Sheep

Ever get the feeling you're being watched?  I went to collect mole hills yesterday from the far end of the garden, next to our neighbours field, didn't take much notice of anything except for where the mole hills were.  Anyway, I was busy chucking all the earth into the wheelbarrow when I sensed I was being watched.  Decided I was stupid, I knew there was no-one there, I hadn't seen the owners car (a bloody great black 4x4, can't miss it), so carried on with collecting the soil.  When I'd finished, I stood up, happened to turn around and sure enough, I was being watched - 23 sheep staring at me.

Went back to the same spot today to collect the latest offerings from our mole population (my spuds are happy at last).  Said good morning to the sheep, (who have since been sheared and look at bit weird, but then they were probably wondering what I was doing anyway) and noticed that there was now a boule pitch-sized area of dead grass next to the boule pitch.  Quelle horreur!!!  Clearly, when I had removed the cover (a sheet of black plastic) off the boule pitch the other day and then left it to dry out on the grass whilst I had lunch (only about an hour or so), it had got extremely hot and scorched all the grass underneath....

Tax

It's 9.45pm and I'm just having a stiff one (drink) after having completed the dreaded tax form, in french.  They've changed our 'regime' this year and we will now pay tax on more than twice the percentage of income that we did in previous years.  We found this out when we received the form to complete.  Kick me when I'm down.

Kick me again - we also recently received a form from our local Mairie (Mayor's office - in charge of local people and local things), requesting that we officially declare our gites with them.  They already know about them, plus the business is legally declared, but this is another form of officialdom.  I suspect it will result in us now having to charge a 'tourist tax' which is basically a 'small' charge per night on every person over 16 who stays with us.  Officially, the client pays it, but in real terms the owner of the gites/mobilehomes/b&b/whatever will bear the brunt of it.  In tough times we can hardly stick on extra charges, people won't pay, they'll go elsewhere.  The money is supposed to benefit the local community, but surely these folk on holiday are already spending their money in the local community when they are on holiday.... 

Kick me three times - I've just spilt my drink.

Exhaustion

Adrian and I are completely knackered at the moment.  We're working like mad to finish things off before the first 'summer' guests get here and most of it's very physical, in the garden stuff and also we seem to have been gripped by a heat wave.  Not that I'm complaining, I love the sun and hot weather, I just don't like lugging tons of rocks and chippings and slabs of slate all over the place in this heat (I am not exaggerating on the weight).  Just had to get in the pool this afternoon - a bit fresh - only 20 degrees today, but much-needed.  It's so hot, the sand-bed has already dried out (that's the underground filter for what goes into the septic tanks, I don't think I need to explain further) which doesn't normally happen until mid-summer.  Just hope that the weather stays like this really - we've got guests in all gites starting from Thursday....

Today one of my many jobs was to uncover the boule pitch.  Normally it's left uncovered over winter and by spring it's turned green with little weeds and tufts of grass which have to be pulled out by hand.  It's a long job.  Bright idea last autumn - had some black plastic lying around the place so I covered the boule pitch with it and weighted it down with rocks.  So first of all I had yet more rocks to remove.  Then I took off the plastic sheet.  Wahey!  No weeds!  Boo! The local worm population and their friends and relatives had moved in over winter and it was all muddy at the sides and there were lots of little mounds scattered all over the surface.  A depressing sight indeed, I did not have time for this kind of thing.  Anyway, gave it a bit of a raking over and a few stamps with my boots here and there and it's looking a lot better.  Still need to resurface around the edges, but we've got the stuff for it, so I'll get around to it sometime....

The veggies. Or lack of.

