We have
enjoyed our bountiful month of July but it slipped away from us in a blink of
an eye. I would love to report that these fabulous cherries were from our trees
but sadly they are not. We were shopping in Lidle, and in the pile of cheap
boxes of out of date veg I found all of this gloriousness, for one euro. OK, good to have, but, this 10 kilos of
cherries had to be processed and I made a ton of jam, crumbles and we ate like
romans emperor for over 2 weeks. 
By chance,
the cherry bountifulness was still on the go when we had a lovely bunch of
friends around the table for supper …..You got it… we had cherry crumble for
dessert. Smashing!!
At last..
Mike got Monty back on the road. It all went pair shaped for us in June when
Monty had a slipping clutch and leaking back brake seals but with our car
enthusiast friends support and help Monty was mended and ready for his first
trip into town. What total fun, and we
are now committed to take Monty out for a run once a week to keep all his bits
oiled and smooth running.
Fishing
season is apon us again and all the equipment that was left floundering in the
barn came out for a polish and upgrade. We found a day in the diary to suit and
cast the rods. Mike did really well and caught 3 beautiful fish all around 18
Ib. We love the quiet determination of the chase and the care and respect we
like to give to these wonderful aquatic beasts. We had a picnic on the go, no
time to abandon the rods and as the sun was starting to set Mark reeled in a
whopper to finish the day at 21 Lbs x
Perfectly
innocent and very quiet fun. Both HOSS and Ted the dogs came with us to add to
the family outing atmosphere. Applying
patients and cunning rod work, the ‘right, secret bait’ and the will to land
the big catch of the day these outings
are a perfect off site activity. We use extreme care to land these carp with
dignity and no fish get hurt during our fishing days.
Then
after a day of fishing a convivial BBQ evening at Jay and Helen’s to watch the
sun go down over their fields. We talk about vehicles and horses, dogs and life,
and the things that make our friendships here in France special and important
We had a customer
free weekend, and decided to get away to a vide grenier in Cerence. We love
these overnighters because we inevitably end up in a town we would never
usually stop in. We walk through the streets the night before and prepare for
our early start. We are out in the vide grenier at 7:00 in the morning and
after an initial sweep of the Brocante stalls we have made a habit of going
back to the camper to have a right royal, full English breakfast, before we set off again to do another sweep
and if required, yet another.
Since Mike
lowered the camper bed and has given us back our table Hoss has taken to
spending all his time underneath it. He
loves crawling in and making himself comfortable supported on all three
sides. He is his happiest on our camper
outings. While we have customers in our
mobilehomes in the garden we have taken to going out in the evenings to park up
cook a meal and come home as the sun
goes down. HOSS is happy to off site, camper
cruising ….. HOSS style, under the table…..
The Creance
car show gave us the opportunity to take a pleasant rally ride out and to park
up in the middle of a towns special fete day. There were over one hundred cars,
tractors, vans and military vehicles all on show and gleaming. We all sat
together on long tables for a complimentary lunch in the company of happy
vintage car owners all with a tale to tell and a bumper to show off.
What a
great bunch of people! Mike and I only
met most of these people on January 1st this year on the new year
run we were so kindly invited to, and we have not looked back. Our enthusiasm
for Monty and getting out on the road has found a new purpose.
The sun
shone all day and the happy banter shone all day as well. We met up with a
lovely French upholsterer who is going to spruce up Monty’s interior, and the chance to chat in French
about our happy hobby was a bonus.
Creance is
the most floral displayed town centre I have ever seen though some might say
they know of better. The variety in planting had me spinning and I took copious
photographs to remind me how it should be done. What I would do to be an
apprentice to this gardening guru for one season. Brilliant.
We had
Janis and Mark coming to stay in their camper and it occurred to Mike the
entrance to the garden was over grown with weeping willow so a Chelsea chop was
in order. The two huge willows are due to be cut down by EDF because they
interfere with the overhead lines and we have been waiting for the EDF crew for
the past 2 months. But we cannot wait for their job list to get to us and we took out a good percentage
of tree to clear the way. We then dragged the cuttings over to the new bonfire
area at the back of the wood and the entrance was clear and I love it.
Our
garden became Janis and Marks next 5 night stop on a month long road trip in
France. I am very sure not the last trip
either…
We spent
hours around the table catching up as we had not seen each other in 15
years. Janis and I worked together way back somewhere
in the 90’s but we hadn’t changed and we started where we left each other and
laughed a lot…..
We
shared the fun with Shirley and Mark and discussed our different yet so similar
life styles and there was talk, for a mega second, of all moving to Cornwall
but then I looked at my garden and wondered how on earth I could ever leave
Brevands
What a
lucky break that we heard from Sara who has her ear closer to the goings on
in Carentan than me. Sarah messaged us to
let us know that the US 2nd armoured division re-enactor group were
marching and parading their vehicles around our town. What a treat, people from
all corners of the world here in France re-enacting the DDay route of so many years
ago. I spoke to a couple of uniformed chaps who were old friends meeting up on
this event and one came from Adelaide in Australia….what a coincidence and I
was able to tell them all about our kids out there and it made for a jolly
moment in time where distance had no consequence.
We then
took our guests to take a ride on the C47 simulator at dead’s man’s corner. It
is my second visit and I will do it a million times before a tire of it. A simulated para flight giving a glimpse into
the fear and courage that these young soldiers had to find in 1944. Mike is here trying to make himself understood in the
amazing village church at Montfarville
with its deliciously painted walls and ceilings illuminated for 12
minutes for 1 euro …another of my favourite places.
A
refreshing coffee in Barfleur on the quay
watching the world go by. We were so lucky with the weather, it was
Bastille Day and the French were out en famille strolling along the water’s
edge of this pretty fishing village. Sadly,
before we realise it, Mark and Janis were off to get their ferry home,
but we have renewed love and association and a huge promise to visit in the
years to come, to share our love of life in our past and now more importantly,
in our futures.
