Good morning everyone, what fabulous weather we've had this weekend! The forecast looks fantastic too. I'm an optimist but also a realist, perhaps this is a temporary blip and the rains will return but I'll be enjoying it whilst it lasts! Maybe I'll try to fit in a couple of trips to the beach to take some photos to break up the daily grind.
What plans do you have for the coming week?
James
The mowing yesterday seems to have disturbed the little bas..... An adjoining field suddenly became pockmarked. Not my business.
Our neighbour came and ploughed our potager, then hoed it and now for raking. I gave him a bottle of sloe gin. He'll be there tomorrow. Reciprocity, true to the memory old good old Marcel Mauss.
Brian you would be amazed at how few moles can produce such earth works. I knew for sure that I had to have at least 20, judging from the number of hills. After 2 detonations over two days there were no more. Now I am holding a lifetime supply of the explosive charges. I could have easily got by with the handful of charges that came with the unit, but I wanted to be prepared so I bought the economy sized box of refills. Raking is good exercise indeed. The young French oak don't drop their leaves until spring. I have a near paralyzed shoulder today from gathering up the newly fallen yesterday.
Peter, the only way you could possibly injure yourself with the Detaupeur is by not first reading the relatively simple instructions. That is usually only done by Darwin Award contenders.
I remember it was nasty from two years ago. Man oh man, I was so relieved when it was all over. I keep saying to myself, well just think you then have two years off until next check :-(
Just to say BM, the Citrafleet is utterly revolting ! Wouldn't be surprised if it turned my water green !
Waiting for our daughter to come back from sunny Mexico...then she, the puppy et moi will at the week-end drive all the way back to la belle Provence and introduce that puppy of ours to his new home! :) PS! ...and lots of preparations and stuff to be done before we head off! :)
I think that in two weeks I shall ditto all of that. I have a good supply of 100% cocoa chocolate about to arrive with the salon de chocolat on the coming weekend where my Madagascan supplier is displaying, also my saving grace...
The colo preparation has changed over the years Brian. Gone are the days, well in this hospital anyway where we had to somehow drink four litres of disgusting mixture late afternoon etc. My prep started one week ago with a kind of mild laxative (Movicol) which has proved less 'uncomfortable' than I was fearing. Today, on the eve of the colo i'm allowed a lightish meal at lunchtime followed by the start of two sachets of Citrafleet, one at 1400 followed by a couple of litres of water from 1500 - 1800 then the second sachet at about 2000 followed by more water until 2130. Don't be surprised to hear explosions to the north of you !!!
The diet has been ok so far. It's just the desserts which are tricky tho' dark chocolate has been my saviour...
Sure, my local Jardiland has them. The price for the large area we have would be horrendous at €70 plus a box. We have tried children's windmills, the small anti-mole explosives and umpteen other things but they simply seem to move on a bit and the neighbouring second home where they are not likely to show until Easter has a lawn that looks like a battlefield, then their field looks like a bad outbreak of the pox! Once we have done out bit and relaxed they return. Raking them out and mowing through is good exercise and cheaper by far, notwithstanding the risks :-(
These things will soon be outlawed from what I was told. There have been too many accidents with users losing hands & fingers.
Brian les taupes are easily defeated with le Detaupeur . This thing works wonders if you're not squeamish about killing them.
I'm with you on heralding in spring, but I'm not yet putting away the pare-brise scrapper. I put four rows of onions in the still somewhat soggy ground yesterday, and the sunset in 82 was stunning last evening.
We had a break from work to do work outside, mainly repairs and cutting grass. The cutting was impeded by literally hundreds of molehills, they even stop the blade on our super strong (stronger than sit ons bar the very upmarket ones). Anyway, although I was well away from my OH cutting, a stone hurled through the air into my left eye. Nice shiner today! So, time to go out to buy seed and look out for plants for the food allotment. Once our present job is finished (next week we hope) and the spring is really here, then we get at it for real.
Peter, I have the same in just over two weeks. I am not sure whether it was meant for a joke, but the clinic gave me the diet sheet and other instruction in English. Well, kind of, I suspect it was a Google Translate job. I think the plot is to get me to properly translate the French one because I did something of that ilk last check a couple of years ago. As for personal welfare, there comes a moment when it feels like warfare :-( Best of luck mate. I shall not expect a report or offer the same myself, which not doubt fellow members will not mind ;-)
Got sunburnt whilst cleaning the car - now I know why I usually don't do that job! Will try to fit in as much horse riding and field work as I can this week .... as I had a look at the weather forecast for the next.... So let's enjoy the sunshine while it's here!
Doesn't happen very often but Limoges et environs was the warmest part of the Hexagon yesterday. I registered 22.5°C on the terrace which coincided with an amazing burst of energy from the daisies !
Strange week ahead with a routine five-year coloscopy at the local hospital just across the road booked in for tomorrow. The preparation nowadays starts one week before the big day with various treatments and the 'regime non-residue' isn't that bad when you consider pasta, rice along with hams and fresh meats are included. The fun starts this afternoon with the final 'purge' of the system ! Not a very 'sexy' subject maybe but something which shouldn't be taken lightly when personal welfare is concerned.
Wednesday will be spent in the garden assuming the weather stays ok and thursday will be a day away at Ile d'Oleron seeing friends. My planning doesn't go much further than that.
I am spring cleaning and Jim has been treating and manuring the fruit trees in the orchard.
We are having house-sitters to look after our dog and the chickens when we go to UK in a couple of weeks time, so I want to leave everything neat and tidy for them.
We enjoyed coffee on the terrace yesterday, but the wind blew at mid day, still has a cold edge to it.
Thus morning is wonderful, so I guess the answer to your question is we shall enjoy it.