Things are not going so well on the veggie plot this year.  Three-quarters of my carrot seed sthat I diligently sowed one row per week over eight weeks, have not come up.  I think it's because the beds are too shaded.  There is an enormous weeping willow tree casting a great deal of shade over the plot.  We have been meaning to cut it down for a few years now (I like them, but this one is too near the house and would also provide some wood to burn) but we've still not got around to it, and now my seeds are suffering.  I've re-sown some more rows, and some in a different part of the beds, so fingers crossed, bu I'm not hopeful.  It's a shame because the home-grown carrots were one of my favourite things from the garden last year and lasted us into the new year.  Also, the moles haven't been so active because of the very wet and cold winter we had, so I've only got two of the four new raised beds full and now I'm desperately searching for mole hills everyday (never thought I'd say that) in order to earth up the potatoes.  The leeks I had from a friend haven't done so well in the greenhouses so I've planted them, although they weren't really big enough to be planted out, but I'm hoping they'll be happier there.  Then there's the sweetcorn.  Not had good crops the last couple of years, so this year I've planted the seeds in cardboard tubes and kept them in the greenhouse.  Now, these guys have been doing very well and are more thatn ready to be planted out.  Unfortunately, however, I have not yet had time to prepare the bed for them - that'll be in a week or two's time, in the meantime I'm just hoping that they don't expire before I can get them there.

However, on the positive side, the potatoes seem to be coming on well, the garlic is looking good, the tomatoes and strawbs seem to be ok and so do the peas and mangetout.  Oh yes, that reminds me, the french beans have failed.  Twice.  I have replanted again and also tried a few seeds in cardboard tubes in the greenhouse.  If they still don't come to anything, then well do more peas and mangetout.  Mind you, I am using last year's seeds, so that might be the problem, but I'm not spending a lot of money on a new packet this year, just to use a few beans.  Bought three pepper plants and an aubergine on Saturday.  Have got some pepper seedlings on the go, but they're a bit slow, so I thought I'd get some small plants in case the seedlings don't come to anything, and if they do, all well and good - we eat lots of peppers.  The courgettes seem to be ok as well, they're in the garden under plastic bottles, although come to think of it, it's been so hot of late, I should have removed them.  They could all be dead from heat exhaustion for all I know.  I'll check tomorrow.

A little holiday

Just got back from a few days away in a mobile home near La Baule. It was a good break, weather was fine, although not hot, but we got to the beach a couple of times and found a nice swimming pool, although I managed to nearly knock myself out on the water slide - smacked my head insde the tube. Fortunately, Isabella can go on them by herself these days, so I did not attempt to repeat the experience. Here are a few piccies:

A little while ago Adrian was working in the garden and called me out.  There were a couple of guys at the end of our driveway, one with a metal dectector and the other with a pickaxe smashing a hole in in the path directly in front of the middle of our drive.  I approach them, say 'hello' and ask them what they are doing.  'Looking for a water leak' they reply.  'With a metal detector?' 'Yes'.  They suspect a leak and ask me where our water meter is.  I ask them what if the leak is on our property.  'Then that's up to you, it's on your bill, nothing to do with us'  'Even though you work for the water board?' 'That;'s right'.  They were back again yesterday, but I left them to it this time.  We suspect it is because we recently had to empty most of the swimming pool and then refil it which meant the hose was on for a good 24 hours or so.  Last time we did it we had a letter from the waterboard saying that they suspected that we had a leak and we should investigate.  Although why they think leaks can last for 24hours and then stop for no apparent reason is beyond me.  I didn't mention this to the visiting representatives because there's probably some rules and regulations about using hosepipes for so long and topping up pools and the like.  It's times like this that the french shoulder shrug comes in very handy - just shrug, walk away and leave them to it.

Stupid things guests say cont'd:

May we use the fridge?

I see in your advert that you do not accept children in this gite.  My daughter is 13 months old, would it be ok for her to stay?

A few pics

No time to write at the mo, although there's been a fair bit going on.  No doubt by the time I get around to writing I'll have forgotten everything.  In the meantime, here are a few pics of a couple of things I did for Isabella's birthday.  Hopefully I will get a chance to explain about all the fun I had in the next few days.  Clearly I'm no expert, but I'm quite pleased with my attempts:

This is the cake I made - supposed to be the princess from 'Beauty and the Beast'! 

Does my bum look big in this?

The desk:
bought off a friend, sanded, painted - et voilà!

I didn't paint the flowers though.







Nor the bees.
But I did paint all the hearts and what-have-you. 
And the white.

Before the painting - the sanded item.