The crop is
coming in thick and fast now. I have cleared the onion bed and this barrow full
of red onions and charlottes will feed us throughout the winter. I have filled
the freezer with my annual quota of French beans for the winter and I fill in
the gabs with courgettes for stews. This
year as I have had a change of diet I have made litres and litres of courgette
soup and whilst the crop is still prolific I make a fresh soup for my lunch every day.
The problem
with courgette is that they grow overnight and a pick of veg today does not
mean you will find not find oversized specimens like these in two days’ time.
we call these babies arms and they go straight to soup but the little ones go
into our salads and although I do winge when I have a harvest like this I know
I will miss it when the season is over…..thank goodness for the freezer …
Mike and I
did a very interesting thing this month and went to an auction preview day of a
little chateaux in Gonfreville. The
owners had died and the estate was for sale. I knew there would be nothing of
interest for my little buy and sell hobby, but Mike wanted to know if there might be
anything architectural for the garden. We did however have a unique opportunity
to see a little French stately home that had not been updated in 40 years. We parked by the side of the house in a field
and it was clear to me that this would have been park land with design and
purpose. This was the home of a wealthy French family and the last of them here for the past 40 years living
unchanged and hopefully untroubled. A
glimpse into a world we are not familiar with, yet, understand. We live in our farm house surrounded with similar décor, leading a country life …all very interesting
and thought provoking.
Despite
the long dry days we have experienced this year so far, on the night of the
Carentan Marina Weekend of Water Extravaganza …..it rained, and rained. I put an
all-out bulletin to our fiends that we would be going for beer and chips to
watch a group of shanty singers but as the heavens opened and the prospect of a
balmy evening in Carentan Marina seemed an impossibility our numbers dwindled
to just us. In a moment of rain lull we put our coats on to show support and
willingness to participate in our town event only to be washed out. The singers
bravely sang on but the chip man went home and the beer man was one the only tents and we could not get near
it without getting very wet so we sang a few tunes, clapped very loudly and
came home.
Here we are
with the brocanteurs of Houteville at half time in Barfleur. Mike and I were
there at 8:00 and did the first sweep. A
jovial natter about what we had seen and what we fancied next at half time over
coffee, then off for 2 more sweeps for us…
Mike found
panel beating hammers I found tiny things and little treasures for my etsy
selling hobby and vinyl LP for a euro
each ….we know that classic vinyls sell
for 10 euro each …we have seen them, so we are now picking them up when we
can……needless to say, we had to buy a stack system with a deck to play them on
but it only cost us 10 euro at a depot
vends and now we are vinyl doods, man…
My blogger
followers will know that I have a very soft spot for anything Tupperware and I
found this set for 2 euro. What a treat
and I now have a very retro Tupperware cupboard …todays Tupperware is tomorrows Wedgwood
……..just wait and see. !!
Every year
the little town of Orgland present an outdoor theatre production with the most
professional and gobsmackingly amazing presentation of a story relevant to the
town. This year it was set in the time of the French revolution. The production
was studded with live animals wandering in and out of stage, horse riders,
horse and carts and a narrative that was on the limits of our understand but
with such a visual impact the story told itself…..
The game is
to turn up at 9:00, get the picnic chairs set up eat sausages in baguette,
drink beer and wait, and wait, and wait for the sun to go down. This production is a nocturnal event so as soon
the sun goes down the crowds turn up and by the time the curtain went up this
field of standing room only. To finish, we were treated to a very impressive
fire work display and then home at 1 in the morning…..fab time had by all.
We had a
very kind invitation to join Helen and jay and Tim and Chris for an evening
ride out on our motor bikes. We bought our BMW 650 this time last year to trailer behind the camper. It was a
fabulous experience to go out in a group into countryside we have never biked
on and made a note of wonderful biking roads we will have to go back to. We
stopped half way around for a beer and then back to jay and Helens for a BBQ
Lovely end
to a fabulous ride out, then we wrapped up warm to ride home in the cool night
air…looking forward to the next run very soon xx
Finally an
update on my journey to good health. 3
years ago this month I started to feel unwell and as it was digestive I started
to think about the food I ate and the portions. I cut out sugar and flour and
by October felt worse and went to the doctor. On top of the irritation of
digestion I was also angry, frustrated and just not right. I was offered all
the scans, scopes and medication to help with anxiety and upset. All of which after an entire year had no
effect and put me no further forward.
Finally in November of last year I had hit an all-time low and decided
to take my health into my own hands and deal with this myself. I undertook a serious food illumination with
the help of a food log Ap on my kindle.
I starting with no wheat, meat and caffeine.
Along with regular gym and sauna sessions and a good verbal download
into my kindle voice recorder to log the changes and listen to my emotional
progress. After three weeks I did feel better but still not right so I made the
decision to take out dairy…..Bingo…after 5 days I felt like a huge weight had
been lifted from my shoulders and I could feel a smile coming back to my
face. It has taken from November to now
to be confident that cow’s milk is the problem and I now stick with goat
products, or nothing. I try not to make a fuss when I go out to eat as this not a medical
seriousness but it has made such a difference to me as a person. France does
not test adults on the NHS for intolerances and my doctor said I had single handily
done all the testing I need edto do…..you are intolerant, she said, and need to get on with
your lovely life, and be careful to replace the calcium, was the only medical advice she wanted to offer me ..... so on with life we go
So guess
who is drinking all the cow’s milk now.
HOSS looks forward to his little tipple at the end of the day but these days
rather likes it when that I plonk it in
front of him so he does not have to disturb himself too much ……. My boy is getting
old, but remains happy and content. xx xx
