the nurse who immediately forgot what I told her (or forgot to pass the message on) and the current doctor who admitted he didn't bother to check the recent scans properly (or even at all). Well, there was no having an immediate re-scan, so the doctor offered us another appointment (third time lucky?) which Adrian duly declined, nothing has changed for the last few years and nothing had changed in his brain and he'll be having another one (or maybe even two if he's lucky) next year anyway.

So off we set back home, annoyed that we had had a wasted afternoon. But unfortunately, that was not the end of it all. No sooner had we go onto the Nantes peripherique (ring road) than we were held up in a traffic jam. Eventually, we got to the turnoff for the road we needed, but then we got stopped altogether. I could now see the bridge of the road we were trying to get onto and noticed that traffic was moving southbound, but not northbound. Then I twigged that in the northbound lane were several tractors and a milk lorry not going anywhere. Yes! France would not be France without a strike somewhere or other and today it was here - french dairy farmers stopping all traffic northbound out of Nantes (from three access roads onto the one that they were on - one from each direction of the ringroad and the other from Nantes city centre) coincidently at rush hour....

Eventually they completely and officially shut the access off the ringroad that we were trying to get onto and we made our way back onto the ringroad. Unfortunately, we had no map as I had taken it out of the car the day before to plan our trip for the holiday the following day... I hadn't put it back - I'd half kind-of forgotten and half didn't bother as I know the way so well to the hospital having done it so many times before.... And we don't have a sat nav as we don't want to get lost.

So off we set negotiating our way back into Nantes via another route and then out again on the otherside and eventually back home via the sprawling delights of the french countryside. As I said, all in all a bloody crap day and I still had the packing to do....

When I get another minute or so I will tell you all about our exciting holiday. Bet you can't wait!

BEES! FLYING ANTS!

Fairly full this week, four gites booked out. Adrian was doing some work at the weekend outside the little gite when he noticed some bees and flying ants at the window (on the inside). He went in to investigate and the place was swarming with flying ants and several bees as well, although many of them had also died and were littering the floor. He killed off the flying ants and cleared the place out of all insect life (and death) and we thought that would be that. But no! More bees kept appearing at the window, dead and alive. There were some gaps in part of the kitchen ceiling (wood paneling) so he blocked them up, but still they kept appearing (yes, he had checked that the windows were shut). Eventually he conducted a thorough search of the place and found them to be living in the bathroom. There is a panel behind the toilet and whenever he knocked it (gently) they would all go mad inside which apparently sounded horrific. He blocked up a few more holes inside the bathroom, but they were still inside this panel, he checked it out on the internet as bees are protected and you're not supposed to kill them, it said don't block off the entrance hole (which we think is above the front door!) as they'll then try even harder to find other ways out (ie into the gite itself).


This morning the bees are still buzzing away like mad so I went off to the local mayor's office (the fountain of all local knowledge, except when it's shut, which is why I wasn't there until today) to ask their advice, as we had guests due in this afternoon. They informed me that the pompiers (firemen) no longer deal with this kind of thing, have to 'go private' (ie pay). They gave me a number of a guy, who couldn't help, he dealt with wasps, he gave me the number of another guy; old, deaf and on his mobile, couldn't understand a word I was saying, anyway, he couldn't help, said he would get someone else to call me. Another guy rings, agrees to come over, and he duly does so, arriving just before lunch - I am impressed, I thought I'd be battling to get anyone out before the end of the week. He checks out the gite - no bees to be heard anywhere! Adrian eventually gets them to make a bit of noise by some serious banging on the panelling, but it looks like they've either died or buggered off elsewhere. The bee guy refused to remove the panelling - didn't have a protective suit for some reason, he said they naturally die off at this time of year (they're not honey bees) or may be they have actually decided that our gites are not suitable and they'd prefer something a little less rural and more up-market. (Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely little gite, also known as 'the love-shack' on account of the fact that most of the couples who stay there seem not to leave the place for several days during their stay and seem to be prone to long lie-ins). Mind you, it was our gite for two and not several hundred, so maybe they were feeling a bit crowded in there.


Needless to say, we did not put our guests in there, luckily we had another gite free this week and we've given them that one instead (bit of an up-grade) and we'll monitor the bees this week. Seriously hope they do not come back or we will have a bit of a problem on our hands. Although according to the bee guy, the pompiers will come out and deal with them when there is no other alternative - ie they cannot be removed and therefore have to be destroyed because they are in living accomodation - at a cost of around €100,00...

the veggie plot thickens....

Description - see below - these photos never upload in the order I expect them to!

The main plot - potatoes in pots to the left, early and main crop. In the large bed to the right, from the back, mangetout, carrots and onions, not visible, but there now - broccoli, courgettes and melons; strawberries (two strawbs so far, one eaten by member of local wildlife population...) In blue boxes behind - raspberries; growing up wall - kiwis; 'greenhouse' thing between windows - peppers; in blue box to the left of the kiwis, garlic (plus in another box out of shot), also to left of kiwis - spring onions, also out of shot - tomatoes, various herbs. To the right of the right-hand window - ever-increasing pile of stuff that needs to be put away somewhere.

Home grown produce

Today I have mostly been feeling a bit delicate. Well, just this morning really and most definately due to tiredness because of not having a good nights sleep in the past two weeks and nothing at all to do with the home brew that was being consumed last night.

Yes, it is annual blackcurrant harvesting time and I've been busy making jam; we've got two blackcurrant bushes and we get loads of fruit every year. Anyway, we've got relatives here at the mo and last night we had a barbie with them. The meal included home-shot pigeon and home-grown mangetout so I thought I'd add a dessert of blackcurrant sorbet. I also decided it might be nice to try the blackcurrant liqueur that I'd brewed with some of last year's currants, it's popular over here to pour spirits on to sorbets, so we did. Then I realised we should try it as a Kir (drink made with cassis (blackcurrant liqueur) and white wine). We also had some fizz on the table, so naturally we had to try Kir Royales too (cassis and fizz). Then it was decided that we should also try it neat (to check its potential as a digestif, of course). I only had one bottle of the stuff - one year to brew it, one night to drink it... This year I will be brewing two bottles. If you want to try it, may I suggest booking a holiday with us end June, beg July 2010?

The mangetout previously mentioned has done very well this year and Isabella has enjoyed picking it, although she prefers it when they get left a while and goes to peas, she pods them and eats them straight away - saves me having to cook them! The peppers are coming along well so far and so are the carrots and onions, have pulled up half of the garlic as it started to go over, somthing to do with rot, can't remember the technical term, but we thought better small bulbs than no bulbs. (Not my fault on this occasion I don't think, but I'm not going to name and shame here) I think some of the potatoes might be ready, so might start digging them up as and when we need some. Not many raspberries this year, hoping the plums will do ok, they are starting to grow, but some have started dropping already before they are fully ripe. That's enough of this section, starting to turn into a bit of a snoozefest....